Thanksgiving came early in American History class. Students investigated the origins of the holiday and came to their own conclusions about Turkey Day. The week of October 12th also saw the introduction to the Patriot’s Pen Essay Contest and the formation of colonial America. In Discover History class, students were on the campaign trail! The mock election was held and the results will be announced on Monday. American History: Monday: Students investigated the New England Colonies through the Near Pod application. The Puritans and Separatists were the topic of much discussion on Monday, and individuals like Rodger Williams were also examined for their contribution to the formation of the New England Colonies. Check out the Near Pod Presentation here. Tuesday: The Patriot’s Pen Essay was introduced to each 8th grader on Tuesday. This year’s theme is What Freedom Means To Me. Students participated in a pre-writing strategy to begin the writing process. In addition, students watched two short video clips to help inspire the creative process. All of the information for the Patriot’s Pen Essay can be found on eBackpack. I will be working with Ms. Betz to help those students interested in entering the writing contest. Feel free to watch the What Freedom Means to Me video. Wednesday: Happy Turkey Day! Students investigated the history behind the Pilgrims and the Thanksgiving Holiday. Students were given a PDF written by a colleague who works for the historical society in Philadelphia and myself. Students were shocked to hear about the story of Squanto, the Pilgrims as grave robbers, and the Pequot Massacre. I argue that teaching the “good” and the “bad” sides of the Pilgrims demonstrates the complicated relationship they shared with the Native Americans. Conflict is part of the Thanksgiving story and could help us all grow more tolerant and accepting of others. Thursday: William Penn and the founding of Pennsylvania were at the center of Thursday’s lesson. Students explored the founding of the Middle Colonies and the reasons behind their creation. Students also used a new feature on the Near Pod application that allows students to go on virtual field trips. As a class, we ventured to Time Square to investigate why Manhattan Island was sought after in early colonial America. Friday: Students participated in a QR Code Gallery Walk on the Southern colonies on Friday. Students moved to five different stations, brainstormed ideas to a photo, and then scanned a QR Code to a Wikispace. Students were introduced to life in the Southern Colonies, men like James Olgethorpe, and Bacon's Rebellion. Check out the wikispace that was used in class here! Discover History: Monday: Monday marked the beginning of the mock presidential election in Discover History class. Students were broken down into two political parties (the Orange & Purple Parties), created slogans, developed key attributes, and began the primary election process. Students used the Pic Collage application to created posters for their candidacy. Tuesday: Students finalized their Pic Collage posters and shared the posters with the class via the Apple TV. Students then voted for an individual within their own political party to represent their party in the presidential election. Congratulations to Tahlon and Cody for being selected as the two candidates! Wednesday: Students discussed the best way to campaign for their presidential candidate. Students then began to create a variety of different media to support their candidate. I was very impressed by the use of different iPad applications that the students used to support their candidate! Flipagram, iMovie, Haiku Deck, and several other applications were on full display during the mock election. Thursday: Students finalized their campaign on Thursday. Several videos were created by the students that displayed their full creative talents. Students showed their artistic abilities by creating posters and banners for their candidates as well. Friday: Students showed off to the class the different media that was created to support their candidate. Students watched several video advertisements and then were shown different posters, banners, and other items used for the campaign. At the end of class, students submitted their final votes for President of Discover History Class. The results of the vote will be announced on Monday! Great job everyone!
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Mr. Steve Hartnett
Mr. Hartnett will update the Room 212 Blog with classroom updates on a regular basis. Be sure to follow me on Twitter @ MrHartnett212 Archives
July 2019
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