Hope everyone enjoyed their long weekend!
On Tuesday, we'll be going over the Unit Exam from last Friday. We'll spend the period reviewing your graded tests (which came out great!) and talking one last time about the Middle Ages, which I'm sure you'll all be disappointed about. ;) For homework, students will be receiving a packet on Chapter 13 of the textbook, to be completed by next Wednesday, 23 October.
On Wednesday, we'll all be spending the day at Camp Lyndon, let's hope for sunny skies!
On Thursday, we'll be taking a brief PRE-TEST (not graded) to see how much we already know about the Renaissance and the Reformation, while I come around the room and check your binders (graded). We will then get to empty our binders (Yay! But don't throw anything away!) and begin discussing revolutions. We'll talk about what a revolution is, and more importantly, what a revolution is not. This will be a good opportunity for everyone to get on the same page before we discuss a whole slew of revolutions that occurred after the Middle Ages, beginning with...
Religious revolution! On Friday, we'll learn a little about Martin Luther (not King, Jr.), who was not afraid to call the Catholic Church out when he had some different ideas. His 95 Theses caused quite a ruckus in the day! But as we'll see, he was not the only one that had some disagreements with the Church. Notes can be found here. Don't forget to work on your homework packets over the weekend!
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| This will be much funnier after you've learned about Martin Luther, trust me. |
Here's a cool rap song that will help you remember everything!
US History I - A Period
On Tuesday, we will learning much more in-depth about some less-discussed topics in the American Revolution: Guerrillas, Insurgents, Mercenaries, and Spies. We'll revisit some old friends of ours, the Sons of Liberty, who were insurgents, and talk about the use of unconventional forces by George Washington, otherwise known as guerrillas, such as the Green Mountain Boys (sort of) and other bands of "rangers," who used tactics like hit-and-runs and ambushes to harass the British Army.
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| "Those rabble-rousing devils!" - Anonymous British officer |
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| Rogers's Rangers |
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| This was about 7 seconds before the British realized the good ol' Swamp Fox was throwing them a surprise party! |
And now a lesson from our childhood idol, Walt Disney:
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| This is how intelligence in NY was passed back to Washington. |
On Thursday, we'll be talking a little more about the war in the South, and how the Patriots wreaked havoc on the British, who were struggling (unsuccessfully) to wage a counterinsurgency. We'll also have an open forum regarding more recent conflicts in the Middle East, drawing similarities and differences between the British in the American Revolution and the US in Iraq and Afghanistan. For homework, students will read a handout on the Battle of Cowpens, which everyone needs to read! (Hint: Another POP QUIZ on Friday!)
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| Hey, wait, that's not a paintbrush, that's a bomb!!! One of the earliest Patriot-Terrorists, James Aitken. |
Friday, students will be presenting their projects briefly, which will give us an idea of the back-and-forth nature of the war through some of the smaller battles that we don't often get to hear about. Then we can post our massive timeline around the room! For homework, students will be reading an article titled "How Insurgents Won the American Revolution" and answer some short questions. No current events due today.
