Week of 23-27 February

Monday: No class for us today because we're going to The Hall at Patriot Place to discover the history behind the sport of football, our beloved NE Patriots, and to learn about the science behind concussions and how to better prevent them. When we return to school, we'll do some brief PARCC practice testing in the computer lab. Don't forget to have your crossword puzzle completed for tomorrow!



Tuesday: Today we'll look at what happened on This Day In History, and then we'll spend the rest of class playing a review game to recap the events leading up to the Articles of Confederation and the Articles themselves, in preparation for our upcoming test on Friday. We will be spending much of this week reviewing, so worry not! The only homework tonight is to review your notes from the unit. Begin studying now, don't cram the night before!

Wednesday: Today, we will finish playing our Review Game in class, and for homework, students will define 8 terms of their choosing on their vocabulary sheet, to be checked tomorrow. Do the work!!! I promise, it pays off!



Thursday: Today we will consolidate all of our vocab sheets and finish reviewing for the test. Studious notes are a MUST! They will benefit you greatly come test time, trust me! For homework, every student will STUDY for the test tomorrow, and in doing so, you will use a 3"x 5" index card (or piece of paper, if need be) for notes, to be used on the test tomorrow. To be clear: every student is required to take some notes on an index card - which notes you choose to write are entirely up to you.

What color is this dress???

Friday: Test Day! No homework over the weekend. We will be starting our next unit on the Constitutional Convention on Monday. Have a good weekend!

Week of 9-13 February

Monday and Tuesday: More snow!!!!!!!!


Wednesday: Today we are settinng up our starters and snow days or not, WE WILL FINISH TALKING ABOUT THE ARTICLES OF CONFEDERATION........soon.

(Watch to 4:24)
We will be discussing the different features of the "A of C", including why each feature was included and attempting to predict any possible problems the new government might have. For homework, everyone will be doing a current events worksheet, available here. We will complete these worksheets every two weeks, with each article worth 10 points. This week's focus is "Brian Williams," an NBC news anchor at the center of a big controversy. Due FRIDAY!

Thursday: Today we will be filling out a chart on the numerous problems with the Articles of Confederation, available here. We will anaylze the various causes behind these issues and do a fun activity where we'll see just how fragile our new nation was, and how poorly it was being held together by the Articles' government. Don't forget your Current Events for tomorrow!

Friday: Today we will begin with the CNN Student News, then discuss this week's current events assignment on the controversy surrounding Brian Williams. We will then work on completing our Articles of Confederation chart from yesterday. For homework, students will complete a Post-Revolutionary crossword puzzle (worth 10 points, or two homework assignments). I will attempt to update later with an electronic version of the puzzle. Stay Warm!!!!

Week of 2 - 6 February

Welcome to the blog! I hope you find it to be a valuable resource, and some other cool stuff along the way. Here's what we're up to this week.

Monday and Tuesday: There's no day like a snow day! Or 4 of them!!!



Wednesday: Class Expectations Sheets are due back to me!!! Don't lose 5 points because you forgot. Everyone NEEDS to return them to me, and you lose one point/day, so don't forget! Today we are going over a worksheet on the strengths and weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation, which can be found here, and then for homework you will be analyzing a chart showing how drastic inflation was after the Revolutionary War, available here. Inflation is when people print more dollars to make up for a struggling economy, and therefore each dollar is worth a little less - not good! Just for fun, find some household items and ask your parents how much they cost when they were kids compared to nowadays. You'd be surprised at what you find!!! Also, at the beginning of class, we will grade the Naturalization Tests you took to see if you have what it takes to be a US Citizen! Let's just hope you do better than some of these answers: ;)



Thursday: Today we are going over the worksheet on Inflation that you did for homework last night, and then we will continue our discussion on the pros and cons of the Articles of Confederation. The majority of the class will be spent working on the sheet we began in class yesterday, discussing it together, answering the questions on page 1 independently, and then analyzing the different case studies on the back in small groups and as a class. For homework, you will simply think of three major ways to improve the Articles of Confederation and write them down (neatly, please!!!). Don't forget to return your signed report cards and hand in your field trip permission slips by Monday!!!



Friday: We will review what we've learned about the Articles of Confederation, and then take a look at six fictional case studies regarding the extent of federal authority under the A of C. How powerful is the new government? If we have time, we'll get to watch some CNN Student News. No homework tonight. Have a good weekend, stay safe and stay warm!