Week of 29 February - 4 March

Freshmen US Government
Monday: Today we will finish our Jigsaw activity from Friday and review the vocab from lesson 2. Homework tonight is to complete the Lesson 2 WS. Prepare for a quiz on Thursday/Friday.



Tuesday: No school for Super Tuesday. Remind your parents to hit the polls, and maybe even ask them about their opinions on politics, or visit the polls with them!


Wednesday: Today students will review Lesson 2 and then move on to Lesson 3, discussing the specific constructs that influenced the thinking of the Founding Fathers, like private vs. public morality and Judeo-Christian doctrine. We will also go over the vocab of Lesson 3 together. Homework is the Lesson 3 WS.



Thursday: Today we will be discussing the Magna Carta, or the Great Charter, which was a historic document written by Robin Hood. Well, that's what Hollywood says, and if it's in a movie, it must be true, right??? Here are the notes. We will also look at the Mayflower Compact, as these documents influenced the Founding Fathers in their creation of the Constitution. Homework tonight is the Lesson 4 WS.



Friday:Today we will review for the upcoming quiz on Monday, on lessons 1-4 on the Foundations of US Government. Study this weekend!!! Flashcards always help!



Sophomore Modern World
Monday: Today students will conduct a simulation of the Stock Market in the 1920s. 5 students will be selected as brokers, and will sell shares of actual companies from the '20s to investors. Then we will open the market for trading and see what kind of fluctuation occurs and why. Who can prove themselves business-savvy enough to become a millionaire?!?! Spoiler alert: This may not end well.




Tuesday: No school for Super Tuesday! Who would you vote for if you were able?



Wednesday: Students will immediately complete the stock market simulation we began on Tuesday, and we'll see who made the biggest profit from their original $500! We will then discuss the Weimar Republic in Germany and analyze why it failed to bring stability to the region. We'll also look at the hyperinflation that spread throughout Germany. Homework is to outline 15.3 (here's the skeleton).



Thursday: Today we will have an open-notes reading quiz on 15.2 and 3. Then we will be discussing post-war Europe and specifically the Weimar Republic in Germany and the rise of Fascism. Here are the notes. Homework tonight is to read 'National Socialism in Germany' and answer the attached questions.



Friday: Today we will look deeper into the Rise of Fascism, specifically in Italy and Germany. Here are the notes. Homework is the Fascism WS. And be ready to answer on Monday: How do economic problems affect politics?

Junior USII
Monday: Today we will try to finish watching The Lost Battalion, focusing on the technology of warfare, other countries' views towards America, and especially the opinions of many of the American soldiers towards fighting in a European war. Question to consider: Why did the US enter the war? And do you think it was necessary/unnecessary? No homework tonight.

"Luke.....I am your father.......
And, uh, this is Darth Fido."

Tuesday: No school today. Tell your parents to



Wednesday: We will finally finish the movie! Also, we will look at some more profiles of heroism from American "doughboys." Homework is to complete the WWI Section 2 WS.





Thursday: Today we will analyze the case of Schenck v. US, in which a man argued that the government could not force someone into conscription (mandatory military service) because it was equal to slavery, and when he was jailed for speaking his mind, he argued that it was a violation of his First Amendment. Should laws change in times of war? Were the courts correct in their ruling? Let's debate!!!


Friday: Today we will analyze Schenck's argument against the Supreme Court, and look at some of the concerns of espionage felt by the US Government. Who's right? WHo's wrong? You'll have to pick a side, and even more, you'll have to convince your opponents to join your side!!!! Homework tonight is the WWI Section 4 WS.

Week of 22 - 26 February

Freshmen Government

Monday: Today students will review the political spectrum, using the surveys and quizzes they took to see where they fall on the spectrum. Here are the results and political profiles from all of the freshmen! As we'll see, the majority (37%) of freshmen identify most with the "Next Generation Left", while 24% are considered "Young Outsiders" and 20% are "Solid Liberals." Tomorrow we will begin class with a quick quiz on the Political Spectrum!

Tuesday: After a quick quiz on the spectrum, students will be introduced to the case of Schenck vs. United States, in which Schenck makes an argument that it was unconstitutional for the government to conscript its citizens into military service during WWI, and to restrict what people could and couldn't say about the government. Students will debate whether or not the laws iaremoral as well as constitutional, and will be challenged to persuade their classmates. Homework will be to complete the questions on Schenck v. US.




Wednesday: Today we will begin Lesson 1 in our We The People  textbook by discussing the historical background of the US Government, from Ancient Greece to the Enlightenment to the creation of the USA. For homework, students will define all of the lesson 1 vocab words, which can be found here.



Thursday: Today students will wrap up lesson one, working together to answer the companion questions regarding the Founding Fathers. For homework, students will complete the Lesson 1 WS.

Friday: Students will take what they learned in their small groups yesterday and teach the material to other groups, who will in turn teach them about their own topic. After discussing constitutions and different forms of government, students will work together to answer questions on pg. 10 of the textbook. Homework is to define the Lesson 2 vocabulary.

Sophomore Modern World

Monday: Today students will cover the evolution and revolution of the Middle East, focusing on the fall of the Ottomans, the "creation" of the Modern Middle East, and nationalist revolutions in Mexico, Africa, and Turkey. Homework is to complete a new map of the Middle East, where students will  attempt to undo the damage done by the Sykes-Picot Agreement and bring stability to the region by drawing more apprpriate borders based on ethnic groups, religions, and population.

Tuesday: Students will finish outlining the nationalist revolutions of the early 1900s, and then the rest of the class will be spent reviewing for our quiz tomorrow! Study hard tonight! Here is the review guide!

Wednesday: Today we will have our quiz on Revolution and Nationalism in the early 1900s. You've got this!!! Just don't be this guy!


Thursday: Today students will begin a new unit on the Age of Uncertainty and the Rise of Dictators! We will spend today going over the new developments of the 1920s, like Einsteins, jazz cats, flappers, gangsters, and cubists. And no, I did not make those words up! Homework is to complete the 15.1 WS.


Friday: Today students will begin learning about the Weimar Republic in Post-WWI Germany by looking at its new Constitution as well as the economy in Germany. Homework is to outline 15.2.

"I love the smell of Fascism in the morning!"

Junior USII

Monday: Today we finally get to our objective, the US Entry into WWI and why it happened!!! Homework is the worksheet on the Sinking of the Lusitania.

Tuesday: Today students will organize what they've learned about WWI into a graphic organizer, available here. Students will complete the organizer by reading the section in textbook on the Treaty of Versailles and Wilson's 14 Points. For homework, students will complete the graphic organizer using their take-home book.


Did you know? President Woodrow Wilson was the first US President to travel to Europe during his term. He was also reelected in 1916 with the slogan "He Kept Us Out of the War!" The US would join the war effort one year later.

Wednesday: Today we will conduct a lesson on propaganda, studying different propaganda from WWI and analyzing what it takes for propaganda to be effective. For homework, students will create a colorful propaganda poster of their own, designed to influence the audience towards any cause.

Thursday: Today students will complete the propaganda activity from yesterday, then begin watching The Lost Battalion, a true story of an American battalion in WWI that was cut off and surrounded by German forces, but managed to fight on for days until reinforcements arrived. We will be answering these questions that correspond with the movie. No homework.



Friday: Today we will continue watching The Lost Battalion. Homework is to complete the WWI Take Home Quiz (worth 20 points). Students may use their notes to complete this.

Week of 8 - 12 February

Freshmen US Government
Monday: SNOW DAY!!!



Tuesday: Today we will review what we were doing before our impromptu "pre-cation", then pick up where we left off by discussing different types of government. We've established that we need SOME sort of government, but WHAT KIND??? We'll find out soon enough! Homework tonight is to read and complete the BACK PAGE ONLY of the "Who Rules?" packet.

Wednesday: Today we will review the Who Rules? packet and look at different governments around the world. Then students will partner up and become government salesmen and women, making a creative brochure to market different types of governments to new countries. No homework tonight. Projects due Friday.

Thursday: Today we will work on our projects for the whole class period. Due tomorrow!!!



Friday: Today we will look at the political spectrum and see what it means, and then we'll analyze modern politicians and even ourselves! Homework is to take this quiz! Enjoy your vacation.

Sophomore Modern World
Monday: SNOW DAY!!!

Tuesday: Today we will recap the Chinese Revolution and play some Trivia Ball, then review the homework on Mao's "peasant sea" strategy. For homework, students will outline 14.4 in their textbooks. Here is an example template for organizational assistance.



Wednesday: Today we will talk all about Gandhi and nonviolent resistance, or civil disobedience. We'll look at some of his motives, his past, and his justifications. Homework tonight is to complete the two views of Revolution WS, comparing Mao and Gandhi and their revolutionary ideologies. What do you think? Is violence necessary for a succesful revolution?

Interesting fact of the day:
Did you know Mao Zedong's reign was the second deadliest event in human history?
Click above to zoom in and see the 100 worst atrocities in history. 

Thursday: Today we will finish discussing Indian independence. Then we will begin working on our DBQ on the effectiveness of Gandhi's nonviolence campaigns. Homework tonight is to finish analyzing all of the documents in the DBQ (pgs. 455-469).

Friday: Today in class we will be working on our document-based question for the whole class. Enjoy your vacation!!! Homework is to complete the Middle East Map.

Junior USII
Monday: SNOW DAY!!!

One of the last pictures taken of Archuduke Ferdinand and his wife,
28 June 1914.

Tuesday: Today we will go over the Triple Alliance and the Triple Entente, and look at the very complex alliances that came into play during WWI. We will then read the riveting account of Archduke Franz Ferdinand's assassination and learn more about Gavrilo Princip. Homework is to finish this reading and answer the question at the end.



Wednesday:



Thursday: Today we will complete a packet overview of WWI, including an interactive map activity. For homework, students will complete a "Letter from the Trenches." Choose either a letter home (censored by the government) or a list of tips from a hardened veteran to a "green" Dough Boy.



Friday: We will continue our WWI Overview notes today, from WWI Technology to the opening battles of the war, to the advent of Trench Warfare. No homework. Enjoy your vacation!