Week 2: A New Nation is Born!

Declaration of Independence by John Trumbull, 1819


I think our Declaration of Independence simulation yesterday went great! You guys jumped right in there, defended your positions and had some good debate…and no one got beaten with a cane! Well-done! By participating in the simulation, I hope you were able to give more consideration to the delegates’ concerns about declaring independence; as great as independence sounds to us in the 21st Century, it was definitely not an easy choice for the colonists in the 1700s!

 HOMEWORK:

  • Writing - What did you learn from the founders by doing the simulation? What did you learn about yourself? How are you going to change because of the simulation? Remember to have a parent/mentor proofread and initial your paper, and discuss the question with your family (like, at the dinner table) for 5 bonus points!
  • Reading - 
    • The Mayflower Compact - (pg.20 in your binder) read it, and highlight and define any words you don't know
    • The Landing of the Pilgrims - we will be discussing this book on October 21st, so take notes, mark quotes, and think of questions/comments to share. Next week, I will assign one of you to lead the discussion!
  • Presentations - We will be pleased to hear next week from Miah on "Life as a Puritan and the Salem Witch Trials," and from Liya on the "French and Indian War." We look forward to finding out what you learned! Also, we’re going to hear a special presentation from Kellen on Patrick Henry’s famous speech!
  • Devotional - Noah 

If you have any questions about your assignments, please email, text or call me with your questions. And remember to send me your email address, or have your parents help you set one up so I can send you the blog each week.

Lastly, you can pass off award requirements to me every week, either before of after class. All you need to do is tell/show me what you've memorized or completed. I'm really excited to start handing out ribbons, so let's get going!

CANDY TRIVIA:

Name all five members of the Committee assigned to write the Declaration of Independence.

 

Have a great weekend, and I'll see you all on Thursday!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Week 12: Amendments 11 - 14

Image
We covered more of the amendments last week--11, 12, 13 and 14--to be exact. Make sure you fill out your Constitution journal for these amendments, and memorize a brief summation of what each amendment is about: for example, Amendement 11 says that citizens of one state can't sue another state. (A little bird told me that you have a cheat sheet in your binder! 😉)  Also, good work prepping for the debate on banning misinformation on social media. I know the question seemed a bit confusing by the way it was worded, but it was a good lesson on the importance of understanding the question before you try to answer it! This is a very hot cultural and political topic right now, so I hope you all learned something interesting from your research! ASSIGNMENTS: WRITING: What would life be like without the Constitution?   Think about this and discuss it with your parents. Also, remember some of the books we've read, especially Freedom Factor and Red Scarf Girl to help inspire some idea...
Read more

Week 11: The Bill of Rights

Image
Last week we read through and discussed the Bill of Rights--the first ten amendments to the Constitution. It seems kind of funny that the Constitution had to be amended before many states would ratify it, but that just goes to show how important these rights were to the states. Speaking of rights...we also learned that the Bill of Rights is a list of negative rights, meaning the amendments are written to explain what Congress cannot do to the people, not what the people can do.  Remember the difference between an article and amendment: that can trip you up. Also, be sure to write the first ten amendments in your Constitution journal and commit them to memory so you can be prepared to DOMINATE at the Constitution Bowl! (Aaand because it's good to know your rights as a citizen, too!)  Here's a good video on the first amendment: ASSIGNMENTS: WRITING: Debate prep! Come to class with a minimum of 2 full pages of notes and statements defending your position on the following to...
Read more

Week 3: Government and Morality

Image
  The signing of the Mayflower Compact by passengers on board the Mayflower in November 1620. Painting by Jean Leon Gerome Ferris, 1899. Thank you to Miah and Liya for teaching us about the Puritans and the Salem witch trials, and about the French and Indian (Seven-Years) War. Anytime we study a period of history, it’s good to look backwards even a bit further to find out what led to the period we’re studying. It helps to put things into context, and helps us understand why people did what they did.   This week we also discussed the role that virtue plays in self-governance. The colonists weren’t sure they had the self-discipline it would take to break away from the total control of England and be their own masters. When it was pointed out to the colonists by a few highly esteemed men (such as John Adams, John Quincy, George Washington, Richard Henry Lee, and Thomas Paine) that Americans indeed had the qualities to self-govern, public opinion leaned in favor of independenc...
Read more