Monday, February 17, 2025

Welcome: 

Welcome to the third quarter and the month of February! I hope everyone enjoyed the Birds win on Sunday and wasn't too tired for work and school on Monday. It was pretty obvious from the halls on Friday that many got to enjoy the parade--that's awesome and I hope it was a memorable experience for those that went! 

This Past Week: 

Social Studies (Periods 2, 6, 7 and 8): 

• Monday: We took some time today to finish up the #10-Child Labor Stations and then watched a little clip from America the Story of Us: Division. The students looked at the impact of the Cotton Gin and the Factory System on the United States. Check out some of the Thin Slides the students completed to demonstrate what they learned. 
• Tuesday: We started today with a quick content burst about the advent of steam power in the United States. The students then added to their Industrial Revolution drawings before switching gears and working to categorize the assignments we've done so far this quarter so they can build their "My American Story" websites. 
• Wednesday: We had a 2-hour delay today and timing worked perfectly. We used the planning sheet from class yesterday and the students started to put together their "My American Story" website in class 
• Thursday: I was out sick today so the students did some work on their own by stating an assignment called "#18-Steel Sparks Industrial Growth." The students looked at two images of New York City from decades apart, watched a video clip about the Bessemer Process and then did some independent research about the impact of the Bessemer Process and steel on the American Cities. 
• Friday: The students spent today finishing the Visual Slides they started in class yesterday. The students also had some time to catch up on any other work they were missing for my class or to watch part of The Men Who Built America to learn a little more about Andrew Carnegie and the impact of steel on US History. 

Accelerated Social Studies (Period 3): 

• Monday: The students completed an assignment called #13-Steel Sparks Industrial Growth. The students looked at two images of New York City from decades apart, watched a video clip about the Bessemer Process, and then did some independent research about the impact of the Bessemer Process and steel on American Cities. 
• Tuesday: One of the major themes of the Second Industrial Revolution in the United States is the influx of immigrants from across the world. We started our discussion of immigration in the late 19th and early 20th centuries today by discussing what "the American Dream" means in the Explore section of the #14-The Land of Milk & Honey: Immigration Hyperdoc."
• Wednesday: The students continued to guide their own learning about immigration to the United States in the 1900s by working on the "Explore" section of the Immigration Hyperdoc and taking notes.
• Thursday: I was out today but the students spent their class time planning, researching and writing their response to the question "To what degree did the United States provide an opportunity for Immigrants to live “the American Dream” in the late 19th and early 20th centuries?" 
• Friday: The students took time today to finish their writing, evaluate it and submit it before leaving for the weekend. 

Next Week: 

Social Studies (Periods 2, 6, 7 and 8): 

• Industrial Revolution Drawings: We will finish the drawings the students have been doing to help track the changes to American life that were brought about by industrialization and urbanization. The students will also be asked to answer some reflection questions about the assignment before we turn it in. 
• Immigration Hypderdoc: Most of this week will be spent working on a Hyperdoc about the experience of immigrants who came to the United States during the Second Industrial Revolution. The "Apply" step will be completed in class and graded (this portion will most likely be done next week). 

Accelerated Social Studies (Period 3): 

This week we'll be focusing on the theme of "The Power of One" when we begin to investigate the impact of single people and inventions on American history. 

• The Great American Inventor Race:  We'll start the week with an electronic scavenger hunt of sorts. This activity is meant to help introduce students to some key inventors and inventions while helping them to practice the skills of researching and collaborating online. 
• Inventions Grading & Ranking Activity: This activity will be the primary focus for the week. The students will first practice using AI tools by creating rubrics we can use to evaluate the impact of inventions on certain areas of life. The students will then use the rubrics they create to evaluate the impact of key inventions on American society. Finally, the students will work in collaborative groups to present their rankings at the end of the week.