Sesame Street Does the American Revolution

Here are some classic Sesame Street videos about the American Revolution. The first is about Thomas Jefferson writing the Declaration of Independence. The second video reenacts the choosing of a national bird.

Springfield Trip

There is still lots of room for the Springfield Trip, May 22-23. You can get a registration form from the office or Mr. McCarthy.

The Declaration of Independence

A very good dramatic reading of the Declaration:



And here is the video "Fireworks" from Schoolhouse Rocks

Pop vs. Soda

I found this on one of my favorite sites: http://strangemaps.wordpress.com. You may want to click on the map to view it better.



Here is some of part of the text that accompanied the map:
"When on a hot summer’s day you buy a carbonated beverage to quench your thirst, how do you order it? Do you ask for a soda, a pop or something else? That question lay at the basis of an article in the Journal of English Linguistics (Soda or Pop?, #24, 1996) and of a map, showing the regional variation in American English of the names given to that type of drink.

The article was written by Luanne von Schneidemesser, PhD in German linguistics and philology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and senior editor of the Dictionary of American Regional English. And although there might be weightier issues in life (or even in linguistics) than the preferred terminology for a can of soft drink, there’s nothing trivial about this part of the beverage industry.

“According to an article last year in the Isthmus, Madison’s weekly newspaper, Americans drink so much of the carbonated beverages sold under such brand names as Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Sprite, Mountain Dew, and 7-Up that consumption averages 43 gallons per year for every man, woman, and child in the United States,” Von Schneidemesser begins her article. “The Statistical Abstract of the United States (1994) confirms this: 44.1 gallons per person in 1992, compared to the next most consumed beverages: beer (32.7 gallons), coffee (27.8 gallons), and milk (25.3 gallons).”

-coke: this generic term for soft drinks predominates throughout the South, New Mexico, central Indiana and in a few other single counties in Nevada, Utah and Wyoming. ‘Coke’ obviously derives from Coca-Cola, the brand-name of the soft drink originally manufactured in Atlanta (which explains its use as a generic term for all soft drinks in the South).

-pop: dominates the Northwest, Great Plains and Midwest. The world ‘pop’ was introduced by Robert Southey, the British Poet Laureate (1774-1843), to whom we also owe the word ‘autobiography’, among others. In 1812, he wrote: A new manufactory of a nectar, between soda-water and ginger-beer, and called pop, because ‘pop goes the cork’ when it is drawn. Even though it was introduced by a Poet Laureate, the term ‘pop’ is considered unsophisticated by some, because it is onomatopaeic.

-soda: prevalent in the Northeast, greater Miami, the area in Missouri and Illinois surrounding St Louis and parts of northern California. ‘Soda’ derives from ‘soda-water’ (also called club soda, carbonated or sparkling water or seltzer). It’s produced by dissolving carbon dioxide gas in plain water, a procedure developed by Joseph Priestly in the latter half of the 18th century. The fizziness of soda-water caused the term ‘soda’ to be associated with later, similarly carbonated soft drinks.

-Other, lesser-used terms include ‘dope’ in the Carolinas and ‘tonic’ in and around Boston, both fading in popularity. Other generic terms for soft drinks outside the US include ‘pop’ (Canada), ‘mineral’ (Ireland), ‘soft drink’ (New Zealand and Australia). The term ‘soft drink’, finally, arose to contrast said beverages with hard (i.e. alcoholic) drinks.

2008 Election by County

The two maps below compare the national election results when viewed by county versus when viewed by state.

Sidebar Fun

Check out the new additions on the sidebar, including the class survey application. Comment to this post about the additions for extra credit!

Kermit the Frog and George Washington

Cute video but NOT based on a true story.

Election Results by Illinois County

Election Results

The Electoral College

Colonial Town Meeting

On Oct. 27 and 28th we held a Colonial Town Meeting in order to better understand the debate over colonial independence in early 1776. Students were each assigned a specific historical figure. They were given a description of that person's view on independence and were told whether they were a Patriot, a Loyalist, or if they were Neutral at that time. Each student had to create a poster they would use to present their "Key Ideas" at the Town Meeting

The Patriots and Loyalists switched off presenting their ideas to the Neutralists. After each presentation, Neutralists were given the opportunity to question the presenter, and the opposing side was given an opportunity for rebuttal.

The students really liked this activity and all of them did a good job of representing their side. Many students got into their character, which sometimes led to a heated, but good spirited, debate.

At the end of the meeting, the Neutralists had to declare whether they would side with the Patriots or Loyalists.

Patrick Henry's Famous Speech

Extra Credit: The Boston Massacre

Below are two very different depictions of what took place at the scene of the Boston Massacre. they are written from two very different points of view. One of them is from a Patriot's point of view, the other is more likely from a British, or neutral, point of view. Using what we have learned in class (section 5.5 in your textbook and the video we watched), try and determine which is which. For extra credit, write up a brief statement (2 paragraphs) that explains which picture was drawn from which point of view. Your explanation must be supported with details from what we have read/discussed in class.

You must then add a paragraph in which you explain whether or not it is important to know the truth about what happened in history or not.

This statement must be either typed or neatly written on lined notebook paper, with correct spelling, grammar and punctuation. It must be turned in to me by Thursday, Oct. 9th to get the extra credit. Keep in mind; the more detailed your explanation is, the more points you will receive.

Illustration 1:

Illustration 2:

Taxation Without Representation

Today students participated in a history simulation in which most of them played the role of colonists being taxed by the "King" and "Parliament". The "Colonists" were taxed on things such as hair color, clothing, and accesories. The "Colonists" had no say in the taxes and, though they were not happy about it, the "King" and "Parliament" kept demanding more money.

King George, Parliament, and the Tax Collectors:





Taxes being collected from the colonists:

Colonial Sales Presentations

On september 25th groups gave sales presentations for their colony. Each group had created a brochure that highlighted features of their colony such as; reasons for settlement, religion, government, economy and occupations, and geography and climate. All of the presentations highlighted the features mentioned in their brochure. Many of the groups did a great job of presenting their colony in a manner that was not only educational, but interesting and entertaining as well. We had skits, puppet shows, raps, and more.

After the presentations we talked about features that were common among the colonies, such as the fact that most colonists were farmers, most colonies were self-governed and somewhat democratic, and most colonies welcomed people of various faiths.

Colonial Life

We are about to begin our study of the English Colonies in America. To give you a little bit of a preview of what colonial life was like I found this video of Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia:



Here is a video about the Salem Witch Trials that took place in Massachusetts in 1692

Extra Credit

Since I've been putting a lot of time into this blog lately I have decided to give extra credit points for students who comment on the posts. However, in order to earn points students must post truly reflective comments. That means that you must explain how you feel about the topic, activity, or video that has been posted. It is not enough to simply post; "that was cool", you must explain what you specifically liked or disliked.

Surviving Jamestown

To learn more about what it took for the Jamestown settlers to survive, students had to pose as inatimate objects such as a ship, barrels, axes and trees. They were then asked questions about how they helped the settlers to survive and the challenges settlers would have to face.

Jamestown Scene Recreation

Here are some scenes from the experiences of Jamestown settlers that I have recreated for you.

John Smith (far left) helps Jamestown's settlers survive by telling them that if they don't work, they won't eat:


Captain John Smith is about to be clubbed to death by the Powhatan Indians:


But he is saved by the chief's daughter Pocahontas:


The Jamestown settlers are saved from their "Starving Time" by ships carrying supplies and new colonists from England:


Peace between the Jamestown settlers and the Indians is strengthened when John Rolfe marries Pocahontas with the approval of her father Chief Powhatan:

Jamestown

One of the things we will be learning about in chapter 2 is Jamestown. Jamestown was the first permanent successful English colony in the America continents. Essentially, it was the start of America. The English had failed at two previous attempts to set up colonies in the "New World", and they almost failed at this one as well if it wasn't for the ingenuity of Captain John Smith. After a rough start in 1607, Jamestown eventually grew to become the basis of what would be the colony of Virginia. You can find out more by visiting this website.

My wife and I visited the site of Jamestown, where the fort and buildings have been recreated, on our honeymoon in the summer of 2003. Here are some pictures: