Road to the Constitution!

The Revolutionary War is behind us!  So, what did the new United States do next?  It actually didn't go to smoothly for about 6 years.  The new country almost fell apart a few times, especially with Shays' Rebellion.  This rebellion actually got us moving in the right direction though.  After the Revolution, we had 13 separate states who agreed to a "strong league of friendship" under the Articles of Confederation.  The states didn't work too well together this way, and Congress couldn't really do much of anything, except regulate the post office (Whoa what power!).  The next few weeks before Christmas we will talk about the events that cause our young nation to wake up and get on the right track, and how they formed our new government under the Constitution.  We will also learn about how this government works and functions by actually doing it ourselves!  Every class will be its own "country" that uses the US Constitution as its form of government.  It is going to be awesome.

Video 10

Video 9-The War Turns

Hello fabulous students.  Video 9 is up and ready for you to view.  In this video, we will cover things like the Battle of Saratoga, and why it was so important, the infamous/famous winter at Valley Forge, Foreign assistance, and the Battle of Monmouth.

Also, in class (at least the Red Day classes so far) have read an article called Top 5 Foreign Continental Army Officers (Other Than Lafayette).  Which one do you think was the one who contributed the most?  My money would be on Baron von Steuben, but you can come up with your own opinion after reading about them.

Top 5 Foreign Continental Army Officers (Other Than Lafayette)

Next week, I hope we can start a new project using iMovie Trailer, and actually FINISH it!  The whole Twitter project, though potentially amazing, ended up not working out due to Twitter's weird phone number requirement.

Tweeting the Revolutionary War!

It is time for our newest project that we will be doing in class!  What would Continental Army soldiers tweet about during the Revolutionary War?  I bet if they had cell phones and social media, they would really let their thoughts be known.  When we read some primary sources in class, you'll see just how miserable they were at times.  How will you tweet as soldiers?  Check out below.

1st. Create an account on Twitter.  We will be using the netbooks for this.  I will also guide you through each step.

2nd. Choose a name for your soldier. from the Valley Forge Muster Roll.

3rd.  Fill out the biography for your soldier.  Include the Regiment, the name of the army, where you are from, and something else about yourself (your soldier).

4th. Find an appropriate picture for your account.

5th.  Follow my soldier account :@LindowRegiment

6th. Begin tweeting.  Your first tweet should be something about joining the army, and your hopes of the army being victorious.  Also, talk about why you are fighting in the first place.

7th. Comment on some of my tweets, and each other's tweets.  Keep the language/speech period, and don't use any modern slang.

8th.  Talk about the British leaving Boston, the Battles of New York, Trenton, the Hessians, Princeton, American Crisis, etc.  What would one of these brave men have been thinking during these victories and defeats?

9th.  Remember that you are putting someone's real name on this account that fought, bled, and possibly died for your freedom.  Do them proud, and give everyone an accurate representation of what happened.

Finally Back to Normal (and Video 8)!

Well, the essay is finally finished!  I like to think of that thing as King George III.  It hung around forever and getting on our nerves, but we finally finished it and declared our independence from that tyrant of an assignment!  Since that is out of the way, we can get back to normal regular class, which I am very thankful for.  Over the next few weeks we will be learning about the war that actually allowed us to keep our independence....The Revolutionary War (American War of Independence, or whatever name you want to call it).  You didn't think Britain was just going to let us have independence just because we wrote them a break up letter did you?  We had to FIGHT for that independence, and fight on for seven more years!

There are some things I want you to do along with this week's homework video (which is Number 8 by the way).  Watch the short video clip about the Hessian soldiers below.  We are going to learn a lot about these guys over the next couple of days and find out just how important they were.

Also, along with this video, we will be reading this article in class.  If you happen to lose your paper version, here is the electronic version.

8 Fast Facts About Hessians

Last but not least, your video is up.  On the Brink of Defeat (Video 8).  There are not any "I can" statements for this video, so just use that section to take your regular notes.  Also, listen carefully for the vocab words.  If you need help, or have questions, please let me know!

2nd Continental Congress Reflection

Our 2nd Continental Congress reenactment has come and gone, and I could not be more proud.  I saw some students do some amazing things last week.  Even those that I honestly did not think would do well, absolutely rocked it!  I have to give an extra special shoutout to Red 1...You guys made me feel like I was actually there!

During our congress, we debated three things.  First up was whether we should send an Olive Branch Petition to the king.  Every class said yes on this one.  I think the letters you received from your constant assemblies helped you decide.  Then we discussed if we should form a Continental Army with George Washington as commander.  Again every class said yes.  You all talked about the need to prepare for war in case the King rejected our Olive Branch Petition, and pointed out the fact that fighting had already begun.  Most importantly we asked this difficult question: Should we declare independence from Great Britain?  This passed every time with 12 Yays, 0 Nays, and 1 abstention (Thanks New York...).  

I hope you all really learned more about these issues that we discussed and I also hope that you were able to appreciate both arguments that were being made for each issue.  Our forefathers did not always agree, and they all were able to make good arguments.  I also hope that you have a greater appreciation for our Founding Fathers and how they risked their lives to declare to the world that we are an independent nation.  I have also taken into consideration all of the suggestions that were made to make it better for students next year.  I also just want to say THANK YOU to all of you who gave it your all in bringing this to life.  You all have no idea how proud I am of this group of students.  I cannot wait to see what the rest of this year has to offer!

Video 7-Britain, I'm having second thoughts about us.

Video 7 is up and running!  In this video we will review the Battles of Lexington and Concord, learn about the siege of Boston, the Olive Branch Petition, and Common Sense!  But of course, that is not all!  There are not any goals or targets for this video, but you still need to make sure you fill out that section of the most important things.  Enjoy!

A Preview and Change in Dates!

First of all, it looks like we are going to have to have a change in dates for our reenactment due to the Walkathon and JA in a Day.  For Red Day classes, Monday October 13 will be your day to shine.  This is the day we come back from fall break so you need to make sure that you do not forget everything you know during the week off.  For White Day classes, your new day is Tuesday October 14.  Remember, buying a costume is not what I want you to do, but if you want to and are able to, then go for it.  I want people to use what they have at their own homes first.  Also, if you have a friend in another class that has an awesome costume, see if they will let you borrow some parts of it, that way you don't have to go without wearing something.

Now for the preview....It's not much, but it is just a one minute thing to get you pumped and jacked up for our reenactment.  It is going to be awesome.  Remember, the newspaper might just come and visit your class, and I guarantee you that this will be recorded for kids next year to see.  So give your best effort!  If you aren't just jacked out of your mind, then you need to order a tall glass of Freedom, Independence, and Liberty at McDonalds.  No diet though, that would just be un-American.

Preparing for the 2nd Continental Congress

The annual 2nd Continental Congress reenactment is upon us!  Next Thursday (Red Day) and Friday (White Day), we will spend an hour and 20 minutes as delegates at the Congress in 1775 and 1776.  This week, you will learn who you will portray.  Will it be John Adams?  Thomas Jefferson? Or Button Gwinnett (Who the heck is that guy?)?  Once you find out who you will portray, here are some things you need to do:

1). RESEARCH THEM!!!!  Even though we will spend part of a class researching our delegates, you cannot learn enough about how to portray them in that amount of time.  This will require YOU to do some research on your own.  There will be some helpful links and websites that will be given to you when you are given your delegate's identity that should really help you in your research.  You can also look up YouTube videos about the guys.  I'm pretty sure there are some out there since these men were so important.  What did these guys look like?  How did they act?  Were they well liked or practically hated by the other delegates?  Did they have anything physical about them that made them stick out (Like Benny Franklin's skullet, or Richard Henry Lee's missing fingers)?  You also need to know what they thought about the colonists' rights as "natural born Englishmen" and whether they would have truly supported something like declaring independence from the most powerful nation on the face of the Earth (I mean....that sounds smart, right?).  The bottom line is, is that you will be an actor portraying one of the most important men in our nation's history for an hour and 20 minutes, and we want to make sure that we honor them the right way by portraying them the right way.

2). RESEARCH YOUR COLONY!!!! Even though it isn't on the bio sheet, it would do you well to look into the colony of your delegate.  What was the general opinion about the British in Colony _____ in 1776?  This will help you in your portrayal of your delegate as the delegates were supposed to represent the people of their colony.

3). LOOK LIKE A STUD IN YOUR COSTUME!!! Okay, maybe not a stud, but pretty darn close.  Do NOT go buy a costume unless you just absolutely want to.  Use the Colonial Clothing Guide we went over in class and use the things from your house, your relative's house, your friend's house, from anywhere!  Heck, share costumes with someone from another class if you can pull that off.  Since dressing up is a requirement, you'll want to make sure that you put some effort into this.  Remember, if you have questions, ask me or do some clothing research on your own.  There's practically nothing you cannot find about historical clothing on the internet.

4).  HAVE A GREAT ATTITUDE ABOUT THE WHOLE EXPERIENCE!!!  No explanation needed here.

So if you are having any trouble at all about this please come talk to me.  I beseech you (Ah, new word)!  Parents, if you are reading this, please contact me if you have any questions or concerns and we will figure our a solution to those.

For your reference this week, here is a clip from the miniseries John Adams that is set during the 2nd Continental Congress which we will be portraying.

  

This Ain't Your Mom's Tea Party! (Video 6)

Happy weekend everyone!  Video 6 "Tea Anyone?" is up and loaded on YouTube.  I think we had a pretty good time watching the Boston Massacre scene from "America: The Story of Us" today and Thursday, and pointing out ALL of the inaccuracies.  You need to remember to always check these history shows with the real facts and test them to see if they are accurate.  You'll be a much better young historian by doing that!  Remember, if you are in a White Day class, talk to your parents about the Gettysburg trip and the parent meeting Tuesday night.  Red Day classes will be getting more info on Monday.  Have a great weekend, and come up with some amazing IQ's for the video discussion!

 

Video 5! New Taxes and the Colonists' Response!

Hello there amazing students!  Video 5 has been uploaded and is ready for your viewing pleasure.  Don't forget about the great extra credit opportunity mentioned in the video!  It will be worth it!

So that thing called the French and Indian War was pretty brutal eh?  With all of the mistakes the British made (we talked about those in class) it's a wonder they won the war in the end.  Then they made mistakes after the war like that darn Proclamation of 1763 which really ruffled the feathers of the colonists.

Anyways, your new video will give you the foundation for what we will be doing in class.  We don't mention all of the acts and taxes, just the major ones before the Boston Massacre and Boston Tea Party, which caused even worst acts to be handed down.  So look out for the Stamp Act, Quartering Act, Townshend Acts, and the Sons of Liberty!

Here is the link for the extra credit videos too!
          The War That Made America- Parts 1, 2, 3, & 4.
If you watch the videos, it will get close to 4 hours in length.  If you have the guts to undertake this great challenge, you will be rewarded with riches (extra credit points) beyond belief!  Just provide a paragraph summary for each part, which would equal to 4 paragraphs when you are completely finished.  My advice would be to just watch a little here and there, and not the whole thing all at once.  Good luck!

VIDEO 4! The French and Indian War! Plus an extra vid.

Hey everyone!  I hope you all had a great Labor Day weekend and got some much needed rest.  I have your 4th video now uploaded and up on YouTube.  https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=RBis_gTj_tM You'll have to exuse the parts that don't make much sense because orignally I had another clip embedded in the recording, but that just messed it up, so I had to take it out.  So there are parts of the video where I talk about that clip and it isn't there.  Since it is not in that video, I have also added it here.  It is NOT required, but if you want to see what a battle from the French and Indian War looked like, especially the last major battle, then check it out.  It's from a Canadian documentary about the war and lasts about 8 minutes. This is great for coming up with IQ's.   http://youtu.be/D4eVwzZ9a_A.  As always, let me know if you need help or have questions about something!  

Video 3-Plymouth

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMzkc1XpOtU

The third video is up and running!  I've tested it on every device I have (phone/tablet/computer) and they all worked!  Think about Jamestown and Henricus as you watch this.  How was Plymouth different then these settlements in Virginia?  Remember, ask me if you have questions!

Jamestown Video Problems for Some Devices, and Other Things

So I've tried just about everything I know to get this video playable on all devices, but no luck.  The app will only let you watch it on a PC or in the app for tablets only, and I can't find a way around this.  So we are stuck to watching this particular one only on certain devices, unless someone knows how to record what is on a computer screen, which I do not know how to do.  This has led me to try another new app, and I will test this over the weekend to make sure it can be accessed on ALL devices.

I loved our conversations we had about Jamestown and the Pocahontas/John Smith story.  It is pretty fun to just point out all of the historical inaccuracies in the Disney Pocahontas movie, even when we just watched 2 minutes of it.  We got to find out that John Smith was quite a character too.  Not even close to the type of guy he was portrayed as in the movie, rather quite a jerk and a fame seeker.  You all also did a great job in figuring out just who you would bring to a new colony and the supplies you would need.  I think learning from the mistakes that the settlers at Jamestown made helped you in your decision making.

On Monday and Tuesday we are going to have another Verso discussion, this time we are going to compare the Jamestown and Henricus settlements.  These to English colonies were only a few miles away from each other, and both experienced very different things.  Starting Wednesday we will move up to New England and start our learning on the Pilgrims and Puritans before we move onto the 13 Colonies.

This school year has been great so far, and I'm glad I have you all in class!  Have a great weekend!  

2nd Video is up! Jamestown!

Hey everyone!  The second video is up for your homework.  This time, we talk and learn about the English settlement of Jamestown.  Here is the link for you to watch this video: http://www.educreations.com/lesson/view/jamestown/23286586/?s=6wtzRU&ref=app.  You are going to do the exact same thing again with this video as you did the others with the Video Guide Sheet.  Write down a few notes that help you with the "I Can" statements, your 2 vocab words, a summary, and any interesting questions (IQ's) that you have on the topic.  I really like studying this time period because my ancestor was actually a colonist a Jamestown.  He arrived the year after the Starving Time and didn't have to go trough that terrible experience.  When his wife and children arrived a while later, they were on the ship with Pocahontas, but unfortunately she caught a European disease while in England and died on the way back.  If you have any questions on this, please let me know!  Also, if you have suggestions on what would make the videos better, please tell me!

First Video Assignment

Hey everyone, 

By now I have met mostly everyone and have had both Red Day and White Day classes at least once. On Friday (Red Day), we created the framework for our Class Constitutions in each class.  There were some pretty amazing ideas brought forth, and if we work together all year like we did on Friday, then this school year is going to be great.  

Also on Friday, the Red Day classes received their first homework video assignment.  If you are viewing this in the mobile version, here is the link: http://bcontext.com//bfile/player/fyyyzb/?auth=S4A5U8LRNL66NBNWYIPNKQ3FW54GXY08PDSGIID31NRRKU39PH.  Red Day classes also received their video guide sheets as well.  On the sheet, the first section is just notes that students will take on their own.  At the beginning of the video, it talks about the goals of the video.  The goals do NOT have to be written down.  All students do for this section is write down things that will help them in being able to meet those goals.  Students choose what they put here.  Next is the vocab section.  This video has 3 vocabulary words.  Colonization, Conquistador, and Columbian Exchange.  The definitions need to be written in this section for all 3 words.  Next is the summary section.  What would you put here to tell someone what the video was about if they did not watch it?  Just sum up what the video was about.  The last part of the sheet is the IQ (Interesting Question) section.  Come up with 1-2 interesting questions that you have after watching the video that you would not mind being shared in class.  If you are having trouble watching the video at home, or it just isn't working, feel free to come see me Monday or Tuesday morning (Tuesday or Wednesday for White Day students).  Also, feel free to contact me if you are having other troubles or need questions answered.  Remember to PAUSE and REWIND as much as you need to!  See you all tomorrow!

WELCOME BACK!!!

The first day of school has officially arrived!  I am so excited to be able to get to know each and every one of you this school year.  I guarantee you that you will not ever have a class like this!  You are going to be learning so much and having a blast at the same time.  How can history be fun you ask?  Well for one, it is the most awesome, amazing subject out there!  I am a bit biased though being a history teacher.  Why will you like it?  How about being out of your seat, working with your peers, acting things out, using technology in cool ways, and pretending like we are the people we are studying?  These are only a FEW of the cool things we will do in class this year and will make this class a fond memory for you when you are in high school.  Say good bye (At least for this year) of mind numbing lectures that last an entire class period and writing mountains of notes until your hand is about to fall off.  This will be different for you and you will never forget it.  I hope you enjoy this school year as much as I will, and I'm pretty sure you will.  8th grade is a great year.

PARENTS! Use this blog/site to keep up to date with what your student is doing in US History.  Feel free to subscribe to get email notifications when there is an update to the site, which will hopefully be every 2 days.  The blog/site will inform you and your students about what we are doing in class, and what their assignments are.  All assignments (If possible) will be attached and accessible here.  On the right hand side of the page, there is a section where everything your student gets in class is located.  This is also where you will find the homework videos that will sometimes be assigned.  You will also notice there is a section for the class Instagram and Twitter (Both are @DCMSHistory1776).  These accounts do not follow back, but these too will be great tools to keep you and your students up to date with what is going on in the classroom.  This generation is the most tech savvy generation the world has ever seen.  Why not harness some of that power for good and improve their education?  I am looking forward to working with you and your student this school year!  As always, feel free to contact me via e-mail at derrick.lindow@daviess.kyschools.us.

Almost that time!

Well, it's almost that time of year again.  Summer has flown by as always and the first day of school is just around the corner.  I doubt you (My new students) will read this before school starts, but there is that chance where former students may stumble upon this.  I hope you all had a nice, relaxing summer to recharge and get ready for another school year.  I have to say that mine was a lot of fun this year.  I had the opportunity to go to the beach with my wife and family, and then I was lucky enough to spend an entire week at Thomas Jefferson's Monticello as part of the Monticello Teacher Institute.  

There are going to be a lot of changes to my class this coming school year, and I cannot wait to introduce those to you.  The creative juices have been flowing this summer, and I think I've got some pretty cool stuff up my sleeve for you all this year.  Expect more technology and less "worksheets."  Also, there is going to be tons of extra ways for you to learn something besides the one time in class.  I'm going to start doing 10-15 minute videos that I will post on here to give you the opportunities to hear/see something again.  I mean, it always helps me when I'm learning something to hear it or do it a few times before I really master it.  But that is just a small snippet.  We'll talk about all the other stuff once school starts.  Until then, enjoy the rest of your summer!

Summer....

Test Post.  Nothing to see here.