It is hard to believe that six weeks have already come and gone in this school year. The first nine weeks is coming to an end quickly. Please encoruage your students to ask for help if it is needed.
FROSH SEMINAR: This past week we worked on our fifth vocabulary study strategy. Please encourage your students to use these strategies in any class they may have trouble in. Our mentors have been working very hard with the freshmen to keep them on track with their studies. This past week we also took a visit to the College and Career Center to begin mapping out a four year plan with the counselors. Please ask your student about the trip and what they planned for themselves.
US HISTORY: Monday we finished a lecture on the War fo 1812. We tried to place the war in the larger context of the Early Republic. The outcomes of the war is where we focused much of our attention. We worked on a practice DBQ (Document Based Question) the seond part of Monday's class in preperation for Wednesday's Unit Test. Tuesday we played Jeopardy in class to review concepts and ideas for the test. Wednesday we had our Unit1/2 test. The students were allowed to make a one page note sheet to assist them on the test. Thursday we completed the test and Friday we looked at the concept of Manifest Destiny to serve as an introduction to our unit on westward expansion and American imperialism.
GOVERNMENT:
This past week we finished our Common Craft "like" videos covering the Constitution. Next week we will review the basic principles of the Constitution and then begin our study of American Federalism.
PARENT'S HOMEWORK;
Seminar: Encourage your students to ask their mentors for help in all aspects of their high school experience.
History: If interested in the War of 1812 and more specifically the outcomes of the war I would suggest The Republic Reborn by Steven Watts. We will begin our look at western expansion with the Louisiana Purchase and the Lewis & Clark Expedition. I would recommend American Creation by Joseph Ellis. He has a very interesting chapter on the Louisiana Purchase. For the Lewis & Clark expedition I would recommend Undaunted Courage by Stephen Ambrose.
Government: Please encourage your students to finish their service hours sooner rather than later. If you have any interest in the Constitution I would recommend America's Constitution: A Biography by Akhil Amar.
