Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade

So, you picked up a little slip hinting at what you should be writing down in your notes while I go through the lecture Atlantic Slave Trade Slides. (Perkins' classes had no projector this AM, so they went through them on their iPads).

We covered the African Slave Trade to the Americas.  Some things in history amaze, inspire, sadden, and/or embarrass me.  Slavery is one of the saddest, most ridiculous things that has existed throughout history (and even through today).  It goes against the basic concepts of economics (which is basically the study of choice and how resources are allocated), while also an ethical wrong.

But can we judge the past using today's standards?  That is always an interesting question.  So, use that, as well as your economic reasoning, to explore who or what deserves to be blamed for the horror of slavery, specifically forced African migration to the Americas.  Do we blame the suppliers of slave labor?  The users of slave labor?  What about the people who purchase items derived from slave labor?  What about the institutions (government and/or church) or the culture itself?

Explorer Presentations

You presented your mini-slide shows (2-minute maximum) in class today.  There might be a quiz on the explorers next week (matching of some sort), so I hope you showed respect by listening to your peers.  You can review the material in the shared folder for each class (2US     3US     6US).

You also picked up some sample WILs (link forthcoming).  These were all solid submissions during the first two weeks, from students with various skills, interests, and experiences.

OPVL

You picked up some handouts in class:

• Weekly WIL explanation (AGAIN)
• OPVL Document Analysis Defined
• OPVL Document Analysis Chart
• The American Idea, by Theodore White
• Pledge of Allegiance by Francis Bellamy (from history.org)

In class, weanalyzed the Pledge of Allegiance using the OPVL method and one side of the OPVL Analysis worksheet. I love introducing the Pledge before we establish our new nation because the Pledge is more than symbolic - it is a perfect example of how our nation has evolved and changed over time.  The USA of 2014 is VERY different from the USA of 1892 and 1776.

WIL 1.3 Individual or Group? (9-26-14)
What is more important/valuable - the individual or the group?

You should consider popular American ideals/values, as presented in the Declaration of Independence (specifically paragraph 2) by Thomas Jefferson, Theodore White's "The American Idea"  and the Pledge of Allegiance by Francis Bellamy.  Also consider your Explorer's project & presentation.

Explorer

We defined explorer, looking at what characteristics or traits are consistent within most explorers, as well as making sure to recognize that there were usually many other people who were involved but often unnamed.  It's kind of sad, really.

I showed you how to create a Google Presentation (Powerpoint Slides) and share it with me, Mrs. Karlsson, and within your group.  You placed into pairs and trios and assigned a specific explorer/conqueror.  For each explorer/conqueror, you must find and organize the following information in 2-3 slides or pictures:

1. Basic Information, including:
• FULL NAME
• Birth Date/city/nation
• Picture
2. Previous experience(s)
3. Nation for which he explored/conquered & purpose of journey
4. Map of journey
5. Difficulties encountered (& overcome): obstacles, dangers, etc.
6. Immediate result of journey:  How did the journey impact the world at that time?
7. Long-term result of journey:  How has the journey affected us today?
8. Source Citations:  You should copy the url (web) address from which you collected information, ideas, or images. This should be on a separate slide (2nd or 3rd).

You will present it to class on Friday, 9-26-14.

I have a Neil Armstrong sample that took me 5 minutes...it is rough, incomplete, and VERY basic.

2 US
Aaron, Amaree (Christopher Columbus)
August, Amira (Erik the Red & Leif Ericson)
Brian, Annalista (Ferdinand Magellan)
Camonie, Coral (Francisco Vazquez de Coronado)
Cole, Diana (Henry Hudson)
Cortez, Erika (Hernan Cortes & Francisco Pizarro)
Cristian, Falastin (Hernando de Soto)
Dallas, Josilyn (Jacques Cartier)
Darryl, Karina (John Cabot)
Eduardo ,Maricruz (Juan Ponce de Leon)
Hector, Marylyn (Rene-Robert Cavelier)
Ian, Monet (Samuel de Champlain)
Jonathan, Odalis, Kane (Sieur de La Salle)
Juan, Tai, Luqman (Vasco da Gama)
Marcelo, Mubarek (Vasco Nunez de Balboa)
Cardia, Manuel, William (Zhang He)

3 US
Andres, Alexis (Christopher Columbus)
Anthony, Andrea (Erik the Red & Leif Ericson)
Bastien, Danielle (Ferdinand Magellan)
Brandon, Evelin (Francisco Vazquez de Coronado)
Brian, Isaura (Henry Hudson)
Bryan, Jailene (Hernan Cortes & Francisco Pizarro)
Bukhari, Megan (Hernando de Soto)
Fabian, Rida (Jacques Cartier)
Jan, Sparkle (John Cabot)
Joan, Suzie (Juan Ponce de Leon)
Jose A, Tiffany (Rene-Robert Cavelier)
Jose T, Tyteeona (Samuel de Champlain)
Lauro, Lancelot (Sieur de La Salle)
Kadar, Luke, Nathaniel (Vasco da Gama)
Miguel, Peng, Safe (Vasco Nunez de Balboa)
Nolan, Otokani, Shemsedin (Zhang He)

6 US
Amelio, Cassie (Christopher Columbus)
Andy, Danna (Erik the Red & Leif Ericson)
Aron, Diamond (Ferdinand Magellan)
Corey, Drakeia (Francisco Vazquez de Coronado)
Dante, Shadia, Erick (Henry Hudson)
Dayton, Ines (Hernan Cortes & Francisco Pizarro)
Diego, Isabel (Hernando de Soto)
Griffin, Karla (Jacques Cartier)
Jacob, Maria (John Cabot)
Jose, Mayted (Juan Ponce de Leon)
Logan, Melissa, Shanni (Rene-Robert Cavelier)
Kyle, Ruby (Samuel de Champlain)
Lucy, Ananiah (Sieur de La Salle)
Mahad, Mykel, Davion (Vasco da Gama)
Martin, Romello, Najib (Zhang He)

Exam 1.1

You took your first exam in class today.  Anyone who has an excused absence has one week to make it up before or after school - you MUST let me know a day in advance!  Enjoy the beautiful weekend!

Exam 1.1 Preparation

We reviewed your American Colonies Chart - and I showed you how Google is truly your friend.  Click the first suggested page.  BOOM!  So, I hope you picked up some more on Mercantilism and how trade both helped & hurt the colonies and the mother country of England.  We are having study help after school today (Media Center) and before school tomorrow (337).  We will share a study guide with you. Please make sure you know the differences between the colonies (focusing on religion & trade), as well as material from chapter 1 (lessons 1-4) of the online textbook.

You actually have to work - read, learn, study, & know - in order to succeed in school.  It is not about showing up and earning credit for seat time.  It is about thinking, producing, and proving.  You should be devoting 30-60 minutes a week on each course, plus whatever else you need to do that was not finished during class time or regular assignments (like the WIL).  If you have difficulty reading, comprehending, or simply completing assignments, you will have to spend more time.  But that is what learning and working are all about - doing what is necessary to know and complete tasks.  Again, if you have questions, please see us before or after school - we'd LOVE to help you as you work to achieve success.

Recap & Extra Credit

We've gone through A LOT of different things and your first exam is this Friday.  Please read chapter 1, lessons 1-4 for this exam.  You should also check through everything we've done thus far (go through the posted Daily Agenda).  Since the blog was not up & running until last week, I have posted links to everything done in class before the blog.  Remember that you can use your notebooks during the mid-quarter exams!

Extra Credit 1.1 (Due Monday 9-22)
Draw your own political cartoon about the Colombian Exchange.  There are some examples here, but you cannot simply copy one.  The cartoons were collected in a "Was it Worth It?" book.


Previous Lessons:
Economics Key Terms (slides)
Mayan Math
Aztec Sacrifice/Mythology (Slides)
Colombian Exchange (Shmoop)
Guns, Germs, & Steel (PBS Companion Site)
Protestant Reformation - British Colonization of North America (slides)

Previous Handouts:
Econ Intro & Explorers (Review of Econ Key Terms)
Early Civilizations in the Americas Map
US Chapter 1, Lesson 1 Rdg
Mercantilism & Colonies
Mercantilism Policies

Watched:
500 Nations 01 Ancestors: Early Cultures of North America
Guns, Germs & Steel, Episode 2

Mercantilism

You picked up a handout regarding Mercantilism (wikipedia) wit two sides (1 - Mercantilism Policies, and 2 - Mercantilism & Colonies).  We read through it as a class.  You wrote the actual definition into your notebooks, and then worked in your table groups to decipher/translate/simplify your assigned component of Mercantilist Policies.  You then entered your result into a shared GoogleDoc:
     2 US Mercantilism
     3 US Mercantilism
     6 US Mercantilism

You need to become familiar with this method as it is something we will do quite often.  I then asked you to complete your Mercantilism & Colonies Cost/Benefit analysis (at the bottom of the worksheet) in your notebook.  If time permitted, you could continue working on your American Colonies Chart from yesterday.

American Colonies Chart

You picked up a handout (American Colonies Chart) and used the computer to fill it in at your table groups.  I suggested that you at least look at the textbook (Chapter 1, Lesson 3) in order to better understand The Protestant Reformation, which played a HUGE role in English colonization of the Americas.  I also suggested that you check out some other online sources in order to fill out your chart...

• 13 Originals: Founding the American Colonies
• Shmoop: Colonial New England
• Wikipedia: Colonial History of the United States

But your best bet is probably to use your friend, YahGooBin, and simply conduct an online search.

W started class with a quick slideshow (Reformation Begat American Colonization Slides)as an introduction to English colonization of North America, which can be traced back through the Protestant Reformation (Martin Luther vs Pope Leo X: FIGHT!), the Crusades, the Schism of 1064, the collapse of the Western Roman Empire, the adoption of Christianity as the official Roman religion, and the solidification of the Roman Empire itself.  Without the Printing Press, nor the problem of succession of the English Crown, the United States of America may very well might not have come into existence.

Clickers

We simply went through the process of test-taking via the clicker system.  I had hoped to also introduce the Chromebook procedure, but they were not available...grrr.

Basically, you picked up your assigned clicker (yes, you have a specific clicker assigned to you), tried it out while submitting an answer to a technology survey, and then returned them.  Simple.  Although, it wasn't.  We had a glitch at times as we went through the process, but it was running smoothly by the end of the day and will be fine for next week's exam.

Remembering 9-11

I showed you the events of the morning of September 11, 2001.  It was chaotic, confusing, sad, and the biggest turning point in US affairs during your lifetime.  The attack, and our response(s), have shaped how you see and experience the world every day.

You can visit the HistoryChannel site that documents that day as well as I have ever seen.

Below is the Airspace of that morning, showing you how quickly all aircraft were landed when the order came in to do so.

Consequences of the Colombian Exchange & WIL 1.2

So, our classes were disrupted a little because half of period 3 attended the important auditorium.  I hope you took in the experience, because everything presented is not only true, but extremely important.  This is still a time in your life when your only expectation is to simply learn.  You'll have the rest of your life to work, so cherish this while you can.

In class, we discussed the Colombian Exchange questions presented (cool Prezi here)through the first two days.  We then watched Crash Course 23 The Colombian Exchange (embedded below).  I hope you were attentive through the end, when this week's WIL question was presented,

"The Colombian Exchange has included man, and he has changed the Old and New Worlds. Sometimes inadvertently, sometimes intentionally, often brutally. It is possible that he and the plants and animals he brings with him have caused the extinction of life forms in the last four hundred years than the usual process of evolution might kill off in a million... The Colombian Exchange has left us with not a richer, but a more impoverished genetic pool. We, all of the life on the planet, are the less for Columbus, and the impoverishment will increase."

Crosby, Alfred from "The Colombian Exchange"

Consider how many people died due to the Colombian Exchange...ALL of those experiences, ideas, and potential...gone - forever.  Is the world a better place due to the Colombian Exchange?  Are the gains made in terms of health, technology, knowledge, and population growth worth the near-extinction of Native American people & cultures? Or...How important or irrelevant (NOT important) is any individual in history?  

Tomorrow, we will look at what happened on that fateful day in 2001.  It changed the course of history and radically altered plans to result in the outcomes we experience every day from here on out.

Guns, Germs, & Steel (Episode 2)

We watched the 2nd episode of the PBS series based on Jared Diamond's seminal work, Guns, Germs, and Steel - video embedded below.  I asked you to take notes so you can easily answer the questions below the video.

According to Diamond, so few Spaniards were able to conquer the vast armies, peoples, and areas of American regions because they were the beneficiaries of geographic luck.  We will discuss the episode in class tomorrow, when we will also become familiar with the clickers as I gather technology information from all of you.  I am hoping to have the Chromebooks by Thursday, so we'll play around with those (and Google Calendar) on that day.

Please read chapter 1 of the online textbook for next week's exam.  Take notes, especially since you CAN use them during the exam!  But also be aware that the exam will include other material presented in class thus far.

Why was the balance of power so unequal between the Old World, and the New?
Can you explain how America fell to guns, germs and steel?

You should be able to identify components of the following as well:

     Guns = Weapons

     Germs = Illness & Disease

     Steel = Technology

Here We Go...!

We went through the process of accessing the online textbook in class today.  Until further notice, you should use the generic username (mpsse) and passwords (mpsse1) provided.  You should have chapter 1 read before next week's first exam, which will cover not only chapter 1, but also material presented in class.  You can use your notebooks, so TAKE NOTES!!!

I also showed you how to use the Posted Daily Agenda (what we did) and this blog (what we learned), both of which are updated daily.  If you are ever absent (in body, spirit, and/or mind), you can access EVERYTHING from this blog or (by next week) the WHS Classroom Page.  Remember that you will need to use your MPS Google account in order to access the shared Google Drive (11 US History (Romo) STUDENTS).  That, too, will be set up by the end of this week.  

You were supposed to research and learn about the Columbian Exchange.  EVERYONE must be able to answer the following question:  What is the Columbian Exchange?  You should also be able to give examples of each category (plants, animals, technology, diseases, etc.) and how each altered a region or people.  Included in your notes should be some sort of graphic - a picture or even a simple graph depicting (showing) relevant information...