​Break is finally here!  Before I review today's activities, let me give you a few reminders.  Chapter 26 is due the Monday we come back so make sure you have that ready to go.  Also, Tuesday after break will be your next Scored Discussion.  The question is over the New Deal and you can find the readings posted under Period 7.

Today we focused on the beginnings of the Great Depression by first looking at its primary causes, then looking at the effects around the nation in a series of stations.  We finished up the day with beginning some analysis of two radio addresses given by Franklin Roosevelt early in his presidency.  We will continue this process after the break.

Have a great week off!!!

​H

The 1920's were our focus today as we first summarized historical information in support of six major themes of the era.  I used the debrief of this activity to talk also about changes in American society including the effects of mass production on a more personal level for people of that time, the nature and later mythology surrounding the flapper movement, and the half of the American population left out of the prosperity and how they reacted, including a discussion over the Battle of Blair Mountain.  this was followed by a DocBlock analysis of the essay New Society by Andre Seigfried from the Atlantic Monthly magazine in 1928 (4th period needs to finish this one at home).  We ended today with some stations focusing on specific challenges from the 1920's.  We will finish up and debrief that activity tomorrow before moving forward to discuss the Great Depression.

Tonight you need to finish up the notes for Chapter 25 and make sure you have completed your online submissions for Scored Discussion #3!  

​H

We explored the causes and effects of World War I today by first collecting and organizing evidence from the textbook and other sources on the home front effects.  We then talked briefly about the major factors leading to the war and specifically about why the U.S. became involved.  We then spent a good portion of our time discussing the curtailment of Civil Liberties for Americans during the war and how the Supreme Court response represents historical continuity.  We wrapped up briefly with a discussion over the response to the Treaty of Versailles in the U.S.

Tonight you need to finish up your Chapter 24 notes as we will be moving onward to the 1920's tomorrow!  Also, don't forget that your online contributions to the last scored discussion are due before midnight tomorrow night!

​H

Today we got back to considering American Imperialism at the end of the 1800's and turn of the 1900's.  We started with a Docblock over Alfred T. Mahan's Sea Power in World History, followed by an analysis and debrief over some political cartoons representing differing contemporary points of view on American expansionism.  We ended with a document case study of events in the Philippine War, using historical evidence to draw conclusions about its excessive brutality.

Tomorrow we move on to World War I.  Please remember, this class does not focus on military history, so we will not be delving deeply into battles and strategy.  We will instead be examining the causes of the war, its effects on the home front, and its outcomes.  Chapter 23 is due tomorrow!

H

FYI - Wednesday and Thursday during lunch will be the last opportunities to make up missing tests, quizzes, or essays from this quarter!

After wrapping up our Imperialism discussion from yesterday, we spent the remainder of class discussing DBQ essays.  All of the materials associated with today's activities can be found by hovering the "APUSH EXAM REVIEW" link in the site menu above (or tapping it on a mobile device) then clicking or tapping "WRITING TIPS" in the drop down menu.  On the Writing Tips page, scroll down to the DBQ section and you will find a copy of today's slideshow as well a numerous other resources.  If you weer absent today, please remember we will be offering a DBQ Quick Review during Lunch Tutorials on Monday after Spring Break!

If you have an exam or quiz you need to make up, I need you to take care of that next week!  The quarter ends next Thursday!

​H

We introduced the topic of Imperialism today after our Chapter 22 quiz.  We focused on analyzing four different historian's interpretations of American Imperialism.  Tomorrow we will debrief your conclusions before moving on to our Writing Workshop activities.  We will be focusing on how to write DBQ essays so for those of you that will be out tomorrow, make sure to check the blog and to plan to attend the tutorial session Monday right after Spring Break when we will run a brief writing workshop for the entire lunch period.

​H

Today was our third scored discussion.  The online follow up discussion is now open and comments are due by next Wednesday 11:59 pm... which brings up an issue.  This time there were far too many people making comments after the deadline.  You have a week to make your comments and there is a weekend in the middle of that stretch of days.  I know we have been asking you to carry a pretty heavy workload the past few weeks, but it is important that you find a way to get these sort of assignments in on time.  After Spring break things slow down a bit, but there is still a lot to experience prior to the AP exam, so make sure you are taking care of business so you are prepared.

Don't forget that Chapter 22 is due tomorrow and will be quizzed.  Also, make sure you have a plan set to make up any missing exams or essays prior to Spring Break!  

​H

We started off today with a Quiz over Chapter 21 (Remember that Chapter 22 is due Thursday and we are "behind" a quiz since we cancelled the one for Chapter 16!).  After that, we wrapped up our discussion over the LitCircles we started for DocBlock yesterday.  We then spent the rest of class discussing the progressive reform movements through the lens of some historical questions drawn from specific reform movements, particularly the African American Civil Rights movement and those opposed to the Women's Suffrage movement.

Tonight your online comments for Scored Discussion #2 are due by 11:59pm and tomorrow we will have Scored Discussion #3 in class!  You only have ONE reading for this discussion and it does not include guiding questions.  By this point, you should be able to identify and ask yourself the kinds of questions we have given you for guidance as you are reading.  When you are preparing for the discussion, make sure you ask yourself, "what might other historians argue in opposition to this selection?  What evidence might they utilize and how might they interpret it?"

Seven days until Spring Break!  Hang in there guys!

H

Today's focus was on the attempts to reform conditions of poverty in the major cities in the US, especially the work of photojournalist muckrakers like Jacob Riis and Lewis Hine.  We complete a DocBlock of an excerpt from Jacob Riis' book How the Other Half Lives, then analyzed a series of images taken by Riis and Hine.  After this we looked a the complexity of motivations for reformers, using those working in the Settlement house movement as an example, then we discussed the immense corruption in local governments and "machine" politics.  We ended the day with a second DocBlock, a Lit Circle activity over four different Gilded Age docs.

Don't forget that chapter 21 is due tomorrow, as are the online comments for the last scored discussion.  Your next discussion is this Wednesday, and only uses one reading selection, posted under Period 6.

​H

Today we focused on the explosion of business and industry in the 1870's through the 1890's.  We talked about how industrialists were viewed at the time both by those that supported them and those that opposed their practices.  We completed a DocBlock over the essay "Social Darwinism" by William graham Sumner then explored some of the historical questions that arise from a few of the great strike actions of the era. 

We did not get to complete our DocBlock analysis of Andrew Carnegie's "The Gospel of Wealth," so you need to do that this weekend.  Also, be sure to finish up Chapter 20 and 21.1 for Monday.  Have a great weekend!

​H