We continued discussing the issue of nuclear weapons today as our opening to some conversations about the Cold War.  After reading and debriefing an essay by George Orwell on atomic weapons, we explored briefly the causes of the Cold War then proceeded to examine some opposing views on domestic and international policies through our DocBlock Lit Circle on the voices of the Cold War.  We ended the day with some very brief stations on Cold War actions taken by the US.

Tomorrow, Chapter Readings # 3 are due as we move to talking about the Civil Rights era.

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Today was our most recent scored discussion, this one on  the use of nuclear weapons at the end of WWII.  I understand there was a bit of confusion on the topic and that the items on the website may have contributed to that, so my apologies.  We will change up how we name the scored discussion materials on the Period pages to try to fix this issue in the future.  Overall however, I thought we had some good conversations today.  As usual, there is an online follow-up which also provides opportunity for those that did not make it to school today to engage in the conversation.  The online portion is due Next Monday by 10:00 pm!!!  That time is a bit of a change from past discussions, but we are trying out something different this time.

Tomorrow, Chapter Readings #2 are due.  You can find what this entails by going to the class calendar and clicking or tapping on the "Readings #2 Due" notification on tomorrow's date.  A pop-up window will give you the details.  If you have questions, let me know!

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UPDATE: Richardson's point totals here: ​https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/16y5LajewVI6ekye8IcXO_B1lTvdH8_BYaZbCJMrXPks/edit?usp=sharing

Today we focused on youth and women's roles and experiences in the postwar years and 1950's.  We looked at a set of documents to try to understand the experiences of American youth more fully and then we used a combination of documents and various other media to analyze the "happy housewife" role promoted for women in the 1950's.  

To follow up on that discussion, take a look at this short clip from an episode of ABC News Australia from the 1950's:  www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5K-pIRUnbY

Enjoy your break!

H

​NOTE:  Richardson's kiddos are doing scored discussion on Tuesday after the break.

Today you took Exam 3.  We are now starting our last quarter of the course!  We will be covering the postwar period tomorrow and Chapter Readings # 1 are due. You can find the list of what you need to read for each of the Chapter Readings over the next few weeks by clicking on the Reading event in the class calendar.  The description for each Reading will open up when you click it.  

Monday when we return from break will be your next scored discussion.  The readings are already posted under Period 8 on the website and deal with the use of atomic weapons at the close of World War II.  Your usual pre-writing assignment is due for these discussion readings as well.

H

P.S.  Here's the description of Textbook Readings # 1, just in case:
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     Section 28.1
     Section 28.3
     Section 28.4
     Section 29.1 up to page 866 heading “Kennedy the Cold Warrior,” then page
          871 “Tragedy in Dallas” to the end of the section.

Today we wrote our first in-class, timed DBQ essay.  This will serve as a practice essay and. we will give you feedback after the break next week.  Monday is your third exam, this one covering Chapters 17-27, Periods 6 & 7 (Westward expansion after the Civil War through the end of WWII.  Your binder this time will only cover the textbook chapter notes.

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Hutchison was out at the doctor yesterday, but you took on a few issues related to the causes of WWII and the effects on the American home front.  Today we dedicated most of the class to talking about Writing DBQ's.  If you still have questions, there is a discussion board posted on the "Discussion Boards" page of this site and I will be available to answer questions until around 9 this evening!

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We continued our examination of the Great Depression today with a focus on Roosevelt's messaging regarding the New Deal in the first two of his Fireside Chats, followed by an analysis of public response to the speeches in the form of letters to the President.  We ended the day by interpreting some political cartoons and comparing the media response to the general public.  

Chapter 26 was due today, but you are still responsible for that material tomorrow.  In addition, chapter 27 is due tomorrow.  I will be out at the doctor, but you will be starting your exploration of the causes of World War II, which I will continue when I return Thursday.  We will also be talking about how to write DBQ essays a bit more.

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We started the day off today by finishing up the remaining stations from yesterday's 1920's tradition v. modernity activity.  We followed this up with a brief discussion over the major causes of the Great Depression, followed by an examination of the human toll in particular regions of the country through a combination of regional summaries and primary source letters to President Roosevelt or the First Lady in 1932.

Don't forget that Monday is the observance of Veteran's Day.  First established as a day to remember those who served and in WWI and later expanded to honor the sacrifices of American veterans of all conflicts and peacetime defense.  The holiday is always on November 11, in remembrance of the cease fire ending WWI which occurred on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, 1918.  We will not be in school on Monday to to the official observation of this holiday.

When we return to school on Tuesday, Chapter 26 will be due, followed by Chapter 27 On Wednesday.  Following these chapters, you will need to pay close attention to the class calendar as we will spend a couple of weeks reading selected portions of the next three chapters instead of one chapter at a time.

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The 1920's were the topic of conversation today.  We started class by using your textbook notes to complete a graphic organizer of 6 different lenses through which the events and developments of the 1920's may be viewed.  We followed this by SKIPPING out DocBlock for the day! :)  We ended the day by examining the 1920's through one last lens:  the conflict between tradition and modernity.  We did this by firct analyzing some images of women from 1910 and comparing them to images from the 1920's.  We then looked at five other examples of the conflict in stations about Prohibition, Mexican American issues, the Palmer Raids, the Chicago Race Riots, and the Scopes trial.

Chapter 25 is due tomorrow, so be sure you have that ready to go as we move on to talking about the beginnings of the Great Depression.

H

Today we covered WWI, focusing primarily on the home front. We used a graphic organizer to pull together evidence on a set of topics about how the war affected Americans and how Americans participated in the war.  We followed this with a more traditional set of notes on the causes of the war followed by a brief examination of documents from Woodrow Wilson and historian Howard Zinn on the reasons the United States joined the war.  We ended the day with a look at the Sedition Act and how the courts interpreted its restrictions on First Amendment rights.

Chapter 24 is due tomorrow as we move on along the timeline of history to the 1920's!

​H