Thursday, September 27, 2007

Black Legislators Online Poster Project

Before you do anything else, please go to this site and set up your online poster. Click on "Create a New Poster", and then "next" to start the set-up process. On the next page, enter the following information:

Teacher name: Ruth Mary Gens
Class Code:
3rd hour: 163924
4th hour: 164036
5th hour: 164037
6th hour: 164038

Click next through all of the following poster pages until you get to the "Project Poster - Finished" page. PRINT THIS PAGE because you need your poster ID# to log back in later.


NEXT...

During this lab and the lab next Friday, you will be creating an online poster about one of the black legislators that served during Reconstruction. You can choose any African American legislator that served during the Reconstruction period. Visit this Wikipedia site to get some ideas for possible legislators.

On your poster, you need to include the following information:
  • A picture or painting of your legislator
  • At least four links to different websites that contain information about your legislator (only one of these links can be from Wikipedia. Look for other sources of information online!)
  • Facts and important information about your legislator. Include facts about:
    • which state your legislature is from,
    • their personal history,
    • the years they served as legislatures,
    • what your legislator accomplished during their term,
    • the reaction of the south to your legislator,
    • how their term ended
    • anything else you find interesting about this person

Thursday, September 20, 2007

BILL OF RIGHTS QUIZ

Before you do anything else today, take the Bill of Rights quiz. The program will only allow you to take the test ONE time, so be sure to read each question carefully. When you are finished, read the next section of this blog and follow the directions to set up your own blog. You need to have created your own blog by the time we have lab NEXT FRIDAY.

Friday, September 14, 2007

Directions for Setting Up a Blog

After you finish your online quiz, click on this link and follow the directions to set up your own blog. You need to have this done by the end of the class.
If the link above does not work, type the following address to get to the page:
http://www.tc.umn.edu/~hatt0047/blog.doc

CHANGES to First Media Assignment!!

This is IMPORTANT!!
Do the assignment as it is described below, but instead of just one paragraph total, you need to post a comment that has one paragraph response for EACH artist. This means that your final response will be FIVE paragraphs long. Respond to the three questions below the list of artists for each artist.
Also, be sure that you SIGN YOUR NAME on your comment. If there is no name on a comment, then you do not get points for doing it.

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Images of the West: First Media Assignment

During your time in the lab today, visit the following sites and view the artwork and photographs produced by the artists below. Read the biographies and journals that you find on the websites for each artist to determine why they produced the pictures that they did.

Edward S. Curtis
Curtis website 1
Curtis website 2
Curtis website 3

Albert Bierstadt

Bierstadt website 1
Bierstadt website 2

George Catlin
Catlin website 1
Catlin website 2

Thomas Moran
Moran website 1
Moran website 2

Frederic Remington
Remington website 1
Remington website 2

Use what you learn from these sites to write at least one paragraph (6 to 12 sentences) that includes your response to the following questions. In your paragraph, site the name and date (if available) of at least one work from each artist to prove your points.
  • Do you think these artists tell the "truth" about the American West?
  • How do you think these images influenced public opinion about the west?
  • What purposes were these pictures meant to serve?
Click on the "Comments" directly below this post and post a response by the end of this class period. Some of these paintings and photographs are really interesting, so have fun with this!

-Miss Albrecht

Thinking Maps: A Common Language for Learning

Give students a thought and they'll learn for a day.
Teach them to think, and they'll learn for a lifetime.
Motto from Thinking Maps, Inc.

Thinking Maps provide a common language for teachers and students to use to discuss metacognition--thinking about your thinking. When students create a Thinking Map, other students and the teacher can clearly and explicity see what was going on in the student's brain.

Regarding research behind the maps, Thinking Maps, Inc., explains why the maps work on their website. Here's a summary from their website:


"Thinking Maps® have assisted many educators and students with the learning process. By linking a visual pattern to specific thought processes, Thinking Maps® enable students to develop neural networks for thinking that the brain recognizes and builds on continuously. Thinking Maps® enhance the student's ability to independently transfer thinking skills to content learning across disciplines and to lifelong learning. Through repetition, consistency and extension, the use of Thinking Maps® strengthens networks for thinking which in turn enhance the brain's natural ability as a pattern detector."


Thinking Map, Inc.'s website also includes data from schools across the country who have improved standardized test scores since implementing Thinking Maps.

David Hyerle developed Thinking Maps using the brain research of Art Costa, Al Upton and Robert Marzano. Hyerle summarizes research into the successes of Thinking Maps that is found in his book Student Successes with Thinking Maps. For more information explore Hyerle's website, mapthemind.com.

Even more research on student successes with Thinking Maps can be found at Thinking Foundation's website.


One question that students always ask is: Do bubble, double bubble, and circle maps really need to be circles?


The answer is YES. Since the Thinking Maps are a common language and since the brain is a pattern detector, students and teachers need to keep seeing the same shapes and format for the maps. Some students may believe that strict adherence to these shapes and forms is ridiculous and make circle and bubble maps with squares. However, to use the maps to their optimum benefit, the brain needs to detect these common language patterns. Consistency is the key!

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

How To Post On This Blog

If you ever want to make a comment about any of the posts on this blog, or if you are writing a required response to one of the media assignments, follow the following steps to correctly post a comment on this blog:

1. Directly below the text of every post on the right hand side, you will see blue underlined text that says "O comments". The number before comments will change every time a response is posted to the original post.

2. Click on this blue underlined text, and you will come to a screen with a text box. Type your response in the box just as you would type any paper or letter.

3. When you have finished typing your response, make sure you TYPE YOUR FIRST AND LAST NAME AND HOUR at the bottom of your reponse. After you have added your name, select the "Other" option under "Choose an Identity." WRITE YOUR FIRST AND LAST NAME AGAIN in the text box next to name. You do NOT have to type anything in the text box next to "Web Page."

4. Click the orange box that says "Publish Your Comment", and you are done! Go back to the original blog page to make sure that your comment was successfully posted.

5. Think through your reponse before you post it. Remember, anyone can read this blog, so be sure that your response is appropriate and relevent.

To the Parents of U.S. History Students, 2007/2008

I was unable to come to the open house, but I wanted you to have a description of the class. We cover Reconstruction to Modern-day events. Thinking maps, paideia seminars, technology projects, tests, reading strategies, primary documents, blogs, powerpoints, and problem solving activities will cover the year. You should know that all students have ten extra credit points at the beginning of each quarter to use as they wish. This could include lateness or bathroom visits. The students will also be watching various appropriate films. Two novels and a play will be read during the year, and Edline postings will be after the first unit and mid-quarter and final. Assessment will be in the form of tests and a folder containing all of the student's work for the unit. The student is responsible for copying down all assignments and putting them into the folder. Ask them if you want to know what they are supposed to be doing. You are welcome to visit this blog at any time. Have a great year!