Today in Class

We discussed Articles IV-VII of the Constitution.  We then worked on interpreting and analyzing some of the key clauses of the Constitution as a whole.  We used the "show, mean, matter" approach to do so.  Every student was given a separate clause and then asked to:

• Identify and cite the appropriate section.(show)
• Write what the clause's literal meaning was (mean)
• Analyze why that clause was important (matter).

We also passed out the BILL OF RIGHTS WORKSHEET and ILLINOIS CONSTITUTION WORKSHEET that is homework for tonight.

We also passed out the REVIEW GUIDE for Friday's Constitution test along with a SUMMARY OF CHECKS AND BALANCES.

Today in class

We began by looking at a clip from the Daily Show and exploring what Constitutional issues were raised in the report.  We then spent time discussing Articles II and III of the Constitution.  Please continue to keep up with the worksheet and our study of the nuts and bolts of the document.

Thinking about the Constitution

Today we created an American Studies version of the Preamble by doing an exploded imagery activity.  We would like to save a copy of the version that we created so in order to do that, please click on this LINK and then add what you wrote to this document under the phrase that you chose to start your piece.  Please put your name or initials next to what you add.
We followed up with a dynamic discussion about the values that exist in the Preamble and how those are playing out today.

During the second part of class we went over Article One.

In our discussion we also mentioned President Barack Obama's speech at the United Nations this week. Here is a link to it.

Federalist v. Anti-Federalist Ideas

Today in class we heard summaries of the mini-debates from the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787.  We then watched the next section (from about 21 minutes to about 33 minutes) of the film Liberty (LINK).  From there, we moved to the computer labs were we spent time working on Parts I and III of the document titled American Ideals and Interpretive Questions that is in your American Studies Lit-Hist folder.  Students were responsible for turning in this work at the end of the period.
Homework for Friday is to begin our look at the Constitution itself.  To do so, you will begin work on the Constitution Worksheet.  For Friday, you should complete the questions about Article I (If you are celebrating the holiday, we encourage you to complete those tonight).  In the coursepack, there are two links that will be very helpful for you, the Interactive Constitution as well as a transcript of the entire Constitution itself.  Please print out the transcript of the Constitution to annotate and use in class.

Sept. 22-The Road to the Constitution

We started to class today by reviewing the Declaration of Independence.  We then explored the contrasting views of our founding fathers discussed in Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States and David McCullough's Bold Men in Ruffled Shirts (Both readings are in the coursepack).  We then watched a section of the film Liberty and took notes about the context surrounding the years leading to the Constitutional Convention.  To watch it online go to this LINK. Start when it introduces Alexander Hamilton (about 7 minutes in) and end when the delegates meet in Philadelphia and Patrick Henry says "I smell a rat".(about 21 minutes in).  Use this NOTETAKING GUIDE as you watch.  Finally, we began to consider the debates that existed about the Constitution which we will continue to look at tomorrow.  Make sure that you check the assignment sheet for tonight's homework.

Sep 19 - A call to arms and The Declaration of Independence

We started today by returning to the discussion of "liberty" we started on Wednesday. In addition to writings from Adams, Otis, Jefferson, and Hamilton, we read voices representing Native Americans, Slaves, and Women. What are the different perspectives on "liberty" raised by these voices?

We moved to a look at the writings by Paine and Henry you read for today. Each person selected a quotation from one of these documents, and then we read these aloud in a circle. There was great energy to these readings, including a thrown book!

For the second part of class we heard the Declaration of Independence. In pairs you worked on these questions (click for a copy of the prompts).

9/17-American Liberty

Today we took a deeper look American ideas about liberty. We began with some writing in our notebooks by responding to the following prompts:
1) What are your first thoughts or definitions that you have about liberty?
2) Describe a time when you have benefited from or enjoyed having a certain sense or type of liberty?
3) Describe a time when your liberty was restricted?  By whom? For what? Was it a reasonable restriction?

In our groups we then discussed our responses and reactions to the readings from the American Reader that we prepared for today.
Finally, in new groups, we shared our thinking about American ideas of liberty by filling out this chart (which is also posted in the Unit Two tab above).

9/16-How to Read a Document

Today in class we shifted our focus from "What does it mean to be an American?" to "What do Americans believe?".  To do so, we began to consider where American ideas/beliefs came from? What are their roots or foundations?  To answer this question, we began to examine documents, first looking at the Mayflower Compact which is in your American Reader, and then completing a worksheet while reading an excerpt from John Winthrop's Model of Christian Charity.  The worksheet is posted (along with the new calendar) in the Unit Two tab above.  Additionally, there are tips about how to read a document (a skill that we will be practicing a lot) in the link on the right hand side of this page.

Sep 12 - Conclusions about The Great Gatsby; 9/11

We started class today with a look at 9/11 since we did not meet yesterday.  We told the story of being in American Studies on that day 13 years ago and watching the TV coverage live with our class, including seeing the second plane hit and the towers fall.

We then shared some of the writing we asked your parents to do at the Open House last night. Since you do not have personal memories of that day, but were alive during it, we thought it would be powerful to collect the oral histories of those who remember that day, including where they were, what they experienced, and what it means to them.  We will type those up and post them on the blog. We closed by asking you to reflect in your journal about what 9/11 means to you, as well as what it means to live in a post-9/11 world.

Our transition to The Great Gatsby asked you to make some personal conclusions about Jay Gatsby and one other character you select, including a moment in the book that shaped your opinion.  In groups you shared those reflections. As a whole class we looked at several key moments in the final chapter, including the appearance of Gatsby's father and the final page.

We concluding by assigning the essay to you and showing you an example. Both of these can be found under the "Unit 1" tab above.

Sep. 8 - Symbolism and chapter 5

Today in class we shared some of the presentations you created on Friday. Each one combined quotations from the novel with images to give a sense of the potential role of that group of symbols in the book up to this point.  You can find all of the presentations under the "Unit 1" tab.

In your groups you discussed this handout about chapter 5.

We shared some of your observations and interpretations about Gatsby and Daisy's relationships. We had questions about how equal of a relationship this is - do they feel the same way about each other?  We looked at the moment when Gatsby shows Daisy his collection of custom shirts and considered several interpretations of it - is she sobbing because she loves Gatsby so much? Because she is trapped in a relationship with Tom? Because these are beautiful shirts?

We also looked at Nick's thought at the end of the chapter, referring to the "colossal vitality of his illusion" (95). What does this suggest about Gatsby's sense of Daisy, or the potential for their future?

We'll see!

Sep. 5th - Symbols in The Great Gatsby

• During the first part of class today we began with a quiz (if you were absent, it's in the testing center). 
• For the second part of class today you will continue to work with your group, focusing on your assigned set of symbols:

1. Cars & clothes
2. Social life & parties
3. Time & seasons
4. Colors – silver and gold
5. Color – white; green
6. The past and the present
7. Eyes
8. The city
9. Jobs & careers

Now, you will create a way to creatively show your findings:

• Where do these symbols appear in the first four chapters of the book?
• Who uses them - are they spoken of or referred to by specific characters?
• In what context do they appear?
• What potential meanings do they convey?

Using quotations from the novel as the basis of your presentation, you can use any presentation program you like (powerpoint, Prezi, etc.) for your work. Add images or other text or anything you'd like! Try to finish with about ten minutes left in the period so we can share / view these. Share your presentation via Google with your group members and us. The easiest way to share it with us is to just drop it into your American Studies folder on your drive.

Sep. 3rd - The Great Gatsby and the 1920's

• Watched the video to provide context for our reading of the Great Gatsby.  The video is linked below.  We used the linked note-taking sheet to take notes during the film.
• Video: "Boom to Bust"
• Notetaking: Boom to Bust Notetaking
• In journals we responded to this question: How does what you saw in the film shed light on what you have been reading in the novel? We finished the period by sharing our observations.
• Took a quiz on Chapters 1 & 2.  Makeup quizzes are in the testing center (note, if quiz is not in the Kramer folder, check the Rigler folder and vice versus).
• In our discussion groups, shared our observations and thoughts about the development of the characters, Nick and Tom.

"What does it mean to be an American?" paragraph assignment

Today in the computer lab you will be writing a paragraph continuing our look at the essays we read at the end of last week.  Here are the directions (you can also find them in this document):

Last week you read three different essays, each of which answered the question of what it means to be an American. You shared your ideas about them in small groups and wrote a journal entry about them. For today, you will write a paragraph connecting two of the essays you read.  You will compare / contrast their ideas to help create a thesis statement - an assertion - about the point they are making and why. Your paragraph will then include support from each essay - a quotation - which you will explain and analyze.

Part of the purpose of this essay is for us to have the opportunity to see your writing at the start of the year. We are specifically looking at these components:

• Your thesis / assertion
• Is it clear? Is it specific?
• Does it have both a position and a reason (so what / why / because)?
• e.g. While both Mr. Kramer and Mr. Rigler believe being an American is part of a person’s everyday existence, Mr. Kramer asserts it comes from a person’s actions while Mr. Rigler claims it is imposed on a person by their government.
• Your use of evidence
• Do you use it properly in a sentence?
• Do you explain its meaning?
• Do you link it back to your thesis / assertion?
• Your focus
• Does your paragraph stay focused on addressing the question of what it means to be an American?
• Your grammar and usage
• Are there challenges with the mechanics of your writing?

Like all of your written work for this class, you will submit your final paragraph to turnitin.com.  In order to do so, you must go to turnitin.com and register for the class.  Here are the instructions to do so-Turnitin.com sign up instructions. You must be signed in to google with your school email account to access the instructions.  If you do not yet have a school email account, please let us know.