A Conversation....about the Nation

Sometimes people change their mind. I have changed my mind. I am no longer going to require you to have a conversation in front of the class about the five topics we have been talking about in history class. I think there are other ways to get more out of our time together. Instead of having a conversation with another human being in real life, you are going to have a conversation with an imaginary person on The History Book. This change will have multiple effects. First, you can think about the conversation more, you can have a better conversation, you won't be nervous or feel awkward, you can talk to whoever you want, you are still thinking and discussing the topics, the list goes on.... What you need to do is pick some imaginery person, (real or made up, living or not living, someone you know or someone famous) and have a conversation about them. You will obviously be typing both sides, but pretending you are actually talking to that person. This conversation needs to cover all five topics from your sheet, the topics we have been covering in class. Pretend the person you are talking to knows nothing about the five topics. So you are informing them. The person you are talking to, no matter who you select, is very interested in the topic and wants to know as much as possible. Write this assignment using the correct format of a conversation. For example:

Me: "Hey, Mr. Kennedy, how are you?"

JFK: "I'm great Dan, and yourself?"

Me: "Fantastic. I can't believe i'm actually talking to you."

JFK: "Yeah, I feel the same way."

Me: "Do you know anything about the U.S. during the time of Washington and Adams?"

JFK: "No, I know absoltely nothing."

Me: "Well, do you want me to tell you about Washington's Presidency?"

JFK: "Yes, please."

DUE: Sunday, February 8th, Right before the Super Bowl.

Points: 50. (1o points for each topic covered)

Launching a New Nation: Early Challenges Faced

For this blog assignment, you are to select one challenge America faced during the Administrations of Washington and Adams and explain what that challenge was. From the list on the hand-out, you need to pick one of the following: Whiskey Rebellion, Neutrality, the West, Problems with Europe, or Washington's Farewell. In order to satisfy the requirements of this blog post, you must explain the challenge America faced in AT LEAST 5-6 sentences, so basically a paragraph.


Points: 20


DUE Date: Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010.

Remember the Dream: Martin Luther King Jr. Speaks

Martin Luther King Jr. Speaks from Dan Klumper on Vimeo.

Creating a Resource: The Presidents of the United States

Final List: The Presidents of the United States Quick Guide
I want you to learn about all 43 Presidents. Having you research and learn about all the Presidents would take far too long for our one week unit. Therefore, in order to learn about all the Presidents, we are going to work together to research and learn about each and every President this great country has had. (notice I said "great country," not "great presidents." They have not all been great.) This resource will be the starting point for your Presidents interdisciplinary unit you will be starting in a couple weeks. (However, the president you are researching isn't necessarily the president that will be assigned to you for that project.) This resource, that you are helping to create, will be a great starting point for all students to start researching their presidents. We are going to cover each president not in-depth, but just a few basics, to give us an idea of who each of them are. Working together as a class, we will be making this resource by having each student research 2 presidents. You will post your findings on this blog, for this post. When we are done, the comments on this post will be a list of all the presidents in order, with some basic information about them. Pay attention very closely to the following steps:
1. Click on the link on the side of this page called "Presidential Resource Assignment List" This will tell you what two presidents you are responsible for.
2. After you have figured out who you are to research, open up Microsoft Word. You will have to type your information on Word because we want this list to be in order. So you can NOT post whenever you want, you have to wait until its your turn. When it is you turn, simply copy and paste your information from Word into a comment box.
3. Here is what you need to find out about each president:
Name
Where From?
Years in office
Political Party
Vice President
3 things about him. (not long, just short, quality statements)
Famous Quote

Example:
President: Dan Klumper
From: Worthington, MN
Years in Office: 2012-2016
(insert political party here) :)
Vice President: Jason Bisbee
1. Started career as a teacher
2. Shingles houses during the summer
3. Led the USA through a war with Canada.
Quote: "I remember long ago when I taught the finest group of 8th graders known to man." -Dan Klumper during his inaugural address


Good Luck. Remember, your work is for the betterment of all your fellow classmates. Thank you.

20 Points per President.
DUE: January 14th, 2010

The Voice of the American President

Voice of the American President from Dan Klumper on Vimeo.

Bringing the Constitution to Life

Bringing the Constitution to Life from Dan Klumper on Vimeo.

Great Job, Class. You guys rock.

Articles of Confederation Vs. Constitution

Assignment: Use this Prezi to fill out your graphic organizer comparing the Articles of Confederation with the Constitution.
DUE Date: Thursday, December 17th, 2009.
Points: 20

Current Event Discussion

Today, we are going to discuss current events through the History Book. Sometimes the in-class discussion becomes a discussion between just a few students. Now, though, everybody has a chance to offer their opinion on the issues being discussed. (and you don't even have to raise your hand!) When an issue is brought up by either myself or a classmate, think about it, form an opinion. A big part of developing as a student and a life-long learner is the ability to think and form your own opinions, then sharing them with others and listening to others' opinions and responding. Don't just say "I don't care about that." That may be true of certain topics, BUT, pretend you do care about it--what do you think?
This disucssion will be carried on in much the same way as our earlier discussion on the biggest challenge facing American Post-revolution. When the issue/topic is posted, think about it and form your own opionion and post it with a comment. We will all be discussing the same issue. Once that issue is done, we will all move onto the next issue on my signal. That way, we aren't discussing 5 things at once and getting confused. As was the case last time, when responding to someone, start your comment off with that student's name so they know you are talking to them. This is not the time to goof off and just try to be funny. Take it seriously. How you handle yourself and conduct yourself in an activity such as this says a lot about the person you are. Think about it.
Good Luck and let the discussion Begin....

First Topic: Mr. Klumper
Second Topic: Mr. Klumper
Third Topic: Mr. Klumper
Fourth Topic and beyond: Students