8th Grade SOS #18

Christmas at the White House
Use the White House Christmas Packet, read "The Lincoln Family Christmas" and then turn to the following page and choose one Discussion Question to answer and one Writing Prompt to response to on the blog.  PLEASE proofread your answers to ensure complete sentences and thoughts, stellar grammar and spelling, and correct capitalization.

If you are interested, click on the following link to view some of the decorations at the White House. (http://dc.about.com/od/christmasphotos/ss/ChristWhiteHous.htm)

8th Grade SOS #17

Navigate to TriviaPark.com (http://triviapark.com/quizzes/xmasquiz.html) and choose from one of three Christmas Quizzes; novice, regular, or expert.  Upon quiz completion, return to the blog and respond to the following questions:
1.  What was your score and rating (if given)?
2.  Which question stood out as an easy question or a "given" that you knew you would get right?
3.  Which question (or questions) surprised you and what did you learn?
4.  Did you feel the quiz was accurately leveled?  Explain.
5.  Write a Christmas question of your own and see if anyone can answer it correctly on the blog.

8th Grade SOS #16

After reading the excerpt below from Harriet Beecher Stowe's concluding words in "Uncle Tom's Cabin," reflect and write on the following questions:

• What arguments did Stowe put forth against slavery?
• What audience was she trying to reach with her message?
• Women in the nineteenth century could not vote, so why did Stowe make a point of addressing mothers?

"The writer has given only a faint shadow, a dim picture, of the anguish and despair that are, at this very moment, riving thousands of hearts, shattering thousands of families, and driving a helpless and sensitive race to frenzy and despair. There are those living who know the mothers whom this accursed traffic has driven to the murder of their children; and themselves seeking in death a shelter from woes more dreaded than death … "And you, mothers of America … I beseech you, pity the mother who has all your affections, and not one legal right to protect, guide, or educate, the child of her bosom! … I beseech you, pity those mothers that are constantly made childless by the American slave-trade! And say, mothers of America, is this a thing to be defended, sympathized with, passed over in silence? Do you say that the people of the free state have nothing to do with it, and can do nothing? Would to God this were true! But it is not true. The people of the free states have defended, encouraged, and participated; and are more guilty for it, before God, than the South, in that they have not the apology of education or custom. "If the mothers of the free states had all felt as they should, in times past, the sons of the free states would not have been the holders, and, proverbially, the hardest masters of slaves … "… You pray for the heathen abroad; pray also for the heathen at home. And pray for those distressed Christians whose whole chance of religious improvement is an accident of trade and sale; from whom any adherence to the morals of Christianity is, in many cases, an impossibility, unless they have given them, from above, the courage and grace of martyrdom."

8th Grade SOS #15

As you work on your Free-Soil Party Campaign posters, it might be helpful see learn about the campaign slogans of the past.  Candidates used slogans that reflected who they were, what that stood for, what they had accomplished, and/or what they hope to accomplish as President of the United States.  Click on the FactMonster site (http://sf.factmonster.com/quizzes/slogans/1.html) and that the campaign slogan quiz.  Then, return to the blog and reflect on the following:
1.  record your score.
2. which slogan seemed unusually or bizarre?  Explain.
3.  which slogan would win you over or get your attention? Explain.

8th Grade SOS #14

Gobble Gobble Wobble...
"feed" your Thanksgiving cravings by clicking on the FactMonster link (http://sf.factmonster.com/quizzes/thanksgiving-history/1.html) and taking the Thanksgiving quiz.  (Be sure to quench your thirst for knowledge by READING the facts that go with each question.)  
Then, return to the blog and record:
1.  your quiz score,
2.  the most surprising/interesting fact and why,
3. and what you plan on doing for Thanksgiving break.
Be sure to write in complete sentences, use proper writing conventions, and to proofread!
Bon Appetit!

8th Grade SOS #13

The Election of 1824 was the first election where the winner of the popular vote did not become the President.  Subsequently, “J. Q. Adams who can write” squared off against “Andy Jackson who can fight” in the Election of 1828, in one of the most bitter campaigns in American history.

Click the following link (http://archive.fairvote.org/e_college/controversial.htm#1824) and read about other controversial elections in American History.  Then, return to the blog and COMPARE/CONTRAST the Election of 1824 to one of the other elections you read about.  Remember to state how they were alike and why as well as how they were different and why.  Use complete sentences, proper writing conventions, and PROOFREAD!

8th Grade SOS #12

Click on the ConstitutionFacts.com (http://www.constitutionfacts.com/?page=realOrFake.cfm) and take the "Real or Fake" quiz on U.S. Presidents.  If you get the question wrong, MAKE SURE YOU READ THE CORRECT ANSWER BENEATH THE QUIZ BOX! 

When you finish with the quiz, you need to enter your age, gender, and state in order to get your quiz results.  Then, return to the blog and respond to the following questions.

1.  What was your score and your level of achievement?
2.  Choose one fact that surprised you and describe why it made an impression on you.
3.  Choose one fact that your were able to respond correctly (because it was something you learned this year in Social Studies class or lab) and why you remembered it.

8th Grade SOS #11

Articles of Agreement
       Ahoy!  In the second half of the 17th century, buccaneers began to develop a set of rules that governed behavior on board ship. These regulations were called by various names—The Pirate Code, Code of Ethics, Code of Conduct, and Articles of Agreement. The ship’s company for a particular voyage would sign a document agreeing to the conditions.  In this activity, you will explore what it means to make—and break—a rule or law.
      After reading the Articles of Agreement, choose 3 slips of paper, read the sticky situations, and then decide what the outcome should be. Your decision must include which Article used to solve the problem and why.  Good luck me hearties!

8th Grade SOS #10

Let's hit the road! 

Click on the National Geographic Lewis and Clark Expedition Game (http://www.nationalgeographic.com/west/) and make your way to the Pacific Ocean by making difficult travel decisions.  Make sure you READ the journal entries and trace your journey on the map.  Then, return to the blog and summarize the results of your journey.

8th Grade SOS #8

Beyond the Buzz
Check out the legends, locations, roasts, and history of coffee at http://www.nationalgeographic.com/coffee/ax/frame.html.  After navigating the site, choose on topic and read a little more.  Then, return to the blog and "coffee talk" about what you learned.  (Be sure to state the topic you studied as well as the who, what, where, when, why, and how that makes a complete summary.)

8th Grade SOS #7

The Ogilvies invited the Cooks for tea and in 1793, there were rules of etiquette to drink tea.  Click the following link (http://www.quizmoz.com/quizzes/General-Etiquette-Quizzes/t/Tea-Etiquette-Quiz.asp) and test how well you would fare at the Ogilvies' house.  Then, enter your name to get your quiz results.  (Make sure you read the answers to the quiz!) 

Lastly, return to the blog and:
1.  record your quiz results,
2.  choose one answer you KNEW without guessing and explain why,
3. and  choose one answer you got wrong and what surprised you about the correct answer.

8th Grade SOS #9

Fever 1793 Trivia Game
Click the following link http://www.funtrivia.com/trivia-quiz/Literature/Fever-1793-165281.html and take the Fever 1793 Quiz.  The points decrease the longer it takes for you to answer the questions.  When you are done, return to the blog and record your quiz score.  Yes, this counts toward your grade!  (Well, a small part of your grade.)

8th Grade SOS #6

Yellow fever is caused by a small virus that is spread by the bite of mosquitoes.  An outbreak as far north as Philadelphia in 1793 resulted in the deaths of several thousand people and forced the administration to flee the city, including President George Washington. 
Click on the following link (http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/yellowfever.htm) and read the about Yellow Fever epidemic in Philadelphia.  Then, return to the blog and compose a prediction about the novel you will begin tomorrow titled Fever 1793.  Consider who the characters might be, what their experience will be, where the events will take place, when the events will take place, and how things might end in the novel.  * Remember, when making predictions, be as thorough as possible!

8th Grade SOS #5

The French had helped the Americans in their struggle for independence, so the French Revolution seemed to embody many of the ideals of the American Revolution.  By 1793, the French Revolution turned bloody with the execution of Louis XVI, Marie Antionette, and thousands of French citizens.  Click on the Guillotine website (http://www.theguillotine.info/facts/index.php) and read the FACTS as well as the TIMELINE information to review this event.  Then, return to the blog and reflect on the following question:

* In your opinion, what did the French Revolution have in common with the American Revolution?  Explain. 

8th Grade SOS #4

George Washington stands before you in a full-length portrait by Gilbert Stuart. The painting, done in 1796, is known as the Lansdowne portrait because it was a gift to the Marquis of Lansdowne, an English supporter of American independence, from Senator and Mrs. William Bingham of Pennsylvania.

Click on the Smithsonian Website (http://www.georgewashington.si.edu/portrait/index.html) and launch the interactive portrait to explore the painting in detail, from three very different vantage points: the symbolic, the biographic, and the artistic. Each filter highlights an element in the portrait and provides unique information and a distinct interpretation. 

Choose one detail that interests you and view it from all three vantage points.  Then answer the following questions on the blog.

1.  What element did you choose?  (For example: hand/gesture)

2.  a.  What is the symbolic meaning?  

     b.  What is the biographic meaning? 

     c.  What is the artistic meaning?

3.  In your opinion, why do you think the artist used this detail when painting George Washington?  Explain.

8th Grade SOS #3

How much do you know about America's earliest days of independence?  Take the following FactMonster quiz by clicking on
http://sf.factmonster.com/quizzes/declaration-independence/1.html.

Then, return to the blog and answer the following questions:

1.  What was your score on the quiz?

2.  The Preamble to the Declaration of Independence states:  "When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation."  What do you think that means?

3.  The Declaration of Independence also states:  "all men are created equal, that they are endowed... with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness."  Do you believe this was true in 1776?  Why or why not?  Do you believe this is true in 2011?  Why or why not?

8th Grade SOS #2

Flag, noun, piece of cloth, usually bunting or similar light material, plain, colored, or bearing a device, varying in size and shape, but often oblong or square, used as an ensign, standard, or signal or for display and decorative purposes, and generally attached at one edge to a staff or to a halyard by which it may be hoisted.

In the British colonies of North America before the Revolution, each of the 13 colonies had its flag.  The flag that will unite the colonies into one nation will change along with the nation it flies over. 

Click the following link, http://sf.factmonster.com/quizzes/usflag/1.html, and take the "U.S. Flag Quiz" and test your knowledge of the "Stars and Stripes."  Then, return the the blog and respond and post answers to the following questions.

1.  What was your score on the quiz?
2.  Name one fact that surprised you about the U.S. Flag.
3.  Name a question you got right as a result of this week's artifact analysis.
4.  If you could make any changes to the U.S. Flag, what would it be and why?

8th Grade SOS #1

Our journey through American History this year begins on the eve of independence.  BUT, just because we are beginning there doesn't mean you know how we got there!  So, your first SOS activity is a review of the past.  Click the Scott Foresman link: http://www.sfsocialstudies.com/g5/ and complete the following three activities; EARLY LIFE EAST AND WEST, CONNECTIONS ACROSS CONTINENTS, and COLONIAL LIFE IN NORTH AMERICA.  Once you have completed all three activities, return to the blog and post a reflection answering the following questions:
1.  Which Native American group(s) were you most knowledgeable of?  Then, state one fact you learned about the group(s) you were least knowledgeable of.
2.  Choose one explorer from the list and explain where they were from, where did they intend to go, and what did they actually find.
3.  Choose and share your favorite fact about one of the American cities from the map.  Explain why it "caught your eye." 

July 4th

On this day in 1776, the Declaration of Independence was approved by the Continental Congress, setting the 13 colonies on the road to freedom as a sovereign nation. As always, this most American of holidays will be marked by parades, fireworks and backyard barbecues across the country.  Check out the following statistics on FactMonster http://sf.factmonster.com/spot/july4census1.html.

Then, test your knowledge on the July 4th Crossword; http://sf.factmonster.com/xwords/fourthofjuly.html.

Extreme Vacations

These are not your ordinary family trips.  Click on the following link (http://sf.factmonster.com/world/travel/extreme-vacations.html) to learn more about some dynamite destinations.  Then, click on the following link (http://sf.factmonster.com/world/travel/top-vanishing-destinations.html) and read about these disappearing destinations.  Which would you rather see/experience and why?

Batter Up!

Summer is a great time to make a trip to the ballpark.  Whether it is to watch friends play, the Kernels, or the Cubs (insert other professional teams if you are not a Cubbies fan).  Read the Fact Monster article about major league baseball parks (http://sf.factmonster.com/spot/ballparks2.html) and then try your luck with the Ballparks Quiz (http://sf.factmonster.com/quizzes/ballparks1/1.html), the All-Star Baseball Quiz (http://sf.factmonster.com/quizzes/bball-allstar1/1.html), or both!  Tell me how you did!

It is getting hot, hot, hot!

Click the following link (http://sf.factmonster.com/ipka/A0001416.html) to see a chart of record temperatures.  (You might be thankful you are living in Iowa!)  Then, take the 50 States Quiz (http://sf.factmonster.com/quizzes/states4/1.html) and let me know how you did.

The History of Summer Vacation

As you log on to your computer to email, Facebook, Twitter, or blog; take a moment to check out "The History of Summer Vacation" by clicking the Fact Monster link (http://sf.factmonster.com/spot/schoolyear1.html)  Read the article and consider how summer vacations were and are for others and compare it to what your summer vacation is like.  Are they similar?  How?  Are they different?  Why?  I'd love to hear from you!

Then, try the Ice Cream Quiz (http://sf.factmonster.com/quizzes/icecream/1.html) and tell me your score.

Weekly History and Geography - 38

Photographs can lie. They certainly do in the Soviet Union from 1929 to 1953, the years of Joseph Stalin's dictatorial rule. Stalin's agents routinely arrest and kill as "enemies of the people" anyone who disagrees with his politics. Communist Party workers then try to remove any trace of these people from the photographic archives, and so from the media.  Click the following link to see how Stalin "edited" history through the manipulation of photographs.  http://www.newseum.org/berlinwall/commissar_vanishes/index.htm

Then, return to the blog and reflect on a picture and/or fact you learned from the website.
1.  What was it about the picture and/or fact that stuck with you?  Explain.
2.  Why do you think is was important to Stalin to edit history?
3.  Do you think any US history in pictures or print have been edited?  Explain.

Weekly History and Geography - 37

Choose one of the following discussion questions to respond to from Ji-Li Jiang's memoir "Red Scarf Girl."  Please answer in complete sentences in paragraph form - remember, a paragraph has 5-7 sentences!

1. Consider that "Ji-li" means "lucky and beautiful" in Chinese. Do you think Ji-li was lucky?
2. Do Ji-li's feelings and opinions about the Community Party and Chairman Mao Ze-dong change over the course of the story? How?
3. Why did some of her fellow students so quickly embrace the idea of criticizing their teachers?
4. Why did the critical statements (da-zi-bao) upset Ji-li so much?
5. Name some examples of the "Four Olds." If the Cultural Revolution were to happen in the U.S. today, what among your family's possessions would be considered "Four Old?"
6. How would you feel if someone wanted to search your home?

Weekly History and Geography - 36

Ji-Li Jiang is the author of "Red Scarf Girl" as well as several other books.  Click the following link to take you to an excerpt of "The Magical Monkey King" by Ji-Li Jiang.  http://www.jilijiang.com/monkey-king/monkey-king-excerpt.htm  Then, return to the blog and write a one paragraph continuation of the excerpt (what you think happens next).  Remember, a paragraph is 5-7 sentences!

Weekly History and Geography - 32

Talk Like An Aussie.

If you travel to the "Land Down Under," you need to know how to talk the talk as well as how to walk the walk.  Click on the Fact Monster Link, http://sf.factmonster.com/quizzes/aussie/1.html, and take the "Aussie Talk" quiz.  Then, return to the blog and reflect on the following questions:

1.  What was your quiz score?
2.  Compose a sentence using at least one Aussie slang word.
3.  What did you learn from the "Home Among the Gum Trees" tune?  Explain.
4.  What did you learn from the movie "Rabbit-Proof Fence?"

Weekly History and Geography - 40

Theodor Seuss Geisel was an American writer and cartoonist mostly widely known for his children's bookspen names Dr. Seuss, Theo LeSieg, and in one case, Rosetta Stone.  As World War II began, Geisel turned to political cartoons, drawing over 400 in two years as editorial cartoonist for the NYC daily newspaper, PM.  Geisel's political cartoons, later published in  Dr. Seuss Goes to War, denounced Hilter and Mussolini.  


Study the following cartoons and choose one to analyze.  Use your Literature Organizer questions to reflect on the cartoon.

Weekly History and Geography - 34

You are to report for duty on a German U-boat.  Your task is to become well-versed on the following battle tactics at: http://www.uboataces.com/history-tactics.shtml
The Wolf Pack
Intercepting Convoys
Surfaced Attacks
Submerged Attacks
Evasive Tactics
Deck Gun Attacks
Remaining Invisible

Then return to the blog and summarize as well as reflect on your training.

1.  Which tactic did you find most interesting?  Why?
2.  What three speeds could convoys travel?
3.  A U-boat’s best defense is concealment. But once this is blown, what is the next best recourse (thing to do)?
4.  In U-boat school, commanders are guided by the principle, “He who sees first, has won!”.   What do YOU think that means?
5.  What is a “Rudeltaktik"?  Why do YOU think this was an effective U-boat tactic?

Weekly History and Geography - 33

Click on the Fact Monster Biographies of U.S. Presidents, http://sf.factmonster.com/ipka/A0855114.html, and select two war time presidents to read about.  (Wilson, Harding, Coolidge, Hoover, and/or F.D. Roosevelt)  Then, return to the blog and compare/contrast their lives and presidency.

Weekly History and Geography - 35

As we embark on the remaining weeks of 7th Grade Social Studies, it is good to review how far we have traveled and how much we have explored.  Click on the Fact Monster link, http://sf.factmonster.com/quizzes/worldhist2/1.html, and take the World History II quiz.  Then, return to the blog and respond to the following questions:
1.  What was your score?
2.  Was is easy or difficult to recall some of the facts we've studied?  Explain.
3.  What has been your favorite topic so far this year?  Explain.
4.  What was your least favorite topic?  Explain.

Weekly History and Geography - 31

Study the following political cartoons to form an overall impression.  Then, answer the writing prompts for each on the blog.

1.  What three people/groups are represented in this picture?

2.  Who is on the left side of the picture and what/who are they trying to stop?

3.  You saw this cartoon in WHAG 26.  What historical event has occurred and who is pictured spanning Africa?

4.  What clues help you understand this cartoon deals with Great Britain and Australia?

5.  What event has occurred between China and Great Britain?  Explain.

6.  Whose point of view is being illustrated in this cartoon?  Explain.

 

 

Social Studies Lab - The Irish Potato Famine

Allow Splat to give you a tour through a rural Irish village, a work house, a school, and the docks during the Irish Potato Famine.  Click on the link, http://www.irishpotatofamine.org/flash.html, and navigate through the tour.  Then, return to the blog and write a reflection on what was most memorable to you and why.  Please use complete sentences and proofread your work before posting!

Social Studies Lab - Nollaig: Irish Christmas

Click on the Halo Christmas link, http://www.iol.ie/~marist/halo/halochristmas.htm, and navigate through while reading about decorations, food, traditions, and folklore.  Then return to the blog and compare/contrast your holiday celebrations with the Irish.  You must write in complete sentences and have a minimum of 5 topics to compare/contrast.

Social Studies Lab - No Irish Need Apply

Click on the Big Apple History link, http://pbskids.org/bigapplehistory/immigration/topic2.html, and read the article "No Irish Need Apply."  Then, watch the video in windows media.  Lastly, enlarge the "family eviction" photo and return to the blog to complete the following photo analysis and cartoon analysis.

1. Study the photograph to form an overall impression of the photograph as well as examine individual items.  

 

2.  Based on what you have observed, list 1 or 2 things you might infer/guess from this photograph.  

 

3.  What question(s) does this photograph raise in your mind?

4.  How did Americans view Irish immigrants in the late 1800s/early 1900s?

 

Social Sudies Lab - Irish Dance

The following website contains information about Irish Dance (http://library.thinkquest.org/05aug/00374/).  Navigate through and read the information about the history, types of dance, dresses, and shoes & accessories associated with Irish Dance.  Then, take the quiz.  When you are done, return to the blog and record your quiz score.