Final Academic Day of 2015-2016: Congratulations + Looking Back & Forward + Obama Presidency + Imperialism Debate with 6th & 7th Graders

On the last day of regular classes, the First 8th Grade Class in CCS History:

• Received congratulations and thanks for their hard work and cooperation the past two years
• Discussed their plans for next year
• Looked back on some of the highlights of the past school year
• Viewed a short video, Obama Presidency in 2 Minutes
• Were alerted to a longer video called Obama's First Term - PBS Frontline - 45:05
• Participated in the Grade 6/7 debate over U. S. Overseas Imperialism

Assignment for Wednesday: Enjoy the final academic night of 2015-2016 despite having no assignments to work on!

1990s, cont'd: Presidents G. H. W. Bush & Bill Clinton + 2000s: Presidents George W. Bush & Barack Obama

Today the lone 8th Grader in attendance:

• Watched the rest of the segment of the American Presidents video on President G. H. W. Bush, plus the sections on Presidents Bill Clinton & G. W. Bush

G.H.W. Bush: 23:07 --- Bill Clinton: 30:01 --- G.W. Bush: 37:32
• Read the Chart-Presidencies of George W. Bush & Barack Obama.

Assignment for Tuesday: Finish reading the above chart and be prepared for an informal debate over the question, "Who was the better president: George W. Bush or Barack Obama?

Field Trip to Killeen

Today the 8th Graders went on a field trip to Killeen.

Field Trip Postponed

Today the 8th Graders were going to go on a field trip to Killeen but got rained out & watched the movie National Treasure instead.

Wednesday - 18may16

Assignment for Friday: Read the rest of the columns on the Chart - Online Textbook - 1990s

Operation Desert Storm + Presidents GHW Bush & B Clinton

Today the mighty Eighths:

• Watched & discussed this Video-Operation Desert Storm
• Read on Presidents Bush & Clinton in the Chart-Online Textbook-1990s - 60, 60a, 60b, 60c

Assignment for Wednesday - Finish the reading on Bush I & Clinton.

Debate: Reagan & the Cold War + President G. H. W. Bush

Today the Men of the 8th:

• Did an excellent job of debating the question, "Did President Reagan end the Cold War?"
• Compiled a chronology of the presidency of George Herbert Walker Bush
• Began reading a summary of their choice of the Bush I Presidency

Assignment for Tuesday

1. Finish the Chronology of Bush I's Presidency
2. Finish reading the summary of Bush I's Presidency - Send me the link you read.

Video on Reagan + Prep for Deb over Reagan & the Cold War

Today the 8ths:

• Viewed the rest of the video begun yesterday on President Reagan
• Chose sides and began preparing for a debate over the question, "Did President Reagan end the Cold War? They began reading the first of the following articles and were given access to additional information in the second.
• Yes/No Article - Did President Reagan End the Cold War?
• 5 Articles - Did President Reagan End the Cold War?

Assignment for Monday - Debate over Reagan & the Cold War (See above.)

President Reagan: Discussion of Article + Video Summary

Today the 8th Graders:

• Discussed the article they read last night on President Ronald Reagan
• Viewed part of the Reagan portion of a video on U. S. Presidents from 1977-2008

Assignment for Thursday: None

Video on The Eighties + Review Article on President Reagan

Today the 8ths:

• Viewed, pausing to discuss, the above video on the Eighties
• Read and highlighted key points in an article reviewing several full-length books on the Reagan Presidency.

Assignment for Wednesday: Finish reading and highlighting the article on President Reagan.

Review of the 1970s + Overview of 1980s + Reaganomics + Budget Deficits/Surpluses

Today the 8th Graders:

• Welcomed back national traveler Wingboy
• Discussed some of the concepts he missed last week
• Discussed some of the key developments of the 1980s
• Analyzed basic aspects of Reaganomics
• Analyzed a graph showing budget deficits/surpluses from Carter to Reagan
• Began an online quiz over the 1970s, found at the bottom of this page: The Seventies - CNN Series

Assignments for Tuesday

• Finish the Online Quiz over The Seventies - CNN Series
• Read items 4-6 on the 1980s found in the Online Textbook:

1. The Reagan Years
2. "Morning in America"
3. Reaganomics
4. Foreign and Domestic Entanglements
5. Life in the 1980s
6. The End of the Cold War

The Seventies - CNN Series - Web Page
The Eighties - CNN Series - Web Page
The Eighties - NBC News Special - 50:24

The New Right: Discussion & Crash Course Vid

Today the 8:

• Discussed last night's reading on The New Right
• Viewed a Crash Course Video on The Rise of Conservatism during the 1960s/1970s (See above.)

Assignment for Monday (no class Friday) - Read the first 3 pages below on President Ronald Reagan (clicky clicky).

1. The Reagan Years
2. "Morning in America"
3. Reaganomics
4. Foreign and Domestic Entanglements
5. Life in the 1980s
6. The End of the Cold War

1970s: President Carter + Graph Analysis + The New Right

Today the 8th:

• Finished the Crash Course Video on Ford, Carter, Malaise
• Examined the handout showing approval ratings, economic growth, inflation, and other factors during the administrations of Presidents Carter, Reagan, Bush I, and Clinton.
• Began rereading for clarification the Online Textbook pages on Finding Oneself & The New Right during the 1970s

Assignments for Thursday: Reread the Online Textbook pages from last night. (See links above.)

Presidents Ford & Carter + Economic Terminology + Crash Course Video on Ford & Carter + Articles on Carter & Other Presidents

Today the 8th Grader:

• Discussed key economic points (especially inflation & real wages) found on these Graphs-Carter-Reagan-Bush I-Clinton
• Viewed & discussed a Crash Course Video on Ford, Carter, & Malaise (See above.)
• Began reading 3 articles, two of them on President Jimmy Carter & one on U. S. Presidents from FDR to Reagan

Assignment for Wednesday: Finish reading the 3 articles begun in class.

1970s, cont'd: President Jimmy Carter + The Me Decade + The New Right

Today the 8th Grader:

• Read part of the Chart-1970s-Part 2-ForPol After Nixon/Finding Oneself/The New Right
• Viewed the segment on President Jimmy Carter in this video.

Assignment for Tuesday: Finish reading the second and third columns on Chart-1970s-Part 2-ForPol After Nixon/Finding Oneself/The New Right

Watergate Scandal: Video & Essay or Debate Prep

Today the 8th Graders:

• Viewed a 46-minute video on the Watergate Scandal
• Chose between an essay and an online debate over the question, "Should President Richard M. Nixon have been impeached and removed from office for his role in the Watergate Scandal?" 
• Were to use the following as evidence:
• Online Textbook Information
• The video we watched (See above.)
• Other online sources of their choice

Assignment for Monday:

1. Gather additional information about the Watergate Scandal 
2. Use that information plus the other materials we have examined to complete your essay or online debate, as described above.

Thursday - 28apr16

Assignments for Friday

1. Read twice the Watergate page at the Online History Textbok.

2. Write an essay or do a debate or construct a Greaser/Soc dialogue, etc. for The Outsiders. Here are some Possible Ideas for Essay on The Outsiders

Picture ID-The Outsiders + Discussion of Ch. 9 & 10 of The Outsiders

Today the lads of the 8th:

• Applied what they have been reading by doing a Picture ID-The Outsiders
• Discussed Ch. 9 & 10 of The Outsiders

Assignments for Thursday
1. Finish Picture ID-The Outsiders
2. Read the final two chapters of The Outsiders

Field Trip to Historic Village in Waco

Today the 8th Graders took a field trip to the Gov. Bill and Vara Daniel Historic Village near Baylor University in Waco.

Assignments for Wednesday

1. Read Ch. 9 & 10 of The Outsiders.
2. Read these sections on the 1970s from the Online History Textbook (Clicky clicky.)

• Triangular Diplomacy: U.S., USSR, and China
• Undoing a President
• The Sickened Economy

Overview of 1970s + Arab-Israeli Conflict + The Outsiders

See enlarged views here & here.

Today the 8th Graders:

• During an overview of the 1970s, students expressed an interest in the 1978 Camp David Accords and consequently explored background information on the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict.
• Discussed Ch. 8 of The Outsiders.

Assignments for Wednesday

1. Read Ch. 9 & 10 of The Outsiders.
2. Read these sections on the 1970s from the Online History Textbook (Clicky clicky.)

• Triangular Diplomacy: U.S., USSR, and China
• Undoing a President
• The Sickened Economy

Making Sense of the Sixties - Final Episode + Essay on MSotS + Ch. 8 of the Outsiders

Today the 8th Graders:

• Watched and discussed the final episode of Making Sense of the Sixties
• Began writing an essay on the series - Suggestions for Essay
• Participated, if they wanted, with the 6th/7th Graders in the Last Frontier Role Play
• Began reading Ch. 8 of The Outsiders

Assignments for Monday

1. Finish reading Ch. 8 of The Outsiders
2. Finish your Essay on Making Sense of the Sixties

Making Sense of the Sixties - 1969/70 + The Outsiders

Today the Grade 8s: Viewed and discussed Ep. 9 of Making Sense of the Sixties, focusing on 1969 & 1970

Assignment for Friday: Read Ch. 7 of The Outsiders.

Making Sense of the Sixties: 1968 + Discussion of Ch. 5 of The Outsiders

On this day, the 8th Graders:

• Watched Episode 9 of Making Sense of the Sixties, focusing on the year 1968
• Held an insightful discussion of Ch. 5 of The Outsiders

Assignment for Thursday: Read Ch. 6 of The Outsiders.

Making Sense of the Sixties - Vietnam + The Outsiders-Ch. 5

Today the 8th Graders:

• Viewed and discussed the episode from Making Sense of the Sixties called Vietnam Touched Off a Firestorm
• Began reading Ch. 5 of S. E. Hinton - The Outsiders

Assignment for Wednesday - Finish reading Ch. 5 of The Outsiders.

Grandparents Day Celebration + Outsiders Ch. 3

Today the 8th Graders:

• Celebrated Grandparents Day
• Began reading Ch. 3 of The Outsiders

Assignment for Monday: Finish reading Ch. 3 of The Outsiders

Discussion of Ch. 1 of The Outsiders + Primary Sources from The Vietnam War

Today the 8th Graders:

• Discussed Ch. 1 of The Outsiders
• Viewed a student's grandfather's primary sources from the Vietnam War
• Began reading Ch. 2 of The Outsiders

Assignment for Friday: Finish reading Ch. 2 of The Outsiders

Basic Info on Vietnam War + Discussion of Online Textbook Pages + Began The Outsiders

Today the 8th Graders:

• Finished taking notes on basic information about the Vietnam War
• Discussed various aspects of last night's reading of Vietnam War pages at the Online American History site
• Began reading Ch. 1 of S. E. Hinton - The Outsiders

Assignment for Thursday: Finish reading Ch. 1 of S. E. Hinton - The Outsiders

Making Sense of the Sixties
6. How the Sixties Changed America
7. Vietnam Touched Off a Firestorm
8. Americans Were Furious in 1968
9. How Vietnam Affected America in 1968
10. They Never Forgot the 1960s

Correctives + Vietnam: Overview, cont'd + Timeline + Online Textbook

Today the 8ths:

• Did correctives on their JFK/LBJ Quiz
• Continued their overview of the Vietnam War
• Viewed Vietnam War-5 min. summary-From America in 20th Century Series

• Began reading the following pages of the Online History Textbook:
• The Vietnam War
• Early Involvement
• Years of Escalation: 1965-68
• The Tet Offensive
• The Antiwar Movement
• Years of Withdrawal

Assignment for Wednesday: Finish reading the Vietnam pages listed above.

For Future Reference:

• Vietnam: Chronicle of a War - 1981CBS News Documentary-1:28:15
• The Vietnam War - An American Experience - 11-part PBS Series--Outstanding In-Depth Series

Discussion of A Separate Peace + Vietnam War Overview

Today the 8ths:

• Had perhaps our final discussion of A Separate Peace; the students shared excellent insights; the character diagram below is interesting, despite the misspelling of the novel's title; I was going to show it to you earlier, but it would have spoiled a couple of key plot developments.
• Began taking notes on basic information about the Vietnam War
• Began reading a packet of timelines, summaries, and clashing points of view about the Vietnam War

Assignment for Tuesday: Finish reading (a couple of times each) the two timelines, the summary, and the maps of the Vietnam War. We will continue our overview of the war tomorrow.

Quiz over JFK/LBJ + A Separate Peace

Today the 8th Graders:

• Took their Quiz over JFK & LBJ
• Began reading Ch. 11-13 of A Separate Peace
• Were given a heads-up on the current week, which will revolve around standardized testing, during which there will be no or abbreviated regular class sessions. On Friday students will be taking a field trip to Peaceable Kingdom.

Assignment for Monday, 4/11/16 - Finish reading Ch. 11-12-13 of A Separate Peace.

Google Slides Illustrating JFK & LBJ + Prep for Monday's Quiz over JFK & LBJ

Today the Grade 8's:

• Worked collaboratively making Google Slides on Presidents Kennedy & Johnson, using the Online Textbook Chart on the 1960s
• Prepared for Monday's Quiz over Parts 56b, 56c, & 56e of the Online Textbook Chart on the 1960s

Assignment for Monday: Quiz over Parts 56b, 56c, & 56e of the Online Textbook Chart on the 1960s: JFK & LBJ



Video - From Truman to Ford
18:38-JFK
27:11-LBJ

Making Sense of the Sixties + JFK & LBJ + A Separate Peace

Today the Grade 8ers:

• Viewed & discussed Making Sense of the Sixties - Part 5 on the Counterculture
• Began reading Ch. 9 & 10 of A Separate Peace

Assignments

For Friday - Finish reading Ch. 9 & 10 of A Separate Peace

For Monday - Quiz over Online Textbook Chart on the 1960s -  Parts 56b, 56c, & 56e on JFK & LBJ

Making Sense of the Sixties-Part 4 + A Separate Peace-Ch. 6 & 7

Today the 8th Graders:

• Watched & discussed Making Sense of the Sixties-Part 4

• Began reading Ch. 6 & 7 of John Knowles's A Separate Peace

Assignment for Thursday: Finish reading Ch. 6 & 7 of ASP and come prepared to discuss it.

A Separate Peace: Discussion of Ch. 4 & 5 + Reading Ch. 6

Today the 8th Graders:

• Had an excellent discussion of Ch. 4 & 5 of A Separate Peace
• Did silent reading of Ch. 6 of A Separate Peace

Assignment for Wednesday: Finish reading Ch. 6 of ASP.

A Separate Peace Discussion + Reading A Separate Peace, Ch. 4 & 5

Today the Gr8s:

• Held an in-depth discussion of Ch. 1-3 of John Knowles' A Separate Peace
• Began reading Ch. 4 & 5 of ASP

Assignments for Tuesday

1. Finish reading Ch. 4 & 5 of A Separate Peace
2. Happy Easter & enjoy your 4-day weekend!

Overview of 1960s + Making Sense of the Sixties: Early 60s + A Separate Peace

Today the Eighths:

• Did a quick overview of and later began reading this Chart-Online Textbook-1960s Politics-Ike-JFK-LBJ-Nixon
• Viewed, pausing to discuss the first part of Episode 2 of Making Sense of the Sixties:The Early 60s - A Time of Innocence




• Briefly discussed Ch. 2 of John Knowles's A Separate Peace
• Began reading Ch. 3 of ASP

Assignments for Thursday

1. Finish reading Chart-Online Textbook-1960s Politics-Ike-JFK-LBJ-Nixon.
2. Finish reading Ch. 3 of A Separate Peace

Conformity in the 1950s & Today + Civil Rights Movement + Ch. 1 & 2 of A Separate Peace

Today the 8ths:

• Discussed the pros & cons of conformity: in the 1950s & generally
• Listened to & discussed Malvina Reynolds' 1962 song, "Little Boxes"
• Discussed the civil rights movement of the 1950s
• Discussed Ch. 1 of Knowles, A Separate Peace
• Began reading Ch. 2 of ASP

Assignment for Wednesday - Read & be prepared to discuss Ch. 2 of ASP.

Today the Eighths:

• Filled out & discussed a "Conformity Survey" based on personal insights and insights derived from the video Making Sense of the Sixties-Seeds of the Sixties.
• Began reading Ch. 1 of John Knowles, A Separate Peace.

Assignments for Tuesday

1. Finish the Conformity Survey. Use The 1950s-Online U.S. Textbook Pages-Part 1 and the Seeds of the Sixties video to job your memory.
2. Finish reading Ch. 1 of John Knowles, A Separate Peace.

Seeds of the Sixties + Civil Rights Movement + Hiroshima

Today the Eighth Graders:

• Watched the rest of the second installment of Making Sense of the Sixties-Seeds of the Sixties (which were planted in the 1950s)
• Began reading The 1950s-Pt. 2-Civil Rights Movement-Online US History Textbook
• Read some from Ch. IV of John Hersey's Hiroshima

Assignment for Friday

1. Read The 1950s-Pt. 2-Civil Rights Movement-Online US History Textbook.
2. Finish reading Ch. IV of Hiroshima.

Hiroshima Discussion + Seeds of the Sixties, Pt. 2

Today the Eighths:

• Discussed Ch. II of John Hersey's Hiroshima
• Viewed, pausing periodically to discuss the second installment of Making Sense of the Sixties-Seeds of the Sixties (were planted in the 1950s)
• Began reading Ch. III of Hiroshima

Assignment for Thursday: Read and be ready to discuss Ch. III of Hiroshima