U.S. History for Friday, September 17

1. In period 3 only, we went over the Course Requirements and Behavior Contract.  In periods 2 and 3 we took notes on immigration which you should be sure to copy from a classmate.
2. Here is the Ellis Island website that I used as a resource in class.

Period 2 U.S. History Monday, October 19

1. Turned in review sheet.
2. Took Immigration, Industrialization, & Progressive Era Test.  The ONLY make-up time will be Wednesday, October 21 at lunch in my classroom.  See me before then if you have a schedule conflict or you will receive a zero on that test.  No Show = Zero
   

Periods 1, 3, 5 for Monday, October 12

Just a reminder that we will be having our test on the Immigration, Industrialization, and Progressive Era unit on Thursday, October 15.  Here's what we did in class today:

1. Review sheet in preparation for the test.  The review will be due the day of the test.
2. Assigned an essay for this unit.  Also due the day of the test, typed.  This essay will follow all of the typical formatting of an essay for your English class:  hook, thesis statement, topic sentences, concluding paragraph, etc.

Period 2 U.S. History for Friday, October 9

Just a reminder that we will be having our test on the Immigration, Industrialization, and Progressive Era unit on Thursday, October 15.  Here's what we did in class today:

1. Review sheet in preparation for the test.  The review will be due the day of the test.
2. Assigned an essay for this unit.  Also due the day of the test, typed.  This essay will follow all of the typical formatting of an essay for your English class:  hook, thesis statement, topic sentences, concluding paragraph, etc.
   

Periods 1, 3, 5 U.S. History for Tuesday, October 6

Hope you enjoyed the stations today.  Sounded like Pit kept everyone active and even stirred up some hostility!  Here's what we did today in case you were absent:

1. Notes on political machines.  Copy from a classmate.
2. Page 250 #5, 6 and page 272 #1, 2 all under the "Main Ideas" section (not the "Terms and Names" section).  This is due at the beginning of the period on Thursday, October 8.
3. Played Pit.  This game is designed to help you remember what a monopoly is.  That is what guys like Rockefeller and Carnegie tried to achieve.  There is no make-up assignment for this game--you missed it!
   

U.S. History: Made in L.A.

The video I'm showing (part of it, anyway) to my U.S. History classes right now is called Made in L.A. It highlights the struggle of immigrant laborers against the company Forever 21.  I came across this video a couple of years ago.  It was on PBS (yes students, some people actually watch PBS!) and I found it to be poignant and shocking.  Sadly, I almost expect there to be labor abuses in other countries around the world.  But workers being underpaid and abused here in the United States?  In California?  In Los Angeles, just a few miles from where I used to live?  Hard to believe, yet true.

There are scenes in the video from places I am very familiar with in L.A., including my beloved UCLA.  One of my favorite scenes is when the workers go to the Forever 21 store at the Beverly Center shopping mall and talk about how little they got paid to make some of the garments in the windows.  I like showing the film to my students because I think it opens their eyes a little bit to the struggle that many people face here in America and also brings the laborer's struggle that we discuss in the early 1900s up to the present time.  There are some thought-provoking issues and even though the majority of the film has English subtitles, students do a great job of paying attention.  Check out the website for the film.

U.S. History Friday & Monday, September 18 & 21

1. Turned in some of the notes from the first few weeks of the school year.  The ones we turned in were:
1. August 28 (for odd classes) or 31 (for even classes).  The notes entitled "Survey on American Ideals" and "Religious Foundations."
2. September 3-4. "Contractor/Architect/Builder," Making of the Consitution video, video notes.
3. September 8-9. "Religious Liberty" and "Religious Revivals."
4. September 10-11. "Reconstruction" and "Segregation" (very short section).
2. Finish notes on immigration (copy from a classmate).
3. Worksheet:  Industry & Urban Growth.  Due upon your return.

U.S. History Wednesday/Thursday September 16/17

1. Watched video clip of In America.
2. Answered questions about the clip (copy from classmate).
3. Notes:  The Immigrant Experience (copy from classmate).
   

U.S. History: Ellis Island

Above:  A 46-star American flag dates this photo of the Great Hall between 1907-1912.

I use this website to research our Immigration unit every year.  Here is the link to the photo albums of Ellis Island in past years and today.  Some fascinating pictures.

U.S. History Monday/Tuesday September 14/15

Reminder that the make-up Foundations of America Quiz will be Wednesday the 16th at lunch in my classroom.  This will be the ONLY time to take the make-up.  No Show=Zero!

Here's what we did in class:

1. Immigration vocabulary game--copy the terms from a classmate.
2. Quick Write in your notes on immigration.  Answer the question at the top of page 900 in the textbook.
3. Watch video From China to Chinatown.  Copy questions and answers from classmate.
   

United States Current Events: GOOD

Recently at Starbucks, I picked up a mini-newspaper they have near the drink-pick-up-bar called GOOD. Apparently Starbucks is sponsoring this non-partisan publication which is trying to educate the public on major issues, particularly leading up to the November elections. The current issue, on immigration, caught my eye because immigration is one of the topics we are covering right now in U.S. History. Among the interesting things I learned: the top five countries of birth for recent U.S. immigrants are (5) Vietnam (4) Philippines (3) India (2) China and (1) Mexico with 11.67 million.

United States History: Ellis Island and the Immigrant Experience

In my U.S. History class we're embarking on our new unit tomorrow, Immigration and Industrialization. I'm going to start by showing the first 25 minutes of the 2003 film In America. It's about an Irish family that comes to modern America to find a better life. While it clearly depicts the hardship that immigrants face, it also highlights some of the beautiful moments of family life and the opportunities that the U.S. affords.

One of the most memorable and gut-wrenching scenes though is when the family goes to a local carnival for a fun night out. The only money they have is their rent money, yet the father is determined to win a stuffed animal for his young daughters at one of the carnival games. If you're not on the edge of your seat during that scene, you simply are not human.
To me, it's one of the more powerful and poignant scenes in recent movie history.

One of the resources I'm using for the early portion of this unit is an Ellis Island website that is terrific. It's rich with visuals ranging from graphs to both recent and historical photos. Great enrichment for the material we'll be studying.