Smiley Face Theory of Reconstruction - Andrew Johnson On the Freedmen - Good Old Rebel - Black Codes - 5 Military Districts

On this day, students deepened their knowledge of Reconstruction by doing the following:

• Applied the Smiley Face Theory of Reconstruction to hypothesize as to why it was almost impossible to solve the two major problems of Reconstruction simultaneously (Leniency to the Southern rebels leads to persecution of the freedmen; helping the freedmen causes anger and violence by Southern whites toward freedmen.)
• Read, analyzed, and listened to the song, "The Good Old Rebel."
• Briefly analyzed a Thomas Nast cartoon depicting a ex-CSA soldier
• Analyzed a passage from a biography of President Andrew Johnson showing his hateful, racist attitude toward the freedmen
• Read and analyzed a Black Code
• Learned and used mnenomic devices for remembering the 5 Military Districts under Radical Reconstruction

Assignments

For Wednesday: Read and come prepared to discuss the Ambrose Bierce short story, "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge."

For Thursday: Prepare for Thursday's Quiz over Reconstruction - See details from yesterday's blog.

Pennies for Pasta - Brief Summary of Reconstruction - Reconstruction Timeline

Today students:

• Learned about the Pennies for Pasta Project
• Read, analyzed, and discussed A Brief Summary of Reconstruction
• Briefly viewed A Timeline of Reconstruction (still under construction at the time)

Assignments

For Tuesday: One-Pager from Fehrenbach's Lone Star - Post at your blog.

For Thursday: Quiz over the following:

• A Brief Summary of Reconstruction
• Timeline of Reconstruction
• Ch. 16 Summary: Reconstruction (in Texas)
• Chart: The 3 Reconstruction Plans

Field Trip to Austin

Students travelled to the State Capital to visit the State Capitol, the Bob Bullock Museum, and the Texas Governor's Mansion. Their behavior was exemplary and they were able to apply much of what they have learned so far this year to things they viewed at the three sites.

Assignment for Monday: Have a great weekend!

Quiz-Ch. 15 Summary: The Civil War - Textbook Reading - Planning for Field Trip to Austin

Today our students:

• Took the Quiz over the Chapter 15 Summary: The Civil War
• Read Ch. 15, Sections 2 & 3 in the textbook, mentally filling in details about Texas and the Civil War

Assignment for Friday:
1. Finish reading Ch. 15/Secs. 2 & 3 on Texas and the Civil War.
2. Do some background reading in preparation for tomorrow's field trip to Austin. Click some of the links within the articles to explore further.

• Short Wikipedia Article on Texas State Government
• Texas State Capitol
• Texas Governor's Mansion
• Bob Bullock Museum - Be thinking of some of the things you would particularly like to see.

3. Be thinking about ways we can make our vist to these places as valuable a learning experience as possible. Write your ideas onto this Google Document.

4. No One-Pager due Friday or Monday.

Great-Great-Grandpa Karbach - Ch. 15 Summary - Animated Chronology of CW Battles in Texas - Resources of North & South in 1861

Today our students:

• Viewed pictures and Civil War documents of Great-Great-Grandfather Karbach, a German immigrant to New Braunfels who fought for the Union in the Civil War
• Prepared for tomorrow's Ch. 15 Quiz over the Civil War in Texas by reading & analyzing various parts of it.
• Critiqued the choices made by map designers who showed the South in blue!!!
• Debated whether one of the Taylor brothers resembled a certain student in our school.
• Learned the chronology of Civil War battles in Texas by viewing these Animated Chronology Maps of Civil War Battles in Texas (Actually, one of the maps had disappeared, but it's been restored.)
• Analyzed a table showing comparative Resources of the North & South in 1861

We didn't quite get to these two items, but I'm leaving them here for their links' value.

• Chart-Civil War Battles in Texas
• Ambrose Bierce - "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge"

Assignment for Thursday:
1. Quiz over Ch. 15 Summary: The Civil War

• Learn all the wordy stuff.
• Be able to identify and discuss the pictures.
• Show knowledge of the chronology of CW battles in TX (Use the Animated Chronology Maps to prepare.)
• Be able to analyze the other maps.

2. You do not need to do the One-Pager tonight.

Civil War at 3 Key Points - Animated Maps of the Civil War - Chapter 15 Summary

Today students:

• Analyzed The Civil War at 3 Key Points
• Viewed and analyzed a 4-minute animated timeline map of the Civil War (See this compilation for list of some animated maps found at YouTube and elsewhere.)

• Viewed an animation of the Battle of Gettysburg
• Received the Chapter 15 Summary: The Civil War

Assignments

For Wednesday

1. Finish & post at your blog The Civil War at 3 Key Points.
2. Do your One-Pager assignment from Fehrenbach's Lone Star and post it at your blog.

For Thursday: Quiz over Ch. 15 Summary: The Civil War

Texas Secession Document, cont'd - Map Analysis on Secession

Students today:

• Finished reading and annotating the February 2, 1861 document, "A Declaration of the Causes which Impel the State of Texas to Secede from the Federal Union"
• Collaborating on an Analysis of the Secession Document
• Analyzed a map on Texas and Southern Secession

Assignment for Tuesday: Finish your Analysis of the Secession Document. You may continue to work together, but have it ready for submission at the first of the period on Tuesday.

Pictorial Presentations of To Be a Slave - Causes of the Civil War - Texas Secession Document

Eager for Spring Break, students nevertheless:

• Used the projector and their computers to display and explain their Pictorial Presentations of the book To Be a Slave
• Read Ch. 5/Sec. 1 in the textbook on the Causes of the Civil War
• Began reading and annotating a primary source document from the Texas Secession Convention of 1861 called "A Declaration of the Causes which Impel the State of Texas to Secede from the Federal Union."
• Began an analysis of the document
• Worked on the Grade 7 Class Project for the Spring Gala (Many thanks to Mrs. Barnes for her invaluable guidance and assistance!)

Assignment: HAVE A GREAT SPRING BREAK!

Quiz-Finishing & Correctives - Map Analysis: Spread of Slavery

Map Credit

Students today:

• Finished the Essay Question on the Ch. 14 Quiz (if needed)
• Got back their graded Quiz & did Correctives
• Analyzed maps on the spread of slavery from 1790-1860

Assignment for Friday

1. Finish your analysis of the maps on the spread of slavery

• Be sure to:
• Break down the gif. into individual maps
• Write many sentences analysing what you notice about slavery and its spread across the United States between the years 1790 & 1860
• Click here to see interactive map by decades & county--Drag slider by year/hover for info/click to zoom. (And, OF COURSE, you can also zoom by Ctrl-+ & Ctrl-Mouse Wheel!!!!!!!!)

2. Post your Pictorial Presentations of To Be a Slave on your blog

3. Do your Lone Star one-pager & post it to your blog.

Excel Presentations on Slave Population - Housekeeping - Finished Ch. 14 Quiz

Today our students:

• Presented and explained their Excel spreadsheets on the Slave Population & Total Population of Texas from 1819-1860
• Did some "housekeeping" with previous assignments and blog posts
• Finished writing their Essay Question answers on the Chapter 14 Quiz

Assignments for Thursday
1. Do the final reading (pp. 144-158) in To Be a Slave and complete your Pictorial Presentation on TBaS
2. Do your Lone Star One-Pager

• Include page number & topic in the blog post title
• At the top of the post insert a picture illustrating the topic.
• Write a one-sentence introduction telling the topic & time period discussed on the page.
• Example: On page 305 Fehrenbach discusses the importance of the planter class in Texas prior to the Civil War.
• Write five (5) bullet-pointed complete sentences on key points you learned from the page.

Ch. 14 Quiz - Review of Maps on Immigration & Transportation - Excel SS on Slavery in Texas 1819-1860

Students:

• Celebrated a student's animation of his spreadsheet on Slave Pop. & Total Pop., 1819-1860
• Requested and received further discussion of the maps in the Ch. 14 Summary
• Took the Quiz over Ch. 14: The Young State

Assignments for Wednesday

1. Read pp. 130-143 on Emancipation in To Be a Slave & add to your Pictorial Presentation.
2. Finish Excel Spreadsheet & Chart & write the 7 sentences called for in the Instructions (5 on slave population 1819-1860 & 2 relating slave population to total population). Write more for Extra Credit.

Debate on Mexican War, 1846-1848 - Spreadsheet & Chart on Slave Population in Texas

Today we:

• Debated quite cogently: "Was it right for the United States to fight the Mexican War?"
• Made an Excel Spreadsheet & Chart on Slave Population & Total Population of Texas - 1819-1860. Instructions here.

Assignments 

For Tuesday

1. Quiz: Ch. 14 Summary: The Young State (Early Statehood)
2. Read 1 page from Fehrenbach's Lone Star - Make a blog post in which you state in one good sentence what the page was about & write 5 bullet-pointed sentences of the most important facts or arguments Fehrenbach wrote.
3. Read pp. 117-129 on Slave Resistance 2 in To Be a Slave. Add a picture and quotation/explanation to your Pictorial Presentation on TBaS.

For Wednesday

1. Read pp. 130-143 on Emancipation in To Be a Slave
2. Finish Excel Spreadsheet & Chart & write the 7 sentences called for in the Instructions (5 on slave population 1819-1860 & 2 relating slave population to total population). Write more for Extra Credit.

Pictorial Presentations - Ch. 14 Summary - New State Government in 1845

Today students

• Presented their pictorial representations of To Be a Slave - Excellent work, students who completed this!
• Began reading and discussing the Ch. 14 Summary
• Discussed the structure of Texas government under the new Texas State Constitution of 1845
• Discussed how Texas and the South were solidly for the Democratic Party until the mid-1960s (except during Radical Reconstruction) & are now generally solidly for the Republican Party

Assignments

For Monday
1. Read pp. 96-116 in To Be a Slave and add to your Pictorial Presentation
2. Prepare for Monday's Mexican War Debate: Was it right for the United States to fight in the Mexican War of 1846-1848 and take the northern half of Mexico?

• Read & take Yes|No notes from the HOTO article on the Mexican War
• Color code Yes|No information in this handout on the Mexican War

For Tuesday - Quiz over Ch. 14 Summary on The Lone Star State

Late Start (10 A.M.) - No HistLitLog Class

Annexation of Texas

Students:

• Attended Eucharistic chapel service
• Analyzed a color-coded map on the 1845 Annexation of Texas to the United States
• Received a videomusical answer to the student who asked "Who was Polk?"
• Received a sheet of two primary sources showing opposing viewpoints on the Annexation of Texas

Assignments

For Thursday
1. To Be a Slave

• Read Ch. 3 on "The Plantation"
• Begin working on a pictorial presentation of each reading assignment we've done so far on To Be a Slave, beginning with "Author's Note & Prologue" (on capture in Africa & transport via the "Middle Passage" to America) - Add a subtitle & a brief quotation from the book for each picture.

2. Identifying Points of View (on the Annexation of Texas)

• Answer the questions.
• Draw a picture of President Andrew Jackson in the left margin beside his name and a picture of John Quincy Adams in the right margin beside his name.

For Friday
Have your pictorial presentation caught up with p. 95 by Friday.

For Tuesday - Quiz over Ch. 14 Summary - The Lone Star State

Quiz over Republic - Silent Reading

On this day students:

• Took the Quiz over Ch. 12 & 13 on the Republic of Texas and Pioneer Life during the Republic and Early Statehood periods
• Read as much as they could of Ch. 2 in To Be a Slave

Assignment for Wednesday: Finish reading Ch. 2 of TBAS and come prepared to discuss it.

To Be a Slave - Debate: Houston vs. Lamar

Click here for more diagrams.

Today our students:

• Discussed pp. 13-27 of To Be a Slave
• Debated (very effectively) who was the better President of the Republic of Texas: Sam Houston or Mirabeau B. Lamar?

Assignments for Tuesday

1. Read Ch. 1 (pp. 28-38) of To Be a Slave - Continue answering the questions you wanted to ask a slave (on the Google Doc).
2. Quiz over Ch. 12 & 13 Summaries: Republic of Texas & Pioneer Life