Sell Myself Presentations - Discussion of Tolsto(r)y - Wishes for Happy Thanksgiving

Today students:

• Sold Themselves to Queen Jill and the Royal Court of Grade the Fourth
• Discussed Tolstoy's short story, "How Much Land Does a Man Need?" - 
• See students' discussion questions here, here, and here.
• See our riff on this here.
• Gave and received wishes for a Happy Thanksgiving!

Assignments: (See wishes above.)

Primary Sources of Spanish Explorers - La Salle, Fort St. Louis, & the French Challenge

Today students:

• Worked on their Sell Myself Projects
• Examined one another's blog posts on excerpts from 3 primary sources by Cabeza de Vaca, Coronado, and Moscoso
• Discussed the documents, into which students showed excellent insights
• See them here, here, and, hopefully soon, here.
• Reviewed the importance of the advent of the French presence in Texas, beginning with La Salle's establishment of Fort St. Louis, near Matagorda Bay, in 1685
• Noted on the Timeline of the Spanish Period that from the Spanish discovery of Texas in 1519  through 1682, the Spanish only established one settlement in Texas (Ysleta, near modern-day El Paso). Then, because of La Salle and the French, the Spanish began establishing missions in East Texas, along the Rio Grande River, and in-between, especially in San Antonio.
• Viewed, chortled over, and, yes, learned from the short video on La Salle and the French
• Speculated as to what is involved in marine archeology and what types of artifacts might have been found on La Salle's last ship, La Belle, which sank in Matagorda Bay. Check out the excellent audio-visual and textual information on the La Belle Project at the Texas State Historical Commission and the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum.

• Looked at the Senex map of French claims in parts of North America, including Texas; the 1718 French version appears below.

Assignments: Quiz Wednesday over Ch. 4 Summary: Early Explorers - Learn everything in the handout!

Sell Myself Project - Ch. 4 Summary - LaSalle Video - Are You a Historian?

Today, students:

• Worked on their "Sell Myself" Projects
• Were going to discuss the 3 Primary Sources, but only one student had actually read them and followed instructions
• Were advised of a quiz Wednesday over the Chapter 4 Summary: Early Explorers 
• Viewed part of a short video on the French explorer LaSalle
• Got involved in an interesting discussion when a student asked the teacher, "Are you a historian?"

Assignments

1. For tomorrow: Do the 3 Primary Sources assignment you were supposed to do today. The student who had completed it will get full credit. The others will get partial credit but have a zero until this assignment is completed, as described in the class blog post of Friday, 11/14.
2. For Wednesday: Quiz over the Chapter 4 Summary: Early Explorers.

Former Texas State Historian - Short Film on Spanish Conquistadors - God, Gold, & Glory? - Primary Sources

Please notice the magnificent background!!!

Today, the 7th Grade Scholars:

• Wrote and discussed their responses to an inquiry-based unveiling of a former Texas State Historian; they wrote responses one entry at a time and were to post their responses at their blog.
• Viewed and critiqued a short video discussing the motives of the Spanish conquistadors
• Analyzed what different configurations of "God, Gold, and Glory" might show about the motives behind Spanish exploration and conquest
• Were told about 3 documents they need to read and analyze (See Assignments below.)

Assignments

1. Continue preparing your "Sell Myself" Project.
2. Read and analyze the 3 primary source documents by Cabeza de Vaca, Coronado, and Moscoso.

• As mentioned in class, you can come up with various ways of doing this, and I'd like you to come up with as many ideas on your own as possible.
• If you are drawing a blank, though, click here for sints and huggestions.
• When you finish, post your analysis at your blog.

Timeline of Spanish Period - Sell Myself Project - Chart of European Explorers - Discussion of "A Modest Proposal"

Today students:

• Examined not one but two Timelines of the Spanish Period
• Analyzed a map showing 3 possible routes of Cabeza de Vaca's travels across Texas
• Helped develop ideas for the Sell Myself Project, in which they sell themselves as most worthy to be sent on a Royal Expedition
• Read the Chart: Ch. 4: Early Explorers to get ideas they could use in the project
• Discussed Jonathan Swift's "A Modest Proposal" - See a few of their insights here.

Assignment for Friday - Continue working on the Sell Myself Project - It will be due Friday, 11/21/14.