Relating Lord of the Flies to Our Previous Studies - Collaborative Planning for Spanish Period Unit

Pineda Expedition Map, 1519 

1. Today we first worked collaboratively to relate aspects of Lord of the Flies to stories and topics we've studied so far this school year. Check out the Google Doc by clicking "Google Doc."

2. Then we looked ahead toward our study of the Spanish Period of Texas history.

• Students read the three (3) chapter summaries on the Spanish Period: Ch. 4, Ch. 5, & Ch. 6.
• Each then chose a chapter and wrote down possible learning activities we could do while studying the Spanish Period. Click here to see what they've thought of so far.
• We also took a quick look at what Professor Donald E. Chipman calls "the oldest known document of Texas history," the Pineda expedition's map of the Texas coastline, drawn in 1519.

Assignments for Friday

1. Add to your LOTF/Previous Learning Activities GooDoc.
2. Add some more possible learning activities to the Brainstorming the Spanish Period GooDoc. Also, add to your classmates' ideas. Be sure to color code or use your initials or numbers (wink) to indicate who is making each suggestion.
3. Optional: I thought you tech-oriented scholars would find this article, "The Creepy New Wave of the Internet," interesting. I surely did and would enjoy discussing it with you.

Lord of the Flies - Pigs - Indian Debate Prep

Next?

Lord of the Flies: Today we had a nice long discussion of LOTF through Ch. 8. Highlights:

• Focus on Simon & his "chat" with the Lord, especially analyzing these statements from the Pighead on p. 111:
• "You knew, didn't you?"
• "I'm part of you?"
• "Close, close, close!"
• "I'm the reason why it's no go?"
• "Why things are as they are?"
• 12345 looked up the word "Beelzebub" and found it's Hebrew for "lord of flies." This led to a discussion of Satan, original sin, and how this might apply to Simon's saying on p. 66 that "maybe there is a beast . . . maybe it's only us."
• We enjoyed a visit from Dr. Carpenter, who added pertinent insights and questions to the discussion.
• We discussed pigs and enjoyed a chat with Mrs. Jeter about Rufus, her three-year-old pet porker.
• Notes taken during all of this can be viewed here.

Indians of Texas

• Students got back their graded Map Quiz over the Indians of Texas & Texas Geography: Well done, ya'll!!!
• Debate Prep
• Students' color-coded highlightings of Strong Points/Weak Points were checked and graded (the Chart).
• Students began color coded highlighting from HOTO (Handbook of Texas Online) over the tribe they will be defending in next week's debate.

Assignments for Monday:
1. Finish the HOTO reading & highlighting.
2. Read Ch. 9 of LOTF:"A View to a Death." Write questions that follow the Questions Formulation Technique we practiced this week. That means writing as many questions as you can!!!

Map Quiz on Indians & Geography - Debate Prep

Our students today:

• Did some last-minute study for the Map Quiz - (Kudos to student 12345 for producing another study guide, this time on the Indians of Texas in 1600 & 1800!)
• Took the Map Quiz
• Prepared for the Indians Debate by reading and color coding the strong points & weak points of their tribe and their opponents' tribes.

After-Class Learning Opportunities (A-CLO, aka "Assignments") for Friday

1. Finish color coding the Strong Points/Weak Points for your tribe and each of your opponents' tribes (Jumanos vs. Comanches vs. Wichitas vs. Caddos . . . gee, I wonder if any of the central and southern tribes are feeling left out; sad, man). The color coding is being done (AS YOU WELL KNOW) on the Chart - Indians of Texas.
2. Read and write questions over Ch. 8 of Lord of the Flies: "Gift for the Darkness." Follow the Question Formulation Technique we've been using this week. Post your questions at your blog and include a picture.
3. Have a wonderful Rest-of-Thursday!

After chapel, students:

• Read one another's blog posts on the relationship between the geography of Texas and the Indians of Texas
• Augmented their blog posts with the information from their classmates' posts

Prepared for tomorrow's Map Quiz over the Indians of Texas by:

• Glancing (very briefly but probably not long enough to suit them) at a page of the actual quiz
• Analyzing the two maps on Texas Indians in 1600 & 1800
• Looking at an excellent study guide a classmate voluntarily made (see above) - OUTSTANDING! And MANY THANKS!

Assignments for Thursday

• Read Ch. 7 in Lord of the Flies and write as many questions as you can, following the Questions Formulation Technique previously referenced
• Quiz over Indians of Texas - See study tips at previous post.

Today students:

• Learned to make QR Codes
• Made codes for the Google My Maps assignment from a couple of weeks ago
• Helped finalize the Texas Our Texas bulletin board in the north hall downstairs, adding their QR Codes to the Texas My Texas table/map assignment
• Analyzed the two maps from yesterday showing the relationship between Texas geography and the lifestyles of the Indian tribes living in each region and sub-region of Texas. 
• Each student took the region & sub-regions their defended in the Regions debate last week.
• Students will share their analyses with one another tomorrow.
• Looked at several other maps of Indians of Texas, noting that not every map shows the same locations as those in our textbook. Some of the more useful ones can be found here, here (1500), here (1500/1776), here (Comanche Migration), here, and here. That last site has a useful note about the challenges of mapping locations of Indian tribes.

Assignments

Lord of the Flies

• For Wednesday: Read Ch. 6. (Rescheduled from yesterday)
• Use the Questions Formulation Technique to write as many questions as you can about Ch. 6: "Beast from the Air."

Map Quiz-Indians of Texas

• The Map Quiz over the Indians was rescheduled for Thursday. 
• See the instructions at the HistLitLog blog post of Monday, 10/20.

Lord of the Flies, Ch. 5 - Indians of Texas (very briefly)

Today we:
Were introduced to a Question Formulation Technique

• Used the technique to write additional questions for Chapter 5 in LOTF
• Discussed students' favorite questions

Were told of a Quiz Wednesday over the Indians of Texas (see below)

Assignments
For Tuesday:

• Read Chapter 6 in LOTF: "Beast from the Air"
• Write as many questions as you can over Ch. 6, using the technique we practiced in class today

For Wednesday Thursday:
Learn the locations of the Indians of Texas from the following maps

Regions/Indian Cultures

• We were introduced to this on Friday.
• Be able to relate the locations of the Indians to the geographical region in which they lived and how geography affected the way they made their living (economics), housing (architecture), and whether they lived in settled villages or were nomads. 
• This map should also help you learn this concept.

Two Maps: Texas Indians in 1600 & 1800 - Sent by email today, but click on the title if you need to.

• Know the locations of the various Indian tribes
• Notice how their locations changed between 1600 & 1800.

We will study this in class tomorrow to help you learn these concepts.

Lord of the Flies, Day 6 - Texas Indians/Texas Geography

On this good Friday, HistLitLog students did the following.

Lord of the Flies

• Discussed the GooDoc they collaborated on tracing the relationship between Ralph and Jack in Chapters 1-3 of Lord of the Flies
• Read and analyzed student responses to a British teacher's essay assignment over the RalphnJack relationship
• Pretended they were teachers and wrote a response to one British student's essay
• Discussed last night's reading assignment of Chapter 4: "Painted Faces and Long Hair"

Click pic for larger view.

Geography & the Indians of Texas

• Summarized their Predictions About Indians of Texas Based on Geography
• Compared their findings with a two-map juxtaposition of the Regions of Texas and the 4 Native Texas Culture Groups
• Chose a tribe to defend in next week's Indian Debate - Surprisingly (or not) each student chose a tribe from his Regions Debate region. Wow!

Assignment for Monday
Lord of the Flies

• Read Ch. 5 in LOTF. 
• Write and post at your blog 5 good discussion questions from the reading.
• Continue noting developments in the relationship between RalphnJack.

Chart: Indians of Texas (clicky clicky)

• Read the column on the tribe you will be defending in next week's debate.
• Color code the STRONG POINTS & WEAK POINTS of your tribe.
• If you have time, do the same for the 3 opposing tribes.
• Reminder: the tribes in the debate will be:
• Jumanos
• Comanches
• Wichitas
• Caddoes

RalphnJack Chronology Challenge - Natural Features of Texas - Predictions About Indians

Today our 7th Graders learned through the following:

• Did a RalphnJack Chronology Challenge, placing pictures in plot order and analyzing Golding's development of the two characters in Lord of the Flies
• Briefly analyzed key natural features of Texas as seen on this map and this map - They were given the option of taking a quiz over either or both of the two maps. There was no wild stampede to sign up.
• Made Predictions About Indians of Texas Based on Geography - We're working on this collaboratively, as seen in the embedded map below. View full-size here.

Assignments for Friday

• Finish the PPT on RalphnJack, upload it to Google Docs, & embed it in a blog post.
• Finish your part of the collaborative Google Doc on the Indians & Geography
• Read Ch. 4 of Lord of the Flies and post 5 good discussion questions in a blog post. 

Quiz over Rivers - "Wrong-Way Rivers" - Ralph & Jack in LOTF

After chapel, students:

• Did some last minute review for the Quiz over Rivers of Texas
• Speculated as to why Texas rivers are sometimes called "wrong-way rivers"
• Were given an analysis handout on "Wrong-Way Rivers"
• Took the Quiz (& did spectacularly WELL!!)
• Had the analysis handout postponed due to time constraints
• Began working collaboratively on a Google Document analyzing The Relationship Between Ralph & Jack as presented by author William Golding in Chapters 1-3 of Lord of the Flies. Here is an embed of the table.

Assignment due Thursday

• Finish collaborating on the Google Document on The Relationship between Ralph & Jack.
• Be sure to color code each character, as seen in the directions. I haven't noticed anyone's doing that so far.

Lord of the Flies, Day 3

How accurate do these maps seem? I chose these two because they might help you visualize the island without giving away too much of the plot. The originals are here and here.

Today students:

• Went to one another's blogs and read the 5 questions over Chapter 2 of LOTF
• Chose any 3 questions and wrote 3-4 (or more)-sentence responses
• Discussed their responses with their classmates
• Viewed and discussed a British video giving tips for writing an essay on LOTF - all 6 videos can be found here.
• Viewed and discussed two one-minute videos from a series called 60second
• Viewed the first 30 seconds of a Spark Notes video on LOTF but decided it might give away too much of the plot and decided to watch it some other time
• Chose to continue discussing LOTF rather than using some class time to review for tomorrow's quiz over the Rivers of Texas (& the Gulf of Mexico)

Assignment for Wednesday

• Study for the Quiz over the Rivers of Texas (& Gulf of Mexico)
• Read Ch. 3 of LOTF - "Huts on the Beach" & post 5 good discussion questions on your blog
• Be noticing how the relationship between Ralph & Jack develops in each of the first 3 chapters - we will analyze & write on this on Wednesday.

Lord of the Flies, Day 2 - Texas Rivers

Lord of the Flies

• Discussed some of the Vocabulary Words in Chapter 1
• Students assumed character roles they'd chosen and discussed various aspects of LOTF from their characters' points of view
• Discussed some of the students' interpretive questions
• Wrote predictions as to future developments in LOTF (See student blogs.)

Texas Rivers

• Analyzed a map of the major rivers of Texas - See PowerPoint for excellent student insights.
• Began using animated slides to learn names and locations of rivers for next Wednesday's quiz

Assignment for Tuesday

• Enjoy your 3-day weekend!
• Read Chapter 2 of LOTF and write 5 interpretive questions into a blogpost.
• Study for Wednesday's Quiz over the Rivers of Texas. Use the PPT previously referenced.

Regions Debate-Day 2

You did exceptionally well in the cross-examination phase of the debate, students. I watched you grow intellectually during the debate and found it thrilling. I was particularly pleased by your use of the evidence you had gathered and your use of logic in defending your region. Outstanding!

Regions Debate - Day 1

Great job on Day 1 of the debate, students. You presented strong cases and took good notes on your opponents' arguments and evidence. Study back over your notes and be formulating strategies you can use tomorrow during the cross examination phase of the debate. Each of us will be cross examined (questioned) by the other three, so be prepared to defend your own region and "attack" the other three. This is your assignment for tomorrow.

Google "My Maps," cont'd - Regions Analysis Using Various Media

Today students:
Viewed & heard the final presentations of a student's Personal Texas
Analyzed the Regions of Texas Using Various Media

• Google Maps - identified regions & subregions as seen on GooMaps
• Raised relief maps of Texas, the USA, and the World - visual & tactile comprehension of the regions

• Maps of USA showing that regions of Texas actually begin elsewhere & extend into Texas

• Maps showing different names & boundaries of the regions & sub-regions
• Responded to a student's claim that "the Great Plains are dead" by acknowledging that farming there was generally not done during Indian times but then zooming in on a Google Map to see how parts of the Great Plains of Texas are now one of the most productive agricultural regions in the state Click + repeatedly to zoom in; pay particular attention to the green areas west of Plainview and in the Dalhart-Dumas area (although you'll see the same factor in many parts of the Panhandle); as we zoomed, students repeatedly hypothesized as to what they were seeing

• Viewed, critiqued, and corrected errors in two YouTube videos on the 4 main regions of Texas

Assignment

• No specific assignment due Friday
• Continue preparing for Monday's Regions Debate.

Students' "My Maps" of Texas - Study & Drill for Regions/Sub-Regions Quiz - Debate Prep

Today our wonderful 7th Graders:

• Shared their Google "My Maps" of their Personal Texas by
• Linking us to their maps here, here, & here
• Hooking their computers to the projector and walking us through their maps; network dysfunction prevented the whole class from sharing, but we look forward to seeing the other presentation manana
• Studied for tomorrow's Map Quiz over the Regions & Sub-Regions of Texas & quizzed themselves using the various study aids previously provided
• Began preparing for the Regions Debate, now scheduled for this coming Monday, by
• Reading over the Chart: 4 Main Regions of Texas
• Color coding the strong points & weaknesses of their own region and that of each of their debate opponents

Assignment for Wednesday - Map Quiz over Regions & Sub-Regions of Texas- See yesterday's class blog post for details of what you need to learn.

Goo My Maps, cont'd - Waltz Across Texas w/ Pegman - Geography Inquiry, cont'd

On this day, students:

• Turned in the Final Copy of their History of a Classmate
• Continued working on their Google My Maps map of their personal Texas
• Used Pegman on Google Maps Streetview to explore various regions and sub-regions of Texas
Click "View on Google Maps" to use Pegman/Streetview

• Began preparing for Wednesday's Quiz over the 4 Main Regions & 11 Sub-Regions of Texas - Several documents were given them to help them prepare:
• Map w/ 4 Main Regions & Sub-Regions
• Blank Map of Regions
• 2 Maps - 4 Regions & Regions w/ Pictures
• Inquiry - Move Names to Correct Regions
• Inquiry - Move Pics to Correct Regions

Assignments

For Tuesday, 9/30 - Finish your Google My Maps & embed it in your blog.

For Wednesday, 10/1 - Quiz over 4 Main Regions & 11 Sub-Regions of Texas

• Be able to write the 4 Main Regions & 11 Sub-Regions in their correct locations on a blank map
• Be able to identify the 11 Sub-Regions by what they look like (as seen in the pictures provided)

Vocab Quiz - Texas My Texas, cont'd - Inquiry Exercise on Regions of Texas

On this day, students:

• Did 5 minutes of last-minute study for the Vocab Quiz over "The Most Dangerous Game"
• Took the Vocab Quiz - Good job, students!
• Finalized their Texas My Texas table/map from yesterday
• Did the first two steps of an Inquiry Exercise on the Regions & Sub-Regions of Texas
• Dragged names of the 4 Main Regions to what might be their correct locations on a map
• Wrote possible names of the 11 Sub-Regions based on their location and pictures of them
• Drew for and chose one of the 4 Main Regions to defend in next week's Regions Debate: "Which of the four main regions of Texas is the best?"

Assignment - Due Monday: Have your final, revised copy of the History of a Classmate completed. Turn in, stapled together or fastened into a folder:

• Title Page
• Final Copy
• Rough-Draft Copy (the one turned in last Monday)
• Research Notes
• Instructions for Essay

Followup on "Game" - Began Texas Geography Unit: Texas My Texas - Google "My Maps" App

Today the 7th Graders of CCS:

Noted how Richard Connell Played a Game with his Readers

Began our study of Texas Geography

• Karaoked "Texas Our Texas"
• Filled out a Table & Map called "Texas My Texas"
• Watched a Tutorial on Using Google "My Maps"

• Began their own Google "My Maps" to further identify "My Texas"

Assignment: Due Friday: Vocabulary Quiz over "The Most Dangerous Game" (See Assignments for 9/24.)