Today, students:

• Concluded their reading and discussion of The Crimson Cap
• Read Chapter 6/Sec. 3 and listed reasons for Spanish neglect of Texas but also Spanish contributions to Texas - Click here to view.

No Assignment for Wednesday

Christmas Review - Overview Review - 3 Filibusters

Today we eased back into the school year by:

• Sharing a few Christmas experiences 
• Rereading the first four columns of the Chart: Time Periods of Texas History
• Working collaboratively on a chart over 3 Filibusters During the Late Spanish Period

Assignments for Tuesday

1. Finish the 3 Filibusters chart
2. Finish reading The Crimson Cap and write and post discussion questions in a blog post.

Quiz Return - CrimCapDisc - Calligraphy Lesson

Today our seventh graders:

• Examined their graded Quizzes over the Ch. 6 Summary: End of Spanish Rule
• Discussed Part II of Ellen Howard's The Crimson Cap (student recorders' notes here)
• Received gifts of calligraphy pen sets and began to learn Edward Johnston's Foundational Hand; you can find online illustrations here, here, and many other places online.
• Worked briefly on a Christmas Carol of A Christmas Carol

Assignment:

1. Read Part III, Ch. 1-3 of The Crimson Cap and write and post discussion questions at your blog.
2. Post at your blog your analysis of "Using Primary Sources to Evaluate the Accuracy of Ellen Howard's The Crimson Cap".

Chapel - Ch. 6 Summary Quiz - Carol of a Carol

Today our students:

• Attended chapel
• Took the Quiz over the Ch. 6 Summary: End of Spanish Texas
• Recorded some music for A Christmas Carol of A Christmas Carol

Assignments for Thursday

1. Finish your analysis of "Using Primary Sources to Evaluate the Accuracy of Ellen Howard's The Crimson Cap".
2. Read The Crimson Cap, Part II, Ch. 6-10, write and post discussion questions. As we had no time to discuss last night's reading today, we will discuss all of Part II on Thursday.

Student Presentations (cont'd) - The Crimson Cap: Discussion & Primary Sources Analysis and Evaluation

Today our young scholars:

• Continued their presentations analyzing various aspect of the Ch. 6 Summary: End of Spanish Rule
• Read pages from the documented 1698 interrogation of two Talon brothers, survivors of La Salle's colony, Indian captivity, and Spanish "rescue"
• Discussed The Crimson Cap, Part I, Ch. 6-9 - See notes by student recorder here.
• Began a activity called "Using Primary Sources to Evaluate the Accuracy of Ellen Howard's The Crimson Cap"

Assignment

For Wednesday:

1. Quiz over Ch. 6 Summary: End of Spanish Rule (as announced yesterday)
2. Read and write discussion questions over The Crimson Cap, Part II, Ch. 1-5; post your questions, with illustration(s) at your blog.

For Thursday:

1. Finish your analysis of "Using Primary Sources to Evaluate the Accuracy of Ellen Howard's The Crimson Cap".
2. Read The Crimson Cap, Part II, Ch. 6-10, write and post discussion questions.

The Crimson Cap, Part I, Chapters 1-5 --- Chapter 6 Summary: End of Spanish Rule

Today students:

• Discussed Part I,, Ch. 1-5 of The Crimson Cap
• We considered questions students posted at their blogs: here, here, & here.
• The notes by a student recorder can be viewed here.

• Read & analyzed the Ch. 6 Summary: End of Spanish Rule
• First students read the Summary.
• Then each student took a paragraph and related it to the maps and pictures on the Summary page and/or found illustrations online.
• Quiz Wednesday, 12/17 over the Summary page (text & illustrations)
• Students began explaining their paragraphs to the rest of the class. (To be completed tomorrow.)

Assignments

For Tuesday: Read The Crimson Cap, Part I, Ch. 6-9.

• Write post at your blog at least one discussion question for each chapter.
• Be sure to include a good illustration. You might find illustrations at the "Fort St. Louis" site at Beyond Texas History useful.
• As you read, continue considering what in the story is "fact" and what is more likely "fiction." What could author Ellen Howard support with primary source evidence?

For Wednesday: Be studying the Ch. 6 Summary for the Quiz noted above.

Spanish-French Rivalry - The Crimson Cap - A Christmas Carol of A Christmas Carol

Today our seventh graders:

• Continued their analysis of a color-coded Chronology of Spanish Texas, noting how Spanish interest in Texas waxed and waned, based on perceived threats from the French
• Used this map on Spanish Texas to gain further understanding of the concepts
• Asked questions about the Chronology dealing with the French and Indian War, the War of 1812, the Spanish-American War of 1898 (and its leading to the acquisition of Guantanamo Bay, Cuba), and the just-released Senate report on the CIA's use of enhanced interrogation on suspected terrorists

• Were introduced to the historical novel, The Crimson Cap, dealing with the Talon children, survivors of La Salle's French colony at Matagorda Bay (aka "Fort St. Louis)
• Collaborated on the Class Christmas Carol of A Christmas Carol by
• Working together on this Google Doc
• Gathering around the piano in the parish hall and practicing singing our lyrics to 12345's piano accompaniment

Assignments

1. Finish reading the Chronology of Spanish Texas
2. Reread textbook Ch. 4/Sec. 3 on La Salle's colony
3. Read the following in The Crimson Cap:
• Acknowledgments (I added this; sorry, guys.) - page v
• Characters in This Story
• Before