Saturday, August 3, 2013

Lesson 1: U.S. Constitution




11.1 Students analyze the significant events in the founding of the nation and its attempts to realize the philosophy of government described in the Declaration of Independence.
WHAT DO YOU NEED TO KNOW?
    Analyze the ideological origins of the American Revolution, the Founding Fathers' philosophy of divinely bestowed unalienable natural rights, the debates on the drafting and ratification of the Constitution, and the addition of the Bill of Rights.
    ___________________________________________________________



    BACKGROUND:
    Like we talked about in class over the last couple of days many of the ideas that eventually made their way into the Constitution were taken from enlightenment thinkers.  After victory in the war of Independence the founding fathers had an opportunity to set up a new form of government.  As we saw the articles of confederation simply did not cut it.  take a quick look at the following link to review some of the weaknesses.




    LESSON: 
    We talked a great deal about how the founding fathers achieved fair representation and ensured that no branch of government or individual would have ability to abuse their power.  Remember checks and balances or separation of power?  Those two main ideas: representation and separation of power were the basis of the Constitution.  And although most agreed that it was a great document, it was far from perfect.  The last topic that we discussed was the addition of the Bill of Rights to the Constitution in order for it to be ratified and the last thing I told you before you left was the you were either a "Federalist" or an "Anti-Federalist".   And then you all gave me over twenty student rights that you thought you should have and we listed them on the board.  I don't think the weekly pizza parties are going to fly, but most of them were pretty good.

Assignment:

Based on your assigned affiliation (federalist or anti-federalist) you will take the point of view that the Oceanside High School student hand book is sufficient in protecting your rights and should be left to stand alone as your rights are "inferred" or included.  Or you will argue that there should be a specific student "Bill of Rights" included in the student handbook.

Tasks:
Federalists
1) Review the student handbook , Anti-Federalists versus Federalists and The Federalist Papers
2) Identify one area where you think that student rights are implied in the student had book and post it to this blog by Monday morning and respond to at least one post from an Anti-Federalist.

 

Anti-Federalists:
1) Review the student handbook, Anti-federalists versus Federalists and the Anti-Federalist Papers.
2) Identify one student right that you feel is not protected in the student hand book and post it to this  blog by Monday morning and respond to at least one post from a federalist.

On Monday morning I will give each group 20 minutes to discuss the posts listed and we will then debate (from your assigned point of view) whether or not we need to amend the student handbook.
After that decision is made you will each write a letter to the school board either supporting the student handbook as it stands or outlining our new Student Bill of Rights. 

Assessment:
Grades made easy:
1)  Post this weekend. 
2)  Response post to a classmate of the opposite side.
3)  Letter to the school board.

You will receive 10 points each for your initial post and your response post.  The rubric for the letter can be found by going to http://rubistar.4teachers.org/ and entering the following code: 2339886.

Saturday, July 13, 2013

See you next week

 
CLASSROOM RULES
1) Only one person talking at a time
2) After seats are assigned, that is where you will sit
3) Always respect the opinions of others
4) All due dates will be posted well in advance and strictly adhered to
5) Pick up after yourselves
6) HAVE FUN!
 
This link will get you to the school home page, please ensure you review it and pay particular attention to the bell schedule and dress code.
 
 
Make sure you use your student ID to register on school loop, this is the best way to communicate with me outside of school and it is also where I will post grades and progress reports.
 
 
The following link will get you started on the Constitution, I mentioned this in the last post, it's not required but if you take a look you will be much better prepared when school starts next week.
 
 
 
 
 
 
BONUS
Congratulations on reading this far, here's you reward.  When you come to class next week, bring in a one paragraph statement explaining what you think is going on in the picture at the top of this post.  It will get you out of the first pop quiz  :-)  See you next week. 
 
 
 


Welcome to US History

Welcome to U.S. history,
I'm your teacher Mr. Holmes.  This is my first year teaching high school but I have taught at different time over the pat 20 years in the Marine Corps to include four years as a Drill Instructor.  I received both a bachelors degree in history and a masters degree in education from National University.  I'm looking forward to this year and getting to know all of you.

My teaching philosophy
I love history and it is my sincere hope that you will also.  The angle that I approach each lesson with is how can I make this relevant to you...the student.  How can we take what we are learning and apply it to your lives and your future to best set you up for success in everything that you do and want to do.

We are in this together and I promise you that the more you participate, the more fun class will be.  The good news for you is that I am not a fan of homework, the downside to that we will need to go "bell-to-bell" while in class to accomplish what we need.

Much of this class will be learner centered, that is to say that I will give you assignments, guidelines and a timeline and the rest will be up to you.

You can give yourself a head start by reviewing the U.S. Constitution and specifically the Bill of Rights.  You will come to see that these ideas are woven throughout the course.

I will post again next week with some important links for you to take a look at.

Until later, Mr. Holmes