This Week in History (Class)

US History 10--We will finish up Chapter 2 this week. A Day: We'll cover section 4 on Thursday, then have the chapter 2 test next Wednesday. B Day: Section 3 Tuesday, section 4 Wednesday, test Friday. Make sure you finish the guided reading! This test will NOT be open book/open note...you are responsible for the information! If you do the review section at the end of the chapter you'll be in good shape.

US History 11--We're finishing chapter 14 this week. Both classes will take the chapter test on Thursday and Friday respectively. Please complete your guided reading packet, as it will help you to review. Pay attention to the words in bold and blue in your textbook! As I told the USH10 class, the review section is quite helpful.

US History 10 Honors (A Day): Class Update

I've been looking at the material and, rather than giving you a massive Unit One test, I have decided to break the first unit in half. Your first "real" test will be on chapters 1-4. Here's what I have planned for the next two weeks:
Thursday, 8/26: finish chapter 3 notes; examine Anne Hutchinson. Take the Chapter 3 quiz; email results with "Chapter 3" in the heading so I'll know which one it is! If you haven't done chapters 1 or 2, do so ASAP!
Monday, 8/30: Dr. Thomas Presents: comparative religion in 1700s. Homework--outline chapter 4
Thursday, 9/2: Discuss Chapter 4
Monday, 9/6: Chapter 4 notes & quiz due; conclude chapter
Wednesday, 9/7: Review for Test
Thursday, 9/9: Test, chapters 1-4. Format: Multiple choice, essay.
Monday, 9/13: Begin chapter 5

Open House thanks

Thank you all so much for coming to our Open House. I will award bonus points to everyone whose name is listed on my sign-in sheet. It was wonderful to meet everyone, and I look forward to speaking to you again as the year progresses.

Again, please do not hesitate to contact me for any reason...as a parent and a teacher, I know how important it is to keep the lines of communication open in order to act as an educational support team. I am here for you and for your children, and I am truly honored to be afforded the opportunity to help them develop as learners and as members of the global community.

If you ever stop asking Why, you stop growing as a person. Keep on learning!

August 23-27 (All Classes)

US History 10 Honors: This week we will wrap up chapter 2 on Monday. Please go to The American Pageant's quiz page and take the Chapter 2 quiz, then have it email me your results at dsuiter@hsv.k12.al.us. Again, this will count as a quiz grade. We will begin Chapter 3 on Wednesday...as you're outlining the chapter, make notes of areas that need clarification! You can do it on paper in traditional fashion or on Post-It notes in the book. I will check your Chapter 2 notes on Monday if you have not already shown them to me! It looks like everyone has a pretty good grip on the content. Don't lose those notes...you will need them for study purposes later!

US History 10 (A/B): We will have the Chapter 1 Test Monday/Tuesday (bring your book and notes!), then we'll begin Chapter 2, "Colonizing America," during the next class.  FYI: the textbook website is a great place to go for reviews, quizzes, flash cards, and so on. I now have the user name and password for the online version of the textbook, so if you have access at home you can leave your book at school (but bring it to class every day unless otherwise instructed!). Check your class page for the information.

US History 11 (A/B): We will begin Chapter 14 this week with a look at Industrialism and inventors. A day class--we should get through the first three sections (Industrialism, Railroads, Big Business). B day--I will post an update the moment I find out about our schedule change. I suspect that we will switch to fourth lunch, with the Tech students leaving a little early. Make sure you check in with me at the beginning of class Tuesday to make sure we're not starting at the beginning of the period! Also, I now have the user name and password for the online version of the textbook, so if you have access at home you can leave your book at school (but bring it to class every day unless otherwise instructed!). Check your class page for the information.


World History 9 Honors: Tuesday--Chapter 1 test. On Friday we will begin exploring the Muslim empire. I plan to condense Chapter 2, so we should get through it pretty quickly. Note: we may be moving to room 120 this week! Look for a note on the door. To get there, you'll need to go to the opposite end of the hall, down the stairs, then toward the band room (look for the piano keyboard floor!). There will be a hallway to your left and it's the first door. I'll stand outside if I'm there. I will post an update as soon as I hear something.

World History 10 Honors--Contact Update

Hi everyone! You should be just about done outlining chapter 2 now. It should be finished by Monday...if you would like me to look at what you have so far, please feel free to email it to me at dsuiter@hsv.k12.al.us.
You're also welcome to text or IM me if you have an immediate question. I use TextFree on my phone because it's, well, free. If you call me, use 256-617-3385, but if you want to text me, use 256-248-7547.
Tomorrow in class you will skim chapter 2, noting unfamiliar/unclear words and phrases. When you deal with college-level books and historic documents with archaic language, you're bound to have some "I have no idea what this is" moments. Don't hesitate to ask questions...you are not alone! I'm here to help you learn how to negotiate these rough waters (hmm, that sounds familiar).

Week 2 Summary (All Classes)

World History 10 Honors: This week we will wrap up chapter 1 and begin working on chapter 2. You should be working on your chapter 2 notes, which are due Thursday. MOA questions are not optional...what is optional is the format by which you choose to answer them! Because only a few of you answered the questions, we will answer them on Monday.

World History 10: This week we will look at Africa and the early explorers in chapter 1, followed by the chapter 1 open note test either at the end of this week or beginning of next.

World History 11: We are going to finish chapter 13, followed by the chapter test, then we're launching into chapter 14, Industrialization. B day--make sure you get your movie permission forms back to me!

World History 10 Honors

I hope everyone is having a good weekend! Looking ahead: on Monday I will return your chapter 1 notes and we will refine them and go over any areas that need improvement, as well as discuss the chapter questions. Also, please take the Chapter 1 ACE practice quiz by Monday and have the results emailed to me at dsuiter@hsv.k12.al.us.  I have received a few back already...great job, guys (and girls, but I'm going with the generic "guys" from now on). Also, please begin reading and outlining chapter 2. I will give you time in class on Monday, and let's shoot for Thursday as the due date. It's 16 pages, so pace yourself! We'll start settling into more of a routine as time goes on and we become more accustomed to this very different textbook.
Here's a helpful tip for you: Use colorful Post-It Notes or flags to tag difficult parts of the material that you would like us to go over in class. You are NOT alone! I am here to guide you toward becoming a confident, skilled learner and critical thinker, which is a very difficult thing to learn without support from your teacher and your peers. If you have any questions or concerns, do not hesitate to email or call my cell (256-684-9536).

10 point bonus-reflection (ALL CLASSES)

Everyone: I just watched this slideshow on the New York Times website and had to share it with you. This is really effective at illustrating several important issues: the impact of technology on the global community, the disparity between wealthy and poor nations, and the health issues raised by improper disposal of electronic devices. Ironically, I will have to go back and reformat the link on this post because I'm doing it from my iPhone.
And now, for a 10-point bonus: watch this slideshow and write a 1-2 paragraph reflection--what thoughts and feelings come to your mind as you look at the pictures, what surprised you when you watched it, and what should we do about it?
Okay, so this isn't the history that we've been studying, but guess what? This is MODERN history...it's the world we're creating based on the advances of our own past. Oh, and by the way, we'll be looking at Ghana next week in USH10. Good stuff.

And now, have a great weekend...I can hardly wait to see you all again next week.

IMPORTANT NOTICE--World History 9

Attention, class: I started working on the study guide and noticed pretty quickly that there was some stuff on the first page that wasn't in the book. It appears that the disc I was given goes with another World History textbook; therefore, I have a change of plans. If you cannot find something in the book, you do NOT have to answer it. For instance, the answer to #3 is Donatello. We learned about him, but the book says nothing about the soldier statue. Likewise with #5, Brunelleschi. I had to research the answers online to find the answers. As for section 5, you may recycle it. I'm sorry about the confusion!  Enjoy your weekend :)

World History 9 Honors

Great first class meeting, everyone...I am thrilled to be teaching Modern World History at New Century Technology High! Thank you very much for your attention and cooperation. I can tell this will be an enjoyable year.
Looking forward: on Friday we will begin chapter 1 with a look at the Renaissance. This is a fascinating period of time with all of the scientific, philosophical, medical, literary, and artistic developments. It's pretty amazing when you think about how much influence people 600 years ago have on our lives today.
Leonardo Da Vinci = awesome.

US History 11 (A/B Days)

For the remainder of this week, we will begin chapter 13 in The American Vision, Vol. 2 (Mining, Ranching, and Native Americans). PLEASE make sure you return your movie permission form...I would like to show Part 1 of the PBS series "Frontier House" in conjunction with our lesson on frontier life. While this video is unrated and has nothing offensive, I would still like to get this formality out of the way before showing anything. If you click on the video name, it will take you to a description of the program. We should finish the chapter fairly quickly, at which point you will need to turn in the completed reading/study guide that I will hand out during our next class meeting.

US History 10 (A/B Days)

B Day class: Please bring your "Pop Quizzes" back on Friday if you have not already turned it in.  We will then begin chapter 1 in the textbook. A day class: we will finish our first day activities tomorrow, then we'll start chapter 1 in the textbook. I will hand out the Chapter 1 study/reading guide packet as well. This will be a graded assignment!

US History 10 Honors (A Day): Practice Quizzes

Hi everyone,
I'm scouring the web for possible quiz/test questions and found a GREAT resource. There are lots and lots of APUSH helper sites out there, but this one's specifically from The American Pageant, 12th Edition. Try it out and let me know what you think! Here's the Link. Once you've taken the quiz, use the link provided to email the result to me at dsuiter@hsv.k12.al.us. Due date: Monday by the beginning of class.
See you in class...tomorrow we will go through Chapter 1 together, practicing note taking and vocabulary skills. You should have your Chapter 1 summary done by Thursday...this will count as a quiz grade! I will review them and return your notes on Monday.

First Day Questionnaire

Please complete the questionnaire below. Completion will count as a daily grade. Note that there are TWO scroll bars...one for the blog and one for the quiz. Make sure you scroll down to "Classroom Expectations" and initial the space provided. This will count as a daily grade!

Welcome to Class!

Why Study History?

History is more than lists of names, dates, places and events to memorize. In reality, it is the study of PEOPLE…decisions and discoveries, cultures and conflicts, inventions and interactions, science, medicine, and industry. It is an attempt to examine where we came from in order to determine where we will go.

A question that I imagine many students at New Century Technology High (and other schools) commonly ask is “why do I have to take history if I’m not going to use it in my future career?”  So, why does it matter? The objective is to provide a bigger picture of the world and to encourage critical thinking skills. Rather than simply memorizing “facts,” it is essential to foster a deep sense of inquiry.  As children, many of us played “cowboys and Indians,” for instance…the study of history teaches us to ask WHY this conflict that we attempted to recreate existed in the first place—were the Native Americans bloodthirsty savages, as we used to be taught, or were they victims of cultural ignorance and mistreatment who were trying to preserve their traditional way of life?   While the specifics that we learn in class may not be highly useful thirty years from now, the reasoning, inquiry, writing, and critical thinking skills that we practice can be extended to many other areas of study. 

Schedule:

A Block is always Monday and Thursday.

B Block is always Tuesday and Thursday.

Wednesday alternates.

Materials:

Composition notebook or single-subject spiral notebook, writing utensils, loose leaf paper, 3x5 notecards, 1.5” binder, sticky notes/flags, colored pencils. Additional supplies may be needed later.

Textbook:
World History 9 Honors: Modern World History: Patterns of Interaction
US History 10: The American Vision, Vol. 1
US History 10 Honors: The American Pageant, 12th Edition
US History 11: The American Vision, Vol. 2

Missed a day?
You are responsible for make-up assignments, which will be in the make-up folder. You will have two class periods to complete the assignment for full credit.

Late work:

I do accept late work. HOWEVER, you will get half credit for turning in late work.

Grading:

Classwork/Homework/Quizzes: 40% of grade. 

Tests: 60% of grade.
Check STI for specifics.