Some U.S. History Updates Before Break!

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Dear Students and Parents,

Welcome to our U.S. History blog for 2011! This site will be a forum for class updates, discussions, and student showcases for all things Honors U.S. History.

I wanted to provide some updates on what students have been doing class, what they will be doing in the future, and how you can engage students in history! So, here’s the first installment:

1. Our Immigration/Migration Theme

2. History Fair

3. History Fair “unofficial” field trip

1. Immigration/Migration

For much of this quarter we have studied the historical theme “Immigration and Migration” in which students investigate the question “is movement across borders a human right?” To begin answering this question we have already examined the voluntary migrations of Europeans to the American colonies, the forced migration of slaves from Africa during the Middle Passage, the forced removal of Native Americans during the Trail of Tears, and America’s westward expansion into Mexico and the Pacific.

In the coming months we will explore old and new immigration, the Great Migration, the Great Depression and the debates over modern day immigration. I encourage you to start a dialogue with your child about our class work, home work and discussions—and if you feel so inspired to comment or answer our essential question—create a free blogger account and post comments on our blog!

2. History Fair

Students in Honors U.S. History will be competing in our annual History Fair competition. Winners of the school fair will have the opportunity to compete for prizes and bragging rights against local and regional schools. Students choose their own topics in one of five formats: exhibits, documentaries, performances, essays, or websites and then perform independent research to create their project. Here’s a schedule for History Fair:

December:

• Annotated bibliography of six sources due (12/10)
• Research question and thesis should be complete
• Students turn in first outline and revised thesis statements (12/10)
• Begin one on one conferences between students and teacher.
• Begin design plans for display boards and storyboards for documentaries.
• Provide Saturday sessions and/or days over winter break for assistance on design and layout of projects.

January:

• Final thesis and storyboard/outline (with 10 images/primary sources for your topic) due 1/6-7
• Rough draft of summary statement and 12 annotated sources due 1/13-14
• Two field visits to be completed by January 31^st (field visits include visiting a public library, archive, museum, or other approved site related to your topic—it does not include the school library or virtual sites!).
• Revised summary statement and 18 sources due 1/24-25

February:

· Rough draft of projects due 2/3-4

· LMSA History Fair on 2/16

· Winners advancing to regionals announced 2/17-18

March:

· March 5^th regionals held at the Illinois Institute of Technology

3. History Fair Field Trip

Students in our classes will have the opportunity to gain free admission to the Chicago History Museum to conduct research for History Fair. Because we are not in session, this is an “unofficial” field trip and students have to have their own transportation to and from the museum. The museum is located at 1601 N. Clark Street—just north of Downtown. We will meet at 10 A.M. and stay approximately 2-3 hours. Students can fulfill a portion of their History Fair requirements by visiting the museum and can earn some extra credit as well!

I hope you find this website useful and feel free to contact me at mpond@mrpond.org with any comments or concerns. Stay tuned for more updates and Happy Holidays!

Mr. Pond