World War II WebQuest

Please do this after you've typed or written your family's connection to WWII.

WWII Websites
There are many sites that cover all or parts of WWII online and I certainly can't keep track of them all. Here are a few that I've used in the last few years and gotten something out of. Please recommend other sites to me in class and I'll post them too.

First, before you get too far along though, take this quiz. How'd you do?





Next, take 10 minutes or so to check out Ken Burn's excellent documentary site, simple titled The War.
And the Channel One WWII declassified site, here.
There's also the recent History Channel series, WWII in HD if you have time.


Finally, if you have any time left try your hand at the map puzzle on your computer. Start-->All Programs-->Map Puzzles-->Europe

Your Famly's Connection to WWII

For quite a while now I've been using a girl named Caitlin's story about her grandfather in WWII as a model for my eight grade students. I try to get them to do research about their own family to share and many do but each year we all read Caitlin's story.
This year once again I'm asking students to find out about their family, and once again we'll be reading Caitlin's story.
You can read it by clicking here.
Caitlin's got to be in college by now but her story lives on on the Internet.

Assignment: WWII from Your Point of View

You don’t have to do a project as in depth as Caitlin’s but I would like you to find out more about your family’s connection to WWII. Do you know a Grandparent or anyone else in your family who was alive during WWII? If so, ask them about the war. If not, ask someone who remembers things that relatives of yours who were alive at the time told them about the war. Some questions you should ask are: What did they do during the war? Where did they live? What memories do they have? How did the war change them? Do you have any pictures or memorabilia from the war that they can show you?

Be prepared to write about and share your findings with the class after Thanksgiving.

President Obama Wins Nobel Peace Prize

In a move that seems more optimistic about what may be accomplish in the future rather than what's been accomplished, President Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize today. You can read more about the prize here and here.

How the President will cope with this premature award is yet to be seen but the current headlines (as of 11AM) quote him as seeing the award as a "call to action." You can read more here.

Hope was part of Obama's platform and helped get him elected. He's struggled to maintain focus and get results but I think this award shows that many in the international community are behind him.

I hope that he can get past the backlash and noise that's sure to follow and accomplish many of the ideas encapsulated in the Peace Prize.

1920s & 30s Fashions

20s & 30s Day is just around the corner: Friday, October 23th. You’ve read the handout, now check out some era fashions on the web.

You can use the search terms that we came up with in class. If you find good sites you can post them for us in comment section or let me know in class.

A good site that I found was Fashion Era



These sites are also good as well:
(The first two are actually pages of links to lots of sites. Especially check out the “Chicago Exhibition” listed under history on the 20s site.)
http://www.wtps.org/WTHS/imc/Teacher_Assignment/social_studies/mcfadden%20the%2020s.htm

http://xroads.virginia.edu/~1930s/Print/printindex.html

There's also some fun cultural items here:
http://www.crazyfads.com/20s.htm

This activity is from last year so if there are any broken links or new ones that I should use, let me know.

WebQuest II: Golden Age of Radio

Google "1920s radio" or "1930s radio" and see what sites come up. Share ones that you think are good with your neighbors, the class, and me.







Next, find out about these radio people that we will hear from on 20s & 30s Day:

1. Abbott & Costello (what's there most famous routine?)
2. James Cagney
3. Groucho Marx (pictured above)
4. Mae West

Write a sentence or two about who they were in your notebook. (They all acted, so be a little more expansive in your description).

When you're done researching these people, check out 20s & 30s fashion.

WebQuest I: Stock Market Simulation

1. Click here and make sure that it opens in another window.

2. Read the introduction and then click on "Trade Traditional Stocks"

3. (You don’t need to update the Shock player. Don't update. If you have trouble, let me know.)

4. Buy stock in Duke, YeeeeeHaw.com, the Electric Co, and hypercola in any combination.

5. You don’t need to spend all of your money right away and you can buy and sell with each turn.

6. Hit the “two week advance” button.

7. Click on the "news flash" option, read and evaluate. Then buy and sell stock.

8. Repeat step 6.

How'd you do? Record your percent return in your notebook.

Bonus question:
When was the biggest stock market crash in U.S. history?

When you've finished, do the Golden Age of Radio WebQuest.

Homework 9/22 & 23

I'm going to try posting our homework assignments here periodically and see how it goes.

• Complete Ch 22 Setting the Stage blue worksheet
• Provide the names only for the green Who Are They? sheet
• Get your progress report signed
• bring colored pencils

We also completed a folder and notebook check in most classes.

Ch 20 & 21 Tests can be retaken with a one grade deduction within one week. See me for details.

Remembering 9/11

Eight years later we find ourselves again reflecting on the terrible attacks of September 11th and their aftermath. We'll be reading and discussing the events of the day. Some classes may also watch this excellent video from Newsweek about Generation 9/11.

http://www.newsweek.com/id/215044?GT1=43002

President Obama's Message for America's Students

A relevant, moving speech about personal responsibility. We watch it in class on Wednesday & Thursday.














If you missed it or want to watch it again here it is:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/video/President-Obamas-Message-for-Americas-Students/
Or read the transcript here:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/Remarks-by-the-President-in-a-National-Address-to-Americas-Schoolchildren/