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/

Sitting out this school year

At first I was planning to take off a semester to stay home and take care of my son, Jonah. Things have been going really well here at home, although I do miss teaching a lot. During one the most important elections in US history and I'm not teaching?!? Oh, well. It's certainly worth it to be home.

I'll be returning for the 2009-2010 school year.

In the meantime you can check out this civics quiz. I'm a little skeptical of some of the questions and their correct gauging of civics, and some of their conclusions about the data are rather dubious, but if you've had me for a year you should do fairly well since most of the questions are on the Constitution and last 100 years of US history. Enjoy

8th Grade Graduation

Graduation went well this past Saturday and the 8th Graders are now finished. Good luck!

The Great Debate 2008

As our last major activity we also practiced debating. This was my first time trying this in class and I think that it wend very well. Here are some pictures of ace debtors (some more shy than others).

End of the Year

It's been a great year. We started with America in 1900 and traveled all the way to 2008. We also took the state required US & Illinois Constitution tests.