50 States Geography Enhancement

We'll started working on the geography of the 50 states in class with our suffrage map.  If you want to or need to practice, here are some sites to practice for your enhancement grade.  

The easiest game is this one, which will give you choices between states:

http://www.yourchildlearns.com/Quiz/states-and-capitals-2.html

If you’re not at school, you can play the computer based geo game (that you remember from last year) online at:

http://www.yourchildlearns.com/mappuzzle/us-puzzle.html

 An easy game and a good place to start if you don't know your states well:

http://www.ilike2learn.com/ilike2learn/unitedstates.html

A fairly tough game where you need to type in the names of all 50 states while looking at an outline map:
http://www.sporcle.com/games/states.php

Challenging game using a satellite map that you drag the outline of the states onto:

A really tough one with a satellite map and outlines of the states:
http://www.shockwave.com/gamelanding/fiftystates2.jsp

And this site has games at all levels:

http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/web_games.htm

Finally, the History Channel site about all the states. Lots of info and hunt around for some fun and challenging games.

http://www.history.com/topics/states

Good luck! Which one is your favorite? What's your best score. Be prepared to share your thoughts and scores in class.

Broken links? Other study sites? Let me know.

Chapter 19 Enchancement Activities

 

Worksheet  

• The table on the back of your suffrage map.

Online Activities

• Explore Chapter 19
• Test, Quizzes, and Flashcards 
• Make your own activities?

Videos

This video, by John Green of Crash Course, gives a great overview of the time.   
The videos in this series are aimed at high school/college-aged students (and therefore contain some more mature analysis and humor, so put your mature-young-adult cap on) but they do an exciting job.
Crash Course #26: The Gilded Age
 

 
This next video is a creative reading (voice altered) of an excerpt from Upton Sinclair's The Jungle (and some questions).  Part of this is on your Jungle worksheet.  The part that's read here can be found on pages 654 & 655 of your textbook and Sinclair's entire book can be found online.
Excerpt:

 
Here's a short documentary. (Hosted off-site)

It's never too soon to start thinking about history fair.  Here is an example of a documentary project on The Jungle:

Ch 18 WebQuest

Follow the directions here (also on your worksheet)

Step 1: eTextbook Log-in Review

Once you’ve logged in, click on the link to the eTextbook: AHON.  It will open in a new window so you need to override the pop-up blocker for the browser.  See earlier blog posts or me for help.

Step 2: Complete Chapter Work and Take Sections 2 and 3 Self Tests

Step 3: Multimedia by Chapter

Check out two from Ch 18.

Step 4: Retake Quizzes

See me for Ch 18/1 Quiz.  For the Primary and Secondary Quiz, click here.

Step 5: Labor Day

Labor Day is September 2nd.  Enjoy the day off, but also remember the workers who gave up there time, energy, and sometimes lives for a better work environment.  Click here and   read about Labor Day and watch the “history of” video.

Step 6: History Fair

Take your favorite things list, add the theme this year and get cooking!  Start brainstorming topics.  Rack your brain and click here, then click on sample topics.   

Write down three topics that you’re considering.  The more specific the better.

Step 7: Visit My Blog

If you're here, you did it.

Extra (Optional) Activities

There are some very awesome videos up on YouTube called Crash Course by John Green.  The videos are aimed at high school/college-aged students (and therefore contain some more mature analysis and humor, so put your mature-young-adult cap on) but they do an exciting job of covering what we’re reading about in class.

It's called Growth, Cities, and Immigration: Crash Course US History #25 and covers Ch 18 very well.

You can also watch the CNN student news.

 

eTextbook Access--Still having trouble?

If so, it's probably your pop-up blocker.
First, check the trouble shooting list from this post.
Still won't work?
Search for:
how to override the pop-up blocker _______________ (with the name of your browser) and look for a video to show you how.

Study for Ch 18, Section 1 Quiz and Primary vs. Secondary Sources

Study for Ch 18, Section 1 Quiz 

• Reread the text if needed
• Take the textbook quiz online (not the same as the quiz you'll get in class)
• Review the terms and names

Primary vs. Secondary Sources

Matching game here: Primary vs. Secondary Sources Matching Game
http://www.quia.com/cm/593427.html

 Primary and Secondary Sources Rags to Riches (from last class)
http://www.quia.com/rr/855767.html

AHON WebQuest

Use the AHON WebQuest handout in class and complete the six steps.

For Step VI, you can watch this review presentation (by another teacher) if you'd like.
 

When you're ready, take the primary source vs. secondary source quiz by clicking here. 
Primary and Secondary Sources
http://www.quia.com/rr/855767.html

There's also a matching game here:
Primary vs. Secondary Sources Matching Game
http://www.quia.com/cm/593427.html

America History of Our Nation eTextbook

This Friday & Monday you'll be getting your username and password for the eTextbook version.

Everyone's username is
elmwood followed by a number (no space, all lowercase)
Everyone's password is
password followed by a number (no space, all lowercase)

See me in class for your number.

Google successnet (one word) or click on the link on my blog and enter your info.

Homework: Log into textbook, finish the textbook preview (click on link for a copy) and watch the news.

Troubleshooting Guide

1. Can’t access the login page? 
   Check to see if your internet is working for other sites.  If it is, check to see that you’ve spelled the address correctly:   www.pearsonsuccessnet.com or just Google successnet and it should be the first result. 
2. Can’t log in? 
   Do you have the user name and password your teacher gave you?  If not you’ll need a new one.  If you do and still can’t log in, check that you’re spelling everything exactly the same.  Also check your caps lock key (no caps!)  One letter off will cause it to fail.
3. You’ve logged in but when you click on the textbook you don’t get anything?
   Check your internet settings for pop-up blockers.  The textbook wants to open in a new window, but if pop-ups are blocked you’ll get nothing.  (Sometimes there will be a bar at the top of your window telling you it has blocked a pop-up; click on the bar and you should be able to allow them for this website.)
4. You’ve logged in but when you click on the textbook you get an error message?
   Are you sure you turned off the pop-up blocker?  Try restarting your browser or using a different browser.  Also make sure that your browser and plug-ins are updated. 
5. Anything else?  Contact Pearson tech support or write down specifics about your problem and see me after school.

Welcome to the 2013-2014 School Year

Welcome back to Elm for another great year of social studies.

Over the course of this school year we will be studying 20th Century U.S. history, the U.S. and Illinois constitutions, geography, and current events.

Here's a good political news quiz to get us started: 

http://www.pewresearch.org/quiz/the-news-iq-quiz/

There is also an interesting, but not necessarily very accurate, Political Party Predictor (use at your own risk) at Channel One News.

You can also read more about politics over at Channel One (quite ad heavy)
or my current favorite source for student news, CNN Student News (neither of which is broadcasting quite yet).

Introducing Nolan Hartwig

Born this July.

Have a Great Summer!

It's been a great year.  Have a great summer everyone!

There I am, holding an actual letter written and signed by Abraham Lincoln, at the National Archives in Chicago.