Spartans,
I just want to express my gratitude and pride for what I saw on the streets of Camarillo on Friday afternoon. I saw young people who care; young people who are engaged with the community; young people who are standing up to make a difference.
There's a long tradition at Rio Mesa, that precedes both you and I, of Spartans standing side by side, and "raising shields" high to protect what is right at our school and in the community. I saw that today on Ponderosa and Carmen by the park, and it filled me with pride. Thank you for helping to keep that powerful and ancient tradition alive.
How fortunate we are to live in a country where we can express ourselves freely. How fortunate I am to be your teacher.
Humbly and most sincerely,
Mr. Todd
18 October 2008
11 October 2008
New Website Established; Midterm Posted
SPARTANS,
Behold! The class website is established. Check out the following site:
www.schoolandteacher.net
Look up your class by searching for me by my last name, or by using my number, 4704.
When you find your class period, click on "Projects". You will then see a section called "Projects this month". Next, click on "Details" and you should find the Word document detailing your midterm, the Biographical Cover Letter and Resume.
Let the research begin! Choose a historical figure who impacted the western hemisphere from Precolumbian times to 1900.
Please be sure to be creative in your ideas: the person should be significant, but does not just have to be a president or a general. Think about business people, explorers, scientists, artists, writers, inventors and other innovators. Remove your thinking from the confines of the cube.
Good luck, and remember to have your three choices for figures ready by Monday. It's first come, first served, so if someone gets "dibs" on your person first, try the next one on your list.
Due date? Tuesday, 28 October.
As always, email me with any questions.
Enjoy your nachos,
Mr. Todd
Behold! The class website is established. Check out the following site:
www.schoolandteacher.net
Look up your class by searching for me by my last name, or by using my number, 4704.
When you find your class period, click on "Projects". You will then see a section called "Projects this month". Next, click on "Details" and you should find the Word document detailing your midterm, the Biographical Cover Letter and Resume.
Let the research begin! Choose a historical figure who impacted the western hemisphere from Precolumbian times to 1900.
Please be sure to be creative in your ideas: the person should be significant, but does not just have to be a president or a general. Think about business people, explorers, scientists, artists, writers, inventors and other innovators. Remove your thinking from the confines of the cube.
Good luck, and remember to have your three choices for figures ready by Monday. It's first come, first served, so if someone gets "dibs" on your person first, try the next one on your list.
Due date? Tuesday, 28 October.
As always, email me with any questions.
Enjoy your nachos,
Mr. Todd
21 September 2008
Gallery Poster Assignment
SPARTANS:
In regard to the poster assignment, remember to follow directions explicitly. Here are a few reminders and suggestions:
1) "Non-Internet source" means it should not be accessed through the use of your computer! Find a book on a shelf and get to reading.
2) Make sure you are addressing 3-4 country examples if your option refers to countries in "the Americas" or "Latin America".
3) Make sure your summary is detailed and has enough background/context for your "audience" (classmates) to understand the issues.
4) In your summary, do not forget to include a timeline of events that relates to your option. The timeline should be in the format of what I call a "vertical timeline", as I described in class: date, colon, descriptive sentence. For example:
10 February 1763: The Peace of Paris ended the French and Indian War
22 March 1765: The English Parliament passed the Stamp Act
5 March 1770: The Boston Massacre
5) Make sure you are sticking to your option assignment. Do not stray from the topic or issue.
In regard to the poster assignment, remember to follow directions explicitly. Here are a few reminders and suggestions:
1) "Non-Internet source" means it should not be accessed through the use of your computer! Find a book on a shelf and get to reading.
2) Make sure you are addressing 3-4 country examples if your option refers to countries in "the Americas" or "Latin America".
3) Make sure your summary is detailed and has enough background/context for your "audience" (classmates) to understand the issues.
4) In your summary, do not forget to include a timeline of events that relates to your option. The timeline should be in the format of what I call a "vertical timeline", as I described in class: date, colon, descriptive sentence. For example:
10 February 1763: The Peace of Paris ended the French and Indian War
22 March 1765: The English Parliament passed the Stamp Act
5 March 1770: The Boston Massacre
5) Make sure you are sticking to your option assignment. Do not stray from the topic or issue.
14 September 2008
Reading Assignment Reminder for Monday, 15 September
SPARTANS,
On the whole you've been being doing a great job so far this year. There have been some bumps in the road, but those can be overcome with determination and persistence. I want to see dedication continue in your work throughout the year.
Remember that by tomorrow, 15 September, you should have read Chapters 1 and 2 in the dark green Latin America: An Interpretive History. Please be ready for discussion.
Enjoy your Sunday evening,
Mr. Todd
On the whole you've been being doing a great job so far this year. There have been some bumps in the road, but those can be overcome with determination and persistence. I want to see dedication continue in your work throughout the year.
Remember that by tomorrow, 15 September, you should have read Chapters 1 and 2 in the dark green Latin America: An Interpretive History. Please be ready for discussion.
Enjoy your Sunday evening,
Mr. Todd
12 August 2008
Chapter 6 Reading Response Questions
SPARTANS,
You're almost done! Unfortunately summer is also winding down. Those of you who have done all of your work and have kept up with assignments and deadlines have done a great job. If you have not done all of your assignments, there's still time to catch up. If you've missed deadlines, you may have a few low/zero scores, but don't let that discourage or deter you.
There's only a bit of work for you to finish up now, and a couple of weeks before school starts again. Here are your final reading response questions for the Summer Learning Packet:
1) Describe the changes that led France to become a more powerful nation in the 16th and 17th century.
2) Compare and contrast the colonization of New France with the English colonization of North America.
3) Evaluate the successes and challenges to the expansion of the French in North America, as they collaborated with some Native Americans and competed with the English and Spanish.
4) Identify the "main characters" in the story of French expansion in North America.
5) Explain the impact of the European wars between 1689 and 1748.
6) Briefly describe the effects of Native American attacks on English settlements in the late-17th and early-18th centuries (include caption information).
7) Examine how a 21 year-old Virginian surveyor and his party could have helped start a world war in 1754.
8) Examine how the Albany Congress revealed beliefs about the relationship among the Anglo-American colonists and the British administrators of the colony and the London government.
9) Describe how the tide of the French and Indian War turned in favor of the British, and the results of that change.
10) Discuss the factors that connect events and attitudes during the French and Indian War to the initiation of the American Revolution.
11) Explain the settlement and movements of French-speaking peoples in North America.
12) Briefly explain Pontiac's actions and the British responses.
13) Discuss how attitudes about westward expansion led to a conflict of ideas between the colonists and British in 1763.
You're almost done! Unfortunately summer is also winding down. Those of you who have done all of your work and have kept up with assignments and deadlines have done a great job. If you have not done all of your assignments, there's still time to catch up. If you've missed deadlines, you may have a few low/zero scores, but don't let that discourage or deter you.
There's only a bit of work for you to finish up now, and a couple of weeks before school starts again. Here are your final reading response questions for the Summer Learning Packet:
1) Describe the changes that led France to become a more powerful nation in the 16th and 17th century.
2) Compare and contrast the colonization of New France with the English colonization of North America.
3) Evaluate the successes and challenges to the expansion of the French in North America, as they collaborated with some Native Americans and competed with the English and Spanish.
4) Identify the "main characters" in the story of French expansion in North America.
5) Explain the impact of the European wars between 1689 and 1748.
6) Briefly describe the effects of Native American attacks on English settlements in the late-17th and early-18th centuries (include caption information).
7) Examine how a 21 year-old Virginian surveyor and his party could have helped start a world war in 1754.
8) Examine how the Albany Congress revealed beliefs about the relationship among the Anglo-American colonists and the British administrators of the colony and the London government.
9) Describe how the tide of the French and Indian War turned in favor of the British, and the results of that change.
10) Discuss the factors that connect events and attitudes during the French and Indian War to the initiation of the American Revolution.
11) Explain the settlement and movements of French-speaking peoples in North America.
12) Briefly explain Pontiac's actions and the British responses.
13) Discuss how attitudes about westward expansion led to a conflict of ideas between the colonists and British in 1763.
09 August 2008
Writing Tense and Tips
SPARTANS,
History papers should most often be written in the past tense.
Here are some useful websites that may help you with your writing:
Writing the History Paper (Dartmouth University)
http://www.dartmouth.edu/~writing/materials/student/soc_sciences/history.shtml
Guide to Writing History Papers (Southern Oregon University)
http://www.sou.edu/history/carney/writing.htm#tense
History papers should most often be written in the past tense.
Here are some useful websites that may help you with your writing:
Writing the History Paper (Dartmouth University)
http://www.dartmouth.edu/~writing/materials/student/soc_sciences/history.shtml
Guide to Writing History Papers (Southern Oregon University)
http://www.sou.edu/history/carney/writing.htm#tense
08 August 2008
More directions for the Mini-Research Paper
SPARTANS,
Taimi had some good questions and points about the research paper that I'd like to clarify for everyone:
1) Font and size: Font should be Times New Roman, Courier, or Book Antiqua; 11 or 12 point.
2) Word limit: The word limit for the paper is 800 words. I know that some of your reading response assignments exceed this limit already, but there is a point to the restriction. I want students to be more selective, conscious and disciplined about word choice and writing overall.
3) Writing about the present: This is a historical research paper, but one of the points I want students to get is that there are connections between the past and the present. This should be evident in your paper, particularly in numbers 3, 6, and 7. For example, on #3 you do not have to exclusively write about leaders or figures from the distant past. You can write about more contemporary figures, as well. Native Americans are an important group of people in American history, but they did not stop existing after the closing of the western frontier. Similarly, the nostalgic view many may have about Native Americans is inaccurate. Native Americans don't all live on reservations, nor wear eagle feather headresses, nor hunt for buffalo. Students should recognize distinctions and connections between the past and present.
4) Title page: The information on title page can be double-spaced.
5) Page numbering: The title page does not count as page 1. You may number the pages of the paper.
Taimi had some good questions and points about the research paper that I'd like to clarify for everyone:
1) Font and size: Font should be Times New Roman, Courier, or Book Antiqua; 11 or 12 point.
2) Word limit: The word limit for the paper is 800 words. I know that some of your reading response assignments exceed this limit already, but there is a point to the restriction. I want students to be more selective, conscious and disciplined about word choice and writing overall.
3) Writing about the present: This is a historical research paper, but one of the points I want students to get is that there are connections between the past and the present. This should be evident in your paper, particularly in numbers 3, 6, and 7. For example, on #3 you do not have to exclusively write about leaders or figures from the distant past. You can write about more contemporary figures, as well. Native Americans are an important group of people in American history, but they did not stop existing after the closing of the western frontier. Similarly, the nostalgic view many may have about Native Americans is inaccurate. Native Americans don't all live on reservations, nor wear eagle feather headresses, nor hunt for buffalo. Students should recognize distinctions and connections between the past and present.
4) Title page: The information on title page can be double-spaced.
5) Page numbering: The title page does not count as page 1. You may number the pages of the paper.
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