The Halloween Tree

 

EQ: What are some of the influences for today's Halloween celebration?

Engage:

• The students will watch The Halloween Tree

Explore:

• What happens in Egypt?
• What happens in England at Stonehenge?
• What happens in France?
• What happens in Mexico?

Evaluate:

• None

Extend:

• Read Ray Bradbury's The Halloween Tree

Witch Trials and the Haunted History of Halloween

 Happy Halloween! Today we are going to learn a little about the Salem Witch Trials, where mass hysteria and a couple mean kids caused the death of over 20 people. Is there anything more Halloween-like than that? Unfortunately real people suffered for things we tend to enjoy, the confluence of life and death.

As you watch try to identify what caused the trials to begin and what caused them to end.

As you watch see how many cultures are represented by the holiday. Also, when did Halloween as we celebrate it come into being?

EQ:

• What were the Salem Witch Trials?
• What is the history of Halloween?

Engage:

• Don't really need any, it is Halloween

Explore:

• Salem Witchcraft Trials (8:11) State Bar of Georgia
• Haunted History of Halloween 

Explain:

• What started the Salem Witch Trials
• Why did the trials end?
• What are the historic roots of Halloween?
• When did the modern version of Halloween start?

Map of Mexico

 

This is a political map of Mexico. You will color the states, but do not label (otherwise there will be way too much writing on the map when we are finished.) 

https://www.mapsofworld.com/mexico/mexico-political-map.html

Here is the physical map that you will use to label the names provided on the checklist. 

https://www.ezilon.com/maps/north-america/mexico-physical-maps.html

EQ: Where in Mexico do you find the important landforms and cities?

Engage:

• Ask if any students are from Mexico. If so, have them identify on the map where they are from. 
• Mexico Geography Now (18:20) 

Explore:

• Map of Mexico
• Political Map of Mexico

Explain:

1. Color the states of Mexico on the paper map.
2. Find and label on a transparency over the blackline map. 
3. Checklist

• Rio Grande River
• Rio Santiago River 
• Rio Bravo River
• Yucatan Peninsula 
• Isthmus of Tehuantepec 
• Baja California 
• Mexican Plateau
• Sierra Madre Del Sur, 
• Sierra Madre Occidental 
• Sierra Madre Oriental Mountains
• Pacific Ocean 
• Gulf of Mexico 
• Gulf of California
• Caribbean Sea

Evaluate:

•  Map of Mexico

Extend:

• Mexico Imax Video (41:42)

Colombian Exchange/Transatlantic Slave Trade

 Today we are looking at how choices made by Europeans fundamentally changed Europe and the Americas.

In the first video we will look at what scholars call the Columbian Exchange. It encompasses the exchange of plants and animals, diseases, and ideas. As you watch identify the positive and negative exchanges. How important were they to the Americas? How important were they to Europe?

The second video is on the importation of kidnapped Africans to the Americas to be slaves. This, along with the attempted genocide of the indigenous peoples of the America, is the most shameful act of the European colonists of the Americas and later of the citizens of the United States. 

EQ:

• What were some of the effects of the Columbian Exchange on Europe and the Americas?
• Understand the inhumanity of the transatlantic slave trade.

Engage:

•  None

Explore:

• The Columbian Exchange: Crash Course (12:08)
• Atlantic Slave Trade: Crash Course  (11:07)

Explain:

• What foods did Europe gain from the Americas?
• What diseases were transferred from Europe to the Americas? 
• What diseases were transferred from the Americas to Europe?
• How many Africans were forcibly moved to the Americas?
• What was the life expectancy of a kidnapped African in a British Colony in the 1700's?

Evaluate:

•  Student Worksheets

Extend

• Atlantic Slave Trade in Two Minutes

Dia de los Muertos

By José Guadalupe Posada - ArtDaily.org, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1485430Add caption

Today's lesson surrounds the Dia de los Muertos celebration in Mexico. Translated Dia de los Muertos means the Day of the Dead. We will watch a National Geographic video on what it is and then we will read about it. 

Next we will look at the artist Jose Posada and examine his work La Calavera Catrina which is an iconic piece of artwork that may be the artistic symbol for Dia de los Muertos. 

There has been a lot more interest in this holiday thanks to movies such as the Disney film Coco and  Guillermo del Toro's The Book of Life.

Essential Question:

• What is the Day of the Dead and why is it celebrated in Mexico? 
• Who is Jose Posada?
• Why is the image La Calavera Catrina important to the Day of the Dead in Mexico?

 Engage:

• What is the Day of the Dead? National Geographic video (1:51)

Explore:

• Dia de los Muertos National Geographic
• Jose Guadalupe Posada Wikipedia
• La Calavera Catrina Wikipedia

Explain:

• Why does Mexico celebrate Dia de los Muertos?
• Who is Jose Posada?
• Why is La Calavera Catrina important to Dia de los Muertos?

Evaluate:

• Notebook Page: Jose Posada
• Day of the Dead 5 W's and H worksheet

Extend:

• Day of the Dead Wordsearch

Massacre at Mystic: The Pequot War

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pequot_War#/media/File:Pequot_war.jpg

The Pequot Wars started with the death of one man and ended with making use of the word Pequot a crime. We often put the Puritans on a pedestal, due mainly to the pride many Americans have with being remotely descended from a passenger on the Mayflower as well as politicians constantly referring to them when they talk about our Judeo-Christian culture.

Essential Question: Is violence inevitable between indigenous peoples and colonists?

Engage:

•  Read Mending Wall by Robert Frost
• Good fences make good neighbors, but what if your neighbors don't believe in fences?

Explore:

•  Watch the video Massacre at Mystic 
• Vocabulary: wampum, concessions, subjugated, diplomatic

Explain:

•  What was the relationship between the Pequot and Puritans before the massacre? After?
• What differences in ideas about land and property caused so much trouble?
• Why did some Native Americans fight with the Puritans against the Pequots?
• How much responsibility do you place on the Puritans actions leading to the massacre?
• How did the massacre change the colonies going forward?

Evaluate:

•  Class Discussion questions during the watching. 

 Extend:

• Read p. 118 of Lies My Teacher Told Me by James Loewn
• Read about the Pequot War

Compare and Contrast Jamestown to Colonial House

 This letter below is an actual letter written in 1623 by Richard Frethorne and indentured servant in Jamestown Colony.

Loving and kind father and mother:

My most humble duty remembered to you, hoping in God of your good health. This is to let you understand that I, your child, am in a most heavy case because of the nature of the country, which causes much sickness. When we are sick there is nothing to comfort us. Since I came out of the ship, I never ate anything but peas and loblollie (that is, water gruel). As for deer or venison, I never saw any since I came into this land. There is indeed some fowl. But we are not allowed to go and get it. We must work hard both early and late for a mess of water gruel and a mouthful of bread and beef.

We live in fear of the enemy every hour; we are but 32 to fight against 3,000 if they should come. And the nearest help that we have is 10 miles from us. When the rogues overcame this place the last time they slew 80 persons.

I have nothing to comfort me. I have nothing at all—no, not a shirt to my back but two rags, nor no clothes but one poor suit, nor but one pair of shoes, one pair of stockings, and one cap. My cloak was stolen by one of my own fellows. And to his dying hour, he would not tell me what he did with it. Some of my fellows saw him take butter and beef out of a ship, which my cloak, I doubt not, paid for.

I am not a quarter as strong as I was in England, and all is for want of victuals. I tell you that I have eaten more in one day in your home than I have here in a week. You have given more than my day's allowance to a beggar at the door.

If you love me you will redeem me suddenly, for which I do entreat and beg, And if you cannot get the merchants to redeem me for some little money, then for God's sake get a gathering or ask some good folks to lay out some little sum of money in meal and cheese and butter and beef. The answer of this letter will be life or death to me.

Your loving son,
Richard Frethorne
Virginia 3rd April, 1623

http://www.sitesalive.com/hl/tg/private/hltgReasons.htm

Nightmare in Jamestown

Essential Question: How was the Colonial House experience different from Jamestown?

Engage:

• Jamestown was founded in 1607
• 80% of the settlers died in the first few months
• In 1619 the first slaves from Africa to an English colony were sold by a Dutch trader. 
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamestown,_Virginia

Explore:

• Read the Richard Frethorne letter
• Read the Wikipedia Page entry on the settlement of Jamestown, Virginia from 1607-1609 Arrival and Beginning through 1609-1610 Starving Time and Third Supply.
• Watch Colonial House
• Nightmare in Jamestown

Explain:

• How does the letter compare to the television show?
• Does this letter change your opinion about colonizing the Americas?

Evaluate:

• You are a Jamestown colonist. Write a letter home describing the conditions you are living with. 

Canadian Vacation

  Mr. C is wanting to visit Canada next summer. He wants you to come up with an itinerary for the trip. His only instruction to you is he wants to see the real Canada, not the one portrayed in movies like Strange Brew!!!'

You will need to come up with 6 places Mr C absolutely, positively, without a doubt must visit while there.  Oh, and he wants it done by the end of class next Wednesday. 

Our Provinces Documentary

After watching the video above, what other sources will you use to to find information about 'must do' places in Canada? Here are some of Mr. C's suggestions:

1) Do a Google search of places to visit in Canada.

2) Do a Youtube search of places to visit in Canada.

3) Ask around to see if anyone has visited Canada, and ask them.

4) Ask Mr. C if he knows someone who might be willing to to answer some of your questions about Canada. (Don't wait until Friday) 

5) Visit the library, maybe they have some of those old things called 'books' that might have some information.

6) Check Wikipedia, maybe they have some good information.

7) Do a search for the Canadian Visitors Bureau. 

8) Sit around until Friday and write down any junk you think of. (This one is probably not a very good suggestion, but you know how Mr. C likes to joke.)

Mr. C has worksheet for you to use to gather information. 

Assignment Requirements

1. Find the 6 most Canadian places for Mr. C to visit.
2. Use this worksheet to gather your information.
3. Write down each place with your explanation of why he should visit there.
4. Add some pictures of each place. Mr. C does require you to cite where you get the picture from and to make sure the picture you picked is copyrighted so that you can use it legally. Creative Commons has a search engine you might want to use https://search.creativecommons.org/
5. Hyperlink the address where the picture came from.
6. Create a Google Slideshow using this template 
7. Share your slideshow with Mr. C when completed. 
8. Make sure it is finished on Wednesday. Late work will be accepted, but you will have to do it on your time. Class moves on!

EQ: Where are the most 'Canadian' places to visit in Canada?

Engage:

•  A Documentary About Canada (59:15) 

Explore:

• Students will identify a variety of sources to gather information from with an eye on tourism.
• Possible choices would be visitor bureaus, wikipedia, youtube etc.

Explain:

• On a document, take notes with links to original sites.
• Name 6 places that epitomize Canada and explain why.
• Identify pictures to share and create hyperlinks 

Evaluate:

• Create a slideshow with pictures and hyperlinks

Apply for the Tiger Treats Team

 Here is a link to the Tiger Treats Team application

Mapping Canada

   For this activity, we will be making a couple maps of Canada. We are going to be creating a political, physical, and climate map. First, let's watch this EPCOT video from the Canada Pavilion:

Oh Canada Video from EPCOT's Canada Pavilion

Now that you get a feel for the 'flavor' of Canada, let's do a little learning about the country. You will be given two maps of Canada. The first map you will color the climate zones of Canada and create a key which will let me know what the colors represent.

Next you will color and label a landform map. Make sure you include all of the places I identify on the checklist. 

Finally, you will be given a transparency sheet and a wet erase marker. You will place the transparency on top of the landform map and label the capitals, provinces and territories. 

EQ:

• What are the major climate areas of Canada?
• What are the major landforms of Canada?
• What are the provinces, territories and capitals of Canada?

Engage:

•  O Canada EPCOT video (14:57)

Explore:

• Political Map of Canada
• Physical Map of Canada
• Climate Map of North America

Explain:

• Where are the provinces and territories in Canada?
• Where are the capital cities in Canada? 
• What/Where are the physical landforms of Canada
• What climate zones do you find in Canada?

Evaluate:

• Label the capitals of Canada.
• Draw and label the physical landforms.
• Color and label the climate zones.
• Checklist to use

Geography Now Canada Video for Day 2

Colonial House

Colonial House is a television show created by PBS to examine what life would be like in Plymouth Colony circa 1628. 17 people were chosen to be on the reality show, living the life of a settler in a re-created Plymouth Plantation.

Imagine you have been selected to participate in Colonial House. Write journal entries describing about your living conditions. Are you a freeman, indentured servant, or even the Governor? What kinds of things do you do day by day? Are you having trouble keeping the rules? 

You will create a postcard and then write about your 'experience' using a pen and ink. Watch the video below to get an idea about what it will be like.

You will also be asked to write a journal entry daily explaining what it would be like if you were part of the colony.

Essential Question: What would it be like to live in an early American colony?

 

Engage:

• Colonial House Mythconceptions Quiz Whole Class

Explore:

• Watch Colonial House episodes.Explain:

• What is your role in the colony?
• What events took place during the episode?
• What are your daily chores?
• Are you a rule breaker or a rule follower?

Evaluate:

• Write a journal entry for each episode watched. 
• Use a dip pen to write a postcard to send home describing living in the colony.

Constitution Study

 

EQ: How does the Constitution reflect American ideals?

 

Engage:

• Is it Constitutional? 

Explore:

• We the People
• Seven Articles of the Constitution
• Hip Hughes Seven Articles of the Constitution videos
• What Does the Constitution Say?

Explain:

• Preamble Discussion
• What Does the Constitution Say Part 2 Acitivity 
• Principles of the Constitution Comparison Chart (Printed) Pages 4-9

Evaluate:

• Principles of the Constitution Comparison Chart (Printed) 
• Branches of Government worksheets

Extend:

Desperate Crossing: Exploring Why the Pilgrims Came to the Americas

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0493146/

Many of us know what it is like to have to move to a new place. In this activity we are going to find out what it was like for the Pilgrims to have to leave England for Holland and then ultimately for North America. Just as you had many difficult emotions with the changes you experienced, the Pilgrims had them as well. They also had even more difficulty and danger than most of us. 

As we watch this video we will try to place ourselves in the shoes of the Pilgrms and try to identify how we might have felt if we too had to make a desperate crossing. 

EQ: Why did the settlers on the Mayflower come to the Americas?

Engage: 

• Solicit stories from students who remember moving to Noel. 
• How did you feel about moving?
• What were the first days like after you came to Noel?
• How are things now?

Explore:

• The students will watch Desperate Crossing: The Untold Story of the Mayflower.
• Vocabulary: magistrate, manifest, seditious, theology, habeas corpus, tolerant
• Vocabulary: define, draw and use in a sentence

Explain:

• Why the Separatists moved from England to Holland?
• Why the Separatists moved from Holland to the Americas?
• Why the other colonists moved from England to the Americas?
• How did they feel about moving?
• How were the first days after the move?

Evaluate: 

• Comprehension questions worksheet.
• Mayflower Compact comprehension questions.
• Journaling Activity
  
• Write journal entries as if they were a Pilgrim during the video. 
• Create a journal to transcribe the entries written during Desperate Crossing
  
• Use India ink and dip pens to transcribe their entries from their notes to their created journals.
  

Extend:

• Examine the Mayflower Compact, what does it create for the colonists?

Government Vocabulary

EQ:  

• What is the purpose of government?
• What are the different kinds of government?
• What are the characteristics of different kinds of government?

Engage:

• Draw a picture of what the word social studies means to you.
• Observe pictures drawn by other students, see if you can see how that picture represents social studies. 

Explain:

1. Write the definitions of the vocabulary words (those in blue with links to explanation page) using your own words. Do not copy the definitions. 
2. Draw a picture of the vocabulary word. 

1. democracy
2. unitary
3. parliamentary
4. federal
5. authoritarian
6. direct democracy
7. executive
8. confederate
9. authority
10. preamble
11. sovereign
12. oligarchy
13. legislative
14. state
15. government
16. dictatorship
17. executive branch
18. public policy
19. representative democracy
20. presidential
21. monarchy
22. totalitarian

The Conquistador Emoji Project

 Imagine your shock when arrive at your destination, the city you plan to conquer only to realize that is the cleanest, most beautiful city you or any of your fellow conquistadors have ever experienced. 

You arrived from one of the most powerful nations on earth, having sailed from one of the largest and most prosperous cities in Europe, only to find that it pales in comparison to the city you thought would be primitive, not unlike the people you plan to enslave. 

How would you feel?

After reading the article provided on the worksheet, put yourself in the place of a Spanish conquistador seeing Tenotichlan for the first time. You will write about your experience, but not using words.

The pictures above are Aztec script symbols. They use the symbols to share their information. We do something similar with emojis. If using symbols to tell a story was good enough for the Aztecs, it is certainly good enough for you. 

Your assignment is to write your story using emojis not words as a conquistador first entering Tenochtitlan. 

Essential Question:

• How did Tenochtitlan compare to European cities?

Engage:

• Hernan Cortes video History Channel (3:07)

Explore:

• Aztec script symbols
• Vocabulary: conquistador, ambassador, whitewash 

Explain:

• What did the conquistadors see when they first entered Tenochtitlan?
• What were the European cities like?

Evaluate:

• Emoji Project Handout
• Explain what the conquistadors saw when they first visited Tenochtitlan using emojis.

Extend:

• What Happened to the Aztecs? History Channel (2:26) 

Immigration Celebration

 The United States is a nation of immigrants. The country was founded mainly by Englishmen who were part of the European colonization effort of the 15-17th centuries. After the US was formed immigration continued to be an important part of its world identity as memorialized by the Statue of Liberty.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YE1xZ6aAPmw

While you may argue otherwise, the Statue of Liberty mainly celebrates European immigration as we saw it happen at Ellis Island. Below is a video outlining what it was like to come through Ellis Island as an immigrant.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDNKHWzQiz8

Unfortunately for many of you, the Statue of Liberty may not capture the spirit of immigration from your ancestors, especially if your ancestors didn't come from Europe. I have done some research to see if I can find other memorials or monuments in the United States that celebrate the immigration of those who were not from Europe and they are indeed difficult to find. 

This is your opportunity to remedy that!

You are tasked with the responsibility to create a monument that celebrates the immigration of your ancestors. You should research where they came from, why they came, and what symbols would be culturally appropriate to use as part of the monument. 

If your ancestors, like mine, did come through Ellis Island and are represented very well by the Statue of Liberty you can still participate. Create a new monument celebrating your ancestors too. This is an opportunity for you to make it more specific to your original culture. For example I could choose my Scots Irish ancestry to celebrate or my German/Jewish ancestry. 

Make your monument with the following guidelines:

• Identify where your ancestors immigrated from 
• Incorporate symbols appropriate for their original country
• Create a plaque that celebrates immigration. It doesn't need to be a poem like on the Statue of Liberty, but it does need to reflect your intent for the monument. 
• Create a drawing of your monument or create a model of your monument. If you make a drawing, make it very detailed and include the words on the plaque. 
• Show the pride you have in your family and the gratefulness you have for the sacrifices they made to immigrate. 

Essential Question:

•  How would you memorialize your immigrant ancestors?

Engage:

•  Immigrants at Ellis Island (4:27)

Explore:

•  Statue of Liberty History (1:40) 
• Other monuments and memorials to immigrants
• Talk to family members about how their ancestors came to the US

Explain:

• Where did your ancestors emigrate from?
• Why did they come to the United States?
• What symbols should be used to celebrate their coming to the US?
• Do you feel represented by the monuments you researched?

Evaluate:

• Create a monument that honors your ancestors journey to the US 

The Maltese Falcon: What is Film Noir?

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Maltese_Falcon_(1941_film)#/media/File:The_Maltese_Falcon_(1941_film_poster).jpg

The Maltese Falcon is a 1941 American film noir directed and scripted by John Huston^[3] in his directorial debut, based on the 1930 novel of the same name by Dashiell Hammett.^[4][5][6] It stars Humphrey Bogart as private investigator Sam Spade and Mary Astor as his femme fatale client. Gladys George, Peter Lorre and Sydney Greenstreet co-star, with the last appearing in his film debut. The story follows a San Francisco private detective and his dealings with three unscrupulous adventurers, all of whom are competing to obtain a jewel-encrusted falcon statuette.^[3]

from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Maltese_Falcon_(1941_film)

Conquest of the Americas: The Southeast

  

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Flindians1723.JPG

St. Augustine is the oldest continuously inhabited European settlement in the continental borders of the US.  Why did the Spanish set up colonies in what is now Florida? What were they looking for and did they find it? Why did France later set up a colony and what happened to it? These are the questions we will be answering with this lesson.

Essential Question: What countries colonized the land that is now Florida?

Engage:

• Can you name which countries colonized the Americas?
• Anecdotes from my trip to St. Augustine over the summer. 

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Castillo_de_San_Marcos.jpg

Explore:

• Conquest of America: Southeast video 
• Vocabulary: colony, heretic, mutiny, Divine Right, sovereignty Think/Pair/Share Activity

Explain:

• Why did France colonize Florida?
• What are some good vocabulary learning practices?

Evaluate:

• Vocabulary and Discussion Questions Worksheet

Extend:

• Castillo de San Marcos  the history of this fort is very interesting. What famous Native American leader's wife spent time in jail here? Another interesting fact is that the moat around the fort was dry until it was decided to create a field to play a popular game, which caused them to fill it with water. Can you guess the game?
• Videos from Castillo de San Marcos
• History of Florida Wikipedia

Conquest of the Americas: The Southwest

 

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Coronado-Remington.jpg

Francisco Coronado heard a story about the Cities of Cibola, the Seven Cities of Gold, from a friar named Estevan. He decided he would mount an expedition to find these cities. What did Coronado plan to do when he found these cities? Did he eventually find them? What controversy surrounds the expedition?

Essential Question:   Why did Coronado explore the southwest part of North America?

Engage:

• Vocabulary 
• Students will define the vocabulary word using their own words on worksheet

Explore:

• Conquest of America: Southwest video  (44:51) Youtube video

Explain:

• Was Coronado suitably punished for his role in the death of the 'Turk'?
• Do you think Coronado was a hero or villain? 

Evaluate: 

• Discussion Questions Worksheet Whole group discussion

Extend:

• Coronado's Wikipedia page 
• Map of Coronado's expedition
• History Channel's page on Coronado

 

US Physical Geography Map

https://app.discoveryeducation.com/learn/player/637fed70-e77c-4878-b364-732be518e7c3

EQ: What are the major physical features of the United States?

 

Engage:

• Students will be given them 60 seconds to identify as many physical geography features found in the US.

Explore:

• Physical Map of the US Discovery Education
• Physical Geography video Discovery Education (28:41)

Explain:

• Where are the Rocky Mountains, the Appalachian Mountains, Sierra Nevada, and Cascade Range?
• Where is the Ozark Plateau, Colorado Plateau, Sonoran Desert, the Great Plains and the Coastal Plain?
• Where is the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean?
• Where is the Gulf of Mexico?
• Where is the Mississippi River and the Rio Grande?
• Where are the Great Lakes: Michigan, Huron, Superior, Erie, Ontario?

Evaluate:

• Label and Color a physical map of the United States identifying the physical features listed above. 
• Physical Geography Map Checklist