Summer Vacation Blog

Hello again Explorers!

Here's another copy of the blogging directions for this assignment.

I hope you enjoyed planning your vacations!

For the last part of this project, you'll be writing a blog post answering the following prompts in
at least one 4-sentence paragraph for each question:

1. Discuss how you thought planning a vacation would be versus how it actually was. Did you think it would be easier? Less time-consuming? Is it more/less complicated than you expected?

2. Did you think that $2500 would get you more of a vacation? What were your impressions of how much everything cost?How does this change your opinion of the vacations your parents have planned in the past?

3. What skills did you use to complete this assignment? What math skills? Language skills? Reasoning skills? What was the most difficult part of this assignment? The math? The research? Discuss your reasons.
 

Give Me Liberty! Blogging Instructions

Each group will collaborate on a single blog post.

• Your blog will include what each member found most interesting from the article you read.
• It will also include comments on your presentation,
• What worked, what didn't, and
• A summary of all the information you found.
• It will be a recap of your PowerPoint presentation.

After each group completes their post,

• Each individual member will comment on another group's post.
• You will include what you liked about their post and presentation,
• What you found most interesting, surprising, or cool.
• YOU WILL NOT  COMMENT ON YOUR OWN GROUP'S POST!

Questions to consider when writing your blog:

• How did the event you studied influence the future?
• How did it influence specific people?
• Do you think the British or the Colonists were right? Why?
• What would you have done if you were British? A Colonist?
• What surprised you about what you read?
• What did you think was the most interesting?
• How could different actions in this situation have changed the course of the future?

Give Me Liberty!

Hello Explorers!

    This week, we're going to be talking about the road to the Revolutionary War.

• To do this, we're going to break into groups, and we're going to read some newspaper articles on a PBS website and explore different links and videos.
• After we explore the site, each group is going to make a PowerPoint presentation and write a blog post about their topic.
• You will become the expert on your topic, and you will teach the rest of the class.
• After each group writes their post, class members will comment on it.
• While you're reading, think about the important details you'll need to include when you're teaching the class.

After reading, think of the most interesting thing you learned in the article.

• Each group member should pick something different.
• Each member's choice should be included in the presentation and in the blog post.
• Groups and articles will be assigned in class on Monday, and blog posts will be due Thursday at the end of school.
• Post your blogs on our class blog. All presentations will be on Wednesday and Thursday.
• Comments will be due on Friday.

Each class member will comment on another group's blog post.
NOT YOUR OWN GROUP'S POST.

• What did you find most interesting in that group's presentation?
• What did you find the most surprising?
• Do you side with the British or the Colonists? Who did you think is right?

Step-by-Step Instructions

MONDAY:

    1. Gather with assigned group. Go to http://www.pbs.org/ktca/liberty/ and click on "Chronicle of the Revolution". Scroll down until you see your assigned topic.
    2. Read the article included on the page, and click on the links and videos. Explore the rest of the website, including the Revolutionary Timeline. Try your hand at the Road to Revolution game.
    3. As you read, take notes and discuss what you find the most important or interesting. Consider the following questions:

Where was this?
When was this?
Who was involved?
What are the important points of the article?
What led up to this event?
What did this event have an impact on?
How did it influence the future?
How did the colonists react? The British?
Who do you think was right in this situation? Why?
What would you have done if you were a Colonist? A British soldier?

TUESDAY:

    1. Get together with group, begin deciding what information will go into PowerPoint. Brainstorn about what the most important facts were and how they should be presented.
    2. Begin creating slideshow.

WEDNESDAY:

    1. Finish slideshow, assign who will present which slides.
    2. Groups will start presentations halfway through class.

THURSDAY

    1. The rest of groups will present.
    2. After all groups present, each group will write their blog post. Go to http://msandreasexplorers.blogspot.com Each group member will include what they found the most interesting thing in their research.

FRIDAY

    1. Finish writing blog post with group.
    2. Comment on another group's post, commenting on the most important thing they said, the most interesting, surprising or otherwise cool.

Good luck, have fun and EXPLORE!

Give Me Liberty!

Hello Explorers!

    This week, we're going to be talking about the road to the Revolutionary War. To do this, we're going to break into groups, go on http://www.pbs.org/ktca/liberty/ and we're going to read some newspaper articles and explore different links and videos on the website. After we explore the site, each group is going to make a PowerPoint presentation and write a blog post about their topic. You will become the expert on your topic, and you will teach the rest of the class. After each group writes their post, class members will comment on it. While you're reading, think about the important details you'll need to include when you're teaching the class.

    Think of the most interesting thing you learned in the article. Each group member should pick something different. Each member's choice should be included in the presentation and in the blog post. Groups and articles will be assigned in class on Monday, and blog posts will be due Thursday at the end of school. Post your blogs on http://msandreasexplorers.blogspot.com All presentations will be on Wednesday and Thursday. Comments will be due on Friday. Each class member will comment on a group's post, but not their own. In your comment, think about what you found most interesting in that group's presentation? What did you find the most surprising? Do you side with the British or the Colonists? Who did you think is right?

Step-by-Step Instructions

MONDAY:

    1. Gather with assigned group. Go to http://www.pbs.org/ktca/liberty/ and click on "Chronicle of the Revolution". Scroll down until you see your assigned topic.

    2. Read the article included on the page, and click on the links and videos. Explore the rest of the website, including the Revolutionary Timeline. Try your hand at the Road to Revolution game.

    3. As you read, take notes and discuss what you find the most important or interesting. Consider the following questions:

Where was this?
When was this?
Who was involved?
What are the important points of the article?
What led up to this event?
What did this event have an impact on?
How did it influence the future?
How did the colonists react? The British?
Who do you think was right in this situation? Why?
What would you have done if you were a Colonist? A British soldier?

TUESDAY:

    1. Get together with group, begin deciding what information will go into PowerPoint. Brainstorn about what the most important facts were and how they should be presented.

    2. Begin creating slideshow.

WEDNESDAY:

    1. Finish slideshow, assign who will present which slides.

    2. Groups will start presentations halfway through class.

THURSDAY

    1. The rest of groups will present.

    2. After all groups present, each group will write their blog post. Go to http://msandreasexplorers.blogspot.com Each group member will include what they found the most interesting thing in their research.

FRIDAY

    1. Finish writing blog post with group.

    2. Comment on another group's post, commenting on the most important thing they said, the most interesting, surprising or otherwise cool.

Good luck, have fun and EXPLORE!

This Week's Spelling Words

Hello Class!

This week, we have some very interesting spelling words. They're based on what we've been talking about in both our history and math classes. This week, we've been learning about the Revolutionary War in history. So, our spelling words reflect that theme. They'll also help us prepare for the writing assignment we have coming up in a few weeks. In math, we just started working in our Painless Algebra books, so our math spelling words are beginning algebra terms. Here's the list!

As always, our spelling list along with tons of fun spelling activities are located on www.spellingcity.com

This week's blogging activity is to pick 3 of our spelling words: 2 history words and 1 math word, and write sentences with them. Remember the rules of complete sentences! You need a verb and a subject. And don't forget punctuation! Your sentences are due on Friday at the end of the school day (3:00) Have fun!

1. Militia
2. Revolution
3. Independence
4. Philadelphia
5. Colonial
6. Tyranny
7. Colonist
8. Apprentice
9. Washington
10. Continental
11. Massacre
12. Lexington
13. Boston
14. Intolerable
15. Navigation
16. Algebra
17. Variable
18. Negative
19. Positive
20. Equation