12 & 13 December

Today's starter had three parts:  1.  What are the three unalienable rights spoken of in the Declaration of Independence?  2.  Why do governments exist?  3.  Where do governments get their power?

After discussing the starter we finished up the chart on the British and Continental Army strengths and weaknesses.

We played Jeopardy and then began the test review.

10 & 11 December

Today's starter was:  Thomas Jefferson said that people are born with 3 rights - what do you think they are?

We conducted a thought experiment where I asked the class to consider the following scenarios:

• What would Vista Heights be like if there were no school rules?  What would happen?
• What would happen if there were no laws at Vista Heights?
• What would happen if there were no laws in the United States?

We used these three scenarios to begin a discussion about rights and what happens to those rights in a "state of nature."  We then discussed how people would most like likely organize together to protect their rights from being taken away.  In organizing together we give up some of our rights to protect the majority of our rights.  This led to a discussion about the purpose of government.

We then read a large portion of the Declaration of Independence.  We discussed the "unalienable rights" and the purpose of government. 

We answered some questions on the Declaration.

We then looked at the strengths and weaknesses of the British and Continental Armies.

6 & 7 December

Today's starter: What is the purpose of our government?  What does it do?  This is the first of a new set of starters.

We began class with an Encyclopedia Brown mystery - today's was a difficult one.

We discussed the starter - we will look at the main idea of this starter next week when we look at the Declaration of Independence in depth.

We finished watching Johnny Tremain and we corrected and handed in the questions (at least in the A day classes - B day will turn these in next week).

We also recognized Pearl Harbor Day and briefly reviewed the events of December 7, 1941.

4 & 5 December

There was no starter today due to CCRs.

Today we met with the Vista Heights Middle School counselors in the Media Center.  Each student sat down with a counselor or an administrator to discuss their plans for classes at Westlake and options available for college.

Parents, if you were unable to attend, or if you would like more information, please feel free to call the counseling office or visit their webpage.

Because of the CCRs, there was no in-class work that the students are responsible for.  We did watch a video on the contributions of Benjamin Franklin, but there was no graded class work.

30 November & 3 December

Our last starter for this set was: Why are liberty and freedom such powerful motivators?  Why are people willing to die to get them and to keep them?

We turned in our starters.

We filled in information in our cause and effect chart on the intolerable acts.

We handed out a new packet on the Revolutionary War and we took two notes in the packet - on the purpose and actions of the Continental Congress.

We continued watching Johnny Tremain.

28 & 29 November

Today's starter: How did the colonists go from being loyal British subjects to being traitors to the King?  Why did they rebel?

With Mr. Peterson completing his student teaching experience, I am now teaching the class again full-time.  I began class by reviewing my expectations for the rest of the year.

We discussed the starter and related the events of colonial America to the events currently occurring in Egypt as the Egyptian people are rising up in opposition to the power-grab being made by President Mossi.

We also looked at the causes and effects of the following events: The French and Indian War, The Proclamation of 1763, The Sugar Act, The Stamp Act, and the Tea Act, and the Intolerable Acts.

We then began viewing Johnny Tremain, a 1957 Walt Disney film based on Ester Forbes' historical fiction novel, Johnny Tremain and the Sons of Liberty.  This movie chronicles the events that led up to the Revolutionary War.

26 & 27 November

Today was Mr. Peterson's last day student teaching with us.  We wish him well in his teaching career and are glad that we were able to have him here with us at Vista Heights.

The starter for today was: Are there any rules or guidelines here at school you would like to change?

Mr. Peterson taught you about the First Continental Congress and the Second Continental Congress.  He also introduced the Declaration of Independence.