American Studies Homework: August 31 - September 4

Note that we will use this blog to post homework until the school starts using Edline in a few weeks. Remember the homework is due the following class meeting date and if digital, it is due by 5:30 am.

__________________________________
For classes meeting Monday and Tuesday:

NOTE: Make the language in your Blogger account ENGLISH.

1) Profile of you as a Learner today and what goals you hope to reach by June:

You are to create a personal profile of yourself. Draw from the information you present in your Facebook or MySpace pages to create a profile of who you are today. In other words, paint a picture of yourself. The second part of the task is to describe who you would like to be by the end of the school year. Look to use categories like who you are socially, emotionally, physically and intellectually.  You will share your present day and June profiles with the class in a 4 minute or less presentation.

2) Email Mr. Carpenter using your Gmail account (carpenter.cas@gmail.com). Include the URL of your blog. Make sure to list your full name and class in the subject line. Mr. Carpenter will be receiving emails from all his students this week.

3) Blog Post: Set up your blog. Remember to include your first name in the blog title. Write your first post about your goals for the school year. Remember to use the Label tool to categorize what your post is about.

4) Mr. Carpenter’s blog: You are to bookmark the URL of Mr. Carpenter’s and your blog on your parent’s computer. Have your parents read the introduction post in Mr. Carpenter’s blog. Explain to your parents that they should check the blog weekly to learn about what is happening in the class. They should also check your blogs to see what you are reflecting upon and learning. Mr. Carpenter will use the blog to post your homework assignments for the next week or so. We will then switch over.

Assessment: Remember that no late work is accepted for this class. If you fail to complete work, you let yourself and your classmates down as you will not be able to participate as well in our classroom learning activities.


_____________________________________
For classes meeting Wednesday and Thursday:

1) Reading: America Pathways book, students are to read pages 4-8. A History of the United States book- Start with section 3 on page 10 and read to page 12. Come to class ready to answer the question “Why were several European nations in a good position to start exploring across the Atlantic ocean?”.
 

2) Blogging: Two parts-

a) Go to the following sites to learn why blogging is such an important and useful endeavor (thing to do). Write a post in your blog about what you feel are the five main reasons why students should blog.


Site 1
Site 2


b) Skills for Life discussion with your parents: You are to talk with your parents to get their opinions on the following questions- “What skills do adults need in their family, work and community lives?” After they share their opinions, share what you learned about the 21st Century Skills we will be using in our learning community. Then write a second blog post sharing the main points about what skills your parents shared with you.

___________________________________________
For classes meeting Friday and Monday:

1) Current Events: Go to one of the following news sites to read up on what is happening in our world. Find a story that interests you. Read it carefully looking to answer the questions of “Who, What, How, When, and Why?”. Write a blog post with a title that describes the story. Then write your post answering the 5 analysis questions where you write full paragraphs like a new reporter does. DO NOT write Who- then write a sentence, etc. It is also helpful if you can add an image as well. But don’t forget to cite the Web page where you get your image. 


Aljazeera
BBC
New York Times Global Edition
CNN Student News in iTunes


2) Review the ESPRAT Web site to help you continue your understanding of this framework for analyzing social studies. Write a blog post describing ESPRAT in your own words.