Week in Review: March 29 - April 2

American Studies: We are concluding the unit on imperialism and the progressive age. The students are working in teams to write up their study guides. We will start the next unit on WWI this coming week.

IB History: This will be my last post for IB History as our remaining weeks will be going through the revision process. The seniors created their assigned study guides and will review them in the coming weeks.

Week in Review: March 15-19

American Studies: The students continued reflecting and writing this past week. As we complete this unit on imperialism, the students are answering the Essential Questions working individually and with partners. They used mind maps to brainstorm their responses to then make connections between their ideas. The next step was to write an outline answer that they then wrote into essays.


IB History: We completed the unit on 20th century China by having the students create possible questions for the exam and then write rubrics for them. See below for examples of the student developed questions. Looking at the coming week, we have the Paper 1 Mock exam on Monday and Tuesday. The remainder of our time together before the IB exams will be reviewing using the student created study guides on all the topics from the past two years of study.

China Unit Questions:



How did Mao rise to power? What were his methods? What was his skill set?

In what ways was the CCP a single party, totalitarian state?

To what extent was Mao  successful in advancing the nation socially, economically and politically?

What were the factors leading to the Communist victory of the Chinese Civil War?

Week in Review: March 8-12

American Studies: We continue to learn about American imperialism during the latter part of the 1800s and the start of the 20th century. The Spanish-American War was a case study that involved a look at the media and its power to influence public opinion. Continuing on the theme of newspapers, the students are now writing an OP-ED article for their blogs on the following question. Do take some time to read their posts and make comments.

Looking back at the start of American Imperialism in the latter 1800s and into the 20th century, in your opinion, did the positives outweigh the negatives for American expansionism? Look at this question from an American & from an outside of the US perspective.

One of the important tools teachers use is when we provide the structure or scaffolding as we say to guide students through the learning process. In the case of the OP-ED piece, the students had reading and notes from a previous lesson to draw upon. They then had to build out the following chart with responses as they prepared their article.

Causes of Imperialism in US in latter 1800s>>>>

Examples of Imperialism in US in latter 1800s>>>>

Effects of Imperialism in US & other territories in latter 1800s>>>>

Arguments for imperialism>>>>

Arguments against imperialism>>>>

Write your op-ed outline>>>>

Write your op-ed article>>>>


IB History: Mock exams are over and we now move into reviewing mode for the exams in May. You can view the topics and assigned study guides at the Revision Learning Pursuit site.

Week in Review: February 22-26

American Studies: With the completion of the unit on the Industrial Revolution, we began our study of the next unit entitled “Expansionism, Imperialism and Progressivism”. With all these “isms”, the students are already working to build their understanding of these concepts by seeing how they are in also in place in our world today. 

Our time frame of study is the end of the 19th century and early 20th century. The content for the unit centers on American efforts to compete with European powers for territory and influence. 

Here are the Essential Questions for this unit:

• Why do nations expand? 
• How can nationalism go too far? 
• How to control excesses?

IB History: We completed our study of 20th century China up through 1977. With mock exams starting Monday, the students will do some review work for the China exam during the following week. The full review for the IB exams in May will then begin in earnest. 

To assist the students in their review work, I created the Revision Learning Pursuit site. The site is divided into one page for each of the exams. One can find a listing of the IB main themes and subtopics for each exam listed on each page. You will also find the names of all the seniors assigned to specific topics. Each student will be responsible to prepare a study guide for his/her fellow learners on the assigned topic. 

Week in Review: February 8-12

American Studies: We made connections this week with globalization and its ESPRAT+G effects. As we are reviewing the chapter and the students are creating their study guides, they are seeing how change is a constant in our "flat" world. There will be a test this week followed by an lesson on using documents and questions to learn more about why Americans in the latter part of the 1800s were moving to cities in much larger numbers than before.

IB History: We now moving into the single political party phase of our study of China. Students will hopefully be making comparisons on their own to Stalin and Hitler as they read further about Mao Zedong. With a few project grades coming up, it is imperative that the seniors are doing their reading for each class while also putting in time for their projects.

Week in Review: February 1-5

American Studies: The business plans are now posted for our 21st century entrepreneurs making a connection to the 19th century business tycoons we are studying. Do go to the blogs of our 9th graders and leave a comment or two about their ideas.

We are now moving into the "reaction" phase of the Gilded Age with labor unions working to stand up for the rights of their members. Be ready for your child to ask about the nature of unions in Morocco or your home country. 

IB History: With several projects including the IA Historical Investigation coming up, it is imperative that your seniors plan ahead and work proactively. We have had a light two weeks of homework with two nights specifically set aside for them to work on their IAs. Do sit down and go through the upcoming projects listed in the China Learning Pursuit site. They really will help your child gain understanding about the nature of war and single party states in China as we prepare for the unit exam in March. Waiting to the last minute to write the IA and to do project work means less understanding and lower assessment scores.

Week in Review: January 25-29

American Studies: The students are learning about the "shiny" and negative aspects of the Gilded Age. Our class discussions are rich in topics that connect the 19th century to 21st century business and labor practices. We will be doing an interesting simulation in class this week where students play the role of inventors and business people preparing their business plan for a company they would like to start. They will be asking Mr. Warren Buffet to help fund their entrepreneur ideas. :)

IB History: The student presenters are now moving into Sino-Japanese relations during the 1930s and 40s. As teams present, I add information to connect their learning to the current and past units of study. We will also be doing some document analysis to continue to fine tune the needed skills for the Paper 1 exam. Each class also includes a Keynote lecture where I share themes and content to help students build out their understanding to answer the unit questions.

Week in Review: January 18-22

American Studies: The students gave their 5 minute speeches playing the role of a consultant to the people of North Korea. It offered a good opportunity to practice their oral presentation skills focusing to not only inform but also to persuade. The students did a nice job!

We are now starting a new unit on the American Industrial Revolution. We will be making connections between the latter 1800s to the idea of our need today for a "green" industrial revolution. Be ready for your children to ask you interesting questions. :)


IB History: Table teams continued to give their presentations on the assigned reading. The students are doing a nice job using Google Presentation to share their research that goes beyond the reading. We covered the big events of the downfall of the Qing Dynasty, the Revolution of 1911 and the rise of Chiang Kai-shek.

Week in Review: January 11-15

American Studies: Students continued their research at home using the ReconstructionQuest WebQuest to guide their efforts. They completed their studies of the American Reconstruction to then focus upon the economic, political, social and technological needs of the North Korean people. The students will use their knowledge of the American South rebuilding and joining with the Union to "advise" the North Koreans to rebuild and join with South Korea. The problem solving and creativity that goes with this simulation moves our students from just learning knowledge to having to use it in new situations. This is real learning for understanding.

In class, we watched a BBC documentary on North Korea to further students' understanding of what life is like in a totalitarian dictatorship. We also worked in table teams to answer the essential questions for this unit. The students then participated in a Socratic Seminar to discuss, share and learn from each other to further build their understanding of the essential questions.


IB History: We started the last unit of the year which is a double unit on 20th century China. We will look at war and the nature of single party states as we build our understanding. You can learn more about this unit of study by reviewing the China Learning Pursuit site which lists the essential questions, unit questions, important topics, project activities and resources. It is very important for the seniors to use the resource Web sites and videos as they provide additional content to the nightly assigned textbook readings.

We began this unit by having one table group in each class share a lesson on the assigned reading. The student teachers created a Google Presentation (PowerPoint) that they shared with their classmates in class and digitally so everyone has a copy in their Google Documents folder. Collaboration is so important for learning so it was nice to see our first presentation teams do a very nice job. We will have table teams giving presentations on the reading throughout the course of this unit.

Week in Review: January 4-8

American Studies: We worked on the ReconstructionQuest this past week. Students are now on their own to do their research on the US during Reconstruction and to learn more about present day North Korea. Their "consultancy reports" and speeches are due at the start of next week. Students really need to be disciplined, active and curious to complete this project work. Do ask to see their Google Docs to view their progress in recording notes from their research. Take a look at the WebQuest to learn more about the connection between the two nations and time periods.  Students picked up with their blogging this week writing about the successes and failures of Reconstruction. Remember you can access their blogs from the right side of this page.

IB History: We concluded the unit on World War II with an essay exam and three projects that were due this past week. As we approach the middle of the term, it is a good idea for parents to sit down with their children to see how they are doing with their IB history work. Several students have slipped in turning in work which has really lowered their grades as well as prevented them from being fully prepared for the last exam. Note that the history department does not all for late work so students have to work extra hard to do well on the remaining classroom activities, quizzes, projects and exams to raise their grades for this second trimester.

We have a very interesting debate simulation coming up this week. Take a look "Task 4" on the WWII Learning Pursuit Task page to see how your students will be role playing in debating the dropping of the atomic bombs upon Japan in 1945.

Week in Review and Coming Week: Dec. 7-18

American Studies: We started the next unit which is on the period of Reconstruction after the Civil War. The students are reading, note taking, blogging and preparing for class discussions. An additional component for this unit is a research project and a speech. We will be doing the research via a WebQuest. Please check out our Reconstruction WebQuest. We will spend some time in the computer lab this week working on the research aspect of the WebQuest. Be ready to hear your students asking questions about North Korea as we are connecting our American Studies work to the present day.


IB History: We continue working on the World War II unit this coming week. After some good presentations and discussions last week on various resistance movements as well as the technology of war, we will be studying the Holocaust this coming week.

December 16th is the big date for students to turn in their Internal Assessments via Google Documents. The history department policy is that no late work is accepted. A zero on this project grade would definitely damage a student's grade while also taking away the opportunity to receive feedback on his/her work. So do work with your children to be turn in their work on time.

Week in Review: November 23-December 4

American Studies: Going back to the short holiday week, we completed the Civil War unit. To see what the highlights of the unit were, ask your child to share his/her study guide that we worked on in class to create. A big part of becoming an active and independent learner is to know where to get information, how to analyze it for importance and how to synthesize it into a meaningful construct. This process is what we devoted class time to. The second part of the study guide creation process is for each student to use their knowledge to write what they know about the important people, events and actions we listed from class. They also are to outline the answers to the potential questions that we put together in their study guides.


IB History: We are now in the middle of the World War II unit. You can learn more about the project-based portion of this unit at the World War II Learning Pursuit site.  Please note that with the rash of recent illness, several seniors missed the Germany unit exam and some missed in class quizzes from last week. To make sure students don't fall further behind, I emailed them with the date of December 10th as the deadline to make up missed work. Please work to help your students be organized and proactive in their planning to make up missed work and to get their Internal Assessment rough draft in on December 16th. This will be for a project grade.

Week in Review: November 16-20

American Studies: As we complete the first trimester, the students should be feeling good in general about their effort and engagement in American Studies. They have pushed themselves to do more than memorize facts. Being critical readers and analyzers of information has been a big part of their skill set.

We are now in the middle of the Civil War unit looking at the events leading up to the war. Students are seeing all the compromise that went forth leading up to the war.


IB History: We completed the unit on Germany leading up to World War II. Our focus for the next few weeks is World War II. We will look at causes, major events, effects and how the world changed after 1945. The seniors are working on their Internal Assessment historical investigations. With plenty of practice on their Extended Essays, the IA should come very easily to our seniors.

Week in Review: November 9-13

American Studies: The critical reading and note taking skills were assessed in an in class essay. Students used their notes, brainstormed and wrote an outline, gave each other feedback and then they started writing on the topic of:

In what ways did the United States expand (grow) economically and geographically in the early to mid-1800’s? How was some of the economic growth connected to the geographic expansion? Support your answer with specific examples focusing on Economics and Technology and Geography.

A major goal for all the teachers is to help our students become independent learners confident in their skills and curious, ready to ask questions and learn. I push my students to engage by being responsible to themselves and to each other. Collaboration is central to learning.

IB History: Speaking of collaboration, the seniors continue to push back against collaborating via Web 2.0 tools like Google Docs and Mindmeister. However, they do work together in class when they are asked to share their research and analysis on the two main topics of the Germany unit. We have been focusing on building knowledge about the Weimar Republic and the Rise of the Nazis. The students are making the connections between what happened economically, socially, politically, religiously, the arts and technologically to understand the rise and downfall of democracy in Germany before World War II.

As the seniors continue to become more independent learners focusing their learning around inquiry, it is important to validate their efforts. So do ask to see your child's mind maps of their research and the question listing all the students put together in a shared Google Doc.

Week in Review: November 2-6

American Studies: I really enjoyed reading the student blog posts this week on Moroccan political parties and the students possible immigration once they complete university one day. The historical connection is to the development of the first political parties in American history (Democrat Republicans and Federalists) and to the question of why people move (westward expansion of early pioneers).

Looking at the coming week, we will work on note taking skills from my lecture and from the textbook. It is one more step in the development of the students to work with various information sources and to be able to organize it in a meaningful way.


IB History: With the seniors staying home most of the week, they had the opportunity to work through their reading, outlining and written proposal for their Internal Assessments. As our class uses online learning tools like Google Docs and Mindmeister, it was not difficult to switch to a virtual classroom. It offered an opportunity for the students to push themselves to become more independent learners as they will have to be next year in university.

Speaking of being independent learners, the guideline for the Internal Assessment with its timeline can be found at the Edline course page. The students have a very clear, step by step framework to guide them to complete their papers.

Week in Review: October 26-30

American Studies: Our focus this week was on how to prepare for essay tests. We reviewed how to construct a study plan, make efficient use of one's study time, how to be a better critical reader and how to take notes. In most cases, the students already knew all of these skills but realized how important it is for them to be smart and effective learners who use their time well. We completed the week starting the new unit on the early 1800's and Westward Expansion. With a couple writing assignments for their blogs as homework, do check out your what your child is thinking and writing about on his/her blog.

IB History: The students were introduced to the new unit of study on Germany 1919-1939. We viewed a video on the Weimar Republic and Hitler's early efforts to take power. With three excellent reading recourses and an inquiry-centered research project called the Germany Learning Pursuit, the seniors are progressing to become more independent, self-motivated learners. We finished the week with a lecture on the Weimar Republic and will pick up with another one on the rise of the Nazis when we return to class. The students also should be working on their Internal Assessment in the form of a historical investigation on a topic of their choosing. The written proposal for their topic is due on November 11.

Week in Review: October 19-23

American Studies: The students returned from Explore Morocco to a discussion of how Moroccan government services were a part of the lives of the people they met. We also covered some other aspects of the ESPRAT construct applying the students' recent learning of how the American government was created to provide services for the young American nation. We ended the week with an exam reviewing the American Revolution and the organization of government through the Constitution.

IB History: It was a big week for our seniors as they completed work on their Extended Essays. They also took their Unit 6 essay exam drawing from their Mindmeister mind maps where they answered the five essential questions drawing from their reading and classroom work.

Week in Review: October 12-16

American Studies: Having spent the past week in Russia with my IB students, I will look forward to the coming week for the American Studies students. We completed our studies of the Revolution and Constitution unit. This means the students will be assessed in a unit exam. It is very important for them to review their reading, notes and research reports in preparation for the exam.

IB History: What a learning opportunity our students experienced in Russia! Do look to have your children review each day of their time in Russia. Ask them to reflect and share their learning. Looking at the coming week, the students will be assessed on the Rise of Stalin unit. It is very important that everyone complete their mind map of essential/unit questions in preparation for the exam.

Week in Review

Edline is up and running for you the parents. I am told the students will receive their activation codes first thing this coming week. They will now be using Edline for their homework assignments instead of this blog. So please visit your child's course in Edline and view the homework for the coming week.


American Studies: The students were introduced to several political scientists/philosophers who laid the groundwork for Jefferson and Madison in their efforts to write the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. We also began the process of learning how to analyze primary and secondary source documents and artifacts. It will be an ongoing process to understand what resources can offer us in the form of valid information. In reviewing the Constitution, the students are writing blog posts about the parts that they feel are most important. Check out what they have to say on their blogs. :)

IB History: We continued our study of the history of the Soviet Union as it transitioned from Lenin's to Stalin's policies. The students are building out online mind maps focusing on the five unit questions adopted from the IB. I think it is becoming quite an eye opener for the students to see how Stalin used brute force, coercion and propaganda to consolidate his power. Portions of our class are centered on student discussion around provided questions and student reading of the textbook. I guide these discussions providing clarification and added details helping to make connections in the students' learning. Your students need to continue their efforts to take notes from these discussions as this seminar discussion model is similar to what they will experience in college courses. Professors do not lecture but provide additional materials as the students analyze and build their understanding from the discussion prompted by the professor's questions.

The students are finishing up their Paper 1 exam rewrites. It is a good exercise to have them reflect and fine tune their document analysis skills. They will be gaining even more practice with these skills by peer editing their partners' papers.

Week in Review

American Studies: The students will receive their exams back this coming week. A big lesson is that the Essential and Unit questions really guide what is important to learn in our studies. Students are also seeing why their teachers say writing with support and rich details is so important in sharing one's understanding.

The Revolution and Constitution unit will involve our first work with primary and secondary document analysis. It will be interesting and enlightening for the students to better understand the guiding principles of the Declaration of Independence and the American Constitution. Be prepared for some questions at home as students really reflect about what rights they think we all should have.


IB History: I think it has been quite the eye opener for our students to learn what a big figure Joseph Stalin was in the 20th century. The students excellent study of the Russian Revolution from last year gives them the foundation for understanding where Stalin began his efforts to have total power in the Soviet Union. As we work to answer many questions about his techniques and decisions, the students are beginning to profile how dictators can develop and keep single party political systems in place.