02.06.09
(Project 7.1) Museum Exhibit Project – African American History
Today we started a project that you’ll work on over the next month.
You are to pick a topic in African American history in the time period between the founding of the American colonies (~1600) and 1980. You should research that topic and create a museum exhibit to display what you think are the most important parts of that topic.
Refer to the assignment sheet for more specific instructions and a list of suggested topics.
The final project is due in class on Wednesday, 02/26/2009.
Resources:
05.05.08
Civil War Memoir Assignment
As we’ve discussed, the culminating project for Chapter 11 will be to create a character that witnessed the Civil War and write a memoir from his or her perspective.
This memoir should address two basic issues:
- What was the war like?
- How did you feel about the war?
It should also meet the following criteria:
- Typed, double spaced, 12 pt font, Times New Roman
- 2-3 pages, or approx. 500-750 words
Read the rest of this post for the introductory assignment to help you begin writing your memoir.
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05.01.08
Civil War Webquest
Thursday, May 1 and Friday, May 2 you will be working in pairs or small groups on a webquest about the Civil War.
Complete instructions and resources can be found at the webquest – A Nation Divided.
Your assignment (as outlined on the webquest page) is to read about life during the Civil War and then write a letter to a friend describing the conditions that you face as a soldier. Your letter should be several paragraphs in length (3+).
The research and writing you complete for this assignment are also intended to help you with the project for this chapter. Keep in mind the ultimate goal – to write a memoir as a person who lived through the Civil War.
03.17.08
AOL to Buy Bebo, Social Networking Site
The New York Times reported today that AOL would buy out Bebo, the third most popular social networking site on the internet.
Bebo is a social networking site, similar to Myspace and Facebook. Myspace was recently purchased by the News Corporation, and Facebook was recently bought out by Microsoft. AOL is trying to enhance it’s main application – Instant Messenger – so that it can remain competitive with Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft. If AOL can successfully integrate Bebo with AIM, it can potentially profit from millions of new users.
This acquisition by AOL is another example of a double-edged trend. Recently, many internet companies have been acquired by larger corporations – like Google, AOL, and Yahoo. The big companies are competing with each other and purchasing smaller companies to do so. This can be good for the smaller entrepreneurs – the founders of Facebook and MySpace are very wealthy. However, it also suggests that start-ups cannot survive on their own. Sooner or later, a successful application or community will be swallowed up by one of the larger corporations.
03.10.08
Corzine Offers to Raise Money for New Primaries in Michigan, Florida
The New York Times reported today that Governor Corzine offered to raise money for new Democratic primaries in Michigan and Florida.
Currently, neither Michigan nor Florida will be allowed to send delegates to the Democratic National Convention to vote for the party’s presidential nominee. Each state chose to hold its primary early in the year – in January – despite the Democratic National Committee’s clear opposition.
Now, with the race for the Democratic nominee so close, some Democratic leaders are looking for compromises that would allow each of these states to send delegates to the convention. Some people suggested that the delegates be sent according to the primaries that were held in January. Others have suggested that new primaries would need to be held, but that would cost millions of dollars.
02.28.08
Americans in Jail Reach all Time High
The New York Times today reported a study that showed the number of Americans in prison had reached an all-time high.
According to the study, about 1 in 100 American adults – 1% – is currently in prison. This proportion is much higher in certain populations. For example, almost 10% of Black men between the ages of 20 and 34 are in prison.
02.12.08
Democratic Nomination Rests with Ohio, Texas
The New York Times reported today that the Democratic nomination will probably be decided with the Ohio and Texas primaries on March 4.
After Super Tuesday, Clinton had a slight lead in the race for the Democratic nomination. This past weekend, Obama won four states and eliminated that Clinton lead. Many analysts now think that if Obama can maintain that momentum – and win the primaries in Ohio and Texas – he will ultimately win the nomination.
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02.06.08
Tornados Lead to Destruction in Southern States
The front page article of the New York Times online today was At Least 48 Dead In Storms Across 4 States.
According to the article, a series of tornadoes and heavy rainstorms hit some southern states today. The area hit by the tornados was in the southeast – Tennessee, Mississippi, Kentucky, and Arkansas. The storms destroyed a lot of property, and as well as killing 48 people and injuring about 100 more. An Tennessee police chief said it looked like a “war zone.”
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Welcome to the News Blog Project Page
As you know, your third cycle project is to create a personal blog which you use to comment on news and current events.
First, you should go to the Project Assignment and Instructions page. This has specific instructions for what you should do.
Once you have created your website, you should go to the appropriate page (Period 1 Blogs, Period 2 Blogs, Period 5 Blogs, or Period 8 Blogs) and leave a comment. In this comment, leave your name and a link to your blog. This is how I will check your project and grade you!
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