Tuesday, December 18, 2012
12/17/12 & 12/18/12
Yesterday we did a scavanger hunt of th er codes. It was so much fun. I didn't really learn tat much about the battles becasue I just wanted to win. We didn't even finish though. Mike decided to keep his ipod in his pocket adn not take it out until we only had like 3 more to go. Rennie was just being Rennie and had no idea what she was doing. We were just a mess but you can tell that it always brings out the best in people(: Today we did work sheets on abeas corpus. We got into a heated discussion about whether or not Abraham Lincoln was justified in suspeneding it or not. I thought he did but it's hard to explain why so everyone kept going back and forth.
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
12/10/12 & 12/11/12
Yesterday we discussed Lincoln and his theory for the United States of America. He thinks that the Declaration of Independence is the most important government in the history of the US. He says that natural rights and "liberty to all" is made first. Without it, there would be no Union or Constitution. The Union and the Constitution are the "picture of silver", of the frame. They are made around and for the Declaration of Independence, "the apple of gold".
Today we talked about how the constitution is the highest governmental authority and the president must enforce the laws. Therefore, the president (Lincoln) cannot abolish slavery where it already exists because it is legal there. Also, we found that the south felt that republicans were hostile to the South by electing Lincoln. The south believes that it's not the time for democrats to rest because they have to fight for what they want and believe is right for the country. They are arguing that they are seceding as a means of self-defense because the government is not protecting their rights.
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
12/3/12 & 12/4/12
Yesterday we went into even more detail about Lincoln and Douglas. We interpreted a political cartoon with those two and the two other candidates, Bell and Bignerwick (?).
There was a map of the U.S. hanging on the wall. Lincoln and Douglas were fighting over the west side of the country because they were really fighting over the votes. Bignerwick was grabbing the south because he was all pro-slavery. Bell was standing on a high chair used by babies and was trying to glue the map back together. This is because he never mentioned slavery and tried to avoid the issue. he just wanted the country to come together. People said he was acting like a baby. Today we did an Ed-cafe about important people during this time period. I thought the most important person was John Brown because he started the fighting. He was the first person to actually do something about slavery instead of just stand around and say things.
12/29/12 & 12/30/12
Yesterday we compared Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas. We found that Abraham was only for ending slavery but not for equality of blacks. He never believed that blacks would be equal to whites. They were only equal in the facts that they had natural rights and deserved to own what they worked for. Stephen Douglas said that he wanted what the people wanted. He never said what he wanted slavery. Today I was not in class. I went on a field trip to Wolf Hollow in Ipswich. It was so cool. I saw a pack of wolves. The Alpha male was old and fat. They were just like dogs because they ate treats out of the women's hands. They didn't remind me of wolves at all and it was said because they are suppose to be wild animals. The only way someone could tell they were wolves was because of their size or their eyes. They were either red or yellow. My favorite wolf was a half dog half wolf. His name was bear. He looked like he had the playfulness of a dog but the wildness of a wolf. The most beautiful wolf was a young girl. She had black fur that turned red in the sunlight. he eyes were the same red as her sun-turned hair. She was very shy so she wasn't very high on the ranking order but I really liked her. It was a lot of fun to see them.
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
11/27/12 & 11/28/12
Yesterday we read an article on the case of Dred Scott. He was said to be property while he was a slave so when he and his owners crossed boarders in to a free state, it did not matter. he was still considered a slave because owners are allowed to bring their "property" any where. Dred tried to fight the "once free, always free" point but that did not work. This shows that even if the people do vote for a free state, it doesn't matter because slaves can still come into the state without the slaveholders being penalized.
Today we watched a clip of a movie and read multiple articles about the debates between Stephen Douglass and Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln was pretty out right in saying he was against slavery. Douglass takes a different route and doesn't come out right and say he is for slavery. He always recalls what Lincoln said to make it seem like he is the opposite of him, but it can never be proved that he is. He believes in popular sovereignty, so he says that whatever the states want, they can have. But there is still the issue that it doesn't matter if the state is free because slavery can still come into those states. It was also weird to see that Abe said he never thought that blacks would be equal at all. He only believed they were entitled to their natural rights. Everyone always makes out that Abe was so against slavery and wanted blacks to be equal with men but he says in his speech that they never will be.
Monday, November 19, 2012
11/16/12 &11/19/12
On friday we read a long, long, long chapter from the book "Uncle Tom's Cabin" by Harriet Beetrice Stowe. It was hard to understand with the old language adn the slang. The men that are talking don't sound that educated so I found it difficult to read it. We ended class with this and didn't get the chance to talk about it until today.
The story was about a women slave who ran away. The slave owner wants her back becasue she can work, she is capable of bearing children, and she is pretty. The men don't want to use dogs to find her becasue they are afraid that the dogs will tear her apart as they saw them do to another runaway. It was clear that this chapter was to show the evils of slavery adn slaveholders. Mrs. Stowe wanted to make people into Abolitions or have them support the anti-slavery. I'm sure she did just that.
Some days I don't even tell a joke. I think my three day challenge has changed from talling a joke to making people laugh and laughing myself. I don't feel the need to tell a joke anymore because I find everything funny. Sometimes I just laugh at nothing. Sometimes I laugh when I see peoples faces becasue i'm just so happy to see them. I'm always laughing and I find that I'm so happy all the time.
11/14/12 &11/15/12
On November 14th we talked about the Mexican War. Mexico and the US fought over land. America claimed the land in texas as their own and when they entered and we attacked by mexico they caled it American bloodshed on American soil. It was weird to hear that America had just easily claimed land that didn't even belong to them.
On November 15th we went even further into detail of the Mexican War. States were becoming part of the Union as either slave states on free states. They ended up evening each other out so that in the Senate it the ideas were equal.
I told my jokes and they make me happier. I actually find that I am in a better mood all the time and it is hard for other people to change that.
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Sunday, November 11, 2012
11/8/12 &11/9/12
On Thursday we looked at many different paragraphs from different textbooks about the Underground Railroad. Every paragraph described and explained it differently. Some talked about important people such as Harriet Tubman. Some talk about the stops along the way. And some talk about the slaves that took the passage.
ON Friday we went to the computer lab to compare the North and South states during the time of slavery. I found that the South was more populated, had a larger land area and had many more slaves. None of those are that surprising. But I did fond something else interesting. In the North, there were more women than in the South. I think it is because in the North women are looked at as more than just a housewives while women in the South were looked at as having no rights.
Thursday: "What's green and has wheels?" "Grass I lied about the wheels"
Friday: "What's blue and smells like red paint?" "Blue paint"
People usually think my jokes are stupid but I always laugh at them and say they are so funny. It puts me in a good mood for the rest of the day so I don't care what people say.
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
11/6/12 &11/7/12
Yesterday we talked about the people who were against slavery and the peopel who were against it. We compared them and found that the people for it were born into a wealthy family and the people against it were born into poverty. Everyone had different ideas of why this was but I think it was because the poor people didn't have slaves and were able to see the wrong in it. The rich people had grown up with them and lived with them doing their work. Their parents were okay with it and everyone around them so they never saw the problem.
Today we learned about the cotton demand and the need for slaves. I liked seeing the picture of the first cotton gin because it shows how far our civilization has come. But it also shows just how dependent we were on slaves that nothing like this had come around before. There was even a higher demand for slaves to do the work after the cotton gin instead of less as the inventor thought.
My joke yesterday was "What's bloody and has two legs?" "Half a cat". I got my history class to take a break from learning for a second and have a laugh.
My joke today was "What'd red and green and goes 100 miles per hour?" "A frog in a blender". People laughed at this joke but they said it was mean. i don't care because it was funny and still makes me laugh even though I've heard it a million times.
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
30 Day Challenge
For my 30 day challenge, I will tell a joke every day and make myself and someone laugh. I like to have people laugh because it can brighten peoples day. Laughing can change someones mood. If they are having a bad day, a joke can make them feel better. If someone doesn't laugh at my joke or says it's stupid, I'll just find someone else to tell it to. I won't let their negativity and refusing to be happy make me upset. I want to laugh every day and make someone else laugh as well.
11/3/12 &11/6/12
On Friday we finished up the Lesson on American Revolution.
Yesterday, we started our discussion about slavery. Each group was given an article about a black persons experience as a slave. My group was given a document written by a girl slave who spoke about her childhood. She was not treated badly. Her mistress was very kind to her and even began teaching her how to read. It was interesting to see how some slaves were not treated as bad as the idea of being a slave was.
Thursday, October 18, 2012
10/17/12 & 10/18/12
Yesterday in class we went over the structure of the Declaration of Independence. I found out that there are six sections plus the signatures of the men. Throught the whole piece they talk about getting seperated from Britain. It was interesting to see wh this document actually said because I had never read it before.
Today we read an essay by Thomas Paine about why people should join the cause for seperating from Britain. He said that "these are times that test men's souls." We had to decide of America is still facing gtimes that try men's souls. I said that we are because we are facing an econimic crisis, a war and are in huge debt. People are tested every day. They need to get jobs, be seperated from their family members and pay big money for every day objects.
Monday, October 15, 2012
10/12/12 & 10/15/12
On friday we talked about
Today we heard about many differnt important revolutionary characters from my class amtes. Everyone gave a presentation. I learned about Betsy Ross, Benjamin Franklin, Ethan Allen and many others. It was interersting to hear about the weird things that no one knows about each person.
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Thursday, October 11, 2012
10/10/12 &10/11/12
Yesterday on October 10, 2012 we talked about who fired the first shot at Lexington. Was it the British or the Colonists? No one really knew. Both sides gave their opinion on who was the one to fire. We were set to decide if their sources were reliable or not. After watching a Tedtalks wideo about how the brain can fill in blanks that make sense to the human, I don't think a lot of the sources were reliable. The people just thought what they wanted to and believed whatever their brain told them.
Today on October 11, 2012 we looked at the Olive Branch Petition, Common Sense, and Plain Truth. When I was younger we were never taught about the people that didn't want to break away from Britain. I had Plain Truth and that is what the author wanted. There were many people who supported him. I liked to hear the counter-points of breaking away from Britain. They had good reasons like having the support of Britain and not being taxed as much becasue of the resistance.
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
10/5/12 & 10/9/12
On October 5 we talke about Paul Revers's ride. We learned that he was no the only one to set out on this ride and that the famous poem about that ride was false. Two other people went with hima nd even made it farther than he did. He ws captured while the others kept going. he gets all the fame becasue he was so famous already. That is interesting becasue I have always believed that it was only Paul Revere. That makes people want to check their facts agian.
This also came to play today when we watched a video about how some information can be false becasue your brain can lie to you. it can recall events that never happened. That plays into the American revolution becasue you it can be seen from different perspectives of the war. This was nice to hear becasue it was funny to hear about how your brain can lie to you.
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
9/28/12 & 10/1/12
On Friday, September 28, 2012 we talked about the 13 colonies. It was weird how they were so differnent. The people came from different places with different religions and cultures. They had different industries and different economical statuses. It was interesting to see how different our country was then which makes me think anout how it's different know.
Today, on Monday, October 1, 2012 we talked about George Washington adn the French/Indian war. I never knew how the king and the colonists got mad at each other in the first place but I learned that today. It was because the colonist were upset that they couldn't go to the west of the Appalachain Mountains in the land that they fought so hard for and won. I can see why they were upset because they had people that were killed to win the land and now they couldn't even have it. Was that fair?
Saturday, September 29, 2012
Thursday, September 27, 2012
9/26/12
Yesterday, on September 26, 2012, we all participated in EdCafe. We wentt around in groups and talked about the first amedment. it was that people have the freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly, and petition. It was interesting to hear about what each part had to do in our society. I was shocked that though the governmetn had no power to punish anyone who used these amendments, the institute could. For instance if I was in school and I said I was going to kill someone, the school could punish me but i could not go to jail becasue I didn't act on it. All of these work together to form the basic rights of man. For example, if you were to right a petition to the governmet saying that you wanted everyone in the United States to practice this new religion you came up with, you were using all of your rights. You were using the freedom to petiton by creating the pettition; the freedom of peaceful assembly by getting everyone together to sign it; the freedom of speech by voicing your opinion; the freedom of press by writing what you want on the document; and the freedom of religion by deciding you were going to practice your own religion. All of these freedoms are coming together and i think its good that the people have these freedoms.
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
9/17/12-9/18/12
Yesterday in class, on September 17, 2012, we talked about the issues of teh Executive Branch. In history there were many differnet ideas about who we shoul have for a president, how long they were president, what they could do, etc. Ideas like teh Virginia Plan thought that we should have more than one president that should be in power for more than one year adn were ineligible to run again. That plan would give the president the power to create laws. It was interesting to see how the creators of the government had completely different ideas of how our country should be lead. With only one president it made you consider what it would be like with more than one.
Today, on September 18, 2012, we talked about how the whole government works together. Each branch checks itself with another. For example, the Legislative Branch can come up wiht a Bill that the Executive Branch has to approve. The law then needs to be passed by the Judicial Branch and put into action. Everything goes through the government sometimes multiple times to make sure it is what they all want.
Today, on September 18, 2012, we talked about how the whole government works together. Each branch checks itself with another. For example, the Legislative Branch can come up wiht a Bill that the Executive Branch has to approve. The law then needs to be passed by the Judicial Branch and put into action. Everything goes through the government sometimes multiple times to make sure it is what they all want.
Friday, September 14, 2012
9/13/12-9/14/12
Yesterday, on September 13, 2012, in history, we talked about the constitution. I learned that when they were making the constitution, they had to make a lot of compromises to make everyone happy. I never knew that before so I guess I always just assumed that these men met and just wrote down the ideas they had. It's normal that that many people would all have different ideas but I never really thought about it. It was interesting to learn about how each side had to make hard decisions in order to get along with the other,
Today, on September 14. 2012, we spent all period talking about what assignments we had do. There are so many assignments that it's hard to keep track. I liked that we took the time to go over them and put them in order but then we all realized that there were even more assignments that we were going to be given that day. I think we were all a bit angry. Since we spent the whole period I'm a bit more organized but I'm still a little overwhelmed with all the technology.
Today, on September 14. 2012, we spent all period talking about what assignments we had do. There are so many assignments that it's hard to keep track. I liked that we took the time to go over them and put them in order but then we all realized that there were even more assignments that we were going to be given that day. I think we were all a bit angry. Since we spent the whole period I'm a bit more organized but I'm still a little overwhelmed with all the technology.
Monday, September 10, 2012
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Items That Represent Me
The fisrt item I would pick to represent myself would be a soccer ball because I basically live for soccer. I play 11 months of the year for high school and a club team. I spend most of my time playing and practicing to get better. it is my number one sport. I know all the rules and right ways to play.
I would also pick a plane because traveling is what I love to do. I'm curious about other countries and the way their populations live. I like to compare my life to theirs and imagine being in their shoes. I also like to see all the amazing things in the world that people have built and that nature has done itself. I want to see all the beautiful sceneries out there.
And for a third item I would pick a wave to represent the beach. I live at the beach and I absolutely love it. It is so peaceful to here the waves and just lie in the sun. Going to the beach is an excuse to do nothing all day except read, sleep, play games and swim.
I would also pick a plane because traveling is what I love to do. I'm curious about other countries and the way their populations live. I like to compare my life to theirs and imagine being in their shoes. I also like to see all the amazing things in the world that people have built and that nature has done itself. I want to see all the beautiful sceneries out there.
And for a third item I would pick a wave to represent the beach. I live at the beach and I absolutely love it. It is so peaceful to here the waves and just lie in the sun. Going to the beach is an excuse to do nothing all day except read, sleep, play games and swim.
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