Testing, Testing, Testing

  

This week we had to duck and weave to accommodate NECAP, NWEA, and AP testing as well as field trips.  This is a busy and exciting time of the year as we count down to the last few classes so please take extra care in making sure you make up missed work.  You have 5 days from an excused absence to come before or after school to make up quizzes or other assessments.  Don’t count on advisory time as rehearsals, special events, and even closed periods seem to be dominating these last few weeks.

We started the week with your accountable talk activity.  We used an UpFront article on race and its role in college admissions and a Newsweek article on Obama’s impact on race relations.  The purpose of these readings was to get you to think about the Civil Rights Movement and its impact on race today.  History is not a series of isolated events but rather a complex mosaic of people, events and trends that impact us today.  Students who took the time to do the reading and fill out the 3-2-1 (3 big ideas, 2 connections, 1 question) found this activity beneficial. 

You also handed in your final assessment for the Civil Rights unit.  You had four options to select from and a rubric. Giving you choice and an extended period of time should have set you up to earn lots of points.

We then moved on to look at the election of 1960.  John F. Kennedy, a Senator from Massachusetts was running against the incumbent Vice President Richard Nixon.  JFK encountered many obstacles in his race for the presidency.  He was young, inexperienced and a Catholic. Religious affiliation is important to many voters and in 1960 many were concerned that a Catholic president could feel pressure from his church to make certain decisions.  JFK spoke against this idea forcibly and assured all Americans that he would abide by the Constitution.  Religion today has come into the debate as Governor Romney; the assumed Republican candidate for President is a Mormon.  Many voters have concerns over his beliefs and how his religion might influence his decision making.  Nixon, had his obstacles as well, and they were highlighted during the first televised debates.  Nixon appeared tired, nervous, and did not project a polished image.  On the other hand, JFK was tanned, rested, and knew how to use TV to his advantage.  The election was won by only 120,000 votes.

Your text reading “The New Frontier” spoke about JFK’s interest in space exploration and reviving the economy.  He also wanted to have Congress pass Civil Rights legislation.  Some classes got to look further into these issues as we did our carousel activity…working in groups and travelling around the room to post your responses to questions.

We watched a video on the career of JFK and a short clip from the History Channel on his assassination.  Some of you have selected this event for your oral history.  This event captured the entire world…in the US schools and businesses closed and everyone gathered around the television for the next 4 days to watch round the clock coverage of the events in Dallas through to the funeral at Arlington National Cemetery.

You had an announced quiz on JFK.  If you missed the quiz, please come by ASAP.

LBJ

With the assassination of JFK, his Vice President Lyndon Baines Johnson is sworn into office in Dallas on Air Force One.  A master legislator, LBJ quickly moves to get Congress to act on the Civil Rights legislation as a way to honor Kennedy’s legacy. Robert Caro, a historian that has written extensively on LBJ, has just come out with volume four “The Passage of Power” that chronicles LBJ from 1960-64. We will use a review of this book written by President Clinton.  Working in groups and using guiding questions we will try to discover the strengths and weaknesses of LBJ.

Oral History Project

You should be making progress on your oral history project.  By now the research and development of questions should be done.  While the project is not due until the week of May 21, you have lots of activities over the new few weeks…do not wait till the last minute.  This is your major project for fourth quarter.

Interterms

This coming week we will be updating our status of assignments sheets.  Interterms are due this week.  We want to keep all of our papers organized as they will be very useful when we prepare for our final exam.

Honor Roll

Congratulations to all who made the Honor Roll.  This morning as I was drinking my coffee, I read the long list of student names listed in the Newport Daily News.  You will never regret working hard to earn not only good grades but to master the skills you will need out in the world.  The habits of hard work never go out of style.

Mother’ Day

In 1915, President Wilson designated the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day.  Julia Ward Howe, author of “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” and a former summer resident of Portsmouth, introduced the idea of honoring mothers in 1872.  Howe believed that by honoring mothers we would also be honoring peace.  Mothers play many different roles in our lives and over time our perceptions of these roles can change.  Last year CNN did a piece on the questions everyone should ask their mother.  They are well worth thinking about, so I have given you the link to the article.