US History Class

I gave everyone the (pink) Quarter 2 Objectives with a list of key concepts and terms, but if you need more help, print out this document and use it to study.

2Q test review guide 2011-12

Planning my slide show

Here’s a chance for extra credit: make a slide show about the experience of a particular group of soldiers in World War II.

The slide show must use images from the Atlantic’s World War II In Focus site or from the Library of Congress sources on World War II only. Your slide show must have ten slides: five with images and five with writing, to tell the story of one of these groups: Japanese American soldiers in the 442nd Regiment; the Tuskegee Airmen; the Triple Nickels; or Navajo Code Talkers.

You can find out about the group of soldiers online, in books, or in your textbook, but all the words you write must be your the story of the group in your own words, not copied or pasted from any other source. You may quote from soldiers’ letters that you find at this site, if they help you.

At the end, add an eleventh slide with a URL-link to each source (images and text) you used to make the slide show (that means, 6 or more links: one for each image and one for each place you found information).

You can use PowerPoint, Presentation, or an online slide show site, like Flixtime, to make your slide show. Email the document or the link to the online slide show to me at dschneider [at] tusd [dot] net.

This is due on Monday, November 28 by midnight.

U.S. Propaganda Poster from WWI

Here’s your writing prompt for homework:

Make the timeline of the four events (the war begins, the Lusitania is attacked, the Sussex Pledge is made and broken, and the Zimmerman Note is revealed) and mark an X on the timeline where you think America should have declared war. If you think America should have stayed neutral (isolationist) through the whole war, just mark “Neutral” near 1917 on the timeline.

Then answer this question (don’t forget to answer all the parts) in one paragraph:

Explain what you think America have done and when. Support your claim with evidence from the textbook and documents we studied (recorded in your notes) and the images we studied in class (also in your notes). You can click on the hyperlinks here to see the documents and images.

The Price of War

We’ve started a unit on wars of the 20th century. We start with an overview sovereignty and human rights, then learn the four foreign policy positions most countries follow. Students are required to learn about all four:

• Isolationism (staying out of other countries’ business)
• Collective security (working with other nations to prevent, resolve conflict without fighting)
• Internationalism (getting into conflict on one side, to help and to take care of national interests)
• Imperialism (getting into conflict to exploit weaker nations and build national interests)

Then, at the end of the unit, they’ll attend a round-table conference where they debate why one of them is the best role for the US to follow in the near future. All roles are equally correct as a possible answer; students are graded on how well they use historical evidence and examples to support their arguments.

We also spend some time on the Rules of war, a long tradition from religion, philosophy, and international law. Students find this part of the unit perplexing, because they can’t believe anything like war can have rules, and they see that the rules, written down in the last century, may not apply well to present-day situations in times of conflict.

I ask, Should there be rules in war? What are the reasons to make rules for war? What would be good rules? How should we judge a country’s conduct in war? Who should judge? What should happen if you break the rules of war?

I encourage students to journal and discuss their ideas, doubts and confusions on these questions. You might want to talk about this at home, too.  Look at the blogroll to the right under 2.1 Rules and Roles for War, to get more information. Feel free to email me if you have concerns or questions.

This way to the Extra Credit work!

Here are two extra credit opportunities. Remember, extra credit is doing extra work on what we are already learning. It is not doing an assignment instead of  the regular work. You must do your immigration assignments first, then this work, to earn the extra credit.

CHOICE #1: Your writing about Beyond the Border was the best writing you have all done in history so far this year. In Microsoft Word or a comparable word processing program, create a document called [Your Last Name][Your First Initial]BtB Response. If I was doing it, mine would look like this: SchneiderDBtBResponse.

Now type the Beyond the Border response I handed back in class on Thursday, September 22 onto that page. Proofread it carefully; use the spell check and grammar check in the work processing software to get it as correct as possible. Save it.

Then attach it to an email and send it to me at my school address (dschneider [at] tusd [dot] net). I’ll compile them and post them as a document here in the blog for others to read: your first history publication this year! You’ll earn 5 extra credit points.

CHOICE #2: This one is more work, but worth more points.

Check out this infographic about diversity in the classroom, made by the New York Times with information from the US Department of Education.

Using the pull-down menus on the left, find the data for California and then our county, San Joaquin. Read the graph with the San Joaquin data and make sense of what the graph is saying about the race and ethnicity of students in San Joaquin County classrooms.

Create five (5) statements that are true according to the graph. These statements should be about student diversity, trends over time, and how our county compares with California overall. Then create three (3) questions you would like to have answered about how immigration affects the diversity in our classrooms.

Post your FIVE statements and THREE questions here in the comments. Type only your FIRST NAME and your last initial so that you protect your identity online. I will read and approve the comments and you’ll see them on this site within about 24 hours after you post. This is worth 10 points extra credit.

I look forward to seeing your work! These must be sent or posted by October 7, at 5pm local time for credit.

Immigrants arriving on Ellis Island between 1880 and 1920

America has experienced three great waves of immigration. Who came during each wave? When were the waves? Is there one now?

To answer these questions, you’ll make and read a line graph. You need to use census data to find the graphing points. This census data shows how many people came from each country between 1840 and 2000. If you didn’t finish in class, you can find the data here to finish your work at home.

We have lots more to learn. Can you answer these questions?

• What pushed immigrants from their own home countries?
• What pulled immigrants into the United States?
• How did immigration laws change immigration?
• And what is immigration like today?

America's Flag and Colors

This quarter, we are creating our answers to this question: Does America Live Up to Her Ideals? We’re starting with America’s foundation, the founding documents that are the expression of our nation’s ideals.

We have been reading America’s founding documents (the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights) to discover America’s ideals. So far, we have have come up with freedom, equality, democracy and opportunity. Do those sound right to you?

Now we’re studying the historic events and political philosophies that influenced these ideals, that made us choose to follow the ideals of freedom, equality, democracy and opportunity. Next, we’ll figure out how well America has lived up to those ideals in the earliest years of our nation’s history when it comes to slavery, immigration, the Civil War and Reconstruction.

Here are the four questions you’ll be discussing in the final project’s “Civil Discussion.” You must use your notes and work we’ve done in class, but you should also click on the links for more information to help you do a great job.

1. Looking back, from 2010, which of America’s wars of the last 110 years were worth fighting and which ones were not worth fighting?
2. Nuclear weapons: How should America deal with other countries who have (or are developing) nuclear weapons?  Here’s a podcast about it.
3. Terrorism: How should America deal with terrorism? Here’s a podcast about it.
4. Foreign Policy: When, specifically, should the US commit its young men and women to go to war?

The podcasts are also available on iTunes.

Written by Alex T., in my 11th grade US History class. He was responding to this article:

Mihm, Stephen. The Quest for Non Killer App. New York Times Magazine 38-43 July 25, 2004.
Stephen Mihm describes a new class of nonlethal weapons being developed by the Pentagon. The point of weapons such as the Active Denial System and the Mobility Denial System is to enforce and do battle without killing.
Also available online at: http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=668902791&sid=4&Fmt=2&clientId=417&RQT=309&VName=PQD

When it comes to non lethal weapons and if they work along side the “rules of war” made back during world war II ,I agree. From rubber rounds to pepper spray they are what they say non lethal, yes they cause pain, and leave marks but what’s important. Walking away with a few bruises, a good cut at the most or being dead or injured beyond repair? But the word non lethal comes in many subs kinds. For example we have goo that if placed on the ground no matter the terrain will stop all, both transport and personnel on the ground, it can slip out every vehicles and is easy to use. A another tool that is used is a large truck called the Active Denial System (it looks like a squat satellite dish)  and what the system does is gives of a soldiers who posted as angry rioters and thrown tennis balls to mock rocks. When the trooper at the controls hit the button the first in the path of the beam turned, howling in shock as the burning sensation and turned off running. The others follow behind as the radar turned on them.  But all in all as I see the tools used to be non lethal can also be switched for the real thing. But a weapon that can toggle between settings is a good weapon. Example a round that has a built in electric shock bolt, another that is pepper spray balls. And like you all ready know rubber bullets. Each tool is used and have saved lives. So when it comes down to the grinding stone non lethal are what they are, NON lethal! And save lives as they work to stop the target. Its almost like the mother who stops the bigger brother from picking on the little brother, instead of a harsh rebuke just a rubber slug that knocks you flat on your butt. So yes Non lethal is the mother who puts you in your place. And like I have said before they are under the rules of war from my opinion.

This blog entry was prepared by Andrew W., in my 11th grade US History class. Enjoy!

The Triple fighting nickels

The 555^th infantry company was know as the triple fighting nickels was activated in December 1942 by advisory committee on negro troop polices. Even they were trained in engaging the enemy the triple nickels never saw combat in world WW II . The triple nickels were not needed during the fight in Europe and in the pacific, but they did answer the call from the nation to put out fires in wooded areas in the western hemisphere caused by Japanese balloon bombs. In total the fighting nickels had 36 fire calls, 1200 individual jumps and one death caused by jumping. On 1947 two years after world war two the triple fighting nickels were deactivated and were put into the 505^th infantry company. The triple nickels were a significant part in world war 2 not only because they were involved in world war 2 but because it proved to many people during the war that blacks can become part of the American military and do as good of a job as another white company could.

The Triple Nickels ready for a jump

Tuskegee airman

The Tuskegee airmen was activated on 1940. It consisted of six different fighting and bomber squadrons. The two squadrons that stuck out the most in world war two were the 332^nd fighter group and the 477^th bombardment squadron. What made thos two companies stick out is they had minimal lost and saved many lives during there tours in Europe On the spring of 1944 more Tuskegee airman was ready for combat in North Africa and Italy. The 332^nd fighter squadron fighter groups escorted the 15^th heavy bombers over German held Czechoslovak, Austria-Hungary, Poland, and France. Because the 15^th air raid was only filled with defenseless b-25 bombers it was the 332^nd’s job to protect them from intercepting German planes gave the Tuskegee airman the name red tail angles because they painted there airplane tails red and they protected the b-25 bombers like angles . In 1946 the Tuskegee air corps was deactivated because now the military was no longer segregated