History of Rock and Roll Lesson 3/2/15 - Detroit

In the history of popular music, some cities play a more significant role than others. New York and Los Angeles, by virtue of size, location, and proximity to the music industry, figure larger than anyplace else. In the midst of the British Invasion, London achieved a similar status. Nashville, too, carved out a special place, due to the fact that Country music's writers, performers, and most significant institutions settled there. New Orleans and Memphis, of course, are places with deep history that loom large. But out there in middle America are cities of real significance to the Rock and Roll story. Cleveland, Chicago, and Detroit are among them. Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin recounted the band's manager, Peter Grant, saying, ""If you blow it in Cleveland, you're finished. Don't even start." The heartland, for bands like Zeppelin, was a testing ground.

In this chapter, Detroit is singled out as a case study. Lessons will explore Detroit from a number of angles. The protagonists are diverse: John Lee Hooker, Bob Seger, Mitch Ryder, Berry Gordy, the Stooges, the MC5. In the age before the Internet, cities like Detroit could establish a regional identity that had its own logics. Artists could be stars in their region and almost unknown elsewhere, because radio and press were more regionalized. Bob Seger broke out as a major regional act well before he extended that reach with "Night Moves" and other national and international hits. Everything you needed was there at home, and every act that seemed to matter would come through.

A destination for African Americans coming north during the Great Migration, Detroit had a rich black culture that informed its Blues, R&B, and Soul offerings. And the quality of that music affected the white performers, from Mitch Ryder to Iggy Pop. The lessons coming in the second phase of this project will look at years in which a rich cross-cultural dialogue took place through music, with Motown Records, "The Sound of Young America," serving as a kind of emblem of what was possible. But they also look at the current status of the so-called "Rust Belt." So many years later, with the American auto industry largely gone, Detroit suffers. The city's music, whether that of the White Stripes or Eminem, has carried on, but never as it did in the golden age of the city's musical life.

Activity: 

1.  Read Handout 1: Detroit Job Description.  Based on the description, complete the chart, and the questions that follow.  

2. WATCH  1965 promotional video about the city of Detroit.  Then answer the questions below. 

• What image of the city does the video project? What words come to mind?
• How does the video use music to create a particular impression about Detroit?
• According to the video, what was the prosperity of Detroit built upon in the mid-1960s?
• What was the main industry in Detroit at this time?

3. LISTEN

“Hello, Detroit,” by Sammy Davis Jr..  Then, answer the questions below:

• What is the overall mood of the song?
• How does the song's image of Detroit compare with the image presented by the promotional video?
• Ask students why Berry Gordy might have been a Detroit "booster." 

Introducing Hard Rock - Assessment

1. Read Charles Shaar Murray's extended essay 
2. Based on that, write a three-paragraph description of Hard Rock's main features.  In other words, what are the main components of hard rock music?  What are the "essential elements?"  

History of Rock and Roll Lesson 2/12/15 - "The Roots of Heavy Metal"

ESSENTIAL QUESTION

What are the musical and cultural roots of Heavy Metal?

OVERVIEW

In the late 1960s, the British industrial city Birmingham was a blue-collar factory town with limited options for young people. In the early 1970s, the economic growth that Britain had seen after World War II began to slow, and unemployment started to rise. This period of economic decline continued into the late 70s and early 80s, marked by inflation, labor strikes, and general economic decline.

Black Sabbath, arguably the first Heavy Metal band, sprang from Birmingham and gave voice to this experience of desolation. As Andrew L. Cope writes in Black Sabbath and the Rise of Heavy Metal Music, "One cannot dismiss simply as coincidence that the dark, angry and serious forms of music evident in the early work of Black Sabbath seem to correlate to the . . . dead end, working-class factory life of the industrial Midlands." 

As have many other forms of Rock and Roll, Heavy Metal reflected the mood of disenfranchised youth on the margins of society. Metal in Britain grew out of the same conditions as Punk; speaking in a simlarly anti-establishment voice, both could be considered a form of protest music. But over time, Heavy Metal evolved into a musical movement that embraced escapism and fantasy in a way that Punk did not.

Musically, Heavy Metal has deep roots in the Hard Rock of the 1960s, and by extension in the Blues, as filtered through the work of such bands as Led Zeppelin and Cream. (It could be said that the factory life influenced the musical sound of Heavy Metal as well as its general tone: Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi's thick, grungy sound was the result of a factory accident in which a machine sliced off the tips of two fingers on his right hand. To compensate for his injured fingers, Iommi loosened the strings, resulting in a darker sound.)

While taking cues from Hard Rock, Metal took its musical ideas into new territory, where an emphasis on volume and distortion came to represent a vision of power that resonated deeply with Metal's overwhelmingly male fan base. In this lesson, students will investigate the musical and social roots of Heavy Metal, using their findings to write reviews of early Metal performances.

You will take on the role of music journalists from the early 1970s. You will write a review of an early Heavy Metal performance. You will begin by working to gain a better understanding of early Heavy Metal by visiting a series of stations that offer information about different aspect of Metal’s social and musical roots.

1. Review Handout 1: Questions for Viewing Stations. 
2. At your own pace, proceed through the stations below.  Answer the questions on the worksheet for each station.
   
   
   • Station 1: Videos of Metal's Early Influences—Hard Rock
     • Handout for Station 1
     • The Kinks, “You Really Got Me”
     • Marshall Amplifiers
     • Led Zeppelin, "Communication Breakdown"
     • Jimi Hendrix, "Purple Haze"
   • Station 2: The Working-Class Roots of Heavy Metal
     • Handout for Station 2
   • Station 3: The Influence of the Blues on Early Heavy Metal
     • Handout for Station 3
   • Station 4: Images of Birmingham in the 1950s and 1960s
     • Handout for Station 4

History of Rock and Roll Lesson 2/11/15

Hard Rock didn't emerge as something cohesive, something planned, or something immediately obvious in its musical-historical importance. As the epigraph above suggests, it began with something as unlikely as a knitting needle in a speaker cone. Only in retrospect did it appear that significant events had taken place that together led to something deserving of a name. And the name it got was "Hard Rock." By that time, however, the Kinks, widely celebrated as having given the movement its birth moment with "You Really Got Me," were exploring other musical territories. They may have set things off, followed by the Who with "I Can't Explain," but another group represents Hard Rock's dramatic entrance better than either of those British acts: the Jimi Hendrix Experience.

This lesson presents Jimi Hendrix and his band as a Hard Rock case study. In contrast to British groups like Cream (which featured Eric Clapton, a former member of both John Mayall's Bluesbreakers and the Yardbirds, on guitar) and Led Zeppelin (featuring former Yardbird Jimmy Page), Hendrix came out of the American Rhythm and Blues scene. But as a member of that scene, he was not a solo artist or a celebrated member of a group (as were Clapton and Page) -- he was as true sideman, in the shadows. Hendrix, then Jimmy James, played guitar for the Isley Brothers, King Curtis, and Little Richard, among others.

Importantly, though Hendrix's later style would go well beyond what he did as an R&B sideman, he would always retain a little of his musical past in the rhythmic approach he took to "lead" guitar. In a song like "The Wind Cries Mary," one can hear a rhythm guitar player raised on Soul and R&B, no matter that the guitar is featured, front and center, in a way that would be unusual on a Soul or R&B recording.

This lesson will consider the manner in which Hard Rock pushed overdriven, distorted guitar to the front. It will contrast an R&B style, often driven by keyboards and horn sections, with Hendrix's "Purple Haze," where the guitar takes center stage, with only drums and bass as accompaniment. The lesson will also explore the way Hendrix was received -- not as a journeyman from the world of R&B, but as a phenomenon that seemed to arrive as if from nowhere.

1. Read Peter Jones' 1966 review of Jimi Hendrix and his band. Consider Jones describes what he hears and sees in the Jimi Hendrix Experience.
   • What adjectives does he use to convey a sense for what Hendrix's sound is like?
   • Is it loud? Is it dance music? Is it similar to that of any other performer?
   • If you don't know Jimi Hendrix's work, can you determine, based on the article, what it might sound and look like?
   • Do you get any sense for Hendrix's past as a sideman?
2. Watch a clip of the Jimi Hendrix Experience playing "Purple Haze."
3. Once the clip has played, answer  the following questions:
   • After seeing and hearing Jimi Hendrix play, would you suggest to Peter Jones anything he could do to make his review more accurate?
   • What are the featured elements in the music and in the performance?
   • How is Hendrix's approach with "Purple Haze" different from the approach of Steve Cropper, the guitar player with Sam and Dave?
   • If Jimi Hendrix had played and performed as he did here while backing Little Richard, what do you think Little Richard might have said?

History of Rock and Roll Lesson 2/9/15

Here is your assignment for today.  You will need your headphones to complete the first part. 

1. Listen to Chuck D’s group Public Enemy perform “Fight the Power.”  This song, released in 1989 by Motown Records, is an example of how “Social Soul” songs of the early 1970s had an impact on later Hip Hop tracks.  Similar to “Freddie’s Dead,” “Fight the Power” was composed as a soundtrack for a film.  In this case, it is Spike Lee’s Do The Right Thing which explores racial tension and the inequity of urban life in Brooklyn, New York.  After listening, answer the following questions:

• Chuck D, the founder of Public Enemy, describes the influence of Curtis Mayfield during the interview you watched earlier.  How is “Fight the Power” similar to Mayfield’s “Freddie’s Dead”?
• Think about the three songs we've listened to; "Fight the Power," "Freddie's Dead," and "What's Goin' On?" Which of the three songs is most important to you?  Which one can you identify with the most?   What do you like about the song in terms of its music, tone, and emotion?  How does it convey its message? 

2. Read Handout 6: Kerner Report.   After reading the Kerner report, answer the following questions. 

• What does the Kerner Report identify as the cause of civil unrest in American cities? 
• The Kerner Report famously states “Our nation is moving toward two societies, one black, one white—separate and unequal.”  Think about your own community today.  Do any recommendations made in the report still apply today?  Why or why not?
• How does this report relate to what you have learned regarding African-American life in the ghetto during the late 1960s and early 1970s?

History of Rock n Roll Lesson 2/4/15

Part I: 

To gain a deeper understanding of how these themes reoccur in Soul music, you will play the full video of Marvin Gaye performing "What's Going On" for a benefit in 1972 (the song was released the previous year, in 1971)  When the President of Motown Berry Gordy first heard the track, he did not want to release the song. He generally wanted Motown artists to steer clear of making political statements. But Gaye insisted and prevailed. Gaye’s lyrics to this song were partly inspired by stories from his younger brother, Frankie Gaye. Frankie had returned from a three-year tour of duty in Vietnam and would often share with his older brother about the atrocities he had seen there. 

After watching the video, and listening to the song, answer the following. 

• What historical events do you think are addressed in “What’s Going On”? Do you see any links with the events described in the Gallery Walk? 
• Refer back to the Handout 2: Marvin Gaye Lyric Comparison  As Marvin Gaye stated, “With the world exploding around me, how am I supposed to keep singing love songs?” What did he mean by this?

Part II: 

You will be listening to the song, "Freddie's Dead," written, and performed by an artist named Curtis Mayfield. This song was originally released in 1972 for the soundtrack of the film Super Fly.  The song depicts a character in the movie that meets his untimely death after dealing drugs.

Carefully read  Handout 5: “Freddie’s Dead” Lyrics.  Play the video of Curtis Mayfield performing “Freddie's Dead” in 1973. Based on the song and the lyrics, answer the following:

• Where do you think Freddie lives?  From the text of this song, what do you think his life is like?
• Does this song make you think of a particular historical event from the Gallery Walk?
• Consider Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On.”  How are these songs similar?  How are these songs different?  Think about their musicality, along with their message and tone. 

Part III: Summary 

Chuck D was the founder and leader of the groundbreaking Hip-Hop group Public Enemy.  Listen to a  clip from 2008 of Chuck D discussing the influence of Curtis Mayfield and "Freddie's Dead".  After listening to Chuck D's interview...

• Describe the impact of “Freddie’s Dead” on African-American communities living in urban America, according to Chuck D.
• As Chuck D states, “It was almost like [Curtis Mayfield] was the soundtrack to our everyday lives.” What do you think he means by this?

History of Rock and Roll Lesson 1/30/15

ESSENTIAL QUESTION

How did changes in the Soul music of the early 1970s reflect broader shifts in American society during that time?

OVERVIEW

The early 1970s were an unsettling time in America.  The nation was divided about U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War, and Americans were still reeling from the 1968 assassinations of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Sen. Robert F. Kennedy.  Race riots in cities like Watts, Newark, and Detroit indicated a high level of tension and frustration. During the Civil Rights movement, African Americans had fought hard for equal rights, but in the early 1970s, many of those rights were still unrealized.  Not surprisingly, the Soul music of this era, according to Hip Hop pioneer Chuck D, was “darker,” reflecting national tensions. 

Motown recording artist Marvin Gaye addressed some of these realities with his album What’s Going On, speaking directly about Vietnam and the political upheaval of the time.  Meanwhile, Curtis Mayfield, who with his group The Impressions had recorded the hopeful Civil Rights-era anthem “People Get Ready,” began producing new songs that captured the raw facts of ghetto life.  When Mayfield released the soundtrack album for the movieSuper Fly in 1972, it seemed to epitomize the direction in which music was moving.  The age of Funk was coming. “The groove was so thick you had to get with it,” recalls Chuck D.  Though Hip Hop would not enter the picture until the late 1970s, this period of “Social Soul” in the early 1970s was planting the seeds for Hip Hop’s deep groove and social awareness.
In this lesson, students will examine photographs, live recordings, video interviews, and a government report in order to learn about the historical and cultural context of the Soul music recorded in the 1970s.

Activity #1 

Marvin Gaye was a celebrated Motown recording artist who pushed musical boundaries during his career.  An extended Marvin Gaye biography is available on our site.  You will be listening to two songs from Marvin Gaye, and carefully analyzing the lyrics to those songs.  

1. Play “How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)” released in 1964, and “What's Going On” released in 1971.

2. Carefully read  Handout 2: Marvin Gaye Lyric Comparison 

• Compare and contrast the two songs.  Are they similar in any way (e.g. vocals by the same artist, recorded for the same label)?  How are they different?  Think about their musicality, along with their message and tone.
• Note the dates the songs were released.  Can you identify any historical events that transpired took place in between the release of these two songs? 

Activity #2 

In this lesson, you will examine photographs, live recordings, video interviews, and a government report in order to learn about the historical and cultural context of the Soul music recorded in the 1970s.

1. Carefully study the photographs by clicking on the following link
2. On looseleaf, or in your notebooks, carefully answer the following questions, as contained in the following worksheet. 
3. Write a reflection, based on the following questions: 

• Are there any historical events that you learned about for the first time today?  Are there any events from the late 1960s that surprised you?
• Which photograph has the biggest impact on you and why?
• What common themes could you come up with in your groups?  How are these stations related, if at all?

History of Rock and Roll Lesson 1/26/15 and 1/28/15

"Say it Out Loud."

Today's lesson focuses on the evolution, and growth of "soul music" in the late 1960's and 1970's.

Please click here for a link to today's lesson.  You may answer the questions on looseleaf, or download the file to your google docs file.  Please finish the assignment by the end of the period.  If you do not finish by the end of the period, you must finish the assignment for HW, and email it to me, at michael.tesler@wjps.org.  Thanks!

Day 2: 1/28/15 
1. Read  Handout 2: Biography of James Brown
2. Answer the questions below.  You may answer them on looseleaf, or create a google doc.

1. According to the author, what effect did the release of “Say It Loud” have on Brown’s career? How did Brown react? 
2. Why do you think it was important for Brown to make this record? Why was it important for the African-American community at that time?

3. Play the video James Brown, "Man to Man,"
4 . After watching the video, answer the questions below.  

• How does the audience react when Brown says, "I'm a man, a black man, a soul brother?"
• Does Brown seem to be conveying the same message that Smokey Robinson did in his interview? How is his message different?
• What do you think Brown means by saying he is struggling against the old "colored man" and replacing him with a "black" man?  
• How does Brown see his responsibility as an artist? Does he feel he has a particular responsibility to the African-American community? 
• Based on the song, the reading, and the video, how would you summarize the way Brown feels about himself as an African American?  

Day 3: 1/29/15
1. Play the video video of the interview with singer Harry Belafonte in 1967 and discuss:

• What is Belafonte's attitude toward the African-American community? How is his message similar to that of James Brown?
• Do Brown and Belafonte see themselves purely as entertainers? Do they see themselves as people whose job it is to simply make music to entertain African Americans and whites alike?  How does being African American influence the way they see themselves and their roles in society?
• How might the attitudes of Brown and Belafonte have been influenced by challenges to the Civil Rights movement and historical events between the early 1960s, when Motown and artists such as Smokey Robinson began recording, and the later 1960s, when dissatisfaction in the African-American community escalated into riots in places such as Los Angeles, California, and Newark, New Jersey, and the more militant political messages of Malcolm X and the Black Panthers became more popular? 

2. Read  Handout 3: Poetry Excerpts from Amiri Baraka and Nikki Giovanni

• What are the similarities between the poems and “Say It Loud.”
• What do you notice about the language and style of the two poems, as well as the language and style of the lyrics to “Say It Loud?" 
• Based on the language and style of the poems, and well as the language and style of "Say It Loud," what can you conclude about African-American self-expression?

3. Review the picture of  Diana Ross and the Supremes from 1966.  Compare it to a picture of Ms. Ross from 1968, 

• What conclusions can they draw from this dramatic change in Ross's look?

History of Rock and Roll Lesson 1/9/15

Learning Target: I will understand how artists have used musical events to promote change. 

In this lesson, we will investigate ways in which artists including George Harrison, Bob Geldof, and others drew on the experiences of the 1960s to harness the inherent power of musical performance to promote awareness and encourage activism. Students will look at the messages, methodologies, and historical contexts of both the Concert for Bangladesh and Live Aid and will refer to these events to develop a proposal for a benefit performance of their own.

Procedure: Here's what you have to do.  

1. Among the most celebrated examples of protest events is the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963.  View the clip of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivering the “I Have a Dream” speech. The March on Washington was one of the largest political rallies for human rights in the history of the United States. Estimates of the number of participants varied from 200,000 to 300,000.  Based on the clip, and your knowledge of history, answer the questions below, in your notebooks.

• Why was the March on Washington such an effective and memorable protest event? 
• How do you think attending an event like this would have felt? How would it have felt watching it on television?
• Do you think most of marchers and speakers shared a similar set of values?

2.  Carefully study the  images of the March on Washington (1963) and the  Woodstock Festival (1969).  Then, answer the questions below in your notebooks. 

• What do you notice about these images? 
• What do they have in common?
• What are some reasons people might have attended the March on Washington?
• What are some reasons people might have attended Woodstock? How might their reasons have been different than those of the marchers?
• Think back to the phrase used to advertised the festival – “Three Days of Peace and Music.” What kind of political values do you think the attendees of Woodstock might have shared?
• What does the photo of the Woodstock suggest about the popularity of live Rock and Roll music in 1969?

3.  Carefully watch the railer for the Concert for Bangladesh (1971).  George Harrison was a former member of the Beatles. This video is from a year after the Beatles broke up at the height of their popularity in 1970. Discuss as a class:

• At the beginning of the clip, how does George Harrison respond to the reporter who asks “Of all of the enormous problems in the world how did you choose this one to do something about?”
• While not shown in the clip we just watched, Harrison also said the following statement at the press conference announcing the Concert for Bangladesh:

“Ravi [Shankar] came to me and he said if he was to do a concert, maybe play to so many thousand people, but to the size of the problem, the money, the funds that would be made would just be so small. So that’s where I came on. I can generate money by doing concerts and by making albums.”

• As a former Beatle, why was Harrison such a valuable spokesperson?

History of Rock n Roll Lesson 1/7/15

1. Please watch clips of Vietnam War protests from 1969, which are taken from unedited, behind-the-scenes footage. 
• Write a short description of what appears to be going on in each segment of the video 
• note when and how music is used by the protestors.
2. While the nature and visibility of protests changed, antiwar sentiment itself was not new in the 1960s. 
1. listen to recordings of two popular songs from the World War I era, “Over There” (1917) and “I Didn’t Raise My Boy to Be a Soldier” (1915). Then, answer the questions below. 
1. How do the two songs present contrasting views toward the war? 
2. Which is more like the Saturday Evening Post cover in the motivational activity? 
3. Which has more in common with the protest songs of the 1960s?

History of Rock n Roll Lesson - "The Summer of Love"

Hello!

Here is your assignment for today, 12/5/14.

1.  Carefully review, or read the set of documents contained here.

2. After analyzing the documents, answer the questions that correspond to each document.  You can find the questions by clicking here

Here's a link to the movie trailer for document 5
 http://teachrock.org/lesson/the-san-francisco-scene-1967/

Good Luck! .

HW Assignments Week of 11/19

Hello, USH'ers:
Here are your HW assignments for the week of 11/18/2013.   As previously stated, with regard to Homework...

1.  It's assigned every night, even weekends! 
2.  It's due by the next class day, unless it's specified otherwise.
3.  It must be signed by a parent in order for you to get credit. 
4.  It must be completed in ink, on looseleaf paper, or can be computer printed.
5.  It is essential for your success in this class!


MONDAY NIGHT - 

1.  Carefully view, and take notes on the following lectures.  Each lecture is roughly 9 to 10 minutes in length.

Video #1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8TknXzKpCU

2.  Complete the  "Principles of Government Lecture Review" worksheet

Please watch the video carefully.  There's something VERY specific which I will be looking for, to make sure you watched it. 

TUESDAY NIGHT:  

View "Principles of Government Lecture #2"

2.  Complete the Worksheet related to the lecture

Here is the PowerPoint from Tuesday's (11/19) class




WEDNESDAY NIGHT: 
Watch the following video on "Checks and Balances"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rekVGf1Qns

Take notes on the video.  When you're done, complete the worksheet that corresponds to the video.  You can find that video by clicking here.  It will also be emailed to you.

THURSDAY NIGHT: DUE MONDAY

Complete the Reading Study Guide Packet on the "Living Constitution."  You can find the Living Constitution on pp. 152-173 of your textbook.

Please note that this HW will be collected, and graded as a quiz.  If you don't complete it, it's the same thing as getting a ZERO on a quiz.   

PLEASE CHECK YOUR WJPS EMAIL OFTEN FOR UPDATES.  

HW Assignments Week of 11/11/13

Hello, USH Students:

For this week's HW, you will continue the work we will complete in class on the "Critical Period" Video Quest.   A link to the folder containing all of the information regarding the assignment has been sent to your school email.

***IMPORTANT***

• The videos for this assignment seem to work very well with portable devices, such as iPads, iPods, tablets, smartphones, etc.  When using your computers, you may have to download the files, in order to get them to work.  You can delete them when you're done.  
• All of the information regarding the video quest has been emailed to you.  All of the files should be in your "shared with me" google drive folder.  
• You will need your headphones in class, every day to complete this assignment. If you have a smartphone, tablet, etc., it is advised that you bring that technology with you to class. It is very important that everyone utilizes their Personal Education Device (PED) for this assignment.
  
  You must also include notes on each video clip.

Please note the criteria upon which you will be evaluated.   

This assignment will count for 4.0 grade points (a major exam).  Failure to complete the assignment timely will result in a ZERO grade.  Your evaluation will be based on

1.  The accuracy, detail, and depth of your answers.  Each question should contain an answer that is a MINIMUM of FIVE sentences (a brief paragraph).  

2.  ANALYSIS - Did you just copy information from the websites, videos, and presentations?  Or, did you put it into your own words, and explain WHY this information is important?  

3.  Outside Information - Did you bring in information from other sources, not discussed in the videos, or other resources

4.  APPEARANCE - Is your assignment neat, and organized?  Did you computer print the assignment, or write it in your best handwriting?  Did you staple all of the components together?  

5.  COMPLETION OF TASK - Did you answer ALL of the Questions?  Did you include the RUBRIC?  Did you have a parent review, and SIGN your rubric?

PROJECT START DATE:
Tuesday November 12th, 2013

PROJECT COMPLETION DATE:
Monday November 18th, 2013

***IMPORTANT:  As the semester is ending very shortly, the assignment cannot be accepted after November 18th.  If you don't do the assignment, it's the same thing as getting a zero on a test***

UPDATE:  Here is a link to the entire video on SchoolTube.  




Here's the video on YouTube.   There's also an awesome app on Google Chrome called Video Notes, which will allow you to take notes while the video's playing.  Check it out!  

HW Assignments Week of 11/4

Hello, USH Students:

Here are your HW assignments for the week of 11/4/13

We are going to have two collection dates for homework this week, on Wednesday and Friday.   Please make sure that you attach the enclosed homework rubric to your homework on each day that it is collected.  Both assignments will be graded as quizzes.  Failure to complete either one would be the same thing as getting a zero on quiz; miss both, and it's like getting a zero on a test. 

All of the materials, with the exception of the video are available by accessing the following folder.  This folder previously was shared with everyone; please check your "shared with me" folder in your google drive.  

https://drive.google.com/a/wjps.org/folderview?id=0ByCiJPtXHAqEMWNhZGI1ZDQtNWMzOC00YzJkLTk1YTMtNzBmODk3OGNjMWI3&usp=sharing

Here's what you have to do this week.  

MONDAY NIGHT - 

1. Watch the Crash Course Video 

2. Take notes on the video.  Please note that the video moves very fast!  You will have to rewind it several times.  

3.  Complete the video worksheet.  

4.  Complete the Articles of Confederation Worksheet 

5.  If you do not finish the We The People Assignment in class, you must finish it for homework.  

TUESDAY NIGHT: Finish Monday's HW, to be handed in Wednesday 

WEDNESDAY NIGHT: 

1. Take Notes on the Chapter 5 PowerPoint 

2. Complete the Reading Study Guides for Chapter 5, Sections 1, 2, and 3 

THURSDAY NIGHT: 
Complete Wednesday's HW, to be handed in on FRIDAY

FRIDAY NIGHT: DUE MONDAY 

Complete the Chapter 5 Review.  You will need to be able to access the online textbook, or use the hard copy to finish this assignment.  

Good Luck!  

YouTube - Videos from this email

Revolutionary War Assessment #2 - Thematic Essay

Due Date - November 1st, 2013

American Revolution Thematic Essay 

Historical Context:  

Following the end of the French and Indian War, most Americans were proud, loyal subjects of the British Empire.  During the twelve years that followed, a series of decisions by the British Parliament and King (George III) convinced many Americans that they should fight for their independence. 

Task: 

Choose THREE (3) events that occurred between 1763-1775, and for each event...

• DISCUSS the historical background of the event.  You should use extensive facts, details, and outside information. 
• EXPLAIN in your own words, how the event contributed to the colonists' decision to declare their independence from England 

You may use any major event from 1763-1775.  Some suggestions you might wish to consider include: 

• Proclamation of 1763
• Stamp Act
• Townshend Acts
• Boston Massacre
• Tea Act/Boston Tea Party
• Intolerable Acts
• Battles of Lexington/Concord 

You are not limited to these suggestions.  

Guidelines: 

• All essays should be five paragraphs in length and include a well-organized introduction, body and 

conclusion.

• You must make an outline, and at least two drafts of your essay and staple your outline to the back of your essay. 

• All essays must include correct spelling, punctuation and grammar. 

• Please type your essay using 12 point font in either Times New Roman or Arial and double space. 

• You should use your notes to complete this assignment, no additional research is required.

HW Assignments Week of 10/21

Hello, RUSH/APUSH'ers: 

Here are your HW assignments for the week of 10/21/2013.   As previously stated, with regard to Homework...

1.  It's assigned every night, even weekends! 
2.  It's due by the next class day, unless it's specified otherwise.
3.  It must be signed by a parent in order for you to get credit. 
4.  It must be completed in ink, on looseleaf paper, or can be computer printed.
5.  It is essential for your success in this class!

For this week's HW, you will continue the work we will complete in class on the "Road to Revolution" Video Quest.  

***IMPORTANT*** 

• The videos for this assignment seem to work very well with portable devices, such as iPads, iPods, tablets, smartphones, etc.  When using your computers, you may have to download the files, in order to get them to work.  You can delete them when you're done.  
• All of the information regarding the video quest has been emailed to you.  All of the files should be in your "shared with me" google drive folder.  
• You will need your headphones to complete this assignment 

Please note the criteria upon which you will be evaluated.   

This assignment will count for 4.0 grade points (a major exam).  Failure to complete the assignment timely may result in a ZERO grade.  Your evaluation will be based on

1.  The accuracy, detail, and depth of your answers.  Each question should contain an answer that is a MINIMUM of FIVE sentences (a brief paragraph).  

2.  ANALYSIS - Did you just copy information from the websites, videos, and presentations?  Or, did you put it into your own words, and explain WHY this information is important?  

3.  Outside Information - Did you bring in information from other sources, not discussed in the videos, or other resources

4.  APPEARANCE - Is your assignment neat, and organized?  Did you computer print the assignment, or write it in your best handwriting?  Did you staple all of the components together?  

5.  COMPLETION OF TASK - Did you answer ALL of the Questions?  Did you include the RUBRIC?  Did you have a parent review, and SIGN your rubric?

PROJECT START DATE:
MONDAY OCTOBER 21

PROJECT COMPLETION DATE:
THURSDAY OCTOBER 24

LATE PENALTY: 

FRIDAY 10/25:  10 percent deduction

MONDAY 10/27: 25 percent deduction

TUESDAY 10/28: 35 percent deduction

***NO ASSIGNMENT WILL BE ACCEPTED AFTER TUESDAY, AND A ZERO GRADE WILL BE ENTERED***

HW Week of 10/14/13

Hello, RUSH/APUSH'ers: 

Here are your HW assignments for the week of 10/14/2013.   As previously stated, with regard to Homework...

1.  It's assigned every night, even weekends! 
2.  It's due by the next class day, unless it's specified otherwise.
3.  It must be signed by a parent in order for you to get credit. 
4.  It must be completed in ink, on looseleaf paper, or can be computer printed.
5.  It is essential for your success in this class!

TUESDAY NIGHT:  DUE THURSDAY 10/17/13
1.  LISTEN TO THE LECTURE "The Great Declaration"   READ THE LECTURE HERE
2.  TAKE NOTES ON SLIDES 5-9 from THE PPT BELOW


  
3.  COMPLETE THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE WORKSHEET

The Notes and Worksheet Will Be Collected on THURSDAY, along with WEDNESDAY NIGHT'S HW!  

WEDNESDAY NIGHT: DUE THURSDAY 10/17/13 
1. REVIEW CHAPTER 4 SECTION 2 IN YOUR TEXTBOOK.  
2. COMPLETE THE QUESTIONS ON PAGE 2 OF THE CHAPTER 4 STUDY GUIDE 

***Please Note:  You will be handing in both the Tuesday and Wednesday Assignments.  As such, you will be required to attach the HW rubric to these assignments.  Please review your WJPS emails for a copy of the rubric***

THURSDAY: 
Complete the "American Revolution DBQ" .  Answer all of the questions in detailed, complete sentences.   

FRIDAY: Complete any parts of the Chapter 4 Station Assignment that you did not finish in class.  DUE MONDAY 10/21/13.  You must include a checklist, and HW RUBRIC.  

Here's an AWESOME video that will help you review the causes of the Revolution!