Hello.
I hope everyone is enjoying the Time article about France's cultural decline. Be sure to highlight and talk to the text as you read. Your notes will help when you are supporting your ideas during tomorrow's Socratic Seminar.
Extra Credit-
This will count towards raising your homework grade in the class.
Please, answer the questions in complete sentences on a separate piece of paper.
What role did Native Americans play in events leading to the War of 1812? Explain.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Holiday Gift Exchange
We will be having a "holiday celebration" the last day of class before break.
December 19 for 2-C.
December 20 for 2-A.
You will need to bring in a 5 euro gift for our holiday exchange. Please, make sure it is wrapped!! Also, the gift needs to be appropriate for a boy and a girl.
If you would like to bring in a snack, please do.
December 19 for 2-C.
December 20 for 2-A.
You will need to bring in a 5 euro gift for our holiday exchange. Please, make sure it is wrapped!! Also, the gift needs to be appropriate for a boy and a girl.
If you would like to bring in a snack, please do.
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Long Awaited Update
First, I want to apologoze for not updating this blog sooner.
Secondly, if you are in my advisory class and have not met with me yet, please send me an email, so we can confirm a date.
FYI -I have tried emailing many of you, but I seem to have the wrong addresses or you just don't want to email me back. I would like to think it is the latter.
michelesilvestri@yahoo.com
You should all be in the process of writing your SHORT one to two page description of the identity of the USA in the early 19th century (Describe the national identity of the United States during the Jeffersonian Era). It is due on Monday, December 10, for 2-C and Thursday, December 6, for 2-A.
Also, I hope you continue watching the news and/or reading the newspaper. There are SOOO many interesting and, some may say, important events happening around the world. For extra credit and to just keep you in the "current event loop", OOIP a recent political cartoon. Be sure to include your observations, outside knowledge of the subject and any inferences you are able to make. Don't forget to put it all together.
See you all soon. Have a good week!
Ms Silvestri
Secondly, if you are in my advisory class and have not met with me yet, please send me an email, so we can confirm a date.
FYI -I have tried emailing many of you, but I seem to have the wrong addresses or you just don't want to email me back. I would like to think it is the latter.
michelesilvestri@yahoo.com
You should all be in the process of writing your SHORT one to two page description of the identity of the USA in the early 19th century (Describe the national identity of the United States during the Jeffersonian Era). It is due on Monday, December 10, for 2-C and Thursday, December 6, for 2-A.
Also, I hope you continue watching the news and/or reading the newspaper. There are SOOO many interesting and, some may say, important events happening around the world. For extra credit and to just keep you in the "current event loop", OOIP a recent political cartoon. Be sure to include your observations, outside knowledge of the subject and any inferences you are able to make. Don't forget to put it all together.
See you all soon. Have a good week!
Ms Silvestri
Monday, October 22, 2007
DBQ Debate
We will be having our DBQ debate this week. You will be divided in to three pro and three con groups. You will have 45 minutes to prepare your arguments/counter arguments and opening/closing statements. Then, one pro and one con group will actually debate. The other groups will be the debate judges.
We will also begin current events this week! I hope you are all reading the newspaper or watching the news!!
Don't forget the essay is due the first day after break. For those of you who hand it in before Friday at 5:00, October 26th, I will give you extra credit on your overall homework grade.
We will also begin current events this week! I hope you are all reading the newspaper or watching the news!!
Don't forget the essay is due the first day after break. For those of you who hand it in before Friday at 5:00, October 26th, I will give you extra credit on your overall homework grade.
Monday, October 15, 2007
DBQ Essay
Your DBQ essay is due on Wednesday, October 24.
Be sure to have a clear thesis statement and to include at least 5 documents to support your argument.
Citing a Document
Below you will find some helpful sentence starters. Feel free to use the same structure when you are citing your documents. It does not matter which structure you use, just be sure to use the same one throughout the essay.
According to the 1770s painting entitled "La Destruction de la Statue Royale a Nouvelle Yorck" by Andre Basset, . . .
In document 2, we can see that . . . (Declaration of Independence, 1776, Thomas Jefferson).
Be sure to have a clear thesis statement and to include at least 5 documents to support your argument.
Citing a Document
Below you will find some helpful sentence starters. Feel free to use the same structure when you are citing your documents. It does not matter which structure you use, just be sure to use the same one throughout the essay.
According to the 1770s painting entitled "La Destruction de la Statue Royale a Nouvelle Yorck" by Andre Basset, . . .
In document 2, we can see that . . . (Declaration of Independence, 1776, Thomas Jefferson).
Extra Credit
If you would like some extra credit, answer ONE of these questions and hand it in to me on Wednesday, October 17th. The extra credit will be added to your homework grade.
Why should we be concerned with biodiversity?
What does it mean to be an eco-citizen?
What concrete actions can we take in our community to protect the environment?
Why should we be concerned with biodiversity?
What does it mean to be an eco-citizen?
What concrete actions can we take in our community to protect the environment?
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
DBQ and Quiz
Just wanted to remind everyone that we will finish analyzing the DBQ documents next week. You do not have to complete them for homework.
Also, the quiz will be on WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 10. It will be short answer and you will be able to choose which questions you want to answer. However, there will be one mandatory question. You could probably guess what question that will be!!!
Also, the quiz will be on WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 10. It will be short answer and you will be able to choose which questions you want to answer. However, there will be one mandatory question. You could probably guess what question that will be!!!
Seconde Weekend
The two buses we have rented will be departing from the Chateâu d’Hennemont at 6:45 AM sharp on Friday, October 5. Our expected time of return is 7:30 PM on Sunday, October 7.
The list of items our hosts have asked us to bring is as follows:
Umbrella
Rain jacket
Rubber boots
Comfortable shoes
Slippers
Table napkin
Towel
Full pencil case
Paper
You will need to bring a bag lunch for Friday. We will be eating on the road!
The list of items our hosts have asked us to bring is as follows:
Umbrella
Rain jacket
Rubber boots
Comfortable shoes
Slippers
Table napkin
Towel
Full pencil case
Paper
You will need to bring a bag lunch for Friday. We will be eating on the road!
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
How Revolutionary was the American Revolution?
Hello.
On Wednesday, we will continue to look at the American Revolution. However, we will begin to analyze primary source documents from the 18th century. Using our prior knowledge and the primary sources, we will then decide if the American Revolution was in fact revolutionary.
This lesson will be your first DBQ (document based question), which means this will be your first essay.
I will talk more about this in class.
Have a good Tuesday!
On Wednesday, we will continue to look at the American Revolution. However, we will begin to analyze primary source documents from the 18th century. Using our prior knowledge and the primary sources, we will then decide if the American Revolution was in fact revolutionary.
This lesson will be your first DBQ (document based question), which means this will be your first essay.
I will talk more about this in class.
Have a good Tuesday!
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Liberty/Equality
Be sure to read chapter 21 (pages 691 - 696, up to the French Revolution) in McCay's book.
Take notes, from McCay's perspective, on liberty and equality. How does he define liberty? How does he define equality?
Also, don't forget to bring in an envelope and your writing on your strengths and weaknesses (eight different types of intelligences).
Take notes, from McCay's perspective, on liberty and equality. How does he define liberty? How does he define equality?
Also, don't forget to bring in an envelope and your writing on your strengths and weaknesses (eight different types of intelligences).
Sunday, September 2, 2007
Welcome to the new school year!
Throughout the year, I will post information on this blog about our class. You will be able to find assignments, due dates, suggested resources, and some Lycèe announcements. I will update the blog every 7 - 10 days.
If you need to contact me, however, please call the American Section and leave me a message at 01 34 51 74 85 or you could email me at michelesilvestri@yahoo.com. Please note, I check my email three times a week.
Below you will find some information about this class.
Content
This class explores the fascinating period of the nineteenth century in both the United States and Europe. We open the year by reviewing the American Revolution and then consider the birth of a national identity during the first decades after independence. We also explore several additional themes concerning the U. S. in the 1800s: the emergence of a stable democracy, the conquest of the western frontier, the origins, course and consequences of the United States Civil War and the emergence of modern America. The other subject to which we devote our attention is that of European history from 1789 onwards: liberalism, romanticism, nationalism and Marxism are among our principal themes. As starting in Seconde the American Section is expected to teach a portion of the French geography curriculum, we will also examine interesting issues related to demography and urbanization in the twenty-first century, thus adding an invaluable contemporary dimension to some of the historical phenomena being studied.
Texts
The main texts in Seconde are Alan Brinkley's American History, Rémy Knafou's Seconde Géographie: Occuper et Aménager la Terre and John P. McKay's, Bennet D. Hill's and John Buckler's A History of Western Society. Primary materials, what one historian has called "witnesses" of the past, also figure a great deal in our documentation. These sources range from literary texts to political speeches.
Objectives
The year has a number of pedagogical objectives. First, we aim to provide students with the background knowledge they require to excel in the challenging program of the Option Internationale du Baccalauréat. Second, we focus on developing four important skills students will also need in the future: practical skills, like the ability to take notes and to retain important information; research skills, such as the capacity to undertake personal investigations into significant questions about history; analytical skills, including the aptitude to determine what is essential concerning an historical development, to understand broad patterns in the course of history, to weigh the merits of contradictory opinions about specific events on the basis of the facts and to place historical documents in their original context; and expressive skills, like the ability to engage in discussion about history and, above all, to write structured, documented and persuasive research papers and essays.
Expectations
On the whole, students are asked to read 10 to 15 pages per week and to prepare the assigned passages for class discussion. Quizzes are given on a regular basis and papers are assigned as homework, but the bulk of our writing takes the form of research projects and essay exams.
Evaluation
Students receive grades out of 20: 16/20 corresponds to an "A" and 13/20 to a "B". Yet whatever the work, numerous factors enter into any given grade: the effort a student has made, the historical accuracy of what he or she has said or written, the extent to which each student has used important information, and the strength of his or her argumentation.
If you need to contact me, however, please call the American Section and leave me a message at 01 34 51 74 85 or you could email me at michelesilvestri@yahoo.com. Please note, I check my email three times a week.
Below you will find some information about this class.
Content
This class explores the fascinating period of the nineteenth century in both the United States and Europe. We open the year by reviewing the American Revolution and then consider the birth of a national identity during the first decades after independence. We also explore several additional themes concerning the U. S. in the 1800s: the emergence of a stable democracy, the conquest of the western frontier, the origins, course and consequences of the United States Civil War and the emergence of modern America. The other subject to which we devote our attention is that of European history from 1789 onwards: liberalism, romanticism, nationalism and Marxism are among our principal themes. As starting in Seconde the American Section is expected to teach a portion of the French geography curriculum, we will also examine interesting issues related to demography and urbanization in the twenty-first century, thus adding an invaluable contemporary dimension to some of the historical phenomena being studied.
Texts
The main texts in Seconde are Alan Brinkley's American History, Rémy Knafou's Seconde Géographie: Occuper et Aménager la Terre and John P. McKay's, Bennet D. Hill's and John Buckler's A History of Western Society. Primary materials, what one historian has called "witnesses" of the past, also figure a great deal in our documentation. These sources range from literary texts to political speeches.
Objectives
The year has a number of pedagogical objectives. First, we aim to provide students with the background knowledge they require to excel in the challenging program of the Option Internationale du Baccalauréat. Second, we focus on developing four important skills students will also need in the future: practical skills, like the ability to take notes and to retain important information; research skills, such as the capacity to undertake personal investigations into significant questions about history; analytical skills, including the aptitude to determine what is essential concerning an historical development, to understand broad patterns in the course of history, to weigh the merits of contradictory opinions about specific events on the basis of the facts and to place historical documents in their original context; and expressive skills, like the ability to engage in discussion about history and, above all, to write structured, documented and persuasive research papers and essays.
Expectations
On the whole, students are asked to read 10 to 15 pages per week and to prepare the assigned passages for class discussion. Quizzes are given on a regular basis and papers are assigned as homework, but the bulk of our writing takes the form of research projects and essay exams.
Evaluation
Students receive grades out of 20: 16/20 corresponds to an "A" and 13/20 to a "B". Yet whatever the work, numerous factors enter into any given grade: the effort a student has made, the historical accuracy of what he or she has said or written, the extent to which each student has used important information, and the strength of his or her argumentation.