Mr. Murray and Ms. Colter's U.S History and Government iBlog

U.S. History

Good afternoon everyone,

I hope you’re having a great week so far. I’m sorry for the late post today but here are a few important things for today:

Free Meal Pickup Provided by Dearborn Public Schools:

Starting today (March 17^th), Dearborn Public Schools will offer free pickup breakfast and lunch to all of our students at any of following six school locations: Fordson High School, Dearborn High, Edsel Ford High School, McCollough/Unis Middle School, Salina Intermediate and Woodworth.

The grab-and-go meals will be available from 10 a.m. to noon from now through April 3^rd. Hopefully they will extend it over spring break (April 6^th through 10^th)

This is a great resource and if it can be useful to your family any child age 18 or younger is invited to receive a meal. Be sure to bring your younger siblings along with you so you can all have enough to eat.

Today’s Article:

Here is our article for today titled How Japan and the U.S. Remember World War II by Isaac Chotiner. Please take a few minutes to read the article and ponder the differences in how our two nations view the impact of the war.

Click on the link below to access the article: https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2016/05/the-u-s-and-japan-have-very-different-memories-of-world-war-ii.html

Remind 101 Information:

I’m sure that you have already downloaded the Remind 101 app for your mobile device. In order to receive reminders from Ms. Colter and myself please text the following message @769a2g to 81010.

Have a great day,

Mr. Murray and Ms. Colter

U.S. History

Good morning everyone,

I hope the weekend has treated you well and that you found the article on Pandemics throughout History an interesting read. I wanted to touch on a few things that you might be wondering about:

First, regarding school closing here is what our district website is saying:

School Closing Information-UPDATE

District Public Hotline for questions and support from 9-4pm (Monday to Friday) is  313-827-3006 or email is communications@dearbornschools.org

All Dearborn Public Schools will be closed for students effective immediately, March 13, 2020. This is a result of Governor Whitmer’s order to close all K-12 school buildings, public, private, and boarding, starting Monday, March 16 until Sunday, April 5.

Dearborn Public Schools spring break will take place from Monday, April 6 through Friday, April 10. Students will return to school on Monday, April 13, 2020.

Second, Remind 101 Access Code:

I’m sure that you have already downloaded the Remind 101 app for your mobile device. In order to receive reminders from Ms. Colter and myself please text the following message @769a2g to 81010.

Third, classroom expectations for remote learning:

Over the next few weeks until we can attend school again, I will be posting assignments in accordance with the district’s expectations for remote learning which means that I will be posting daily articles this week relating to various aspects of our WWII legacy. I am asking that you take a few minutes out of your day to read the article and ponder its significance. On Friday I will post a small reflection assignment that you can email to me by Monday. As a social studies class Ms. Colter and I want to support you in your goal of having an SRI score of 1200 (roughly the reading level of an 11^th grader during the last half of their junior year) and providing you with relevant articles is a great way to support you. Now, as the next few weeks provide us with clarity to the state and district’s plans, we might offer alternative assignments or a more rigorous curriculum but we’ll cross that bridge when we get there.

Our article for today is titled: At 98, D-Day Veteran Medic Returns to Normandy To Remember A Generation’s Sacrifice by Jay Price.

Click on the link below to access the article: https://www.npr.org/2019/06/06/730126155/at-98-d-day-veteran-medic-returns-to-normandy-to-remember-a-generations-sacrific

Finally, take care of what is important:

This should go without saying but during the next few weeks make sure that you are not only taking care of those around you but that you are taking care of yourself. Set goals for yourself that will help you be a better person and develop a sense of pride in the young man or woman that you’re becoming. Focus on staying healthy but come back to school in a few weeks a better version of you than I have met before who is ready to work and close this year out right. But most importantly get plenty of rest, wash your hands after touching your face and don’t cough on anyone!

Have a great day,

Mr. Murray and Ms. Colter

Good morning everyone!

With Dearborn schools closed until April 13^th,  it is important that you stay active reading and working on PSAT/SAT prep. Over the next few weeks I will be posting reading links as well as SAT prep links. Please check the blog every few days for resources. Be safe, rest and take care of those you love!

Warmest regards,

Mr. Murray

Reading Link: Pandemics That Changed History

U.S. History

Monday-3/09/20:

• Bell Work-1. What is Geraldine Snyder’s (the speakers) job at the beginning of the passage and why was it important? 2. Imagine that you were one of Geraldine’s nieces or nephews and you just learned about your aunt’s experience during WWII. What might be two or three questions that you would ask her? 3. How would you have handled the pressure of the feverish pace of the work days during WWII? Do you think you would have been able to keep up with the demands of war?  
• Attendance-While Class is Doing Bell Work
• Presentation-How to Write a Claim-Thesis Statement-Supplemental Power Point-2020
• Writing Activity-Should we have dropped the atomic bomb? (Day 2)

• Primary Source Notes (Part I) and Argumentative Writing Piece (Part II)

• Daily Objective-

• Content Objective:
  • SWD evaluation of the justifiable reason and criticisms behind the decision to drop the Atomic Bomb by explaining why they feel it was the right or wrong decision to drop the bomb in an argumentative essay guided by a set of Cornell notes
• Language Objective:
  • Students will read and state their opinion on the justifiable reason in addition to the criticisms behind the decision to drop the Atomic Bomb by creating a set of structured Cornell notes and using that to help them write an argumentative essay defending one of the two positions

Supplemental Materials: Presentation-How to Write a Claim-Thesis Statement-Supplemental Power Point-2020 and Writing Activity-Should we have dropped the atomic bomb?

Presentation-How to Write a Claim-Thesis Statement-Supplemental Power Point-2020

Writing Activity-Should we have dropped the atomic bomb?

Example of a solid opening paragraph for your essay:

• Following the defeat of Germany President Truman was faced with the difficult decision on how to end the war with Japan. After learning about the Manhattan Project Truman realized that he had the power of the atomic bomb at his disposal. The United States decision to use the atomic bomb was …(insert claim here)

U.S. History

Friday-3/06/20:

• Bell Work-1.) Based on the information contained in the chart above please name the five nations who lost the largest number of soldiers during WWII? 2.) How would information like this be useful if you were an international organization like the United Nations trying to decide where to send financial aid for rebuilding following WWII? 3.) Based on the information contained in the chart what do you think might have happened to the United States had they joined the war prior to the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941?  
• Attendance-While Class is Doing Bell Work
• Video- Hiroshima: Dropping The Bomb-Hiroshima-BBC (4:12 min)
• Writing Activity-Should we have dropped the atomic bomb? (Day 1)

• Primary Source Notes (Part I) and Argumentative Writing Piece (Part II)

• Daily Objective-

• Content Objective:
  • SWD evaluation of the justifiable reason and criticisms behind the decision to drop the Atomic Bomb by explaining why they feel it was the right or wrong decision to drop the bomb in an argumentative essay guided by a set of Cornell notes
• Language Objective:
  • Students will read and state their opinion on the justifiable reason in addition to the criticisms behind the decision to drop the Atomic Bomb by creating a set of structured Cornell notes and using that to help them write an argumentative essay defending one of the two positions

Supplemental Materials: Writing Activity-Should we have dropped the atomic bomb? (Day 1) and Primary Source Notes (Part I) and Argumentative Writing Piece (Part II)

*Remember you are only responsible for completing sections one through three on the primary source activity

U.S. History

Thursday-3/05/20:

• Bell Work-1.) Who do you think the intended audience of these WWII propaganda posters are? 2.) What might have been some of the motives given by the U.S. government for creating these posters? 3.) Imagine you were a woman of color hoping to better yourself during WWII. Describe how you might feel if you saw these posters that seemed only to appeal to white women? 
• Attendance-While Class is Doing Bell Work
• Presentation-Chapter 17-Section 3-War in the Pacific
• Video-The Doolitte Raid on Tokyo (1942): The US Strikes Back | Battle 360 | History (6:19 min)
• Notes-Chapter 17-Section 3-War in the Pacific
• Daily Objective-

• Content Objective:
  • SWD analysis of the ethical and strategical issues surrounding the use of the atomic bomb as a method of forcing Japan to surrender by interacting in a short presentation and creating a set of student-centered guided notes
• Language Objective:
  • Students will listen, read and record the ethical and strategical issues surrounding the use of the atomic bomb as a method of forcing Japan to surrender through listening to a short lecture and creating student centered guided notes

Supplemental Materials: Presentation-Chapter 17-Section 3-War in the Pacific and Notes-Chapter 17-Section 3-War in the Pacific

Presentation-Chapter 17-Section 3-War in the Pacific

Notes-Chapter 17-Section 3-War in the Pacific

Textbook PDF-Chapter 17-Section 3-War in the Pacific

U.S. History

Wednesday-3/04/20:

• Bell Work-1.) Which ethnic group are the key figures being depicted in this political cartoon intended to represent? 2.) By looking at the title of the political cartoon and subject matter contained within it what can we infer the author Dr. Seuss believes might be the possible outcome following the people receiving the TNT (dynamite)? 3.) What do you think the author of the political cartoon is attempting to convey about Japanese Americans living on the West Coast following the bombing of Pearl Harbor?

• Be sure to include two ways that this cartoon shows racial prejudice towards Japanese Americans.

• Attendance-While Class is Doing Bell Work
• Video-48 Of My Comrades Are Buried There // D-Day 75 WWII Normandy Battlefield Return (6:58 min)
• Activity- D-Day: The Invasion of Normandy-Primary Source Document Expert Folder Activity
• Daily Objective-

• Content Objective:
  • SWD evaluation of the tremendous undertaking that the United States engaged in during Operation Overlord better known as D-Day through evaluating and interpreting primary source documents in an exploratory research activity
• Language Objective:
  • Students will read, record and orally discuss information pertaining to the personal possession and effects of the tremendous undertaking that the United States engaged in during Operation Overlord better known as D-Day by completing a set of guided inquiry-based questions based off documents contained within an expert folder

Supplemental Materials: Activity-D-Day: The Invasion of Normandy-Primary Source Document Expert Folder Activity

U.S. History

Tuesday-3/03/20:

• Bell Work-1.) Based on the elements contained in the political cartoon what issue is Henry Stimson and “John Q. Public” asking the President to resolve? 2.) Based on what we’ve learned regarding political propaganda what purpose might the signs being held by Henry Stimson and “John Q. Public” have in guiding Truman’s interaction with the media? 3.) What is your opinion of the way in which this cartoon is using political propaganda to shape the American peoples view of the U.S.’s decision to drop the atomic bombs? Is it a smart use of the media or something that could be considered morally reprehensible?
• Attendance-While Class is Doing Bell Work
• Video-WWII Vets Told US What D-Day Was Really Like-Vice News (7:26 min)
• Activity- D-Day: The Invasion of Normandy-Primary Source Document Expert Folder Activity
• Daily Objective-

• Content Objective:
  • SWD evaluation of the tremendous undertaking that the United States engaged in during Operation Overlord better known as D-Day through evaluating and interpreting primary source documents in an exploratory research activity
• Language Objective:
  • Students will read, record and orally discuss information pertaining to the personal possession and effects of the tremendous undertaking that the United States engaged in during Operation Overlord better known as D-Day by completing a set of guided inquiry-based questions based off documents contained within an expert folder

Supplemental Materials: Activity- D-Day: The Invasion of Normandy-Primary Source Document Expert Folder Activity

U.S. History

Monday-3/02/20:

• Bell Work-1.) According to the primary source what are two reasons E.B. Sledge gives for why the U.S. Marines felt hatred towards Japanese soldiers? 2.) What might be some of the possible outcomes that could result from this mutual hatred? 3.) Do you think that it is a good thing or a bad thing for a soldier in active combat to have a strong sense of nationalism (an intense loyalty to their country or a specific cause)? Is it possible to be both? *Please justify your response with a strong argument   
• Presentation-Chapter 17-Section 2-The War for Europe and North Africa  
• Article-Tuskegee Airmen-SSR Article-High-2020

• w/Meta-cognitive Log

• Notes- Chapter 17-Section 2-The War for Europe and North Africa  
• Daily Objective-

• Content Objective:
  • SWD analysis of the key battles in the Allied liberation of Europe by interacting in a short presentation and creating a set of student-centered guided notes
  • SWD analysis of the triumphant achievements of the Tuskegee Airmen during WWII by outlining an article and answering reflection questions
• Language Objective:
  • Students will listen, read and record information pertaining to the key battles in the Allied liberation of Europe through listening to a short lecture and creating student centered guided notes
  • Students will read, record and discuss the triumphant achievements of the Tuskegee Airmen during WWII by annotating an article and creating a meta-cognitive log

Supplemental Materials: Presentation-Chapter 17-Section 2-The War for Europe and North Africa and Notes- Chapter 17-Section 2-The War for Europe and North Africa

Presentation-Chapter 17-Section 2-The War for Europe and North Africa

Notes- Chapter 17-Section 2-The War for Europe and North Africa

Textbook PDF– Chapter 17-Section 2-The War for Europe and North Africa