Second Quarter
We began the new grading period with our document based question: "Valley Forge: Would you have quit?"Students analyzed documents such as diary entries, paintings and charts to gather evidence to support their position. In this question the word quit means: would you re-enlist in the army or not. The essay is five paragraphs long and it includes a thesis statement and document citations. Our students are preparing for AP classes in high school.
The Articles of Confederation was the first government after Revolutionary War and students discovered the weaknesses in this document through a gallery walk activity. They had to explain why certain items were in the AoC and the problems this would have caused. Example: There was no chief executive as citizens were afraid of another tyrannical ruler like King George III but this caused problems for the new country since there was no central leader.
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On May 25th, 1787 @ Independence Hall, Philadelphia, the Constitutional Convention convened to revise the Articles of Confederation. No one envisioned a new Constitution. Today, (11-12-09) students travelled back in time and debated the issuses as delgates to the convention. Why, even George Washington,Convention president, was in attendance. (Ably portrayed by Daniel Reyes, Curriculum Specialist)
