Mrs. Slaviero's Blog

Students will be researching the leaders of the House and Senate in class tomorrow. It is very important for those of us living in America to know who the high-ranking members of the Legislative Branch are. The committees of both houses are also note-worthy and students will be investigating those, as well. My students and I have discussed Congress quite a bit lately and they are aware of the looming "fiscal cliff". I feel that this research will help students better understand the role this branch of government plays in America today and will help them to recognize the political leaders they see on the internet and television.

The decision to ratify the US Constitution after the Constitutional Convention was crucial to our country's history. Most people in the 1780s were either for ratification or against it and debate raged in the thirteen states for many months. The Federalists and Anti Federalists used many methods, including writing The Federalist Papers , to try to persuade citizens to accept their view points.   Students in my History classes have the same challenge as the Federalists and Anti Federalists had, with a modern twist.   Small groups will be creating "Facebook" pages (on paper, not the actual website) for the Federalist party or the Anti Federalist party and their main task will be writing a dialogue illustrating the main arguments for and against ratification.   Even though history sided with the Federalists the Anti Federalists had one extremely powerful counter-argument: the Constitution had to include a Bill of Rights. ...

Students today analyzed the need to change the Articles of Confederation by completing an activity called Compass Points. Students listed the worries of the A of C, anything that would excite them about the A of C (or changing the government), topics that they would need more information on in order to make a final decision and then groups finally took a stance on the issue. Analyzing material with activities like this allows students to delve deeply into a problem in order to make a solid decision.

George Washington wasn't at the battle of Saratoga but the American victory there was still a huge boost for the Continental Army he led. My students are writing a Twitter post (no more than 140 characters!) as if they are Washington and are announcing the victory. This is a great way for students to summarize information and they are having fun doing it. I will be posting some of their "Tweets" on my new Twitter account, @Mrsslaviero.

Tonight's Presidential Debate will allow viewers to see both Mitt Romney and Barack Obama discuss issues that are of importance to voters. This is the first of three debates scheduled in October. The Vice Presidential Candidates, Paul Ryan and Joe Biden, will debate next week. We will discuss the debate tomorrow in class.                        

This post has little to do with US History but everything to do with starting the new school year on a strong note. The link below will take you to an AT & T Commerical that ran during the 2012 Summer Olympics and reminds us all to never stop setting goals. What do you want to accomplish this year? http://www.nbcolympics.com/video/2012/congratulations-rebecca-soni.html

This year marks the 200th Anniversary of the War of 1812, also known as "The Second War of Independence". Michigan played an important role in this war and the US Navy will be commemorating the anniversary with several special events from September 4th-10th on the Detroit River. There will be tours of several ships, including an historic tall ship. I plan on viewing the ships--maybe I'll see you there! Here is a link for more information: http://www.ourflagwasstillthere.org/events/detroit-event/94-public/partners-places-and-events/events/344-citywebsite-detroit.html  Detroit Free Press Photo