Friday / Monday 28 / 31 October

Class began with a review of conclusion that can be drawn from the "Lincoln Documents."

Next the class viewed a short lecture on reconstruction. During this lecture students were asked to attend to the following concepts:

Presidential Reconstruction
President Andrew Johnson
Share Cropping
Radical Republicans
Civil Rights act of 1866
XIV Amendment
Black Codes
Carpet Baggers
Redemeers
Jim Crow

After the video lecture Mr. Zartler helped students understand each of the above.

Wed/ Thur. 27/28 October

Students were given an organizer to help them focus on the symbols, motifs, and themes in Kindred; the class took time to discuss and map connections among these.

The class then formed in expert groups on the "Lincoln documents" and compared and revised their initial analysis of the documents. Experts then analyzed the documents for gains and losses for people; groups; and ideas.

Next the class reformed and jigsawed the documents.

Monday/ Tuesday October 24-25

Class began with a debrief of the election of 1860 role play, including reviewing which cultural groups supported which candidate and why.

Classes engaged in discussion and analysis of the "Great Compromise" of 1787 and it's effects in creating the electoral college, and how the electoral college played out in 1860 as well as 2000, and 2012.

Next the class reviewed the first reading assignment in Kindred. Students were asked to show self-care as they read the novel which includes violence. Mr. Zartler asked students to refrain from using the "N-word" which shows up in the text during in-class discussion. Students were told that much confusion that is present in their minds at the end of "The River" would become clearer as the book progresses. Butler seems to be mirroring the confusion and disorientation of the protagonist for the reader.

Lincoln Jigsaw:

Students were broken into five expert groups. Each group was assigned 1 or 2 texts  from a collection built around changes in Lincoln's views between 1860 and 1865. Students were given time to analyze their documents to create a summary, and an analysis of message. Next class students will be asked to work in expert groups (groups of the "number" to further analyze the documents to verify their original findings and to consider if the document shows the "gain" or the "setback" of a group. Students will need to see Zartler for the handouts.

Zartler will have Ms. Robbins as a sub Wednesday afternoon.

Election of 1860

Here are the four candidates for President n 1860
















Election Results by state and territory

Thursday and Friday, October 20th and 21

Students were reminded that a major essay was due last class.

Students were given some time to finish preparing for their role in the role play of the Presidential Election of 1860.

The class played out their roles.

The class went to the library to check out the book Kindred. Students were given a book mark with the reading due dates as follows:

Kindred

Bookmark

Reading Schedule

M/T Oct 24/25

“Prologue” and “The River”

W/Th October 26/27

“The Fire”

F/M October 28/31

“The Fall”

T/ W November ½

“The Fight” Sec 1-5

Th/ F November ¾

“The Fight” Sec 6-16

M/T November 7/8

“The Storm” Sec.1-3

W/Th November 9/10

“The Storm” Sec. 4-13

“The Rope” Sec. 1-4

“Epilogue”

Monday and Tuesday October 17 and 18

Students began class by completing a self-evaluation of their Historiography Essay.

1) Answer this question: Why is understanding what Historiography is important to someone studying history?

2) Underline your thesis statement.

3) Circle where you use the term "historiography" and put a star in the right hand margin where this occurs (only necessary once).

4) Verify that you have full name, date,  Zartler/period and a title on the first page.

5) Using the scoring guide evaluate this essay and say whether it Meets; Does Not Meet; or Exceeds the standards. Be specific in regards the bullets in the scoring guide and specific in regards the text of your essay.

6) Given the evaluation above, what grade would you assign this essay, and why do you believe this grade is appropriate.

Exceeds (4)	Meets (3)	Does Not Meet (2 or 1)
Strong introduction with engaging hook that captures the reader’s attention Exceedingly clear thesis statement	Introduction includes thesis statement	Missing introduction (or uses definition in introduction) Thesis statement is missing or not demonstrable
Essay is compelling to read Transitions assist organization of essay	Organization of essay is easy to follow	Organization is clunky or ideas are difficult to follow
Demonstrates a sophisticated understanding of how historiography reflects bias or perspective in writing history through social class, gender, race, etc. Includes 4 or more pieces of textual evidence Analysis of evidence strongly supports claims made in thesis	Demonstrates understanding of the concept of “historiography” in the essay Demonstrates awareness of bias / ideological perspectives in writing history Includes 3 pieces of textual evidence Textual evidence is related to thesis	Little or no understanding of the concept of historiography 2 or fewer pieces of textual evidence Textual evidence doesn’t support claims or thesis.
Conclusion is clear and strongly demonstrates fluency with topic	Conclusion is clear	Missing or unclear conclusion that does not demonstrate an understanding of the topic
Few or no errors in conventions of standard written English	Some errors in conventions of standard written Englis	Several errors in conventions of standard written English

After turning in essays the class discovered the "Gains and Setbacks" of Reconstruction. Looking at Reconstruction is a "flash forward." After seeing some of the results of Reconstruction, the class looked back to the some of the major issues facing the country prior to the war.

The Missouri Compromise

The Missouri Compromise was basically eliminated by the Kansas-Nebraska Act:

The Kansas-Nebraska Act was passed by the U.S. Congress on May 30, 1854. It allowed people in the territories of Kansas and Nebraska to decide for themselves whether or not to allow slavery within their borders. The Act served to repeal the Missouri Compromise of 1820 which prohibited slavery north of latitude 36°30´.

This led to a state of civil unrest/ domestic terrorism known as "Bleeding Kansas" or "Bloody Kansas". Abolitionists (including John Brown) and pro-slavery people assaulted, fought, and killed one another in an effort to prevail in the vote on whether there would be slavery in the Kansas Territory.

John Brown and the raid on Harper's Ferry (Arsenal)

John Brown, in an effort to instigate a revolt of enslaved people attacked and took over the Federal Arsenal at Harper's Ferry, VA. The general uprising he hoped to instigate did not materialize.

Dred Scott

Dred Scott v. Sandford, 60 US 393 (1857), also known simply as the Dred Scott case, was a landmark decision by the United States Supreme Court on US labor law andconstitutional law. It held that "a negro, whose ancestors were imported into [the U.S.], and sold as slaves", whether enslaved or free, could not be an American citizen and therefore had no standing to sue in federal court, and that the federal government had no power to regulate slavery in the federal territoriesacquired after the creation of the United States.Dred Scott, an enslaved man of "the negro African race" who had been taken by his owners to free states and territories, attempted to sue for his freedom. In a 7–2 decision written by Chief Justice Roger B. Taney, the court denied Scott's request. The decision was only the second time that the Supreme Court had ruled an Act of Congress to be unconstitutional. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dred_Scott_v._Sandford)

Wednesday/Thursday Oct 12/13

Students were reminded of the paper due next class. Students had a chance to ask questions about the paper.

The class discussed the concept of "Zero Sum Game" as an introduction to the Reconstruction Period.

Students then were given a chart to analyze Gains and Setbacks for various groups in the reconstruction period in the categories of Social; Political; and Economic.

Monday and Tuesday/ October 10th and 11th

Class had a discussion about "civility" and problem solving.

Students turned in the rough drafts of their essays. Students reviewed the scoring guide, and identified their thesis; topic sentences; and evidence prior to reading their paper to a small group for feedback. Each group identified powerful quotes; super strong theses; great definitions of historiography; and examples of connecting evidence to the thesis; these strong exemplars where shared with the class.

Mr. Zartler reviewed embedding quotes (and paraphrases), and went over Chicago Style.

Thursday/ Friday 6/7 October

Students shared their poems in two voices.

Students wrote a self-evaluation of the poem that completes the statement: My poem ______ the criteria for the assignment. This self-evaluation gives specific information for each bullet in the rubric. Poem and evaluation were turned in.

Students then began pre-writing or drafting the culminating assessment for this unit (assignment posted below). A rough draft is due next class, and the final draft is due on the 17/18th of October depending on which day a student has class.

Living in the USA: Historiography Unit

Culminating Assessment

You have a choice of two topics on which to write an essay.  Regardless of which topic you write on, your essay will include:

            * awareness of bias or personal and ideological perspective in the writing of history

            * include supporting evidence from the materials provided in class (or from your own outside research)

Option 1:

Write a reflection / personal response essay to your previous history teachers or to your younger self as a student of history.  In your essay, show your understanding of the decisions that were made in the version of history you were taught, and what you think about that version now after having completed this unit.  Show your awareness of how personal bias (of time, politics, gender) has influenced your learning of history.

Option 2:

Write an essay on your previous experiences studying history.  In your essay, show how your learning history is an example of five degrees of separation from the event(s) being taught.  Show your awareness of how the decisions in writing the history of this event demonstrate personal bias (of time, politics, gender, social class) influenced this version of history.

Regardless of which option you choose, you may want to include responses to the following questions:

(1) Whose voices and experiences were part of your learning history?  

(2) Whose stories were told?

(3) Whose were left out?

(4) How were events portrayed?

(5) Who were the “winners” and who were the “losers”?

Your essay will include  at least three pieces of textual evidence from any of the materials we’ve read in class.  Final drafts will be typed, double-spaced in a Times New Roman or Palatino type-face in a 12 point size.  It will also include an introduction, a thesis statement and a conclusion.

Exceeds	Meets	Does Not Meet
Strong introduction with engaging hook that captures the reader’s attention Exceedingly clear thesis statement	Introduction includes thesis statement Thesis statement is clear and demonstrable	Missing introduction (or uses definition in introduction) Thesis statement is unclear or not demonstrable
Essay is compelling to read Transitions assist organization of essay	Organization of essay is easy to follow Essay includes transitions	Organization is clunky or ideas are difficult to follow Transitions are missing, awkward or inappropriate to topic of paragraph
Demonstrates a sophisticated understanding of how historiography reflects bias or perspective in writing history through social class, gender, race, etc. Includes 4 or more pieces of textual evidence Analysis of evidence strongly supports claims made in thesis	Appropriately uses the term “historiography” in the essay Includes 3 pieces of textual evidence Textual evidence is related to thesis	Little or no understanding of the concept of historiography 2 or fewer pieces of textual evidence Textual evidence doesn’t support claims or thesis.
Conclusion is clear and strongly demonstrates fluency with topic	Conclusion is clear	Missing or unclear conclusion that does not demonstrate an understanding of the topic
Few or no errors in conventions of standard written English	Some errors in conventions of standard written English	Several errors in conventions of standard written English