Because the RULES are the only thing WE got

Earlier this week we started comparing and contrasting the Lion King with Lord of the Flies while focusing on the following: State of Nature, Natural Rights, Tyranny/Absolute Power, Consent, Conscience, Social Contract EXTRA CREDIT OPPORTUNITY! As we continue our study of the Foundations of our government,  watch the clips again located in the LIVEBINDER and Read More…

Abolitionist Ambition: An End to Slavery

How did slavery and the slave trade end? Students will examine steps people took to resist the injustice of slavery and the obstacles they endured. Use the lesson below to analyze people’s words and deeds and the cause and effect relationship between events. Share your TEXT to TEXT, TEXT to SELF, and TEXT to WORLD Read More…

Happy 2nd Bday, Blog!

http://bit.ly/H9IcL6 Anthony in D pd reminded me that our blog was 2 years old.  Thanks, Ant! 😀 He suggested we celebrate!  Mr. Z and his classes celebrated their blog’s 1st birthday by adopting a virtual pet for their blog, a pig, named Don.  Visit Mr. Z’s 8th grade Math blog to meet their virtual pet Read More…

WHaT iS CoNSTiTuTioNaL GoVeRNMeNT?

Animal Farm by George Orwell is an allegory. What is an allegory and why would an author use an allegory to tell a story? EXTRA CREDIT OPPORTUNITY: Read Animal Farm and leave a comment on this post responding to the following: Summarize the book in 1 paragraph. Select 3 characters and make connections to our Read More…

Dear Mr. Reza Sayah…

In our lesson, “Don’t Shoot the Messenger,” students examined similarities and differences between John Peter Zenger and his modern day counterparts. By studying the words and deeds of John Peter Zenger, students furthered their study of Freedom of the Press and made connections to modern day journalists, Danny Pearl and Reza Sayah. Additionally, Reza Sayah’s Read More…

Yelling FIRE! in a Crowded Theater?!

Pictionary helped us brush up on our knowledge of the Bill of Rights in real life. Several drawings made us laugh out loud…Grant’s depiction of the 9th Amendment, Tommy’s depiction of the 8th Amendment, Arden’s depiction of the 10th Amendment, and Neil’s depiction of the 2nd Amendment stand out. The Bill of Rights Quiz is Read More…

He LiVeS iN YoU – RaiFiCKi

Can citizens expect RIGHTS without assuming RESPONSIBILITIES? EXTRA CREDIT: Respond to the question above or share your connections & pop culture by posting a comment. Last week we began our study of the RIGHTS & RESPONSIBILITIES Students made connections to modern day scenarios and explored similarities & differences between historical, fictitious, and present day MODELS Read More…

S Ta Te oF Na Tu Re

This week we continue our study of the Roots of our Republic and Applying Knowledge to New Situations.  We viewed the scene from The Lion King that depicts Mufasa’s death. Respond to the following question by leaving a comment or respond to a previous comment to get a discussion going.  How does this scene depict Read More…