Preamble, Natural Rights, Independence and Grievances

For this blog post, you are going to complete a short activity with a partner.  Work together to reconstruct the Declaration of Independence using the phrases/sentences below.  The outline below shows the 4 parts of the Declaration of Independence and what each part is for. You will see a set of statements that are in the Declaration below. Decide which section each

statement belongs in and piece the Declaration back together!

Part 1: Preamble

• An introduction explaining why the Declaration is being written.

Part 2: Natural Rights

• The colonists explain the rights of people and the role of government power.

Part 3: Grievances

• A list of the colonists’ complaints.

Part 4: Resolution of Independence

• The colonists declare their independence from Britain.

Use the top four words in all caps as the headers for each of the four categories and then organize the following in order. You will (unfortunately) need to retype each of the "cutouts" and everyone does have to post this to their blog (not just one person in the group)  Thanks and Good Luck!!

A Thinking Man (or Woman)

As we have discussed, the emphasis in Inherit the Wind is the power of the individual to think.  For today's post, prove that you are a thinking man!  Do you simply conform to everything your friends say or do?  Are you absolutely content with the way things are in the world?  In this post I would like you to prove that you are a thinking man or woman.  First, what choices are you making right now in your life that you are committed to.  Secondly, think of one (or more) things in our society that you are unhappy with or you think needs to be improved!  What is that thing and how would you change it!

Thank you for your THOUGHTFUL :) response!

The RIght to Think

Good Morning!  We have a block day today and an opportunity to definitely finish the trial portion of Inherit the Wind, if not the entire play!  On Tuesday, an important part of the trial took place in which Drummond stated that the right to think is on trial.  What did Drummond mean when he made this statement?  Do you think that the right to think is important in our world today?  How important is it?  What would our world look like if we were all expected to have the same beliefs?  Feel free to elaborate on this topic.  I look forward to reading your responses and hope to hear some of your opinions before we continue with the play today!   Thanks!

Tuesday 9/24 - Beginning the 2nd Half of the 1st Quarter :)

Good Morning and Happy Tuesday!


Today is a current event day, however, because I will be at a conference for school next Tuesday you are all off the hook this week and nobody has to present.  Regardless of whether you were or were not scheduled to present an article today, take a moment to share an interesting or important news story that you are aware of that recently took place.  In addition to your short summary of the article, please share with the class why it is of particular importance to you, your community, our state, etc.

Thank you!  After you have completed the post, please login to Schoology where you will find a short series of questions that will get you ready for the next scene in Inherit the Wind!

Shoreline Lake and the End of the 1st Progress Period

Good Morning!!  

Part I:  Yesterday we spent the morning and Shoreline Lake in Mountain View as you all know.  Just for the sake of clarification, what was the purpose of that field trip?  Did you enjoy the trip?  What was your favorite moment of the day?  Next year, what would you change about the day?  Anything?  If there is somewhere else or another activity that you think we should consider, feel free to include that too.

Part II:  Can you believe that Friday marks the end of the first quarter progress report period?  That means that for the first time this school year your grades get printed by admin and sent home!  I am sure that all of you want to make sure that you are in good standing in all of your classes and off to a good start!  On the block day this week we will have a study hall.  2 questions.  1.  What does a study hall mean to you?  What would you establish as the requirements for you and your classmates?  In addition, what are some things that you would work on during this time on Wednesday/Thursday?

Thanks for your thorough, thoughtful responses to all of the above and Happy Tuesday!

Inherit the WInd Act 1, Scene 1

 

Good Morning and Happy Friday :)

Yesterday we began reading Inherit the Wind which provides an account (historical fiction of course) of what happened in the Scopes Trial in 1925.  Having read the very first part of the play, you are given an illustration of the town and its people.  Describe the town of Hillsboro where the town takes place in your own words.  How do you picture the town in your head?  What are the people like and how would you compare this type of town to the one you live in? Can you think of a town that you have been to that might be similar to the one described.  How are they similar? Different?

Thanks and we will get started in just a moment :)

A Good Day to Discuss Current Events!

Good Morning and Happy Tuesday!

This morning, as you know, we will be hearing from your classmates on a variety of news topics.  Explain why you believe it is important to stay up to date with the news.  Within that response, please highlight topics you are most interested in and/or the topics you feel are most important to be aware of and why.

Please be thorough with your response (5-8 sentences).

Thank you!

Mr. Rubin

Adjusting our Focus Today!

Good Morning and Happy Monday!  It's great to be back at school with all of you today!!  I am also very excited for the next segment I have planned for our Semester!  Today we are going to begin our unit on a fantastic play called "Inherit the Wind," a play which focuses on the issues raised in the Scopes Trial which took place in Dayton, Tennessee in 1925.

Over the past few weeks we have discussed Social Justice, some of the historical leaders of that movement, and how they have helped create great opportunity for many in our society.  We have also taken time to reflect on these individuals and analyze some issues you might feel still need to be addressed today.

For today's post I would like you to explain what power you believe the INDIVIDUAL has to change society.  Not the easiest question to respond to (especially on a Monday morning) but as part of your response please explain whether you believe one person has the power to change society? Why or why not? Give as many thorough examples as possible!

Thank you and, again, Happy Monday!