Special Note: JHMS Student Council and Honor's Society are participating in a clothing and toy drive for the tribal members of the Wind River Reservation. Starting Monday, December 3rd until Tuesday December 18th, anyone wanting to make donations may bring new or lightly used Toys (no electronics please) and clothing, with an emphasis on Winter clothing. Thanks for sharing/helping!
All of Mr. Wells' classes will be holding a friendly competition. The class with the most donations to the above mentioned drive will get a cookie party! Students/parents, be sure to bring donations by Mr Wells' room before bringing them into the bins. Together we can make this drive a success!
Week of December 10th:
This week students will identify the ideological roots and the initial events of the American Revolution -- One of the most important in World History!
Monday: Students will be acting out the events of the Boston Massacre -- an event that shook the foundations of colonial America. With the help of a Junior Scholastic student play, students will leave class being able to describe the growing ideological chasm between Great Britain and her independence minded American colonies.
Tuesday: A fun activity that puts students in the shoes of colonists who were not represented in British Parliament. Students choose roles from a jar -- colonist, tax-collector, member of parliament, or the King. They receive M&Ms in equal number. They lose them as tax laws are drawn up by the members of Paliament. History replays itself as the King gets richer, tax-collectors get attacked and colonist revolutionary spirit grows! We then preview information for the following class.
Wednesday: Students read aloud in small groups Thomas Paine's enduring "Common Sense" pamphlet. As a class we then brainstorm stylistic aspects that allowed this essay to deeply move the middle and lower colonial classes. Finally, we begin to read and rehearse a play that brings the author, Thomas Paine, to life. Students will leave class with a better understanding of American revolutionary sentiment, as well as being able to identify the very first battles of the revolution.
HW -- Study for the quiz! Use notes from Monday's class as well as the text -ch. 5 sec. 1
Thursday: There will be a quiz. Students will demonstrate their knowledge by comparing colonist complaints and the British point of view leading up to the outbreak of the Revolution.
Students begin the examine the Declaration of Independence, focusing on how this living document influences their own lives and changed the world. Declaration activities begin with an identification and overview of the main sections of the document: What does each part accomplish? A 12 minute video walks students through these sections, and provides examples of how they impact lives of middle schoolers today.
Please check in for updates and activities on Friday.