World War I Debates

The final project for my 8th grade Social Studies class was to complete a World War I debate.  As an alternative assessment to a standard test, the debates forced the students to dig deep into specific topics.  Each group of 3 was given 6 different topics they could debate.  The topics were:

• Should the United States have entered World War I?  Pro/Antiwar arguments
• Was the League of Nations a good idea in theory?  Why did it fail?  What is nation building?
• Was the instituting of a draft to secure troops fair to American men?  Was it the only way?
• Were there reasons to go to war like helping the economy that pushed the U.S. into WWI?
• Was the Treaty of Versailles too hard or not harsh enough for Germany?
• Should there be laws banning certain types of weapons during warfare?

I created a rubric where the groups were graded on 6 different components.  The components consisted of the following categories:

• Quality of information
• Debate rebuttal
• Use of facts/statistics
• Presentation style
• Organization
• Understanding of Topic

Each group spent considerable time using primary resources, their textbooks, research in the computer lab, and notes from lectures.  They also added their own insight into the debates and added unique names for themselves or news stations they were reporting for during these debates.  Needless to say and despite arriving back from our class trip the day before, the class was prepared and ready for their debates.  It was a wonderful moment to spend my last class with a special group of hard working 8th graders before their paths into high school.  Below are video samples that had excellent point and counter points that my students recorded in class.

Spring Sports Teams

The Spring sports seasons came to a closure this week.  The softball team started the season slow but with extra practice and solid commitment finished the year strong.  With a large group of students who had not faced this sort of competition, they certainly played like experienced players.  Although the team was eliminated in the second round of the playoffs, there were numerous positives to come out of the season.  The 6th grade class had excellent attendance at practice and at games and by sticking together will have a bright future.  Three-run home runs in the first playoff game by George Rendon and Ivan Delgado sparked a rally and a comeback win.  Great pitching all season by 7th grader Paul Hayes gave us consistency on the mound.  Overall, the players improved their fundamentals and worked hard to get better each and everyday.  I hope for more success next season.

 

Our first year in the St. Stans Volleyball league proved to be a success.  The team improved greatly from the start of the season to the end by practicing hard and with a purpose each day.  A close 3 game match in the championship game resulted in 15-13 loss and an overall 2nd Place Finish.  Many of the 8th grade girls will have solid careers ahead of themselves in high school and I look forward to following their success as they move on.

Pullman Field Trip

Two of my favorite eras of history are The Gilded Age and the Progressive Era.  I was fortunate to teach both units this year with my 8th Grade Class.  They were so passionate about learning about the growth of corporations and the labor movement.  One final thing I wanted to do was take them to the Historic Pullman Neighborhood in Chicago where many significant events occurred in the course of Chicago's history and America's as well.  The neighborhood is on Chicago's far south side and took us all the way to 111th St.  The Pullman Rail Company was one of the most famous Company Towns in American history.

 The Pullman Co. Today

The Hotel Florence was named after George Pullman's favorite daughter.  Today, it is in the restoration state but still looks marvelous.  The exterior is well maintained and the historic district designation will keep it there as long as nature allows it to stand.  Below, students enjoy walking in the billiards room and the smoking parlor, where businessmen would often meet and have cigars.   The original railing still shows the remnants of burn marks.  Also, an original metal sign, today worth thousands on reality shows like American Pickers is ready to be displayed.  The final pictures show the dining hall with an original fireplace and stained glass window.

Historic home renovations line the streets of Pullman.  The home to the right recently won an award for being historically accurate in size and color.  Due to historic district status, remodeling work on the exterior has to be done to certain specifications.  The Pullman Co. purchased paint in bulk in the 1880s to save money, thus most homes during that era had red and green paint and were leased to employees.  These 3 story homes are very popular for families and are reasonably priced in today's real estate market.

The Green Stone Church was the local place of worship in Pullman.  The Green Stone is a rare stone once found in Pennsylvania where the Pullman Co. originally started.  The stone today no longer exists.  It is also extremely brittle and therefore does not enjoy the Chicago winters.  The stained glass window looks amazing from the inside.

 

A mural at the Pullman Visitors Center shows an original luxury rail car and the labor history with European immigrants, African-Americans, and residents of Illinois. 

Science Fair

The 3rd Annual Science Fair came to a closure last week.  The amount of effort, time, and detail students put into this event was phenomenal.  So many of our wonderful students took great pride in their displays as well as being able to succinctly and professionally present their experiments to judges, teachers, and parents.  The 7th Grade class again excelled in their commitment to high quality work.  The deciding factors for the top 3 places were very close and every student was close to placing.

Below, Ashley Aguilar stands by her Co-1st Place Project and fellow Co-1st Place recipient Niuyen Garcia shows Ms Graber how to use his experimental equipment.

Paul Hayes and Jonathan Garcia are prepared to present their work to the school community.  Paul and Jonathan earned 2nd and 3rd place awards respectively.

Special thanks to Mrs. Garber for setting up a wonderful show and to our parents who came out on Thursday evening to support their children.  It was a wonderful event.

Underground Railroad Codes

The 5th Grade class is wrapping up our unit on the Civil War.  During our unit, we discussed how slaves often tried to escape to the North.  Students questioned how this was possible knowing that many had very little education nor people they could rely on.  Our textbook gave us a little background information on codes that slaves used.  I enhanced this by playing Swing Low, Sweet Chariot for the class and asked them to decipher any messages they thought might be sung in this song.  The students were able to pick up on subtle hints from the song.  I also displayed quilts or blankets on our screen that showed examples of work that had codes sewed on to the top.  The class then set out to create their own quilts with hidden messages, using at least 8 quilting squares to write a code.

In this picture, Noel Perez, Joel Marcial, Mia Vazquez, Arianna LaSalle and Carlos Mendoza show their coded messages for all to see.

Some of the messages were done extremely well and were completed with historical accuracy.  The class had to decipher what the students meant with their symbols on their quilts.

Here are some close up images of the fine work done by the 5th Grade class.

Poetry Cafe

Our 1st Annual Poetry Cafe was a rousing success!!  Once again, my homeroom put in an excellent effort and had numerous entries into the competition.  Overall, the 7th Grade class had multiple students place in the contest, including sweeping the Haiku portion of the middle school contest.

Below, Bryan Barocio reads his 1st Place Haiku, while classmates Ashley Aguilar and Isai Lopez look on after receiving their 2nd Place and 3rd Place awards respectively.

Anny Solano reads her "Shape" poem for the school that won her 1st Place.  Nia Curiel stands to the far left after receiving her 3rd Place award for her "Shape" poem.

Greek Mythology

To close out the Greece unit, the 6th grade class dressed up as Gods and Goddesses.  They were to perform a skit, act out their super powers, or give the class a 1-2 minute speech on their character.

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Kenneth Munoz shows off his passionate, tough face of Poseidon 

Here the 6th grade class performs a skit on the many wives of Zeus.  One goddess was upset that she did not know her mother.  Zeus actually went to see a counselor to discuss his immoral ways.  A creative, insightful, and real life adaptation of Greek Mythology! 

 

Below, Denise Godoy gives a speech about her Goddess, Aphrodite.

 

 In this video below, Leslie Arias describes Athena, The Goddess of Wisdom.  Look at the detail in her costume!!!