Week 7

We learned about the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence this week; that they were men of fortune and reputation that had a lot to lose by putting their names to the document. They definitely were not changing their government for "light and transient causes!" Reading and discussing the John Adams book helped to give us a little more insight into the impact the path to independence had on these men, and also the influence they had on their fellow colonists. Thank you, Lucy, for having some thought-provoking questions prepared for our discussion! I encourage you all to read and study more about these men, because the few minutes we spent talking bout them in class really did them little justice. You will find their stories are both humbling and inspiring...

"We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately."

 -Benjamin Franklin, encouraging the delegates to the Continental Congress to unite and vote for independence from Britain.

 

Here is a link to the video we watched in class for those who were absent:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qa8IdmKapYk

Assignments

Opinion Paper: What is more important: your family or your country?

Morning News Discussion: The presidential election is on Tuesday! Please pay attention to the results, and what predictions are being made about the election and the next presidential term so we can discuss this in class.

Presentations: Thanks to Paige for a great presentation on Continental soldiers (very creative use of Legos)! This week we look forward to hearing interesting presentations from Lucy on life as a prisoner and prisons, and from Dean on Francis Marion "the Swamp Fox."

Reading: Being George Washington by Glenn Beck is the next book we will be discussing, so please have it completed by January 5th. Everyone needs to prepare 2 questions or comments to share during book discussion. A good tip: while you are reading the book, jot down or underline anything you think is comment-worthy or anything you have a question about. It's that easy! Leila is the lucky scholar who gets the honor of leading the discussion for this book!

D.o.I. Memorization: Our goal this week is to have through the Statement of "History" memorized by Thursday. Please work on this for a few minutes several times a day. I know you guys can do this!

**Don't forget about your other award requirements for this semester! All first semester award requirements need to be completed by January 12th. I know your parents would really like to see those keys jam-packed with ribbons on display for parent night! If you need help getting things finished, please come talk to either me or Mrs. Brennan.

See you all Thursday!

-Mrs. Hellyer