Week 6: 10/19/17

John Adams never really gets the credit he deserves for his devotion and sacrifice to the cause of freedom! True, he did have a personality that tended toward stubbornness and pedantry* (look it up!), often irritating and annoying others, which probably has contributed to his being often overlooked when referring to the great founding fathers, but he was steadfast and unwavering in his principles. He believed all men had the right to live free, and be treated justly, and that's something we should all be able to agree on! Enjoy this clip from the HBO John Adams series, and watch the whole movie if you get a chance (maybe over Thanksgiving break)...

 

 

 

 

ASSIGNMENTS REMINDER:

 

• Opinion Paper: Define the word "stubborn." Is it good to be stubborn? I expect to read some really thoughtful answers. I love reading what you think about these topics, and you all have been making solid improvements in your writing each week. Keep it up!

 

• Reading: Finish John Adams: Reluctant Patriot of the Revolution for our book discussion on Thursday. Since I forgot to assign someone to lead the book discussion, everyone please have a question or quote from the book prepared to share.

 

• Presentations: Lots of good historical info was shared by Athen last week on the battles of Lexington and Concord. Nice job! This week we will be pleased to hear from Elliot and Madeline on Life as a Soldier and Hospitals and Doctors, respectively.

 

Keep plugging away at your Declaration of Independence Journal (and memorization). It's a lot of work, but well worth the effort, I promise!

 

I can't wait to see your costumes on Thursday! Happy studying! -Mrs. Hellyer



Week 5: 10/12/17

Last week, we got a "taste" of the frustration the colonists felt at being unfairly taxed by the British. The British didn't start out trying to punish the colonies, but the taxes and regulations became punitive after the Boston Tea Party. Both sides refused to give in to the other, and ultimately, revolution ensued.

 

Assignments this week:

 

• Opinion Paper: When is it right to defend your liberty with guns?

• Presentation: Awesome job to Elsa for her presentation on the Boston Tea Party! She taught most of my lesson, and the tea was a great finishing touch! We will be pleased to learn about the Battles of Lexington and Concord from Athen this week.

• Reading:
• Keep reading John Adams and have it finished by October 26th for our discussion. 
• Read the Declaration of Independence and highlight vocabulary words. Use your Declaration of Independence (DoI) journal to write definitions. 

• Devotional: I am assigning Sariah for this week. Please look for a scripture that is relative to freedom, liberty, justice, government, or all of the above.

 

Check out this video for a brief explanation of the meaning of the Declaration of Independence. There's also a "groovy" song from the 1970's after this video that may help you in your memorization efforts: 

 

 

 

Keep working on memorizing your DoI. It's a super important document and vital tour national identity, and--even though it's a lot of work--you'll be really glad you memorized it someday (like when you're an adult and you feel like no one in the government is listening to you)!

 

Happy school week! - Mrs. Hellyer

 

 

Week 4: 10/05/17

Unalienable/inalienable rights are those rights given to us by "Nature's God." They cannot be altered or taken away except by Him who gave them to us in the first place...but definitely not by government! The founders listed these rights in the Declaration of Independence as "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness," but there are several more listed in the Bill of Rights--a document written almost 2 decades later. A simple way to think about these rights would be to imagine a person crawling into a bear's den to pet the bear cubs. The mother bear would certainly tear that person to pieces, and no one would call for that mother bear to be harmed or punished because she has the natural "right" to defend her cubs. Now apply that same logic to a person's home, or life, or freedom.

ASSIGNMENTS THIS WEEK:

• Opinion Paper: What are your God-given rights?

• Reading: The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere by Longfellow. Make sure to highlight vocabulary words as you read, and make definition notes in the margins of the poem. Also, be reading John Adams: Reluctant Patriot of the Revolution which we will discuss on October 26th. 

• Presentations: Thanks to Athen for presenting on the Boston Massacre. I'm sorry I missed it, but I'm sure it was informative! This week, Elsa will enlighten our minds with her research on the Boston Tea Party.

• Devotional: Corban will share a scripture message this week.

Lastly, how's that Declaration of independence memorization coming along? If you work on it a little every day, you'll have it memorized by January, and you'll be able to earn your red, white and blue ribbon (not to mention, the lifelong knowledge you will have gained!).

-Mrs. Hellyer

Week 3: 9/28/17

Last week we discussed the importance of morality in regards to government. The founders were insistent that both the governing and the governed had to be virtuous for freedom and self-governance to succeed. The people had to recognize and live by a higher law (God's law) in order to create communities respectful of individuals' rights, and those in positions of power had to do the same in order to avoid the temptations that come with holding such positions. Here's the video that I wanted to show you in class. Mr. Christensen has some great insight on this topic...

 

 

 

Assignments this week:

• Opinion Paper - Why is a moral people required for good government?

• Reading - Finish reading The Landing of the Pilgrims. Our discussion will be led by Corban. There will be treats for those who read their books!

 

• Presentations - Thanks to Sariah and Elliot for teaching us a bit more about our nation's past. This week, we will be pleased to hear from Athen on the Boston Massacre.

Enjoy the rest of your week! -Mrs. H.



Week 2: 9/21/17

Great job to you all for participation in our first class simulation! That one's a doozy, too, but you guys finally figured out how to stay in character and argue as the delegates you represented. I hope you were able to realize how difficult it really was for the founding fathers to come together and decide to break away from England. There were so many consequences to consider--treason, impact on families, economics, casualties of war, interstate and international relations, etc.--before the founders were able to commit to independence. Even John Adams, who lived through some of the worst oppression from the British in Boston, didn't want to break away from Great Britain until he believed there was no other option.

 

Check out the video below that captures some of the colonists' anger and frustration with the mother country:

 

 

 

ASSIGNMENTS THIS WEEK:

• Opinion Paper - What did you learn about the founders by participating in the simulation? What did you learn about yourself? How will you change because of what you learned? (By completing this paper, you will earn your key...YAY!)

• Presentations - We will be pleased to hear our first class presentations given this Thursday by Elliot and Sariah (check last week's blog if you need a refresher about topics or dates).

• Reading - Please read the Mayflower Compact (in your binder) and write a list of vocabulary words (words you don't know) with their definitions in your notebook. Also, keep reading The Landing of the Pilgrims which we will discuss on October 5th.

• Devotional - Athen will give the devotional this week.

Keep working on those award requirements, especially memorizing the Declaration of Independence. I REALLY want to see some ribbons tied to your keys!! See you'ns Thursday!

 

-Mrs. Hellyer

Presentation Schedule

I forgot to add this to the blog, so please make sure you have written down your presentation in your planner:

9/28

1. Elliot: Life as a Puritan and the Salem Witch Trials
2. Sariah: The French and Indian War

10/05

1. Athen: The Boston Massacre

10/12

1. Elsa: Boston Tea Party and the Sons of Liberty

10/19

1. Athen: Lexington and Concord

10/26

1. Madeline: Hospitals and Doctors in the Revolutionary War
2. Elliot: Life as a Soldier in the Continental Army

11/09

1. Corban: Life as a Prisoner and Prisons in Colonial America
2. Gwen: Francis Marion, the "Swamp Fox"

11/16

1. Madeline: Betsy Ross and the First Flag
2. Corban: Weaponry and Battle Tactics of the Revolutionary War

12/07

1. Elsa: The Role of Spies in the Revolution

12/14

1. Gwen: Famous Women of the War
2. Sariah: Benjamin Franklin and the Treaty of Paris

I'll also post this schedule up in the classroom. Remember, you don't need to write a paper for this, just give an oral/visual presentation of what you learned. Have fun with it; costumes, props, games, etc. are highly encouraged!
-Mrs. Hellyer

Week 1: 9/14/17

Welcome to Key of Liberty! It was so nice to see the familiar faces and meet the new scholars! I hope that you all weren't too overwhelmed with the deluge of information you were given in class yesterday. True, there will be a lot of hard work this year, but you all are more than capable of accomplishing all your goals and earning those rewards! It's going to be a great year!

This week we discussed what it means when we say "America is your land." This country is the precious inheritance we have received from the generations before us, and we must do our best to be informed, intelligent, responsible citizens who will pass that inheritance on to the next generation, in a better condition than it was received.

Here are your assignments for this week:

• Remember to look through your award requirements and start planning (using your planner) to work on those a little bit every week. This includes your Declaration of Independence journal if you want to go on the field trip to the Capitol in January.

• Opinion Paper: What is your responsibility to America and freedom? This is due at the beginning of the next class. Please use your rubric as a guide to help you turn in your best work!

• Reading: Start reading The Landing of the Pilgrims if you haven't already. Our book discussion will be on October 5th, led by Corban.

• Devotional: This week I'm assigning devotional to Elliot, because I forgot to do it in class, and he lives with me which makes it convenient!

Have a great week, everyone!
-Mrs. Hellyer