Week 10: 11/16/17

Last week we learned a bit about the principles and characteristics of our great and revered leader, George Washington. We learn from his public life that he had many honorable qualities, but did you know he worked hard--even as a boy--to attain those qualities? George Washington knew from a young age that he wanted to be someone special and important, so he set to work early to reach that goal. One of the ways he did this was by practicing good etiquette (something we could all improve on these days). Here is a link to the actual guidebook that George Washington used, called Washington's Rules of Civility and Decent Behavior in Company and Conversation:

http://lcweb2.loc.gov/service/gdc/scd0001/2010/2010_01/20100519003wa/20100519003wa.pdf

Read through these and we'll talk about which ones were your favorites (or the funniest) in class.

Here's a funny video about the rules of civility that you might enjoy, too...

 

 

 

 

Assignments:

 

Devotional: I believe it's Madeline's turn again!

Opinion Paper: I'm missing a few opinion papers from last week, so if you did not turn yours in, please email it to me this week. I really don't want to have a backlog of papers to read at the end of the semester! The topic this week is What made George Washington a great man? How can you become more like him? Please be specific with your examples!

Parent Night: Please brainstorm 2-3 solid ideas for our class parent night presentation and be ready to discuss and vote on them when we meet again, November 30th.

Reading: Keep working on Being George Washington, due December 14th

Award Requirements:

• I hope you all used the break to work on these! A few tips: practice the Declaration for a few minutes several times a day and you'll have it down in no time! Also, something that helps me to memorize things quickly is to write it down/copy it 2 or 3 times--give it a try...

• Keep working on your Declaration of Independence journal...I really want to be able to take everyone on the field trip to the capitol (and out to lunch afterward!).

I hope you all had a wonderful break and a Happy Thanksgiving! -Mrs. Hellyer

Week 9: 11/09/17



Last week we watched one of my favorite videos about George Washington and his troops crossing the Delaware River. It was such a trying time for our little "ragtag"army, and a seemingly impossible task for our newly appointed General Washington to lead them to victory. The strength and perseverance of these men is so inspiring to me, and I hope you all will draw the same inspiration from them, and know that you, too--with faith and determination--can endure and overcome difficult trials.

 

 

Also, check out this website for Civil War Trust that has a TON of great videos about the American Revolution (and they're only 4 minutes each!):

 

https://www.civilwar.org/learn/videos?field_war_tid%5B%5D=2
 

 

ASSIGNMENTS THIS WEEK:

 

 

Opinion Paper: "For though the flame of liberty may sometimes cease to shine, the coal can never expire," Is this a true statement? What does it mean to you? PLEASE re-read The American Crisis No. 1 by Thomas Paine, and study the context of this quote. Also, discuss this with your parents and ask them what they think--they're pretty good resources!

 

Presentations: Thank you to Gwen and Corban for your informative presentations! We will be pleased to hear from Corban again this week on weaponry and battle tactics, as well as Madeline on Betsy Ross (feel free to change your presentation a bit, Madeline, if you feel Mr. O'Neal gave us sufficient information).

 

Award Requirements: We have only 6 classes left before the end of the semester, and some of the most time consuming award requirements are left unfinished (ie. the Declaration of Independence). I know you guys can get all the ribbons if you work hard, so let's get some things passed off! We also will be discussing our presentation for parent night this week, which usually includes reciting the Declaration from memory. Let's make our parents proud!

 

Reading: Keep working on Being George Washington by Glenn Beck, which we will be discussing on December 14th. If you finish that, you can start reading Freedom Factor by Gerald Lund (one of my faves!)

 

One last thing: I received only 6 thank you cards for Mr. O'Neal, so if you forgot to turn yours in last week, PLEASE bring it this week so I can mail them to him on Friday. Thank you!

Enjoy the storm! -Mrs. Hellyer

Week 8: 11/02/17

I hope everyone enjoyed the presentation by Mr. Bob O'Neil. I learned a lot (and took a lot of notes), how about you guys? This week, there is no opinion paper, but your writing assignment is to write a thank you card to Mr. O'Neil for doing the presentation, and make you sure you include something you learned from him. Please use your best handwriting, and be very polite and gracious!

Also:

• We will be pleased to hear presentations from Gwen and Corban this Thursday

• I would like to assign Elsa the devotional this week

• PLEASE take time to work on your award requirements, since you don't have to write a paper--I will have candy for anyone who can pass off a section or more of the Declaration of Independence! 

Have a great week, and I'll see everyone Thursday! -Mrs. Hellyer

Week 7: 10/26/17

"And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor." These are the final words of the Declaration of Independence to which the 56 delegates unhesitatingly signed their names, as it were, in blood. We learned that these were men who had much to lose by attaching themselves to this document, and in fact, many of them did lose all they had in the world--money, property, loved ones, even their lives. What they gained, however, was the respect and honor of the American people--us--who even now should still revere these men for their selfless devotion to the causes of liberty and justice.

 

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

-Benjamin Franklin

 

 

 

ASSIGNMENTS THIS WEEK:

 

Opinion Paper: What is more important: your family or your country, and why? Think about both sides of this question; I want to read some really well-thought answers!

 

We have a guest speaker this week, Mr. Bob O'Niel, from the Sons of the American Revolution. He is graciously volunteering his time to present some very interesting information to us, so I expect that we will show our appreciation by being on our best behavior!

 

Have fun tonight if you're going trick-or-treating, and be safe! See you all Thursday!

-Mrs. Hellyer

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