Wanna see your Prezi?

Class of 2016 - Louisiana Purchase Prezi 

The information we've been collecting in class and I've been loading into the Prezi is two-thirds done but I wanted to show you it as a work in progress. I made it orange in honor of Halloween but we will decide on a formal format next week. Note that all but the LP map has its source listed. Note that grammar rules have been suspended which made Mrs. Cornett frown at me.:)
What are we missing? What should we add? If you are done with your homework this weekend, see what Lord Google might suggest. You might also fire up a book on the Louisiana Purchase, too. There are these places called libraries ... ;)
BTW-I was so inspired by our Cosmosphere visit that I went outside after the dance and stargazed for a bit. Saturday will be a beautiful night to do that as well.

This is a painted bison pelt Lewis sent to Jefferson. It hangs in the foyer of Monticello. (Source: Mr. Mc.)

"Something is rotten in the state of ..." Blogger

Ask Mrs. Cornett about the quote ... ya'll will hit Shakespeare this quarter and it from one of his plays.

I know many of you are joining the blog and trying to comment. I've extended the extra credit to this end of this week to get everyone on board and I will accept an emailed comment as we work all this out. Blogger says there is nothing wrong except ya'll can't post ... grrr.

Anyway, wanted to tease a little Lewis and Clark for next Tuesdays trip to the Cosmosphere. These are from the Library of Congress and are the two sides of Indian Peace Coins given to the tribes that Lewis and Clark encountered.

Fine Art, History and Lego's ... I'm in heaven!

OK, now that is totally awesome!

Down by the riverside ....

This painting is titled, Washington Crossing the Delaware and is by Emanuel Luetze. We started the discussion in class but I wanted to keep it going this week. Remember 15 extra credit points are available for joining the blog and adding at least one comment. Please remember to use just your initials in for screen name.

Washington Crossing the Delaware by Emanuel Luetze. 1851. Oil on Canvas. Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York City)

Can we trust Paul Revere?

We've been looking at the ramp up to the Revolutionary War and today we talked about the Sons of Liberty, virtual versus actual representation and the Boston Massacre. We explored the engraving by Paul Revere titled, Bloody Massacre. I've told my students that people are tired of me paraphrasing and so some of them are going to get online and offer their own thoughts. Today we just analyzed the engraving. Tomorrow we'll compare what Revere drew versus the actual testimony of the soldiers, witness and the lawyers at the trial.

Bloody Massacre, engraving by Paul Revere

Taken from the Gilder Lehrman Institute website

Flat Stanley goes to Washington

I was invited to a Bill of Rights Institute Colloquium last week and decided to visit the scene of the crime while I was there.

First of all, the colloquium was excellent. Great discussion and really pushed me as both a student of the constitution as well as a teacher of said document. Six hours of discussion on executive power. From Washington's Neutrality Act to war powers after 9.11. I love the give and take and enjoy listening to what my colleagues have to say. If you ever have a chance to attend-do it.

But back to Flat Stanley. The students made me a Flat Stanley and he had a heck of a trip. Here are some of his exploits.

Flat Stanley at O'Hare

Flat Stanley enjoying the O'Hare Field Museum exhibit

Flat Stanley and the Obamas

Flat Stanley did his homework!

Flat Stanley and Achelous and Hercules

Flat Stanley and the bull

Flat Stanley agrees, "Go Hercules!"

Flat Stanley and his favorite DC lunch

Flat Stanley confronting colonialism

Flat Stanley chillin' with Marilyn

Flat Stanley has a mancrush on Jemmy too!

A 'piece'-able kingdom

A couple weeks ago we tried the Zoom In strategy in class. We used the Peaceable Kingdom by Edward Hicks. There are several versions of the piece and I used the one from the Dallas Museum of Art. That print was the first piece of art Maggie and I bought as a married couple so I know this piece.
For Zoom In, you show only segments of the piece at a time and then let the students interpret and guess what will be in the next piece. When the next segment is shown in relationship to the first, they have to go to the original premise and decide if it was correct and if they need to adjust their hypothesis.

 

Zoom in—Day one

What do you see or notice? 

What is your hypothesis or interpretation of what this might be based on your interpretation?

 

Zoom in-Day two
What new things do you see?
How does this change your hypothesis or interpretation?
Has the new information answered any of your wonderings or changed your previous ideas?
What new things are you now wondering about?

 

Same process for each day

Peaceable Kingdom

Edward Hicks (American, 1780-1849)

1846-1847

Oil on canvas

Dallas Art Museum

I have to admit, the kids did a great job on this piece. I don't think, however, I facilitated as well as I had in the past. Part of the problem is that I know this piece and I think I tried to 'lead' more than I tried to listen. I own this piece and see it every day and so I have clear ideas about the piece-and I couldn't get out of the way or that. My conceptions about the piece became the lightning rod and, so, colored what insights the kids might have had. Again, neutrality is key to a good discussion.

Hopefully, I've learned my lesson and will be a better facilitator next time we use Zoom In.