User Agreement

Mrs. Siegmund's Web Log User Agreement

Using a weblog for our classwork will require some parameters for your safety and the quality of everyone's work. First, you should recognize that your work, as well as mine will be published for the entire on-line world to see. This will ultimately make us all responsible for better and more original output than ever before. By visiting other students' weblogs, you will be able to view all their work, and it will also make it easy for me to see who is not making an effort to submit work that is original.

Once you have created a weblog at Classic City, I will add it to the class blog roll so everyone's work can be accessed from this page. I encourage you to look at your peers' work for ideas or inspiration, but what you submit must be your own. I also encourage you to post comments to your peers’ work.

I will leave comments about your work. These comments will usually instruct you on how you can improve your work. Please make sure you check your comments and your e-mail regularly, and make sure you are finished with one assignment before moving to the next. Since this weblog will be part of your education at Classic City High School, any activity on your weblog should be considered school activity, even if it is done outside of school. You should feel free to create posts that are not school related, but you should also be sure to refrain from anything that could be considered inappropriate. This includes, but is not limited to: references to alcohol or drugs, violence, or gang activity, foul language, nudity, threats, etc.

Plagiarism is submitting someone else's work as your own. This can be done in many ways: copying work from Wikipedia, classmates, Sparknotes, etc. If you plagiarize your work, you will receive a zero -- no questions asked.

THE USER AGREEMENT:1. I agree to submit original work to my weblog. I realize I will have the opportunity to view my peers' work, and I will use this opportunity constructively. I understand that if I choose to plagiarize, I will receive a zero for the work in question.2. I agree to keep my weblog appropriate for Classic City High School. I understand that if inappropriate material were to appear on my weblog, be it from myself or an outside comment, I will be asked to remove it. Failure to do so will result in my weblog being removed from the class roll. I also understand that references to illegal or dangerous activities will be reported since it is the legal responsibility of my teacher.

To agree, post a comment to this message like this:
I agree to Mrs. Siegmund's Weblog User Agreement.
I will not add your weblog to the class roll until I receive your message.

Unit One: The 13 Colonies

We will begin our study of our nation's history starting with the settling of the 13 Colonies.

The guiding question for this unit is: What is our country's foundation made of?

By the time you are finished with this unit you will understand the following ideas:

• People came to the colonies for different reasons, such as freedom from religious persecution, economic incentives, or being kidnapped and enslaved.


• The Europeans that settled the 13 colonies dramatically altered the landscape of the territories they settled.


• The Europeans forever changed the lives and cultures of the Native Americans.


• The New England, Middle, and Southern colonies had many differences.

Georgia Performance Standards (GPS) Addressed in Unit 1 are:

SSUSH1 The student will describe European settlement in North America during the 17th century.
a. Explain Virginia’s development; include the Virginia Company, tobacco cultivation, relationships with Native Americans such as Powhatan, development of the House of Burgesses, Bacon’s Rebellion, and the development of slavery.
b. Describe the settlement of New England; include religious reasons, relations with Native Americans (e.g., King Phillip’s War), the establishment of town meetings and development of a legislature, religious tensions that led to colonies such as Rhode Island, the half-way covenant, Salem Witch Trials, and the loss of the Massachusetts charter.
c. Explain the development of the mid-Atlantic colonies; include the Dutch settlement of New Amsterdam and subsequent English takeover, and the settlement of Pennsylvania.
d. Explain the reasons for French settlement of Quebec.
SSUSH2 The student will trace the ways that the economy and society of British North America developed.
a. Explain the development of mercantilism and the trans-Atlantic trade.
b. Describe the Middle Passage, growth of the African population, and African-American culture.
c. Identify Benjamin Franklin as a symbol of social mobility and individualism.
d. Explain the significance of the Great Awakening.

Below are your assignments for this unit. Read the directions for the due date, expectations, and method for receiving points for each assignment.

Assignment 1: Should I Stay or Should I Go?

Write a paragraph response to the following questions to get you thinking about this unit. This will be your first blog post

1. What motivates immigrants to come to the United States (today)? Consider what they lose and what they can gain in your argument.

2. Thousands of Europeans chose to move to the British colonies. Some for economic reasons and some for freedoms. If you decided to immigrate somewhere, would you move for economic reasons or for freedom?

* Write your response as a blog post. Be sure that your response addresses both questions above and is a minimum of 6-8 sentences. Use proper grammar, capitalization, etc. Give your post an appropriate title. After you publish your post, notify Mrs. Siegmund so she can grade it and award your points. *20 possible points.

Assignment 2: 4 Part Vocabulary Slides and Vocabulary Quiz

Complete a four part vocabulary slide (1. the definition 2. supporting fact 3. interesting fact 4. visual) for each of the following terms associated with this unit: Virginia Company, Indentured Servant, House of Burgesses, Bacon's Rebellion, Puritan, King Phillip's War, Salem Witch Trials, Benjamin Franklin, Mercantilism, Triangular trade, Middle Passage, Great Awakening

* This should be typed using power point and following Mrs. Siegmund's example. Place finished vocabulary assignment in Mrs. Siegmund's drop box, and notify Mrs. Siegmund after you have completed this task to get points for completing the assignment. Add graded slides to your GPS ring. You will take a vocabulary quiz after you have turned in your vocabulary assignment.

*48 possible points for vocabulary assignment, and 12 possible points for the quiz.

Assignment 3: Jamestown Adventure

In 1606, some 105 adventurers set off from England to try and establish the first permanent English colony in the New World. They settled in what is now the state of Virginia and called their colony first James Fort, and then James Towne, in honor of James I, the King of England. The early years of the colony were nearly a total disaster. Almost half of the settlers died due to poor choices in settlement location, management of resources, and quarrels with the indigenous Powhatan Indians.

Can you do any better than the real Jamestown colonists? Click here to begin this adventure by following the instructions set for you.

* Type your answers in the chart. Be sure to add your four pieces of advice for part II as well. Place the completed assignment in Mrs. Siegmund's drop box and notify her when you have completed these tasks. * 28 possible points.

Assignment 4: 13 Colonies Map

Get blank map from Mrs. Siegmund and use these directions for completing this activity.

Once you have completed your map, turn it in to Mrs. Siegmund to be graded.

*25 possible points

Assignment 5: 13 Colonies Map Test

Study your completed map and get the test from Mrs. Siegmund when you are ready. In order to be successful on the map test you should be able to

• Identify each of the 13 colonies
• Spell each colony's name correctly
  
• Classify each colony as a New England, Middle, or Southern colony
  
• Explain the main economic activities of each region.

You must pass the test with a 80% or higher to get a grade. If necessary, you can retake the map test.

Assignment 6: The 13 Colonies Compare and Contrast

Complete the The 13 Colonies Compare and Contrast by following all instructions on the document

*Save the completed work in your U.S. History folder, and turn it in by placing it in my drop box. Notify Mrs. Siegmund when you have completed these tasks. 35 possible points

Assignment 7: Primary Source Document Reflection

a) Read one of the following accounts of life and beliefs in the early America.

• Benjamin Wadsworth, A Well-Ordered Family(Boston, 1712). About the duties of husbands and wives
• Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl- Harriet Jacobs- Choose two chapters to read from her account of slavery
• Alexander Falconbridge's account of the slave trade
• The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano or Gustavus Vassa the African (1789)- traces his life from his capture to the Middle Passage, and his life as a slave.
• Thomas Morton, Description of the Indians in New England (1637)
• The Adventures of Daniel Boone
• Benjamin Franklin, How I Became a Printer in Philadelphia

b)After you've finished your reading create a blog post (be sure to give your post an appropriate title) that addresses the following topics in paragraph format.

- What did you learn about life in the colonies from reading this document?

- What surprised you the most about what you read?

- Compare and contrast the differences between American life today and life for Americans during the colonial era.

* After you've published your post, notify Mrs. Siegmund that you are ready to have it graded. 30 possible points.