Things coming up...

Welcome back from the Winter Break!! We've got a lot of exciting things coming up...three 4-day weeks, "WildCat Rules!", FCAT, and "Rock Around the Clock!" For the next couple of weeks, though, let's focus on a couple of things that are important for our class: Andrew Carnegie and an essay-writing contest.

On Tuesday and Wednesday (Jan. 4th & 5th), we're going to be taking a look at some things that truly make the United States of America stand out from the rest of the world. This is part of a Google Docs-based assignment with Ms. Khawaja's classes that (we hope) will be entered into a nation-wide contest with cash prizes and the chance to be on TV!! Details on the essay to be written will be given in class on this blog later.

On Thursday & Friday this week and Monday next week, we will get to know Andrew Carnegie a little more intimately. We will dissect his life, his writings, and his actions to determine if we can rightfully call him a hero. Honors students will then use Google Docs to write an essay arguing for or against Carnegie's status as a hero, while Regular students will answer questions regarding the documents and design a historical marker commemorating Andrew Carnegie. All documents viewed in class for this activity will also be available on my website...you may want to take notes in class, though!

"The Good Ol' Rebel" - Song about Reconstruction

Your class was introduced to the Reconstruction of the South on Mon., 10/4, and Wed., 10/5. Please click on the YouTube link below to listen to a song written by a former Confederate Army officer after the Civil War:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yooAFCUqe0o


Lyrics:


Oh, I’m a good old rebel, now that’s just what I am.
And for this Yankee nation I do not give a damn.
I’m glad I fought agin’ her, I only wish we’d won,
And I ain’t asked any pardon for anything I’ve done.

I hates the Yankee nation, and everything they do;
I hates the Declaration of Independence, too.
I hates the glorious Union, ‘tis dripping with our blood;
And I hates the striped banner – I fit [fought] it all I could.


I rode with Robert E. Lee for three years nearabout,
Got wounded in four places and I starved at Point Lookout.
I cotch [caught] the rheumatism a-campin’ in the snow,
But I killed a chance of Yankees, and I’d like to kill some mo’.

Three hundred thousand Yankees is stiff in Southern dust;
We got three hundred thousand before they conquered us.
They died of Southern fever, and Southern steel and shot;
And I wish they were three million instead of what we got.


I can’t take up my musket and fight ‘em now no more,
But I ain’t gonna love ‘em, now that is certain sure.
And I don’t want no pardon for what I was and am,
And I won’t be reconstructed and I do not give a damn.

Oh, I’m a good old rebel, now that’s just what I am.
And for this Yankee nation I do not give a damn.
I’m glad I fought agin’ [against] her, I only wish we’d won,
And I ain’t asked any pardon for anything I’ve done.



•“The Good Old Rebel” was very popular among former Confederate soldiers who disliked the Reconstruction policies of the federal government.

•Many of these former rebels headed west to Texas and Mexico to avoid Reconstruction.

•This song exemplifies the resistance and anger that many Southerners felt toward the policies of Reconstruction.

•Your task in the next few days is to determine why Reconstruction was so opposed in the South.


Questions


•What were three words or phrases that showed the attitude of the rebels in “The Good Old Rebel?”

•Identify three items that the song seems to dislike.

•Identify any events that seem to be significant to the song’s narrator

WWI: The Homefront"

4th period,

You have received a homework assignment today; you will complete the "American Vision" Ch. 19-Section 2 Guided Reading/Study Notes for the topic "World War I: The Homefront." This is due by Mon., 3/1...what you don't complete in class today (Tues., 2/23), you will need to use the online "American Vision" textbook. Here are the directions for using the online textbook:

1.) Access the site http://www.glencoe.com/sites/common_assets/socialstudies/ose/national.html

2.) Username: TAV Password: W3dRaqaGEc

3.) Click on left-side the tab for Table of Contents

4.) Click the tab for Unit 6

5.) Choose Chapter 19

6.) Choose Section 2

-For each day that you turn this assignment in early, complete, and correct...you will receive 2 points extra-credit. For instance, if you turn it in tomorrow (Wed., 2/24), you will receive 6 points extra credit if it is completed and correct.

-This is a 50-point assignment. Please take care to complete it and turn it in on time. If you have trouble accessing the online textbook, you may check a textbook out from me beginning tomorrow, 2/24, for one-day periods.

"The Good Ole Rebel" - Song about Reconstruction

Your class was introduced to the Reconstruction of the South on Wed., 10/14, and Thurs., 10/15. Please click on the YouTube link below to listen to a song written by a former Confederate Army officer after the Civil War:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CkZvNadzlik


Lyrics:


Oh, I’m a good old rebel, now that’s just what I am.
And for this Yankee nation I do not give a damn.
I’m glad I fought agin’ her, I only wish we’d won,
And I ain’t asked any pardon for anything I’ve done.

I hates the Yankee nation, and everything they do;
I hates the Declaration of Independence, too.
I hates the glorious Union, ‘tis dripping with our blood;
And I hates the striped banner – I fit [fought] it all I could.


I rode with Robert E. Lee for three years nearabout,
Got wounded in four places and I starved at Point Lookout.
I cotch [caught] the rheumatism a-campin’ in the snow,
But I killed a chance of Yankees, and I’d like to kill some mo’.

Three hundred thousand Yankees is stiff in Southern dust;
We got three hundred thousand before they conquered us.
They died of Southern fever, and Southern steel and shot;
And I wish they were three million instead of what we got.


I can’t take up my musket and fight ‘em now no more,
But I ain’t gonna love ‘em, now that is certain sure.
And I don’t want no pardon for what I was and am,
And I won’t be reconstructed and I do not give a damn.

Oh, I’m a good old rebel, now that’s just what I am.
And for this Yankee nation I do not give a damn.
I’m glad I fought agin’ [against] her, I only wish we’d won,
And I ain’t asked any pardon for anything I’ve done.



•“The Good Old Rebel” was very popular among former Confederate soldiers who disliked the Reconstruction policies of the federal government.

•Many of these former rebels headed west to Texas and Mexico to avoid Reconstruction.

•This song exemplifies the resistance and anger that many Southerners felt toward the policies of Reconstruction.

•Your task in the next few days is to determine why Reconstruction was so opposed in the South.

Questions


•What were three words or phrases that showed the attitude of the rebels in “The Good Old Rebel?”

•Identify three items that the song seems to dislike.

•Identify any events that seem to be significant to the song’s narrator.

Civil War Battlefield Medicine

As my classes saw on Friday, Oct. 9, standard medical procedures during the Civil War were much different than they are now. It's no wonder that the majority of war casualties wre caused not by bullets, but by disease!

Your assignment, due Mon., Oct. 19th, is to do the following:

1.) View the Document-Based Question titled "Medical Practices on the Civil War Battlefield", which can be found on the following website:

http://www.polk-fl.net/staff/teachers/tah/documents/turningpoints/documentquestions/d-Fields-CivilWarMedicine.pdf

This document is a .pdf file, so you will need Adobe Acrobat to download it. I will also upload it to my McKeel Academy webpage.

2.) Print the document.

3.) Answer all 18 discussion questions.

4.) Honors students - Write a well-organized 5-7 paragraph essay based on the following prompt:

"Historians refer to the era of the American Civil War as the “medical Middle Ages.” Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Using your prior knowledge and the primary documents that have been provided to you, write an essay that reflects your opinion. Be sure to include details from the documents that you have read and/or analyzed that led to your conclusion."

Directions for this assignment can be found on the first page of the DBQ assignment.

Welcome to the Wayward Whisker!!!

Finally!!!

After much consideration, consternation, and other big words, I have started my blog. I hope that this blog will prove to be a worthwhile use of your time as my student, and will help you to understand the world around you just a little deeper.

We will begin the Current Events articles very soon...

Warmest regards,
Mr. Fields