8th grade

You all are in luck...........

I had to wipe and reload my laptop and I am having a hard time locating my Microsoft Office program disc. You all do not have any notes to get. I will post them on Monday when we return to school. Have a fun and SAFE Halloween and I will see you all Monday.

IF you did not go to the festival you missed a great time. Seemed like the whole town was there. The best turn out for the Irvington Festival I can remember in year. Perfect weather and I got to see TONS of students both past and present.

Mr. C

Happy Halloween

be safe and have a fun halloween from your 8th grade team.

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

7th grade

Power Points are complete. They were ok. I wanted the students to focus on information we learned in Unit One as it pertained to their topic. Over all I did not see that. They ended up being more travel brochure like.

Here are the Notes for Chapter 11 Section 1

Africa Land & Water
Chapter 11
Section 1
Regions and Landforms
• Africa has 46 countries
• 5 main regions
– North
– West
– South
– East
– Central
• Each region has several different climates and landforms
• The Regions
– North
• Rocky mountainous, seemingly endless deserts (Sahara, the world’s largest desert)
– West
• Most populated
• Grasslands
• Fertile soil for farming
– East
• Few Plateaus- large, raised areas of mostly flat land
• Many mountains
– Central and Southern
• Flat rolling grassland
• Thick rainforests
• Mountains
• Swamps
• Deserts in the south(Namib and Kalahari)
• Plateau Continent
– Much of Africa is a raised Plateau
– Elevation- height above sea level
• Mountains
– Highest is in East Africa
– Mount Kilimanjaro
• Coastal Plains Edge the Continent
– Dry and sandy
– Marshy and moist
• Great Rift Valley
– Formed millions of years ago as the continents pulled apart
– Rift- deep trench
– most of Africa’s major lakes are in this area
• Africa’s Rivers
– 4 large rivers
• Nile
• Congo
• Zambezi
• Niger
– Nile River
• Longest river in the world
• Fed by the White and Blue Nile
• Tributaries- smaller rivers that feed into a larger river
• Farming along the Nile
– land has been farmed for 1000’s of years
– Over flows it’s banks and deposits fresh silt every year
– Fertile- rich in the substances that plants need to grow
– Aswan High Dam prevents this area from getting fresh silt now….land will become in fertile in time
– Used to produce electricity
– Created Lake Nasser- largest man made lake in the world
– Congo River
• Flows through rain forests of Central Africa
• 2nd largest river in Africa
• 100’s of tributaries
• Fishing and farming in this region
– Niger River
• 3rd longest river in Africa
• Flows north then cuts south
• Fishing and farming
– Zambezi River
• 4th largest river in Africa
• Southern Africa
• Forms the border of 6 countries
• Boats can only travel 460 miles of the 2,200 miles of river
• Used for electricity
• Victoria Falls mist can be seen up to 40 miles away

7th Grade

We presented most of our Power Points today in class. The excitement of the morning put us about half a class period behind and the last class of the day had several students not prepared to present and so we sat in silence. If your student did not present today in that 3rd core, their presentations need to me spectacular. They are getting 5 points deducted for not being prepared to present on the day it was due.

8th grade

We finished up Section 2 and started Section 3. We also read various author interpretations of the Boston Massacre as well as watched 5 versions of the Boston Massacre and talked about historical interpretation. We talked about how bias is introduced and the idea of propaganda and its effectiveness.

We have a test on Friday and your study guide is due. Judging by the number of students that did not have their notes done today I am not confident that you are all studying your 10 minutes a night.....this will reveal itself when scores are low on Friday's test.

Mr. C

7th Grade

Today we finished up our second and final day in the computer lab. You will need to finish up your Power Points outside of school and have them ready to present on Tuesday of next week (10/26). I assigned this project last Friday and told you that outside time would need to be spent on it. Please do not come in on Tuesday and tell me you were not able to complete this project. Every computer in the building has Power Point installed on it as well as the computers at the public library. You picked your topic so there is no excuse to not get it done. I am looking forward to seeing what you created. Have a great weekend!!!

Mr. C

8th Grade

We continued talking about the lead up to the American Revolution. We talked about specific Acts passed and the Boston Massacre. Monday we will watch a video clip or two that deal with this event. I am also posting the notes for Chapter 5
Section 3. I expect to see all 3 sections in your notebooks on Monday. We will be testing over Chapter 5 on Friday October 29th (next Friday).

Here are the notes for Section 3 and do not forget your study guide which is also due next Friday. 10 minutes a night, every night :)

Mr. C

From Protest to Revolution
Chapter 5
Section 3

A Dispute Over Tea
Tea was very popular

Parliament Passes the Tea Act
British East India Company supplied most of the tea to the colonies
Tax tea…sat on boats unsold
British merchants were allowed to sell tea
Undercut the colonial merchants
Colonists boycotted Tea Act buy continuing to buy colonial tea at a higher price

A New Boycott
Started drinking coffee “Liberty Tea”
Refused to allow British merchants to unload their cargo of tea

Boston Tea Party
November 1773 3 British ships reach Boston harbor
Dec. 16th Sam Adams & Sons of Liberty demand ships leave the harbor
They refuse
Sons of Liberty dress like Indians and dump 342 chest of tea into Boston Harbor

Parliament Strikes Back
Colonists had mixed reactions to tea party
Britain passes Intolerable Acts
British ships blockade Boston Harbor until tea is paid for
Town meetings forbidden
British officials must be tried in Britain
New Quartering Act

Quebec Act
Set up separate government for Canada
Complete religious freedom for French Catholics
Gave land in Ohio Valley to French Canadians

Other Colonies Support Boston
Smuggled food into Boston
All Merchants closed in a show of unity

First Continental Congress-
Boycott of all British goods until Intolerable Acts were repealed
Agreed to meet again on May 1775
Encouraged each colony to setup a militia
Militia- citizens that served as soldiers during an emergency

Lexington and Concord
Minutemen- men trained and ready to fight at a minutes notice
British soldiers marched on Concord to seize a cache of arms stored there.
Led by General Thomas Gage
Supposed to be a surprise
April 18th 700 British troops leave Boston
Sons of Liberty watching
2 lamps hung in Old North Church-By sea
Militia waited on banks of Charles River
Day break on April 19th, near Lexington British commanders ordered militia to go home
Militia disbanded and headed home
Shot rang out from somewhere
Fighting breaks out
8 militiamen killed
British move on Concord
British found nothing at Concord
Supplies had been moved
On the march back to Boston, militia, now larger waited for British
300 militiamen
More fighting
73 British killed and 200 wounded
Became know as the Battle of Lexington and Concord
All hope of a peaceful solution was gone
Only option…..WAR!

7th Grade

We tested over Chapter 5 today and half way through the tests and I am impressed with the scores. First core has an 82%!!!!!

We are starting our Africa Power Points on Wednesday. The students are to be using their 10 minutes a night beginging the research for their topics they picked in class today. The students know the expectations and they will have 2 days in the computer lab to create the Power Points. This means that some work must be done outside of class on it. The students also need to bring a flash drive (portable memory stick) with them on Wednesday and Friday. We will be presenting starting on Monday. Rubric will be given on Wednesday.

Thanks
Mr. C

8th Grade

Here is part 2 of Section 2 of Chapter 5. I am expecting to see all of Chapter 5 Section 2 in your notebook on Tuesday.

Mr. C

5-2 part 2

Uniting in Peaceful Protest
all colonies united
Formed the Stamp Act Congress in 1765
Sent a petition to King George III and Parliament

Petition- formal written request to someone in authority signed by a group of people
Parliament ignored the petition
Colonies then boycotted British goods
Boycott- refusal to buy goods from someone or somewhere
British trade fell 14%
1766 Britain repealed the Stamp Act
Repeal- cancel or undo
Parliament added a clause that said they had the right to raise taxes in “all cases whatsoever”

The Townshend Acts
1767 Parliament opened debate of taxation in colonies
“Cowards, you are afraid of the Americans, you dare not tax America”
Townshend responded back by passing the Townshend Acts
Tax on glass, paper, paint, lead, and tea
Amounts were low but colonists still objected to the tax
Matter of principal

Searching Without Reason
Townshend Act also set up new ways to collect taxes
Custom officials sent to stop smuggling
Writ of Assistance- allowed for inspection of cargo without giving a reason
Not popular with colonists
Also allowed for searching of personal property without reason

Colonial Protests Widen
All colonists effected by the Townshend Act agreed to boycott all products taxed by this act in hopes that Britain would repeal this Act as well

Sons of Liberty
Mob like groups from Boson to Charleston that resorted to public protests and hanging of likenesses of British tax collectors
Most famous Son of Liberty- Sam Adams (not the beer, the cousin of John Adams


Daughters of Liberty
Paraded, organized petitions and boycotts and protested
“It is better to wear a homespun coat than to lose our liberty”

Some Sons and Daughters of Liberty threatened colonial merchants if they continued to buy from Britain

New Colonial Leaders
Massachusetts
Sam Adams
Failed business man
Poor public speaker
Good organizer
Arranged protests and strikes against British

Mercy Otis Warren
Taunted British officials in public plays
Abigail Adams

Virginia
George Washington
Patrick Henry
“Give me liberty or give me death”
Great speaker
Inspiration to Thomas Jefferson
Quartering Act
Colonists had to provide housing, candles, bedding and beverages soldiers
Britain revoked this act quickly after it was widely disobeyed

Boston Massacre
Britain sent 2 regiments of soldiers to protect customs officers.
Soldiers risked beatings and public insult
A Bloody Night
March 5th 1770
Colonists started insulting and throwing snowballs, ice, and oyster shells at British soldiers
Soldiers got scared as crowd grew and one fired a shot at the crowd
Riot breaks out and when smoke clears, 5 colonists lay dead.
Colonists took and blew it out of proportion for propaganda purposes and started calling it the Boston Massacre
Started showing up in newspapers (Paul Revere), and in pamphlets, and letters in other colonies
Soldiers arrested and tried in court. Defended by John Adams. They were found not guilty
Committee of Correspondence- regularly written letter informing the other colonies about goings on in Massachusetts

Temporary Calm
The same day as “massacre” Parliament rescinded most of the Townshend Act
Quartering Act rescinded
As were most of the rest of the taxes the colonists disagreed with
Kept tea tax
Most colonists liked this…tea tax was ok
Relationship between Britain and colonies calmed but underlying issues were unresolved. Representation!

7th Grade

We finished the notes for Chapter 5 today in class.

Monday we will be testing on Chapter 5. I am expecting that you are giving me and will continue to give me 10 minutes a night. During that time you should be stdying the notes, reading your daily summaries and looking at any handouts you may have recieved.

Thanks and happy studying

Mr. C

8th Grade

Here are the notes for Section 2 Chapter 5. These will need to be in your note book by Friday.

The first part is listed below.

Turmoil over Taxation
Chapter 5
Section 2

New Troubles on the Frontier
With the French now out of the way, English settlers flooded over the Appalachian Mountains

Clashes with Native Americans
English encountered many new tribes
Ex. Huron, Miami, Delaware, & Ottawa
1762 Lord Jeffrey Amherst was sent to Ohio Valley to keep order
He allowed their land to be taken by settlers
He raised prices on goods they bought
Completely different than how the French treated the Indians
Pontiac is chosen as leader against the English
“dogs dressed in red, who have come to rob us of our hunting grounds and drive away the game”

War on the Frontier
Several different tribes of Indians led by Pontiac vs. English at Fort Detroit
In a few months the Indians had captured most English forts in Ohio Valley
Colonial troops with aid of British army regained most of what was lost
Became know as Pontiac’s War and it ended because the French told Indians they had signed the Treat of Paris
Indians quit fighting and went home

Proclamation Line of 1763
Pontiac’s War convinced British that they needed to end free run on westward expansion.
Created an imaginary line along the crest of the Appalachian Mountains.
No new settling could be done west of that line
All settlers west of that line must return at once
To enforce this line Britain sent 10,000 troops
Colonists were angry
Daniel Boone disobeyed and explored Ohio Valley

British Impose New Taxes
Huge debts to England over French & Indian War
To help off set the cost, England decides to tax colonies
Felt that colonist would understand a small tax increase

Sugar Act
New tax on molasses
Replaced a old high tax that was being avoided because of smuggling
Sugar Act lowered old tax but made it easier to enforce and punish smugglers

Stamp Act
Tax placed on all legal documents
Ex. wills, marriage papers, diplomas
Also taxed newspapers, playing cards, almanacs, and dice
All items must be stamped to show taxes had been paid
English already used this tax elsewhere, just never in colonies

Protesting the Stamp Act
Rock Throwing
Tar and Feathering
Riots in Boston as well as New York
British caught off guard, did not expect this kind of reaction
Had protected the colonists, the least they could do was pay the tax
British citizens were paying a much higher tax

Taxation without representation
Principal of the Magna Carta
Only their elected officials had the right to tax
No elected officials in Parliament, no taxes
Colonists were willing to pay a tax if it was passed by their colonial legislature

8th Grade

Here is a 3 minute video of the French & Indian War.


Mr. C

7th Grade

I did not get the notes posted last night. Confrences last a bit longer than I was expecting. I will not hold you accountable for the notes tomorrow in class, however I will still expect to see them in your notebook come Monday when we test over Chapter 5. Below are the Section 3 notes I promised you.

Mr. C

People’s Effect on the Environment
Chapter 5
Section 3

First Level Activities
First-level activities- direct interaction with raw materials, provide food, and resources that people need to live

Creating farmland
Cut down forests
Drained swampland
Destroying habitats for countless species of animals

Environmental Challenges
Deforestation- loss of forest cover in a region
Deforestation can lead to the loss of Biodiversity- richness of different kinds of living things
Fertilizers and chemicals increase yield, but has negative effects on water supplies
How do we feed the world but be environmentally friendly?

Finding a balance
Planting tree farms
Natural farming-less yield, but safer on water supplies and fish
Limit fishermen’s catches and only catch fish that there are plentiful

Will this work? What are the problems?

Second and Third Level Activities
Second-level- industries (factories)
Third-level- making products available to consumers

Created our landscape of housing developments, offices, railroads, and highways

Providing Jobs, Reshaping the EnvironmentIndustrial and service industries provides the majority of jobs in developed nations
Civil Engineering- technology for building structures that alter the landscape, such as dams, canals, roads, and bridges
Environmental downfall- loss of green areas, water run-off from pavement
Telephone and power lines fall under third level activities

Environmental ChallengesPollution- waste that makes air, soil or water less clean
Industry output, trash from people, and automobile exhaust all contribute to pollution
Some scientists believe that this pollution is the cause of global temperature change and climate change

8th Grade

Here is the outline for Section 1 of Chapter 5. We will move through this chapter fairly quickly. I have given you the outline, timeline, standards and study guide for this chapter. I implore you to study 10 minutes a night this chapter. You, for the most part, did not last chapter and we are all familiar with the results of that. Please, please, please be sure you are giving me 10 minutes a night. You will see improvement in your score. New quarter means a new opportunity!!

French & Indian War
Chapter 5
Section 1

European Rivals in N. America
Europe was in a struggle for empires.
Spain
Great Britain
France
All wanted to establish colonies all over the world.
Proxy war in America for supremacy
France claimed everything from St. Lawrence R. west to Great Lakes and south to Gulf of Mexico
Protected it with extensive fort system and Indian help

Conflict in the Ohio Valley
English were no longer content to stay by the coast
1740’s settlers began to cross Appalachians into France’s territory
France wanted to protect this area because they needed the Mississippi River to link there lands

Native Americans Choose sides
France was sure they had Indian support because they did not move in on the Indian’s land. Worked with Indians.
England was sure they would have Indian support because of trade relationship
Intermarriages between French and Indians and British and Indians tested loyalties
Algonquin and Huron Indians went with France
Iroquois went with British
British gained loyalty by under selling French

French & Indian War Begins
3 times between 1689 and 1748 Great Britain and France warred in Europe
1754 the 4th war broke out
Control of the Ohio River Valley was at stake
George Washington’s men fired the first shots

A Bold Young Leader
22 years old land surveyor (Washington)
Build a fort where Allegheny and Monongahela River met Ohio River
Led 150 men into Ohio country only to find the French had already constructed a fort where he wanted one
Fort Duquesne

Conflict at Fort Necessity
Washington led a surprise attack that scattered the French
Took over Fort Duquesne and renamed it Fort Necessity
French and Indians surrounded the fort and captured Washington and his men. After surrender, released Washington

Albany Congress
Delegates gathered in Albany, New York
Cement alliance with Iroquois and plan a united colonial defense
Ben Franklin proposed the Albany Plan of Union
It stated that- one general government, make laws, raise taxes, set up defense led by the Grand Council
Delegates liked it, not one assembly member approved it

A String of British Defeat
1755 General Edward Braddock led colonial troops at Fort Duquesne. Over confident he was killed and troops defeated.
Disaster for Braddock
Not accustomed to this new warfare, Braddock’s troops in their red coats and loud marching were easy targets
Washington was also shot and wounded


The Tide of the Battle Turns
1757, William Pitt take control of the troops
Pitt sends Britain’s best generals to N. America
Winning was the only option for Pitt
Canada’s most important fort, Louisbourg was captured
Fort Duquesne recaptured and renamed Fort Pitt and Pittsburg grew on the site of Fort Pitt

The Fall of New France
By 1759 British had pushed French out of Fort Ticonderoga, Niagara, Crown Point,
Battle for Quebec
Quebec was on the Plains of Abraham
Used to supply forts up the St. Lawrence River
General Wolfe snuck in under cover of darkness and greeted Montcalm in the morning
Wolfe was killed but got the victory

Treaty of Paris
September 18th 1759 French surrendered
Treaty of Paris marked the end of French control in America
Britain got Canada and all land east of Mississippi except New Orleans
French kept 2 islands in Gulf of St. Lawrence and West Indies
Spain got Florida and New Orleans for helping Britain
Peace would reign for the next 17 years