January 26, 2007 - Oregon Country

Today in history we learned more about the Oregon Country.  We discussed the geography of the territory, and the countries that all had claims on the region in the early 1800s (the US, Britain, Spain, and Russia).  We took a 6-8 Quiz on the Oregon Country and then finished class by reading about "One Family's Journey," the story of Caddy Appleton and her family as they traveled from Independence, MO, to Oregon City, OR.

The homework for tonight is to finish the Appleton's story.  What happened to Ma, Pa, Caddy, Jem, and Baby Sarah?  Did they ever see Grammy again?  What about Tall Grass Waving?  Write 3/4 of a page to 1 page telling us your version of the "rest of the story."

RVI

January 24, 2007 - The Oregon Trail

Today Yukon history departed for the Oregon Trail! We began by watching a DVD clip that gave us a general idea of the westward movement for many families during the early 1800s.

We then moved into the Oregon Trail Interactive Slide Lecture. Here, we discussed all the different parts of the Oregon Trail, beginning with the trek across the Great Plains, through mountain passes, deserts, across raging rivers, and finishing in the lush, green Willamette Valley in Oregon.

Would you like to learn more about the pioneer families' daring 2,400 mile journey across North America? Here are some sites I recommend:
http://www.historyglobe.com/ot/otmap1.htm
http://www.oregontrailcenter.org/

Want your family to follow the Oregon Trail this summer? Here's a commercial site that can help you plan your family's driving vacation along this historic journey (probably a little easier in an air-conditioned car than in a covered wagon):
http://www.travelhero.com/destinations/main.cfm/type/OREGON_TRAIL/

Your homework for tonight is Pioneer Do's and Don'ts, which you will turn in separately (not in the INB).

Happy Trails!
RVI

January 22, 2007 - Lewis and Clark

Today in history we began by exploring the concept of Manifest Destiny in a journal assignment.  Were Americans really destined to spread across the continent?  Was it our destiny?

We continued to explore the theme of Manifest Destiny with an interactive PowerPoint slide presentation.  In it, we learned about the US in 1803 when President Jefferson made the Louisiana Purchase.  This purchase made it possible for explorers Merriwether Lewis and William Clark to lead their Corps of Discovery west from St. Louis to the Pacific Ocean.

You can learn more about this amazing journey at some of these sites:
http://www.pbs.org/lewisandclark/
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/lewisandclark/

The character of Sacagawea was featured in the recent film (and now one of my favorite movies of all time) Night at the Museum .  Want to find out more about their Shoshone guide, Sacagawea, who served as navigator and translator, all while carrying her infant son on her back?  Learn more about this amazing woman here:
http://www.pbs.org/lewisandclark/inside/saca.html
http://www.nps.gov/archive/jeff/LewisClark2/CorpsOfDiscovery/TheOthers/Civilians/Sacagawea.htm

Homework for tonight was to write a one-page entry in the diary of William Clark.  Next time, we move on to the Oregon Trail!

RVI

January 18, 2007 - Land Ordinances

Before we get to land ordinances, Baby Liliana Ippolito is doing great!  Mr. and Mrs. Ippolito brought her home today and the whole family is doing well.

OK, now to history.  Today was a minimum day, but Ms. Vincent was still able to teach you about the Land Ordinance of 1785 and the Northwest Ordinance of 1787.  This was an important first step in establishing how new lands would be handled in the United States.

Here's an interesting website if you'd like to learn more about the Northwest Ordinance.
http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/wwww/us/northwestordinancedef.htm

Homework was vocabulary, and it is due at our next class.  Have a great weekend!

RVI

--
Ron Ippolito
History Teacher/ASB Director
Rio Norte Junior High School
rvi@hartdistrict.org

Baby Ippolito is born!

Mr. Ippolito is the proud daddy of a baby girl, Liliana Ippolito, born on Wednesday, January 17, at 1:02 a.m. I will be out of school for the next couple weeks to take care of my wife and new baby. Learn lots and be good while I'm gone! Although I will not be in the classroom, I will continue to post my lessons to this blog.

RVI

Territorial Expansion - A new unit begins

Today in Team Yukon history, we began by discussing where we had come from as a nation. We began with just the land of the 13 original colonies, but by 1783 had quickly expanded west to the Mississippi River. Later, with the Louisiana Purchase, the Texas annexation, the Mexican War, and a few other treaties and purchases, by 1853, the continental United States was complete.

Today's in-class assignment was the Territorial Expansion Map. This will serve as your cover page for this unit. The homework was to finish the map. Make sure to follow all instructions, especially when drawing and labeling the rivers. To help you with the rivers, check out these sites:
http://graphicmaps.com/webimage/countrys/namerica/usstates/artwork/rivers/uslayout.htm
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/usa/rivers/

A really cool downloadable, printable map of Westward Expansion is available here:
http://nationalatlas.gov/printable/images/pdf/territory/pagetacq3.pdf

If you want to show your parents some of what we did in class today, you can check out the Animated Atlas at:
http://animatedatlas.com/movie2.html

Happy Learning!
RVI

Team Yukon History blog begins!

Hello there, Yukon history fans!

Mr. Ippolito and Mrs. Painter are trying something new for '07--a Yukon history blog! Check this blog to find out what's happening in class, verify homework assignments, and find links to cool history stuff.

Some websites you can check out now to begin our new Manifest Destiny unit are listed below. Enjoy!

http://edtech.kennesaw.edu/web/westward.html
http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/lewisandclark/lewisandclark.html
http://www.kidinfo.com/American_History/Pioneers.html

RVI





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