Thursday, August 27, 2009

Quiz Answers

Here are the quiz answers to Monday's questions. How did you do?

THE ANSWERS:

1851 Peru
1776 Scotland
1829 Mexico
1863 The Netherlands
1865 The United States
1861 Russia
1876 The Ottoman Empire
1848 Denmark
1962 Saudi Arabia1837 Spain

Sunday, August 23, 2009

August 23: Ending Official Slavery

On August 23, 1833, Great Britain became the first of Europe’s great empires to abolish slavery in all of its colonies. While not the first to abolish slavery, Britain was the most politically powerful nation to do so up to that time. This was the beginning action that would result in the abolishing of slavery by various countries around the world.

See how well you do…. Can you match the following nations with the year listed below in which they officially abolished slavery?

Peru
Scotland
Mexico
The Netherlands
The United States
Russia
The Ottoman Empire
Denmark
Saudi Arabia
Spain

The Years:
1776
1829
1837
1848
1851
1861
1863
1865
1876
1962

The answers will be posted on this blog on Thursday, August 27.

Monday, August 17, 2009

Teaching American History Grant


The nearest 'big city' television station broadcast a blurb on Citrus County receiving the Teaching American History grant.

To view the video, go to http://www.baynews9.com/VideoPlayer/?Citrus_School_Grants_816

Our district will be working hard to identify the participants and to get the program rolling.

It's an exciting time. A special thanks to Mr. Klauder for the picture.

Monday, August 10, 2009

The Calf Path

Welcome back, Citrus County Social Studies teachers! It's going to be an interesting and innovative year, with increased emphasis on Web 2.0 technology as well as offering professional development for American History teachers through our federal Teaching American History Grant.

Well”, as my students use to say, “I didn’t know this was a literature class!”

Please read the following:

The Calf-Path by Sam Walter Foss
(NH 1858-1911)

I.

One day, through the primeval wood,
A calf walked home, as good calves should;

II.

But made a trail all bent askew,
A crooked trail as all calves do.
Since then three hundred years have fled,
And, I infer, the calf is dead.
But still he left behind his trail,
And thereby hangs my moral tale.
The trail was taken up next day,
By a lone dog that passed that way.
And then a wise bell-wether sheep,
Pursued the trail o'er vale and steep;
And drew the flock behind him too,
As good bell-wethers always do.
And from that day, o'er hill and glade.
Through those old woods a path was made.

III.

And many men wound in and out,
And dodged, and turned, and bent about;
And uttered words of righteous wrath,
Because 'twas such a crooked path.
But still they followed - do not laugh -
The first migrations of that calf.
And through this winding wood-way stalked,
Because he wobbled when he walked.

IV.

This forest path became a lane,
that bent, and turned, and turned again.
This crooked lane became a road,
Where many a poor horse with his load,
Toiled on beneath the burning sun,
And traveled some three miles in one.
And thus a century and a half,
They trod the footsteps of that calf.

V.

The years passed on in swiftness fleet,
The road became a village street;
And this, before men were aware,
A city's crowded thoroughfare;
And soon the central street was this,
Of a renowned metropolis;
And men two centuries and a half,
Trod in the footsteps of that calf.

VI.

Each day a hundred thousand rout,
Followed the zigzag calf about;
And o'er his crooked journey went,
The traffic of a continent.
A Hundred thousand men were led,
By one calf near three centuries dead.
They followed still his crooked way,
And lost one hundred years a day;
For thus such reverence is lent,
To well established precedent.

VII.

A moral lesson this might teach,
Were I ordained and called to preach;
For men are prone to go it blind,
Along the calf-paths of the mind;
And work away from sun to sun,
To do what other men have done.
They follow in the beaten track,
And out and in, and forth and back,
And still their devious course pursue,
To keep the path that others do.
They keep the path a sacred groove,
Along which all their lives they move.
But how the wise old wood gods laugh,
Who saw the first primeval calf!
Ah! many things this tale might teach -
But I am not ordained to preach.

What path do you follow? I’m for making a path more straight – right to the heart of reaching students based on the electronic world in which they live.

Essential Question: How can we change our mindset to do two things this year: eligible teachers participate in the Teaching American History grant trainings; and to accept and adapt the new Web 2.0 technologies available for instruction of our students in the classroom?

WEB RESOURCES:

The Calf Path

PHOTO SOURCES:

01. Sam Foss Portrait, Wikipedia
02. Windy Path
03. Windy Road
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Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Update: Three World War I Survivors


A brief update to the July 28th blog entry: According to the BBC, there are three survivors of World War I left alive today -


To read the article, click here.


I still stand by my published desire to not let the memories of other wars - and events - disappear. For more information and sites on saving the memories of veterans, see the July 28th blog entry.

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