717/712 SS-Serrano Assignments

The name of this assignment alludes to the things that happened in America just before the Civil War. The things we saw in the movie scenes from Modern Times show a part of the reason why the Civil War broke out. It had to do with the North new industrial economy migrating South, where Slavery was STILL the driving force behind the economy.

Well, people found ways to start developing the idea that the South was old fashioned and racist and that they needed to get in with the times. Those times were industrial, modern.

Today you'll look at a curious map that contains a message as to who are the good guys and who are the bad guys in the coming American war.

Whenever you read or hear the word MODERN, think about big industrial changes. Think phones, factories, automobiles, electricity, machines, and the like. This is what happened during the 19th century in America, especially as it drew closer to the Civil War.

Well, Chaplin had more to say about this. He was specifically interested in how people fit in with new machines and what new things were expected of them once machines made it possible to experiment on people to see if new ideas work.

In this next scene from Chaplin's MODERN TIMES, you'll be looking at how the workplace changed entirely and became much weirder. After watching the scene, CREATE a Google Doc and answer the following question in 4-5 sentences: What's the main idea or message behind Chaplin's experience with the new eating machine?

The Civil War was bad. Very bad. Both the South and the North suffered, and as has been the case throughout American history, minorities and poor communities suffered the most.

The South was battling its own people in order to keep slavery intact. In the North, Industry came to modernize America. But industry created its own problem, changing the job landscape and forcing people out of jobs. New machines were making harder jobs easier and quicker.

A comedian/director called Charlie Chaplin made a movie about it, called Modern Times. It looks at how industrial machinery affected people and how it changed everything.

---> Today you'll see a scene from the movie and then CREATE a Google Doc to answer the following question in 5 sentences: What problems did new machinery and factories bring to its workers? USE DETAILS FROM THE SCENE.

We've got Pancho Villa down, we got a general idea of what the Mexican-American War was, and we know what the consequences of the conflict were. Now, your going to make a comic about it.

You're going to create a 3-panel comic with a minimum of two characters talking about a particular event or figure from the war. The situation the characters can be in is in your hands. Is it 2 soldiers talking about developments during a battle? Is it YOU trying to explain the war to a friend? Is it PANCHO VILLA explaining why he's a good or a bad guy while making a movie?

Up to you.

I've attached a link to History.com so you can choose a topic from there or you can use any of the previous Mex-Am War sources for your comic. You'll two days to work on this. I'll create a Google Doc for tomorrow to see how much you've done and to see if you need additional time or help.

Checklist:
1. Use StoryBoardThat.com to make the comic.
2. Two character minimum.
3. Each character must speak in each panel.
4. Keep dialogue short. No more than two sentences per panel. Say what you need to say in as brief a way as possible.

So, even though the comic is due today, if you need additional time you can have it. Just answer the questions in the Google Doc so I know how you did with the comic and if you need anything specific explained.

We've looked at some comics portraying specific historical periods, be it through monsters, recreations, or just plain and simple history. Well, now it's time you create some. And it requires a few steps.

Today you'll be creating an account or logging back into (if you already have an account) StoryboardThat.com.

This website lets you do short comics using DRAG and DROP functions and it's very to use. You have several features and selections on what to include, such as backgrounds, types of characters, items, animals, etc.

When I assign comic book creation, you won't find exactly what you want to create your comic. So you'll have to do with things and ideas that come close to it.

For today, log into the site which is attached here, create an account, and start playing around with comic creator to get familiarized with it. Then answer the short questionnaire on the Google Doc to see if you got any questions or ideas on how to use the program. You don't have to download anything. The entire program is online and you can save your projects so long as you have an account.

IMPORTANT: Once you access the website, click on LOG IN. You can create your account there.
---> If you don't want to create an account, you can just create a comic and take a screenshot of it and then send it to me when I assign one. But you won't be able to save them, so you'll have to finish them during a single session.

Yes, the same Pancho Villa from the comic book cover that was feared by Americans and praised by Mexicans during the Mexican American war was also a movie star, if only briefly.

What led to this turn of events? Villa was just magnetic. People wanted to know more about him and they would pay for it. Certain production companies and movie figures found a way to contact and meet Villa. And then, a star was born.

Today you'll read part of an article about Villa's movie career and what it actually entailed or what it actually meant for Villa. Then, you'll create a Google Doc and answer the following question in 5 sentences: should controversial historical figures be given the chance to be movie stars?

---> Find an authentic Pancho Villa picture to include in your doc. It should be located above the text.

YOU DON'T HAVE TO READ THE WHOLE ARTICLE. Read up to what you feel is enough to answer the question.

One of the most fearsome and loved figures of the Mexican American war went by the name of Pancho Villa.

This man was important and he was as hated as he was followed by many. Depending on who tells the story, Villa's either hero of war or a bloodthirsty monster.

As such, there are many stories surrounding Villa with varying degrees of truth and fiction in them. Some are exaggerations of things he actually did and some are pure fabrication.

Look at the comic book cover on the Google Doc and try to figure out how it portrays him.

So, we'll look a bit more at the Mexican-American war, but first a look at the land that the US acquired after the war.

This is important to remember as, and we studied this earlier, the US and Mexico will fight over border rights and controversies for years to come all the way to the present.

Today you'll look at a comic book explaining the land Mexico lost but the US gained. Look at the images closely and try to figure out how they provide information visually. If a comic fails to communicate ideas visually then it's at a disadvantage, no matter how good the text is.

Access the Google Doc for the assignment.

So, yesterday's video showed just what it meant to have a fictional version of a real story everyone will watch and prefer over the real one. Sacajawea is a controversial figure because of this. People take her as a charismatic and strong presence that remained independent and powerful. Reality is a bit more complicated.

Well let's see how Disney approaches the history of Natives in American history. For this you'll watch a part of the movie Pocahontas.

Pocahontas IS NOT Sacajawea. She was more of an instrumental figure during the colonial period, specifically with the Jonestown colony. Still, her treatment in movies and stories is turned into a kind of fairy tale everyone can watch and be happy with.

You'll see a video on Pocahontas from the Disney version and then we'll look at how fiction blends in with reality. After watching the video, create a Google Doc and answer the following question in 5 SENTENCES: What was Pocahontas' views on the new colonizers?
---> Use details from the vid.
---> You can watch other videos to add to your response.

Most of American history has a movie attached to it. Historical eras have been put to film to tell the "true accounts" of big moments, figures, and events.

Most often than not, these stories simplify the original narrative to the degree of almost being not true. Important details are left behind, especially the darker ones. What we get is nicer version of the real thing and then that's what we keep telling newer generations about how certain stuff happened.

Today you'll what a video about one such story, the story of Sacajawea. Once you finish the video, create a Google Doc and answer, in 5 SENTENCES, the following question: What role did Sacajawea play in the Lewis and Clark expedition?
---> Use details from the video in your response.

Tomorrow we'll use what we learned today and compare it with a particular Disney story.

Lewis and Clark's voyage had multiple stops, different routes and reroutes, and changes in plans. As such, Lewis and Clark had to take advantage of each new stop and even improvise. Remember, this was all uncharted territory.

Today you'll be looking at an interactive map of the famed expedition (yay! another interactive map!). Don't worry, this map is way easier to navigate.

The map has a chronology of the expedition's most important stops and briefly explains what happened in each one.

Click on the map and familiarize yourself with it. Then, access the Google Doc to write about what you think were the 3 most important stops or developments in the expedition.

Part of America's expansion, along with war, was met with exploration. Some parts of the continent just weren't mapped out. The American government needed to see just how big America was.

President Jefferson thought it a good idea to create expeditions to complete the map and see how far Washington DC was from the Pacific Ocean. They sent two explorers, Lewis and Clark to explore these unknown lands.

Those lands were (you guessed it!) inhabited by Natives, which Lewis and Clark had to trade and negotiate with to continue their journey. The expedition went from 1803-1806.

Image Comics published a comic book on the expedition called Manifest Destiny, but it gave the story an interesting twist. Instead of just finding natives, they also found monsters belonging to those lands. Are these monsters evil? That's what the comic explores.

Access the Google Doc to look at a few pages and figure out what the comic is trying to say.

If there's ever been an historical event that still haunts America to this day it's the Mexican-American War.

This war is responsible for the formation of several states that currently have some America's roughest immigration problems. Those states were originally part of Mexico and they'll greatly impact border policy and controversies well into the 21st century.

For today, watch the video attached and then access the Google Doc to complete the task there.

Now that we're diving a bit deeper into Manifest Destiny, I think it's best to see how the US actually progressed towards the West.

What you have here today is an interactive map of Manifest Destiny by decade. You'll see different categories you can click on to get more info on them, from native territories to trails as they became available.

The move West was monumental and it came with a lot of planning. Unfortunately, this doesn't mean that the land was empty and that it was just there for the taking.

Explore the map. Experiment with it to get a better hang of it and the work on the Google Doc attached here.

Based on the image you worked on yesterday, I got the sense that the idea Manifest Destiny had to do with a long trip was pretty well founded. The image does show a lot of people moving from the East to the West.

In reality, Manifest Destiny did entail movement and it did result in getting a clearer of picture of how big America actually was. Not everything was explored yet.

Having said that, a lot of details related to the West's discovery are often confused or misconstrued (this word means "not entirely factual or correct").

Today you'll watch a video on the things you should know about Manifest Destiny to sound smart if you ever have a conversation or discussion on the topic in the future.

Watch the video and then order from most to least important the important bits of info discussed on Manifest Destiny in the Google Doc.

Okay, so the concept of Manifest Destiny shouldn't be too difficult to figure out, and yet it was quite devious and deceptive. It depended on which side of the "Manifest" you were on.

I'm not going to tell you much about what this is to see if you can figure it out based on an image you'll find in the Google Doc attached. Look at the image and try to figure out what Manifest Destiny is in your own words based on what info the image provides.

DO NOT LOOK UP THE DEFINITION ELSEWHERE AND WRITE IT IN. I'll know if you did. I read. A lot. Believe me, I know what's in your own words and what isn't.

December 28th, 1895. This is the date the first ever motion picture was presented to audiences anywhere. It's takes less than a minute and it shoes a train arriving in a station. That's it.

The first time it was shown, people had no idea what a film was or that pictures could move! That's why they're called movies, actually.

Moving pictures = Movies. That's what a film is. Thousands of pictures moving back to back.

In the 19th Century, two French brothers that went by the Lumiere Brothers showed the film to a room full of people. When the train arrives at the station, people ran out of the room thinking the train was going to come through the wall.

Here's the film. Access the Google Doc to comment on it.

The 19th Century was big on popular songs. A lot of culture was being created by the then young country. And guess what...a lot of them songs were racist! (tough to imagine, I know).

To the surprise of no one, these songs tended to make fun of slaves, black people in general, and their working conditions.

But not all songs were against black people. Some may have imagined situations where slave owners got hurt or even died, with the slave being the one responsible for telling the story. One of those songs is called "Jimmy Crack Corn" and it falls under that category.

You will listen to this song, found attached here, and then answer the questions on the Doc. You can find the lyrics in the other link attached here.

Okay, so there's a newer version of the game you played, The Oregon Trail. It's on mobile and it requires you meet certain requirements to play, so I couldn't really make you play that one.

It still carries the same concept but it does so with more modern gaming sensibilities. Some work, others are there to make you spend money via microtransactions, where you use real world money to buy resources. This is a very controversial practice in the gaming industry. I personally don't like spending MORE real money on a game I already paid $60 dollars on!

Anyway, here's the trailer. Watch it and then answer the questions in the Google Doc.

Microtransactions make me mad.

Now that you've played the game, gotten familiar with it, I want you to write down your story as you journey through it again.

You'll find questions here that'll help you log big events down as you progress through the game.

One thing though, if you can't make it all the way through for whatever reason, then you have to write it down. Identify up to which point you made it through and explain why you couldn't complete the journey.

If the link for the game doesn't work, Google the game and you'll find several sites that let you play the game.

Okay, once the US was growing up and exploring its frontiers, they realized they hadn't discovered everything. And so, they started moving Westward to try and see just how big America was.

For decades, students have explored this topic with an old game called THE OREGON TRAIL. This is a narrative adventure game where you control a family trying to move to the west without losing anyone.

Your decision can result in the death or survival of everyone, so your actions count. Today I want you to explore the game, learn how to play it so that tomorrow you can further work on it.

Have fun and learn the game as best you can! And remember, just follow the instructions.

We've looked a bit into 19th century fashion and how department stores starting making the rounds, causing a stir among people wanting to spend their wages on looking part of their new reality.

Today you'll access the website here to explore 19th century fashion and find a nice suit or dress you would've worn had you lived in the time period.

You must choose a picture, or several (if you want to mix and match--pants from one pic and shirt from another, for example), showing your attire accompanied by 4 sentences explaining why you the style you chose suits you best (or why did you like it).

So, people have never just dressed the same.

Sometimes certain fashion trends are interesting and practical and others they are solely used to reflect social status. This is what happened in 19th century america. Clothing would communicate whether you had money, were from a powerful family, or were poor and 'undignified.'

Today you'll begin researching 19th century fashion in America so that in a later class you make a selection of 19th clothing you would've worn had you lived in that time period.

So, Jackson adds to his resume of dark and controversial things by releasing a statement on the removal of Indians. This is the Trail of Tears he's defending here.

The message isn't particularly sensitive to the native plight and it states several reasons for his decision that have been criticized from the moment he put them out.

You'll read that message in the website linked below. Then, you will write a counterargument imagining you're alive in that time period to see how persuasive you can be when matched up against President Jackson.

THIS IS A TWO ASSIGNMENT, due on Wednesday the 8th of April. Your response will be 2 paragraphs long (5 sentences each one). Write one paragraph today and the other tomorrow. You have time. Divide the assignment in 2 and it will be more than doable.

After George Washington announced he would not be seeking a third term of president, the US scrambled for a new face to run the still young government. John Adams filled that role.

But shortly after his retirement, Washington fell seriously ill. He didn't last long in his retirement years. Many specialists, historians, and scientists have looked at how Washington fell ill so quickly and why his life couldn't be saved.

The answers may lie in the limitations of medicine and the medical discoveries that defined the times. You'll read and article on Washington's untimely demise and how medicine could or couldn't have saved Washington from his frightfully painful fate.

Access the link and use the article inside it to complete the Google Doc.

Jackson's story continues. The man who beat up his own assassin, was lucky enough a gun misfired TWICE, and was then a paranoid wreck that went on to have one of the most contentious presidencies in American History.

Perhaps his darkest moment, the thing that stains his legacy the most, is the Trail of Tears.

What is the Trail of Tears you ask? How did it happen? Why did happen?

Those questions need answers you're looking up. Not me! Access the Google Doc for the task for today's class.

Also, use the online exhibit included here for a getting a head start on figuring what the event consisted of.

Andrew Jackson is perhaps one of the most controversial presidents in American history. Maybe in all of history!

We're going to look at a couple of reasons why Jackson had a reputation for being 'crazy.' A lot had to do with an event called The Trail of Tears, while events relating to his wife also played a huge influence.

We move on to Andrew Jackson, a complicated man that equally loved as he was hated.

Under Jackson, the US saw large-scale Indian removal and accusations of him being more like a king than a president.

Jackson relied quite heavily on his veto powers. This power allows presidents to reject decisions or proposals from Congress. Jackson had several high-profile vetoes and people called him out on it.

Click on the Google Doc and complete the tasks found inside it, all based on the general perception of Andrew Jackson as an American president.

If you want a better view at the image, click on it here in the Assignment's page.

Although the Hamilton musical has turned the historical figure into a sort of hero for many people, the man was not without complex stances on certain ideas. Slavery was a particularly tricky one for him.

Hamilton was NOT a supported of slavery, but his actions got him in trouble several times. He was accused of hypocrisy and was called out on several things publicly.

In this lesson you'll read an article arguing that the Hamilton from the musical might not be the hero the play makes him out to be. At least not in everything.

Read the article and use details from it to answer the question in the Google Doc.

For all the popularity and historical presence George Washington still has, there are some parts of his life that continue to haunt his legacy.

Slavery is one of those parts. Washington's family had slaves. They were born into times where slavery was normal. But one of his family's slaves had a peculiar story. This is where ONA JUDGE comes into play.

Watch the video to answer the questions in the Google Doc. It's mostly about the legacy of Washington's image but also of the lost stories surrounding the historical figure.

Our current Government got its first run with George Washington. This was uncharted territory. Washington was met with several difficulties, especially with not appearing to govern like a king. They had just won a revolution to escape precisely that.

In this task, you'll read about Washington's challenges to then explain why they were difficult.

Also, I'd like your take on why you think Washington is still popular, remembered even, in today's America.

Going a bit back in time, before Hamilton and Jefferson debated and before the government had a bit more structure, the US had to decide whether STATES (anti-federalists) or a CENTRAL GOVERNMENT (federalists) would have the most power over political decisions.

You have here an image about the debate between Central Govt. and State powers. Use the information in it to fill in the chart in the DOC and to answer the question that follows it.

So, after the previous lesson on The Fed, I thought it'd be interesting to continue getting some economic concepts down. What better way to do this than through comics!

In the context of COVID-19 and how it's affecting the economy, I think it's important you know these words. You'll be hearing them a lot in the coming weeks.

On today's worksheet you're getting two pages from a great comic called ACTION PHILOSOPHERS. You'll read them and write down three economic terms you find in it. You look for their definitions and then complete the next tasks.

I want to see how you engage with these economic terms. They are difficult but important. I'm hoping the comic helps you understand them.

Hello students! Long time, I know, but we're here. The class will continue as best as it can given the circumstances, but it will be good.

Any questions you have, post them on Classrooms. I will answer everything that needs answering. Work is expected to be handed in daily. MAKE SURE YOU READ ALL OF THE INSTRUCTIONS. If there's a task posted here, it must be completed.

You will work on sources I provide here, be it documents/videos/comics/short films/writings/games/etc. Make sure to include details from the source on your work.

For today's class you will watch a video on the value of money, which talks about how money came to be and what determines how valuable it is or isn't.

Answer the questions on the Google Doc and then complete the exit ticket. EVERYTHING IS GRADED.

Once you do that...congratulations! You finished your first Remote Social Studies lesson with me (Mr. Serrano, in case you forgot)!