We will be looking at the Korean War on Monday in class, and you can get a head start on the topic by beginning a Korea 9321 page on your online notebook.  The instructions are clearly outlined here, and you should have the page completed by Tuesday – it’s your choice if you want to work on it over the weekend!  Some great resources to complete the Korea 9321 page include …

• 795-797 in Creating America
• The various sites on the Korean War research list on ABC-CLIO
• Videos – (username mtaft, password usm) – Start of the Korean War,  MacArthur Dismissed and Korean Armistice,  Days that Shook the World - Korean War – June 25, 1950, Turning Points in US History – The Korean War
• The Korean War from the Navy – some great pics!
• The Korean War And Its Origins, 1945-1953 from the Truman Library
• Korean War Project
• Korean War Veterans Memorial Home Page

Did the movie trailers get you a little excited in learning about the Cold War?  Here’s hoping …

We introduced the Cold War today by getting a basic definition of the term, along with some common characteristics.  Make sure you have your “Cold War Big Picture” slide show embedded of linked on your notebook – nothing elaborate, ok?

Your assignment tonight is “The Early Years of the Cold War”.  Use Creating America, the videos, and/or the ABC-CLIO research list to take some bulleted notes on the major topics of the early years of the Cold War and see how it “heats up” across the globe.  We will use and review this info in class tomorrow. Try to get as far as you can … hopefully you will enjoy this last major topic in 8th grade history!

To check your understanding of the content of the Civil Rights era (and also to see if you read the assigned material), complete the following quiz ALONE. You may use your Unit 8 Online Notebook (you will need it) as well as Creating America, but complete the quiz by yourself. Check the time that this is due – and you get one shot, so save it if you have to leave … to go to the store … to buy history books … or history movies … or peach Jolly Ranchers …

Was the Civil Rights Movement a success?  Is it still going on today?  Has MLK’s “dream” been realized?  That’s our focus for today’s class.  Use the various resources online (and any of your own) to add statements,  images, stats, quotes, and anything else to the bulletin board for you class period.

CRM Today 1 / CRM Today 2 / CRM Today 3 / CRM Today 4 / CRM Today 6

Want to check out Minhal and Claudia’s awesome video on the reaction to the  MLK assassination?

Hopefully you have a solid grasp of the individuals, events, ideas, and legacy of the Civil Rights movement after our look at the era over the past week.  Did the movement succeed?  Has MLK’s dream of equality and having everyone judged by the “content of their character” been realized?  What is the status of different minority groups in our population today? What are the pressing civil rights issues of today?  Spend a few minutes tonight taking a look at some of the links below and make some observations on the current status of civil rights in America.

• What are the civil rights issues of today? – Annenberg Classroom
• Current Issues on Civil Rights from American University
• Graphs on current Civil Rights Issues
• Civil Rights from the White House

Some essential statistics from the US Census

• Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2010
• Voting and Registration in the Election of November 2010
• Educational Attainment

We will chat about this info tomorrow!

You can also finish your CRM posters (check the rubric) and continue on your Oral History …

I hope the Selma to Montgomery March experience today was enjoyable and educational - test your knowledge on this non-graded quiz, and also please let me know what you thought!  Your assignment tonight is to complete the CRM Tweets and check out The Later Years of the Civil Rights  Movement, which will also help with your tweets! If you get into a jam, stop at 25 minutes of homework – got it?

Keep going on the Oral History and CRM Movie Posters!

Young historians, this would be a great weekend to get going on the research part of your oral history.  Remember, you need to resources to write a short summary and develop your interview questions.  You can also work on your CRM Movie Poster!  You can alos finish MLK’s Dream, if we didn’t get to it in class.

I have a new idea for Monday’s class, but it will involve some help from you. If you have an iPhone, iPad, or iTouch (I am working on the iSchwiets), please download the Aris app and install it on your iDevice.  Hopefully it will work!  If not …

Keep tweeting, Civil Rights historians!  The first section of most notebooks is looking good … but make sure you have complete information and use all of the possible characters.  Try adding a hastag or two #itssofuntotweethistory!  Please have the second section completed for tomorrow.

You should also check out The March on Washington, as we will be examining a pretty famous speech tomorrow in class.  Make sure you watch the video, as it really sets the stage for a major turning point in the Civil Rights Movement!

Want to see what you did in class today?  Check it out at http://turningpoints12.wikispaces.com/Brown+Newscasts!

What if you could summarize the major events of the Civil Rights Movement in 140 characters or less?  Let’s give it a whirl by “tweeting” through the 50s and 60s.  Follow the instructions on “Tweets from the Civil Rights Movement” very carefully and complete the first section for Thursday.  You should also make sure you submit your Oral History Topic by tomorrow!