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Office Hours: 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM
I may be reached by email at: John.Cunningham@dcssga.org
or through the this form
Updated May 14, 2020
Opportunities for Grade Improvement
(see daily/weekly assignments below)
All Digital Learning assignments must be completed by May 14th.
Quiz/DailyGrades/HW/CW
See daily/weekly assignments below
Exam Grade
Final Draft of Research Paper -
Submitted to Turnitin.com by Sunday, May 3, at 4:00pm
Turnitin.com Enrollment code: 24723084
Password: Cunningham
Files must be submitted with the following file name:
lastname_firstname_classperiod_title
Grade descriptors can be found here (corrected descriptors).
Assignment(s):
Subject to change. Please check back daily. (Changes will be highlighted in a different color)
May 14 ZOOM meeting: Discussed the Sumer assignment and Digital Learning Checklist (see above), and reviewed OPCVL (see video on OPCVL below)
Week of May 11: Complete any outstanding Digital learning assignments. Must be completed by May 14. Due to coronavirus hardships, I have extended the last two quizizz.com quizzes to the 14th (though it would be better if you completed them earlier), and I will allow any other assignments be completed by the 14th. Many assignments are now closed and you will have to request that I create a different make up version. But after the 14th, all grades will be final.
May 1:
Q & A Zoom Meeting at 10:00 AM
April 30:
Zoom Meeting 10:00 - 10:30 AM
Week of April 27 and Week of May 4 (3 Assignments):
Assignment 1 - INSTRUCTIONS READING
Read the linked Reading AND Instructions before proceeding to the quiz on quizizz.com. Due by May 8th at 10:00p
Assignment 2 - INSTRUCTIONS READING
Read the linked Reading AND Instructions before proceeding to the quiz on quizizz.com. Due by May 8th at 10:00p
Assignment 3 - VIDEO ON THIRD CRUSADE
April 24:
Q&A Zoom meeting over William the Conqueror and the Battle of Hastings at 10:00am.
April 23:
Zoom meeting over William the Conqueror and the Battle of Hastings at 10:00am.
April 20-22:
- Play this silly game about the battle of Hastings. (someone please find a strategy that wins from either side; I know what happens in this battle and can't seem to win as either Harold or William).
- Read this overview of William.
- Look up the Bayeux Tapestry you may use this site or find your own: List the origin, purpose, and content of the Bayeux Tapestry and what the values and limitations are of that source for historian studying William.
- Take Bayeux Tapestry quiz on quizizz by Thurs. morning.
April 17: Q&A Zoom meeting at 10:00am.
April 16: Meeting at 10:00
April 16 meeting: part 1: Research Papers - preparing a final draft,
April 16 meeting: part 2: Being an independent learner and and an IB student
April 16 meeting: part 3: New Material -The Anglo-Saxons and early England to 1066
April 13-16:
Last week to work on Research papers during class time.
Using the previous lessons, complete the second draft of your research paper that is less wordy, more organized, and utilizes more source evaluation in the argument.
April 6-12: Spring Break
April 3:
Review Day before spring break. Catch up on any assignments that you may have missed. You may work on your second drafts of your research paper, critique your partner's paper and see any progress they have made, rewatch the Genghis Khan video, work on your OPcVL, or practice cutting wordiness from the wordiness assignment.
April 2:
Zoom Meeting at 11:30
April 1/2:
Historical sources do not always have to be text sources. Using the OPcVL format, evaluate the Genghis Khan documentary (or any of the Genghis Khan videos) that you watched on March 26-29.
The prompt would look something like this:
"With reference to the origin, purpose, and content evaluate the values and limitations for a historian studying Genghis Khan."
(In case you are wondering how long you should spend on a question like this, on an IB paper 1 exam, this question should receive about 12 minutes of your time on the exam.)
I would suggest writing out your answer by hand in your notes, so that you can see how long it takes you to answer it at this point.
March 30/31: Source Evaluation
Source Evaluation - OPcVL for primary and secondary sources (18 minutes)
March 30/31:
Join quizizz class at
https://quizizz.com/join?class=Z644299
Take quiz over source evaluation on quizizz.
March 28/29:
Click here for a BBC documentary on Genghis Khan.
( 1 hour video - watch second half or so.)
(Click here for an 8-minute crash course video.)
Make a short outline from the content of the video in your notes
Extra video - a short but nicely animated military history on the Mongol attacks, the siege of Baghdad, and the end of the Abbasids - here
March 26/27:
Click here for a BBC documentary on Genghis Khan.
( 1 hour video - watch first half or so.)
(Click here for an 8-minute crash course video.)
Make a short outline from the content of the video in your notes
Extra video - a short but nicely animated military history on the Mongol attacks, the siege of Baghdad, and the end of the Abbasids - here
March 24/25:
I want you to revisit the wordiness correction assignment found here. I want you to look at the less-wordy paragraphs that you made the other day and attempt to adjust them further. Can you make them any clearer? I am not sure what your lit essay was on last week, but you could also take some time to revisit that essay; think about clarity and wordiness as well. Think about clarity and grammar. Are your sentences clear to the reader? If you want to move on to the videos in the future lessons, you may, I am sure we will get to them eventually. If you want to work on your papers some more, you may. But I want you to really take some time to think about writing clear engaging sentences. This is why you may work on your lit essays. I just want you to spend my class time working on clarity in your writing. For Example, this paragraph could be cut way down ;)
I have another activity that is very hard, but works to make you really think about what is most important. You do not have to do it. You write an essay on any topic (literally anything). Make sure you have a thesis and prove your thesis. Then go back a few hours later and write on the same thesis, but do it in exactly half the space. Cut it in half again. Finally, cut it to one paragraph. In graduate school, we had an assignment to write a review in 4 pages, then the same review in 2 pages, then the same review in 1 page. Each time you have to really think about what is most important. How can you say something clearly and prove it in half the space? It is hard. But it can be fun...well rewarding might be the better word. (For the four of you that attempt this, good luck).
March 20/23:
Attempt to help your partner cut wordiness to their research paper first draft.
Part of cutting wordiness is also making strong sentences that make a clear point. Each sentence has a reason for being in that particular paragraph. Is it clear to the reader why that sentence is in that paragraph, why that piece of evidence is pertinent to the point being made?
Each paragraph has a reason for being where it is - after this paragraph, before that paragraph. The writer made those decisions when writing. (If there is no reason for a sentence or paragraph to be in the paper, if no clear reason to be there can be articulated, it should be cut.)
Is it clear to the reader why a paragraph or sentence is where it is? Help your parter by pointing out any places where clarity is lacking and help them remedy it by cutting wordiness, making strong points, clearing up awkward phases, and eliminating vague statements.
It is not your job to completely re-write your partner's paper. Help them identify a couple issues to fix, help them fix them. Together you will be helping each other.
Finally, cutting wordiness and creating clarity will help identify gaps in the logic of the argument and any gaps in evidence.
March 18/19:
Using the sample paragraphs here, attempt to cut out (or reword) any wordiness or vague statements without losing any of the details or the argument in order to make the paragraph stronger and more concise.
A note on paragraph 4 - Do not look until you have attempted the assignment.
March 16/17:
Complete research paper first draft and share the draft with me and with a parter. Share it upon completion and do so no later than Tuesday at 5:00pm.
(Be sure to check the First Draft Checklist).
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