OK, so this is officially the home stretch.   For the start of your studies, use the Period 1/2 review questions.  Period 1 stuff is mainly about the interactions between the Spanish and Native Americans.  Period 2 gets into the other European country but still is largely about how they interacted with Native Americans.  It would be a good idea to make a chart so you can see similarities/differences between the English, Dutch, French and Spanish in their approach to Native Americans.

We'll get into this during 5th period tomorrow and 3rd/4th period on Tuesday.  5th period will be a day ahead of 3rd/4th for the first couple of days but everyone will be back on the same page by Friday.

In case there are still any questions:

The practice exam is this Thursday (5/2).  Rather than go to 5th period, report directly to the back gym.  I will submit a list of students that attended, you will be marked as having a school excused absence, the same as if you were on a field trip.  It will initially show as an unexcused absence but will be changed.  You should let your parents know so they don't wonder why you were absent from 5th period.

**If you can not make it on Thursday, I am running my AP Euro practice exam after school on Tuesday.  It will run from around 2:30-6:00.  The format/timing of the exams are exactly the same.  The APUSH/EURO exam used to always be on the same day so I used to always run one big practice exam.  Now I get to run two. :)

It will take a few minutes to get stuff passed out on Thursday, hopefully we are started by 1:15.  We will probably get done around 4:45, but you are welcome to leave when you are done (unlike the real exam).

The multiple choice will count just like the last 55 question M.C. did and I will take your best writing from the DBQ, SAQ and LEQ and convert it to a 50 point essay grade.  So there are 105 total points that will come from the practice exam.  That may be the only thing that goes into your grade the next two weeks.

Students that miss some or all of the exam will need to take the multiple choice test and write a DBQ next week.  There will not be an opportunity to do more than that next week. 

Practice exams will be returned on Monday with a 1-5 score.  Historically, the majority of my students have received the same score on the real exam that they got on the practice exam. However, there are typically a good amount of students that go +1 and some do go -1.   Students that go +2/-2 are extremely rare, I think last year I had one of each.

Hopefully, that answers any questions that might still be out there.

Today's class started with a review of some of the economic developments of the Reagan Era and then developments of the 1990s.  Students then took notes on the impact of 9/11 (posted below).  New material is finished.  The review kicks off on Tuesday (except 5th period).  3rd/4th will have Monday to study.  I'll post some suggestions before then.  Be productive.

Also, somehow my story of  Vice President Biden visiting Norrix in 2009 (and the pictures I took) came up in 5th period.  This is the time of year that I really don't remember what new stories I have left.  Has that really not come up in 3rd/4th period?

​Have a great weekend.

Today's class focused on the conservative resurgence of the 1980s as embodied by the Reagan administration.  You need to see conservative ideology (less taxes, deregulation, traditional family values) as a response to the liberalism of the 1960s.  Conservatives thought that the federal government had expanded beyond what it was supposed to do, especially with expensive entitlement programs like Social Security (FDR - 1935) and Medicare/Medicaid (LBJ - 1965).  It's important to remember though that while Republicans have talked about needing a smaller government, they essentially have left these programs alone given their popularity with the American people.  

Another key component of the conservative resurgence is the feeling that the U.S. was experiencing a moral decay and that the U.S. was losing its connection to God, had lost it's respect for human life (abortion) while Americans were forced to walk the streets among a bunch of typewriter stealing dope addicts.  

Tomorrow we'll continue to talk about the changing economics of the late 20th century and the specific impact of 9/11.  You should read the last couple of pages of content summary in your review book tonight.  See you tomorrow.

Today's class started with the last notebook check and last Type 2.  We then discussed the significance of the economic stagnation of the 1970s and the backlash against liberalism in the 1970s.  Students then started working on a group document that examines important developments in women's history.

For tonight, you should read the Reagan pages.  They are as follows in the different review books:

2015 - 251-253
​2016 - 324-326

Today's class started with a practice Competing Historian SAQ on the origins of the Vietnam War.  Students wrote a response, graded it with a rubric, and we then read discussed three sample responses.

The remaining time was spent working through the difficulties of the Carter years.

Remember that the Chapter 38 Guided Reading needs to be done by tomorrow.  It's the last one! :)

The majority of the class today was spent on the pre-registration for the exam.   If you missed today, there will be a time later to make it up.

After pre-registration, we watched the Nixon presidents video and briefly discussed Watergate.  Tomorrow, we'll examine the challenges of the Carter year.   Remember that Chapter 38 needs to be finished by Wednesday.

Here are some possibilities for tomorrow's DBQ which will be somewhere from 1890-1950.

• Debates over American expansion (imperialism)
• Effectiveness of the Progressive movement
• Cultural Changes of the 1920s
• Effectiveness of the New Deal
• Impact of WWII on the home front

You could use your review book tonight to review these topics

For 3rd period on Wednesday and 4th/5th period on Thursday.

Today's class focused on Civil Rights developments and DBQ work.  Students took notes on the various methods of the civil rights movements and analyzed relevant documents in preparation for Friday's DBQ.

Today was a content grind day as we worked through Cold War developments and post war economic prosperity.  Chapter 36 needs to be done by Monday.  I'll see you on the next day you have class (Wednesday/Thursday).