George Washington Discussion

You have all been given a handout that gives a brief biography of George Washington. On this post, you will be having a discussion about his life. At the bottom of each page are discussion questions. The following posts will allow you to post answers to the questions. You may also comment on other students' answers. Be sure to follow the posting rules, and if you make a comment, be respectful and recognize the person or persons you are commenting toward. This can be a lot of fun.

GW page one

Discussion topics:

1. Do you study the same things that Washington did as a boy? What do you study now that Washington did not? Why do you think what children study has changed? Do teachers and parents still have rules for good behavior?
2. What do you think Washington's surveying trip was like? Would it be similar to a trip to the Shenandoah Valley today? How would it be different? How do you think Washington crossed rivers? Would there have been roads and hotels?

GW page two

Discussion questions:

1. Why do you think being honest and fair helped Washington as a surveyor? Would people buy land if they thought it was surveyed incorrectly? Is being honest and fair important to surveyors today? is it important in other jobs? Why?
2. Why do you think Washington grew many food crops at Mount Vernon? Could he buy food at a grocery store? How was food cooked then? How do you think people kept food from spoiling?

GW page three

Discussion questions:

1. Why do you think Wshington's men wanted to seize power? Would they become rich and powerful? What would have happened to other people and to the country? Why do you think Washington stopped his men? What do you think he wanted for the country?
2. Why do you think the states did not work well together? At that time they all had different money and different laws. How would you buy something in another place if your money was not good there? What would be a better solution?

GW page four

Discussion questions:

1. Why do you think the first years of the new government, when Washington was President, were so important? What would have happened to the country if the government Washington set up had failed? Would that have made a differnce to us today? Do you think he was a successful president?
2. Why were people sad when Washington died? How can someone be "first in war" and "first in peace" at the same time? What do these words mean? If you were to write a Eulogy for yourself, what would it be?

September 17th is Constitution Day!

Hey Class! You know that Independence Day is July 4th, but did you know that the birth of our government was when we signed the US Constitution? That was September 17th, 1787! Without this important document, our country would not have the freedoms and opportunities given to each one of us today!

You may go to the following websites for information and activities about the US Constitution:

http://www.usconstitution.net/

You may also visit:

http://www.archives.gov/

We will be celebrating Constitution Day this week!

Reminders

1. Personal Dictionaries - Add five new words a day to your personal dictionary. After adding these words, start using them in your writer's workshop. I will be collecting the dictionaries on Fridays.
2. Progress Reports - Progress reports will be coming out every week. Do not miss class or the homework assignments.
3. Book orders - I have book order sheets if anyone wants to order some books. :-)

Colonial Projects

Colonial projects are due this week! Be prepared to present on Wednesday. I cannot wait to see all of your hard work!

Welcome to eighth grade!!!!

It seems like only last week that we were seventh graders. Oh wait! We were seventh graders! This new year is going to hold many great experiences and learning opportunities. Those that choose to work hard will benefit greatly! Here's to a great school year!

Posting Rules

You may post on this site. To do this you click on the post you want to respond to. Then you select "post anonymously." You must then put your name in the post. If you do not place your name in your post, it will be deleted. If you have an email address, I will help you register to allow you access to post with your own username.

General discussion

This area is reserved for us to post different things about our school. I will post questions that you may answer, or if you want to ask questions, or make comments, feel free to fire away!

What are some goals you have for the new school year?