Next Research Project

For my next project I would like to look into the topic of concerns. I chose this category because a lot of my own questions fall under this heading and I would like to be able to put my mind at ease.

Climate

When I hear the word climate I think about...
-weather
-my frogs' cage
-beach
-rainforest
-travel

I think of these words because to me, I have had an experience with each one related to climate. I think of the weather because to me climate deals with temperature, humidity, and outside atmosphere/feeling. I think of my frogs' cage because if the climate isn't perfect they could get really sick and die. I think of the beach and rainforest because they both have vastly different climates than here. And finally, I think about travel because the climate determines what I pack.


Are humans to blame for the drastic changes in the climate? Stay tuned to find out.

climate map

homework about the 1930's

For homework we were told to copy a set of links snd questions on our log and answer them. 

Read about the Great Depression.  According to this article, what was wrong with President Hoover's response?  Why did people blame themselves when things went wrong, and how valid or invalid was this response?

he minimized the issues at hand
most Americans believed he could have done something 
Hoover believed it was not the government's role 
they believed they were failing those around them
the feelings seemed justified for the time period 

Read about Black Sunday. How would you have felt if you'd been there on that day? What kinds of fears, concerns, or questions would be going through your mind during, and after, the event described?

terrified

scared to death 

fearful 

will I survive? 

is my family okay? 

how can a day so beautiful end so bad? 

Read about The Drought.  What areas were affected by it?  What caused it.  The author ends this article with a pithy quote.  Do you agree or disagree with this historian's perspective? Why or why not?

Great Plains 

the western third of Kansas, southeastern Colorado, the Oklahoma panhandle, the northern two thirds of the Texas panhandle, and northeastern New Mexico
no rain 
dust storms 
I do and I don't 
they are almost trying to make it too literal however once I looked at it that way it made sense 

Read about Mass Exodus from the Plains.  Where does the migration of people out of the Dust Bowl rank in terms of other migrations in US History?  What made life hard for people once they arrived in California?

1/4 of the total population moved
largest migration in American history
there wasn't a warm welcome like expected
everyone claimed there was nothing there for the migrants
farms and land were corporate owned
just as many challenges as back home

Entertainment of the 1930's

For homework we were all told to select a topic and complete at least 20 minutes of research. Then we were told to write a blog post so here I am. As a jump start, Mrs. Lawson gave us some suggestions of things to learn about. My clues were: Learn about radio programming of the 1930s.  What types of programs were most entertaining for listeners?  What were these shows like?  You may go in-depth on one program or type of program or try to get a broad overview.

Here is what I found:

• the 1930's was the golden age of the radio
• 1930 = 12 million American homes owned a radio 
• 1939 = over 29 million American homes owned a radio 
• programs provided a source of inspiration 
• the radio was also known as the talking telegram 
• soap operas 
• source of communication 
• Franklin Roosevelt's "fireside chats" 
• networks such as NBC and CBS invented in this time
• influenced the way people experienced public affairs
• as technology improved the radio became smaller and cheaper 
• series called "Our Gal Sunday" 
• "One Man's Family" aired on Wednesday nights at 8 
• live musical performances 
• dramas
• comedies
• talk shows
• education programs
• politics

Sources: 

• http://www.pbs.org/opb/historydetectives/feature/radio-in-the-1930s/ 
•  http://www.americanradioworks.org/segments/radio-the-internet-of-the-1930s/

Oration of the 1920's

The 1920’s were full of surprises, accomplishments, and unrest among the nation’s people. While the nation was busy growing in size, individual communities were busy making progress too. To me, one of the most important things to recognize about this era was how it grew to better society and to help develop the next generation. 

One of the more notable accomplishments of the 1920’s, in my opinion, was the development of a youth culture. During this time, the age of adolescence became known as a distinct period in the life of an individual. One thing contributing to this was that schools expanded what they taught and what age group could attend classes. This gave older kids the training they needed to survive in the real world as well as provide them with a way to express and develop themselves both individually and as a whole. Thanks to the rise in numbers of colleges and high schools, kids were able to join sororities and fraternities, get jobs, participate in athletics, join clubs, and define themselves less in terms of their families and more in terms of their peer groups. The only issue that came of this was the subjects schools were allowed to teach. 

During the 1920’s, religion played a big part in peoples lives. Because of this, many people were unhappy that Darwinism was being taught to their children. This is because people believed this theory contradicted the teachings of creation in the Bible. This issue eventually lead to the Scopes Trial. This trial was named for John T. Scopes, a teacher who volunteered to continue teaching Darwinism even though he know it would result in his arrest. This then lead to a major trial (which he lost) that opened everyone’s eyes to the idea that religion and science could potentially co-exist. 

A second major accomplishment of the 1920’s was that people began to buy items for pleasure and no longer just based on need. People began to purchase items that had once been a luxury to own, even for the upper class. Electric refrigerators and irons, vacuum cleaners, and washing machines became a common item in most homes. Automobiles also became a regular occurrence on and off the streets. The rise in the number of cars is a result of the improvements made in factories. 

A third, and I believe it could potentially be argued that is was the biggest, accomplishment was the change in factory life. Factory owners began to instill health codes in their workspace.This helped to keep unrest among the workers to a minimum. Shorter work weeks and a raise in pay also helped keep the workers willing to work as well as allowing more family time and rest for the workers. They also began to encourage workers to take vacations by offering pay because they believed it helped keep a happy and positive environment. The improvements in the factories also helped to improve overall standard of living amongst the people. 

While these were all great advances for the 1920’s it helped to establish the foundation for the people of today’s society. Now, even more people attend high school and college, almost every home has refrigerators and freezers, washing machines inspired dryers to be made, adolescence is now called teenage years and is a thriving culture, and factories have subsided into respectable establishments. It is because of this and much more that these are the most important aspects of the 1920’s. 

Mini-Book {Peer} Review

Today in class we drew mini-books out of a bucket and had to read them. After we were told to write about what we read and talk about how the person did.

I read a mini-book about women's rights by May Merrill. She used 13 slang words and was kind enough to underline them so I would know she didn't just make it up. This story featured a girl fighting for equality. It made sense and was easy to follow but it felt less like a story and more of a speech. While at first this was confusing, I thought it was really cool!

Next, I read a book by Faiza about technology and economic growth. Her book made me laugh! It was interesting because Tom, the main character, traveled to all of his friends' houses and got super confused by all the fancy things. Tom was sort of negative though because deep down he was jealous.

My First Mini-Book

Last night for homework we had to make a mini-book from a section in our reading. Our task was to summarize what we read and use at least 12 slang words from the 1920's. Here is my story...