Let's Learn About Alabama!
4/17/17
4/4/17 - Here is a PowerPoint presentation on the impact the boll weevil had on our state.
4/4/17 - Here is a PowerPoint presentation we will use this week in class.
3/27 - 3/31 - This week we will be learning about Alabama's role in WWI and how the war impacted the lives of Alabamians. I will be using the following links as we study:
The MAIN Causes of WWI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tletwavDMgM
The Causes of WWI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htyue8xRS7M
Why did the US Enter WWI?
www.youtube.com/watch?v=AaVP4NPTzS8
Article from Encyclopedia of Alabama
www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-1545?printable=true
The MAIN Causes of WWI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tletwavDMgM
The Causes of WWI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htyue8xRS7M
Why did the US Enter WWI?
www.youtube.com/watch?v=AaVP4NPTzS8
Article from Encyclopedia of Alabama
www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-1545?printable=true
3/19/2017 - During Spring Break, Mr. McCown and I visited the site of Alabama's capital when it was located in Tuscaloosa. We learned this year that Alabama has had 5 capital cities during its statehood. Tuscaloosa was the capital before Montgomery. There is not much left, but it is interesting to see the layout of the building. The markers show how the capitol building looked. This is located at Capitol Park near the Amphitheater.
2/17/17 - We heard a lot of great presentations about the Reconstruction time period in Alabama. We heard from "carpetbaggers" and "scalawags" and several other groups of Alabamians from this time period. Each group did a great job presenting their views and explaining what their lives were like.
2/9/17 - 2/10/17 - On these two days we studied about the Reconstruction Period in Alabama. Students worked on role-playing parts and made props to help as they present information about the group of people they represent.
12/27/16 - As Mr. McCown and I were headed to his parents in Navarre, we took a quick "field trip" to see Ellicott's Stone. We saw a picture of this stone in our history book. It was placed in 1799 to mark the border between Spanish territory and the newly formed United States. One side is carved in Spanish and the other side is carved in English. I took a picture of both sides, but it may be hard to see in the pictures. We found this stone by looking it up on the internet. One site gave us good directions to find it off of Hwy. 43 just a lttle north of Saraland. We had to take a short walk through the woods and over soem railroad tracks, but it was so amazing to see something that still exists from the early days of our country!
12/14/16 - Alabama has been a state for 197 years! On Wednesday, December 14th, we celebrated Alabama's entry into statehood. Alabama officially became a state on December 14, 1819. We will start out 2017 by participating in a project to help us "Explore Our State." Students are encouraged to bring in pictures of places they have visited in Alabama. We will be posting these pictures on a special display on our hallway.
12/12/16 - As part of studying how territories become states, we learned about the three branches of government in our nation and state. We learned that Alabama patterned its state government after the plan of government of the United States. We made a project to show the branches, what they do, and how the branches balance the power in the government.
11/29/16 - Today we learned about how a territory becomes a state. The students read an article I wrote about the process involved in becoming a state. Then they charted the 6 main steps in that process. First, a territory must ask to begin the process of becoming a state. Then an Enabling Act will be signed by the President allowing the territory to begin the steps toward statehood. After the Enabling Act, the territory must reach a population of 60,000, write their plan of government, and measure and mark its borders. After these steps are completed, the state may ask again to be admitted to the union and present their population, constitution, and borders. If everything is in order, Congress will pass a Resolution stating that the territory is now a state! We also learned that Alabama will be 197 years old on December 14th!
11/19/16 - Mrs. McCown stopped for lunch in Ft. Payne, Alabama on her way to the mountains. Ft. Payne was a holding area for many Cherokee as they were being moved to the Oklahoma Territory. Here are pictures of some historical spots. The Willstown Mission was a placed that helped the Cherokee as they were gathering. It is now marked with a monument and several graves from the mission days are still visible. There are also some photographs of the signs that mark the original path of the Trail of Tears.
11/18/16 - Today the classes learned about how pioneers bought land. They also learned about squatters. Miss Jackson played a squatters and land buyer game that helped them see what it was like to buy land and "squat" on land they could not afford!
11/17/16 - Today was an exciting day as students learned about how pioneers prepared to travel westward. Miss Jackson helped them learned about what they might take with them how many pounds of supplies they could pack. Then they had to make decisions about what items they should take with them. They also had to make sure they did not go over their weight limit!
11/16/16 - RESOURCES! Today the classes reviewed natural and man-made resources. Then they sorted some resources to show they could sort items into groups of natural and man-made. Miss Jackson then helped the students learn about the resources that pioneers who were moving into Alabama would be finding in our state.