Archive for the 'history' Category

Dec

Thursday, 12/1

I inadvertently wrote 12/11/11 on the board today. Wishful thinking I suppose.

There were 32 students in Extra Help today. I guess we can call that a sellout crowd. They were treated to not one, but three dated references about the 1960s.
Here is Nipsey Russell. He is best known (to me at least) for being on The Match Game. I only saw reruns of the show on The Game Show Network.

It is rather note worthy to mention that it was on this day in 1955 that Rosa Parks was arrested after not giving up her seat on a Montgomery Bus to a white person. It was this event that sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott and put Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on the map.

Tomorrow’s class can be considered a tradition: The 9th Annual Turkey Bowl.
Unfortunately Turkey Bowl IX could not take place before Thanksgiving. But I guess it is better late than never. The Turkey Bowl is a class tradition. Other than one year when it was held in Core Extension, it has been an opportunity to review for the final, get some extra credit and have a good time. More information tomorrow.

posted by Mr. Dowling in School,Uncategorized,history and have Comments (20)

Nov

Tuesday, 11/22

I probably won’t be able to post tomorrow so Happy Thanksgiving to all. I’m thankful to all of my students (past and present) who take the time to visit my website. It certainly makes the cost and time investment worth it.

Three of A Kind Results
If you did not get a chance to answer the questions, check out Monday’s post.
1. Jonas Brothers
2. People with the first name Justin
3. TV shows with singing in them
4. cheeses
5. Spongebob Squarepants characters
6. types of poodles
7. Santa’s reindeer
8. Johnny Depp characters
9. Vampires
10. New York sports teams

How’d you do?

Sadly, it was on this day in 1963 that President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. It was the movie JFK (and many, many, many books afterward) that inspired my love of history and desire to teach Social Studies. Of course, the movie JFK is filled with inaccuracies but I didn’t know that at the time.

posted by Mr. Dowling in Uncategorized,history and have Comments (9)

Nov

The Weekend of 11/19

As we go through our vocabulary in Core Extension, we certainly have had some interesting discussions. It seems that every year students are fascinated with filibusters.
As stated in class, Strom Thurmond does have the record for the longest filibuster. I was just a bit off in how long he was actually able to speak on the Senate floor.
Check out the article here.
Here are some interesting excerpts:

The senator, armed with throat lozenges and malted milk tablets, recited the voting rights laws of every state to show adequate protection existed. He also recited the Declaration of Independence and launched into a history of Anglo-Saxon juries to counter the bill’s proposal to allow judges to punish cases of civil contempt without a jury trial.

Thurmond also had visited the Senate steam room to get liquids out of his body so that if he drank during the filibuster, he would not have to go to the bathroom.

Obviously what Thurmond was trying to block was Civil Rights legislation. That doesn’t exactly make him a hero.
Interestingly, while conducting a little internet “research”, I came across a list of the longest filibusters in Senate history. The second longest filibuster came from former NY Senator Al D’Amato. He clocked in at just a little under 24 hours in 1986.

For those who are wondering, here are the words that we have already had a vocabulary words in Core Extension:

precocious
incumbent
filibuster
redundant
bellicose

As promised, here is the link (once again) to former student Chris Hart’s cartoons: hartcartoons.com. I don’t usually use last names on the website but I figured it would be okay because it is in the web address.
I’m also going to add the link to the section on socialstudieswithasmile.com for “Fun Sites”.

Don’t forget to work on your 13 Colonies project. The more you prepare and rehearse the better your presentation will be. We might allow some groups to have a dress rehearsal on Monday. We did it in SJU with Allie, Crew and Krissy and it was very helpful to them. By the way, they did a great job considering they had 3 minutes notice that they would be getting up in front of the entire class.

A common discussion on the blog has been food. We’re always talking about food. It seems that lately we haven’t and I’m not sure why. I recently had kettle corn for the first time. I don’t typically eat popcorn but kettlecorn was great. I can’t believe I’ve been missing out on this for so long. Sweet and salty work well together. Kind of like me and Mr. Joseph!!!…only better.
Have a great weekend! I’ll be keeping an eye on the Dolphins this week. Can they beat the Bills? I hope so.

posted by Mr. Dowling in Food,School,Uncategorized,history and have Comments (6)

Nov

The Weekend of 11/5

Is this the weekend the Dolphins finally win a game? I surely hope so.

I enjoyed yesterday’s “Read-In”. Reading can be quite enjoyable, especially if you have a book that you love. The great thing is that we didn’t really give up much as far as Social Studies content goes. We managed to also do our review game. Remember, there is still a practice test on Socialstudieswithasmile.com.
I especially enjoyed our Mendeleev speaker. He was very good. I don’t know a lot about science history but this guy did a great job sharing his knowledge. It was as if Mendeleev was actually in the room. The knowledge that some of our audience was able to share during the presentation was a credit to the students and Mr. Buchman as well for having you prepared for the speaker.
On the other hand, the behavior of others….was addressed during our team meeting. We’ll leave it at that.

We have a Social Studies speaker coming in next week to share his Colonial Perspectives. He does something similar to the Mendeleev speaker. I believe he focuses mainly on the Dutch colonies with a sprinkle of English perspectives. We had the speaker, Jonathan Kruk, in a few years ago and he was quite good. I’m looking forward to seeing and hearing from him again.

Congratulations to Brandon Phillips for winning a Silver Slugger Award. I’m sure all this does is increase his value. Not exactly a good thing for a cash-strapped Reds team. I wouldn’t be shocked if this is the last year the Reds have Phillips. He’s 30 (31 when his contract expires). It might not be prudent to give a big contract to a nearly 32 year old middle infielder.

I forgot to add another of my favorite movies to my favorite movies list…Dick Tracy. It was on last night and I enjoyed watching a few minutes of it. If you’ve never seen it, check it out. I think you will enjoy it. Another great movie, The Karate Kid, will be the next movie featured during Laughs and Lunch. We will meet Thursday this week because we don’t have school on Friday.

posted by Mr. Dowling in School,The Reds,Uncategorized,baseball,history and have Comments (2)

Sep

Monday, 9/12

I’m still proud to be an American. Patriotism is not a 3-4 day a year job. It is a lifetime of dedication. We need to remember that.
A lot of the heroism happened in the days after 9/11 not just on the day itself.

Watching the documentaries yesterday was like reliving a bad nightmare. The CBS doc in particular was amazing and I’ve seen it several times now. The bravery that the firefighters showed on that day still causes me to get emotional.

Check out some of the cartoons that Chris posted on an earlier link. They were pretty good.

2nd week of school…2nd of many! We’re starting to pick up the pace a bit and we’ll really be rolling soon enough. There is so much content to cover in 7th grade but we will get it done. That is a promise.

posted by Mr. Dowling in School,Television,Uncategorized,history and have Comments (4)

Sep

A Powerful Article

“Dear Dad,

I just missed meeting you. You died on September 11, 2001, and I was born 26 days later, on October 7th. I want you to know that Mommy is doing a great job of loving me and raising me in a happy home. I am almost 10 years old now, and from all the stories I’ve heard about you, I feel like I DO know you.

Click to read the article about a young boy who was born after his dad died in the terrorist attack on 9/11/01. Recently the boy, Patrick, wrote a letter to his dad. If you don’t have time to read the entire article, skip to page two and just read his letter. It is a must read in my book.

posted by Mr. Dowling in Current Events,Uncategorized,history and have Comment (1)

Sep

9/11/11-10 Year Anniversary

What a terrible day 9/11 was many years ago. It is hard to believe that it is ten years ago now and many things have changes in our lives. Most of them you don’t even realize.
I recall hearing the tragic news while I was in Dr. Borrero’s class at St. John’s. I then rushed home in a complete panic as there were still planes unaccounted for. It was a relief to find that my family members who worked near the site of the Twin Towers attack were alive. Unfortunately, not everyone was as lucky.
Take some time today to reflect on what happened and remember those people who died and especially the heroes who didn’t think twice about attempting to save people in the chaos.
Also, take time to reflect on the fact that we live in the best country in the world. There is no place I would rather live. We’re not perfect but I’m still proud of my country.
Take time to watch some of the shows that will commemorate this sad event. We should see these images (age appropriate of course) because you don’t remember it live. If you never see it because we shelter it from you we risk that we will forget these acts.
In addition, I recommend that you watch the Mets Classics presentation of the Mets first game post-attack against the Braves. That was the first major even in New York post-9/11. It was a chilling moment. Even if you don’t watch the entire game, check out Liza Minnelli’s performance of New York, New York. If you don’t get chills watching this, you’re not human.
The Mets (and other sports teams) played a huge role in the healing process. The game is on at 3:30 on SNY and is followed by Reflections on 9/11: The NY Mets Remember.

I’ll be wearing my red, white and blue today.

Mike Piazza’s Big Home Run Post 9/11

Liza Minnelli: New York, New York

posted by Mr. Dowling in Television,Uncategorized,baseball,history and have Comments (4)

Aug

The Weekend of 8/27

I’m glad to hear that Nancy Reagan was not injured in the fall she took just a few days ago. If you aren’t aware, Reagan is the former first lady of the United States. She was married to Ronald Reagan who died a few years ago.

We are just a few days away from marking the 10 year anniversary of the tragic events of 9/11. According to a recent Newsday, there are many, many, MANY specials dedicated to honoring that sad day. One in particular might be worth watching. This Thursday, Nickelodeon will air Nick News: What Happened? The Story of Sept. 11, 2001. According to the blurb, this show is specifically geared to kids who didn’t live through it. While my students (current and former) did live through it, you were very young and probably have few memories of what actually happened. Check this show out.

Lifeguards Want Paid Lunchtime Back
What do you think about this story about Atlantic Beach lifeguards. Apparently they used to get paid for lunch and now they don’t. Not that big of a deal until you factor in that they actually stay at their perch and continue working despite being “off” for lunch.
I also shared this story because the lifeguard quoted in the story and pictured below played on a baseball team that I coached several years ago.

John Runco played SS for me and if I recall was a pretty good ballplayer. I wonder if he continued playing.

Be safe during this big storm we have coming. The news people and political officials have certainly prepared us for a weekend of doom and gloom.

posted by Mr. Dowling in Current Events,Uncategorized,baseball,history and have Comments (7)

Aug

Tuesday, 8/16

Actual Conversation From This Weekend:

Mr. Dowling: There was a woman donating blood that was carrying a doll.
Mrs. Dowling: That’s odd. By the way, DJ must be getting taller because he was playing with your Joe Morgan doll from the top shelf.
Mr. Dowling: It’s not a doll…It’s an action figure!!!

Intentional Walks In Little League A Figment Of Our Imagination
Apparently in Little League to intentionally walk a batter all you have to do is pretend to throw 4 pitches and then the runner moves to first. No word on whether a pretend tea party then takes place at 1st Base.
Check it out here:

This Day In History
1977-Elvis Presley dies at Graceland in Memphis
One of my favorite Elvis songs below:

posted by Mr. Dowling in Uncategorized,baseball,history and have Comments (7)

Aug

The Weekend of 8/13

Yesterday I donated blood for the very first time. I wanted to give back, even in a small way, after Casey had to spend 2 weeks in the hospital. Hopefully my blood will help out someone who really needs it.
Despite a long and unexpected wait, the entire process was simple and painless. Once you are old enough to do so, you should. I read that 60% of people are eligible to donate but only 2% do.
I intend to become a more frequent donor.

While waiting (patiently) to donate, I noticed there was an adult woman (by herself). That isn’t exactly odd. What was odd was that she was carrying a doll with her. It was one of those baby-sized dolls that little girls play with. Strange indeed!

The Reds have won 3 in a row thanks to an 8th inning blast by Jay Bruce last night. It must be Milwaukee’s year because the Reds remain 10 games back and the Brewers keep rolling along. They’ve won something like 13 of their last 15. Last night after watching the Reds game I tuned in to see the Brewers play the Pirates just in time to see Braun and Fielder hit homeruns. Whatever magic the Pirates had has been used up. Of course, I’m sure they’ll get a refill when they have to play the Reds again.
The biggest weakness of the Brewers is their bullpen. Having K-Rod will be helpful down the stretch.

I Remember When…I was single. It wasn’t that long ago actually. But I bring it up because Monday marks my 3 year anniversary. Life definitely changed on that day (for the better of course).

This Day In History
1755-George Washington is appointed commander in chief of the Virginia forces in the French and Indian War
1765-Bostonians known as the Sons of Liberty protest the Stamp Act under what becomes known as the Liberty Tree. As we documented in class, the Liberty Tree would be used as a gathering area for Patriots to voice their displeasure of British taxes. They would frequently hang British officials in effigy (I hope you remember what this means). What I did not know is that a 1999 hurricane caused the last of the Liberty Trees from the Revolutionary era to die. The tree was a 400 year old giant tulip poplar in Annapolis, Maryland. To keep the memories alive, however, a conservation group grew 14 seedlings from the tree’s seeds and planted them in the original 13 states and Washington, DC.

That’s all for today. Have a great weekend!

posted by Mr. Dowling in Casey,The Reds,Uncategorized,baseball,history and have Comment (1)

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