8th Grade Social Studies
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Information Literacy

Resources:
Website Evaluation Tool
FactCheck.org
snopes.com
Pretest

Judging the Quality of Sources

Check out the the molasses disaster of January 15, 1919. 

Practice:
Do you trust this site? Would you cite it as a research source?

Try these: Link 1 , Link 2, Link 3, Link 4, Link 5

Assessment:

1. Yahoo Answers
2. City of Tucson
3. Epic World History
4. Gettysburg College
5.Wikipedia
6. Smithsonian Magazine

Rate these  resources for researching the Columbian Exchange from best to worst giving at least 2 reasons for your rating. 

To Wikipedia or not to Wikipedia?
What is Wikipedia?
Wikipedia: Point/Counterpoint
Wikipedia: FAQS/Schools
How to Evaluate a Wikipedia Article
Using Wikipedia in the Classroom: A Good Starting Point
Study: Wikipedia as accurate as Britannica




Final Project for www research directions are here


Bias: Who is to blame for the national debt?

Image 1
Image 2

The Truth can be found  on FactCheck.org 

Digital Citizenship:

Rubric for Video Project

Vocabulary 


Perspective/Point of View

“Everyone is necessarily the hero of his own life story.“- John Barth


Choose one of these familiar stories (all were copied from shortstoriesshort.com). 
    • Goldilocks and the Three Bears
    • Jack and the Beanstalk
    • The Three Little Pigs
    If there is another story you prefer, find a version of it online and ask Mr. Hadd about it. 


What perspective is the story told from?
Choose one character's point of view. Rewrite the story from that character's perspective. (Example)




Evaluating Primary Sources

http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/worksheets/
http://www.edteck.com/dbq/more/analyzing.htm
http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/turningpoints/primarysources.asp
http://www.loc.gov/teachers/usingprimarysources/index.html


Directions: Review all 4 resources as a group. Choose 5 items to observe or look for in a primary source  and 5 of the most important questions people should ask when examining a primary source.  For each item in your list, briefly explain what that item  may tell you.



Bias, Propaganda and Perspective in Primary Sources

  • Boston Massacre
  • French and Indian War
  • Christopher Columbus


Historians are able to reconstruct the past by analyzing primary sources. Winston Churchill once said “History is written by the victors.” What do you think he meant by this statement? Is history one story or a narrative of multiple perspectives? Consider our primary source study of the Boston Massacre as well as the history you have studied already this year or even in previous years. Enhance your response with correct use of vocabulary words that apply such as bias, propaganda, perspective, hyperbole, etc

Questions to consider:
Why is the event known as the Boston massacre even today? Why do we celebrate Columbus Day? Why are British, French and Americans fighting for empire considered soldiers, while Indians fighting to keep their homeland are considered savages? Why did Europeans believe they had the right to take Indian land in the first place?

Comic Assignment:


Directions are here

http://chogger.com/

http://www.makebeliefscomix.com/Comix/

Read write think





Making an Argument

All well constructed arguments have 3 parts:

Assertion - simple statement or claim about the situation 

Reasoning - because.... 

Evidence - support for the above (Facts, statistics, examples)  connect back to the assertion and reasoning. 

Example: 

Assertion: The government needs to do more to control invasive species in Lake Champlain. 
Reasoning: Tourism activities such as fishing and boating are critical to Vermont's economy and these activities are heavily impacted by the presence of  eurasian milfoil, lamprey eels, zebra mussels, and other non -native plants and animals. 
Evidence: In 2008 the Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife estimated that 29.4 million dollars was lost due to out of state anglers choosing other waters.  If  the government spends additional money to stop the spread of invasive species, the problem can be contained before the economic impact becomes more severe. 

Logical Fallacies - Faulty Reasoning

Understanding this will help you make more solid arguments and sometime neutralize the arguments of your opponents. 


Page 18 and 19  

Appeal to Tradition
Appeal to Authority
Fallacy of False Cause
Fallacy of Composition
Fallacy of Division

Logical Fallacies
More Logical Fallacies

Refutation
Page 22

"They say..."
"But..."
"Because...."
"Therefore...."

See my argument below. Then:

1. Create your own A.R.E. argument (it is not a good idea to raise the driving age)
2. Refute my argument:
3. Point out any logical fallacies I used!

The driving age should be increased to 18 because older drivers are safer drivers. We have an amazing opportunity to reduce accidents and save lives by making this small change in the law.  Statistics compiled by insurance companies show that 16 and 17 year old drivers have an accident rate nearly double that of an adult. Insurance companies use this data to set rates consistent with the level of risk. These statistics worry parents like the Smiths of Goshen, CT.  Their 17 year old son had been in an accident and they were called to a hospital emergency room late one evening to discover their son shaken, but not seriously injured. The Smith’s believe the accident would have been avoided if their son had been a more mature driver. They were also shocked by the steep increase in their auto insurance bill.  Increasingly state legislators agree that something needs to be done about the accident rates of young drivers.  During the past 10 years over 20 states have adopted graduated drivers licences which restrict when young drivers can operate a motor vehicle and specify who can be a passenger when an inexperienced driver is at the wheel. Some states such as New Jersey have even effectively raised their driving age in order to make the roads safer for everyone. These steps do not go far enough. If we raise the driving age to 18, less accidents will occur, our roads will be safer, lives will be saved, and parents won't have to worry as much.



Middle School Debate Resources
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