American Foreign Policy 1898-Present

As our class shifts our focus from the domestic issues that enveloped the United States in its young history to America's role in the world from 1898 to the present, it is important for us to have a sense of the major foreign policy concerns facing the United States today. Ultimately, we will be using the history that we learn to understand, judge, and recommend the choices and decisions for the government to follow in its relationships today.

Four important current foreign policy considerations for the United States are the ongoing war in Afghanistan, Iran's potential nuclear programs, nuclear missile tests by North Korea and the civil unrest in Syria. As we move ahead in this unit you will be asked to make specific connections between these events and the events of the past.

In order to set the context for these connections, today your task will be to form a basic understanding of the current status of two of the four events. For each event, you should have a separate response in your notebook.  Each entry should not just contain reactions to the event but additionally notes and specific details from the stories, articles and videos you see. Further, you should keep track of any questions that you have about that event. Click the links below to be taken to the NY TIMES TOPICS site containing current information and updates about each event. We suggest that you begin by reading the overviews that appear at the start of the page and then browse the different articles, videos, graphics, or other multimedia presentations.
The War in Afghanistan
Syria
Iran
North Korea

Please make sure that you have the 2nd semester binder in class on Thursday.

Resarch Project Day Nine

Today you will be drafting your paper.  Remember a FULL rough draft of the paper is due on Monday at the start of class.  You should include your footnotes in this version.  As you continue your drafting process, make sure you are following the suggestions listed in the handout that we gave you yesterday.  The handout is linked in the previous post. 
Bring a hard copy of your FULL rough draft to class on Monday.  It should be stapled and proofread.  Put your id number on it instead of your name.
Happy writing!
Mr. Kramer and Mr. Rigler

Research Project - Day Eight

With the outline due today, we will be discussing strategies for writing your essay.

Refer to this handout, which we'll give you a paper copy of in class.

Research Project - Day Seven

Here is the link to the summary of the assignment.

The focus for today is building the outline for your essay.

Click on this link to the outline form, spend today and the weekend completing it.

Save your work and e-mail a copy of your outline to us by the start of class Wednesday, February 20th.

Research Project - Day Seven

Today is about moving towards your thesis.

Open this document, download a version to type into, and complete it by the end of the period.

Research Project - Day Six

Today we'll share with you a handout detailing the move "from observation to hypothesis."  If you need another copy of it, you can find it here.

Also, here is a link to the form you'll need to complete for each document.

This all needs to be completed by the start of class on Thursday.

Research Project - Day Five

For today, you should have written a post about your topic and sub-topic that provided some information from the in-depth sources you found and read.

• Your next task is to begin to explore primary sources, in other words, direct evidence or first-hand testimony - the "raw materials of history".
• For the rest of today and homework tonight you must find and read at least two primary sources (before reading, please see these Keys to Good Reading).
• You must add the notes from your primary sources to your Google Research Doc and highlight those notes according to the color coded system you've been using. Don't forget you must also comment on those notes (in green) as you make them.
• By class on Tuesday, you need to have another blog post that uses one of the primary sources you found to answer a question that you had on the topic. Note that it might not answer it in the way that you want it to or the way that you assumed it would.

Research Project - Day Four

For today, you should have written a post about your topic that provided some information, answered a question that you had, and hopefully raised some additional questions for you to consider that will form the basis for your further research.

• Your next task is to begin to explore in-depth sources, in other words, what historians and other scholars have already written and argued about your topic.
• For the rest of today and homework tonight you must find and read at least two in-depth sources (before reading, please see these Keys to Good Reading). 
• You must add the notes from your in-depth sources to your Google Research Doc and highlight those notes according to the color coded system you've been using.  Don't forget you must also comment on those notes (in green) as you make them. 
• By the end of class on Friday, you need to have another blog post that uses one of the in-depth sources you found to answer a question that you had on the topic.  Note that it might not answer it in the way that you want it to or the way that you assumed it would.

Research Project - Day Three

Up to this point, here's what your've done:

1. Selected a general topic
2. Researched basic information about that topic
3. Worked with your group to form a basic framework of sub-topics, and then refined it after receiving our feedback
4. Wrote a blog post about your findings
5. Started a Google document for your research
6. Started research on your sub-topic

For today, your goal is to complete your overview of your topic and sub-topic.  You're gradually becoming more knowledgeable about both, and now it is time to bring that information and your thinking together.

Follow these steps to continue your research, then ask and respond to questions:

1. Continue reading the "Entry-Level Sources" you find through the subscription databases.  Take the time to read carefully - there is a lot of information here and you need to find a way to organize it to maximize your understanding.  How to do that?
2. Take thorough notes.  Using the GoogleDoc you created, and following our instructions, you'll compile a set of notes on these documents.  These will include both the information and your questions & responses to it.  For each piece of evidence you have, you will write down a piece of commentary about it - why did you write it? what is important about it? (This commentary should be highlighted in green)
3. Ask questions.  Remember Bloom's Taxonomy - we introduced it yesterday.  It traced the progression of understanding from Knowledge to Comprehension to Analysis to Evaluation.  Now you will put that to good use.  As you read, consider and ask questions like these:
1. What is the main point?
2. What are the differences / similarities between the people / events / documents I'm reading about?
3. Why did certain changes occur?  What led to that change?  What were the results?
4. Who are the key people - what motivated them?  Who followed / led them?
5. What are the roadblocks to progress / change? 
6. Why was a particular strategy used?  Was it effective?
7. What other factors play a role in your sub-topic?
8. How important was...?
9. Why did...react in the way s/he/they did?
10. Other who / what / where / why / how questions!
4. Re-read your notes.  After you have generated a few questions, go back to your notes and try to answer your best one(s).  Make sure you are moving from having "knowledge" about your sub-topic to a deeper level of "comprehension" then "analysis" of it.
5. Write a blog post.  Use your best question as the title of the post, then write a complete and detailed answer to it in the body.  This will demonstrate your knowledge about your topic, your comprehension of the issues and factors you've identified, and your ability to begin to analyze it.  It will also prepare you to move towards a more in-depth exploration of the next level of sources.

Research Project - Day Two

1.      Make sure everyone is an author and has posted a first response on the blog

2.      Show Bloom’s taxonomy to show progression of thinking

3.      Explain note card concept

4.      Teach Google docs

a.       How they will take notes

b.      How to access it

c.       How to publish it

d.      Send link to me

5.      Clarify different types of sources – library blog

6.      Divide into sub-categories for each group

7.      Start research!

Note Taking for Your Research Project

In order to keep track of your research, you will create a Google Doc.  This document should contain all of the notes you are taking from your research.  Within that document, you should have a different page for each source.  At the top of the page should be the title of the source AND its bibliographic information.
Then, underneath the bibliographic information you should take notes from the source.  These notes should be highlighted according to the guidelines listed here.  Notice, you are not (and should not) always use direct quotations.  In fact, more often than not, especially from entry level sources, you will be paraphrasing information and putting it into your own words (caution though, this still probably necessitates citation).  Further, you should be commenting on the information as you go (green highlights).


Highlighting files with Google Docs

When you have a file open, you can highlight portions so that they will stand out and are more easily visible.

1. After you open the file, use your cursor to select the portion of the file you want to highlight.
2. Click the "Text background color" button in the formatting bar at the top of the screen - it has a picture of a highlighter marker on it.
3. Choose the color you want for your highlighting and click on it.
4. The section you selected will now appear highlighted in the file.

Research Project - Day 1

Start by going to the library blog to begin your research.

You are looking to compile a list today of:

• key terms
• central figures
• important events
• important documents