Sixth Graders' Viewpoints

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Man, States are Hard to Spell!

To wrap up the test, I had the students name the thirteen colonies. They received extra credit if they were able to name the correct section that the colonies belong to (Southern, New England, or Middle). Here are some the interesting spelling of these colonies:

First off, let’s look at the ones that are not even colonies: Africa                       Canada            Denmark          Netherland

There are multiple ways to spell Rhode: Rode island             Road Island

A state that I was surprised that so many misspelled: New Jerasy             New dersey             New jurse

Some got a little risqué: Vrigian                    Vargina

Some struggled with a state that touches ours: Gerioga                   Gorga

Some were so close: Mayland

Some were not: Pensaulea               Pennisavia

Now for the three toughest to spell:

Connecticut Conaticate               Connicut                  Kanneticat

New Hampshire New hamphsired     New hamspere        New hapnsire New hapture           New hampser (I thought some were telling me about their new pet.)

Massachusetts Massakuttas            Masseehusets         Massucautes Massichusits           Masachesets            massutusits        massacuits

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Tolerance

As part of our class discussions, we talk about how these religious groups moved to America because of persecution. Yet once the groups were here, they persecuted each other. They were not very tolerant of other groups. Tolerance was one of our vocabulary words.

What does it mean to be tolerant of someone? Answer could include:

-Not treating someone differently because of their beliefs.

People can have so much tolerance until they get mad (I am not seeing a definition here.)

Next to someone (Um…….)

Your kinda annoyed by them(I am trying to be tolerant of this portion), but in some way you can stand them.

Means you can’t tolerate them anymore (So, being tolerant of someone means I cannot tolerate them anymore. Right!?)

Not get over frusterated with them. They can take care of them (I am not sure what the second part means.)

It means to be okay with their religion or what they do.Right now, I am being very tolerant of (student’s name), who is sitting right behind me. (It is a constant battle for her.)

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"Starving Times"

As a class, we read a recollection of the people of Jamestown. They call the winter of 1609 – 1610 “starving times.” People became so hungry that they began resorting to eating other people, so most responses included that.

What was life like for the settlers of Jamestown after John Smith had to leave? Answers could include:

-Trade with Powhatan had stopped.

-Relationship with the Powhatan had soured.

-They were attacked by the Powhatan.

-Leaders used up the proportion and not good leaders.

-People were eating anything they could find like berries, roots, and herbs.

-People did dig up bodies to eat, or they ate family members.

One student’s response: It was living hell there were starving and the natives attacked them a lot. (I may have chosen a better wording for it, but it is true.)

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Survival of the Pilgrims

How were the Pilgrims able to survive their first year in the new world? Answer should include: -Squanto and Samoset helped the Pilgrims with farming and hunting.

Their responses: Indians They were growing stuff

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Patroon System

I cannot tell you how many times I discussed the patroon system. It is one of the standards that they need to know. Many left it blank.

Describe the patron system. Answer could include:

-If I brought 50 settlers to New Netherland, I would receive a large grant of land.

-I would rule over that land like a king.

-I set up the rules of the land.

-I would receive a share of the crops from the settlers.

 The patron system was about slavery, I think I actually don’t know. Anyway it was making slavery right. (sigh)

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Puritans vs. Separatists

The next couple of days will cover some of their written responses. I did ask for complete sentences which is still a struggle.

Describe the differences between a Puritan and a Separatist. Answer could include: 

-Puritans wanted to reform the Anglican church (which was in an earlier question if they had paid attention).

-Separatists (Pilgrims) wanted to be separate from the Anglican church.

-Puritans landed in Salem and founded the Massachusetts Bay Colony.

-Separatists landed in Plymouth.

Puritan wants to reform something. Separatists wants to completely forget about something. (My students have trouble with over-describing in their answers.)

A separatist separates something and puritan doesn’t (Another solid effort.)

Puritans were native Americans (Not even close. Not even close.)

Puritans settled in pensalvia and speparatist didn’t like him. (I believe this child was confused with the Quakers, or he/she knows someone name Puritan.)

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New Netherland

You would think most of them would start listing the colonies that begin with new, but they mostly didn’t……they mostly didn’t.

New Netherland would eventually become _________________. Answer: New York

America (Yes, the whole colony became America.)

a colony (sigh)

Oliver Cromwell (First off, we didn't even talk about this guy. Secondly, how does this even fit?)

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What's a Continent?

I honestly thought this would be a gimme type question, but several missed it.

People from the continent of ____________________ were enslaved in the Southern Colonies. Answer: Africa

Local answers: Virginia            Jamestown      new hamture       New netherland

Stepping it up a bit: England    

Next logical option: William penn

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American History Test 1 - Indentured Servants

When I switched subjects, I thought that I would not be adding anything else to this blog. After my first history test, I see that I should have some more blog posts in the future. My history class is not too different from others. Students take notes. I focus my lectures on what I know that I will test them on. They are given a study guide. I go over the study guide. We play games with the material. They hear the material in multiple ways and times. Unfortunately, they do not always retain the material or use good reasoning skills when it comes to answering the questions. Over the next few days, you will see some questions, and their responses.

 ________________ servants were settlers who paid for their passage to America by working without pay for a period of time.

 Answer: Indentured

You have the ones who knew what it started with: inducted          independent

You have the ones who named off the religious groups that we discussed: quaker     catholic    puritan

If those didn’t work, let’s use some states: goergia’s                 virgina            

Some chose to have the words after the blank influence their answer: non-paid             slave               

Then we get the one who tells what he/she is wanting at that moment from this test: salvation

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The Leftovers

I recently found some photos on my iPad and realized there were several items that I never posted last year. I have gone through and typed them up. 

For this post, I have no clue what the prompt was, but I thought they were funny/odd……mostly odd.

 One day a girl went on the subway. She sat down in front of two guys that were sitting with an old lady in between them. At the Next stop a man sat next to the girl and said you need to get off at the Next stop with me. She did when he got off than man said thank god you got of with me the old lady was dead and those two guys were holding her up.

Once upon a time there was a plain old red apple. The apple hated being red. He thought it was the ugliest color ever. One day the apple decided to change that. He went to the garage to get a green can of green paint on himself. The boring red apple wasn’t red anymore. He was green. This is why we have green apples now. Thanks to a lowly red apple that just wanted a change.

I woke up one crazy morning and I was laying on the sidewalk. Nobody knew how I got on the side walk and neither did I. My guess is that my pet tiger came in my room and picked me and my bed up and wanted to take me somewhere, but I got too heavy and he put me down on the sidewalk.

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Summer Plans?

I recently found some photos on my iPad and realized there were several items that I never posted last year. I have gone through and typed them up. 

For this post, I asked the students to tell me their summer plans.

I don’t really have summer plans. But when summer is over I will be made because I have to come back to school.

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Create a Story

I recently found some photos on my iPad and realized there were several items that I never posted last year. I have gone through and typed them up. 

For this post, I asked the students to create a story using the words: pink ribbons, swing, paper clips, lunchbox, and principal.

A girl wearing a pink ribbon shrunk into the size a paperclip while she was swinging on a swing school. When the principal walked by, he put girl in a lunchbox, then she got eaten. (That doesn’t sound like a good principal.)

She was the gril with pink ribbons who did not like the principil. While she plays on the swing her paperclip earrings fly away. She goes to chase them and hits an other gril with her lunch box. (This girl, or is it gril, does not seem pleasant at all.)

I hated the girl with the pink ribbon so I threw paper clips at her, and then the principal took a swing at me so I hit her with my metal lunchbox. (Sadly, this is a boy. He does not discriminate with his violence. Maybe it is a generational deal, but several of these turned violent.)

The girl with a pink ribbon was carrying a lunch box to the swing. When she got there she started poking me with paperclips. We got in a fight and the principal had to break us up. I will never talk to her again. (You have to watch out for those girls with pink ribbons. They are instigators.)

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Is that Rain?

I recently found some photos on my iPad and realized there were several items that I never posted last year. I have gone through and typed them up. 

For this post, I asked the students to write about their journey as a raindrop.

I would land in the ocean, then destroy the race.

If I was a raindrop I would land on a beach. Along, the way I would be yelling This is so much fun and I would be that one raindrop that ruins your beach day.

(What is wrong with this generation?)

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But You Know Me!?

I recently found some photos on my iPad and realized there were several items that I never posted last year. I have gone through and typed them up. 

For this post, I asked the students to imagine that everyone in their life suddenly forgot who they were. What would you do?

Suddenly everyone forgot who I was when the aleans came….They had been here looking down at us for about 3 months now but today….They landed! As I look around everyones eyes turned to a rare sade of grey and thats when they moved in on me. I was shouting there names but they didn’t seemed to know who I was. After time I was feeling diffrent. As I woke up March 11, 3012 I look in the mirror into my eyes and I had become…..ONE OF THEM!

Suddenly everyone forgot who I was. So I became a spongebob ice cream popcicle. (Some struggle with creativity……and hunger.)

Suddenly everyone forgot who I was and I felt so awkward. I got up and walked out of the class room and no one noticed. I went to get some ice cream and had a great day out of school. My parents forgot who I was so I had to go sleep in a hotel and I stole their money. (True character comes out at these times.)

Suddenly everyone forgot who I was and I didn’t care.

Suddenly everyone forgot who I was but I was a diffrent person the same person. (………..)

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She Never Showed

I recently found some photos on my iPad and realized there were several items that I never posted last year. I have gone through and typed them up. 

For this post, I asked the students to write a story about a guy getting stood up on a date.

When the boy got stood up on the date he went home ate cheetoes & watched Netflix. (Sounds like my Saturday nights now.)

The man who got stud up by his date was at McDonalds and his date texted him and said he was too cheep. As he went back to his yellow station wagon with only one hub cap and torn seets he was wondering what she ment. (I am still wondering.)

A man went and sat by a pond waiting for his date for 3 hours. When I crossed the bridge and saw him, he told me. I could see why he got stood up. He looked like a guy version of (a fellow female student). #sorrynotsorry (Harsh. Middle school girl drama.)

A guy was planning to propose to his girlfriend of four years. He made reservations to her favorite resteraunt. He bought her roses and a nice ring. When he arrived at the resetaunt she wasn’t there. He waited there for two hours, and she never showed up. So he ate his meal, went home and cried.

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You are All Alone

I recently found some photos on my iPad and realized there were several items that I never posted last year. I have gone through and typed them up. 

For this post, I believe I had students tell me what they would do if they had to go seven days without technology and seeing anyone else.

If I didn’t see a soul for seven days I would eat all the food from McDonalds, and taco bell. Go swimming. Go to the mall and go in Bathe & Body Works and steal all the Bodywash. Then I will take a huge bubble bath in the Atlantic Ocean. (Out of all the places, this child chooses McDonalds and Taco Bell. Is Bathe & Body Works some type of testing center where you have to try the product? That would be weird. We are not even close to the ocean, so that’s a long drive for a bath.)

try not to kill myself

try to not go crazy

not become psycho

not die from no technology

and pray that these 7 horrible days and terrible days will be over soon (Someone may be overreacting.)

If I did not see a soul for seven days, I would have food. I would have cars. I would have (cannot read this word). I would have taken storys. I would made forts (at least I think it’s forts, but it looks almost like farts which wouldn’t surprise me with my students).

If I were stuck on an island and never saw another soul again. I’d entertain myself by finding a tiger and keeping him as my pet. I would also find food and cook it by a fire. Then I’d play games on my phone. Next I would go to the beach and play in the water. (I like how this child would cook food by a fire instead of over a fire. I am not sure how he/she is doing it. Once again, we are not close to a beach. I am not sure how they are getting there. Yes, I am ignoring the pet tiger.)

I would jump on the trampoline haha Have a party by myself (whoop,whoop!<his/her words) scream at the top of my lungs. go shopping and take everything because nobody could stop me go to (illegible word) and tumble as much as I want all by myself (This child would behave as he/she did in my class. Interesting.)

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Change of Career

I recently found some photos on my iPad and realized there were several items that I never posted last year. I have gone through and typed them up. 

For this post, I asked the students why a teacher might contemplate a change of career.

A teacher mit contemplate a change in a career because there Kids don’t lisin. They don’t get paid enou. And they just Hate there jod. (Or they read this statement at the end of a school year and just gave up.)