Emma was given a multiple choice test passage today. This will serve as good practice for the upcoming AP exam, giving her confidence and experience so that she has some familiarity with the test and its different formats.
Emma was given her AP Rhetorical Terms test today. She was asked to read a passage and indicate 5 rhetorical terms that were used, providing an explanation of why each was appropriate given the context of the passage.
Emma learned about the Guilded Age and the Progresssive Reform in class today. We discussed the following: the problems of American politics during the Guilded Age, the political reforms supported by Progressives, methods used to promote social progress (organization, journalism, and political activism), how journalists contributed to reform efforts (muckraking), restrictions to voting and the Plessy vs. Ferguson decision.
Today Emma learned about the life and accomplishments of Florence Kelley, a social reformer. We discussed the following topics in depth: education as it relates to democracy, social issues at home and abroad that affect access and equity to education, the way public education changed in America after 1870, how our education system differs from that of other nations world wide, the lives of teenage girls in other countries in terms of education and social welfare, and difference between political and economic systems.
Emma explored the issues regarding immigration in the late 19th century. We covered the following issues: why cities grew, problems city dwellers faced and the efforts to improve city life, the attractions and leisure activities in cities, the reasons for mass immigration, Ellis Island, the difficulties immigrants faced adjusting to their new lives, how immigrants assimilated and contributed to American life, and the efforts of nativists and the government to limit immigration.
