Emma and I discussed the results of her AP Synthesis essay. We discussed strategies for improvement and areas that Emma should pay particular attention to for the exam.
Emma and I reviewed the requirements for the AP English synthesis essay. She had very good retention of the specific essay components, and she wrote an essay at the end of class to test her skills.
How Foreign Policy is Made: The U.S. President & Foreign Policy / The Strategy of Peace / JFK vs LBJ / Congress & Foreign Policy / The National Security Council / The U.S. State Dept. / Intelligence Agencies / The Dept of Defense's Role
Emma continued her study of the 1950's today as we talked about the creation of the nuclear family, the creation of the suburbs and the economic prosperity that followed WWII. We discussed several aspects of suburban life including housing, transportation, the creation of the supermarket, the rapid expansion of the use of chemicals in daily life (food preservation, cleaning, etc). We also looked at numerous maps regarding population expansion and immigration. We talked about how the life we have in modern America has changed since the 1950s.
American Foreign Policy / National Security / The main trend regarding the history of U.S. foreign policy since the American Revolution is the shift from non-interventionism before and after World War I, to its growth as a world power and global hegemony during and since World War II and the end of the Cold War in the 20th century.
For part of our session, Emma was engaged in a writing activity with another high school student. When we convened for History, we discussed the following: The U.S. government's role in countering communism, communist-led revolutions, China in 1949, conservatives and liberals in the 1950's, Czechoslovakia, McCarthyism, and the Rosenburgs.
Emma and I took a history "walk" through the Life Magazine book, 100 Photographs That Changed the World. Focusing on the Society section today, we viewed culturally significant photos and discussed the events surrounding the photos. A few of our mini-discussions included: Promonotory Point; Eugenics; Breaker Boys, 1910; the Triangle Shirtwaist Company Fire, 1911; Trampled by the King's Horse, 1913; Lynching, 1930; Migrant Mother, 1936; The Boston Marathon, 1967; Sharpeville, 1960; Selma March, 1965; Birmingham, 1963; and Chicago Democratic Convention, 1968. The concepts we discussed were related to Women's history, Civil Rights, and social progress in the 20th century. We related each photo to modern day issues in the United States and around the world. The goal is for Emma to be able to look at complex issues from multiple perspectives, not only from an historical context, but also through a 2015 lens.
