Introduction Day - Class Recap

The start of a year long journey together! This is the road to Monument Valley, on the Arizona/Utah border, during the summer of 2014.

Hello everyone,

Thank you for doing your homework and visiting the blog! As I said in class, I think this is a really helpful resource for students, staff, and parents to be able to follow along with what is happening. After every class, I will write up a recap and post it. Most of the time, your only homework will be to read over the blog and be prepared for what is coming next in class. With that, let's get started!

Soundtrack: "Changes" by 2Pac. I always choose this song to start off a new class with, because I like the idea of our room being somewhat different from your other experiences in high school. This song also has all sorts of lyrics that relate to American Studies, like the line:

"And although it seems heaven-sent
We ain't ready to see a black president."

Check out the full lyrics here.

AGENDA 8/28/18:
Introductions/Attendance
Syllabus/Grades
Letter to Class/Mr. Fritz
The Blog
Create Ground Rules
News Briefs

Homework: Share syllabus and website with parents. Bring binder. Check the blog and post a comment! Next news brief: Jalen.

Introductions/Attendance: At the start of class, I introduced myself and how the agenda on the whiteboard works. I am absolutely delighted to be your teacher at Westview this year!

I took attendance and tried to ask everyone how they wanted me to address them. I did look up any student preferred names/nicknames in StudentVUE before, so let me know if you would prefer to go by something else. It will take me some time, but eventually, I will know everyone's names, I promise!

Syllabus/Grades: I know that this is not the most exciting content in class. I wanted to make sure to go over some of the real key points to the syllabus (like where I am, how to contact me, how your grade is decided, and the need to bring a binder to class). Here is an electronic copy of the syllabus and rubrics:

Google Drive: Westview American Studies Syllabus

Global Studies: Westview American Studies Grading Rubrics

If you or your parents have any questions about any of this, please let me know!

Letter to Class/Mr. Fritz: After the syllabus talk was done, I passed out a letter that I wrote to the class, explaining all about who I am and what sort of expectations I have. Hopefully, most of it was interesting information! I like passing these out and signing them all individually. To me, it represents that I really am interested in everyone in my class.

After reading the letter aloud, I asked everyone to write back to me in a similar sort of fashion. I gave a bunch of possible questions to answer as prompts and about 30 minutes or so to complete the assignment. I LOVE reading these and writing back to everyone! Thank you for your effort - I can't wait to learn a little bit more about who you are!

The Blog: As part of the syllabus, I introduced this website: the class blog! This is seriously so important for your success in this class. If you are staying up to date on here, reviewing what happened in class to get ready for the next meeting, and asking questions if you need help, I guarantee that you will be more successful than if you do not. Make sure to leave a comment at least once (the easiest homework assignment of all time for most students, I believe), so I know you are able to!

Create Ground Rules: Ahh, yes. Your class was great with this usually awkward process! The rules that you came up with and agreed to as an entire class are:

• Respect one another
• Be Prepared
• Persevere
• Be responsible
• Try to have fun

I will be working to make sure everyone, including myself, is following the ground rules! Thank you for participating in this exercise. I will post these in the room and on the top right of the blog.

News Briefs: This is the current event style assignment that everyone will do at least once. Basically, all I want is for someone (I will assign it) to bring in a print out (or email me) of an current news article (within the last two weeks) that is a story about something inside the United States (since this is a American Studies class). We will talk for about 5-10 minutes at the start of class about whatever article this is - just as a way to help make class relevant and interesting to you and what is going on every day in the country.

Jalen kindly volunteered to do the first news brief. :-)

Thank you for reading! See you next class! Post a comment to do your homework!

Welcome to the Blog!

The United States Capitol in Washington DC. I took this picture while visiting during Spring Break of 2010.

Hello all,

Welcome to the blog for my American Studies class at Westview for the 2018-19 school year! Before I begin with posting updates, let me give you a little introduction to this website.

First off, comments can be made on any post by anyone, and they can be anonymous (though I would really prefer that you leave your name - by selecting "Name/URL" on the right, underneath the comment box - so that I can follow up with you in person). Please try to use good spelling and grammar in your comments! I have to approve the comments before they are posted, so don't worry if you don't see your comment right away.

Secondly, because I will be putting up the class agenda and homework, as well as any interesting links (after class has met), I will attempt to give you ways to download the relevant files and documents you may have missed in class or would be interested in seeing again for your homework (or just because). For instance, here is the course syllabus that I passed out in class:

Google Drive - American Studies 10 Course Syllabus

Finally, to contact me personally (other than leaving a comment - which I may or may not see immediately), please e-mail me at luke_fritz@beaverton.k12.or.us - this can always be found by clicking on "View My Complete Profile" on the right, where my picture is, then clicking on "Email" on the left sidebar. I will get back to you ASAP! Again, please use grammatically correct language and spelling, to the best of your ability. It really is appreciated and will go a long way for you in the future!

I know it might be a lot to take in, but hopefully we will all get used to it! I envision this blog as a place where you will be able to come to converse with your classmates and me, as well as get all the latest assignments, updates from class, and further information.

If you have any questions or comments, please never hesitate to let me know!

Welcome again - thanks for visiting. Please bookmark this site and come back soon! :-)

Finals Day - Class Recap

Go forth into the next school year, wonderful students. Picture taken in New Zealand, February 2014.

Dear class,

Today was our last class together! I am so glad that I do not have to say goodbye for too long, since I will be at Westview next year to see you in the halls and say hello, if you aren't in one of my classes. I had so much fun teaching you all, and I hope that you learned a lot about American History, as well!

Learning Targets:
SS.HS.KN.ALT.17: I can explain the process of change and continuity in a society, place or region.
SS.HS.KN.ALT.23: I can describe the influences, impacts and resolutions of historical conflicts.

Soundtrack: “Thankful" by Kelly Clarkson. Just like "Changes" by 2Pac at the start of my time with you, I always use this song as the soundtrack at the end of teaching classes. The lyrics read (in part):

I'm thankful

for the blessings

and the lessons that I've learned with you

by my side

I'm thankful, so thankful, for the love

that you keep bringing in my life

in my life

I truly am so grateful to get to teach such wonderful young people. Thank you for all of your efforts this semester!

AGENDA 6/10/14:
News Brief
Final Test
Study Time

Homework: Have a wonderful summer! See you next year!

News Brief: Brianne brought in the last news brief of the semester and it was yet another tragic shooting: KPTV.com - Husband, wife found dead in shooting at Vancouver home. I hope that the news brief throughout the semester inspired everyone to follow what is currently going on in the United States and the world! It is so important to remain engaged as a citizen. Thank you, everyone, for participating in this!

Final Test: As promised, 50 multiple choice questions and a short essay response about your reflections on how class went this year. I will grade these and have the final grades for the semester posted as soon as I can.

Study Time: The rest of time in class was for study, since I know everyone has plenty of other finals to study for. Thank you for your focus here, while some students were finishing up their tests!