2nd Quarter Blog Post: World History 2016

The second quarter flew by as we examined the “Gift of the Nile” and made our way east through India and finished with China. We created some amazing history. Egyptians raced up the cataracts to earn Nile Points through presentations, quizzes, creations and more presentations. I have thoroughly enjoyed observing the improvement of verbal skills in both classes this year. As they become more and more comfortable “on stage” the history we learn about becomes more real and less abstract. Thanks for learning alongside me and continuing to amaze with your creativity, problem solving and cooperative skills.

Egyptian Pharaohs and their legacy in action!

Students work hard to prepare for our Egyptian exhibit day.

After a brief stint in India, we moved east to cover a very long period of Chinese history. Each group was assigned a famous dynasty to learn more about their impact and legacy of a very proud country. Lastly, we finished with an amazing debate over whether or not building the Great Wall of China was worth the lives lost and money spent to complete.

Ultimately, we finished the quarter with a debate over the effectiveness of the Great Wall of China. While looking at it’s pride and heritage, students were challenged to examine primary and secondary documents to shape their arguments. They were not allowed to choose their side, but rather were assigned one in order to achieve the goals of a true debate (examining all angles, questioning, re-examining). What they were able to achieve made me very proud to be their teacher. I love getting to learn alongside them everyday!

Author: jkscott13

With the utmost confidence, I can genuinely say, I get paid to do what I love. Growing up I never envisioned myself in the teaching profession, but as fate would have it, I am in my 15th year. My dad was a teacher and coach in the public school system for 35 years. I am sure his joy for teaching and life subconsciously weighed heavily in my pursuit of the profession. My passion for teaching didn’t fully develop until I spent the next four years teaching, coaching, advising, and dorm-parenting at New Hampshire boarding school called New Hampton School. Here, because of great mentors, I was able to truly cultivate a passion for embracing the philosophy of developing the whole child. For the past nine years, I have tried my very best to carry that holistic approach into my classes at Ensworth. At the end of the day, what I desire most is that the student not only knows I care for his or her learning about the skills of becoming a historian but also experience what I believe to be the true meaning of success. My greatest mentor, John Wooden said it best, “Success is someone giving their best to become the best they are capable of becoming.” This is what drives me to teach and coach every day. First and foremost, I believe energy is essential for a classroom to thrive and that competition is a language most middle school students speak. Maybe it means me dressing up like a caveman and holding court cases about the social issues of pre-historic man. In Grade 6 Ancient World History, students dress up like Egyptians and Greeks for a month and participate in our Olympic games. We finish the year by debating who was the greatest ancient civilization in a March Madness tournament fashion. In Grade 8, U.S. History, the emphasis shifts and students express their mind through debates, Harkness discussions, and navigating research with “history labs.” Fun Facts: Played for the 2001 Rose Bowl Champions--The Washington Huskies My chair in class is an exercise ball. I once sang "All Good Gifts" in the musical, Godspell. I have an alter ego, DJ Jazzy J that does "wrap up" sessions at the end of flipped skills videos. My family loves to play games all the time. Some of our favorites include, "Settlers of Catan" and "Beyond Balderdash." Growing up, I wanted to be a country singer, now I live in Nashville and get to teach some of my idol's kids. View all posts by jkscott13