Neill- ACP Flipbook

ACP Showcase Portfolio
“Go West Young Man!”

Dennis Neill
History

4/15/2016

Preparation strategy- Reading Preparation

CHAPTER ELEVEN
“TO OVERSPREAD THE CONTINENT”: WESTWARD
EXPANSION AND POLITICAL CONFLICT, 1840–1848Discussion Instructions and Questions

Instructions:
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Choose one of the following Questions:

How did Anglo-Texans use their defeat at the Alamo to rally support for their cause?
How did the Liberty Party affect the election of 1844?
How did Polk pursue his expansionist agenda?
What were the most important differences between the leadership styles of Generals
Zachary Taylor and Winfield Scott?
How significant was Thoreau’s essay when it was published?
What role did images play in shaping American perceptions of the Mexican War?
Why did the artist pose Henry Clay in the same posture as earlier artists had used for
fallen leaders such as General Wolfe?
Why was the Wilmot Proviso so controversial?

BOPPPS – BRIDGE

• “Today we are going to learn about the
American westward expansion that led to
dramatically increasing the size of the United
States.”

• “This includes the Great Migration, Texas
Revolution, and Mexican American War. In the
process you will show your impressive historical
knowledge by answering a variety of questions
in an Internet Crossword Puzzle!”

• This would be followed by the Instructions as to
rules of the game.

BOPPPS – OBJECTIVES

By the end of this lesson, students will be able
to:

• Explain how Manifest Destiny influenced
American ideas about the West (Conceptual)

• Understand why so many Americans oppose
Texas annexation (Analytical)

• Discuss how the Mexican War affect
American politics (Analytical)

• Describe the reasons for President Zachary
Taylor’s appeal to both Northerners and
Southerners. (Factual)

BOPPPS- PRE-ASSESSMENT

• Using the “Profiles of Admiral Individuals” the students
will be asked at the beginning of class to write down
the name of an individual that they thing was an
important or interesting character during this particular
time, as I describe the Chapter briefly for those who
may not be prepared.

• Each student would then be asked to offer the person
they came up with, then some may not have been able
to think of any, and I would ask those to be honest if
they had to look it up for their answer.

• Then, I would ask that they either keep their “famous
person” in mind or choose another as the Chapter is
discussed and write down why they thought they were
important or interesting.

BOPPPS- PARTICIPATORY LESSON

• During the course of the lecture, I will stop and go
to the Crossword Puzzle game that has been
created for that particular section of the chapter.

• Each “team” would be given an opportunity to
answer each of the questions, while at the same
time an opposing team to “challenge”, in the
event the question could not be answered.

• ProProfs Brain Games- Crossword Puzzles
Chapter 11-Texas Revolution & Mexican American
War

BOPPPS- POST-ASSESSMENT

• At the conclusion of the lecture and Crossword
activity, students will be asked to revisit their
Profiles of Admiral Individuals.

• Briefly, each student will be asked to introduce
their choice and explain why they were
important or interesting.

• This will assess how effective the lecture and
activities were by the clarity and detail of the
student responses are describing the “Admiral
Individual”.

BOPPPS- SUMMARY

The Lesson will be closed by asking that they simply email me with
the feedback they had just given on their “Admiral Individual” for
attendance credit, briefly restating the importance of the historical
events discussed during the lesson, and finally advising the
students of upcoming activities and due date.

Personal Reflection on My ACP Experience

I have really enjoyed the ACP Course, because it has opened up my mind
to the many strategies, opportunities, and tools the most effective
learning approach and structured “lesson” more effective for the
students’ retention, which will make the whole learning experience
better for everyone, including myself.

BOPPPS LESSON PLAN- Neill

COURSE:
Lesson Title: Chapter Eleven- “TO OVERSPREAD THE CONTINENT”: WESTWARD

Bridge: How will you gain learner interest and set the stage for the lesson?
“Today we are going to learn about the
Estimated time:
Course Student Learning Outcome:

 Create an argument through the use of historical evidence.
 Analyze & interpret primary & secondary sources.
 Analyze the effects of historical, social, political, economic, cultural, & global forces on this period of United States history.

Learning Objectives: By the end of this lesson, students will be able to
1. Explain how Manifest Destiny influenced American ideas about the West (Conceptual)
2. Understand why so many Americans oppose Texas annexation (Analytical)
3. Discuss how the Mexican War affect American politics (Analytical)
4. Describe the reasons for President Zachary Taylor’s appeal to both Northerners and Southerners. (Factual)

Pre-Assessment: How will you assess learner prior knowledge of the topic? This could possibly tie to the student preparation strategy you developed.
I will use something similar to “Profiles of Admiral Individuals” by asking students at the beginning of class to write down the name of an individual that they
came to mind when thinking of this particular time of Westward Expansion, Texas Revolution, the Alamo, Mexican American War, as I describe the Chapter
briefly and the lecture that is about to begin. Quickly, I would then go through each of the students, allowing them to simply offer the name they came up
with, certainly some that may not have been able to think of any, and ask those to be honest if they had to look it up on their phones. Then, I would ask that
they either keep their “famous person” in mind or choose another as the Chapter has been discussed and write down why they thought they were and
“admiral” or not so “admiral” historical characters.
Estimated time: 15 minutes
Participatory Learning:
HIGHLIGHT AND LABEL THE FOLLOWING:

 4 questions with Bloom’s level identified
How is Zachary Taylor portrayed as a candidate for the presidency in this cartoon, The
Candidate of Many Parties?
Skill: Conceptual

 Why was the Mexican War controversial in the United States? How did changes in
communication affect the American experience of the war and inform American reactions to it?
Skill: Analytical

 Who was the leader of Texan forces that defeated and captured General Santa Anna at San
Jacinto?
Skill: Factual

 What encouraged President Taylor to secure the annexation of Texas?
Skill: Conceptual

 New instructional technology you are trying
ProProfs Brain Games- Crossword Puzzles
Chapter 11-Texas Revolution & Mexican American War

 At least one classroom assessment technique (CAT)
# 30 Profiles of Admiral Individuals
Explanation- At the beginning of class students would be given the instructions for this exercise, which would take little effort to complete and would
encourage active listening and evaluating the historical figures being discussed, so they can make their choice, while still being able to take lecture
notes. The benefits to this exercise would be increased attention to the lesson plan and exposure to evaluating the unique qualities of a variety of
important historical figures and what made them stand out or at the very least “one” historical figure.

Time Instructor Activities Learner Activities Lesson Materials

15 min. Pre-Assessment- Profiles of Admiral Individuals. Write down the name of a famous person from the current none
60 min. chapter about to be discussed.
Participatory Learning- Lecture, manage the Take notes and Answer Questions from the Crossword PowerPoint Presentation
15 min. Crossword Puzzle Website Game, and provide Puzzle Website, and and Website Game
feedback on student answers.
Classroom Assessment Technique- Profiles of Admiral Students will present based on their brief notes, who their none
Individuals. “Admiral Person” is they have chosen and briefly explain
why they chose the particular historical person.

Post-assessment: How will you assess if objectives have been met? Profiles of Admiral Individuals Post-Assessment will determine how effective the lecture
and activities were by the clarity and detail of the student responses are describing the “Admiral Individual”.
Estimated time:15 minutes

Summary: How will you close the lesson? The Lesson will be closed by advising the students of upcoming activities and due date, then asking that they simply
email me with the feedback they had just given on their Admiral Individual for attendance.

Estimated time: 5 minutes

ATTACH ANY LESSON MATERIALS (SLIDES, HANDOUTS, ETC.)

Electronic Portfolio-Flipbook
Dennis Neill

Table of Contents
1.Syllabus Snapshot
2. Student Preparation Strategy
3. BOPPPS Lesson plan and any supporting materials (this may include handouts, PPT, activities, etc)
4. Test Questions
5. Rubric
6. Showcase Presentation (this is the slideshow you presented during the final class)
7. Reflective Essay

Essay and Research Paper Grading Rubric

Professor Dennis Neill Total Score: 200
Lone Star College

[email protected]

Excellent Good Needs Improvement Poor F
40 30 20
10 0 T
Essay contains a clear An argument is present, but Author attempts, but fails, T
Argument argument—i.e., lets the reader reader must reconstruct it to make an argument (e.g., No attempt is made to P
Evidence know exactly what the author from the text. starts with a rhetorical articulate an argument. L
is trying to communicate. question/statement or A
anecdote that is never put G
40 into context). I
Provides compelling and A
accurate evidence that R
convinces reader to accept I
main argument. The S
importance/relevance of all M
pieces of evidence is clearly
stated. There are no gaps in 30 20 10 0
reasoning—i.e., the reader Provides necessary evidence Not enough evidence is
does not need to assume to convince reader of most provided to support Either no evidence is
anything or do additional aspects of the main argument author’s argument, or provided, or there are
research to accept main but not all. The importance/ evidence is incomplete, numerous factual mistakes,
argument. relevance of some evidence incorrect, or omissions or
presented may not be totally oversimplified. oversimplifications. There
clear. Reader must make a Information from lectures is little or no mention of
few mental leaps or do some and readings is not information from lectures
additional research to fully effectively used. and readings.
accept all aspects of main
argument.

1

Excellent Good Needs Improvement Poor F
20
15 10 5 0 T
The author considers the
Counter- evidence, or alternate Author acknowledges Author acknowledges No acknowledgement
Evidence interpretations of that counter-evidence or some of the most of counter-evidence
evidence, that could be alternative obvious counter- or alternative
used to refute or weaken interpretations exists, evidence and alternative interpretations.
his/her argument, and and lists them fully, but explanations, but is not
thoughtfully responds to does not effectively comprehensive in this
it. explain to reader why task. There is little or
his/her argument still no attempt made to
stands. respond to them.

40 30 20 10 0 T
Evidence is used from a
Sources wide range of sources, Evidence is used from Uses only a few of the Does not use sources,
Note: You including lectures and many sources, but author sources provided in only minimally uses
should course readings. When relies heavily on a more class, or does not go sources provided by
always required, author also limited set of sources. beyond what has been instructor, or relies
consult the consults scholarly books, Some effort is made to provided by professor exclusively on non-
assignment websites, journal articles, go beyond material when required to do scholarly outside
description etc. not explicitly presented in class when additional research. sources.
to find out discussed in class. required, but not much.
what kinds If outside sources are
of sources used, they are primarily
are required. non-scholarly (i.e.,
intended for a general
audience) and/or web-
based.

40 30 20 10 0 T
All evidence is properly
Citations cited in footnotes or All evidence is cited in Some pieces are No attempt is made to
& endnotes. footnotes or endnotes, unreferenced or cite evidence.
but there are some minor inaccurately referenced,
Bibliography problems with and there are problems

completeness or format with completeness and
of some citations. format of citations.

2

Organization Excellent Good Needs Improvement Poor F T
Clarity and 10 7 4 1 0 T
Style
Essay contains an intro, main Essay contains an intro, main Essay contains an intro, main Essay has no clear 0
body, and conclusion. body, and conclusion. The body, and conclusion. The organizational pattern.
Introduction lays out main introduction lays out the introduction gives the reader
argument and gives an outline main argument but gives the an idea of what to expect in the 1
of what the reader can expect reader little idea of what to paper, but does not effectively Paper is full of
in the essay. The conclusion expect in the essay. The lay out the main argument. It grammatical errors and
brings everything together, conclusion nicely may begin with a set of bad writing. Several
acknowledges potential summarizes the main rhetorical questions, or an words are misused.
shortcomings of the paper, and argument and evidence, but anecdote that is never fully Technical terms, words
gives the reader a sense of does not move beyond what explained. The conclusion from other languages,
what further work might be has already been presented in does little more than restate the and words from other
done to advance the subject the paper. problematic introduction. Intro historical periods are
matter described in the paper. and/or conclusion may be too rarely explained. Not
7 wordy or short. all information is
10 All sentences are accurate and up-to-
All sentences are grammatically correct and 4 date. Paper has not
grammatically correct and clearly written. An A few sentences are been spell-checked or
clearly written. No words are occasional word is misused grammatically incorrect or not proofread, and contains
misused or unnecessarily or unnecessarily fancy. clearly written. Several words numerous errors.
fancy. Technical terms, words Technical terms, words from are misused. Technical terms, Reader has a difficult
from other languages, and other languages, and words words from other languages, time understanding
words from other historical from other historical periods and words from other historical essay because of errors.
periods are always explained. are usually, but not always, periods are rarely explained.
All information is accurate and explained. All information is Not all information is accurate
up-to-date. Paper has been accurate and up-to-date. and up-to-date. Paper has been
spell-checked AND proofread Paper has been spell-checked spell-checked AND proofread,
(ideally by you and somebody AND proofread, and contains but still contains several errors.
else), and contains no errors. no more than a few minor Reader’s ability to understand
errors, which do not essay may be compromised by
adversely affect the reader’s these errors.
ability to understand the
essay.

3

Reflective Essay- Dennis Neill

I am fairly new to teaching and I was looking forward to the Adjunct Certification Program as a
good stepping stone in a career with Lone Star College. In all honesty, my main goal was career
advancement and the opportunity to establish some standing for the next full time position opening.
However, I found the program surprisingly useful and informative in teaching methods, styles, and tools
that will help me immediately in the classroom. The BOPPPS Lesson Planning, Teaching Strategies,
Assessment Strategies, and us Instructional Technologies that were discussed throughout the program
have opened up a lot of ideas and options that I have already begun to use and apply in my approach to
teaching history.

The BOPPPS Lesson Planning showed me some excellent approaches to prepare for class from
start to finish. I liked the idea of creating the one-page syllabus snapshot, which truthfully I have only
been posting the fully syllabus on D2L for the students to reference and for the most part forgotten.
However, the discussions on the “snapshot” convinced me it is a great way to start the course and get
the students off on the right track, while making the most important elements of the expectations clear.

The lesson objectives and incorporating Bloom’s Taxonomy were surprisingly instructive in
reminding me as a teacher that the basic objectives of each lesson need to be specific goals that are to
be completed. Making these specific objectives clear to students make it easier for them to prepare
themselves mentally for what the lessor or lecture is going be focused on and help in what they need to
pay particular attention to during the class. As a former student and as a teacher these lesson objectives
are often passed over, but now I can see how they are important to guide the lesson plan.

Preparatory Strategies was a concept that I had not really considered that definitely is a good
way to push the students to get started on reading the textbook and other material. Most students in
history courses and in general tend to wait till the last minute to actually do the required reading and
are getting exposed to the material for the first time during the lesson or lecture. I found the idea of
having the students choosing at least one topic question on the assigned chapter to come to class
prepared for discussion was an excellent way of at least getting them familiar with the upcoming lesson.

The Participatory Learning discussions were helpful as a reminder of how important it is to
include the students actively in the learning process. It is too easy to simply give a lecture or hand out
the assignments without much interaction, but that leads to lack of interest for the students. However,

when the class is actively involved in the discussions during the course of a lesson their attention to the
material is much more focused. This could be done by using open ended questions throughout the
lecture and the interest and retention of the students is improved, whether they are participating the
question and answering or simply listening to their fellow classmates.

The various Assessment Strategies was an interesting module, because of the variety of ways to
go about maintaining the learning outcome goals, beyond simply having the students take exams. I
found it useful to apply the informal assessment of a daily lesson plan using “Profiles of Admiral
Individuals” technique. By having the students choose a historical figure they found to be “admirable” or
interesting at the beginning the lesson and ask them to make notes to support their opinion during the
course of class, the offer a brief explanation at the end of the lesson. This will provide an obvious
assessment as to how much information was retained by the student and also provide some interactive
participatory learning in the process.

The Difficult Student Scenario was interesting and enlightening to learn how fellow teachers
approach classroom problems. Although it was not necessarily surprising, it was help and reassuring to
hear that my colleagues deal with and concerned about the same issues that arise with students of a
variety of personalities and how they handled or approached the situations. This provided some useful
guidance and ideas on what some of the best ways to handle difficult classroom problems in the future.

One of the most useful modules might have been the Instructional Technology discussions. It
was amazing to see how many options there are for teachers on the Internet to help in the classroom.
The educational forum for websites is filled with fellow instructors eager to share what has been useful
or effective in their classrooms. In all honest, I feel like it should have occurred to me earlier to seek out
the possibilities of educational websites on my own. The collection of websites and sources provided by
the instructor's web page was outstanding. It really opened my eyes to how many different interesting
ways these tools could be used to make the classroom more exciting for the students, who would
benefit from actively learning during the lesson plan.

I have already started to apply many of the techniques and strategies taught during this course,
including those mentioned briefly in this essay. From the Instructional Technology section, I found the
Crossword Puzzle game/website very interesting and thought it would be a good way keep the interest
of students during the history lectures. I began using them a couple of weeks ago by setting up a
crossword puzzle for the various sections of chapters being discussed. After that particular section was

completed, I brought up the crossword puzzle and would go through each of the questions including all
the students in class. The questions would be the type that may appear on the later Exam, so they would
definitely be interested and the link would remain available for later studying.

The Adjunct Certification Program has already helped improve my teaching skills in a variety of
ways. I have always felt very strongly about being well prepared for class and made extra effort to
prepare in a way that the lessons are presented in a way to well received by the students. However, the
course has showed me how to structure the course and lesson plans in a way that define exactly what
will be covered, why it will be discussed, and what the expected outcomes are to ensure the goals are
being met. I learned that using the techniques and strategies provided in the program will not only
improve my teaching skills and enhance the students learning experience, but also make my job as
teacher much more enjoyable and productive. The instruction and lay out for the program were
excellent and there is really not to many way I would improve it, except just to satisfy the question being
asked, I might set up a mock D2L to apply the modules as though it was our own virtual classroom.

The course was very enjoyable and I feel learned a lot from the experience! Thank you very
much!

Dennis Neill

US History since 1877

The memories of this horrific scene never Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire, 1911
left 18-year-old Victor Gatto, who stood
on the corner and watched as women Course Section: 1302-6012
plunged directly onto the pavement. In
1944 Gatto, a self-taught artist, painted Class Room Location: 13.413
Triangle Fire: March 25, 1911. His
painting depicted a woman plunging to Class Days & Times: M & W 9:30-10:50
her death past unprepared firefighters AM
atop ladders too short to reach the victims
above. The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory
Fire resulted in 146 workers dying in the
fire, mostly women and it has been called
the “Fire that Changed America.”

Instructor: Dennis Neill, MA
Contact: Before, during, and after class or
anytime by email
[email protected]
Course Title: HIST 1302 Spring 2016

Student Learning Outcomes:

 Create an argument through the use of historical evidence.
 Analyze & interpret primary & secondary sources.
 Analyze the effects of historical, social, political, economic, cultural, & global forces on this period of United States

history.
 Overview:

You will learn about broad themes in the history of modern America, including immigration, race and ethnicity, social and
political reform, mobility and population growth, contested meanings of freedom, industrialization, cycles of prosperity and
recession, popular culture, modernity, and rights movements. You will also develop ways of thinking historically through critical
analysis of primary and secondary sources; setting events, documents and people in their historical contexts; and crafting
interpretations and historical narratives from the “raw material” of the past. In this course, you should expect to do much more
than memorize facts or dates – you will be busy actively doing history, not passively learning about history.

Required Material: Keene, Visions of America vol II 2nd edition 2013. ISBN#: 9780205092680
McGerr, Fierce Discontent 2003. ISBN#: 9780195183658
Salmond, My Mind Set On Freedom 1997. ISBN#: 9781566631419
GRADE DETERMINATION:

Your grade will be determined by Details Total Points
the following (if applicable)

Exams There will be Five exams, Each exam is worth 100 points. 500
Worth 100 points
300
Book Essays Two book essays of 3 to 4 pages (150 pts each) each.

Primary Source Papers Two short 2-3 page primary source papers and one secondary 200
source paper, 100 points each. 1000

Total:

CHAPTER ELEVEN

“TO OVERSPREAD THE CONTINENT”: WESTWARD

EXPANSION AND POLITICAL CONFLICT, 1840–1848Discussion Instructions and Questions

Instructions:

Each student must choose at least one of the Review Questions (below) to answer and
discuss in detail (one paragraph), citing specific details and facts from the Textbook, noting
the page number.

Choose one of the following Questions:

How did Anglo-Texans use their defeat at the Alamo to rally support for their cause?
How did the Liberty Party affect the election of 1844?
How did Polk pursue his expansionist agenda?
What were the most important differences between the leadership styles of Generals
Zachary Taylor and Winfield Scott?
How significant was Thoreau’s essay when it was published?
What role did images play in shaping American perceptions of the Mexican War?
Why did the artist pose Henry Clay in the same posture as earlier artists had used for
fallen leaders such as General Wolfe?
Why was the Wilmot Proviso so controversial?

Good Questions assignment- Neill

Lower Level Bloom Questions:

What were some examples of the federal government and Congress trying to promote westward
development, settlement, or migration?

What was the Dawes Severalty Act?

Higher Level Bloom Questions:

Why did the Homestead Act of 1862 have uneven results for western migration and development?

What were some of the expected results of the Dawes Severalty Act and what were some of actual
consequences or results of the Dawes Severalty Act?