Enjoyment
When it came to the class, there were many uplifting moments that I found to be quite enjoying. Group activities that we got involved in such as the Industrial Revolution Shark Tank were fun due to the fact that we acted like real salesmen and tried to place our pitch out there for others to be intrigued by. We graded each other and it was an overall new experience. Also, the Congress of Vienna activity was awesome since we had to gain as many territories as we could and get more points/power without the other "nations" knowing about it. Finally, my favorite, which may come as a shock to most, was the class discussions about topics we looked into. The reason for that was because it involved everyone's ideas and became a constant debate between classmates over who thought what. It assisted me in attaining the information clearly while gaining insight to the differing perspectives of my fellow peers. Overall, I enjoyed the class very much as it had many laughs and good memories and believed that Salisbury did a great job in getting us prepared for the 3s.
Dislikes
If I were to say that there was nothing that I didn't like about the class, I would be telling a lie. There were moments where I wanted to slam my head in the book or throw my popsicle stick in her plant by the window so that when she drew names from the sticks, I wouldn't be called on(I did sometimes). The reason for that was because to me, history was hard to attain a grasp on and got me tired whenever I learned a lot of the material. When it came to the readings, I constantly found the chapters hard to focus on and understand individually. Also, the readings were hard to take notes on because almost everything stated in the book seemed like it needed to be written down as t was all important, so the idea of note taking became a struggle with me. Overall, the class seemed hard and did put me through periods of stress and discomfort, but in the long run, it helped me to understand the material more and feel better prepared by the time the exam hit my desk.
Suggestions
When it comes to the class and ways to improve it, all I would recommend would be to incorporate at-home readings into class discussions and maybe make them class readings so that the students will be able to ask questions and get a better understanding of the material through the teacher's or their own classmates' remarks. Also, the fact that period 4 kinda felt rushed and that the material blew by quicker in that area before the exam and was harder to attain a full understanding on, unlike the other periods. Therefore, maybe change around the schedule next year so that enough time is given in advance for period 4's material to be discussed and explained in a timely fashion. Other than that, I liked everything else. The quizzes and quiz corrections helped understand the material and expect what would be on the exam, the projects made the material fun to learn and intriguing while informative, and the discussions brought forth the best insight.
Survival Steps
"There are no limits to what you can accomplish, except the limits you place on your own thinking"
- Brian Tracy
1. Manage your time with the readings as they will be long and stressful. However, if you do choose to procrastinate to the last day on readings like me, a 15 pack of mini Pepsi cans are being sold at Walmart for $5 and a mini fridge wouldn't hurt to keep them cold as you stay up working while hyped on caffeine.
2. Use the notes for quizzes and expect raw scores to be low. Trust me, they will get better and a 50 basically equals a 3 on the exam. Over time, you'll get the hang of it.
3. Take advantage of the projects and work diligently while having fun because those projects are going to make the assignments fun and intriguing,
4. Do the blogs! They will help in the long run as cushion grades and you will want to use them to keep your grades up when some low grades are put in.
5. Just enjoy the class and listen to what Salz is saying. She knows what she's doing and will get you on track for a 3, but remember that a 5 is on you and you need to really want it and put in the effort in order to get yourself there. Good luck!
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