I have been teaching history and English classes at Nekoosa High School for the past 33 years. I am excited about incorporating "Thinking Like a Historian" strategies into World History classes this year as well as using materials I created as part of a three-year grant project entitled "Life During Wartime." I hope to add more technology in my classes. I am amazed at the technological skills students have, and I enjoy learning from them. I cannot imagine the technology that will be available by the time the freshmen are seniors!
During my free time, I enjoy being at home and doing things outside with my husband, Dennis. We had a garden for the first time in a number of years so that kept us busy this summer as well as a number of landscaping projects. We have horses and two dogs that are the joys of our lives.
My Classes: Click on icon for homework/assignments for that class.
Class
Description
World History
World History is a required grade nine social studies class. It is a chronological and thematical survey of the development of Western, Eastern, and African civilizations. "Thinking Like a Historian" ideas and activities are incorporated into lessons and units. The main emphasis is on Western civilization and its impact on other cultures. Current events are stressed during the year through student involvement with such sources as CNN Student News. Class discussions, projects, movies, lectures, and student involvement contribute to a greater understanding of the many peoples and cultures that differ from our own.
American Literature II
This class is an option senior students may choose to fulfill their English requirements for graduation. Students study American authors and their literature from 1900 to the present. In order to create an awareness and appreciation of more current award-winning authors and literature, students are directed to these in their Reading Workshop time. Course work focuses on reading, writing, vocabulary, grammar review, and assorted projects.
Best of Times/Worst of Times
This course is a senior English elective with a social studies component. Students study the history of the 1920s and 1930s to better understand the literature of the time period. The students read The Great Gatsby to represent the 1920s and The Grapes of Wrath for the 1930s. Students are expected to complete readings and daily assignments, participate in class discussions, and do unit projects as requirements for this course.
