Small Plates and Commonplace Books (History Final)

SMALL PLATES: When Nephi delivered the plates to his brother Jacob, he indicated there were two sets of plates: a larger set for the detailed history of the people and a smaller set for “the things which I considered to be most precious” (Jacob 1:2). Likewise, this year you have kept a working notebook with all your notes and day-to-day assignments. These are the “large plates.” Now, from that collection of work, it is time to compile your own “small plates,” a record of the things you consider to be of greatest value.

These small plates should highlight the following:

1.      Work that you consider some of your best

2.      Work that includes ideas you consider to be most important and interesting

3.      Work that demonstrates your growth over the school year

You have three audiences for the “Small Plates”:

1)      Yourself 10 years from now

2)      Your parents

3)      Future AHS students: I will be photocopying portions of your small plates to share with future students. If there is something you would prefer I did not share (or read myself), please mark it with a sticky note.

Along with each item in the “Small Plates,” you are required to give a paragraph introduction including a justification for why it has been included. Think of this as a four-part evidence analysis. Your evidence is the work sample itself. The introduction provides the following in a paragraph:

1)      Claim: What does this sample of work demonstrate about your learning this year?

2)      Background: What is the work sample? Explain it to someone who has not participated in our class this year and who does not know anything about what we have been doing/learning. Give background on the topic and on the assignment itself.

3)      Commentary: What should readers of your small plates notice about this work sample that they might not notice on first glance? Why do those details matter?

Your small plates should be compiled in a three ring binder. They should have an attractive cover and title page.

 

COMMONPLACE BOOK: The commonplace book is where you have recorded the very best and most important of the ideas you have encountered this year. When you have felt the Spirit inspire your thoughts, you have recorded those ideas in the commonplace book. When you have read a quotation that rings true, you have recorded it. Because this book is a record of your most sacred learning, you have used it across all your classes, not just for history and literature. Because the commonplace book is a permanent record, it needs to be tidy and orderly. It has not been a place for note taking or doodling.

For your history final, you will be asked to write a commonplace entry reflecting on what you have learned from each of the following topics. Your reflections should be include two paragraphs for each topic:

1) A thorough summary of the topic (Who? What? When? Where? Why? How?)

2) A personal response to the topic (What did you find valuable? Why? What principles and truths can be learned from the historical topic? How does what you learned affect your life?)

Each entry should be clearly labeled with the topic as a heading.

1)      Renaissance

2)      Protestant Reformation

3)      Glorious Revolution

4)      American Founding

5)      French Revolution

6)      Industrial Revolution

7)      New Imperialism

8)      World War I

9)      World War II

Please refer back to your assignments, notes, and readings for each topic. For example, when you review the Glorious Revolution you may want to review the reading from Cato’s Letters (by Trenchard and Gordon) or when you review the Protestant Reformation, you may want to review Fire in the Bones (You could check out a copy from the library if needed.)

 

Due Date: Tuesday, May 20.