Participation Statement

A written statement in which you explain by concrete, specific examples how you have earned the following points:

10 = regular attendance in class and regularly ready for class--have done the readings, participated in class discussions, been supportive of colleagues as they ask and answer questions, served as a guide for readings, etc. List the topics for which you have been a guide.

10 = how you have used the topics, texts, and activities outside the classroom--conversations, news reports, related it to other classes, other activities, etc.

Award yourself the points-- 20 total possible.

Focus on one of the following learnng objectives and describe how you have achieved it.

Learning Objectives:

A. Historical Knowledge 

• Students will demonstrate a knowledge of basic facts, events -- and, especially,  of significant questions and major themes in the history of the American West to 1900
• Students will explain the West as a region.
• Students will describe the role of the federal government in the region
• Students will describe the West as an idea in American culture and in the popular imagination.
• Students will describe the struggle for land resources, identity, and power which have characterized the West.

B. Historical Thinking 

• Students will use a historical perspective by which to understand present issues in the American West. 
• Students will articulate the diverse perspectives of westerners.
• Students will consider a wide variety of historical sources and learn about how historians go about "recovering the past." 

 C. Historical Skills

• Students will hone their skills in reading, thinking, writing. Students will learn how to learn, how to reflect on their own learning.
• Students will be able to weigh conflicting claims by employing reason and rules of evidence to establish the reliability of any claim or statement.