Jonathan James

This is a personal budget spreadsheet that I created which completes automatically calculations. I use it for my Senior Economics course, but it could easily be adapted for all grade levels and classes (life skills, mathematics, etc.). I have students search and select a job listing in the career field they wish to pursue. With the spreadsheet, they must breakdown how much they will make each month after taxes and figure out their budget expenses first for a month and then for a year. I have 37

This includes a huge collection of worksheets that I made for my unit on the Jazz Age (1920s). This are fit for grades 9-12. They can easily be customized for your class. I created all of these worksheets with the goal of immersing students in the experience of the 1920s with much more intensity and capture their interest much more than their U.S. History textbook would. Worksheets include: -"Does Jazz Put the Sin in Syncopation?" article from 1920s Ladies Home Journal (with worksheet) -Jazz

This is one of my very favorite projects to do. During my Jazz Age (1920s) unit, I have students create their own silent films after we watch a handful of clips of Charlie Chaplin. In this 4-page handout, the first page is a brief plot and character brainstorm, then its followed with: *(2) Student Role Assignment / Explanation *(3) Detailed Rubric *(4) Plot Brainstorm Visual Guide Once students complete this packet as a group, they should be perfectly prepared to get filming!

This is a sample letter of recommendation for a student or former student that can easily be modified and edited to fit your needs. Room is left at the top of a letterhead.

When discussing immigration patterns to the United States, I have students select any country of their choice that they would like to "immigrate" to for employment purposes. They then create a "digital scrapbook" using PowerPoint in order to demonstrate an understanding of their new country as well as explore what life would be like living in a foreign country as an immigrant. The project is detailed in four major sections with a specific checklist that can help students stay focused and accom

This includes a collection of worksheets that I made for my Vietnam unit. These are perfect for any grades from grades 9-12. They can easily be customized in any way to see fit for your class. I created all of these worksheets with the goal of immersing students in Vietnam, connecting their experiences with those of the soldiers in Vietnam, and to capture their interest more than a textbook might. Worksheets include: -Vietnam War Protest Song Assignment -Digital Vietnam Wall Memorial Soldier

This is a dating profile template that I created to use in my history class, but could easily be used in an English or Reading class as well. The idea behind it was to provide students a fun way to explore a historical figure or character, by filling out their "dating profile" (like a match.com profile) and then having to write the first "love letter" to a significant other (real or imagined). It's research, creativity, and literacy all wrapped into a single fun project. Students love it! The e

This project I use for my Economics 12 course, but it could easily be adapted for social studies, consumer math, etc. This is a project that I use while teaching systems of economies and money. Students are provided this packet as well as a paperclip. Then they are to use bartering to barter "up" as much as they can. They are to log when, who, and what they trade for on the bartering log. They also have two pages of reflection questions in which they must reflect on their entire experience.

In this project, students are to apply what they have learned about capitalism and socialism in order to design their own community - much like Robert Owen in his experimental community of New Harmony, Indiana. They are to come up with a name, location, answer some basic questions about how their community with function, create laws, and then design and draw the blueprint for their community. In the end, the goal is to help them better understand the positives and negatives of their capitalist

Everyone from your next door neighbor to your grandma to your pet cat seems to have a Facebook profile nowadays. While Facebook has only been around since 2004, I created this to help students imagine what the historical figure they were assigned might have on his or her Facebook page had the internet been around then. What would their status updates say? What might their wall look like? Who would they be friends with? Students conduct research on their historical figure to track down informati

This is a mock job interview project which I created for my Consumer Economics course. It could easily be adapted for any course in which the instructor wished to prepare students for the job interview process. This includes 6 pages which include: -Student Instructions -Potential preparatory interview questions -Student brainstorm questions -Instructor Evaluation Sheet -Student-Peer Evaluation Sheet -"Bad Interview Techniques" collaborative video class project

This is a project that I use during the Second Industrial Revolution, but it could be adapted for many classes and units. After we have discussed many of the inventions during this time period (lightbulb, bessemer process, cars, airplanes, etc.), students are to come up with their own practical invention created in order to solve a problem that many people have. They then present it in the style of a TV infomercial in front of the class. They must then follow the process described on the worksh

This is a handout for students describing in-depth the process of producing a professional-quality research paper. It is designed for a high school American history course, but the handout could easily be adapted for any subject or grade level.

This contains three internet search worksheets, a comparison worksheet, and an exit slip related to the Civil Rights Movement. -Civil Rights Movement Leaders Internet Search -Civil Rights Movement Organizations Internet Search -Civil Rights Movement Protests Internet Search -MLK, Jr. & Malcolm X Comparison Chart -Exit Slip

This is an in-depth PowerPoint designed to accompany lectures or discussion on The Great Depression. This PowerPoint includes all the needed information for a high school student to gain a deep understanding of years during The Great Depression. It also includes easy to understand notes, high-quality photographs, discussion questions, and two assignments. The first 11 of the 64 slides have been included in the preview.

This is an in-depth PowerPoint designed to accompany lectures or discussion on The Progressive Movement of the early 1900s. This PowerPoint includes all the needed information for a high school student to gain a deep understanding of years during The Progressive Movement, with an emphasis on the politicians and the reforms in which they help get enacted. It also includes easy to understand notes, high-quality photographs, discussion questions, and two assignments. The first 10 of the 60 slides

This is an ambitious project that I use for my Great Depression unit. It is very student-centered in that the students are doing almost all of the learning on their own with the instructor as the facilitator - assisting with the creation of the website (I usually give a 15 minute tutorial for Weebly, which is a free educational website creator), clarifying and interpreting information when necessary, and assisting in any other way needed. The instructions come with a numbered checklist that bre

This is an internet driven assignment in which students research the various events, causes, and effects of the 9/11 attacks and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

A fun, unique, and creative "first day" survey for students, front and back.

This is a beginning of the year/semester letter to parents and guardians. It will serve to introduce both you, what you will be covering in your class, your expectations, and your contact information in a friendly and encouraging manner. It also provides a cut-off slip for students to have their parents sign. I leave blanks for you to fill in with your own information. The rest of the letter (including the photograph for your school mascot) can easily be altered to adjust to your classroom nee