Showing posts with label russian revolution. Show all posts
Showing posts with label russian revolution. Show all posts

Monday, March 19, 2018

Revolution! Day 5 - Class Recap

Today we watched part of an episode of The Office in class, while looking for different aspects of a revolution in it. This is me jumping for joy at finding the set of The Office, while on vacation in California in 2007. It is one of my favorite TV shows ever!

Dear class,

Welcome back from your weekend! We looked more into what makes up a revolution in class, and also had some time to work on late assignments. Here's what happened in class:

Learning Targets:
Critical Thinking LT 1: I can explain multiple perspectives and viewpoints.
Knowledge LT 19: I can explain the impacts of nationalism and revolutionary movements.

Soundtrack: "Leningrad" by Billy Joel. Selected for today because a student suggested it on the blog, as relating to Lenin and Russia. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 3/19/18:
News Brief - Justin
Conditions for Revolutions
The Coup
Russian Revolution Work

Homework: Read the blog! Turn in late/missing/incomplete/make up work. Bring your Chromebooks (charged!) next class (and for the next month). Ree has the next news brief.
---
News Brief: Justin had the news brief today and selected an article about this story to talk about: Independent.co.uk - Man fined £183,000 for pretending meat was fruit at supermarket self-service checkout. We found Germany in our world maps and talked about this funny story for a bit, before moving on. 

Ree was selected for the next news brief.

We also watched the one minute BBC World News update. Here's the link to see the latest one minute update, at any time of day (it will probably be different from what we watched in class):


Finally, we watched Westview Wildcat News. If you missed class or wanted to see it again, here it is:



Conditions for Revolutions: This PowerPoint was about the main ways that revolutions start. An easy way to think about this is: political = people want power; social = people want to find others that agree with them; economic = people want money and resources.

Here's the PowerPoint, if you wanted to check it out again, or if you missed class and need to do notes:



If you are at all confused about what makes up a revolution (in the sense of a government), please let me know!

The Coup: To have some fun in introducing theory of revolutions, we watched the episode of "The Office" called The Coup. A "coup" (or coup d'etat) is pronounced "coo" and is a French word for the overthrow of a government, usually from a small group of insiders. Thus, this episode is a perfect way to showcase the elements of a revolution (political/social/economic reasons for why Dwight is trying to overthrow Michael as boss) while also being a humorous way to start thinking about how revolutions happen. We finished the episode and then had a bit of time at the end of class to work on incomplete work.

Russian Revolution Work: I wanted everything from the unit turned in, including:

1) The Russian Revolution Pre-Assessment/Newsflash activity
2) Vocabulary Notes (on Peace, Land, and Bread PowerPoint)
3) OPVL activity (using the primary sources posted around the room)
4) Propaganda Poster assignment (using the Propaganda Poster PowerPoint to complete)
5) Vocabulary Quiz (a make up quiz is available in class, too)

Please get these in as soon as possible, if you did not do so in class! They will be another grade opportunity for the learning target on revolutions. Next class, you will start the big Country Profile Project assignment. Be ready! :-)

Thursday, March 15, 2018

Revolution! Day 4 - Class Recap

The flag of Vietnam (a communist country), flying on a boat in Ha Long Bay. Notice the red and the star as symbols! Photo taken in 2011.

Hi everyone,

Today, we looked more into the concept of propaganda and persuasion. Here's what happened in class:

Learning Targets:
Critical Thinking LT 1: I can explain multiple perspectives and viewpoints.
Knowledge LT 19: I can explain the impacts of nationalism and revolutionary movements.

Soundtrack: "Mother Russia" by Renaissance. Selected for today because of our continued look at the Russian Revolution! Lyrics here.

AGENDA 3/15/18:
News Brief - Sofia
Quiz
Propaganda
Create Posters

Homework: Read the blog! Finish propaganda poster (due next class). Justin has the next news brief.
---
News Brief: The news brief article for today was brought in by Sofia, who selected this article to talk about: USAToday.com - Syria's civil war has been raging for 7 years and no end in sight. We found Syria in the world map packet and noted we did a story on the country, as we talked about the continuing violence there.

Justin, you are up for next class.

We also watched the one minute BBC World News update. Here's the link to see the latest one minute update, at any time of day (it will probably be different from what we watched in class):


Quiz: After the news brief, we took the Russian Revolution vocabulary quiz. I'm not going to recap the quiz itself, other than to say that I hope everyone did well. If you were following along during the presentation and did your homework to review, I'm sure you were fine.

Propaganda: The next part of class was devoted to checking out some examples of Soviet Union propaganda (it is nice that you already knew what propaganda meant from studying Rwanda) and filling out a worksheet with each slide, then creating your own example on the back.
  
Here is the presentation on Russian Revolution propaganda, if you missed class, or need to complete your worksheet:


Here is the worksheet that goes along with the presentation:


After viewing all of the slides and filling out the worksheet, I gave the class this assignment: 

On the back side of this propaganda poster worksheet, you are creating your OWN Russian propaganda poster. Please use at least two symbols (a color can be a symbol) and make a connection to at least one of the vocabulary words from the Russian Revolution PowerPoint. You do not have to use Russian. Use an English caption to explain your poster, please.

Create Posters: The rest of class was devoted to creating the Russian Revolution propaganda posters, to emphasize the connection between persuasion and the revolution. These will be due at the start of next class.

See you next class, everyone!

Tuesday, March 13, 2018

Revolution! Day 3 - Class Recap

The Brandenburg Gate, in Berlin. Vladimir Lenin took a secretive train ride from Germany to Russia, and took power in Russia with his Bolshevik party upon his return.

Dear class,

We started really looking in depth at the Russian Revolution today in class. It is one of the more important events in Modern World History! Here's what happened in class:

Learning Targets:
Critical Thinking LT 1: I can explain multiple perspectives and viewpoints.
Knowledge LT 19: I can explain the impacts of nationalism and revolutionary movements.

Soundtrack: "Rasputin" by Boney M. Selected due to a fantastic student suggestion on the blog. What a song! Lots of great Russian Revolution references in the lyrics here

AGENDA 3/13/18:
News Brief - Richard
Posters/World War I Grades
OPVL
Study for Quiz

Homework: Read the blog! Study Russian Revolution vocabulary for quiz. Sofia has the next news brief.
---
News Brief: The news brief article for today was brought in by Richard, who selected an article about this story: CNN.com - Palestinian Prime Minister survives assassination attempt in Gaza, PA says. We found Palestine in the world map packet, and talked about this story for a bit before moving on to talk about what we were up to outside of class.

Sofia, you are up for next class.

We also watched the one minute BBC World News update. Here's the link to see the latest one minute update, at any time of day (it will probably be different from what we watched in class):

Posters/World War I Grades: After the news, I asked if there were any more "Togetherness" posters that students had to put up on the walls around the room. It looks so great now!

I also passed back the graded World War I essays and any Collection of Evidence work that was turned in. I really appreciate all of your work! Grades have been posted in StudentVUE for this assignment and are noted in the rubric section of your paper online. In general, I tried to highlight your thesis statement if I could find one. That, along with the use of the essay format we were using for this test and correct spelling/grammar is the Communication target. The impacts of Nationalism and Revolutions target was mostly about how you address the impact of the Russian Revolution (a required term). The Critical Thinking target grade is related to your use of analysis and commentary, as well as your introductions and conclusions.

Since this was a timed write in class, you cannot make it up or revise it. However, your World War I Collection of Evidence is graded on the same three learning targets, so that is an opportunity to improve your grade if needed. We will have more assignments this semester for each of the learning targets, as well. Thank you for your hard work on this!

OPVL: I introduced a new way to think about various different documents in history. We used the textbook as an example. OPVL stands for Origin, Purpose, Value, and Limitation. We practiced this in class by looking at this article:


Your assignment was to take the paper I handed out in class and go through two of the four documents on each side of the room to assess them. If you missed class, or needed to complete this outside of class, here are the links to both the OPVL sheet and the documents I posted:



Finally, here's another way to understand how to do OPVL analysis using specific types of documents:


Let me know if this assignment is at all unclear. You will be turning this in as part of the Russian Revolution packet later, so please keep it with you!

Study For Quiz: Study your vocabulary sheet to know the key terms from the Russian Revolution! We will have a quiz on the terms next class. Here is the information if you missed class or wanted to see it again:



Here is the main event - the PowerPoint of the basics of what happened during the Russian Revolution:



I know this is a lot of information. If you are in need of extra clarification or support, please ask me! I would love to help!

Friday, March 9, 2018

Revolution! Day 2 - Class Recap

This is a picture I took of Maria Sharapova carrying the flag of the Russian Federation at the Opening Ceremony of the London Olympics. The flag is different from the one the USSR had after the revolution!

Hi everyone,

Another sort of relaxed day in class today, with finishing and presenting our togetherness posters, and starting to learn a little bit about the Russian Revolution. Here's what happened in class:

Learning Targets:
Critical Thinking LT 1: I can explain multiple perspectives and viewpoints.
Knowledge LT 19: I can explain the impacts of nationalism and revolutionary movements.

Soundtrack: "I Lived" by OneRepublic. Selected for today because of our continued work with looking at what brings the world together. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 3/9/18:
News Brief - Krista
Finish Posters/Present
Newsflash
Peace, Land, and Bread

Homework: Read the blog! Richard has the next news brief.
---
News Brief: The news brief article for today was brought in by Krista, who selected this article to talk about: CBC.ca - Justin Trudeau says changes to legal system expected in 'coming weeks'. We found Canada in the world map packet and talked about this story for a bit, before moving on.

Richard, you are up for next class. We also checked in about the weekend and what people were up to.

We also watched the one minute BBC World News update. Here's the link to see the latest one minute update, at any time of day (it will probably be different from what we watched in class):


Finish Posters/Present: The first 10 minutes or so of class was used to finish the artistic representations of what brings the world together and presenting. I enjoyed seeing what everyone created, and I will try to do some decorating with them in our classroom! :-)

Newsflash: This is absolutely my favorite way to start a new unit. Good teachers always try and assess where students are at before they teach any specific content (otherwise, we would have no idea if you had actually learned anything or not). If you wanted to see the hilarious "Whose Line is it Anyway?" clip again, here it is:


So funny. Next, I passed out the "pre-assessment" paper that was geared around going back in time to Russia in 1917. If you did not complete this in class, you absolutely need to do this BEFORE going on to reviewing the presentation. If you missed class, or lost your copy (I will have you turn this in later), here it is to download and print:




Again, it does not matter if you do not know very much: make an educated guess!

Peace, Land, and Bread: After the newsflash activity, I started up the Russian Revolution content. Here is the vocabulary list that students were filling out during the presentation (the quiz will be on these terms):



I helpfully three hole punched these, as well. See? I listened to your feedback about making notes easier!

Here is the main event - the PowerPoint of the basics of what happened during the Russian Revolution:



We will continue studying the Russian Revolution next class! See you then!

Friday, March 17, 2017

Revolution! Day 5 - Class Recap

Today we watched part of an episode of The Office in class, while looking for different aspects of a revolution in it. This is me jumping for joy at finding the set of The Office, while on vacation in California in 2007. It is one of my favorite TV shows ever!

Dear class,

Welcome to your weekend from Global Studies! We looked more into what makes up a revolution in class, and also had some time to work on late assignments. Here's what happened in class:

Learning Targets:
Critical Thinking LT 1: I can explain multiple perspectives and viewpoints.
Knowledge LT 19: I can explain the impacts of nationalism and revolutionary movements.

Soundtrack: "Leningrad" by Billy Joel. Selected for today because Matthew suggested it on the blog, as relating to Lenin and Russia. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 3/17/17:
News Brief - Elena
Conditions for Revolutions
The Coup
Russian Revolution Work

Homework: Read the blog! Turn in late/missing/incomplete/make up work by today, for updated progress report grade. Bring your Chromebooks (charged!) next class (and for the next month). Reuben has the next news brief.
---
News Brief: Elena had the news brief today and selected an article about this story to talk about: BBC.com - France school shooting: Teenage boy arrested after four hurt. We found France in our world maps and talked about the political situation in Europe for a little bit, before moving on to talk about what we are up to outside of class.

Reuben was selected for the next news brief.

We also watched the one minute BBC World News update. Here's the link to see the latest one minute update, at any time of day (it will probably be different from what we watched in class):


Conditions for Revolutions: This PowerPoint was about the main ways that revolutions start. You will absolutely need to know the political, social, and economic reasons for the revolution you are studying for the historical investigation. An easy way to think about this is: political = people want power; social = people want to find others that agree with them; economic = people want money and resources.

Here's the PowerPoint, if you wanted to check it out again, or if you missed class and need to do notes:


If you are at all confused about what makes up a revolution (in the sense of a government), please let me know!

The Coup: To have some fun in introducing theory of revolutions, we watched the episode of "The Office" called The Coup. A "coup" (or coup d'etat) is pronounced "coo" and is a French word for the overthrow of a government, usually from a small group of insiders. Thus, this episode is a perfect way to showcase the elements of a revolution (political/social/economic reasons for why Dwight is trying to overthrow Michael as boss) while also being a humorous way to start thinking about how revolutions happen. We finished the episode and then had a bit of time at the end of class to work on incomplete work.

Russian Revolution Work: I wanted everything from the unit turned in, including:

1) The Russian Revolution Pre-Assessment/Newsflash activity
2) Vocabulary Notes (on Peace, Land, and Bread PowerPoint)
3) OPVL activity (using the primary sources posted around the room)
4) Propaganda Poster assignment (using the Propaganda Poster PowerPoint to complete)
5) Vocabulary Quiz (a make up quiz is available in class, too)

Please get these in as soon as possible, if you did not do so in class! They will be another grade opportunity for the learning target on revolutions. Next class, you will start the big historical investigation assignment. Be ready! :-)

Wednesday, March 15, 2017

Revolution! Day 4 - Class Recap

The flag of Vietnam (a communist country), flying on a boat in Ha Long Bay. Notice the red and the star as symbols! Photo taken in 2011.

Hi everyone,

Today, we looked more into the concept of propaganda and persuasion. Here's what happened in class:

Learning Targets:
Critical Thinking LT 1: I can explain multiple perspectives and viewpoints.
Knowledge LT 19: I can explain the impacts of nationalism and revolutionary movements.

Soundtrack: "Mother Russia" by Renaissance. Selected for today because of our continued look at the Russian Revolution! Lyrics here.

AGENDA 3/14/17:
News Brief - Juan
Quiz
Propaganda
Create Posters

Homework: Read the blog! Finish propaganda poster (due next class). Elena has the next news brief.
---
News Brief: The news brief article for today was brought in by Juan, who selected this article to talk about: BBC.com - Venezuela threatens to take over bakeries that break rules. We found Venezuela in the world map packet and noted we did a story on the country, as we talked about the continuing crisis with the government there, and how inflation (money being worth less and less) is impacting the economy and the people.

Elena, you are up for next class.

We also watched the one minute BBC World News update. Here's the link to see the latest one minute update, at any time of day (it will probably be different from what we watched in class):


Quiz: After the news brief, we took the Russian Revolution vocabulary quiz. I'm not going to recap the quiz itself, other than to say that I hope everyone did well. If you were following along during the presentation and did your homework to review, I'm sure you were fine.

Propaganda: The next part of class was devoted to checking out some examples of Soviet Union propaganda (it is nice that you already knew what propaganda meant from studying Rwanda) and filling out a worksheet with each slide, then creating your own example on the back.
  
Here is the presentation on Russian Revolution propaganda, if you missed class, or need to complete your worksheet:


Here is the worksheet that goes along with the presentation:


After viewing all of the slides and filling out the worksheet, I gave the class this assignment: 


On the back side of this propaganda poster worksheet, you are creating your OWN Russian propaganda poster. Please use at least two symbols (a color can be a symbol) and make a connection to at least one of the vocabulary words from the Russian Revolution PowerPoint. You do not have to use Russian. Use an English caption to explain your poster, please.

Create Posters: The rest of class was devoted to creating the Russian Revolution propaganda posters, to emphasize the connection between persuasion and the revolution. These will be due at the start of next class.

See you next class, everyone!

Monday, March 13, 2017

Revolution! Day 3 - Class Recap

The Brandenburg Gate, in Berlin. Vladimir Lenin took a secretive train ride from Germany to Russia, and took power in Russia with his Bolshevik party upon his return.

Dear class,

We started really looking in depth at the Russian Revolution today in class. It is one of the more important events in Modern World History! You will be using the same sorts of information that you learned in this unit for your historical investigation project on another country. Here's what happened in class:

Learning Targets:
Critical Thinking LT 1: I can explain multiple perspectives and viewpoints.
Knowledge LT 19: I can explain the impacts of nationalism and revolutionary movements.

Soundtrack: "Rasputin" by Boney M. Selected due to a fantastic student suggestion on the blog. What a song! Lots of great Russian Revolution references in the lyrics here

AGENDA 3/13/17:
News Brief - Jim
Peace, Land, and Bread
OPVL
Study for Quiz

Homework: Read the blog! Study Russian Revolution vocabulary for quiz. Juan has the next news brief.
---
News Brief: The news brief article for today was brought in by Jim, who selected an article about this story: NZHerald.co.nz - Ghost earthquakes across NZ after large shake in the Kermadecs. We found New Zealand in the world map packet, and talked about this story for a bit before moving on to talk about what we were up to outside of class.

Juan, you are up for next class.

We also watched the one minute BBC World News update. Here's the link to see the latest one minute update, at any time of day (it will probably be different from what we watched in class):


Peace, Land, and Bread: This was the continuation of last class (we stopped two slides in the previous class). Here is the vocabulary list that students were filling out during the presentation (the quiz will be on these terms, next class):


Here is the main event - the PowerPoint of the basics of what happened during the Russian Revolution:


I know this is a lot of information. If you are in need of extra clarification or support, please ask me! I would love to help!

OPVL: I introduced a new way to think about various different documents in history. We used the textbook as an example. OPVL stands for Origin, Purpose, Value, and Limitation. Your assignment was to take the paper I handed out in class and go through two of the four documents on each side of the room to assess them. If you missed class, or needed to complete this outside of class, here are the links to both the OPVL sheet and the documents I posted:



Finally, here's another way to understand how to do OPVL analysis using specific types of documents:


Let me know if this assignment is at all unclear. You will be turning this in as part of the Russian Revolution packet later, so please keep it with you!

Study For Quiz: Study your vocabulary sheet (linked to above) to know the key terms from the Russian Revolution! We will have a quiz on the terms next class.

Wednesday, March 8, 2017

Revolution! Day 2 - Class Recap

This is a picture I took of Maria Sharapova carrying the flag of the Russian Federation at the Opening Ceremony of the London Olympics. The flag is different from the one the USSR had after the revolution!

Hi everyone,

Another sort of relaxed day in class today, with finishing and presenting our togetherness posters, and starting to learn a little bit about the Russian Revolution. Here's what happened in class:

Learning Targets:
Critical Thinking LT 1: I can explain multiple perspectives and viewpoints.
Knowledge LT 19: I can explain the impacts of nationalism and revolutionary movements.

Soundtrack: "I Lived" by OneRepublic. Selected for today because of our continued work with looking at what brings the world together. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 3/8/17:
News Brief - Makayla
Finish Posters/Present
Newsflash
Peace, Land, and Bread

Homework: Read the blog! Jim has the next news brief.
---
News Brief: The news brief article for today was brought in by Makayla, who selected this article to talk about: BBC.com - Afghanistan: IS gunmen dressed as medics kill 30 at Kabul military hospital. We found Afghanistan in the world map packet and talked about the ongoing security situation there, and how it is the longest war in United States history at this point.

Jim, you are up for next class. We also checked in about the weekend and what people were up to.

We also watched the one minute BBC World News update. Here's the link to see the latest one minute update, at any time of day (it will probably be different from what we watched in class):


Finish Posters/Present: The first 10 minutes or so of class was used to finish the artistic representations of what brings the world together and presenting. I enjoyed seeing what everyone created, and I will try to do some decorating with them in our classroom! :-)

Newsflash: This is absolutely my favorite way to start a new unit. Good teachers always try and assess where students are at before they teach any specific content (otherwise, we would have no idea if you had actually learned anything or not). If you wanted to see the hilarious "Whose Line is it Anyway?" clip again, here it is:


So awesome. Next, I passed out the "pre-assessment" paper that was geared around going back in time to Russia in 1917. If you did not complete this in class, you absolutely need to do this BEFORE going on to reviewing the presentation. If you missed class, or lost your copy (I will have you turn this in later), here it is to download and print:



Again, it does not matter if you do not know very much: make an educated guess!

Peace, Land, and Bread: After the newsflash activity, I started up the Russian Revolution content. Here is the vocabulary list that students were filling out during the presentation (the quiz will be on these terms):


I helpfully three hole punched these, as well. See? I listened to your feedback about making notes easier!

Here is the main event - the PowerPoint of the basics of what happened during the Russian Revolution:


We were not able to complete all of the slides in class, so we will get back to it and finish next time. See you then!

Tuesday, March 8, 2016

Revolution! Day 5 - Class Recap

Today we watched part of an episode of The Office in class, while looking for different aspects of a revolution in it. This is me jumping for joy at finding the set of The Office, while on vacation in California in 2007. It is one of my favorite TV shows ever!

Dear class,

Welcome back to another week! We looked more into what makes up a revolution in class, and also had some time to work on late assignments. Here's what happened in class:

Learning Targets:
Critical Thinking LT 1: I can explain multiple perspectives and viewpoints.
Knowledge LT 19: I can explain the impacts of nationalism and revolutionary movements.

Soundtrack: "Handbags and Gladrags" by Big George Webley. Selected for today because it is the theme song for The Office (UK version) and we watched an episode of the US version today in class to analyze revolutions. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 3/8/16:
News Brief - Marian
Conditions for Revolutions
The Coup
Russian Revolution Work

Homework: Read the blog! Turn in late/missing/incomplete/make up work by next class, for updated progress report grade. Abby has the next news brief.
---
News Brief: Marian had the news brief today and selected an article about this story to talk about: CNN.com - Trump responds to Hitler comparison. We found Germany on our world maps (due to the Hitler connection that we learned about in the Holocaust unit) and talked about the comparison that some people have made with the pledge at Trump rallies to the Nazi salute. We also talked about what everyone was up to over the weekend.

Abby was selected for the next news brief.

We also watched the one minute BBC World News update. Here's the link to see the latest one minute update, at any time of day (it will probably be different from what we watched in class):


Conditions for Revolutions: This PowerPoint was about the main ways that revolutions start. You will absolutely need to know the political, social, and economic reasons for the revolution you are studying for the historical investigation. An easy way to think about this is: political = people want power; social = people want to find others that agree with them; economic = people want money and resources.

Here's the PowerPoint, if you wanted to check it out again, or if you missed class and need to do notes:



If you are at all confused about what makes up a revolution (in the sense of a government), please let me know!

The Coup: To have some fun in introducing theory of revolutions, we watched the episode of "The Office" called The Coup. A "coup" (or coup d'etat) is pronounced "coo" and is a French word for the overthrow of a government, usually from a small group of insiders. Thus, this episode is a perfect way to showcase the elements of a revolution (political/social/economic reasons for why Dwight is trying to overthrow Michael as boss) while also being a humorous way to start thinking about how revolutions happen. We finished the episode and then had a bit of time at the end of class to work on incomplete work.

Russian Revolution Work: I wanted everything from the unit turned in, including:

1) The Russian Revolution Pre-Assessment/Newsflash activity
2) Vocabulary Notes (on Peace, Land, and Bread PowerPoint)
3) OPVL activity (using the primary sources posted around the room)
4) Propaganda Poster assignment (using the Propaganda Poster PowerPoint to complete)
5) Vocabulary Quiz (a make up quiz is available in class, too)

Please get these in as soon as possible, if you did not do so in class! They will be another grade opportunity for the learning target on revolutions. Next class, you will start the big historical investigation assignment. Be ready! :-)

Friday, March 4, 2016

Revolution! Day 4 - Class Recap

The flag of Vietnam (a communist country), flying on a boat in Ha Long Bay. Notice the red and the star as symbols! Photo taken in 2011.

Hi everyone,

Today, we looked more into the concept of propaganda and persuasion (matching up well with what you are doing in Mr. Puterbaugh and Mr. Schmidt's class). Here's what happened in class:

Learning Targets:
Critical Thinking LT 1: I can explain multiple perspectives and viewpoints.
Knowledge LT 19: I can explain the impacts of nationalism and revolutionary movements.

Soundtrack: "Say It Right" by Nelly Furtado. Selected for today because of the quiz in class, and being able to write the correct answers! Lyrics here.

AGENDA 3/4/16:
News Brief - Koby
Quiz
Propaganda
Create Posters

Homework: Read the blog! Finish propaganda poster (due next class). Marian has the next news brief.
---
News Brief: The news brief article for today was brought in by Koby, who selected this article to talk about: CNN.com - El Chapo claims unbearable conditions, calls for extradition ASAP. We found Mexico on our world map packets and talked about what extradition is, and why El Chapo might want to be extradited here. Thanks, Koby!

Marian, you are up for next class.

Next, we had a discussion about the presidential nomination process, including a recap of what happened on "Super Tuesday." I showed this website about the delegates needed to become the nominee for president: FiveThirtyEight.com - Who's On Track For The Nomination?

We also watched the one minute BBC World News update. Here's the link to see the latest one minute update, at any time of day (it will probably be different from what we watched in class):


Quiz: After the news brief, we took the Russian Revolution vocabulary quiz. I'm not going to recap the quiz itself, other than to say that I hope everyone did well. If you were following along during the presentation and did your homework to review, I'm sure you were fine.

Propaganda: The next part of class was devoted to checking out some examples of Soviet Union propaganda (it is nice that you already knew what propaganda meant from studying Rwanda and from Mr. Puterbaugh's class about persuasion) and filling out a worksheet with each slide, then creating your own example on the back. To introduce this section, I played this video from my mom's last campaign:

   

My mom rocks. :-)

Here is the presentation on Russian Revolution propaganda, if you missed class, or need to complete your worksheet:


Here is the worksheet that goes along with the presentation:


After viewing all of the slides and filling out the worksheet, I gave the class this assignment: 

On the back side of the propaganda poster worksheet, you are creating your OWN Russian poster. Please use at least two symbols. Try to connect to at least one of the vocabulary words. You do not have to use Russian. Use a English caption, please.

Create Posters: The rest of class was devoted to creating the Russian Revolution propaganda posters, to emphasize the connection between persuasion and the revolution. These will be due at the start of next class.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Wednesday, March 2, 2016

Revolution! Day 3 - Class Recap

The Brandenburg Gate, in Berlin. Vladimir Lenin took a secretive train ride from Germany to Russia, and took power in Russia with his Bolshevik party upon his return.

Dear class,

We started really looking in depth at the Russian Revolution today in class. It is one of the more important events in Modern World History! You will be using the same sorts of information that you learned in this unit for your historical investigation project on another country. Here's what happened in class:

Learning Targets:
Critical Thinking LT 1: I can explain multiple perspectives and viewpoints.
Knowledge LT 19: I can explain the impacts of nationalism and revolutionary movements.

Soundtrack: "Mother Russia" by Renaissance. Selected for today because of the connection with Russia, obviously. Lyrics here

AGENDA 3/2/16:
News Brief - Annie
Peace, Land, and Bread
OPVL
Study for Quiz

Homework: Read the blog! Study Russian Revolution vocabulary for quiz. Koby has the next news brief.
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News Brief: The news brief article for today was brought in by Annie, who selected an article about this story: CNN.com - Weather blamed in Nepal plane crash; all 23 bodies found. We found Nepal in the world map packet, talked about how it has some very difficult terrain to fly in, and also talked about yesterday being the "Super Tuesday" primaries for the presidential nomination. Definitely worth paying attention to!

Koby, you are up for next class.

We also watched the one minute BBC World News update. Here's the link to see the latest one minute update, at any time of day (it will probably be different from what we watched in class):



Peace, Land, and Bread: This was the continuation of last class (we stopped two slides in the previous class). Here is the vocabulary list that students were filling out during the presentation (the quiz will be on these terms, next class):


Here is the main event - the PowerPoint of the basics of what happened during the Russian Revolution:


I know this is a lot of information. If you are in need of extra clarification or support, please ask me! I would love to help!

OPVL: I introduced a new way to think about various different documents in history. We used the textbook as an example. OPVL stands for Origin, Purpose, Value, and Limitation. Your assignment was to take the paper I handed out in class and go through two of the four documents on each side of the room to assess them. If you missed class, or needed to complete this outside of class, here are the links to both the OPVL sheet and the documents I posted:



Finally, here's another way to understand how to do OPVL analysis using specific types of documents:


Let me know if this assignment is at all unclear. You will be turning this in as part of the Russian Revolution packet later, so please keep it with you!

Study For Quiz: Study your vocabulary sheet (linked to above) to know the key terms from the Russian Revolution! We will have a quiz on the terms next class.

Monday, February 29, 2016

Revolution! Day 2 - Class Recap

This is a picture I took of Maria Sharapova carrying the flag of the Russian Federation at the Opening Ceremony of the London Olympics. The flag is different from the one the USSR had after the revolution!

Hi everyone,

Another sort of relaxed day in class today, with finishing and presenting our togetherness posters, and starting to learn a little bit about the Russian Revolution. Here's what happened in class:

Learning Targets:
Critical Thinking LT 1: I can explain multiple perspectives and viewpoints.
Knowledge LT 19: I can explain the impacts of nationalism and revolutionary movements.

Soundtrack: “Talkin' 'Bout A Revolution." Selected by Christian L., who wrote in the comments to request it, noting that we are talking about revolutions in class. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 2/29/16:
News Brief - Yanuel
Finish Posters/Present
Newsflash
Peace, Land, and Bread

Homework: Read the blog! Annie has the next news brief.
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News Brief: The news brief article for today was brought in by Yanuel, who selected this article to talk about: USAToday.com - French officials rally to move migrants from Calais camp. We found France in the world map packet and talked about the risks for refugees wanting to get across the English Channel to the UK from France.

Annie, you are up for next class. We also checked in about the weekend and what people were up to.

We also watched the one minute BBC World News update. Here's the link to see the latest one minute update, at any time of day (it will probably be different from what we watched in class):


Finish Posters/Present: The first 20 minutes or so of class was used to finish the artistic representations of what brings the world together and presenting. I enjoyed seeing what everyone created, and I will try to do some decorating with them in our classroom! :-)

Newsflash: This is absolutely my favorite way to start a new unit. Good teachers always try and assess where students are at before they teach any specific content (otherwise, we would have no idea if you had actually learned anything or not). If you wanted to see the hilarious "Whose Line is it Anyway?" clip again, here it is:


So awesome. Next, I passed out the "pre-assessment" paper that was geared around going back in time to Russia in 1917. If you did not complete this in class, you absolutely need to do this BEFORE going on to reviewing the presentation. If you missed class, or lost your copy (I will have you turn this in later), here it is to download and print:



Again, it does not matter if you do not know very much: make an educated guess!

Peace, Land, and Bread: After the newsflash activity, I started up the Russian Revolution content. Here is the vocabulary list that students were filling out during the presentation (the quiz will be on these terms):


I helpfully three hole punched these, as well. See? I listened to your feedback about making notes easier!

Here is the main event - the PowerPoint of the basics of what happened during the Russian Revolution:


We were not able to complete all of the slides in class, so we will get back to it and finish next time. See you then!

Tuesday, April 14, 2015

Religion, Day 1 - Class Recap


We started going over some of the world's major religions today in class. The first one in the PowerPoint was Hinduism. This is a Hindu temple in New Delhi, India! Photo taken over Spring Break, 2015.

Hi everyone,

I hope many of you (about half the class turned in the Historical Investigation on time today) are feeling a great sense of relief after being done with the biggest project all year! Today, we started out religion unit. Here's what we did today in class:

Learning Targets: 
Knowledge LT 22: I can explain how religious ideas impact the shaping of societies.
Critical Thinking LT 2: I can explain connections between events, issues, problems and concepts.

Soundtrack: "God Moving Over The Face of The Waters" by Moby. Selected for today because we started talking about religion today in class. This was an instrumental song with no lyrics. Listen to it again if you want here.

AGENDA 4/14/15:
News Brief - Brenden
Turn in Historical Investigation/Russian Revolution Grades
What is Religion?
Religions PowerPoint

Homework: Read the blog! Know your grade and how to improve it - Russian Revolution and finishing Historical Investigation if you have not. Next news brief: Patrick.
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News Brief: Brenden had the news brief today and selected an article about this story to talk about: CNN.com - TEPCO abandons robot stranded inside Fukushima plant. This is related to the earthquake and tsunami a few years ago in Japan. Poor robot! I also talked about Pope Francis saying that the Armenian Genocide was a genocide, which upset Turkey. The 100 year anniversary of the start of the genocide is on April 24. I wonder if President Obama will call it a genocide? We shall see!

We also watched VICE News for the day, before moving on.

The next news brief was assigned to Patrick.

Turn in H.I./R.R. Grades: As I said in class, I sent and responded to at least 100 emails and blog comments over the weekend, having to do with the Historical Investigation. I was in contact with a ton of students and parents about it, so I hope that there was a lot of productivity happening. I am excited to read the research projects! If you did not turn it in today, it will be an N grade in the gradebook (basically, an F) until you do.

The weekend also gave me time to grade your Russian Revolution packets, which I wanted to get back to you AFTER the Historical Investigation was finished, so you could concentrate on that. I did a pretty simple job of grading on this, and just wrote the two scores on the front of whatever sheet you had on your packet. Here is the breakdown:

Russian Revolution Unit Grades:
Explaining Connections LT 2
Revolution LT 20

1) The Russian Revolution Pre-Assessment/Newsflash activity

2) Vocabulary Notes on Peace, Land, and Bread PowerPoint – LT 20

3) OPVL activity on Russian Revolution Primary Sources – LT 2

4) Propaganda Poster assignment based on Soviet Propaganda PowerPoint – LT 2

5) Vocabulary Quiz (this can be retaken with me if necessary) – LT 20

The first score circled was the LT2 grade (the OPVL/Propaganda Poster). The second grade circled was LT20, which had to do with the vocabulary.

Please make sure to make up what you are missing, if possible!

What is Religion?: We started the religion unit by completing a pre-assessment in class, which students turned in after completing. Remember that there are no right or wrong answers when it comes to what you personally believe. Our study of religion is based on simply understanding what people think about spirituality around the world, which has a huge impact on life. Here's the pre-assessment:


It seemed like most students were interested in talking about religion, which was good to see! If you would rather remain private about your own religion, I totally understand that, too. It is a very personal decision! Here's the video we watched for the end of the pre-assessment, which does a great job of going over five of the major world religions:


The point here was to learn some new information about major religions! I think it is a really good overview video.

Religions PowerPoint: Next, we started (it will take us a long time to finish) the religion notes, using the Cornell Notes format. These are particularly famous in Ms. DeFrance Gilman's classes. I spiced them up a bit with photos from my travels as a part of the slides! Here is the PowerPoint:


We made it through Hinduism (the first religion covered) today, and will keep going next class. If you want to get ahead of the game at home, go ahead and check out the rest of the slides!

There is definitely a lot to learn about! We are going to keep moving forward with new material. If you are needing to improve your grade (I will update with the Historical Investigation N grades soon), please work hard on that, too! I am here to help! :-)

Friday, March 6, 2015

Revolution! Day 4 - Class Recap

The flag of Vietnam (a communist country), flying on a boat in Ha Long Bay. Notice the red and the star as symbols! Photo taken in 2011.

Hi everyone,

Today, we looked more into the concept of propaganda and persuasion (matching up well with what you are doing in Mr. Lathrop's class). Here's what happened in class:

Learning Targets:
Critical Thinking LT 1: I can explain multiple perspectives and viewpoints.
Knowledge LT 20: I can explain the impacts of nationalism and revolutionary movements.

Soundtrack: "Say It Right" by Nelly Furtado. Selected for today because of the quiz in class, and being able to write the correct answers! Lyrics here.

AGENDA 3/6/15:
News Brief - Rui
OPVL/Quiz
Propaganda
Create Posters

Homework: Read the blog! Finish propaganda poster (due next class). Revise and resubmit any missing or incomplete World War I work. Jonathan has the next news brief.
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News Brief: The news brief article for today was brought in by Rui, who selected this article to talk about: CNN.com - Amid brazen, deadly attacks, gay Syrians tell of fear of ISIS persecution. Yet another example of a terrible event in Syria by ISIS, which is in the midst of a civil war against the Syrian government.

Jonathan, you are up for next class.

We also watched VICE News today (which related to International Women's Day!) before moving on.

OPVL/Quiz: After the news brief, we looked at the OPVL activity from last class. This needs to be done for next class, when you are turning in your Russian Revolution work! Your updated grades are posted by student ID number on the board. No excuses for you to not know exactly what you need to do - especially with the World War I packets!

I'm not going to recap the quiz itself, other than to say that I hope everyone did well. If you were following along during the presentation and did your homework to review, I'm sure you were fine.

Propaganda: The next part of class was devoted to checking out some examples of Soviet Union propaganda (it is nice that you already knew what propaganda meant from studying Rwanda and from Mr. Lathrop's class about persuasion) and filling out a worksheet with each slide, then creating your own example on the back. To introduce this section, I played this video from my mom's last campaign:

   

My mom rocks. :-)

Here is the presentation on Russian Revolution propaganda, if you missed class, or need to complete your worksheet:


Here is the worksheet that goes along with the presentation:


After viewing all of the slides and filling out the worksheet, I gave the class this assignment: 

On the back side of the propaganda poster worksheet, you are creating your OWN Russian poster. Please use at least two symbols. Try to connect to at least one of the vocabulary words. You do not have to use Russian. Use a English caption, please.

Create Posters: The rest of class was devoted to creating the Russian Revolution propaganda posters, to emphasize the connection between persuasion and the revolution. These will be due at the start of next class.

Have a great weekend!