Period 2: Nonviolence and Gandhi, Day 5 - Class Recap

A "peer review" by sea lions at the Oregon Zoo, last summer. Picture by Mr. Fritz.
Dear Period 2,

I really hope that today was a productive one for you in getting great feedback about your rough drafts from your peers! If you had no rough draft to work on, I am counting on you to have a wonderful first draft to turn in to me on Wednesday. Remember to continue to be asking questions and letting me know how I can best be helping you out!

Essential Questions: How does conflict arise and in what ways have various people responded? What are civil rights? - Wow, we have been seriously neglecting the essential questions, but I am really hoping that we will be able to come back to them at some point!

Soundtrack: "Say It Right" by Nelly Furtado. Lyrics here. I'm not sure if anyone really knows what this song is about, including Ms. Furtado, but man, is it catchy. As I said in class, it reminds me of a California road trip I took in 2007! Chosen for today because I searched my iTunes for "right" and this was the best song that came up.

AGENDA 6/1/09:
News Brief
Peer Review/Conferences
Gallery Walk (?)

Homework: Paper Due (first draft, typed with bibliography)! Read the blog and ask questions!

To be clear about this: your historical investigation paper is due to be turned in next class.

Everyone should have a very clear idea of what we are looking for, since either Mrs. DeFrance or myself had a conference with everyone in the class. If you are uncertain about anything, please post comments on this blog entry and I will get back to you ASAP!

News Brief: Two stories that I wanted to highlight this morning as items of interest that everyone should know about were these - AVHerald.com - Crash: Air France A332 over Atlantic on June 1st 2009, aircraft lost. Check out that second picture of the extreme weather patterns in the area. As I mentioned in class, it would be hard to pick a more remote place in the ocean. I also said that I would upload a picture of the "black box" or flight data recorder that is virtually indestructible and can be used to help determine what happened in an accident. Here is one from an Evergreen International Airlines 747 that I worked on two winters ago:


Really a horrifying event. Though for any of you that are concerned about flying, know that you have a way higher chance of dying from a car accident on the way to the airport than you do the actual flight you are on. Flying is really one of the safest modes of transportation in the world. It just so happens that every so often, things go terribly wrong.

The other story I wanted to point out was this: CNN.com - GM bankruptcy: End of an era. Really an incredible day. General Motors was the biggest car company in the world for something like 90 straight years before losing its position to Toyota. Many people and dealerships will be out of jobs, though the company is expected to remain mostly intact through the bankruptcy (as it tries to get rid of the huge debt it has).

Finally, Ismael brought in this story: BBC.co.uk - US deaths in Iraq rise sharply in May. From the article, about 4,300 Americans have died in Iraq since the 2003 invasion. Really incredible. As I pointed out in class, it is not often that we think about how our country, the United States, is at war in two other countries (Iraq and Afghanistan) at this very second. Say what you will about the actual wars, but everyone should respect and honor the service that these men and women give to our country, no matter what your opinion is of how they are used. It is a job that I hope that I never have to find myself doing.

Juliet, you are up for next class. Please bring in a current news article about anything going on around the world outside the United States. Thanks!

Peer Review/Conferences: At this point in time, I handed out papers to peer review your rough drafts. We went through and read exactly what I was looking for in regards to the paper, and how everyone could be helping each other revise. I trust that this section was helpful for everyone!

In the meantime, Mrs. DeFrance and I finished up our conferences with everyone in the class. These were really nice for me to be able to do, and I know that Mrs. DeFrance feels the same way. Hopefully this cleared up any questions you may have had about your grade or your research paper.

I was a little concerned about the class not using the time in class to actually be quietly reading and peer reviewing, or working on your rough draft (if you did not do your homework). I expect that when I give you time in class to work, that you use that time. For the most part, I think you did, but I know that there is just no way that this can be happening when there are multiple people talking.

Again, I just want to help you succeed in this class and on this paper as much as I can! Please let me know how I can best be doing this! :-)

Gallery Walk (?): We were not able to get to this because I wanted to give you as much time as possible to peer review. I guarantee that we will get to it next class, barring any sort of huge change in the lesson planning. Look forward to it!
---

I will be at a ton of Westview football-related meetings and practices this week in the afternoon, but should be easily available to post comments and questions in the evenings.

Other than that, continue to be working hard on this paper! Thanks so much for the effort!

Period 2: Nonviolence and Gandhi, Day 4 - Class Recap

As good as a poster as any for "Takin' Care of Business" today. This has been hanging over my bed at my house since Middle School. Even if you are not doing well in this class or with this paper, please keep trying! You will be rewarded!
Dear class,

Thank you for the excellent questions and engagement in what we were doing today! I really thought it was fantastic and hopefully we are all cleared up about what I am expecting you to do this weekend. I also liked how Mrs. DeFrance and I got to chat with most of you about how things are going in the class with your research paper and overall grade. Please remember to keep in touch and ask questions!

Essential Questions: How does conflict arise and in what ways have various people responded? What are civil rights?

Soundtrack: "Takin' Care of Business" by Bachman-Turner Overdrive. Lyrics here. Selected for today because we really needed to take care of business when it came down to this paper and with finishing the year strong.

AGENDA 5/28/09:
News Brief
Paragraphs and Citing Sources
Conferences

Homework: Rough draft of paper due for peer revisions! All notes and bibliography due! Read the blog and ask questions!

For those that do not have the original handout about what we are asking you to do with the historical investigation, here is that to download:

Historical Investigation Assignment Sheet
The research paper is really built on all of the various handouts that we have given you in class to put in your folder, as well as your own personal research question and sources. Hopefully everyone has all of that and will make it make sense!

Please, please do not stress about the paper, but please also get it done. I will help you out as much as possible, so comment or e-mail if you have questions!

News Brief: For this part of class, after going over the essential questions (which did not get much love today), soundtrack, agenda, and homework, I passed back your grades for the Israeli-Palestinian presentations. Seriously, these kept me up until 1:30 AM last night, and I do put a lot of effort into grading each one, so please read all of my comments! If you are missing aspects of the project (like the explanation paper, skills packet, or presentation notes), please come see me ASAP! Remember that you can always revise if you need to as well.

That being said, I really do not remember much about the news brief today. Partially because I am really tired, and partially because I am not sure that we had much to say about what was going on around the world. Helpfully, Allie brought in this article to talk about: CNN.com - Report: Would-be suicide jumper pushed off bridge. This is really a crazy article! As I pleaded with everyone in class - please don't even think about suicide! Life is so worth living! :-)

Thanks for that article Allie. Ismael, you are up for next class on Monday. Any current news article about anything going on around the world, outside the United States.

Paragraphs and Citing Sources: We talked about how to write a body paragraph in Social Studies, with an Introductory Statement, a Concrete Detail, another Concrete Detail, a Commentary, and a Concluding Statement. There was a really fantastic discussion about the finer points of citing a source and how we want you to write the paper, which would be impossible to entirely recap on the blog. However, if you were paying attention in class, I feel pretty confident that you understand what is going on. If not, please ask questions in the comments about how to construct a paragraph and cite a source! Remember, we do not want you using a ton of direct quotes. Pick a couple really key ones, and summarize the rest! You still have to cite them, but now you are showing me what you think about your research!

Mrs. DeFrance talked about her own investigation and body paragraph, which she did as an example on global warming. Hopefully that was good for you to see how to construct each part of the paragraph.

"Westview is the coolest school ever." (Fritz, 3) - In this case, I am citing myself! Remember that it goes (Author, page number). If you do not have the author of the article, it needs to be ("Title of Article"). If you do not have the page number, do not put anything in.

Thanks for this section! It was fun, even though it lasted for a long time! :-)

Conferences: At this point in class, I had everyone get into base groups to conference on how the paper is going, what help you need, and finally, to really be writing the paper. I am not sure how well you used this time to actually be writing, but I am sure everyone is on top of this paper.

Until the end of class, Mrs. DeFrance and I tried to do a one-on-one conference with everyone. We did not get to some of you, but I do know that it was really awesome to get to talk to the people about how everything was going! We really tried to help you out with a research question and tell you exactly how you were doing in the class, along with possible ways to improve your score. Again, if you are at all interested in keeping in touch about this sort of stuff, please be coming to see either of us!

Generally, it was a good, productive day. I know that you probably feel like you have a lot of work ahead of you this weekend, but it is really just converting your notes into a paper, with an introduction, body paragraphs, conclusion, and bibliography. Okay, that still sounds like a lot. I am here to help! :-)
---

I am becoming increasingly busy it seems, but should be mostly available to post and respond to comments over the next few days. This week has been absolutely exhausting! Let's keep working hard together to finish the year! Have a wonderful evening!

Period 2: Nonviolence and Gandhi, Day 3 - Class Recap

Because we talked a little bit about nuclear winter (that is a really interesting Wikipedia page) today in class, I figured that I would post a picture from outside my house last winter, during the week we had off of school!
Hello and welcome to the blog recap!

We have lots to get to today! I would have to say that generally, I liked how class went today, though I was not too happy to see how little it seemed that most people had worked on their research questions, and with some of the base groups that did not seem to be particularly productive in talking to each other about their ideas. Hopefully, we can work hard next class and finish out the year strong!

Essential Questions: How does conflict arise and in what ways have various people responded? What are civil rights?

Soundtrack: "Bomb the World" by Michael Franti and Spearhead. The lyrics, which I showed on the projector and read aloud in class because I thought that they were really interesting, can be found here. This song was suggested to me by Ms. V'Marie. I played it today because of the nuclear bomb test in North Korea, which we talked about in the News Brief section.

AGENDA 5/26/09:
News Brief (Exploding Nuclear Bomb Edition)
Scheduling
Taking Notes
Gallery Walk

Homework: Notes on sources #1-3 (use to start paper!). Read blog recap and ask questions!

This will be explained in greater detail below, so keep reading! :-)

News Brief (Exploding Nuclear Bomb Edition): At the start of class, I went over the essential questions, soundtrack, agenda, and homework, then asked the class about what they did for the long Memorial Day weekend!

After some good conversation here, we went on to talk about the enormous news of the weekend. I found it absolutely incredible that in both of my Global Studies classes today, nobody had heard that North Korea had detonated a nuclear bomb as a test over the weekend. You can read all about that on really any news site. CNN.com has a special section dedicated to it, which you can find here: CNN.com - News & Videos about North Korea.

We also talked about the local story of a woman throwing her children off of the Sellwood Bridge in Portland. Just insane. That story can be found here: KGW.com - Mother accused in river murder has history of domestic violence.

I also mentioned this story: ABCNews.com - Police Say Albuquerque Mom Confessed to Murder of Boy Buried in Playground. You have to wonder what is going on in these people's heads. Is the incredibly depressing economy playing a role here?

I also mentioned: FT.com - Tehran puts block on Facebook access as election date looms. Apparently, Iran's government recently restored access, but it is interesting to see nonetheless!

CNN.com - California high court upholds same-sex marriage ban - this was the "Proposition 8" topic that I mentioned would be decided at 10 AM today. Basically, the Supreme Court sided with the voters in California that elected to ban gay marriage last November, but also that the people that got married when it was legal for a short time last year (about 18,000 people, including Ellen DeGeneres) still have valid marriages in the State of California. So basically, neither side of the debate is happy. The debate continues!

Finally, I mentioned that President Obama had selected Sonia Sotomayor to be on the Supreme Court. She has to be confirmed by the Senate now, but seems likely to be the first Hispanic (her parents were born in Puerto Rico) on the court, as well as the third woman. This is another HUGE deal, that is all over the news. Her biography can be found here: CNN.com - Who is Sonia Sotomayor?.

Allie, you are up for a news brief for next class! Anything going on around the world outside the United States. Thanks!

Scheduling: For this section of class, I had everyone take a schedule and write out what we will be doing in class for the rest of the year. Here is what I put down on the board, for those of you that were not in class or lost the schedule:

May 26 (today): Research Questions and quiet work on notes.
May 28 (next class): Notes on sources 1-3 due. Work on citing in paper.
June 1: Peer Review in class (rough draft and Notes 4 due. Check off bibliography in class.)
June 3: Paper Due (First Draft).
June 5: Paper Pass Back and Revisions.
June 9: Paper Due (Final Draft).
June 11: Paper Pass Back and LAST DAY OF CLASS!

I went over all of these dates and what I will be checking off and looking for in class. Hopefully, this makes sense to you! Please let me know if it does not!

Taking Notes: For this section of class, I had everyone come up and take 4 sheets of paper for your notes on your sources to put in your folders. I talked about the awesome system for writing the paper. Take one of these papers and write #1 on the top, then write #1 on your first source. Write your research question in, then look at the "cheat sheet" in your folder to find out how to correctly cite your source for the bibliography. Finally, use the three smaller sheets that Mrs. DeFrance and I showed you how to take notes on (quotes/summarizing sentences/summarizing the entire source), and use those to create your notes for each source!

I know that this sounds complicated, but I feel fairly confident that I explained this well in class. Again, if this is not making sense, PLEASE ask me to clarify! There is simply no way that I can know how to best explain it if you do not tell me what you are confused about.

After this explanation, I had everyone get in to "base groups" of 3 people (there was one group with 4), to talk over what your research questions are about and what sources you have. You will continue to be in these base groups for the rest of the year, writing the paper! I have found that it is really nice just to have people to check in with, who know what you are writing and bring good ideas to the table.

For the rest of class, people were working on their research questions (running them by Mrs. DeFrance or me), as well as writing notes about your sources. Again, try to have at least two direct quotes per source! This will make writing the paper so much easier, I promise!

As I said above, I am not sure how productive this whole period of time was, because there seemed to be not a lot of thought put into the research questions, or communication amongst the groups. We will see what happens for next class, when I am asking you to bring in three sources with notes on each source! :-)

Gallery Walk: We were not able to get to this, but I am okay with it, as it really does take up a good amount of time to do correctly.
---

That should just about do it for today! Please remember to be asking questions and posting comments below if you are confused or needing help in any way! It is a two way street here, remember that. Thanks! Have a great rest of the day!