Thursday, December 17, 2015

Genocide in Rwanda, Day 6 - Class Recap


A look at the view from the podium in our room for the United Nations speeches about Rwanda!

Hi everyone,

You all did such an amazing job today! I am so proud of you and your effort in these speeches! It was an inspiration to be able to see how well you communicated about the genocide and the learning targets for the unit. Here's what happened in class today:

Learning Targets:
Knowledge LT 20: I can identify the critical components of imperialism.
Communication LT 1:  I can communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing
Behavior LT 3: I can communicate and work effectively within a team or group.

Soundtrack: "Heroes" by David Bowie. Selected for today because you got to be heroes for the people of Rwanda. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 12/17/15:
News Brief - Grace
Setting the Stage
United Nations Speeches
Hotel Rwanda

Homework: Read the blog. Turn in any late or incomplete work, and the individual copy of your United Nations speech ASAP. Next news brief: Mr. Fritz.

News Brief: Grace had the news brief today, but was not in class to present, so everyone had more time to prepare.

I selected myself to do the next news brief. We did not watch BBC World News today, due to the time with speeches, but here it is to watch, if you want to.

Setting the Stage: Right after the news brief, I went over exactly how the speeches would work in class, and talked specifically about a tie that I brought in for students to wear if they wanted, which a friend who went to Rwanda brought back for me. The tie was made by survivors of the genocide, so I thought it was pretty important symbolism as we were talking about needing to prevent it!

After the introduction, I gave about 10-15 minutes for groups to get ready and organized, then we started.

United Nations Speeches: I LOVED these! Again, the vast majority of students did such a good job with this! The basic set up was to have a group come up and line up behind the podium, do their speech in order, then listen as the panel at the front (for your class, it was Vice Principal Cheryl Ashdown, along with myself) gave positive feedback about how your speeches went.

I really appreciated your effort and willingness to speak up about Rwanda! I know that the panel was impressed. I also wanted to make sure and publicly thank Ms. Ashdown for being willing to give her time to come see you speak. What a cool community we have at Westview!

 After the speeches were done, there was not enough time to start Hotel Rwanda, so we will do that next class.

At the end of class, I had everyone (who had not already done so) turn in their individual speeches (five paragraphs) with the rubric attached.

 Here's the assignment sheet again, if you are needing it to find the rubrics to turn in with your revised paper:


Thank you all so much again for your hard work today and in the build up for it! You totally rock! I am very proud of everyone. See you in 2016! Have a wonderful break!
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Tuesday, December 15, 2015

Genocide in Rwanda, Day 5 - Class Recap


My mom, Amanda Fritz, giving a speech after she was elected to Portland City Council in 2008. Photo taken by my dad!

Hi everyone,

Today was our last day of preparation for the Rwanda speech in front of the United Nations! Lots of tips and stuff to talk about. Here's what happened in class today:

Learning Targets:
Knowledge LT 20: I can identify the critical components of imperialism.
Communication LT 1:  I can communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.

Soundtrack: "Man in the Mirror" by Michael Jackson. Selected because you get to "make that change" with your speech, and also, practicing in front of a mirror is a good strategy to prepare for a speech. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 12/15/15:
News Brief - Hanoi
Brainstorm Public Speaking
Rwanda Video
Speech Work Time

Homework: Read the blog. The United Nations group speech in front of an administrator is next class! Practice! Dress up (if possible)! Be ready to go with your group! Also, if you haven't turned in your revised/final individual speech, please do so ASAP. Next news brief: Grace.

News Brief: Hanoi had the news brief today and selected an article about this story: had the news brief today and selected an article about this story: BBC.com -North Korea's Kim Jong-un 'in H-bomb claim'. We found North Korea on our world map packets and talked about what a hydrogen bomb is. I also showed the class parts of this video, showing where all of the nuclear detonations in history have occurred, from each country:


Grace was selected to do 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):


Brainstorm: Public Speaking: We talked in class about some tips for giving a good speech. I used two video clips for this:


The 2014 National Champion of Original Oratory, Andrea Ambam.

I only showed the first two minutes or so of this in class, but the point was hopefully made clear. She does a great job of knowing her material, standing straight, using hand gestures to be engaging, making eye contact, and varying her tone of voice.

As a class, we thought of good public speaking tips. Here's what we came up with:

- Hand gestures
- Emotion in voice
- Dynamic and enthusiastic (helps engage the audience)
- Humor
- Great introduction to hook the audience in
- Eye contact if possible
- Memorizing speech
- Movement around is okay
- Pausing for dramatic effect
- Varied tone of voice
- Rehearsed speech
- No filler words

Next, I showed this five minute video from Toastmasters (an organization devoted to helping people with public speaking):


I hope that all of this made everyone feel better, or at least, provide some tips on how to feel better about the speech!

Rwanda Video: Finally, before work time the rest of class, I showed half of this video that an American media company made for Rwanda's tourism department. I wanted to show this to highlight some of the beautiful aspects of Rwanda, as another counter story to what people may typically think.


Group Speech Work Time: The rest of the class was devoted to working on the speech in groups - getting the order down, practicing, and refining. The groups are (some may have six, which means that the group will have four middle speakers on speech day):

Group 1: Grace S, Zack P, Matthew S, Samantha N, Jonathan B

Group 2: Lisa B, David C, Isaac S, Madeline L, Hanoi, Nic A,

Group 3: Srey R, Daisy C, Lauren P, Madi A, Jessica A, Sergio V,

Group 4: Kaleb L, Koby H, Gabe M, Matthew M, Christian H

Group 5: Abby P, Christian L, Annie M, Caden P, Eric B,

Group 6: Selene M, Jonathan F, Andrew G, Rachele M, Yanuel S

No group (alternate assignment): Janejea and Mia

Here's the assignment sheet again, if you are needing it to find the rubrics to turn in with your revised paper:


Please make sure to bring a revised final copy of your speech (if you have not turned it in already), for me to grade, next class! Be prepared and confident in your speech - I know you will all be great! Let me know if there is anything else I can do to help!
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Friday, December 11, 2015

Genocide in Rwanda, Day 4 - Class Recap

Fireworks to start the 2011 US Open, held in New York City, which is where the United Nations meets.

Dear class,

I hope that today was productive for you and your group! I certainly enjoyed reading over your speeches and trying to help everyone revise them. Here's what happened in class today:

Learning Targets:
Knowledge LT 20: I can identify the critical components of imperialism.
Communication LT 1:  I can communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.

Soundtrack: "Somali Udiida Ceb (Somalia, Don't Shame Yourself)" by Maryam Mursal. Selected because Somalia has a direct impact on why the United States was reluctant to do anything to stop the genocide in Rwanda. Listen to the song here.

AGENDA 12/11/15:
News Brief - Samantha
Hutu Ten Commandments
Peer Review
Group Speech Work

Homework: Read the blog. Revised/edited Rwanda speech due. Bring one copy for me to grade, and your paragraph that your group decided to use for the speech, to work on. The Rwanda resources will help. Next news brief: Hanoi.

News Brief: Samantha had the news brief today and selected an article about this story: BBC.com - China pollution: First ever red alert in effect in Beijing. I showed a few pictures from Beijing and talked about how this is happening at the same time as a global conference on climate change in Paris. The level of pollutants in the air in Beijing is something like 11 times higher than healthy limits. We found the China on the world map packet and noted we did a news brief there.

Hanoi was selected to do 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 checked in about the weekend and what everyone is up to.

Hutu Ten Commandments: I talked about this right after the news, as yet another aspect in the lead up to the Rwandan genocide that students could write about for the speech:


Again, it was not a surprise at all that a genocide occurred, with words like that being used, years in advance. This would count as part of the Polarization stage of genocide.

Peer Review: I passed out a review sheet and went over exactly what everyone should be looking at, as far as their papers being revised. Here it is - if you missed class, please complete it!


Basically, you need to be sure to talk about the United Nations definition of genocide and the role that imperialism (especially Belgium's classification of Hutus and Tutsis) had in starting the ongoing genocide. Here's the Imperialism PowerPoint again, if you wanted to look in more depth. Hint: you cannot say that Hutus are promoting imperialism against the Tutsis. That's not imperialism at all.


I tried to give feedback on as many papers during class as I possibly could - I apologize for not being able to get through everyone! Fortunately, the groups should have helped a lot in revisions, too.

Group Speech Work Time: The rest of the class was devoted to working on the speech in groups. Next class, you will be refining and practicing your speeches. The groups are (some may have six, which means that the group will have four middle speakers on speech day):

Group 1: Grace S, Zack P, Matthew S, Samantha N, Jonathan B

Group 2: Lisa B, David C, Isaac S, Madeline L, Hanoi, Nic A,

Group 3: Srey R, Daisy C, Lauren P, Madi A, Jessica A, Sergio V,

Group 4: Kaleb L, Koby H, Gabe M, Matthew M, Christian H

Group 5: Abby P, Christian L, Annie M, Caden P, Eric B,

Group 6: Selene M, Jonathan F, Andrew G, Rachele M, Yanuel S

I used the Random.org List Generator to make the groups. :-)

While everyone worked in groups, I tried as hard as I could to look at the papers that were turned in and immediately get them back with feedback. Here were the elements I most commonly saw as being needed for addition in the speeches:

1) Need to mention United Nations definition of genocide, made in 1948, after the Holocaust.
2) Need to connect classification of the Hutus and Tutsis to the legacy of Belgium’s imperialism.
3) Asking the United Nations for something SPECIFIC. Not just “do something.” Say “more troops” “more funding” “more awareness – declare this as what it is: genocide.”

Here are the directions, from earlier in the unit:

The final assignment for the unit and before break is a speech before a mock United Nations, in class. You will be pretending that it is April 24, 1994 - the actual date that arguments were ongoing at the United Nations Security Council about how to respond to the conflict in Rwanda.

There are a few steps in the process to prepare for the speech, which will be given on Thursday, December 17th. The first is to write a persuasive essay (in the form of a speech you could give).. Here's the assignment:


As a reminder, this will eventually be a formal speech before break that you give as a part of a group, in front of the class, with myself and another teacher and/or administrator (like Dr. Franco) listening. You are going to need to persuade us to act and do something!

To prepare for this, I passed out a class set of copies of three things:

1) The United Nations definition of genocide, as agreed to by the world in 1949. This is helpful, because if you can persuade the United Nations that genocide is occurring in Rwanda, they HAVE to act (because that's what they agreed to).

2) The Eight Stages of Genocide. I read over the stages, but not all of the content describing them. There is a lot of information that might help you craft your speech! You can certainly talk about every stage of genocide, occurring in Rwanda, up to April 24, 1994. Here are some hints on how to do this.

3) A reading that goes over more of the history in Rwanda, what happened during the genocide, and the end. Remember, you can't talk about anything after April 24, 1994, but you can make predictions as to what will happen if the United Nations refuses to act! The reading is pages 5-10 here:


Another resource that might help could be your Cornell Notes from last class, which was on this presentation:


Please be sure to ask me if you have any questions or need help in any way! I'm really excited to see what you can come up with! :-)
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Wednesday, December 9, 2015

Genocide in Rwanda, Day 3 - Class Recap

A young Egyptian guy, who wanted me to take his picture in front of the pyramids in Cairo. Photo taken in 2014.

Hi everyone,

Two more weeks of work until a nice break! Lots to do - today, we looked more into Imperialism and Privilege, as I asked students to think about how they may have impacted Rwanda. Here's what happened in class today:

Learning Targets:
Knowledge LT 20: I can identify the critical components of imperialism.
Communication LT 1:  I can communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.
Critical Thinking LT 1: I can explain multiple perspectives and viewpoints.

Soundtrack: "Africa for Norway" by SAIH - The Norwegian Students’ and Academics’ International Assistance Fund. I was projecting this video as students walked in - it is a humorous look at stereotyping, and how Norwegians should not stereotype Africans, because what if the opposite happened. I read the reasoning behind the video in class.

AGENDA 12/9/15:
News Brief - Nic
Imperialism
Privilege
Speech Work Time

Homework: Read the blog. Rwanda speech due - bring two copies, typed. The Rwanda resources will help. Next news brief: Samantha.

News Brief: Nic had the news brief today and selected an article about this story: CNN.com - More than 30 civilians killed in attack at Afghanistan's Kandahar airport. This is an ongoing story about how the Afghan government is fighting the Taliban in the region. We found Afghanistan on the world map packet and noted we did a news brief there.

Samantha was selected to do 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 checked in about the weekend and what everyone was up to. I shared about going to Columbus, Ohio to watch the Portland Timbers win the MLS Cup championship!

Imperialism: Next, I went over the concepts of imperialism and colonialism, in the form of a PowerPoint. Students took notes (if you took Cornell Notes, all the better) on the presentation.


One of the learning targets associated with this unit is Knowledge LT 20: I can identify the critical components of imperialism. This presentation was to help students understand how to do that, especially in regards to how Belgium had an impact in Rwanda, long after the independence in 1962.

Privilege: Another component of how we look at people in the world is the concept of privilege. Specifically, white privilege - a system of advantages some people get over others, that are often not even recognized. Here is the reading we went through, by Peggy McIntosh:


Basically, I am asking everyone to think about how our privilege here in America (of being a world superpower) relates to our study of Rwanda. Specifically, I think that race has a lot to do with it. We did a quiet activity with this document, which I think was pretty powerful (the Westview teachers recently did this, too). Thank you for your participation here.

As part of this section, I also provided some counter stories to the negativity surrounding Africa. In particular, I highlighted these:


This was about how the highest levels of educational achievement in the United States are from African immigrants.


Since some people believe that Africa is very far behind in technology (and to be certain, some places are), I pointed out this story, which is about how Kenya has a system that is the best in the world for sending payments on the go.

I also showed RisingAfrica.org, which has lots of stories about the positive sides of Africa.

Finally, as a challenge assignment for the TAG students in the class, I read the first part of this long article on Paul Kagame, the President of Rwanda. If you want to learn more about why the balance in assessing Kagame is so tricky, and enjoy a reading challenge, here's the entire article:


The first part has to do with how clean and safe Kigali is now, which is related to the counter stories I was trying to present.

Speech Work Time: The rest of the class (about 5 minutes) was devoted to working on your speech. Here are the directions, from last class:

The final assignment for the unit and before break is a speech before a mock United Nations, in class. You will be pretending that it is April 24, 1994 - the actual date that arguments were ongoing at the United Nations Security Council about how to respond to the conflict in Rwanda.

There are a few steps in the process to prepare for the speech, which will be given on Thursday, December 17th. The first is to write a persuasive essay (in the form of a speech you could give). This is due in class (TWO COPIES, typed) next class - Friday, December 11th. Here's the assignment:


As a reminder, this will eventually be a formal speech before break that you give as a part of a group, in front of the class, with myself and another teacher and/or administrator (like Dr. Franco) listening. You are going to need to persuade us to act and do something!

To prepare for this, I passed out a class set of copies of three things:

1) The United Nations definition of genocide, as agreed to by the world in 1949. This is helpful, because if you can persuade the United Nations that genocide is occurring in Rwanda, they HAVE to act (because that's what they agreed to).

2) The Eight Stages of Genocide. I read over the stages, but not all of the content describing them. There is a lot of information that might help you craft your speech! You can certainly talk about every stage of genocide, occurring in Rwanda, up to April 24, 1994. Here are some hints on how to do this.

3) A reading that goes over more of the history in Rwanda, what happened during the genocide, and the end. Remember, you can't talk about anything after April 24, 1994, but you can make predictions as to what will happen if the United Nations refuses to act! The reading is pages 5-10 here:


Another resource that might help could be your Cornell Notes from last class, which was on this presentation:


Please be sure to ask me if you have any questions or need help in any way! I'm really excited to see what you can come up with! :-)
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Monday, December 7, 2015

Genocide in Rwanda, Day 2 - Class Recap


The results for our class when I asked students to think about five things that come to mind when we think about Africa. I mean, the comparison with Europe makes the differences pretty startling, right?

Dear class,

Today is always one of my favorite days to teach, so I am super bummed that I could not be in class today, due to flying home from Ohio after the Timbers MLS Cup game. Not because it is particularly fun to talk about genocide, but because it is SO important that we stop ignoring it, and especially the continent of Africa. If I ignored it, when would you hear about it? What associations would you continue to make? Here's what should have happened in class today - you were with Mr. Neidig, who I'm sure did a good job, because he came and watched me teach the same lesson on Friday:

Learning Targets:
Knowledge LT 20: I can identify the critical components of imperialism.
Communication LT 1:  I can communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.
Critical Thinking LT 1: I can explain multiple perspectives and viewpoints.

Soundtrack: "My Generation" by The Who. Selected for today because it is your generation that can change the world for the better. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 12/7/15:
News Brief – Koby
Debrief Pop Quiz
Scream Bloody Murder
United Nations Speech

Homework: Read the blog, and look at for Rwanda resources, and continue working on your United Nations speech. Next news brief: (whoever was selected to do one).

News Brief: Koby had the news brief today and selected an article about this story:

Hopefully someone was selected to do 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):


Debrief Pop Quiz: I always enjoy looking at what we know when it comes to Europe and Africa. Here is the PowerPoint with the combined results for your class answers:


It was only fair that I showed my own results, from when I was given this quiz when I was in graduate school, and I said much the same thing. Here's my actual paper from 2008:



As I tried to forcefully point out in class: isn't this stunning? We know that Africa is a place of enormous need. Why don't we know much more about it, then? Why don't we help our fellow human beings, instead of ignoring them and not learning anything about the continent? Taking this quiz inspired me to make sure to talk about the Rwandan genocide (which was only 20 years ago) in my Global Studies classes. It's why it is my favorite unit of the year and one that I have a lot of emotional investment in. I care, and I think it's important that students care about people in the world.

Scream Bloody Murder: This was a section of a documentary from CNN, that aired in 2008 (not so coincidentally, right as I was about to teach this unit for the first time). Here are the three videos I showed in class (caution: some of the material is graphic and difficult to watch and/or listen to):





 United Nations Speech: I hope that you watched those videos and felt frustrated, angry, and upset. The fact that the United Nations (the global community of countries) and the United States (as the most powerful country in the world) did little, if anything, to prevent or stop the worst genocide in modern world history, is awful.

So, the final assignment for the unit and before break is a speech before a mock United Nations, in class. You will be pretending that it is April 24, 1994 - the actual date that arguments were ongoing at the United Nations Security Council about how to respond to the conflict in Rwanda.

There are a few steps in the process to prepare for the speech, which will be given on Wednesday, December 16th. The first is to write a persuasive essay (in the form of a speech you could give). This is due in class (TWO COPIES, typed) this Friday, December 11th. Here's the assignment:


As a reminder, this will eventually be a formal speech before break that you give as a part of a group, in front of the class, with myself and another teacher and/or administrator (your class will most likely have Westview Vice Principal Aki Mori) listening. You are going to need to persuade us to act and do something!

To prepare for this, I passed out a class set of copies of three things:

1) The United Nations definition of genocide, as agreed to by the world in 1949. This is helpful, because if you can persuade the United Nations that genocide is occurring in Rwanda, they HAVE to act (because that's what they agreed to).

2) The Eight Stages of Genocide. I read over the stages, but not all of the content describing them. There is a lot of information that might help you craft your speech! You can certainly talk about every stage of genocide, occurring in Rwanda, up to April 24, 1994. Here are some hints on how to do this.

3) A reading that goes over more of the history in Rwanda, what happened during the genocide, and the end. Remember, you can't talk about anything after April 24, 1994, but you can make predictions as to what will happen if the United Nations refuses to act! The reading is pages 5-10 here:


Another resource that might help could be your Cornell Notes from last class, which was on this presentation:


There is definitely a LOT to think about here. I am confident that you can write a five paragraph essay in a week! Next class, I will go over the concept of imperialism and colonialism more, and then give the rest of the class as prep time. The typed copy of your individual speech will be due the following class.

Please be sure to ask me if you have any questions or need help in any way! I'm really excited to see what you can come up with! :-)
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Thursday, December 3, 2015

Genocide in Rwanda, Day 1 - Class Recap



A look at your responses for "Name five things that come to your mind when you think about Europe" question on the pre-assessment quiz today. Next class, I'll show you the Africa responses, as well. What do you think it will look like?

Hi everyone,

Welcome back! Now we have a fast paced dash to Winter Break for the next few weeks. We have a lot to pack in, for sure! Here's what happened in class today:

Learning Targets:
Knowledge LT 20: I can identify the critical components of imperialism.
Communication LT 1:  I can communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.

Soundtrack: "Storms in Africa, Pt. 2" by Enya. Selected for today because we started talking about Rwanda, which is a country in Africa. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 12/3/14:
News Brief – Jessica
Review Tests/Grades
Hook/Textbook Hunt
Rwanda

Homework: Read the blog. Turn in any missing work ASAP. Review your notes from the PowerPoint on Rwanda. Know that I will have a substitute again next class (sorry)! Next news brief: Koby.

News Brief: Jessica had the news brief today and selected an article about this story: BBC.com - Syria air strikes: RAF Tornado jets carry out bombing. We found the United Kingdom on our world map packets and continued to talk about the situation in Syria. The big deal here was that hours after the debate (like ours in class) about what the government should do, and the majority said that the UK should bomb ISIS in Syria, they began.

Koby was selected to do 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 checked in about the break and what everyone was up to.

Review Tests/Grades: Thanks to the grading day Monday and the long weekend, I am now completed with all grading and late work, so your class grades should be updated! I passed out the culture DBQs, culture unit work, government tests, forced choice reflections (graded for two learning targets, both in class discussion and with your written reflection about multiple perspectives and the role of government), and any other missing work. If you are concerned about anything related to grades, please come see me at lunch, before school, or after school. Or, send me an email!

Hook/Textbook Hunt: I will sit down tomorrow and type up a list of what everyone said in response to the questions (we just did 1-16). I know there were a lot, so thanks for hanging in there with me. Like I said in class, I took this exact same quiz at Lewis and Clark (as part of the class where I learned how to be a teacher) and was absolutely amazed about what I did and did not know. I'll share your responses next class.

The textbook hunt: I'm not sure if all of you understood what I was saying, so here it is again. In our Modern World History textbook, which was published in 2005 (11 years after the genocide in Rwanda) there are TWO in text mentions (a one sentence recap for each) of the genocide, each citing ethnic violence between the Hutu's and the Tutsi's and 500,000 people dying, while there is ONE other picture, with two small paragraphs beneath it, citing a number of 1,000,000 dead. So again, the textbook barely had anything at all to say about the genocide, and when it did, it couldn't even be consistent with the number of people killed. Why do you think this might be?

Genocide in Rwanda: Finally, the presentation:


A few things about this. One: most of the statistics I used in the first few slides are found here: CIA World Factbook - Rwanda. Now by NO MEANS are those statistics solid hard facts. I know of plenty of other sites that will give different numbers. However, since these are the official US government statistics, I think that it will be useful for your upcoming assignment (which I will reveal next class).

Two: I found the picture of the propaganda, "beat the cockroaches" on Wikipedia, here: Rwandan Genocide. Now as most of you know, NEVER use Wikipedia as a source in a paper or for anything else. However, it can be used as a good start to researching something for yourself - just find the sources the article links to at the bottom and go from there. As Michael Scott from The Office once said: "Wikipedia... is the best thing ever. Anyone in the world can write anything they want about any subject, so you know you are getting the best possible information."

No, it is not. But it is a funny quote nonetheless!

Much less humorous information: The horrific picture of the Hutu man (who did not support the genocide) that lived after being hacked multiple times by machetes can be found here: Salon.com: Inferno.

Please review the PowerPoint and your notes for next class, as we will be going more in depth! Thank you for your focus and questions today. I know this may not be the most fun subject to learn about, and it is so important to not ignore. See you next class.
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Tuesday, December 1, 2015

Government, Day 6 - Class Recap


My dad took this photo of me at a "Turkey Bowl" on Thanksgiving, in 2011. I hope you enjoyed your break!

Hello everyone,

Welcome back from your Thanksgiving break! Thanks for doing your homework and checking in on the blog to see what we are up to. Here's what should have happened in class today (I was out at a district wide professional development conference):

Learning Targets:
Knowledge LT 17: I can explain how and why world societies organize themselves and how power is established and maintained.
Communication LT 1: I can communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.

Soundtrack: _____ (silence - sorry!)

AGENDA 12/1/15:
News Brief – Andrew G
Lost! Activity
Present
Work Time

Homework: Read the blog. Complete any missing work and have it ready to turn in. See the back wall or StudentVUE for updated grades! Next news brief: Jessica A.

News Brief: Andrew had the news brief today and hopefully remembered to do it. :-)

Hopefully someone else was selected to do the next news brief. Update: apparently it was Jessica!

Lost! Activity/Present: I really wish I was in class for this! It was pretty funny to listen to the group leaders, laws, punishments, and priorities in the other classes, so I know yours was similar.


Thanks for your participation in this! It was hopefully a fun way to review what we learned during the government unit. This should have taken most of the class.

Work Time: The rest of the time in class was supposed to be work time on any missing work that needed to be revised or turned in. I'm sure everyone was good for the sub, so thank you! I will be back tomorrow (Wednesday), so see you then! :-)
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Monday, November 23, 2015

Government, Day 5 - Class Recap


The Statue of Liberty in New York, which is a symbol of immigration to the United States. 
Photo taken in 2011.

Dear class,

Welcome to your weekend! Thanks for doing your homework and checking in on the blog to see what we are up to. Here's what happened in class today:

Learning Targets:
Knowledge LT 17: I can explain how and why world societies organize themselves and how power is established and maintained.
Communication LT 1: I can communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.

Soundtrack: "Kings and Queens" by 30 Seconds to Mars. Selected for today because of the connection to monarchy, and this song gets me fired up because it reminds me of watching ESPN tennis tournaments. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 11/23/15:
News Brief – Sergio
Finish "Who Rules?"
Government Test
Lost!

Homework: Read the blog. Have a great Thanksgiving Break! Next news brief: Andrew.

News Brief: Sergio had the news brief today and selected an article about this story: BBC.com - Paris attacks: France launches anti-IS strikes from carrier. We found France on the world map (in Europe) and continued to talk about the situation in Syria. We also talked about the upcoming Thanksgiving break.

Andrew was selected to do 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):


Who Rules?: Before the government test, I wanted to give the class time to review the reading and answers in the packet:


I gave about five minutes before the test for study of the PowerPoint notes, as well.

Government Test: I do not think this was especially difficult, if you have been in class and following along with what has been going on the last few days! Obviously, I have lots to grade, with culture and forced choice, as well, but it is likely that these will be on your progress report grades, which are due after Thanksgiving.

Lost!: At the end of class, we had a little fun with a scenario inspired by "Lord of the Flies" and the TV series "Lost." I asked everyone to get back into the same groups as last class, based on the forms of government being analyzed and skits performed, and then passed out one of these papers to each group, which contain the scenario and questions for the group to answer:


We will continue with this next class and talk about the different group proposals, then probably have some fun. :-)

See you next week! Enjoy your break! You will have a sub on Tuesday, so be good to them! I will be at a district training all day, and I will still post a blog. :-)
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Thursday, November 19, 2015

Government, Day 4 - Class Recap


The White House, in Washington, D.C., which is typically seen as a symbol of the leadership of the United States government, because the President lives there. Photo taken in 2010.

Dear class,

I enjoyed seeing the skits today about the various forms of government around the world that we are studying! Hopefully, combined with the reading and notes, you now have a good idea about how each system works. Here's what happened in class today:

Learning Targets:
Knowledge LT 17: I can explain how and why world societies organize themselves and how power is established and maintained.
Communication LT 1: I can communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.

Soundtrack: "Princess of China" by Coldplay and Rihanna. Selected for today because a princess is part of a monarchy, which is a form of government that we are discussing. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 11/19/15:
News Brief – Matthew S.
Group Work
Skits
Who Rules?

Homework: Read the blog. Study for forms of government test next class. Next news brief: Sergio.

News Brief: Matthew S. had the news brief today and selected this article to talk about with the class: CNN.com - Prosecutor: Paris attacks ringleader Abdelhamid Abaaoud dead. We talked more about this ongoing story in France and marked it again in our world maps. We also had an extended conversation about what is happening with the Syrian refugee crisis, and I also tried to answer what happened at the University of Missouri in a minute, and took a bit longer than that. I love a good news brief section to start the morning. :-)

Sergio was selected to do 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):


Group Work/Skits: As I mentioned above, I really enjoyed the skits about representing different forms of government, even if they were very brief. The groups did a good job of thinking of how to present each of the main ideas!

Here was the packet that this was based on (a few of the types were not on the PowerPoint, like Oligarchy and Anarchy, so make sure to review them and what some of the benefits and drawbacks of each system are):


Just look at the readings from A-G, because you do not need to know the economic structures that are later in the packet, yet. In class, we went over the form of government, along with possible benefits and drawbacks.

Who Rules?: The rest of class was devoted to your groups going through this packet, designed to be a review before the forms of government test:


The first page has a good overview of the types and classifications of governments that we are studying. The following pages are practice, to help compare and contrast the systems of government. We will finish this next class and then take the test. A question from the test, for checking the blog, is: What form of government  ...is ruled by a small group of people, usually the wealthy elite?
a.  oligarchy, b.  theocracy, c.  communism, d.  anarchy. Guess in the comments and I will tell you if you are correct!

 Please study and ask questions if you are at all confused! See you next class! :-)
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Tuesday, November 17, 2015

Government, Day 3 - Class Recap


The Parliament of Barbados, in the Caribbean. Photo taken in 2011.

Hi everyone,

We went into more detail as to what government is and looks like in various systems around the world. Lots of content to check out! Here's what happened in class:

Learning Targets:
Knowledge LT 17: I can explain how and why world societies organize themselves and how power is established and maintained.
Communication LT 1:  I can use language and  style that is appropriate to the content area.

Soundtrack: "Paris, Tokyo" by Lupe Fiasco. Selected for today because of the horrific attacks in Paris on Friday. Also, just an excellent song about traveling around the world. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 11/17/15:
News Brief – Abigail
Debrief Forced Choice
Forms of Government
Group Activity

Homework: Read the blog. Turn in any missing work ASAP! Next news brief: Matthew S.

News Brief: Natalie had the news brief today and selected an article about this story to talk about: CNN.com - How attacks in Paris unfolded. We went into detail about the Paris attacks and what happened there. I talked a bit about my own experience in Paris (as my girlfriend is from there), and showed a map of where the attacks happened. This was in an attempt to provide some context for what happened and why. It is important that we continue learning about what is going on in the world! Thanks, Abigail.

Matthew S. was selected to do the next news brief.

We did not watch the one minute BBC World News update, due to sound issues with my laptop. 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):


Debrief Forced Choice: This was when we talked about how the activity went and the answers to these questions (a one page written reflection was due to be completed in class today): What was the most difficult or controversial question for you? Why? How do these sorts of questions relate to the study of government?

I really like the debate format in forced choice (obviously, or I wouldn't spend the majority of two days on it), so thank you for your participation and reflection!

Forms of Government: This was a PowerPoint presentation that went over various basic forms of government. Students took Cornell Notes (if they wanted that form - otherwise, it was on a regular sheet of paper) on the lecture. Here's the file for review (there will be an upcoming quiz on forms of government):


As with most presentations I create, the pictures are almost entirely mine! :-)

We finished with this today, as we did not have time to start the group activity. That's okay! It was a spirited discussion in class, full of good questions, for which I am thankful. We can usually make time for that. See you next class!
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Friday, November 13, 2015

Government, Day 2 - Class Recap


Winter time is coming! Photo taken outside my house in 2008.

Dear class,

It was so nice to see you all again today! A quick week, with Veterans Day in the middle. Again, I really enjoyed the discussion today. Here's what happened in class:

Learning Targets:
Knowledge LT 17: I can explain how and why world societies organize themselves and how power is established and maintained.
Communication LT 1:  I can use language and  style that is appropriate to the content area.

Soundtrack: "Get Up, Stand Up" by Bob Marley. Selected for today because students were standing up for what they believed in, in terms of the Forced Choice questions. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 11/13/15:
News Brief – Daisy
Culture Presentations?
Forced Choice
Reflection

Homework: Read the blog. Catch up on any late/incomplete/missing work. Next news brief: Abigail

News Brief: Daisy had the news brief today and selected this story to talk about: BBC.com - Russia reveals giant nuclear torpedo in state TV 'leak'. The article makes the case that this leak was possibily not an accident, which would be interesting. Is Russia trying to intimidate us? We found Russia in our world maps and noted that a news brief was done on the story. Thanks, Daisy!

Abigail was selected to do 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):

BBCNews.com - One-minute World News

I also asked about the weekend and what people were up to, before moving on.

Culture Presentations?: This time was utilized by a few students that did not present last class. Thanks for doing this today, and for the attention and respect of the class.

Forced Choice: This is one of my favorite activities of the year. I had the class answer the following questions and choose YES or NO to each of them. Then, we split up the class so that two sides were facing each other. With each question, students moved to the side they felt best represented their opinion on the matter. These are difficult ethical questions and I am glad that we have the type of classroom culture that students feel able to talk about them! The questions were:

1. Giving up some of our rights (like our phones being searched without a warrant) is necessary for our own protection.
2. Everyone in the US should have the right to own guns if they want.
3. Private businesses should be able to choose to not employ people who have a sexual orientation they disagree with.
4. Marijuana should be legalized everywhere for recreational use.
5. Public schools should strictly enforce a standardized dress code.
6. Organized prayer in public schools should be allowed.
7. The government of a country should be able to make unpopular decisions.
8. Should the motto “In God We Trust” be removed from our currency?
9. I agree with the death penalty option for convicted murderers.
10. People in power are always corrupt in some way.

Today, we did questions 3, 4, 7, and 6. Lots of interesting questions and critical thinking! Thank you for your responses and participation. It was not possible to get to every hand that was up in every discussion, for which I apologize. I am glad that students were engaged!

As part of the discussion, I showed this website, which has a map of states with and without employment discrimination laws for orientation and gender identity: Mic.com - One Map Shows Where You Can Still Be Fired for Being Gay in 2015.

If you had any other articles or links to share to back up what you shared in class, please post them in the comments!

Reflection: With about 10 minutes left in class, we stopped the debate, so I could give the assignment, which is important, because we spent most of two days on this activity.

This will be completed next class: Write a one page reflection on the activity. What was the most difficult or controversial question for you? Why? How do these sorts of questions relate to the study of government?

If nothing was difficult for you to answer, maybe pick one that you felt most passionately about. We will do a short debrief on the activity next class, then move on to learning about the basics of government around the world.

Thanks! See you next class!
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Tuesday, November 10, 2015

Government, Day 1 - Class Recap


On the roof of the Bundestag building in Berlin, Germany. This is where the government of Germany meets. Photo taken in 2013.

Hi everyone,

Welcome to a shortened week, with Veterans Day tomorrow! I really enjoyed the discussion today in class. I'm sure it was a nice change from all of the writing students have had to do in the last few days for the class! Here's what happened in class:

Learning Targets:
Knowledge LT 17: I can explain how and why world societies organize themselves and how power is established and maintained.
Communication LT 1:  I can use language and  style that is appropriate to the content area.

Soundtrack: "The War Was in Color" by Carbon Leaf. The reason I chose this song for today is because it is all about a veteran describing war to his grandson. We have Wednesday off of school because of Veteran's Day and it is important that we honor the service of those in our armed forces. Lyrics (which I read part of in class) here.

AGENDA 11/10/15:
News Brief – Rachele
Culture Presentations
Forced Choice
Reflection

Homework: Read the blog. Turn in any late/missing/incomplete culture work (especially DBQs). Next news brief: Emily

News Brief: Rachele had the news brief today and selected an article about this story: NYTimes.com - Russia Says Stalled Arms Deal With Iran Is Signed and Active. We found the Iran in our world maps and noted that we did a news brief on the country. I also mentioned that the deal restricting Iran's nuclear weapons also means that Iran will have some sanctions relief in terms of the United States allowing Iran to have access to funding and ways to improve their economy.

Daisy was selected to do the next news brief.

We also watched the BBC World News one minute 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):

BBCNews.com - One-minute World News

I also asked about the weekend and what people were up to, before moving on.

Culture Presentations: Because I wanted to give as much time in class last time to writing the DBQ, we did not have the time for presentations (for the students who chose to do a presentation for the culture project). I enjoyed everyone that went today! Thank you for your effort in crafting great presentations and visuals.

Forced Choice: This is one of my favorite activities of the year. I had the class answer the following questions and choose YES or NO to each of them. Then, we split up the class so that two sides were facing each other. With each question, students moved to the side they felt best represented their opinion on the matter. These are difficult ethical questions and I am glad that we have the type of classroom culture that students feel able to talk about them! The questions were:

1. Giving up some of our rights (like our phones being searched without a warrant) is necessary for our own protection.
2. Everyone in the US should have the right to own guns if they want.
3. Private businesses should be able to choose to not employ people who have a sexual orientation they disagree with.
4. Marijuana should be legalized everywhere for recreational use.
5. Public schools should strictly enforce a standardized dress code.
6. Organized prayer in public schools should be allowed.
7. The government of a country should be able to make unpopular decisions.
8. Should the motto “In God We Trust” be removed from our currency?
9. I agree with the death penalty option for convicted murderers.
10. People in power are always corrupt in some way.

We only made it through question 2 today, so I will pick and choose next class as to which questions we will discuss and debate, before writing a reflective piece about the experience.

In class today, Jonathan F. asked about overall break in rates in the United States. I said I would look up that information, which I am going to assume meant robbery (meaning that people were home at the time). Here is the data for 2014:


It looks like robbery rates have decreased recently, though there were still 325,802 reported in the United States last year.

I love these discussions and I think we did a great job of following the Ground Rules that we established at the beginning of the year.

Thank you for your participation, everyone! Be ready to keep talking next time.
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Friday, November 6, 2015

Culture Day 10, Class Recap

I am going to bet that many students wrote that one of the ways culture both reflects and shapes society is through religion. This is a church in Budapest, Hungary, in 2013. I just loved the lighting here! No special effects!

Dear class,

Hooray! You are finally done with the DBQ final essay for the culture unit (if you were able to complete it in class)! I really appreciated how focused everyone seemed to be today in class, and I am excited to start looking into how everyone did. Here's what happened in class:

Learning Targets:
Communication LT 1: I can communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.
Critical Thinking LT 1: I can explain multiple perspectives and viewpoints.
Knowledge LT 15: I can explain how culture both reflects and shapes society.
Behavior LT 1:  I can manage my responsibilities as a student.

Soundtrack: "Get Ready for This" by 2 Unlimited. Intended as a pump up song to write the DBQ essay today in class! Here's a link to the version I played in class, from ESPN's "Jock Jams" CD.

AGENDA 11/6/15:
News Brief - Lisa
Write Essay
Culture Project
Turn In Unit Work

Homework: Read the blog. If you did not turn in your culture unit work today (or missed class), you need to get all of this in to me as soon as possible. Enjoy your weekend if you are done with everything! Here is the culture unit work:

1) Surface culture worksheet (National Geographic photos PowerPoint)
2) Cornell Notes on Culture definitions/iceberg PowerPoint
3) Nacirema writing (neatly written or typed, 200 words minimum)
4) Exchange student presentation notes (optional to include)
5) Time for School Notes/Answers
6) Culture Project (include the assignment/rubric from this, even if you are doing a presentation/visual)
7) Culture unit checklist and self-assessment form. (this should be stapled on the top)

Next news brief: Rachele.

News Brief: Lisa the news brief today and chose an article about this story to talk about: CNN.com - 15 die when militants lay siege to hotel with bombs and guns in Somalia. We found Somalia on our world maps (in Africa) and I talked about how the country has basically been in a state of anarchy (without a functioning government) for a long time. I also referenced the movie Black Hawk Down, and we will talk more about that incident in the coming weeks. Thanks, Lisa!

Rachele volunteered to do 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):


Write Essay: Today was almost entirely devoted to writing the essay portion of the culture DBQ. We began this process last class, with this handout going through the steps to writing a DBQ:


We had about an hour in class to be writing, with finishing up the document analysis, and writing the essay. About half the students were able to finish in class, and the rest took the DBQ home to finish this weekend.

Culture Project: We did not have time in class to present or talk about the Culture Project, though I am very excited next class to hear from students who did a presentation or visual to talk briefly about! If you did not finish this, please do so ASAP and turn it in with the rest of your culture unit work.

Turn in Culture Unit Work: See above, in the homework section, for a list of everything that should be turned in as a part of the culture unit.

Remember to have this check list completed and stapled on the front, as well:


I will go through these as a collection of evidence from the unit. The DBQ is a different and separate score. If you finished this all today, great! If you have not, please do so ASAP, as we will move on to a new unit next class, after any culture project presentations and visuals are shared! :-)

Have a great weekend!
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Wednesday, November 4, 2015

Culture, Day 9 - Class Recap


A clock in a park in Hanoi, Vietnam. Next class will used for your DBQ essay final! Today, students took a look at the documents and began to think of possible responses for the essay. Photo taken in 2011.

Hi everyone,

Today was your first chance to look at the DBQ unit final on Culture. Next class, you will be writing an essay on the prompt "How does culture both reflect and shape society?" Here's what happened in class:

Learning Targets:
Communication LT 1: I can communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.
Critical Thinking LT 1: I can explain multiple perspectives and viewpoints.
Knowledge LT 15: I can explain how culture both reflects and shapes society.
Behavior LT 1:  I can manage my responsibilities as a student.

Soundtrack: "Born in the U.S.A." by Bruce Springsteen. Selected for today because the song is typically seen as representing patriotic themes, but a closer look at the lyrics (as we did in class) show that the song is really about a deep dissatisfaction with American culture.

AGENDA 11/4/15:
News Brief – Selene
How to DBQ
Document Analysis
Prep Time

Homework: Read the blog. Have a plan of action in mind for writing the DBQ essay in class. Bring ALL of your culture unit work (to be turned in next class as a collection of evidence for LT15):

1) Surface culture worksheet (National Geographic photos PowerPoint)
2) Cornell Notes on Culture definitions/iceberg PowerPoint
3) Nacirema writing (neatly written or typed, 200 words minimum)
4) Exchange student presentation notes (optional to include)
5) Time for School Notes/Answers
6) Culture Project (this is the big one - due next class).
7) Culture unit checklist and self-assessment form.

Next news brief: Lisa

News Brief: Selene had the news brief today and chose an article about this story to talk about: CNN.com - Overcrowded bus tilts, plunges down a hill in Nepal; at least 30 killed. We found Nepal on our world maps and talked a bit about overcrowding and what happened here. We also talked a little bit about what we are up to outside of the classroom.

Lisa volunteered to do 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):


How to DBQ: Since this is your first DBQ in high school, I wanted to give as much preparation time as possible. So today was spent analyzing the actual documents on the test and writing out answers to five of the eight document questions. Next class, you will use three of the five documents you analyzed in order to construct your essay (due in class).

We went through a guide together in class, learning about how to write a DBQ. Again, I think this is going to be a really helpful resource for you in planning what to write (especially the graphic organizers on pages 8 and 9):


Remember as well to have this check list completed, as well:


Document Analysis/Work Time: The rest of the class was devoted to work time on looking at the test (I am not posting it online, obviously) and analyzing your culture unit documents to try and answer the question of: How does culture both shape and reflect society? This is what you will be doing next class as the final! Lots of work to be done before then! Make sure you are on top of everything and ready to turn in your culture work next class!
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Monday, November 2, 2015

Culture, Day 8 - Class Recap


Camels in front of the entrance to The Treasury in Petra, Jordan. Photo taken July 2014.

Hi everyone,

Today was an in-class work day for the Culture Project assignment, which will be due this Friday for your class. We likely will not have any time in class the rest of this week to be working on this, so I hope you used time effectively today, and do not have much homework to do in regards to the assignment. Here's the recap for the day:

Learning Targets:
Communication LT 1: I can communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.
Critical Thinking LT 1: I can explain multiple perspectives and viewpoints.
Knowledge LT 15: I can explain how culture both reflects and shapes society.
Behavior LT 1:  I can manage my responsibilities as a student.

Soundtrack: "Thriller" by Michael Jackson. Selected for today because of the association with Halloween! Also, because the Timbers and Ducks won thrilling last second games last night! Lyrics here.

AGENDA 11/2/15:
News Brief – Zack
Culture Project
Work Time
Extra Stuff?

Homework: Read the blog. Continue working on the Culture Project - due this Friday! Next news brief: Selene.

News Brief: Zack had the news brief today and came in early to find this article with me before class: CNN.com - Russian plane crash in Egypt: Airline blames 'external influence'.  We found Egypt on our world maps and talked a bit about the region as an area of conflict, which may have contributed to this airline flight crashing. Thanks, Zack!

Selene was randomly drawn to bring in 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):


At the end of the news brief section, we talked about our weekends and what we were up to. I enjoyed my flights to Long Beach and back on Saturday, to avoid the rain, as well as the Timbers game on Sunday!

Culture Project: The entire rest of class was devoted to work time and continuing to work on the culture project. There are a lot of options of what to do - it could be writing, a visual, a presentation, or something else. Here's the assignment:


This will be due in class this Friday, so be working on it at home, bring work into class to do, and ask questions if you need help!

Work Time: I went around the class and answered questions about the culture project, or helped brainstorm ideas. Please continue to be working on this at home!
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Thursday, October 29, 2015

Culture, Day 7 - Class Recap


A big part of American culture is sports. This was taken at the 2010 Holiday Bowl, before Oregon played Oklahoma State, and won! :-)

Dear class,

Most of today was taken up with finishing the excellent "Time For School" documentary and watching the available updates for the students. Please continue to be working on your Culture Project, as well! Here's the recap for today:

Learning Targets:
Communication LT 1: I can communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.
Critical Thinking LT 1: I can explain multiple perspectives and viewpoints.
Knowledge LT 15: I can explain how culture both reflects and shapes society.
Behavior LT 1:  I can manage my responsibilities as a student.

Soundtrack: "Party in the USA" by Miley Cyrus. Selected for today because we talked about Miley Cyrus and American culture, as well as Halloween upcoming. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 10/29/15:
News Brief – Jonathan B.
Finish Time for School 3
Updates
Work Time

Homework: Read the blog. Continue working on the Culture Project - due next Friday! Next news brief: Zack.

News Brief: Jonathan B. had the news brief today and talked about this story with the class: BBCNews.com - 'Hero' US jet pilot saved farmer's life during crash. We found the United Kingdom (where this event happened) on our world maps as we talked about this story, which happened last week. Thanks, Jonathan B.!

Zack was chosen to bring in 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):

Finish Time For School 3: We finished Time For School 3 today. If you missed class and the handout, here it is:


Again, the point to this was to analyze how we see surface culture and what deeper culture is like in different areas around the world.

Here are both parts to the documentary:



I hope you enjoyed watching this - I know that when I watch this, I am always reminded about how fortunate I am to have received a good education!

Updates: After watching Part 2 (just the parts having to do with the students, not the interview at the end), I showed the updates that PBS recently put out about 5 of the 7 students in Time for School. Here are links to see them again (the video should start playing at the new sections of the video):






It was really interesting to see how everyone is doing now, and what they are up to in their lives!

Work Time: After watching the updates, the rest of class was devoted to work time, in completing the Time for School questions, and continuing to work on the culture project. There are a lot of options of what to do - it could be writing, a visual, a presentation, or something else. Here's the assignment:


This will be due in class next week (probably Friday), so be working on it at home, bring work into class to do, and ask questions if you need help! I went around the class and answered questions about it, or helped brainstorm ideas. Please continue to be working on this at home! See you next class. :-)
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