The Holocaust, Day 4 - Class Recap

A quote on the wall of the Miami Holocaust Memorial. Our discussion today in class had a large part to do with whether or not we believe something like this could happen again. Photo taken in 2011.

Dear class,

This was a somewhat challenging day for me as a teacher, to try and give control over to student discussion. Although there were points where it was very quiet and awkward, I still think almost everyone did well and that the conversation was productive. Here's what happened in class today:

Learning Targets:
Knowledge LT 18: I can explain how and why world societies organize themselves and how power is established and maintained.
Critical Thinking and Analysis LT 2: I can explain connections between events, issues, problems and concepts.

Soundtrack: "Talk" by Coldplay. Selected for today because most of the class was made up of students talking about the rise of Hitler and whether or not it could happen again. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 1/30/15:
News Brief – Zac T.
Class Feedback
Socratic Seminar
Reflection

Homework: Read the blog. Next news brief: Jacki.

News Brief: Zac T. selected an article about this story for the news brief today: CNN.com - ISIS launches attack on oil-rich northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk. We talked about why ISIS might think Kirkuk is an important area of focus.

Jacki was selected to do the next news brief.

Class Feedback: I always try to do this at least once during the middle of when I am teaching a class, because it is important to see what is going well and what needs to improve. The questions (which I asked students to anonymously respond to and turn in) were:

What do you like about this class? What do you think you as students are good at?
What does this class (you, as students) need to improve at?
What do you like about Mr. Fritz as a teacher? What is Mr. Fritz good at as a teacher?
What does Mr. Fritz need to improve at as a teacher?

I am looking forward to sharing the results with everyone!

Socratic Seminar: This was the first time we have attempted to do this in class, so it is understandable that it took a while to get set up, started, and for students to engage in the discussion. That's okay - we will get better!

This was the reading that we were discussing in class:

Google Drive - Rise of Hitler Reading

The questions and answers that I wanted the class to do in preparation for the discussion on this were:

1) What happened so that Hitler could get power?

2) Make three discussion questions (not yes or no answers) about the reading. Try to base your questions on specific quotes from the reading.

I passed out this form for assessing how the discussion went, with each person being responsible to monitor their partner, who was inside the ring of desks:

Google Drive - Socratic Seminar Partner Assessment

I explained that I wanted the discussion to be student led and directed, and then I tried to get out of the conversation as much as possible. As I wrote above, this started slowly and I had to jump in at points to make sure everyone was being heard and to redirect the conversation to issues the article brought up. Overall, though, I was pleased with the conversation and I think you touched on some really important issues and questions! Thanks for being willing to participate. We will talk more about this next class.

Have a wonderful weekend!

The Holocaust, Day 3 - Class Recap

The Boston Holocaust Memorial was one of the most powerful I have seen. As you walk through the glass, steam comes up from the grates, and names of people that were killed in various concentration camps are on the sides of the glass. Photo taken in 2013.

Hi everyone,

I hope you enjoyed your long weekend and recovered from finals! It's time to get back with learning about the Holocaust. Here's what happened in class today:

Learning Targets:
Knowledge LT 18: I can explain how and why world societies organize themselves and how power is established and maintained.
Critical Thinking and Analysis LT 2: I can explain connections between events, issues, problems and concepts.

Soundtrack: "Brand New Day" by Sting. Selected for today because today is the start of a new semester in Global Studies! Wipe the slate clean - it's time to get back to work! Lyrics here.

AGENDA 1/28/15:
News Brief – Zac V.
Final Grades
Stanford Prison Experiment
Rise of the Nazis

Homework: Read the blog. Finish reading the Rise of the Nazis article and making 3 discussion questions for next class. Next news brief: Zac T.

News Brief: Zac V. was absent today, so I did the news brief, and selected this article to talk about: CNN.com - First lady Michelle Obama shakes hands with Saudi king. So? Lots going on here, with global diplomacy, the new Saudi king, culture and customs, and women's rights!

Zac T. was selected to do the next news brief. I also showed the VICE News clip for the day.

Final Grades: After the news, I passed back the Ladakh final DBQ grades, and explained why I gave the scores that I did. Most students did okay with this - I know it was somewhat complicated! In order to get them all graded before final grades were due, I did not write many comments back - please see what I highlighted in the rubric for details on why you received the score(s) you did. Also, final grades from the first semester are posted in the room, by student ID number. I will take them down after next class, so we can start anew.

Stanford Prison Experiment: Before showing this famous clip, I asked if students had any personal stories about World War II or the Holocaust from their family history. It was really interesting to hear these!

I noted that yesterday was Holocaust Memorial Day, and it is the 70th Anniversary of Auschwitz being liberated (or freed) by the Allies. With that, I showed this CNN feature on some of the survivors, and played the first video for the class:

CNN.com - Voices of Auschwitz

Then, I asked how this was possible, and if we could consider something like this happening to us - either as the Nazis or the persecuted people. I think it is hard to consider ourselves capable of such horrific acts. Which is why the Stanford Prison Experiment is so famous. Basically, it was a psychological experiment based on assigning roles to Stanford students (really smart people) - either as "prison" guards or prisoners. The prisoners were taken and not allowed out for six days (until the experiment ended early). Basically, the prison guards turned into awful, terrible people. Here's the clip we watched in class (there are many others out there - do a search if you want to learn more):

After the clip, I came back to the idea of wondering if something like the Holocaust could happen again. It's a difficult question for historians, and for people in general. We want to believe that people are good. If we aren't careful about learning the history and psychology to combat it, I think there is a better chance of something like this happening again.

Rise of the Nazis: With that idea, I passed out this reading, which has to do with how the Nazi political party and Hitler came to power in Germany:

Google Drive - Rise of Hitler Reading

The questions and answers that I wanted the class to do in preparation for a discussion next class on this were:

1) What happened so that Hitler could get power?

2) Make three discussion questions (not yes or no answers) about the reading. Try to base your questions on specific quotes from the reading.

The rest of class was devoted to reading the article and preparing discussion questions. Next class, I am hoping that we can have an interesting, student led discussion on the article and the questions it generates - specifically about if this could possibly happen again.

Thank you for your hard work, everyone! It's good to be back and have a new beginning. :-)

Ladakh Semester Final - Class Recap

Congratulations! If you passed the class, you have completed a semester of Global Studies! Photo taken at Niagara Falls in 2010.

Dear class,

Today was finals day in class and, as promised, we did a DBQ style test on the Ladakh, with multiple different possibilities for learning targets to address. Here's what happened in class today:

Learning Targets:
KN LT 6 - Location and Region
KN LT  11 - Human and Physical Systems
KN LT 16 - Culture
KN LT 18 - Structures of Power

Soundtrack: "Kashmir" by Led Zeppelin. Selected for today because Ladakh is located in Kashmir, India. A classic song! Lyrics here.

AGENDA 1/23/15:
News Brief – Zac V.
Ladakh DBQ Final
Quiet Work Time

Homework: Read the blog. See you next week! Next news brief: Zac V.

News Brief: Zac V. forgot to bring in an article for the news brief, so he was assigned to do it again next class. In the mean time, I talked about this story from Saudi Arabia: CNN.com - Thousands say farewell to Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah. An important country in the world, going through a difficult day. We talked a bit about how the King tried to reform Saudi Arabia, and how there are a lot of his brothers in line, waiting to become King some day.

Zac V. was selected to do the next news brief.

Ladakh DBQ Final: This was the assignment for the rest of class. As promised, I let students use notes from the previous class(es) on Ladakh. The test itself was six documents (all the questions needed to be answered), followed by a short response essay. The essay was structured to be one paragraph, following an analytical structure that Mr. Lathrop and I want you to use. There were four different learning target possibilities that the final addressed (written out above). This final could also count towards a writing process score for Mr. Lathrop's class. I am looking forward to reading these over and assessing where you are at!

Quiet Work Time: If students finished early, there was time to quietly work in class.

Final grades for the semester are due by Tuesday morning. Thanks for your hard work, everyone! See you next week! :-)

Ladakh Final, Day 2 - Class Recap

The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Washington D.C. Photo taken in 2011.

Hi everyone,

Today was a work day and grade review in class. I passed out a reading for the Ladakh final and students worked on that in preparation. Here's what happened in class today:

Learning Targets:
KN LT 6 - Location & Region
KN LT  11 - Human & Physical Systems
KN LT 16 - Culture
KN LT 18 - Structures of Power

Soundtrack: "A Dream" by Common. Selected because of the relevance to Martin Luther King Jr. Day, yesterday. I celebrated the day by going to see Selma and then picking up litter around my neighborhood. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 1/20/15:
News Brief – Nouri
Ladakh Final
Grade Check
Work Time

Homework: Read the blog. All missing/late/make up/incomplete work due to me TODAY (by midnight - email me if you need). Please read and take notes on the Ladakh reading handout to prepare for your final! Next news brief: Zac V.

News Brief: Nouri selected an article about this story for the news brief today: NBCNews.com - Paris Supermarket Attack Hero Lassana Bathily Receives French Citizenship. What an interesting and inspiring story! I wonder if it will be the subject of a future movie?

Zac V. was selected to do the next news brief.

Ladakh Final: The rest of class was devoted to work on the Ladakh reading that I passed out to help prepare students for the DBQ final.

On finals day (here is the schedule for finals this semester), you will write a short essay on the topics you need to demonstrate proficiency on. You will have a DBQ style test - your notes from the documentary and your notes from the Ladakh reading will help you prepare!

I know this may be somewhat complicated, so I am happy to answer any questions about how it is all going to work! Basically, I just want to give you one last chance to demonstrate proficiency with the learning targets of the semester.

Grade Check: As everyone was working, I had students come up to see me, one by one, to look at your grades and what could be done to maintain or improve them on the final. For the test, everyone will do at least LT 6, because we haven't actually had an assignment graded for it yet (although we have done a lot of work with geography):

Google Drive: Ladakh Final Test Overview and Rubric

Look at your grades again carefully (as we did together in class) to determine which (if any) learning targets aside from LT 6 that you should attempt to do on the final.

Work Time: The rest of class was work time on the reading and prep for the final (yes, you can use notes from class). Remember that you work in this class may be counted as a writing process score for Mr. Lathrop, if you want, as well!

See you on finals day! Good luck!

Ladakh Final, Day 1 - Class Recap

With my friend Tyler, my mom, and my brother at the College Football National Championship Game, in Texas, on Monday!

Hi everyone,

It was SO good to be back teaching you all! We started looking at your final for the semester, which is sort of a "Choose Your Own Adventure" style piece of writing on the case study of the Ladakh. Here's what happened in class today:

Learning Targets:
Knowledge LT 18: I can explain how and why world societies organize themselves and how power is established and maintained.
Critical Thinking and Analysis LT 2: I can explain connections between events, issues, problems and concepts.

Soundtrack: "Pride (In The Name of Love)" by U2. Selected for today because the song is about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. We have Monday off of school to honor Dr. King, and I showed this website in class to encourage students to do some sort of community service on Monday (as the day has increasingly been about). Lyrics here.

AGENDA 1/15/15:
News Brief – Bhavya
Start Ladakh Final

Homework: Read the blog. Check your updated grades and know what to do to improve! All missing/late/make up/incomplete work due to me by TUESDAY (1/20). Next news brief: Nouri.

News Brief: Bhavya selected an article about this story for the news brief today: NPR.org - Satellite Images Show 'Catastrophic' Destruction Of Boko Haram Attack In Nigeria. Just an awful news story. We talked in class about the lack of attention this has received, especially in comparison to the (also awful) terrorist attacks in Paris, France.

I also shared my experience in the Dallas area at the start of the week, by going through a few pictures on my Instagram account.

Nouri was selected to do the next news brief.

Start Ladakh Final: I know this was an abrupt shift from learning about the Holocaust (which we will most likely get back to after finals next week). That said, this final offers students a ton of options for making up credit and being able to demonstrate a range of proficiency standards from throughout the year so far. This is basically how it works:

1) I passed out this document, which gave the different options for learning targets on the final. Everyone will do at least LT 6, because we haven't actually had an assignment graded for it yet (although we have done a lot of work with geography):

Google Drive: Ladakh Final Test Overview and Rubric

What's great about this is that it offers a LOT of choices for students. On finals day, you will select the targets you need to demonstrate and write a short essay about the Ladakh (like a DBQ) to try and get your grade up. It is also nice, because Mr. Lathrop is going to count it (if you want) as a Writing Process score - so all the brainstorming and prewriting you do will also count towards a grade in his class.

2) After I explain the assignment, we watched this documentary on the Ladakh culture in India. I remember watching this in high school, as well - it is OLD (1993). That said, it's a really great case study for our learning targets of geography, culture, and government, as they relate to traditional and modern society. Here's the documentary to watch, if you missed class or wanted to take more notes (or had difficulty paying attention in class):

ancient futures - learning from ladakh 528x400 from Unmani on Vimeo.

Students took notes on all of the learning targets addressed in the final.

3) Next class, you will be doing some reading about the Ladakh and prepping for the DBQ. On finals day (here is the schedule for finals this semester), you will write a short essay on the topics you need to demonstrate proficiency on.

I know this may be somewhat complicated, so I am happy to answer any questions about how it is all going to work! Basically, I just want to give you one last chance to demonstrate proficiency with the learning targets of the semester.

See you next week, when we will continue preparing!

The Holocaust, Day 2 - Class Recap

The barbed wire around Auschwitz I in Poland. Photo taken in 2013.

Hi everyone

Today was another day looking into more depth on the Holocaust genocide. Here's what happened in class today:

Learning Targets:
Knowledge LT 18: I can explain how and why world societies organize themselves and how power is established and maintained.
Critical Thinking and Analysis LT 2: I can explain connections between events, issues, problems and concepts.

Soundtrack: "Coming Home" by Mat Kearney. Selected because the song was made into a music video for the Oregon Ducks football team, and I will be hoping to come home to Oregon with a win in Dallas on Monday night! Lyrics here.

AGENDA 1/9/15:
News Brief – Jonathan
Holocaust Pictures/Finish Textbook Work
Nazi Tea Party
Rise of Hitler

Homework: Read the blog. Check your updated grades and know what to do to improve! Be good for Mr. Smith, next class! Next news brief: Bhavya.

News Brief: Jonathan had the news brief today and selected this story to talk about: CNN.com -France: Raids kill 3 suspects, including 2 wanted in Charlie Hebdo attack. What a crazy past couple of days in Paris. I tried to explain why terrorists might take a kosher (food prepared in accordance with traditional Jewish beliefs) supermarket hostage, and also the geographically separate standoff with the brothers who allegedly killed 12 people at the comic magazine in Paris. Lots to talk about with this, and I am sure the story will continue to develop over the weekend. Je Suis Charlie!

Thanks for talking about the story, Jonathan! Bhavya was assigned the next news brief. I also played the VICE News clip for today.

Holocaust Pictures/Textbook Work: After the news, I showed my iPhone pictures from visiting Auschwitz in Poland in 2013 on the projector. I tried to explain what everything was and why it was important to understanding what happened in the Holocaust. Thank you for your focus and questions during this time!

Next, we finished going through the Modern World History textbook and what it has to say about the Holocaust on pages, 502-505. The assigned work in class was:

Summarize the two sections: The Holocaust Begins + The Final Solution

Write out vocab definitions (words in blue)

Complete questions 1-8 at the end of the Chapter (page 505).

After about 30 minutes of work, I used random popsicle sticks to call on students for answers to the questions. Keep these papers - they will help you with understanding the vocabulary in the unit and in Night, the book you are reading for Mr. Lathrop!

Nazi Tea Party: Obviously, there wasn't any tea, or a party in class. A "tea party" is a teaching activity where students take on the persona of a historical figure or event. In this case, there were eleven different people or events to talk about. I handed out slips of paper to everyone, and then asked that students go around the room talking about their person or event. Here is the worksheet that goes along with this:

Google Drive: Nazi "Tea Party" Worksheet

The directions were to:
1) Write the event or name of the person you were interviewing down on the left column.
2) Write the top 3 most important elements of the story on the slip of paper.
3) Write how you think the Nazis used the person or event to establish or maintain power.

We did not finish this activity in class, so we will come back to it after I get back next week. Have a wonderful weekend!

The Holocaust, Day 1 - Class Recap

Auschwitz II in 2013. The chimneys are the only remainder of much of the camp.

Dear class,

Since everyone is reading "Night" in Mr. Lathrop's class, I thought it was especially important to go over some of the basics of the Holocaust in class. Today was our first day looking more in depth at what happened. Here's what happened in class today:

Learning Targets:
Knowledge LT 18: I can explain how and why world societies organize themselves and how power is established and maintained.
Critical Thinking & Analysis LT 2: I can explain connections between events, issues, problems and concepts.

Soundtrack: "So What" by Miles Davis. A bit of jazz (no lyrics) to start the day! Selected because I wanted to explain the answer to "so what?" in regards to the Holocaust.

AGENDA 1/7/15:
News Brief – Austin
Rwanda Speech Grades
The Holocaust
Textbook Work

Homework: Read the blog. Check your updated grades and know what to do to improve! Next news brief: Jonathan.

News Brief: Austin had the news brief today and selected this story to talk about: CNN.com - Charlie Hebdo attack: 12 dead in Paris, manhunt on. This was a breaking news story this morning at the time of the class, but I tried to provide context for what happened. It is probable that this attack was in retaliation for a satirical French newspaper printing images of the Prophet Muhammad and making fun of religion (as they have done with many religions in the past).

Thanks for talking about the story, Austin! Jonathan was assigned the next news brief. I also played the VICE News clip for today.

Rwanda Speech Grades: I passed back the graded Rwanda speeches, being careful to go over how I scored using the rubrics. In essence:
1) If you did not address imperialism in Rwanda at all, you got a score of 1 on that target.
2) The communication target was the score for your actual speech in front of the class. I included my notes as well as everyone else at the table listening, so you can see what I wrote about how you did.
3) The explanation target was for your overall paper and individual speech. How thoroughly did you explain the genocide in Rwanda and what needs to be done?

If you have individual questions, I would be happy to answer them in person. As with any assignment, you can always revise it (or resubmit it, if you haven't turned it in) to demonstrate a higher level of proficiency, if needed.

The Holocaust: Again, I think it is really important that I not gloss over the history here (especially with Mr. Lathrop teaching Night next door), so we began looking at the Holocaust in depth today. To begin, I passed out the Cornell Notes template, then went through this PowerPoint:

Google Drive: The Holocaust Overview PowerPoint

All of the pictures in the PowerPoint are from my own travels. I made sure to try and explain each slide in depth and I was happy to try and answer all of the questions from the class.

Along with the PowerPoint, I passed out two papers. This one was a map of the concentration camps and death camps in Europe, along with some statistics about the Holocaust:

Google Drive: Concentration Camp Map and Holocaust Statistics

The second paper was a timeline of the Holocaust and a "Pyramid of Hate":

Google Drive: Holocaust Timeline and Pyramid of Hate

All of these are resources that should help you better understand the Holocaust and what Mr. Lathrop is teaching you through "Night."

Textbook Work: Near the end of class, we started looking at the Modern World History textbook and what it has to say about the Holocaust. A mere four total pages, 502-505! That said, it does have a quote from Night at the end, and I did use it to reinforce the vocabulary terms and concepts. The assigned work in class (we will finish next class and go over it together) was:

Summarize the two sections --> The Holocaust Begins + The Final Solution

Write out vocab definitions (words in blue)

Complete questions 1-8 at the end of the Chapter (page 505).

That was where we ended for the day. Next class, we will go over some more information about the Holocaust and how it relates to our lives today. I will also probably show some more photos from my time visiting Auschwitz in Poland. I look forward to continuing this important work with you all!

Genocide in Rwanda, Day 8 - Class Recap

I hope everyone had a great Winter Break! I started 2015 by watching Oregon win the Rose Bowl, in Pasadena, California, with my mom and brother!

Welcome back, everyone!

It was really great to see you all today in class. I'm thankful that I have a job that I am so excited to come back to after Winter Break, to see everyone! We checked in today, then finished up Hotel Rwanda. Here's what happened in class today:

Learning Targets:
Knowledge LT 21: I can identify the critical components of imperialism.
Communication LT 2: I can use language and style that is appropriate to the content area.
Critical Thinking and Analysis LT 2: I can explain connections between events, issues, problems and concepts.

Soundtrack: "Welcome Back" by Ma$e. Selected for obvious reasons. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 1/5/15:
News Brief - Mr. Fritz
Winter Break Check In
Finish Hotel Rwanda

Homework: Read the blog. Turn in completed Rwanda speech, if you have not already! Next news brief: Austin.

News Brief: I had the news brief today, and talked about this story: CNN.com - Muddy waters cloud search for AirAsia Flight QZ8501. We found Indonesia (where the flight took off, headed for Singapore) and the tragic accident.

Winter Break Check In: As usual, I started the class off by asking if anyone had done anything fun or interesting over Winter Break. It's okay if you just stayed at home! I just wanted to give the opportunity to share if anyone wanted.

Finish Hotel Rwanda: The rest of class was spent finishing the movie Hotel Rwanda (2004), which we started before break. I normally do not show entire movies in class, but this one is SO good and relevant to the Rwanda unit. Here is the worksheet of questions to answer as we watched:

Google Drive: Hotel Rwanda Questions

These questions were due at the end of class, If you are needing it to find the rubrics to turn in with your revised paper, here they are:

Google Drive: Individual United Nations Rwanda Speech Assignment

It is so good to be back! See you next class! :-)