Historical Investigation, Day 4 - Class Recap

A picture that I took on the 124th floor of the Burj Khalifa (the tallest building in the world) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates during Spring Break. I used my dad;s camera (a Canon EOS 5D Mark II, which is super nice) and a 15mm fisheye lens to make it look like the world was a city. Fun effect!

Dear class,

Welcome back from Spring Break! I hope you enjoyed the week off from school. Now there is plenty of work for all of us to get back to! Here's what we did today in class:

Learning Targets: 
Knowledge LT 20: I can explain the impacts of nationalism and revolutionary movements.
Communication LT 3: I can effectively use the conventions of writing.
Research LT 1: I can develop and refine a research question or topic.
Research LT 3: I can responsibly and accurately cite sources.
Critical Thinking LT 2: I can explain connections between events, issues, problems and concepts.

Soundtrack: "Jai Ho" by A.R. Rahman. Selected for today because I was in India over Spring Break, and this song is from Slumdog Millionaire, which is a movie set in India.

AGENDA 3/31/15:

News Brief

Spring Break
Part B Recap

Computer Lab S219

Homework: Read the blog! Part B (2-3 pages of research summary) due next class. Next news brief: John.

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News Brief: I had the next brief today, because it was a long Spring Break. Here's the article that I chose to talk about: NYTimes.com - Iran Backs Away From Key Detail in Nuclear Deal. This week is the latest deadline for a diplomatic agreement between Iran and some major powers in the world - especially the United States, when it comes to Iran's nuclear program. Iran says that it is for peaceful energy purposes, while many in the world believe they are trying to make a nuclear bomb. In any case, these are very high stakes negotiations!

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

The next news brief was assigned to John.

Spring Break: I asked the class if there was anything interesting or noteworthy that happened over Spring Break. It is always nice to check in with everyone about what you are up to outside our classroom! As part of this, I showed a few photos from my trip to Dubai, India, and Nepal. It was a lot of travel and I am still gaining my feet back! Still, I love exploring the world and teaching about it, too!

Part B Recap: Before we headed over to the Computer Lab again, I went over the MLA citations guideline and how you should be citing your information that you find as part of your investigation. Here is the paper that I passed out in class: MLA citation guide - 7th edition. Every source that you use for your project should fit into one of those categories on the second page. That is what you are adding to your bibliography (Part E) as you go along.

Finally, for Part B - the Summary of Evidence, here are the two documents you will need to look at as you are researching. Feel free to download and print them out during class, study hall, or after school:

Google Drive: Part B Overview (Requirements)

That document will help you with understanding what Part B is all about.

To help with Part B, here is the second document - a template for filling out as you find good sources of information that relate to your research question:

Google Drive: Part B Template Document

This is a nice and easy way to complete Part B. Remember that you need to have at least four sources (so you could fill out this document four different times, if you wanted) - a maximum of three can be electronic sources. Again, no Wikipedia - the source has to be reliable information.

A GREAT way to find good, reliable information is through a search on Google Scholar, which looks through academic articles (make sure you aren't using a book review as a source, though).

Another way to find good academic sources is through the Westview Library's Power Search option (the second link in the middle). Remember, if you are researching at home, the login information for this is:
username = beaverton
password = oslis

If you want to see what a possible final product looks like (Part B would begin after the first paragraph), here is an example paper:

Google Drive: Example Historical Investigation Paper

I know this is a LOT to take in. Please let me know how I can help better explain what you need to do.

Computer Lab S219: After explaining all of this, we headed over to the Computer Lab to work. Part B is due as a rough draft next class! This means having two to three pages of research summary, like an essay (in paragraph format with citations).

Historical Investigation, Day 3 - Class Recap

My Spring Break is full of 18,841 miles worth of flying! Portland to Seattle to Dubai to Delhi, India to Kathmandu, Nepal. Plus various activities on the ground in those places, too. This was from the $400 round trip ticket to India that I bought last October. It will be a fun adventure! If you want, follow along on Twitter and/or Instagram!

Hi everyone,

Welcome to Spring Break! Remember that you definitely have at least some work (let's put it at like two hours) to do before I see you again. Here's what we did in the last class before the break:

Learning Targets: 
Knowledge LT 20: I can explain the impacts of nationalism and revolutionary movements.
Communication LT 3: I can effectively use the conventions of writing.
Research LT 1: I can develop and refine a research question or topic.
Research LT 3: I can responsibly and accurately cite sources.
Critical Thinking LT 2: I can explain connections between events, issues, problems and concepts.

Soundtrack: "Roam" by The B-52's. Selected for today because of my encouragement to explore the world around you, even if you are staying at home during Spring Break! Lyrics here.

AGENDA 3/20/15:

News Brief - Nick

Spring Break
Part B, Explained

Library

Homework: Read the blog! Please work on Part B - researching your historical investigation! 2-3 pages will be due on the second class after break! Have a great and safe Spring Break!

---

News Brief: Nick had the news brief today and selected this article to talk about: CNN.com - Yemen: 120 killed in 2 mosque attacks in capital. This was a breaking news story from this morning. I commented on the fact that I will be in the same region (in Dubai) on Sunday night!

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

There is no assigned news brief for the class right after break - it would be difficult to remember, I think.

Spring Break: I wanted to check in and see what everyone was looking forward to as far as Spring Break. I have been particularly looking forward to this Spring Break for a long time. It should be a really fun one! That said, if I expect you to work, I will also be here for you in answering emails and comments when I can!

Part B, Explained: Before we headed over to the Computer Lab again, I went over the MLA citations guideline and how you should be citing your information that you find as part of your investigation. Here is the paper that I passed out in class: MLA citation guide - 7th edition. Every source that you use for your project should fit into one of those categories on the second page. That is what you are adding to your bibliography (Part E) as you go along.

Finally, for Part B - the Summary of Evidence, here are the two documents you will need to look at as your are researching over the break. Feel free to download and print them out during class, study hall, or after school:

Google Drive: Part B Overview (Requirements)

That document will help you with understanding what Part B is all about. Remember, Part B (which is 2-3 pages) is due for Period 2 on Thursday, April 2nd - the week we get back. It is very important that you get a good start on this.

To help with Part B, here is the second document - a template for filling out as you find good sources of information that relate to your research question:

Google Drive: Part B Template Document

This is a nice and easy way to complete Part B. Remember that you need to have at least four sources (so you could fill out this document four different times, if you wanted) - a maximum of three can be electronic sources. Again, no Wikipedia - the source has to be reliable information.

A GREAT way to find good, reliable information is through a search on Google Scholar, which looks through academic articles (make sure you aren't using a book review as a source, though).

Another way to find good academic sources is through the Westview Library's Power Search option (the second link in the middle). Remember, if you are researching at home, the login information for this is:
username = beaverton
password = oslis

If you want to see what a possible final product looks like, here is an example paper:

Google Drive: Example Historical Investigation Paper

I know this is a LOT to take in. Please let me know how I can help better explain what you need to do. I will respond, even in India, if I have WiFi! :-)

Library: After explaining all of this, we headed over to the library to work. At this point, you really need to have Part A done, and an idea for what you need to do for Part B over break - again, this could just be a couple of hours of work.

Have a wonderful and safe Spring Break! See you on March 30th, when we will also be going to see the Holocaust survivors come speak during 7th Period! Make sure to check in if you have any questions or comments! I know this is quite a lot of information, all at once. I am here to help at almost any time! :-)

Historical Investigation, Day 2 - Class Recap

Another picture from my Spring Break trip to Washington, D.C. in 2010: this is the National Archives building, where the original copies of the Declaration of Independence and Constitution are held. Those are extremely important documents for historians researching the American Revolution!

Hi everyone,

One more class to go until Spring Break! Lots of work to do until then (and probably some during the break, too). Here's what we did today in class:

Learning Targets: 
Knowledge LT 20: I can explain the impacts of nationalism and revolutionary movements.
Communication LT 3: I can effectively use the conventions of writing.
Research LT 1: I can develop and refine a research question or topic.
Research LT 3: I can responsibly and accurately cite sources.
Critical Thinking LT 2: I can explain connections between events, issues, problems and concepts.

Soundtrack: "World Peace" by Rihanna. Selected for today because I was wishing you had a peaceful time with your Explore test yesterday! Lyrics here.

AGENDA 3/18/15:

News Brief - Devon

Research Questions
Finish Part A

Computer Lab S219

Homework: Read the blog! Turn in your Part A research question paragraph ASAP if you did not today. Start working on research for Part B! Next news brief: Nick.

---

News Brief: Devon had the news brief today and selected this story to talk about: TheGuardian.com - Israeli mass rally calls for replacement of Binyamin Netanyahu. We talked about the election yesterday in Israel, and that the likely outcome will be Mr. Netanyahu will form a new government with himself as Prime Minister again. I also mentioned that this relates to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, because Netanyahu said over the weekend that he does not want a "two state solution." We will look more at that in the next few months.

We also talked about our weekends and the Explore test before moving on for the day.

Research Questions: For this section, I explained how to do research using the Westview Library Website - particularly the Gale Power Search tool. If you can access the internet at home to research for your project, here is the guide for the login and password information that I showed in class.

Finish Part A/Computer Lab S219: After explaining all of this, we headed over to S219 to finish Part A. I wanted to make sure that I approved each research question before you moved on to writing out the whole paragraph for Part A. Hopefully, everyone was able to complete this in class. If not, email it to me ASAP, please. Also, this could have been a time you were looking at what to do for Part B.

I am really looking forward to the Diversity Assembly tomorrow, and you should too! See you on Friday!

Historical Investigation, Day 1 - Class Recap

Today we started the Historical Investigation project, which is about revolutions. You cannot pick the American Revolution, but here is a lasting reminder of it: the Washington Monument in Washington, D.C.! I took this picture during Spring Break in 2010.

Hi everyone,

Today was the start of a really big assignment: the historical investigation that all freshmen need to do at Westview (most sophomores will, as well). Here's what happened in class:

Learning Targets:
Knowledge LT 20: I can explain the impacts of nationalism and revolutionary movements.
Communication LT 3: I can effectively use the conventions of writing.
Research LT 1: I can develop and refine a research question or topic.
Research LT 3: I can responsibly and accurately cite sources.
Critical Thinking LT 2: I can explain connections between events, issues, problems and concepts.

Soundtrack: "At the Beginning" from Anatasia. Selected for today because of the movie's connection to the Russian Revolution, and our work starting on the Historical Investigation. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 3/12/15:

News Brief - Anju

The Historical Investigation
Part A
Library

Homework: Read the blog! Come prepared with a revolution in mind to investigate. You will be finishing your Part A paragraph in class. Devon has the next news brief.

Here is the calendar for where we are at with the historical investigation.

---

News Brief: Anju had the news brief today and selected this article to talk about: BBC.com - Japan marks anniversary of devastating 2011 tsunami. It was really interesting to hear Anju talk about her personal experience with the earthquake when she was living in Tokyo! Thank you so much for sharing! :-)

We checked in about the weekend and also watched VICE News for the day.

Devon was selected for the next news brief.

The Historical Investigation: Alert, alert! This is the start of a massive assignment. Here is what I passed out in class today:

1) The "simple" explanation sheet, with the possible revolutions to research on the second page:

Google Drive: Historical Investigation Basics

2) The more in depth assignment, with all of the learning targets and step by step process for Part A (on the second page):

Google Drive: Historical Investigation Assignment In Depth

We went through both of these thoroughly (at least 15 minutes) in class. Basically, the assignment consists of five parts. The back side of the paper has a list of possible revolutions to choose from. If you want to choose one that is not on that list, you must clear it by me first. This is NOT a partner assignment. In fact, if you choose the same revolution as someone else, I am going to make sure that you have completely different research questions and sources.

For Period 2, the rough draft of this will be due on April 10th. The final draft will be due the next class after that, which is April 14th.

As I was saying in class: if you want to do well on this project (and you should, considering it is one of the biggest assignments of the entire year), you will probably have to be working on it at home.

3) A calendar of the plan for the next month. Remember that we will be doing other activities than just the historical investigation. This calendar has all of the major due dates on it. Note that Part A is due at the end of next class! We will go to the computer lab for most of next class, but you need to have a plan of attack going in.

Part A: Today's assignment was to start working on Part A - Framing the Issue. This means that you need to find a revolution that you are interested in, then narrow down a specific research question about that revolution. If you were not in class, or did not have the questions you will be answering in your one paragraph for this, here they are:

1) Why is this topic important?
2) Why did you choose this particular question?
3) What kinds of sources might you plan on using in your research?

Library: For the rest of class, we headed up to the Library to start researching revolutions and choosing which one you are going to investigate. This is a major decision - do not take it lightly! For next class, please come in with a good idea about what you want to investigate. Again, this needs to be a focused question. Instead of "what happened in the Russian Revolution?" think more along the lines of "How did Vladimir Lenin lead the Bolsheviks during the October Revolution in Russia?"

Please let me know if you have questions, comments, or concerns! I would be happy to help you begin this project. I am confident that all of you will do well on this! :-)

Revolution! Day 5 - Class Recap

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

Dear class,

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

Learning Targets:
Critical Thinking LT 1: I can explain multiple perspectives and viewpoints.

Knowledge LT 20: I can explain the impacts of nationalism and revolutionary movements.

Soundtrack: "Marry the Night" by Lady Gaga. Selected for today because of turning the clocks forward an hour over the weekend, meaning that it was dark out this morning! Lyrics here.

AGENDA 3/10/15:

News Brief - Jonathan

Russian Revolution Work
Conditions for Revolutions
The Coup

Homework: Read the blog! Turn in late/missing/incomplete/make up work by next class, for updated progress report grade. Anju has the next news brief.

---

News Brief: Jonathan had the news brief today and selected this article to talk about: CNN.com - Top French athletes among 10 dead after 2 helicopters collide in Argentina. A tragic story involving Olympic athletes and a French reality TV show. I have flown in a whole lot of airplanes, but never a helicopter, yet!

We checked in about the weekend and also watched VICE News for the day.

Anju was selected for the next news brief.

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

1) The Russian Revolution Pre-Assessment/Newsflash activity
2) Vocabulary Notes
3) OPVL activity
4) Propaganda Poster assignment
5) Vocabulary Quiz

Please get these in as soon as possible, if you did not do so in class! They will be another grade opportunity for the learning target on revolutions.

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

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

Google Drive: Historical Conditions for Revolutions

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

The Coup: At the end of the class, we started watching the episode of "The Office" called The Coup. A "coup" (or coup d'etat) is pronounced "coo" and is a French word for the overthrow of a government, usually from a small group of insiders. Thus, this episode is a perfect way to showcase the elements of a revolution (political/social/economic reasons for why Dwight is trying to overthrow Michael as boss) while also being a humorous way to start thinking about how revolutions happen. We finished the episode and then had a bit of time at the end of class to work on incomplete work. Next class, you will start the big historical investigation assignment. Be ready! :-)

Revolution! Day 4 - Class Recap

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

Hi everyone,

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

Learning Targets:
Critical Thinking LT 1: I can explain multiple perspectives and viewpoints.

Knowledge LT 20: I can explain the impacts of nationalism and revolutionary movements.

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

AGENDA 3/6/15:

News Brief - Rui

OPVL/Quiz
Propaganda
Create Posters

Homework: Read the blog! Finish propaganda poster (due next class). Revise and resubmit any missing or incomplete World War I work. Jonathan has the next news brief.

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News Brief: The news brief article for today was brought in by Rui, who selected this article to talk about: CNN.com - Amid brazen, deadly attacks, gay Syrians tell of fear of ISIS persecution. Yet another example of a terrible event in Syria by ISIS, which is in the midst of a civil war against the Syrian government.

Jonathan, you are up for next class.

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

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

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

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

   

My mom rocks. :-)

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

Google Drive: Soviet Union Propaganda PowerPoint

Here is the worksheet that goes along with the presentation:

Google Drive: Soviet Union Propaganda Worksheet

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

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

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

Have a great weekend!

Revolution! Day 3 - Class Recap

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

Dear class,

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

Learning Targets:
Critical Thinking LT 1: I can explain multiple perspectives and viewpoints.

Knowledge LT 20: I can explain the impacts of nationalism and revolutionary movements.

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

AGENDA 3/4/15:

News Brief - Kento

WWI Grades
Peace, Land, and Bread
OPVL
Study for Quiz

Homework: Read the blog! Study Russian Revolution vocabulary for quiz. Rui has the next news brief.

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News Brief: The news brief article for today was brought in by Kento, who selected this article to talk about: CNN.com - Over 500 Pakistani parents arrested for children's failure to get polio vaccine. We talked in class about how close the world is to getting rid of polio, and how some Pakistanis might not want to vaccinate their children, for fear of it being some sort of government plot (like what the United States did to try and get DNA from Osama bin Laden's children).

Rui, you are up for next class.

We also watched VICE News today before moving on.

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

Google Drive: Russian Revolution Vocabulary Terms

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

Google Drive: "Peace, Land, and Bread: The Russian Revolution" PowerPoint

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

Also, I showed a video in class that looked every nuclear bomb explosion in the world since 1945. I suspect there are a lot more here than most people would think!

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

Google Drive: OPVL Worksheet

Google Drive: Russian Revolution Primary Documents for Analysis

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

Google Drive: OPVL Guide Part II

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

Study For Quiz: There was not a whole lot of time at the end of class, so please treat this as homework. Study your vocabulary sheet (linked to above) to know the key terms from the Russian Revolution!

Revolution! Day 2 - Class Recap

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

Hi everyone,

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

Learning Targets:
Critical Thinking LT 1: I can explain multiple perspectives and viewpoints.

Knowledge LT 20: I can explain the impacts of nationalism and revolutionary movements.

Soundtrack: "I Lived" by OneRepublic, because another thing we have in common is that we are all alive together. :-) Lyrics here.

AGENDA 3/2/15:

News Brief - Tyler A.

Finish Posters/Present
Newsflash
Peace, Land, and Bread

Homework: Read the blog! Kento has the next news brief.

---

News Brief: The news brief article for today was brought in by Tyler A, who selected this story to talk about: CNN.com - Netanyahu: Israel-U.S. 'friendship will weather the current disagreement'. We talked about the Prime Minister of Israel visiting the United States, and both governments having a debate about how best to deal with Iran's nuclear program. We also talked a bit about the weekend, including some pretty crazy "fugitive" game stories.

Kento, you are up for next class.

We also watched VICE News today (which referenced Rwanda!) before moving on.

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

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

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

Google Drive: "Newsflash" Russian Revolution Pre-Assessment

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

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

Google Drive: Russian Revolution Vocabulary Terms

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

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

Google Drive: "Peace, Land, and Bread: The Russian Revolution" PowerPoint

We only made it through the first two slides of this in class, so we will get back to it and finish next week. Enjoy your weekend, everyone! :-)