Wednesday, December 14, 2016

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 12/14/16:
News Brief - Jim
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 on Google Classroom. Next news brief: Ranger.

News Brief: Jim had the news brief today and selected an article about this story: USGS.gov - M5.0 - 72km NNE of Miyako, Japan. We found Japan on our world map packets and talked about the ongoing earthquake situation there. I also made sure to talk about the current situation in Aleppo, Syria, where there are reports of civilians being massacred by the government.

Ranger 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:

• Hook is relatable.
• Great use of hand gestures.
• Look on top of people’s heads (to practice looking out at the audience)
• Believable
• Body positioning
• Act with confidence, use good posture
• Make sure your speech is written powerfully
• Pause effectively.
• Put emphasis on powerful words
• Tone of voice

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: Jim, Kira, Olivia, Samuel Ro., Sammy Re.

Group 2: Sophia, Kenny, Caleb, Arjun, Reuben

Group 3: Erika, Abhigya, Oliver, Irene, Jimmy

Group 4: Rachel, Sean, Alex, Patrick, Mailynn

Group 5: Ayra, Skyler, John, Makayla

Group 6: Samma, Miriam, Moses, Braydon, Matthew

Group 7: Reese, Camille, Adamari, Lewis, Ranger

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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Monday, December 12, 2016

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 12/12/16:
News Brief - Sean
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: Jim.

News Brief: Sean had the news brief today and selected an article about this story: NPR.org - 'Frantic' Search For Survivors After Earthquake In Indonesia Kills Nearly 100. We found Indonesia in the world map packet and talked about this tragic story.

Jim 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 past long weekend and what everyone was 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: Jim, Kira, Olivia, Samuel Ro., Sammy Re.

Group 2: Sophia, Kenny, Caleb, Arjun, Reuben

Group 3: Erika, Abhigya, Oliver, Irene, Jimmy

Group 4: Rachel, Sean, Alex, Patrick, Mailynn

Group 5: Ayra, Skyler, John, Makayla

Group 6: Samma, Miriam, Moses, Braydon, Matthew

Group 7: Reese, Camille, Adamari, Lewis, Ranger

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 Friday (if there is school - if there isn't, then it will be after break). 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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Tuesday, December 6, 2016

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 12/6/16:
News Brief - Ayra
Imperialism
Privilege
Speech Work Time

Homework: Read the blog. Rwanda speech due - bring it on your Chromebook. The Rwanda resources will help. Next news brief: Sean.

News Brief: Ayra had the news brief today and selected an article about this story: CNN.com - Karachi hotel fire: 11 dead, dozens injured in blaze. Thanks for bringing this in, Ayra! We found the Pakistan on the world map packet and noted we did a news brief there.

Sean 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):


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 30 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 next week. The first is to write a persuasive essay (in the form of a speech you could give). This is due in class (typed, on your Chromebook) next class. 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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Friday, December 2, 2016

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

AGENDA 12/2/16:
News Brief – Sean
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: Ayra.

News Brief: Sean had the news brief today and but was not in class, so I selected an article about this story: TheGuardian.com - Indian court orders cinemas to play national anthem before films. A very interesting story that I knew nothing about before today! We found India on the world map packet and noted we did a news brief there.

Ayra 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.

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 14th. 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 - or, just use your Chromebook) next Thursday, December 8th. 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 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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Wednesday, November 30, 2016

Genocide in Rwanda, Day 1 - Class Recap


A look at previous class 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 11/30/16:
News Brief – Patrick
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. Next news brief: Sean.

News Brief: Patrick had the news brief today and selected an article about this story: CNN.com - Colombia plane crash: 75 dead on Brazil soccer team's charter flight. We found Colombia on our world map packets and talked about this tragic recent news story. I also made sure to talk about the death of Fidel Castro in Cuba, using some of the words we used in the government unit recently!

Sean 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 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, November 22, 2016

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 long 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 11/22/16:
News Brief – Reuben
Finish "Who Rules?"
Government Test
Lost!

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

News Brief: Reuben had the news brief today and selected an article about this story: CNN.com - 6.9-magnitude earthquake strikes off Japan. We found Japan on the world map (in Asia) and talked for a bit about this story (and the previous big earthquake/tsunami in Japan). We also talked about the upcoming long weekend.

Patrick 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 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 into small groups 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, before moving on to our next unit.

See you next week!
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Friday, November 18, 2016

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 11/18/16:
News Brief – Lewis
Group Work
Skits
Who Rules?

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

News Brief: Lewis had the news brief today and selected this article to talk about with the class: BBC.com - Volkswagen plans 30,000 job cuts worldwide. I explained what happened with this scandal and why it was such a big deal. We found Germany in the world map and noted we did a news brief there, before moving on to talk about the upcoming weekend.

Reuben 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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Wednesday, November 16, 2016

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 it's just an excellent song about traveling around the world. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 11/16/16:
News Brief – Arjun
Forced Choice/Reflection
Forms of Government
Group Activity

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

News Brief: Arjun had the news brief today and selected an article about this story to talk about: BBC.com - India's rupee crackdown sees money-changers ink-marked. We found India in the world map packet and noted we had a news story there. I talked for a bit about why this happened (the article goes into a bit more depth). Very interesting! Thanks, Arjun!

Lewis 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.

Forced Choice/Reflection: 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. Government officials should have to approve/sign off on marriages that they are against on religious grounds.
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.

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!

After the debate, I gave some time to the class to these questions (a one page written reflection was due to be completed in class today - if you did not finish, it is homework): 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, 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 will finish this next class, as there were a lot of student questions. :-)

Group Activity: We did not have time for this today, so we will do this next class. Thanks, everyone!
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Monday, November 14, 2016

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! 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 11/14/16:
News Brief – Caleb
Culture Presentations?
Forced Choice
Reflection

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

News Brief: Caleb had the news brief today and selected this story to talk about: Weather.com - Mass Evacuations Underway After Deadly 7.8-Magnitude Earthquake Leaves 'Utter Devastation' In New Zealand. This is a big news story, as New Zealand had another big earthquake in 2011. I talked a bit about my trip to New Zealand in 2014. We found it in our world maps and noted that a news brief was done on the story. Thanks, Caleb!

Arjun 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 long 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. Government officials should have to approve/sign off on marriages that they are against on religious grounds.
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 1-4. 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!

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: We will have some time to do this in class next time, and then we will have to move on to the rest of the Government unit. See you next class!
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Tuesday, November 8, 2016

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 on Friday and a staff development day on Thursday! 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 Final Countdown" by Europe. Selected for today because it is the final countdown (of hours!) until the end of the 2016 Presidential Election! Lyrics here.

AGENDA 11/8/16:
News Brief – Makayla
The Election
Culture Presentations
Forced Choice

Homework: Read the blog. Watch the election night coverage tonight! Next news brief: Caleb.

News Brief: Makayla had the news brief today and selected an article about this story: CNN.com - Philippine militants claim German kidnapping after body found on boat. We found the Philippines in our world maps and noted that we did a news brief on the country, before moving on.

Caleb was selected to do the next news brief.

Here's the link to see the latest one minute update from BBC World News, 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.

The Election: Because today is the presidential election, I made sure to go through what is happening and when to expect results. We went through a few websites for this:

1) The FiveThirtyEight.com election forecast. I have been showing this all semester in class, and it appears that the polls have recently tightened a bit, though Hillary Clinton is still favored to win a majority of the time. As a reminder: it is not who wins the most votes in the country, it is who wins the amount of states that add up to at least 270 electoral votes that wins.

2) A map of poll closing times for each state, when results begin to be announced. Yay for geography and maps! I pointed out some keys in the early states to look for in terms of who might be ahead. Virginia and Georgia at 4:00 PM are two examples of important indicators. At 8:00 PM on the West Coast, polls close, and it is likely that within the next couple of hours after that, we will know who will be the next President of the United States.

3) A map of how long it took to determine who won each state in 2012. Helpful to know how long things might take!

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: We will start this activity next class! It was cut short today because of the DBQ time.

See you on next Monday, when we will surely have lots to talk about! :-)
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Friday, November 4, 2016

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! Everyone did a great job of focusing during class and I am excited to start looking into how everyone did. Here's what happened 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: "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 11/4/16:
News Brief - Camille
Write DBQ Essay
SSR/Quiet Work Time

Homework: Read the blog. Enjoy your weekend if you are done with everything!

Next news brief: Makayla.

News Brief: Camille had the news brief today and selected an article about this story to talk about with the class: BBC.com - Jordan shooting: US military trainer killed at air base. We found Jordan in the Middle East map and had a good discussion in class about why the United States sometimes involves itself in other countries. We also checked in about what people were up to outside of class this weekend. I am heading down to Los Angeles tomorrow for the weekend!

Makayla was selected to do the next news brief.

If you wanted to watch the one minute BBC World News update, here's the link to see the latest one minute update, at any time of day:


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. This was due at the end of class. I hope it went well for everyone!

Have a great weekend!
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Wednesday, November 2, 2016

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 dedicated to Culture Project presentations! 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 11/2/16:
News Brief – Erika
Culture Project Presentations
Work/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 used during the essay, as no electronic resources may be used.

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
5) Time for School Notes/Answers

Next news brief: Camille.

News Brief: Erika had the news brief today and chose an article about this story to talk about: Reuters.com - Thousands of Iraqi refugees leave Finland voluntarily. We found Finland in the world map packet, talked about this story, and also shared some stories from the Halloween weekend and other current events.

Camille 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):


Culture Project Presentations: This was most the rest of the class, as students who did PowerPoint presentations or visual representations for their Culture Project talked about their own culture. I really loved this, and it is always so cool to learn more about different cultures around the world and in our classroom! Way to go, everyone that went today! If you did not turn in your project yet, please submit it on Google Classroom, or turn in a paper copy to the box in the classroom.

Make sure you are on top of everything and ready to write your DBQ essay in class on Friday! Thank you!
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Monday, October 31, 2016

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 next class, and in starting the DBQ that you will be finishing in class on Friday. 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! Lyrics here.

AGENDA 10/31/16:
News Brief – Samuel Ro.
Reflect/Shape
How To DBQ
Culture Project

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

News Brief: Samuel Ro. had the news brief today and came in early to find this article with me before class: BBC.com - Rodrigo Duterte wants US troops 'to leave Philippines'. We found the Philippines on our world maps and talked a bit about the new president, Duterte, his war on drugs in the country, and his insult of President Obama recently. Thanks, Samuel Ro!

Erika was selected to bring in the next news brief, and we checked in about the weekend, as well.

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):


Reflect/Shape: I wanted to be sure students had another opportunity to understand how to respond to the learning target of how culture both reflects and shapes society, so we went through this quick PowerPoint together in seeking to provide some more information about the terms:


Hopefully this helped!

How to DBQ: Since the end of the Culture unit 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. On Friday, 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):

Google Drive - How to Write a Document Based Question

Please let me know if you are confused on any of this - and come prepared ready to work next Friday on the timed in class essay!

Culture Project: The rest of class was devoted to work time on the DBQ (which students passed back at the end of class) 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 on Wednesday so be working on it at home and ask questions if you need help!

Have a Happy Halloween, everyone!
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Thursday, October 27, 2016

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 working on your Culture Project, which is due next week on Wednesday! 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: "We Didn't Start The Fire" by Billy Joel. Selected for today because Matthew suggested it, as the song has a ton of lyrics relating to American culture.

AGENDA 10/27/16:
News Brief – Moses
Culture Project
Work Time

Homework: Read the blog. Continue working on the Culture Project - due next Wednesday! Next news brief: Samuel Ro.

News Brief: Moses had the news brief today and came in early to find this article with me before class: BBC.com - Dreamworld: Four killed on Australian theme park ride. We found Australia on our world maps and talked about this horrifying story for a bit, before moving on.

Samuel Ro. 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):

Culture Project/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 on Wednesday so be working on it at home, bring work into class to do next class, 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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Tuesday, October 25, 2016

Culture, Day 6 - Class Recap


A pagoda in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. This was right across the street from where my friend Clarke lived for a while. Photo taken in 2011.

Hi everyone,

Today, we had some exchange students come in, we finished the Time For School assignment, and continued to work on the Culture Project. 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: "Rhapsody in Blue" by Leonard Bernstein. Selected for today because I went flying over the weekend, and this song is used in United Airlines commercials. No lyrics, but listen here.

AGENDA 10/25/16:
News Brief – Kenny
Exchange Students
Time for School
Culture Project

Homework: Read the blog. Continue working on the Culture Project! Next news brief: Moses.

News Brief: Kenny had the news brief today and talked about this story with the class: BBC.com - French citizens killed in surveillance plane crash on Malta. We found Malta on our world maps (in Europe) and talked about this story for a little bit, in context with what is going on in Europe to combat drugs. Moses 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

Finally, we checked in about the weekend (I am still quite tired from my quick weekend trip to the Bay Area!), and anything else that was happening, as well.

Exchange Students: We were very fortunate to have two exchange students at Westview present about their culture today in class: Philine from Germany and Paulette from Mexico! I really enjoyed hearing about their culture and perspective on our culture. Thank you for your focus and great questions during this time! If you see either of them around Westview, be sure to say hi and thank her again for coming in! :-)

Philine did not make her presentation sharable, but here was Paulette's presentation that she went through in class:


So cool! My thanks again to Philine and Paulette for coming in!

Time For School: We finished Time For School 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.

We started at about 1:10:25 in to the following video, then finished it, if you missed class and need to catch up, or simply want to review it again:

PBS.org - Time For School 2003-2016

After the documentary, we went back to the assignment, talked about the students and their culture, then answered the three questions on the back side of the paper.

Culture Project: I introduced this last class. This is one of the main assignments for the culture unit, and I hope it is interesting for students to work on! 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 (on Wednesday), so be working on it at home, bring work into class to do, and ask questions if you need help!

The rest of class was devoted to working on the Culture Project, as I went around the class and answered questions about it, or brainstormed ideas. Please continue to be working on this at home! See you next class. :-)
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Friday, October 21, 2016

Culture, Day 5 - Class Recap


On the football field at Westview, later this past summer. Athletic events are a big part of Westview culture!

Hi everyone,

We continued learning about culture today and I introduced the Culture Project, as well as continuing the Time For School series of videos. Here's the recap for today:

Learning Targets:
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: "Represent" by Weezer. Selected for today because we were talking about how people in different cultures represent themselves. This was also a pump up song for the 2010 World Cup. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 10/20/16:
News Brief – Adamari
Culture Project
Exchange Student Questions
Time for School

Homework: Read the blog. Turn in missing/incomplete geography work ASAP. Start working on your Culture Project! Next news brief: Kenny.

News Brief: Adamari had the news brief today and talked about this story with the class: CNN.com - Thousands of gay men in UK to be pardoned for now-abolished sex offenses. We found the UK on our world maps (in Europe) and talked about this article, as well as the social change that accompanies the topic. Thanks, Adamari! Kenny 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

Finally, we checked in about the upcoming weekend, and anything else that was happening, as well.

Culture Project: This is one of the main assignments for the culture unit, and I hope it is interesting for students to work on! There are a lot of options of what to do - it could be writing, a visual, a presentation, or something else. I'm really interested in learning more about your own culture, and I hope that you are able to learn more about your own culture, too. Here's the assignment:


This will be due in class on Wednesday, November 2, so be working on it at home, bring work into class to do, and ask questions if you need help! Talk with me if you are thinking about doing something in the "Other" category!

Exchange Student Presentations: In preparation for our next class, when some of Westview's exchange students are scheduled to be visiting us, I had students write at least two questions they might be interested in having the exchange students answer about their culture (surface or deep). Keep these for next week, please!

Time For School: I really like this documentary as part of our unit on culture, because it is especially interesting to me to see how school and education is a part of different cultures around the world. Here was the handout that I gave to students to fill out as we were watching:


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.

We got about 1:10:45 in to the following video, if you missed class and need to catch up, or simply want to review it again:


I hope you are finding this interesting and engaging! See you next week! :-)
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