Thursday, June 22, 2017

Semester Finals - Class Recap


Sunset over Waikiki Beach in Honolulu, Hawaii. It was a great semester, everyone! Thank you for your hard work! Photo taken in 2011.

Hi everyone,

Today was our last day of class for the year! We had our final Israel-Palestine Peace Conference, reflection on the year, and then talked about life and what is coming up for a while. Here's what we did today in class:

Learning Targets: 
Communication LT 1: I can use language and style that is appropriate to the content area.
Critical Thinking LT 2: I can explain connections between events, issues, problems and concepts.
Knowledge LT 9:  I can explain demographic changes in the world and their effects.
Knowledge LT 19:  I can explain the impacts of nationalism and revolutionary movements. Knowledge LT 21:  I can explain how religious ideas impact the shaping of societies.

Soundtrack: "Thankful" by Kelly Clarkson. Selected for today because I always choose this song for the last day of class, since I am so thankful to get to teach you all. Thank you! Lyrics (some of which I read aloud in class) are here.

AGENDA 6/22/17:
News Brief – Samma
Final Presentations
Discussion
Reflection/Adventure

Homework: Read the blog (if you want)! Have a great summer! Let me know if I can help you at any point in the future! I will be at the July 20 coffee shop meeting with Mr. Puterbaugh at the Barnes and Noble Starbucks in Tanasbourne, about summer reading (or anything else you want to), if you are going to that! :-)
---
News Brief: Samma had the news brief today and selected an article about this story to talk about: TheGuardian.com - Teenage boys wear skirts to school to protest against 'no shorts' policy. For the last time, we found UK in the world map and noted this story. Thanks, everyone for doing this all year and getting better at geography in the process!

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):

I talked in class about the importance of following the news and trying to stay up to date with what is happening in your city, state, country, and world. Knowledge is power! Try to stay plugged in to what is going on, if you can!

Final Project: As promised, this was the Israel and Palestine Peace Conference. First, we had speeches (students that needed to demonstrate a Communication grade) that explained various aspects of the conflict and proposed possible solutions. We did not have enough time left in class for the discussion, but I look forward to reading everyone's papers! Generally, I thought this was quite good, and students seemed to know their stuff. Thank you for your effort on this! I look forward to reading your papers, as well.

Reflection: The last part to the final was a reflection short answer about how the year went in Global Studies - what you learned, what you will put into practice in your life, and what you will remember five years from now. I look forward to reading these!

There is a fair amount of work involved in grading the finals, but the deadline to submit our grades is Friday by 3:00 PM, as a heads up.

Adventure: At the end of class, I talked about having the spirit of curiosity in life and whatever you do - that could involve traveling around the world, or even just going to a local stream and exploring. I showed this video, which I've watched probably a hundred times or more to illustrate this - I hope it is as inspiring to you as it is to me, and a good reminder of so much of what we learned this year:


Thank you all so much for being so wonderful to work with. I truly loved teaching each and every one of you, and I hope you know that I care about you and want you to be successful in the future. Take care of yourselves and I hope to see you around! Have a great summer! :-)
Posted by at No comments:
Labels: ,

Tuesday, June 20, 2017

Finals Prep - Class Recap


This past weekend was Father's Day! Here I am with my dad, mom, and both sets of my grandparents, in 2007.

Dear class,

One more day left of the school year together! Here's what we did today in class:

Learning Targets: 
Communication LT 1: I can use language and style that is appropriate to the content area.
Critical Thinking LT 2: I can explain connections between events, issues, problems and concepts.
Knowledge LT 9:  I can explain demographic changes in the world and their effects.
Knowledge LT 19:  I can explain the impacts of nationalism and revolutionary movements. Knowledge LT 21:  I can explain how religious ideas impact the shaping of societies.

Soundtrack: "Give Peace A Chance" by John Lennon. Selected for today for obvious reasons, as we are working on the prospects of Israeli-Palestinian peace. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 6/20/17:
News Brief – Reese
Final Questions?
Clean Up
Work Time

Homework: Read the blog! Turn in your final project for the year on Google Classroom (specific guide for what to do here). Finals for your period are Thursday at 7:45 AM. Next news brief: Sam.
---
News Brief: Reese had the news brief today and selected an article about this story to talk about: BBC.com - Finsbury Park attack: Theresa May condemns 'sickening' terror attack. We found the United Kingdom in the world map and discussed this most recent terrorist attack on Muslims, which came after Ramadan prayers at a London mosque. After that, we checked in about the weekend and what students were up to outside of class.

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, I showed this trailer for a documentary that just came out on Netflix called Disturbing the Peace, about people on both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict who are coming together for peace. I watched it last night and highly recommend it!



Final Questions/Clean Up: I told the class to start taking down pictures and posters from the bask wall in order to help clean up the classroom for the end of the year. I also gave time to continue working on Through Middle Eastern Eyes and anything else related to the final. This was an excerpt from a book, which I made a class set of. The two characters are representing the perspectives of Israel and Palestine. Here's the online version if you want to keep working on this at home:


There is a few pages of timeline and introduction in that, and then the characters start talking on page 229. The two characters in the reading were David (representing Israel) and Daud (representing Palestine). I wanted students to partner up and go through the reading together. Here is the assignment that goes with the reading, to note each perspective and help you prepare for your final assignment:


Work Time: The rest of class was set aside for the final project, after Kira and Abhigya presented their final projects. I was checking in with every student as to which learning targets they wanted to be graded on for the final. Speaking of the final project, this form clarifies what the expectation is going to be on the day of the final, as well as what students should be writing/talking about:


I'm going to keep it simple and have students just focus on this. You should already know what learning targets you need to work on. Use the chart at the top of the second page to focus your writing/speech notes on the specific issues in the conflict. I know there were a lot of questions on this - please let me know if I can continue clearing this up.

We also played the Sporcle country name game for the last time this year, and ended with a score of 184. An admirable effort, after 4 times played this year!

See you on Thursday for our final class of the year!
Posted by at No comments:
Labels:

Friday, June 16, 2017

Israel and Palestine, Day 8 - Class Recap


The sun is setting on our school year! This is a collage of photos I took in 2013 at the Eiffel Tower in France.

Dear class,

As it was the day before finals week, I did not assign any new work - it was mostly a study day. Here's what we did today in class:

Learning Targets: 
Communication LT 1: I can use language and style that is appropriate to the content area.
Critical Thinking LT 2: I can explain connections between events, issues, problems and concepts.
Knowledge LT 9:  I can explain demographic changes in the world and their effects.
Knowledge LT 19:  I can explain the impacts of nationalism and revolutionary movements. Knowledge LT 21:  I can explain how religious ideas impact the shaping of societies.

Soundtrack: "One Day" by Matisyahu. Selected for today because it goes with our Israel and Palestine unit well. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 6/16/17:
News Brief – Alex
Final Questions
Clean Up
Work Time

Homework: Read the blog! Your final project for the year is due on Thursday - upload it on Google Classroom (specific guide for what to do here). Finals for your period are Thursday at 9:19 AM. Next news brief: Reese.
---
News Brief: Alex had the news brief today and selected an article about this story to talk about: NBCNews.com - ISIS Leader Al-Baghdadi May Have Been Killed, Russia Says. We found Syria in the world map and discussed what the implications of this story would be, if it were verified, as well as what is currently going on with the war in Syria. After that, we checked in about the weekend and what students were up to outside of class.

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):


Final Questions/Clean Up: I told the class to start taking down pictures and posters from the bask wall in order to help clean up the classroom for the end of the year. I also gave time to continue working on Through Middle Eastern Eyes and anything else related to the final. This was an excerpt from a book, which I made a class set of. The two characters are representing the perspectives of Israel and Palestine. Here's the online version if you want to keep working on this at home:


There is a few pages of timeline and introduction in that, and then the characters start talking on page 229. The two characters in the reading were David (representing Israel) and Daud (representing Palestine). I wanted students to partner up and go through the reading together. Here is the assignment that goes with the reading, to note each perspective and help you prepare for your final assignment:


Work Time: The rest of class was set aside for the final project. I was checking in with every student as to which learning targets they wanted to be graded on for the final. Speaking of the final project, this form clarifies what the expectation is going to be on the day of the final, as well as what students should be writing/talking about:


I'm going to keep it simple and have students just focus on this. You should already know what learning targets you need to work on. Use the chart at the top of the second page to focus your writing/speech notes on the specific issues in the conflict. I know there were a lot of questions on this - please let me know if I can continue clearing this up.

See you next class for finals week! Wow! :-)
Posted by at No comments:
Labels:

Wednesday, June 14, 2017

Israel and Palestine, Day 7 - Class Recap


Mt. Hood. We are almost to the end of the school year, everyone! The climb is close to being done!

Hi everyone,

We are so close to the end of the year! Hooray! There is plenty to prepare for next week with finals, so keep working hard, please. Here's what we did today in class:

Learning Targets: 
Communication LT 1: I can use language and style that is appropriate to the content area.
Critical Thinking LT 2: I can explain connections between events, issues, problems and concepts.
Knowledge LT 9:  I can explain demographic changes in the world and their effects.
Knowledge LT 19:  I can explain the impacts of nationalism and revolutionary movements. Knowledge LT 21:  I can explain how religious ideas impact the shaping of societies.

Soundtrack: "Wind of Change" by Scorpions. Selected for today because Juan recommended it! Lyrics here.

AGENDA 6/14/17:
News Brief – Olivia
Final Questions?
Finish TMEE
Work Time

Homework: Read the blog! Keep working on your final project for the year (specific guide for what to do here). Next news brief: Alex.
---
News Brief: Olivia had the news brief today and selected an article about this story to talk about: CNN.com - Syrian artist depicts Trump and other leaders as refugees. We discussed what has been happening recently with the refugee crisis and found the UAE (where this exhibition is taking place) in our world map packet before moving on for the day.

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):


Final Questions/Finish Through Middle Eastern Eyes: This was an excerpt from a book, which I made a class set of. The two characters are representing the perspectives of Israel and Palestine. Here's the online version if you want to keep working on this at home:


There is a few pages of timeline and introduction in that, and then the characters start talking on page 229. The two characters in the reading were David (representing Israel) and Daud (representing Palestine). I wanted students to partner up and go through the reading together. Here is the assignment that goes with the reading, to note each perspective and help you prepare for your final assignment:


Work Time: The rest of class was set aside for the final project. I was checking in with every student as to which learning targets they wanted to be graded on for the final. Speaking of the final project, this form clarifies what the expectation is going to be on the day of the final, as well as what students should be writing/talking about:


I'm going to keep it simple and have students just focus on this. You should already know what learning targets you need to work on. Use the chart at the top of the second page to focus your writing/speech notes on the specific issues in the conflict. I know there were a lot of questions on this - please let me know if I can continue clearing this up. Continue working hard on your final for next week!
Posted by at No comments:
Labels:

Monday, June 12, 2017

Israel and Palestine, Day 6 - Class Recap


This last weekend was the graduation ceremony for the seniors at Westview! Therefore, a sunset picture above the clouds is appropriate. I took this on the way from California to Portland in 2007.

Hi everyone,

I hope you are feeling more clear about what to do for the final. Here's what we did today in class:

Learning Targets: 
Communication LT 1: I can use language and style that is appropriate to the content area.
Critical Thinking LT 2: I can explain connections between events, issues, problems and concepts.
Knowledge LT 9:  I can explain demographic changes in the world and their effects.
Knowledge LT 19:  I can explain the impacts of nationalism and revolutionary movements. Knowledge LT 21:  I can explain how religious ideas impact the shaping of societies.

Soundtrack: "Good Life" by OneRepublic. Selected for today because all people want is a Good Life, even in Israel and Palestine! Lyrics here.

AGENDA 6/12/17:
News Brief – James
Check In
Final Questions?
Work Time

Homework: Read the blog! All late/missing/revised work due today (Friday) by 3:00 PM. Keep working on your final project for the year (specific guide for what to do here). Next news brief: Olivia.
---
News Brief: James had the news brief today and selected an article about this story to talk about: ManchesterEveningNews.co.uk - Woman arrested on suspicion of murder after man hit by tram at Victoria Station. We found the United Kingdom in the world map and talked about this afwul news story before moving on to check in about the weekend and what happened.

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):


Check In: After the news brief, I had students turn to each other and check in about how the end of the year was feeling, in terms of stress and finals. It's important to take care of one another during stressful times! I had a few students share out about how they were doing, too. Please know that I am here for you! Let me know how I can support you, both now and into the future! Yes, I will still be that teacher in four years, saying hello to you when I see you in the halls!

Final Questions: Yet again, I went over in class what the expectation is going to be on the day of the final, as well as what students should be writing/talking about:


I'm going to keep it simple and have students just focus on this. You should already know what learning targets you need to work on. Use the chart at the top of the second page to focus your writing/speech notes on the specific issues in the conflict. I know there were a lot of questions on this - please let me know if I can continue clearing this up!

Work Time: For the rest of class, we worked on the final assignment - whether that is a speech, paper, or a combination of the two. If you have a Modern World History textbook or atlas, please bring it back to school ASAP!

Thanks, everyone! Keep working hard on this! Almost there!
Posted by at No comments:
Labels:

Thursday, June 8, 2017

Israel and Palestine, Day 5 - Class Recap


I have not been to Israel/Palestine, but I have been to Jordan, which is right across the border. This is the famous Monastery in the ancient city of Petra. Photo taken in 2014.

Dear class,

Today was our last real day of new content in the class, with a look at an excerpt from a book about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Here's what we did today in class:

Learning Targets: 
Communication LT 1: I can use language and style that is appropriate to the content area.
Critical Thinking LT 2: I can explain connections between events, issues, problems and concepts.
Knowledge LT 9: I can explain demographic changes in the world and their effects.
Knowledge LT 19: I can explain the impacts of nationalism and revolutionary movements. Knowledge LT 21: I can explain how religious ideas impact the shaping of societies.

Soundtrack: "I Want It That Way" by Backstreet Boys. Selected for today because each side in the conflict wants in their way. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 6/8/17:
News Brief – Caleb
Final Roles
A City Divided
Through Middle Eastern Eyes

Homework: Read the blog! All late/missing/revised work due by Friday (next class!). Keep working on your final project for the year (specific guide for what to do here). Next news brief: James.
---
News Brief: Caleb had the news brief today and selected an article about this story to talk about: BBC.com - Mosul battle: IS kills 230 fleeing civilians, says UN. We found Iraq in the world map and talked about this news story for a bit,  as well as how it relates to what we know about ISIS, Sunni and Shia Muslims from the religion unit, and the spread of ISIS in the region.

The next news brief was assigned to James.

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):


Final Roles: Speaking of the final project, this form clarifies what the expectation is going to be on the day of the final, as well as what students should be writing/talking about:


I'm going to keep it simple and have students just focus on this. You should already know what learning targets you need to work on. Use the chart at the top of the second page to focus your writing/speech notes on the specific issues in the conflict. I know there were a lot of questions on this - please let me know how I can continue clearing this up!

A City Divided: After the news brief, we watched two more videos from VICE News, which help explain what is going on in Jerusalem and the West Bank right now. The first was Jerusalem:


We also watched the last five minutes of this video, which has to do with violence in the West Bank:


After watching "Promises" last week, this was intended to be an update about what is currently happening in the region. 

Through Middle Eastern Eyes: This was an excerpt from a book, which I made a class set of. The two characters are representing the perspectives of Israel and Palestine. Here's the online version if you want to keep working on this at home:


There is a few pages of timeline and introduction in that, and then the characters start talking on page 229.

The two characters in the reading were David (representing Israel) and Daud (representing Palestine). I wanted students to partner up and go through the reading together. Here is the assignment that goes with the reading, to note each perspective and help you prepare for your final assignment:


We will continue this next class. See you then!
Posted by at No comments:
Labels:

Tuesday, June 6, 2017

Israel and Palestine, Day 4 - Class Recap


The Embassy of Palestine, in Bogota, Colombia. I got yelled at right after I took this picture. Photo taken in 2009.

Hi everyone,

Another week together! Next week will be our last full one of the year, with plenty to do to prepare for the final. Here's what we did today in class:

Learning Targets: 
Communication LT 1: I can use language and style that is appropriate to the content area.
Critical Thinking LT 2: I can explain connections between events, issues, problems and concepts.
Knowledge LT 9:  I can explain demographic changes in the world and their effects.
Knowledge LT 19:  I can explain the impacts of nationalism and revolutionary movements.
Knowledge LT 21:  I can explain how religious ideas impact the shaping of societies.

Soundtrack: "Put Everything Aside" by E-Z and Tailsman. Listen to the song here. Selected for today because a former student sent it to me as a comment on the blog last year. He helpfully translated the lyrics, which definitely relate to our work in trying to come to a solution for Israel and Palestine!

AGENDA 6/5/17:
News Brief – Patrick
Finish Promises
Epilogue/Discuss
Final Roles

Homework: Read the blog! Know your grade (updated on StudentVUE) and how to improve it by this Friday, if possible. Keep working on your final project for the year (specific guide for what to do here). Next news brief: Caleb.
---
News Brief: Patrick had the news brief today and selected an article about this story to talk about: BBC.com - London attack: What we know so far. We found the United Kingdom in the world map packet and talked about this story, as well as the latest updates from London. The UK is having an election on Thursday, so this will certainly be a major issue.

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):


The next news brief was assigned to Caleb.

Finish Promises: Next, we finished watching the Promises (2001) documentary, about Israeli and Palestinian children. Here's a link to the note taking guide we are filling out as we watch:


Here's a link to a stream online for the documentary (this quality isn't very good, but it's better than nothing): Veoh.com - Promises Streaming.

Epilogue/Discuss: After the documentary, I showed an epilogue that catches up with a few of them in 2004. How crazy is it about Faraj and where he ended up?

I also showed this link, which is a more recent interview with Sanabel: An Update from Sanabel. I'm glad that she is happy students are still learning about the conflict and thinking of ways to solve it!

Here's an update from Faraj, as well: Promises: An Interview with Faraj Adnan.

We discussed the documentary and the roles of the children involved with it. Keep these notes to work on your final project!

Final Roles: Speaking of the final project, this is a form that clarifies what the expectation is going to be on the day of the final, as well as what students should be writing/talking about. We ran out of time today in class, but I will pass it out and explain it next class:


I'm going to keep it simple and have students just focus on this. You should already know what learning targets you need to work on. Use the chart at the top of the second page to focus your writing/speech notes on the specific issues in the conflict.

Another resource is this timeline of the conflict:


Let me know if you have any questions about what you need to do! Not much longer to go until finals! You can do this! :-)
Posted by at No comments:
Labels:

Friday, June 2, 2017

Israel and Palestine, Day 3 - Class Recap


My view of Mt. Hood and Lost Lake on final approach into Portland International Airport on Memorial Day weekend in 2015.

Dear class,

Welcome to another weekend! I hope you are rested up and ready to finish the year strong. Here's what we did today in class:

Learning Targets: 
Communication LT 1: I can use language and style that is appropriate to the content area.
Critical Thinking LT 2: I can explain connections between events, issues, problems and concepts.
Knowledge LT 9: I can explain demographic changes in the world and their effects.
Knowledge LT 19: I can explain the impacts of nationalism and revolutionary movements. Knowledge LT 21: I can explain how religious ideas impact the shaping of societies.

Soundtrack: "Making Memories" by Rush. Selected for today because of the long Memorial Day weekend last weekend, and making sure we keep memories alive. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 6/2/17:
News Brief – Camille
Promises
Film Review

Homework: Read the blog! Know your grade (updated on StudentVUE) and how to improve it, if possible. All late/missing work is due by next Friday. Keep working on your final project for the year (overview here). Next news brief: Patrick.
---
News Brief: Camille had the news brief today and selected an article about this story to talk about: BBC.com - Russia Black Sea air crash: Pilot error blamed. We found Russia (where the flight took off from) in the world map packet and talked about this story (it appears the actual crash was in December, and this story was about the report on the reasons why it crashed). We also checked in about the weekend and what people were up to.

The next news brief was assigned to Patrick.

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):


Promises: Next, we watched the first part of the Promises (2001) documentary, about Israeli and Palestinian children. Here's a link to the note taking guide we are filling out as we watch:


Yes, it is old (about the time you were born)! It is also an incredibly well done look at life for the children in the region and really helps people understand what is going on. We will finish watching this next class.

For homework, you need to be continuing to work on your final project on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Here is the information you need for that:


Here is the overview of what the roles are:


Another resource is this timeline of the conflict:


Let me know if you have any questions about what you need to do! Not long now until the end of the year!
Posted by at 3 comments:
Labels:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)