Friday, September 29, 2017

Geography, Day 7 - Class Recap


Today's map quiz was on Europe. In 2013, I took a two month trip to Europe and traveled by plane, train, and bus all around. Here's a collage of photos from each stop of the trip.

Hi everyone,

We are getting close to the end of the Geography unit! Thank you for your patience and understanding that geography is really important! Here's what happened today:

Learning Targets:
Behavior LT 2: I can self-direct my learning.
Knowledge LT 6: I can demonstrate an understanding of the characteristics of locations and regions.
Knowledge LT 7: I can demonstrate the ability to use geographic tools.

Soundtrack: "Trans Europe Express" by Kraftwerk. Selected for today because it was the Europe quiz in class, naturally. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 9/29/17:
News Brief – Omar
Europe Map Quiz
Geographic Literacy
Atlas/Map Work

Homework: Read the blog. Finish Africa map (colored and labeled) for the quiz next class. Next news brief: Rachel.

News Brief: Before the news brief today, we went over to Mr. Puterbaugh's class to give everyone high fives because it was Friday! Hooray! Omar had the news brief today and selected this story to talk about: CNN.com - Russia warns U.S. over treatment of its media outlets. We found Russia in our world map packet (helpfully in the same continent we were taking the map quiz on) and talked about this story for a while - lots of excellent questions about Russia and their influence in the United States election. We also talked about Space X and their latest rocket announcement, as well as lots of other related questions. Rachel was selected as the next person up.

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 asked about the weekend and if anyone had any plans, before moving on.

Europe Map Quiz: The fourth map quiz out of the six! Remember that your top four scores will be turned in for your grade for the geography targets. We corrected the quiz in class (making sure to note the updated answers from the map quiz key) and then students passed them back to each other.

Geographic Literacy: I know that class has been a little repetitive lately, with quizzes and work time, I wanted to show again why it is important that we are learning about geography. So, I played this clip:


Yikes, to say the least! "Name a country in South America." "Uh... Africa?"

The problem is that this is not uncommon. To back up my point that we really need to know our geography as a society, I showed this article about the results of a 2006 National Geographic study:


Some of the statistics on there (granted, almost a decade old, but I would be willing to bet the numbers have not changed that much) are really frightening, about how little Americans the age of the students in our class know about geography. Less than 20% of young Americans even OWN a world map, which is a reason why I really care that you do! With that in mind, we moved on to continuing to label and prepare for the next map quiz.

Finally, we watched this clip of John Oliver making fun of people for not knowing their geography:



Pretty funny, and it also reinforces the point about needing to know where places are!

Atlas/Map Work: The last part of class was dedicated to labeling and coloring the Africa section of the map packet, in order to be able to use it on the upcoming quiz next class. For checking the blog, here's a question from the quiz: This mountainous central African country is located between Uganda and Burundi. If you are missing your map packet and know you need to have it done, please print out another and have it ready to go for next class:

Google Drive - World Maps Packet

Also, here's the Five Themes of Geography Atlas activity to continue working on (which mostly has to be in class with the atlases here):

Have a great weekend, everyone! See you next week. :-)
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Wednesday, September 27, 2017

Geography, Day 6 - Class Recap


Today, we took the North America quiz and worked on identifying the states. This is a picture I took at the California Poppy Reserve in 2008.

Dear class,

Today was another quiz and work day, as we progress through the maps of the world and being able to identify where countries are. We also had a solid amount of work time at the end of class to be studying and completing the Five Themes of Geography packet. Here's what happened today:

Learning Targets:
Knowledge LT 7: I can demonstrate an understanding of the characteristics of locations and regions.
Knowledge LT 10: I can demonstrate an understanding of the connection between physical and human systems.

Soundtrack: "I Want it That Way" by Backstreet Boys. Selected for today because the Backstreet Boys are from the United States, which is in North America, and I wanted you do to well on your map quiz today! Lyrics here.

AGENDA 9/27/17:
News Brief – Peter
North America Map Quiz
5 Themes
Map Work

Homework: Read the blog. Finish Europe map (colored and labeled) for the quiz next class. Next news brief: Omar.

News Brief: Peter had the news brief today and selected this story to talk about: BBC.com - Saudi Arabia women hail end of driving ban. We found Saudi Arabia in the world map and talked about this story and why the change in the law (set to be in practice next year) was made. Thanks, Peter! Omar was selected as the next person up.

We also checked in about what people were up to in class. As part of this, I talked about the protests during the national anthem over the weekend, and talked about student rights regarding the ability to protest at school and athletic events: EdWeek.org - Students Have a Right to Protest During National Anthem, Pledge of Allegiance.

As part of the News Brief section, we watched the one minute world news from the BBC,  Here's the link to see the latest one minute update, at any time of day:


I think being aware of what is going on around the world is an important habit to develop! :-)

North America Map Quiz: The third map quiz out of the six! Remember that your top four scores will be turned in for your grade for the geography targets. We corrected the quiz in class - please keep all copies of your map quizzes in your binder to select the top four at the end of the unit!
5 Themes/Map Work: The last part of class was dedicated to labeling and coloring the Europe section of the map packet (there are a lot of countries in Europe and it is pretty detailed, so I understand if you are using arrows to label), in order to be able to use it on the upcoming quiz next class. For checking the blog, here's a question from the quiz: This small country is a principality located between Switzerland and Austria. If you are missing your map packet and know you need to have it done, please print out another and have it ready to go for next class:

Google Drive - World Maps Packet

Also, here's the Five Themes of Geography Atlas activity to continue working on (this is also on Google Classroom for you to create a copy of):

Thanks, everyone! You did a great job of focusing and being able to self-direct your learning in class today!
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Monday, September 25, 2017

Geography, Day 5 - Class Recap


Today's map quiz was on Oceania. I told the class that I once visited Kiribati (pronounced Kire-eh-bahs) for a couple of hours in 2014. That was on purpose on a layover from Fiji from Hawaii! One of my very favorite passport stamps!

Hello everyone,

I had a lot of fun with today's class, and I hope you did, too! Here's what happened today:

Learning Targets:
Knowledge LT 7: I can demonstrate an understanding of the characteristics of locations and regions.
Knowledge LT 10: I can demonstrate an understanding of the connection between physical and human systems.

Soundtrack: "Back in Black" by AC/DC. Selected for today because AC/DC is from Australia, which the map quiz was on today! Lyrics here.

AGENDA 9/25/17:
Wildcat News Brief – Ree
Oceania Map Quiz
Island Mountains
Atlas/Map Work

Homework: Read the blog. Finish North America map (colored and labeled) for the quiz next class. Next news brief: Peter.

News Brief: Ree had the news brief today and selected this story to talk about: USAToday.com - Now-and-then satellite photos show Maria's ravaging of Dominica. We discussed this ongoing story for a bit and found Dominica in the world map packet to note we had done a news brief on it. Thanks, Ree! Peter was selected to be the next person up.

We also checked in about last weekend and what people were up to outside of class.

Finally, we watched BBC World News for the day, before moving on.

Here was the Westview Wildcat News for the week, if you wanted to see it again or missed class:


Oceania Map Quiz: The next map quiz out of the six! Remember that your top four scores will be turned in for your grade for the geography targets. We corrected the quiz in class and I gave students back the South America quiz results.

Island Mountains: I loved doing this activity with my classes! I was taught how to do this lesson years ago when I was getting my Masters at Lewis and Clark. It was so cool to see all of the different islands that students created! The directions for this activity were:

Crumple up a white piece of paper.

Wrap a writing utensil around the middle, so there is a bump in the paper.

Lay it down on a blue piece of paper. Cut off the corners, so that the bottom is circular/curved.

Tape the sides down.

Start coloring the mountain with:
Forests (a ring of green around the middle)
Rivers (blue streams down the sides of the mountain)
Cliffs and rocks (brown or grey)
Lava (red, if you want),
Beaches (yellow/orange).
The only part to your island that could be majority white is the top (snow).

Draw some houses on the flat parts to your island, next to the rivers that would provide water. Where would ships go? Draw a harbor there.

Identify where humans and the environment (Knowledge Target 10 shout out!) would be interacting on your island. Give your island a name and write it on the blue of the ocean!

Make a key for your map – how big is each inch? A mile? Draw a compass (North, South, East, West) for your map!

Here's one resulting map, which was super awesome:


Woo hoo! I hope you enjoyed this activity (really focusing on the behavior target of self-directing learning), but also about Oceania/islands and human/environment interaction!

Atlas/Map Work: The last part of class was dedicated to labeling and coloring the North America/Caribbean section of the map packet, in order to be able to use it on the upcoming quiz next class. For checking the blog, here's a question from the quiz: This country, the furthest east of all the Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean, is east of St. Lucia. If you are missing your map packet and know you need to have it done, please print out another and have it ready to go for next class:

Google Drive - World Maps Packet

Also, here's the Five Themes of Geography Atlas activity to continue working on (which mostly has to be in class with the atlases here):

We did not have a ton of time in class to work on this, due to the fun mountain making activity, So, I took a picture of the North America/Caribbean section (remember that these are two different map pages in your map packet) to help with labeling and coloring at home for the next quiz:


If you click on it, the image should get much bigger.

Have a great day, everyone! I appreciate all of your hard work so far in class. 
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Thursday, September 21, 2017

Geography, Day 4 - Class Recap

My friend Ryan and I, on a mountain looking over Bogota, Colombia in 2009. We had our South America map quiz today in class, which included Colombia!

Hi wonderful students,

Great to see you all again today! It was a quiz and work day in class. Here's what happened today:

Learning Targets:
Knowledge LT 7: I can demonstrate an understanding of the characteristics of locations and regions.
Knowledge LT 10: I can demonstrate an understanding of the connection between physical and human systems.

Soundtrack: "Es Por Ti" by Juanes. Selected for today because Juanes is a singer from Colombia, which is in South America, which is what our map quiz today was about! Lyrics here.

AGENDA 9/21/17:
News Brief – Naomi
South America Map Quiz
5 Themes/Map Work
Oceania

Homework: Read the blog. Finish Oceania map (colored and labeled) for the quiz next class. Next news brief: Ree.

News Brief: Naomi had the news brief today and selected this story to talk about: TheGuardian.com - Russian helicopter accidentally fires rocket at onlookers. We found Russia in our world map packet (in Asia!) and talked for a bit about this story. Thanks, Naomi! Ree was assigned to do the next news brief.

We also talked about what students were up to outside of the classroom and 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):

South America Map Quiz: As promised, the first map quiz. This was for South America and it is probably the easiest map quiz of the six we will do. I let students use their South America maps if they had completed them before class. Hopefully, you understand the importance of having a completed map to use on the test, and of reading the blog! We corrected the quiz in class and I passed it out for students to see what they got, before collecting them to be returned for good next class.

Five Themes/Map Work: This was the atlas work packet that we have been working on in class the last few days. This will be due at the end of the Geography unit (in about 3 classes, when we are done with each of the continents) and will count towards the assessment of a learning target. If you missed class, the packet is here (you need to work in class with the atlas in order to complete this):


Please keep at this in class and work hard to get it done!

Oceania: The last part of class was dedicated to labeling and coloring the Australia/Oceania section of the map packet, in order to be able to use it on the upcoming quiz next class. This is much tougher than the South America quiz, so be ready! For checking the blog, here's a question from the quiz: This is the northernmost country in Oceania, with U.S. territories to the west and east. If you are missing your map packet and know you need to have it done, please print out another and have it ready to go for next class:


Again, mostly a work day today. Thanks for your focus today. See you next class!
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Tuesday, September 19, 2017

Geography, Day 3 - Class Recap

This is a globe that was in a house that George Washington stayed at for a few weeks in Barbados. Photo taken in 2011.

Hi everyone,

Welcome to another week of Global Studies! Today, we learned about the Five Themes of Geography and did some more map work with the atlases in class. Here's what happened:

Learning Targets:
Knowledge LT 7: I can demonstrate an understanding of the characteristics of locations and regions.
Knowledge LT 10: I can demonstrate an understanding of the connection between the physical and human systems.

Soundtrack: "Maps" by Maroon 5. Get it? Because we are learning about Geography and maps? Ha, ha. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 9/19/17:
News Brief – Linh
Maps
Themes of Geography
Map Work

Homework: Read the blog. Bring a photo for the wall if you have not already. Study for South America map quiz next class (need completed and colored map of South America done in order to use). Next news brief: Naomi.

As a reward for reading the blog (and doing your homework), one of the questions on the quiz is: This country shares its longest border with Argentina.

News Brief: Linh had the news brief today and selected an article about this story to bring in: TheGuardian.com - Earthquake in Turkey and Greece leaves at least two dead in Kos. We found the Turkey in our world map packet and noted we did a news brief story there. We also talked for a bit about this story and what happened (although it appears that this was from July, so not all that recent). Thanks, Linh!

Naomi was assigned the next news brief.

We took the time to check in about the weekend and what people were up to, as well.

As part of the 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):


Maps: With this next section in class, we continued working with maps and geography. You will be using your world map packet every day for the rest of the year - specifically during the News Brief section, but also during this unit, where we will be filling out the map packet and taking geography quizzes on the different continents to get to know where everything is located.

I showed this video of many different time lapses on the ground, in various different countries. This one makes me smile, because I have been to a few of these places! :-)


I showed this in class to hopefully help inspire you to learn about where these places are and maybe one day to travel there! We are going to keep looking at geography throughout the year.

Themes of Geography: Basically, this was a PowerPoint presentation in combination with a work packet online for notes on each of the themes and an activity using Google to find relevant maps. We began this section by watching the Five Themes of Geography rap:



The Five Themes of Geography are:

Movement
Regions
Human Environment interactions
Location
Place

Or: MR. HELP!

For those that were not in class or wanted to see the presentation again for additional review, here it is:


(this is linked to on Google Classroom as your personal copy to fill out)

This is one way in which you will be able to demonstrate proficiency with LT 10 in class. Thanks for your focus and participation in taking notes! I appreciate it!

Map Work: To finish class, I passed out a huge map packet (not regular sized paper) for students to fill out. Specifically, work on identifying the countries in South America on the first page, to begin. You need to have the country name written in and the country colored (so not two touching countries are the same color) in order to be able to use them on the map quiz (it is virtually impossible to pass the map quiz without your completed map). Just in case you want to see the files again (printing them on smaller paper is not advised), here it is:


Map Packet Expectations:
1 = Maps lack detail, color, and/or labels. Maps are sloppy or messy.
2 = Maps are labeled and colored but there may be inaccuracies. Maps could be neater.
3 = Maps are labeled and colored completely, accurately, and neatly.
4 = Maps are labeled and colored completely, accurately, and neatly, and include at least one piece of  other information, such as capitals, land forms, water features, flags, or resources.

That was it for today! Bring your maps for next class, because we will continue working on them. They are not homework for now! We will use them during the news brief, too.

Again, a heads up that you need your completed South American map, with the countries labeled and colored to use next class on the quiz. Please use a website like Google Maps, or ask questions if you need help!

Sound good? See you next class!
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Friday, September 15, 2017

Geography, Day 2 - Class Recap


Ayers Rock/Uluru in the Australian outback. Photo taken in January 2014.

Dear class,

I loved getting to really talk more about geography in depth today, and explore a little bit about countries around the world! I am a huge fan of geography and knowing about different countries, so hopefully that excitement translated well.

Learning Targets Addressed: 
Knowledge LT 7: I can demonstrate an understanding of the characteristics of locations and regions.
Knowledge LT 10: I can demonstrate an understanding of the connection between the physical and human systems.

Soundtrack: "Such Great Heights" by the Postal Service. Selected for today because we started looking at the world from above, in terms of maps (and also the space station video that I played in class). Lyrics here.

AGENDA 9/15/17:
News Brief - McKenzie
Photos/Over The Summer
Geography
Maps

Homework: Read the blog and post a comment (if you have not already). Bring a photo if you have not already! The next news brief is assigned to: Linh.

News Brief: Today's news brief was brought in by McKenzie who selected an article about this story: USGS.gov - M 3.2 - 70km WNW of Skagway, Alaska. We found Canada on Google Maps and talked about this story for a bit before moving on. Thanks, McKenzie! We also checked in about the upcoming weekend and what people were up to.

Linh was selected to do the next news brief.

As part of the 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):


Photos/Over The Summer: After the news, I gave the class another chance to showcase a photo from around the world or their family, if they had not done their homework last class.

We then went back and I asked about any major events we could think of that happened over the summer. This was another way of just gauging what the class knew about news around the world. Thanks for participating!

Geography: Next up, I showed this clip of Miss Teen South Carolina 2007, trying to answer a question about why many Americans cannot locate the United States on a world map:


I didn't mean to further embarrass Miss Teen South Carolina. I just wanted to show why it is important that we know our geography! So, I passed out a blank piece of paper that asked everyone to try and draw a world map from memory, labeling as much as possible. Some of these were pretty good! Others, not so much. That's okay! We definitely can improve on our geography skills, and I am excited to teach the class about it.

I also talked about how important it is to be able to assess your own work as a student. Do you know what a "4" looks like? How about 3, 2, and 1 on the proficiency scale? I had the class assess their work on the "Draw Your Own Map" activity we did last class, now that we could look at the atlas in class. Here's the activity again if you missed it either day:


As I said in class, I expect that most students would be in the 1 or 2 grade range for the proficiency scores. That's totally fine! I haven't taught you anything about it, yet! You should be at that level, unless you have lots of prior knowledge!

Maps: After the fun of trying to draw the world we played the Sporcle online map game. You all were good for the first time! A score of 123 out of 197 in 15:00 minutes is decent for a first time playing. Again, we will get better about learning about the world! Here's the game to play if you are a huge nerd like me (yes, I have named all of them in 15 minutes before):


Next, I showed a few links that have to do with creatively thinking about geography. It's so much more than just blank maps and countries! These are real places with real people and amazing scenery! The first link was: TwistedSifter.com - 40 Maps That Will Help You Make Sense of the World. I didn't show all of the maps in class, but I did particularly enjoy a few, like the map of every country in the world that the United Kingdom has invaded at one point or another.

After that, I showed this video that is a time lapse of some shots from the International Space Station, orbiting around the Earth at night. Incredible! See if you can identify the countries and places by their lights at night.


That was it for today, due to time (as it was a short class on Wednesday with early release). We will get back to it on Tuesday!

Thanks for your focus and participation here! See you next week!
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Wednesday, September 13, 2017

Geography, Day 1 - Class Recap


The ball of yarn that we used in class today for the Class Unity Activity! Thanks for participating in this!

Dear class,

I enjoyed getting to know you all a bit better today! We had a productive time with the yarn activity and learning more about what is going on in the world at the end of the class. I also loved seeing your photos and having them put up on the walls!

Learning Targets Addressed: 
Behavior LT 3: I can communicate and work effectively within a team or group.
Communication LT 1: I can communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.

Soundtrack: "Comin' From Where I'm From" by Anthony Hamilton. Because today, we talked about where we are from and how we got to be at Westview, via our family background. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 9/13/17:
News Brief - Bailey
Photos/Finish Fear
Class Unity Activity
The Summer

Homework: Read the blog and post a comment (if you have not already). Bring a photo if you have not already! The next news brief is assigned to: McKenzie.

News Brief: Today's news brief was brought in by Bailey, who selected an article about this story: CNN.com - Mexico earthquake: Rescue efforts continue as death toll rises. We talked about what is going on with the impacts of the earthquake in Mexico and looked at the geography of the region a bit. I also asked about if anyone was up to anything particularly fun or interesting outside of class. I like checking in and giving the opportunity to see what students are up to!

McKenzie was selected to do the next news brief.

As part of the 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):

Photos: After the news, we heard from students who remembered to do their homework and bring in a photo from a place they have been, a place they want to go, or a picture of their family. I really enjoyed this, and it was so cool to see everyone's photos and hear stories! If you did not bring in a picture, please do so next class.

Class Unity Activity: I always love this, for many reasons. One, because I love hearing about how everyone came to be in our classroom. Two, because of how the yarn connects us all. Three, because it helps the class (and me) learn names and a little about each other! Thank you for participating in this. It can get lengthy, I know, but I value it so much more than just lecturing for that time. It was nice to enjoy the sun outside for a bit, too!

Finish Fear: At the end of the class, we shared a bit about the "fear" stories I had the class write last time, because I talked about how the U.S. felt a lot of fear after September 11th. It was interesting (and sometimes pretty funny) to hear the stories that were shared out!

We finished with that. We will work a bit more on what happened over the summer next class. Let me know if you have any questions! Thanks!
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Monday, September 11, 2017

September 11th, 2001 - Class Recap


This is part of N591UA, which operated United Flight 93 on September 11th, 2001, and was hijacked for possible use against the White House. Instead, a passenger revolt forced down the plane into a field in Pennsylvania. A part of my 9/11 story is that I once flew on that exact same plane, from Portland to Chicago in 1996. Check out my FlightMemory map of lifetime flights.

Hello wonderful students,

Today, I tried to make sure everyone learned about the basics of the major events of September 11th, 2001, which happened 16 years ago today. Sometimes, I just want to focus on the moment! Here's the class recap for today:

Learning Targets:
Behavior LT 1: I can manage my responsibilities as a student.
Communication LT 1: I can communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.

Soundtrack: “Wake Me Up When September Ends" by Green Day. Selected because it is September, summer is over, we are losing sleep, and we discussed the events of September 11th, 2001 today in class. Lyrics (which some may argue directly relate to the War on Terror) here.

AGENDA 9/11/17:
Wildcat News Brief - Desi
The Wall
September 11th, 2001
Fear

Homework: Read the blog recap! Post a comment if you have not. Bring in a photo for the wall that is either: 1) A place anywhere in the world that you have been. 2) A place anywhere in the world that you want to go to. 3) A picture of you and/or your family. Next news brief: Bailey.

News Brief: Desi had the news brief today and chose this story to talk about: CNN.com - Cuba cleans up after Hurricane Irma tears through Caribbean. The first news brief of the year! Desi did an excellent job recapping what this story was about, as we discussed what happened with Hurricane Irma over the weekend. Thanks for leading us off, Desi. We then talked about what else we knew about what was going on around the world recently, as well as what we were up to over the weekend!

Bailey was assigned to do the next news brief.

As part of the 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

Hooray for knowing what is going on around the world!

For those that wanted to see Wildcat News again, here it is. These will be an addition to the News Brief section when they come out (usually each Monday):



The Wall: As a get to know you and get to know the room activity, I split the class up into six groups. Everyone in the group was responsible for knowing everyone else's name. I also assigned each group to look at one of the big photo posters in the back - trying to analyze where they were taken and different aspects of them. It was just an attempt to try and get everyone to work together and use some critical thinking skills. I revealed during this exercise that I took all of the photos that are currently on the back wall. I love traveling and photography! :-)

Your homework was to find a photo to contribute to the back wall. Just a regular 4 x 6 print is 29 cents at Walgreens (I know, because that's what I used to print some of the photos for the back wall). It has to be able to be stapled up (so don't use the last copy of a precious family photo). Here's what I am looking for (choose one):

1) A photo of a place you have been to before.

2) A photo of a place that you want to go to.

3) A photo of you or your family.

I am really excited to see what everyone brings in! Again, if you need help with this, please email me or comment on the blog. I am hoping for an amazing back wall, full of all sorts of pictures from our adventures, hopes, and families! :-)

September 11th, 2001: To start this section, I asked students to do a free write for about 5 minutes on the following questions:

What do you know about September 11th, 2001? What have you heard about it? Do you remember anything? What have you learned before, in class, or from parents?

After the free write time, we shared responses as a class and I told my story about September 11th. I was starting my Sophomore year at Wilson High School in Portland. It was definitely a day I will remember for the rest of my life. To drive home the point as to what the day was like, I showed this video in class, which was a timeline of the day:


From there, I moved on to discussing how September 11th, 2001 came about.

Fear: We talked about in class about FEAR. To start to look at how fear played a role after September 11th, I showed a couple of videos:


This is United States Secretary of State Colin Powell addressing the United Nations about the "weapons of mass destruction" that the U.S. government thought was in Iraq. It turned out that there were not any such weapons.


This video contains a montage of President George W. Bush and many of the key figures in his government repeating words in speeches that sounded pretty scary.

The last bit to class was another free write. This time, it was about fear in our lives. 

The prompt was: write about a time in which you experienced fear and how you felt. What did you want to do in that moment?

We didn't get to share these in class, so we will come back to them next time.

I wanted to make the connection between the fear much of America felt after 9/11. In fact, one of the ways that the government might have helped keep people fearful (or ready) is by making a threat level color coded system.:


In the entire history of the threat level system (which ended under President Obama), the threat level never went below Elevated - meaning we were supposed to be at "significant risk of terrorist attacks," constantly.

That was it for the day! 
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Thursday, September 7, 2017

Introduction Day - Class Recap


The start of a year long journey together! This is the road to Monument Valley, on the Arizona/Utah border, during the summer of 2014.

Hello everyone,

Thank you for doing your homework and visiting the blog! As I said in class, I think this is a really helpful resource for students, staff, and parents to be able to follow along with what is happening. After every class, I will write up a recap and post it. Most of the time, your only homework will be to read over the blog and be prepared for what is coming next in class. With that, let's get started!

Soundtrack: "Changes" by 2Pac. I always choose this song to start off a new class with, because I like the idea of our room being somewhat different from your other experiences in high school. This song also has all sorts of lyrics that relate to Global Studies, like the line:

"Can't a brother get a little peace?
There's war on the streets and the war in the Middle East."

Check out the full lyrics here.

AGENDA 9/7/17:
Introductions/Attendance
Syllabus/Grades
Letter to Class/Mr. Fritz
The Blog
Create Ground Rules
News Briefs

Homework: Share syllabus and website with parents. Bring binder. Check the blog and post a comment! Next news brief: Desi.

Introductions/Attendance: At the start of class, I introduced myself and how the agenda on the whiteboard works. I am absolutely delighted to be your teacher at Westview this year!

I took attendance and tried to ask everyone how they wanted me to address them. It will take me some time, but eventually, I will know everyone's names, I promise!

Syllabus/Grades: I know that this is not the most exciting content in class. I wanted to make sure to go over some of the real key points to the syllabus (like where I am, how to contact me, how your grade is decided, and the need to bring a binder to class). Here is an electronic copy of the syllabus and rubrics:

If you or your parents have any questions about any of this, please let me know!

Letter to Class/Mr. Fritz: After the syllabus talk was done, I passed out a letter that I wrote to the class, explaining all about who I am and what sort of expectations I have. Hopefully, most of it was interesting information! I like passing these out and signing them all individually. To me, it represents that I really am interested in everyone in my class.

After reading the letter aloud, I asked everyone to write back to me in a similar sort of fashion. I gave a bunch of possible questions to answer as prompts and about 30 minutes or so to complete the assignment. I LOVE reading these and writing back to everyone! Thank you for your effort - I can't wait to learn a little bit more about who you are!

The Blog: As part of the syllabus, I introduced this website: the class blog! This is seriously so important for your success in this class. If you are staying up to date on here, reviewing what happened in class to get ready for the next meeting, and asking questions if you need help, I guarantee that you will be more successful than if you do not. Make sure to leave a comment at least once (the easiest homework assignment of all time for most students, I believe), so I know you are able to!

Create Ground Rules: Ahh, yes. Your class was great with this usually awkward process! The rules that you came up with and agreed to as an entire class are:

• Treat others with respect
• Be Responsible
• Stay Focused
• Participate in Class
• Support Each Other

I will be working to make sure everyone, including myself, is following the ground rules! Thank you for participating in this exercise. I will post these in the room and on the top right of the blog.

News Briefs: This is the current event style assignment that everyone will do at least once. Basically, all I want is for someone (I will assign it) to bring in a print out (or email me) of an current news article (within the last two weeks) that is a story about something outside the United States (since this is a Global Studies class). We will talk for about 5-10 minutes at the start of class about whatever article this is - just as a way to help make class relevant and interesting to you and what is going on every day in the world.

Desi kindly volunteered to do the first news brief. :-)

Thank you for reading! See you next class! Post a comment to do your homework!
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