We are experiencing extraordinary times! Our country faces both an historic presidential election and a major shift in our economic system. The United States has been viewed by the world as a safe place to invest money, but the meltdown of our major investment firms and banks over the past few weeks has shocked not only Americans but the rest of the world as well. Our country has not seen an economic crisis like this since the Great Depression of the 1930s! We and our elected officials have some very difficult decisions to make as we try to find a path to economic recovery. These decisions could result in revolutionary changes to our economic system and ultimately to our society.

As we fast approach interterms, make sure you have your portfolio in the classroom with your status of assignment sheet and completed work. We all need to work on our organizational skills and maintaining your portfolio encourages this as well as a way for you to monitor your grade. You must have an updated portfolio in the class bin in order to meet standard.

We have Open House on October 2 and I look forward to seeing you and your parents and guardians at this annual event. It is a great time to help them understand what you are experiencing as a student. The event starts at 6:00 pm in the cafetorium with remarks by Mr. Ruscito, followed by visits to the classrooms.

Turn on the Tube

With national and international events moving at such a fast pace, you need to find quick ways to keep your self updated. Watching one of the major newscasts (ABC, CBS, NBC, or PBS) at 6:30 is an efficient way to become aware of major events. If you are at sports or work, you can update yourself by going online and watching video clips or reading the headlines.

CWI

This week our class work mirrored our national news: a study of economic systems. We used the PBS reading on the fall of the dollar and our twin federal budget and trade deficits to better understand how our country has reached a turning point in its ability to support a complex economic system. We used the text to learn about different types of economic systems, the role natural resources play in supporting an economy and the critical need for an up-to-date infrastructure to promote economic development. Review your notes and worksheets to prepare for the announced quiz. Your next current event is due September 30 and must be an economic news article. This week you received a detailed sheet to guide you in selecting your news article and a rubric. This is a great opportunity to earn lots of points!

Next week we are going to turn to our Presidential race. I hope you had the chance to watch part of the debate on Friday. Keep in mind this is your last chance to practice the process of thinking about the issues and selecting the candidate of your choice. We will be having a mock election at MHS on October 29 so you want to be prepared. The next time you vote, it will be the real thing!

World History

This week we talked about how war changes a country. While we used the Greek conflicts as a starting point, our discussion quickly turned to the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. This week you also worked with your partner on the power point project on famous Greeks. This is an opportunity to practice team work and presentation skills. Make sure to follow the rubric and be ready to present on Monday.

AP European

October 1 is the final date to register for the AP exam. You have been working hard and if you want the AP designation on your transcript and the opportunity to take the test (to earn college credit) you must register with Mrs. Hicks.

This week you took your second AP style exam on the Reformation. Congratulations on your overall improvement on the multiple choice section of the exam. The multiple choice section of the AP exam in May is worth 50% of your score, so mastering the fine art of answering multiple choice questions will serve you well. While there is a great deal of information to digest, your study guide should direct you to the most important information. Over time you will also learn strategies for grouping and organizing information so you can quickly retrieve what you need for the exam.

We will continue to work with primary sources to become proficient at providing a summary and identifying a point of view. You will need both of these skills to provide the analysis required for the document based question (DBQ).

Recently, the publisher of the McKay text sent me an updated link that provides a wealth of information to help students better understand the material. Check it out but don’t let it overwhelm you... I found the chapter summary (2 pages) and the multiple choice quiz the most useful features.

A History Making Week

This has been a monumental week for global economic change. Alan Greenspan, former Chair of the Federal Reserve, described the changes in the world markets as “tectonic.” We are witnessing what is probably a once-in-a-hundred-year event as major investment houses and banks move towards bankruptcy and mergers. Our government, with the support of the international community, has begun moving to assist these private entities by offering government credit guarantees. This government backing and insurance hopefully will ease people’s fears and allow money to get to those who are seeking loans. You should be particularly attentive to the news during this historic series of events. Think about cause and effect as government actions affect markets, and vice-versa! This crisis illustrates how the economies of the world are interconnected and how, as the old saying goes, “money makes the world go round.”

Homework Helper

Middletown students now have access to “Live Homework Help” through the Rhode Island library system. Mr. Fontaine described this service as “an innovative on line service that connects students with expert, one-on-one tutors.” You can get to the help line through AskRI.org.

Open House

On September 30, Middletown High School will hold its annual Open House. I hope you and your family will participate in this annual event. It is a great time to show off your school and to talk with your family about your goals for the year. It is also a great time to show off your portfolio to your family. Reminder: portfolios must be up to date and stored in the classroom.

Contemporary World Issues

This week we focused on religions of the world and their impact on world events. Our group work gave you the opportunity become experts in one of the five major religions of the world: Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism and Hinduism. Your current event assignment focused on a world event that had religion as part of the story. Your events included conflict between Sunnis and Shiites, Israel and Palestine and recent uprisings of Hindus in India. Your map assignment will be due next class. I have a link for you to help you with the map and you will have some class time to finish the assignment.

World History

This week we continued with our study of Ancient Greece. We continued to work on marking the text and reading primary sources. Our map work gave us a better picture of the geography of the region and its impact on the development of Greece and its upcoming conflicts with Persia. We ended the week by designing a comparison chart of Athens and Sparta. Having the ability to group information into chart form is useful for all content areas. Keep it in mind the next time you are looking at complex information that you want to organize for quick mental retrieval and application.

AP European History

Congratulations to all of you on successfully completing your first AP style exam! I was especially impressed with your high scores on the multiple choice section. Your next test on the Reformation is scheduled for September 24. Your bold-to-bold outline, identifications and map will be due at that time.

Let me remind you that your AP registration and check are due in the Main Office.

A Great First Week!

Well, we are all getting used to the new routine and schedules so by Monday you should have your supplies. Next week we will set up our portfolio folders that you will keep in the classroom. Your folder will have a status of assignment sheet that will list all of your assignments and the grades you earned. All of your graded work goes in the folder so you can keep track of YOUR grade. You work hard for your points and it is a great system to monitor your progress. It also acts as an insurance policy in case I miss putting one of your grades in my folder.

I must compliment you on your ability to get to class on time and your ability to focus and work together. Our group work this week showed me that we are a true community of learners.

CWI

This week you had your first current event assignments. You selected an article that was of interest to you and responded to a series of questions that asked you to think of values and what is important to you. Our election this year is very much a debate on values and voters are going to be looking for the candidate who aligns with their interests. We spent time looking at the New York Times and learning how a paper is organized and how articles are written. You can use these skills with any newspaper. We ended the week with a discussion of the five themes of geography: location, place, region, human-environment interaction and movement. Please be ready for a “quiz.”

World History

This week we began our study of Ancient Greece and we worked on reading strategies. We need to focus our reading so we can pull out main ideas. While details add interest to a topic we need to be able to zoom in on key concepts. You should also take the time to make connections to what you are reading. Greece and Rhode Island have many similarities which we discussed. Over the weekend you have your map assignment that we will continue in class on Monday. Meanwhile I am signing up for “Troy” on my Netflix account!

AP European

Monday is our first exam on the Renaissance. The special posting from September 11 gives you additional information about the exam. Make sure to bring in your study guide and outline as they will be worth a test grade.

Great game on Friday night!

Congratulations!

Go Islanders!!

Special AP Announcement

Many historians describe the Renaissance as primarily an artistic movement and this is easy to understand when you list the names of some of the key artists from 1400-1550. Our list includes Leonardo DaVinci, Raphael, Donatello, Michelangelo and Brunelleschi, names familiar even to those of us who are not art historians. A few years ago, even Hollywood adopted the names of key Renaissance artists for what became a famous cartoon series: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!

There are several good web sites devoted to Renaissance art. If you are interested in reviewing the slide show from class you can open this link and scroll down to the powerpoint presentation. I would recommend that you save the presentation prior to viewing it, as it is a large file and tends to run slowly.

Test

Your test on Chapter 13 is on Monday. The first part of the test will consist of approximately 40 multiple choice questions. They will be in the same format as the questions we worked on in class. You will then select one free response essay from this list:

1. Why did the Renaissance begin in Italy and how was it sustained between 1300 and 1600?

2. In what ways do Machiavelli’s “The Prince” and Castiglione’s “The Courtier” echo the fundamental principles of the Italian Renaissance? Use one of the works to explain how it would have been used by a Renaissance person to provide guidance.

3.In many ways the Renaissance was primarily an artistic movement. What were the distinguishing characteristics of Renaissance art? What were the themes and techniques? How were artists trained? What was their status in society? How did Renaissance art reflect the changing attitudes and interests of Europeans?

Your study guide and outline of Chapter 13 are due at the start of class. The test and study guide will receive equal weight.

If you have any questions about the exam or material, please come by room 246 or drop me an email. We are working to earn “5” on the exam in May and a successful first test will put us on the track to success.

Broadening Our Horizons

Welcome back to a new school year and to my new blog for 2008. I know the first question you may have is why I named the blog MHSCOTW. I believe that all of us should start viewing ourselves as “Citizens of the World.” If we thought of ourselves as parts of a bigger community than Middletown, or Rhode Island, or even America itself, our world would benefit. I think this global thinking would lead to less strife and more cooperation. This idea truly hit home when my son graduated from an American university and was hired by a German bank that immediately sent him to London, then on to New York City, India and now Tokyo. His story is not that unusual for recent college graduates as more businesses have an international presence.

The blog is a way for us to review what we worked on during the week and to provide additional information on a variety of topics through links. You will notice that the entries include highlighted words which are active links to other sites where you can read further about a particular topic. For reasons of time and space, the blog is not an all inclusive wrap-up of the week, and because five different classes will be using the blog, it cannot provide detailed information about homework.

I hope you enjoy reading the blog. Please feel free to offer recommendations.

Contemporary World Issues (CWI)

This week we talked about issues facing the world (global warming, terrorism, poverty and disease) as well as countries in the news. You quickly identified the major regions and countries we will be studying this semester: the Middle East, China, India, Africa and Russia. How do world issues affect you? Thomas Friedman, author of the best-seller “The World is Flat,” makes a compelling argument that all businesses and fields of employment will be affected by new technology and the growth of what used to be called “third world” countries. One example he gives are the number of McDonald’s restaurants that are now using operators located off sight to respond to drive-in orders. While some of these off-site operators may be in the US, more are located in India. With this example it is hard to think of a job that might be safe from outsourcing. We will also make time to look at some national issues, especially the history-making Presidential election.

You will find that your understanding of the issues will be greatly enhanced by watching the news or reading a daily paper. Next week we are scheduled to start receiving The New York Times. This is a major investment on the part of the District and I know that you will quickly appreciate having this opportunity to read a world class newspaper. As good thinkers and policy makers, we will also be consulting other sources, such as The Wall Street Journal, international press, and news web sites. If you have a favorite one please bring it in and we will add it to our list of resources.

Honors World History

This week we practiced our 3-2-1 strategy of marking up the text. As you read try to pull out the big ideas and make connections to what you already know. Asking questions of the text makes you a more involved reader and thus a more effective reader. We started our study of the world with the Greeks and next week we will work on a map (bring those colored pencils) and read about the lasting influence the Greeks have had on our lives. You already identified two areas: architecture and the Olympics!

AP European History

This week we have started the march to the AP exam which will be given on May 8. You will find that the pace of the reading is swift, but if you read about 10 pages per night you should be able to stay on schedule. You have been given a study guide which can be handed in the day of the exam. I will be putting together a calendar for you so you will be able to plan your time. I would urge all of you to visit the AP European web site for further information on the course. While different AP European History classes may use different texts, all of the classes have similar content.

We started this week with a study of the Renaissance. One of your first assignments was the comparison chart of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. This chart with categories is a useful method for gathering and sorting through information. If you did not complete the chart in class, you should finish it as part of your guide to the chapter.

We are fortunate to be members of the Middletown school community. We have a great school with wonderful students and a supportive faculty and administration. I know we are going to have a great year. Please do not hesitate to see me if there is anything I can do to help you have a fun, safe and productive year.