The headline on the New York Times for Wednesday was just one word: “Obama.”
We are living through a major turning point in our history, and we must think hard about all this election means for the future of our country. Our lives are busy and filled with distractions, but the election of Senator Obama, now President-elect Obama, is so important an event that it deserves – in fact, demands – thoughtful consideration. You wrote your personal reflections this week and I urge you to keep those thoughts in a safe place so you can share them with the next generation. Your children will ask you about this election and you should be prepared to share with them the excitement and exuberance of our country and the world. Next week in CWI, we will be reading and discussing how other countries have reacted.
President-elect Obama held his first news conference on Friday and responded to numerous questions from the press ranging from economic policy to appointments. This is a great civics lesson for us as we see the start of a new administration, a peaceful transfer of power, and the role of checks and balances as the President-elect nominates his Cabinet officers.
We cannot forget that the President-elect is also a father, and he is making sure he does not neglect that role as he follows up on his promise of a puppy for his daughters and considers what schools they might attend after they move to Washington, D.C.
Our New York Times edition from November 5 is already a collector’s item. When the NYT learned that copies of the paper were being sold on EBay for $200, they quickly printed additional copies. Yesterday the paper was advertising its special collector’s edition for $14.95. I hope you have taken your copy and placed it in a special place for future generations to read. Who knows...maybe it will appear on Antiques Road Show!
Parent-Teacher Conferences
Your family should be receiving a notice about our upcoming conferences scheduled for November 18. I am looking forward to meeting with you and your family as we review your progress and plan for the remaining school year. You should be part of the conference as you are the one doing the work.
Parental interest and support in your school work helps all of us have a more successful year. President-elect Obama and Mrs. Obama took time last week to attend Parent Teacher Conferences at the Chicago Lab School where their daughters are students.
CWI
We have left the continent of Africa, but I hope you will keep up with this large and diverse continent by continuing to follow current events. Many of you in your final assessment spoke about how you would like to help the people of Africa meet some of their challenges, and I would urge you to check out organizations that could use your assistance. There are groups aimed at helping meet the need for food, working to combat disease, and providing economic development assistance. Get involved... maybe this could become a Capstone project!
We have started our unit on South West Asia and your map and current event from this region will be due on Monday. Please be prepared for the traditional map quiz and let’s try to get current events from countries other than Iraq. The war naturally commands our attention, but we do not want to ignore other countries of the region. President-elect Obama has already spoken about getting some of those countries to work more closely with the United States to help Iraq end the violence and rebuild its economy. I am sure we will be hearing more about Iraq’s neighbors as the United States withdraws troops and hands over more responsibility to the Iraqi government.
As we are at the end of the quarter, we took the time to write a letter home about the work you have completed and your goals for the second quarter. I will look over your letters this weekend and you will take them home next week. It is a great way to start off the new quarter and earn a perfect score for your first assignment.
AP European History
The Enlightenment French style Salon made its way to room 246 this week as we were visited by David Hume, Adam Smith, Voltaire, Rousseau and Thomas Jefferson. Frederick II and Catherine the Great, busy with duties of State, joined us as we wrapped up our discussion on some of the leading questions of the day: what is the proper role of the government; should the government be involved in directing the economy; and should women play a more active role in the state? You did a great job and I was struck by how many of the issues we discussed are still with us today as we continue the debate about what constitutes good government.
On Wednesday you will have a partial DBQ (analysis of the documents and writing the first paragraph of an essay) and on Thursday you will have the multiple choice questions. Your study guide and bold to bold outlines are due the day of the multiple choice test.
Our next unit will encompass chapters 19 and 20 and focus on everyday people and their lives on the farms and in the cities. We will be reading more social history as we look at marriage and family life. We will divide into two groups who will take the responsibility of presenting the material to the class.
World History
As ninth graders you have so many new demands that it is prudent to pause at the end of this first quarter and reflect on what you have done, where you have been successful and where you have struggled. The letter you composed focuses on your accomplishments and your plans for second quarter. There is always room for improvement and we want to take those opportunities so we can all be better students.
Some of you struggled keeping the status of assignment sheet up to date and organized. We will be using this method for the rest of the year. Every few days I write the assignments on the board and their value. You need to copy this information on to your sheet and then fill in your score as well as file your work in the folder. These are your points and you are responsible for keeping your work organized. It will be especially useful to you for the mid-term exam as you are tested on material from September through January and having the portfolio will give you ample material to review.
We started a new unit this week, The Age of Exploration. You had three guiding questions for your text reading. Make sure to answer these questions in your notebook after you finish reading the assigned pages. You will find that you will understand material if you read it, write it and then explain it during the next class.
Our next current event is due on November 13.
Extra Credit
In lieu of a question, I am asking everyone to bring in one item for our food drive. The Leo Club and the National Honor Society are conducting the drive for our local food bank and Lucy’s Hearth. Any non-perishable item is helpful... a can of soup, beans, tuna, or a box of cereal or pasta would be great. Let’s help those around us who may be struggling in these difficult times.
We are living through a major turning point in our history, and we must think hard about all this election means for the future of our country. Our lives are busy and filled with distractions, but the election of Senator Obama, now President-elect Obama, is so important an event that it deserves – in fact, demands – thoughtful consideration. You wrote your personal reflections this week and I urge you to keep those thoughts in a safe place so you can share them with the next generation. Your children will ask you about this election and you should be prepared to share with them the excitement and exuberance of our country and the world. Next week in CWI, we will be reading and discussing how other countries have reacted.
President-elect Obama held his first news conference on Friday and responded to numerous questions from the press ranging from economic policy to appointments. This is a great civics lesson for us as we see the start of a new administration, a peaceful transfer of power, and the role of checks and balances as the President-elect nominates his Cabinet officers.
We cannot forget that the President-elect is also a father, and he is making sure he does not neglect that role as he follows up on his promise of a puppy for his daughters and considers what schools they might attend after they move to Washington, D.C.
Our New York Times edition from November 5 is already a collector’s item. When the NYT learned that copies of the paper were being sold on EBay for $200, they quickly printed additional copies. Yesterday the paper was advertising its special collector’s edition for $14.95. I hope you have taken your copy and placed it in a special place for future generations to read. Who knows...maybe it will appear on Antiques Road Show!
Parent-Teacher Conferences
Your family should be receiving a notice about our upcoming conferences scheduled for November 18. I am looking forward to meeting with you and your family as we review your progress and plan for the remaining school year. You should be part of the conference as you are the one doing the work.
Parental interest and support in your school work helps all of us have a more successful year. President-elect Obama and Mrs. Obama took time last week to attend Parent Teacher Conferences at the Chicago Lab School where their daughters are students.
CWI
We have left the continent of Africa, but I hope you will keep up with this large and diverse continent by continuing to follow current events. Many of you in your final assessment spoke about how you would like to help the people of Africa meet some of their challenges, and I would urge you to check out organizations that could use your assistance. There are groups aimed at helping meet the need for food, working to combat disease, and providing economic development assistance. Get involved... maybe this could become a Capstone project!
We have started our unit on South West Asia and your map and current event from this region will be due on Monday. Please be prepared for the traditional map quiz and let’s try to get current events from countries other than Iraq. The war naturally commands our attention, but we do not want to ignore other countries of the region. President-elect Obama has already spoken about getting some of those countries to work more closely with the United States to help Iraq end the violence and rebuild its economy. I am sure we will be hearing more about Iraq’s neighbors as the United States withdraws troops and hands over more responsibility to the Iraqi government.
As we are at the end of the quarter, we took the time to write a letter home about the work you have completed and your goals for the second quarter. I will look over your letters this weekend and you will take them home next week. It is a great way to start off the new quarter and earn a perfect score for your first assignment.
AP European History
The Enlightenment French style Salon made its way to room 246 this week as we were visited by David Hume, Adam Smith, Voltaire, Rousseau and Thomas Jefferson. Frederick II and Catherine the Great, busy with duties of State, joined us as we wrapped up our discussion on some of the leading questions of the day: what is the proper role of the government; should the government be involved in directing the economy; and should women play a more active role in the state? You did a great job and I was struck by how many of the issues we discussed are still with us today as we continue the debate about what constitutes good government.
On Wednesday you will have a partial DBQ (analysis of the documents and writing the first paragraph of an essay) and on Thursday you will have the multiple choice questions. Your study guide and bold to bold outlines are due the day of the multiple choice test.
Our next unit will encompass chapters 19 and 20 and focus on everyday people and their lives on the farms and in the cities. We will be reading more social history as we look at marriage and family life. We will divide into two groups who will take the responsibility of presenting the material to the class.
World History
As ninth graders you have so many new demands that it is prudent to pause at the end of this first quarter and reflect on what you have done, where you have been successful and where you have struggled. The letter you composed focuses on your accomplishments and your plans for second quarter. There is always room for improvement and we want to take those opportunities so we can all be better students.
Some of you struggled keeping the status of assignment sheet up to date and organized. We will be using this method for the rest of the year. Every few days I write the assignments on the board and their value. You need to copy this information on to your sheet and then fill in your score as well as file your work in the folder. These are your points and you are responsible for keeping your work organized. It will be especially useful to you for the mid-term exam as you are tested on material from September through January and having the portfolio will give you ample material to review.
We started a new unit this week, The Age of Exploration. You had three guiding questions for your text reading. Make sure to answer these questions in your notebook after you finish reading the assigned pages. You will find that you will understand material if you read it, write it and then explain it during the next class.
Our next current event is due on November 13.
Extra Credit
In lieu of a question, I am asking everyone to bring in one item for our food drive. The Leo Club and the National Honor Society are conducting the drive for our local food bank and Lucy’s Hearth. Any non-perishable item is helpful... a can of soup, beans, tuna, or a box of cereal or pasta would be great. Let’s help those around us who may be struggling in these difficult times.
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