Happy New Year!

This long winter break hopefully has given everyone the opportunity to rest, relax, and be rejuvenated for the New Year. Much has happened in the world since December 18: more members of the new cabinet have been named, Caroline Kennedy has announced her interest in being appointed to the New York Senate seat that will be vacated by Hillary Clinton, new fighting has broken out in the Gaza strip, and the international economic scene continues to decline. So many challenges but also so many opportunities for countries, leaders and the people to make major decisions that could help all of us.

Inauguration Update

The Inauguration Committee announced that President-elect Obama would be using the Lincoln Bible when he takes the oath of office. This choice was made to remind all of us that we are celebrating the bicentennial of Lincoln’s birth and to link our past history with our hopes for the future. The Bible is part of the Library of Congress collection.

CWI

Because of our unexpected snow day on Friday December 19, many of you did not have the opportunity to hand in your portfolio task. The tasks will be collected on Monday, January 5. We will be focusing on China and East Asia for our final unit. Your final exam for CWI is expected to be the last week of January. This is a one semester course so the exam in January is a final. Next semester you will be taking Comparative Government.

AP Euro

You have the study guide for Chapters 22 and 23 which we will complete prior to the mid-term exam, which will probably be the last week in January. A second semester schedule of chapters and tests will be given out next week.

World History

We will wrap up our study of the French Revolution upon your return. You have the primary source readings sheets that we will be using the first day back. We will then turn to the question: Was Napoleon a hero or a tyrant?

Our next area of study will be the Industrial Revolution and its impact on business and workers. After this unit of study you will have your first portfolio task for this course. It will focus on industrialization and its positive and negative consequences. You will be asked to use primary source materials to develop a thesis.

Year in Review

Many papers and magazines print special end of the year editions with photos that tell the key stories of the year. The New York Times has a special slide show that you can view with many award winning photos.

A New Year…A Time for Resolutions

The beginning of a new year is a great time to pause and think about your goals and aspirations not only for the year 2009 but also for the long term. The work habits, skills, and knowledge that you are gathering in high school will be the foundation for your future success. If you learn to set goals, establish work plans, and practice good study and living habits now, you can be assured that future challenges will be met with success. I have never encountered a person who wished they had studied less, read fewer books, gotten lower grades, or ignored their friends and community. So take the time at the start of this fresh and exciting year to write down two or three goals for the year. Keep them handy, consult them often and strive to complete your tasks at hand. You will never regret taking the time to contemplate your future and to plan accordingly.

A Time to say Thank You

There are many who help make this blog an interesting, useful, and helpful source of information for students and parents. I want to thank BABM, KLM, and MLM who give me the student’s point of view on the entries. They are especially good at pointing out the need for a consistent positive message no matter what the challenges are for students. I also want to thank LEM who has been my faithful editor. His insistence on word choice and good grammar have made me a better writer. He has also been a constant source of encouragement when some weekend mornings I consider not writing an entry... “What, no blog?! Say it’s not true!” Finally, thank you to my faithful readers both near and far.

Celebrations, Cheers-and Cans!

Celebrations, Cheers – and Cans!

This was a week to celebrate at MHS as our football team played in the Super Bowl (not the outcome that we would have liked but they were still in the Super Bowl) and our actors and actresses hit the stage with an award winning “The Song of Music.” It felt like a little bit of Broadway was right here at MHS. Congratulations to all who participated!

Our food drive continues this coming week. Please take a moment and bring in a non perishable food item (canned food, pasta, rice, cereal, etc) so that we can all help those who are struggling during these difficult times. Bring in a can or other donation and earn extra credit!

Civic Literacy Update

About once a year we are reminded that many citizens do not know the basic organization of their own government. The latest results of a civic literacy survey show that 7 out of 10 adults do not know the three branches of government. Only 30% of the survey takers knew that the Bill of Rights prohibits the establishment of an official religion. If you are interested in testing your civic knowledge go to the site and take the online quiz.

As an educator I must add that the survey is not a perfect tool to measure civic literacy and that you are only in school for 180 days per year. Most of your education takes place outside of the classroom through reading, travel, and discussions with others.

Inauguration Update

A few weeks back, many classes had a spirited debate on the question: Would President-elect Obama use his full name, Barack Hussein Obama, when he took the oath of office on January 20? The word is out...yes he will! In an interview with the Chicago Tribune, the President-elect said “I think we’ve got a unique opportunity to reboot America’s image around the world and also in the Muslim world in particular.” Obama also added his desire to “create a relationship of mutual respect and partnership...”

CWI

This week we worked on our bold to bold notes, a worksheet on Pakistan and Bangladesh, an UpFront reading on “India at the Crossroads” and a 3-2-1 on “India Rising,” an Emmy award winning show from NOW on PBS.

All of these activities and our class discussion prepared you for your final assessment on South Asia on Friday. As announced prior to the assessment, you had the choice of two open ended questions. If you did not take the assessment make sure to make arrangements to do your writing assignment before leaving for the December break. You have five days to make up work when absent.

The South Asia assignment will be the last grade for the first half of the quarter. Interterm grades are due on December 16.

This week you were also given a portfolio task, “It’s My World.” We reviewed the task prompt and the reflective essay rubric. Look upon this task as a current event assignment that has a theme and uses at least three articles. You have practiced these skills since September and should be ready to tackle this task and be successful. You had one day in the computer lab to start the assignment but it is an extended task so most of your work must be done at home. As announced, I have asked for another day in the lab but space may not be available. You will have to manage your time so you get access to a computer and printer....school library, public library, friend’s house, Kinko’s, etc. You must have your paper and articles ready to hand in on December 18 or 19. See me ASAP if you are having any problems with the task or computer access.

AP Euro

We had a lively discussion on what makes for a revolution as preparation for another discussion on the causes of the French Revolution. Next week we will group those causes, examine a set of documents describing a day in the Revolution and then discuss Napoleon...was he a hero or a tyrant?

Your test on Chapter 21 on December 18 will consist of multiple choice and one free response (you will have two questions to select from). The study guide is due the same day.

We are right on schedule...keep up the good work!

World History

This week you handed in your Louis XIV essay. When writing, keep your rubric handy as that is how your essay will be evaluated. You need to use the rubric as a guide as you write and it should always be attached to your final product.

This week we also worked on a graphic organizer on the Kings of England. You may use that organizer for your timeline assignment that is due on Monday. The timeline will show you how England moved towards a Constitutional form of government as contrasted with France, which continued its system of Absolutism...but that is about to change as we move on to the Enlightenment and the French Revolution.

Interterm grades are due on December 16 so we will update our status of assignment sheet on Monday.

Tense Neighbors

This week we saw how the terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India, became a dangerous international crisis between two nuclear-weapons states as India accused Pakistan of harboring and training the terrorists. The tense relationship between these two neighbors grew worse as the week went on and the lone surviving terrorist in captivity revealed details about the methods and leadership of his Pakistan-based group, known as Lashkar-e-Taiba (“Army of the Pure”). President Bush dispatched Secretary of State Rice to meet with leaders of both countries in an effort to encourage calm.

Meanwhile, back in the US, the three major auto makers went to Capitol Hill again to ask, some would even say plead, for at least $35 billion in loans to help them retool and keep people employed. With the country already facing high unemployment (6.3% or over 2 million) Congress was intent on learning what it could do to help while being skeptical as to how the funds would be used. Should the US government support a failed business? Should the auto makers have seen the need for smaller, fuel efficient cars? Did the government abandon its role of regulator when it allowed the car companies to continue making autos that polluted the air and required vast amounts of imported oil? These questions go to the heart of what we expect from government. As voters and active citizens it is ultimately our responsibility to take a stand. With a new administration we will see if there is a change of direction.

CWI

Congratulations to so many of you who did a great job on your final assessment for South West Asia. Your in-class writing assignment demonstrated your ability to empathize and to integrate information from a variety of sources. Well done!

This week you completed your map of South Asia and took the map/note quiz. By doing the map you were also able to keep current with the news, as Mumbai has been the lead story of the week. As I have said many times, watching the first 10 minutes of the evening news will give you the background you need to be more successful in class.

This week we also read the editorial from The New York Times on Mumbai and practiced making connections. Your UpFront reading showed us another side of India as that country grapples with modernization and the trade-offs it requires. You took that experience and applied it to your own town of Middletown as you responded to the question on local economic development issues.

We are scheduled to complete our study of South Asia this coming week. We will also be starting an extended portfolio task that will be due prior to the December break.

Your next current event is due December 9. It must be on any country in South Asia except India. We want to make sure we have the opportunity to look at other countries in the region before moving on.

Extra Credit: The Taj Mahal hotel, which was at the center of the terrorist attacks in Mumbai, is named after one of the world’s most beautiful and famous buildings. Why was the original Taj Mahal built?

AP European History

This week we spent time sorting document and writing thesis statements. After reading student essays that were part of last year’s exam, one student commented that high scores were earned by following the rubric and said, “It gives me hope.” You should be very confident tackling the DBQ in May as we will have had ample opportunity to practice the skills so you can earn the extra points.

Your next exam will be December 18. The study guide will be due that day. We are right on schedule. Great job!

World History

This week we finished reading the primary source documents on Louis XIV. While primary sources are challenging, they give us the opportunity to think and act like historians. It allows us, the readers, to sift through the evidence and come to our own conclusions. This is a skill you will need for your portfolio tasks.

We also worked on writing a thesis. Your assignment now is to finish your paper on Louis XIV. The word processed paper is due December 10. Make sure it is done on time and attach the rubric. We spoke about time management in class on Friday so make sure you write the paper over the weekend and then review and revise on Monday. Waiting until the last minute to write puts too much pressure on you and you can’t produce your best work.

You also had your book quiz this week on Louis and you all improved. Great job.

On Monday you will have your current event quiz based on the questions you wrote. Make sure to bring your notes as you may use them during the quiz. Your next current event is due December 11.

Extra Credit: How old was Louis when he came to the throne? How long did he hold the throne?

Inauguration Count Down

This past week I was in DC to celebrate Thanksgiving and to start planning to attend the inauguration events. Good news came this week in an announcement that the entire Mall area will be open for viewing the ceremony. The last Bush inauguration had approximately 100,000 people viewing the swearing-in on the west side of the Capitol. The Inauguration Committee is estimating that over 1.5 million people will be in DC for the January 20 ceremony. This blogger plans to be there and report on what it was like to witness this historic event!