Tank Man: An Image to Remember

I hope your December break has left you rested and ready to wrap up our first semester on a positive note. We have only two more weeks before we start the mid-term exam week. Keeping all of your papers in your portfolio will serve you well as they will allow you to review the material covered from September through January. The blog should also be a useful tool as you prepare for your exams. There is a blog entry for every week of school so take the time to go back and read the entries as a way to review.

It has been a difficult week to watch the news as job losses continue to mount. The country now has a 7.2% unemployment rate which is the highest it has been in 16 years. Rhode Island and Michigan lead the country will unemployment over 9%. President-elect Obama has been urging Congress to act quickly on his economic stimulus package which is aimed at putting people back to work through infrastructure improvement projects and expanding green technology. Putting people to work gives them money to spend and that is what our economy needs right now.

Overseas, the conflict in Gaza continues to bring suffering and death on an ever-widening scale. Despite a UN resolution calling for a ceasefire, Israel continues to press its attack into Gaza and the leaders of Hamas continue to fire rockets into Israel. Hundreds of civilians have been killed or injured, and the emotions aroused by the fighting will make it even harder to find a peaceful resolution to this longstanding conflict.

Inauguration Update

This week we learned that all bridges into Washington, DC on January 20 will be closed to regular vehicular traffic. Buses and vans with special permits will be allowed into the city but in an effort to avoid total gridlock, all other vehicles will be prohibited. Dulles Airport, which is about 35 miles outside of DC, will convert a runway into a special airplane parking lot as it expects at least 500 additional planes for the festivities.

When I go to Washington for the Inauguration I will take along an MP3 recorder so I can interview people on the Mall. It is expected to be very cold and crowded, so I will be interested in hearing what has motivated them to come to this event. I will also try to call back to MHS so you can have the opportunity to ask questions. Meanwhile, efforts are underway to bring cable coverage of the Inauguration into the café, room 212 and the gym. Stay tuned for information on how you can watch it from school on January 20.

CWI

This week you handed in your portfolio task. As CWI is a one semester course, this will be the only task offered. It was a 50 point class assignment and if you meet standard, you may put it in your graduation portfolio. I am confident you did a great job.

This week you also handed in your China (East Asia) maps, took the quiz, and held your accountable talk activity. The UpFront readings and handouts gave you a great deal of background on China and posed some thought provoking questions. Does China’s rise help or hurt the US? Would you rather have job security or freedom and human rights? Is the China education system more effective then the US system? What do US workers have to do to become more competitive? We will conclude our study of China by watching a Frontline show entitled “Tank Man” which tells the story of the young man who defied Chinese authorities and stood in front of an army tank in Tiananmen Square.

Your next current event is due January 13 and it must be an article about East Asia.

AP European

Your test on Chapter 22 is on Monday. The study guide will be collected that day.

World History

This week we completed our study of The French Revolution and the Age of Napoleon. You have a map activity to complete over the weekend to prepare yourself for your “book” test on Monday. You also have a study guide which will help you review for the test as well as a description of the test. This will be good practice for the mid-term exam.

We will start the study of the Industrial Revolution on Monday. We will continue to use primary source readings in order to better prepare you for your first portfolio task which will be given after we complete our study of this time period. The task asks you to interpret the primary sources and make a judgment.

Extra credit: What is the name of the church in which Napoleon’s tomb is located ?