This week with the help of technology we traveled to the second largest continent, Africa. Your projects clearly illustrated the numerous challenges, opportunities and successes of the different countries we visited. I hope you have developed a deeper understanding and appreciation of the people of this continent.
Your projects have made an impression: your choice of photos to help tell the story was impressive. Your use of note cards allowed for a smooth presentation and added confidence to your comments. Some of you are natural presenters: you stood tall, spoke clearly and at an understandable pace. All of these skills will serve you well when it comes time for your Capstone presentation and in your future calling, whatever that may be. Finally, your reflection and self evaluations gave you the opportunity to think about the steps of the project and how you could improve. So often we get so busy doing that we forget to pause and reflect.
Things to keep in mind as you go do future presentations :
1. Make sure you understand all the terms you use...copying information onto a note card without understanding the content can be dangerous...one student used the term “emerging market” to describe the country and then immediately defined the word for us...great job!
2. You should be able to identify every illustration you use and say why you selected it; the illustrations are supposed to help tell the story...not distract attention from the point you are trying to make...if you are talking about tourism, then an appropriate photo of a place of beauty or interest would support your point.
3. Not all answers are found on the web...some groups struggled with the opportunity
slide (what could be the future of the country) and the success slide...these focus questions required you to think about the material you had read, analyze the different sources and then to synthesize the information into a coherent prediction. It can be hard but it is a skill you need to practice.
4. Your source slide should list all the resources you used for the project. You will look at some sources and decide not to use them and those do not have to go on the list. The source slide is not a laundry list but a concise listing of the sources where you found useful information. When you do your Capstone, you will be asked to do an annotated bibliography which will require you to explain how each source helped you with your project. Students often list Google or Bing as a source...they are not sources but search engines.
On Monday we will finish our study of Africa with an on-demand writing assignment. You will be given 3 short response essays and you need to write on 2 . It is an opportunity for you to step back and look at this continent. Your final worksheets on health and economic development should be turned in.
Some of the classes watched Nicolas Kristof’s slide show, “Half the Sky.” This award winning journalist thinks differently about how to solve big problems. Instead of spending millions of dollars on grand projects, Kristof is a supporter of micro financing. He believes small loans directly to individuals will have a bigger impact on the quality of life. If you want to read more about micro financing I have given you a link to Kiva.
Next week we will be watching “War Dance,” an inspirational and true story of a group of high school students from Uganda who participated in the country’s annual song and dance competition after undergoing horrifying experiences as captives of the terroristic Lord’s Resistance Army.
While there is no homework for the weekend, make sure you are watching the news. Our next unit on South West Asia will study an area that has been the main focus of international coverage since September 11, 2001, most recently featuring massive terrorist attacks in Pakistan and Afghanistan while Secretary of State Clinton visited the region.
World History
This week you designed a timeline that showed the key events in England as Kings struggled with Parliament over who was going to rule. Working with a partner allowed you to debate the importance of the events and decide what to put on your timeline. You could see the progression of Parliament’s efforts to gain power, while an unpopular King was beheaded. Finally, people craved stability and brought back William and Mary to help rule, but the new monarchs realized they would have to work with Parliament to be successful.
Working with a partner means that you have to plan how responsibilities will be distributed. You are fortunate to have access to so many means of communication that you can complete tasks individually while continuing to coordinate your efforts. Be sure your are ready to hand in your work at the start of class.
This coming week you will do your interviews. This is a great opportunity to display your creative side and have fun talking with someone from the past. We will meet such interesting people as Catherine the Great, John Locke, Thomas Hobbes and Adam Smith. These people and their “enlightened” ideas are still with us today.
This Day in history
1984: Indira Gandhi was assassinated in India
Halloween
As part of our study of Africa, we looked at different organizations that help the people. One of the more popular groups is UNICEF, the United Nations Children’s Fund. In today’s paper, there is a tribute to the founders and an appeal to collect money this Halloween for the children of the world who are subject to famine and disease.
Have a fun and safe evening...extra credit for those dressing up as historical figures or elected officials!
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