Religion and the World

CWI

This week we focused our efforts on understanding the elements of culture and especially the role of religion. You finished your bold to bold notes and used them to answer questions about culture (periods A, B and E). Many of you did a great job on this assignment, and that should clearly demonstrate that bold to bold notes are a useful strategy.

You also had the opportunity to work on a group presentation focused on the five major religions of the world: Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism. Using multiple sources (always a good idea for any project) you highlighted key information: where and when the religion started, its main beliefs, and the number of people who practice the religion. We quickly recognized that three of the major religions, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, have much in common: all three originated in Southwest Asia, are monotheistic, look upon Jerusalem as a holy city, believe in a holy book and practice alms giving, prayer, and fasting.

Your current event, due October 5, must have a link to religion. Martin Marty, editor of the religious series we used for this project, states in his foreword, “to be informed citizens of our world, readers have good reason to learn about these features of religion that mean so much to so many.”

Finally, you did a map on world religions. This is the first of many maps you will work on this year. We talked about what makes for a good map and this activity allowed you to practice those skills.

Sounds like a good time for a quiz on world religions.

A few housekeeping items that I want to pass on: first, you now have a text book…cover it and bring it to class every day. And, interterms are due on Wednesday and you must have your portfolio in the bin with an updated status of assignment sheet in order to meet standard.

Revisions

On some assignments you are allowed and encouraged to revise. This is an opportunity for you to have a second chance at the assignment and therefore to improve your grade. Thomas Jefferson revised the Declaration of Independence over 20 times so I figure revising can make us better writers. If you have been asked to revise, please return the revisions the next class day. If you are not going to revise, please write this on the assignment and return it to me for some credit. It is your responsibility to return revised work in a timely fashion.

World History

This week your first current event assignment was due. Many of you did a great job…selecting appropriate national and international articles, writing a clear summary and a comment paragraph that allowed you to practice your critical thinking skills. Your next current event is due October 6.

We also completed our primary source reading by Leonardo Bruni. He reminds us about the importance of history for those who want to better understand current problems. He also speaks about the great Orators of antiquity and how their choice of language can be a source of inspiration and increase our communication skills.

We used our text, a Reformation graphic organizer and a worksheet to better understand why the Catholic Church came under attack by Martin Luther and John Calvin. Our group work allowed us to pool information from a variety of sources and to share our thinking with our fellow students. Make sure when you do a worksheet to read the directions. On the vocabulary exercise, many of you simply wrote down definitions from the dictionary without explaining how the word linked to the Reformation period.

On Friday we watched a great PowerPoint on Henry VIII and his six wives. We followed this with an activity in the library where you had the chance to learn more about Elizabeth I by analyzing a series of paintings of the Queen. To wrap up your thinking about this uniquely successful ruler, you selected one of her quotes and wrote your observations and connections. This assignment has great appeal to many students as you have the opportunity to read, use art to better understand history and have choice in selecting the quote you want to write about. It is an assignment that allows you to think deeply and to make observations. I couldn’t help but wonder as I read over your many quotes if Secretary of State Clinton has read a biography of the Queen. Maybe we as a class could write her a letter, asking if she has read about the Queen or if she has another favorite book about a female leader.

Finally, the highlight of the week was the historical dialogues. While we did not finish delivering the dialogues, we could quickly see that our class has a good sense of history and humor. It is good to laugh. It is important to laugh.

Open House

It was great to see so many students and parents on September 30. Thank you for coming by.

Burns Race

Come on out on Sunday at 8:30 to MHS to participate in the Second Annual Tom Burns road race. It is a great way to celebrate a man who gave us so much. All the funds raised will be used for a scholarship for one of our Seniors. Call your friends, encourage your family members, urge your team mates to come out and run for Burns on Sunday!