Celebrating our Freedoms

Happy Bill of Rights Day!
We took time off from our busy schedule to celebrate Bill of Rights Day on December 15. This is a great time to pause and think about how fortunate we are to live in a country that respects and promotes individual liberty. It is amazing that so many people do not know their basic rights, but you did a great job outlining our five essential freedoms under the First Amendment: freedom of speech, press, religion, assembly, and petition. Bill of Rights Day was formally declared in 1941 when President Franklin Roosevelt asked all Americans to celebrate the 150th Anniversary of the passage of the Bill of Rights. So when you walk into room 246 and see the bright lights you know it is time to celebrate!

CWI
This week we completed our study of South Asia by listening to the President on 60 Minutes explain his strategy for dealing with Afghanistan and Pakistan, reading “India At the Crossroads,” and doing a group project on Pakistan. We also had the opportunity to watch a video clip, “Tuning out the Taliban,” about rock bands in Pakistan that write protest songs focused on their hate for the West. It was interesting to hear the band members explain that they view the Taliban as a small problem within their country but at the same time refuse to write songs criticizing the Taliban out of fear for their lives.

Our final assessment on South Asia will be Monday December 21. It is the same day that your current event is due for this region. Doing your current event will help you prepare for the assessment. You will be given 3 open ended questions (remember you worked on these after completing the Pakistan readings) and you need to write on one. You will have two short response questions and you need to select one. And finally, you will be given an excerpt from a news article and you will have to mark up the text and do a 3-2-1.

If we stay on task you will leave with no homework over the December break!

World History
This week we focused on reading primary sources in order to prepare for the portfolio task. You have your packet of worksheets on the Industrial Revolution and at this point they should be completed. This packet will help you prepare for the task as well as our final assessment, which will be on December 22. The assessment, per your request, will have 11 multiple choice, 4 matching (each worth 2points) and one essay (10 points). You will be given 3 essays and you select one.

On Thursday we went over the rubric that we will use for the task. The task will require you to use the APPARTS form with two documents. We have practiced analyzing documents using the form, and you have a wealth of background information.

On Thursday we also worked on our Industrial Revolution interviews. Make sure the interview is handed in by Friday.

Current event is due December 23.

Extra Credit Question:
President Obama recently spoke to the Cadets at West Point. What Presidents actually graduated from West Point?

MHS: Home to RI's Teacher of the Year!

What an exciting week for all of us at MHS as we welcomed Governor Carcieri and Commissioner of Education Gist to our school. At first it was expected that the school was being honored for its great improvements on the state science and math tests but as the event rolled on we quickly noticed a change in tone...a change in direction...and then it was announced that our own Senor Ramey was being named the Rhode Island Teacher of the Year! We are so proud of all that Senor Ramey does to make foreign language a meaningful experience for all of us. So we pause to applaud and say thank you to an exemplary teacher!

CWI

This week we continued with our study of India. You had your map and text quiz. You were allowed to use your map and notes to take the quiz so high grades should have been earned by all. When doing your maps, you should be asking yourself why you are being asked to put certain countries, regions or landmarks on the map. You need to be integrating information from your readings as you assemble your map. Some students indicated that Kashmir was a country while in fact it is a region that has caused great conflict between Pakistan and India. As you read “The World Today” you learned about that on going conflict.

We watched and listened to our President toast Prime Minister Singh at the recent state dinner. The President’s remarks linked directly to our readings: largest democracy in the world and a shared heritage with Gandhi and King.

We read an UpFront article “India at the Crossroads” that spoke about the efforts to industrialize and modernize India while preserving its agricultural base. You had a guided reading worksheet that should have been turned in at the end of class. We also read a New York Times article on the young women who left their rural towns to seek employment in Bangalore. As we read we listed how their lives changed and then listed what remained the same. This article directly links to your life as you begin to ponder what your life will be like once you leave MHS. Will it be time for you to venture off to a new location...maybe a big city...maybe a new state?

We also watched the Emmy award winning NOW show “India Rising.” As we watched this show, we listed how globalization and the rise of the middle class in India could help the US and how it could hurt the US. Knowing that Indian students are competing with you for the jobs of future will hopefully give you an added incentive to work hard.

Our current events would not be complete without watching and discussing President Obama’s Nobel Peace Prize speech on December 10. The President outlined his thoughts on a just war and how America must be held to a higher standard as we try to eliminate evil forces in the world. He spoke of the need to talk with our enemies and to use world wide sanctions in an effort to get all nations to treat its people with dignity and to provide economic opportunities for its citizens.


On Friday you handed in your status of assignment sheet and I was pleased to see many of you with improved scores. You are responsible for keeping your portfolio up to date and the status of assignment sheet filled in. If you are absent, you need to take the time to stay after school to get the missed work and to update the sheet. You will be glad you did as we approach mid terms and you have all of your work in one place. If you are below standard, you still have four weeks to pull up your grade. When reviewing why a student might be below standard it usually comes down to one reason: they didn’t do the assignments. You have amply time...you can use notes and maps for quizzes....you have the opportunity to revise...it is up to you.

World History

This week we continued our study of the Industrial Revolution in Great Britain. We added to our chart on the advantages and disadvantages of factory work for the workers and the owners. Sometimes we spend too much time dwelling on the ill conditions of the workers when we must also look at the risk that the owners took as they financed new inventions and processes. The owners also had to manage large groups of people something that was new as people moved from domestic or cottage industries to large scale facilities.

We watched the video clips which helped us visualize the factories and the improvements to transportation systems with the introduction of the steam engine.

Finally, we started looking at a variety of primary sources. What are we learning about the Industrial Revolution that we can connect to our prior knowledge? Why were these sources written? What was the intended audience? Are they reliable or biased? All of these questions must be asked as we try to discover the validity of the sources. We will continue to practice analyzing the documents as we prepare for our first portfolio task.

Interterms are this week. Congratulations to all who are meeting standard. If you are below standard, this is the time to ask why...are your revising? Are you handing in all of the assignments? Are you earning high grades on the current events?

On Stage

This was a great week – and weekend – for MHS talent to shine! Our pep rally on Friday, led by our talented singers and musicians, put us in the mood to cheer on our football team as they get ready to play the Super Bowl on Sunday. A special thanks to our cheerleaders, who bring out the best in our school spirit. As a history person, I wonder if this is what nationalism must have felt like in the late 1700s?

Congratulations to all of our thespians who brought laughter to the stage with “Just Another High School Play.” It was a great performance that showcased so many students...did I really see football players on that stage?

CWI

This week we designed our current events questions and answered them using our notes. You should be able to earn high marks on this quiz as long as you had good notes and listened to the class discussion. This is a reminder that if you watch the evening national news, it is great background for this class. You will notice that key stories are repeated and many of our key world leaders continually appear.

You also took your final writing assessment on South West Asia. The open ended question gave you the opportunity to integrate all that you have learned about this region from your current events, text reading, UpFront articles and internet activities. You were also able to use your map for the assessment.

We have now moved on to South Asia. This region contains Pakistan, recently described by Vice President Biden as “the most dangerous country in the world.” It also contains India, the largest democracy in the world. President and Mrs. Obama held their first State Dinner to honor Prime Minister and Mrs. Singh from India. Once we have the LCD projector working again, we will look at clips from this exciting event.

While India still copes with poverty, they are making significant strides in improving their standard of living. We viewed the New York Times slide show on one young lady who has moved from being a subsistence farmer to working at a call center and now earns $70 a month. While that amount seems small by our standards, it is a significant amount of money in India. Young people in this country are working very hard to master English and technical skills so they can be part of the outsourcing industry that many international companies use.

The standard of living is improving in India...what is happening to our standard of living in the United States? Are the two related? Are we on an international seesaw? This is a question we will consider as we continue our study of this region next week.

Many of you have mastered the art of map making and are earning high marks. Samples of excellent work are hanging on the board...take a minute to look at them so you can improve your own map making skills. The rubric clearly outlines what needs to be included on the map.

Next week we will have our map quiz (using your map) and also a few questions from our readings. You should have completed the text assignment and The World Today pages. We did a review of key concepts and vocabulary in class. Improving and increasing your vocabulary is a sure fire way to improve your test scores. As Juniors you know the importance of state testing and the SATs. High test scores open many doors!

Your next current event is due December 8 and it must be on a country from South Asia.

World History

This week you had your first “book” test. You were given a study guide with an outline of the test questions. Students who took the time to use the guide earned high grades. If you struggled with the test, take the time to think about how you prepared and what you need to do next time to improve your grade. In addition to content, we need to learn habits of mind...what do we need to do to be successful learners? As the amount of reading increases there is more for you to do to organize the information. Keep in mind all of the strategies we have been using: bold to bold notes, questioning the text, vocabulary and preparing lists or charts.

You started your Industrial Revolution packet. Make sure to keep up with the reading and worksheets. As you read section 3 this weekend, design a chart that shows the advantages and disadvantages of factory work for the owner and the worker. This information will help you get ready for the graduation portfolio task that will be offered next week. The task is a response to informational text. That is a fancy way of saying that you will be asked to analyze two primary source documents and then respond to a prompt. The prompt will require you to integrate information from the documents AND your prior knowledge.

If our LCD projector is back on line, we will watch a series of clips about the Industrial Revolution so you can see the factories, machinery, and workers. We will also have a clip on city life and the improvements in transportation that allowed large quantities of goods and natural resources to be moved with great efficiency.

Be prepared to answer questions on Monday as to why the Industrial Revolution started in Great Britain.

Your next current event is due December 7 and must be an article about business. You have a current events rubric and have practiced this assignment, so by now you should be earning 9s and 10s!

Extra Credit:

Why is December 7 known as “a day that will live in infamy?” Who used this term to describe the day?