This has been a challenging week to watch the news as we have seen the devastation of Haiti and the cataclysmic suffering of people who live in the poorest country in the Western hemisphere. Relief groups and governments from all over the world are pouring into this island nation in hopes of stabilizing people who are clamoring for food, water, shelter and medical care. It was amazing to watch the expanded newscast this week and to see China’s search and rescue teams on the ground within 36 hours of the quake. Sometimes worldwide tragedies do bring nations closer together and remind us of our common humanity. I hope you will participate in the fund raiser for Haiti that the Leo Club will be sponsoring next week.
Martin Luther King Day
This weekend we pause to celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King and his many contributions to the world and especially to our country. Dr. King, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964, was the main leader of the civil rights movement during the 1950s and 1960’s. King stressed the use of non-violent protest to change government policies and to change the hearts and minds of its citizens. So this weekend take a moment to remember his contribution to our country and to celebrate our movement towards a more equitable country for all of its citizens.
CWI
This week we focused on your portfolio task “It’s My World.” You had two days to gather your news articles and to complete the graphic organizer. Good prep (that is completing the graphic organizer) leads to a good essay! You also had two days in the computer lab to write your reflective essay and to upload it to TieNet. Many of you completed the task on time and handed in your hard copy along with the attachments on Friday. I have already read many of the essays and I am impressed. Your passion about the topic you selected became clear as I read about your reason for selecting the issue and your creative solutions.
If you did not complete the essay you may do so over the weekend as you have access to TieNet from any computer with Internet access. It is your responsibility to upload the essay by Tuesday, January 19th. You must also hand in a hard copy and attachments on Tuesday. If you were absent for any of the prep days, you need to see me for additional time. We are at the end of the quarter and this essay needs to be completed in a timely fashion.
Over the weekend you also have the PBS internet activity to complete on China. You should be watching the news as China has been one of the top stories as its government jousts with Google. Google has had a change of heart and has decided to withdraw from the Chinese market. The company’s decision was made after its site had been hacked into by Chinese government officials. Also, the severe restrictions on websites imposed by China’s government has made it difficult for Google to operate as it does in other countries. While planning a lesson for you on Tiananmen Square, I used both the regular Google and the China version. It was amazing to watch how the China site changed over the course of the week as these decisions by Google were made. More on that later during class.
Next class, you will have time to complete your notes from The World Today and to finish reading China’s Cheerleaders and the news article on education in China. Take the time to compare your experience in school with your fellow Chinese students. How are they preparing themselves for the world of work? What are you doing to prepare yourself for the world of work?
World History
This week we studied nationalism and the unification of Germany and Italy. We also read a short section on the Balkans and the problems they encountered trying to build a sense of nationalism with a diversity of ethnic groups. This section of reading will also give you background so you can better understand the causes of World War I. Your worksheet questions guided you as you read your text. Taking good notes and testing yourself using the section review is a great way to make sure you have selected the key information from the section. On Friday you used your notes to answer questions and those with high marks had great notes. It takes time to do the notes but they help you understand the material.
Your nationalism posters are now hanging up. I have seen improvement in your posters. Keep in mind that the rubric tells you what is expected. You must also keep in mind that when you paraphrase, you still need to give credit to your source. You can’t change one or two words from an article or a source and then portray that as your own material. Also, remember that all sources used for the project must be listed. While the rubric only asked for two or three sources if you used additional sources these need to be included in your citations as well.
We also linked our study of Germany with current events. Some of you brought in articles that highlighted Germany’s exports namely cars such as VW and BMWs. The country has a reputation for building quality cars and machinery. As your text outlined, Germany had many strengths such as natural resources and skilled workers that allowed them to build a strong industrial base. That base is still evident today. One of the most impressive features of Germany that I found as I travelled through the country was its autobahn system. These beautiful highways linked major cities and provided a very efficient method of moving large numbers of cars and trucks. I don’t recall one pothole!
Martin Luther King Day
This weekend we pause to celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King and his many contributions to the world and especially to our country. Dr. King, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964, was the main leader of the civil rights movement during the 1950s and 1960’s. King stressed the use of non-violent protest to change government policies and to change the hearts and minds of its citizens. So this weekend take a moment to remember his contribution to our country and to celebrate our movement towards a more equitable country for all of its citizens.
CWI
This week we focused on your portfolio task “It’s My World.” You had two days to gather your news articles and to complete the graphic organizer. Good prep (that is completing the graphic organizer) leads to a good essay! You also had two days in the computer lab to write your reflective essay and to upload it to TieNet. Many of you completed the task on time and handed in your hard copy along with the attachments on Friday. I have already read many of the essays and I am impressed. Your passion about the topic you selected became clear as I read about your reason for selecting the issue and your creative solutions.
If you did not complete the essay you may do so over the weekend as you have access to TieNet from any computer with Internet access. It is your responsibility to upload the essay by Tuesday, January 19th. You must also hand in a hard copy and attachments on Tuesday. If you were absent for any of the prep days, you need to see me for additional time. We are at the end of the quarter and this essay needs to be completed in a timely fashion.
Over the weekend you also have the PBS internet activity to complete on China. You should be watching the news as China has been one of the top stories as its government jousts with Google. Google has had a change of heart and has decided to withdraw from the Chinese market. The company’s decision was made after its site had been hacked into by Chinese government officials. Also, the severe restrictions on websites imposed by China’s government has made it difficult for Google to operate as it does in other countries. While planning a lesson for you on Tiananmen Square, I used both the regular Google and the China version. It was amazing to watch how the China site changed over the course of the week as these decisions by Google were made. More on that later during class.
Next class, you will have time to complete your notes from The World Today and to finish reading China’s Cheerleaders and the news article on education in China. Take the time to compare your experience in school with your fellow Chinese students. How are they preparing themselves for the world of work? What are you doing to prepare yourself for the world of work?
World History
This week we studied nationalism and the unification of Germany and Italy. We also read a short section on the Balkans and the problems they encountered trying to build a sense of nationalism with a diversity of ethnic groups. This section of reading will also give you background so you can better understand the causes of World War I. Your worksheet questions guided you as you read your text. Taking good notes and testing yourself using the section review is a great way to make sure you have selected the key information from the section. On Friday you used your notes to answer questions and those with high marks had great notes. It takes time to do the notes but they help you understand the material.
Your nationalism posters are now hanging up. I have seen improvement in your posters. Keep in mind that the rubric tells you what is expected. You must also keep in mind that when you paraphrase, you still need to give credit to your source. You can’t change one or two words from an article or a source and then portray that as your own material. Also, remember that all sources used for the project must be listed. While the rubric only asked for two or three sources if you used additional sources these need to be included in your citations as well.
We also linked our study of Germany with current events. Some of you brought in articles that highlighted Germany’s exports namely cars such as VW and BMWs. The country has a reputation for building quality cars and machinery. As your text outlined, Germany had many strengths such as natural resources and skilled workers that allowed them to build a strong industrial base. That base is still evident today. One of the most impressive features of Germany that I found as I travelled through the country was its autobahn system. These beautiful highways linked major cities and provided a very efficient method of moving large numbers of cars and trucks. I don’t recall one pothole!
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