One World – In Good Times and Bad

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This week, studying the Great Depression, we saw how volatile our economy can be. We happen to be living in a period when our economy may be at greater risk than at any time since the Depression, so its lessons are particularly relevant. In fact, Ben Bernanke, Chairman of the Federal Reserve (his photo is hanging on the board) has said there are lessons from the Depression of the 1930s that can help us cope with the current recession. As one indicator of the present uncertainty, early in the week we saw the largest stock market decline since March of last year, then in the very last hour of trading the market rose on the good news that the unemployment rate had fallen to 9.7%. While 9.7% is a large number, it is no where near the level of unemployment during the Depression of the 1930’s when it reached 25%. Back then there were few support systems for families...no unemployment insurance....no food stamps....no health care.

Along with our own economy, the market was affected during the week by concerns over financial problems in Greece, Spain and Portugal, a reminder of how intertwined the world’s economies have become.

Haiti Fund Raiser

Congratulations to the Leo Club for a successful fund raiser and to all who contributed. Over $200 was raised to help the people of Haiti.

Report Cards

You should be receiving official notification of your grades this weekend. There should be no surprises. If you keep your status of assignment sheet up to date you know your grade at all times. If you are meeting standard...congratulations and keep up the good work. If you are struggling, let’s put together a corrective action plan.

Super Bowl

Very little homework was given this weekend so plan accordingly if you want to be one of the millions of viewers watching the big game. This is the biggest TV event of the year for advertisers and I know many who are not sports fans who watch just to see the commercials. So who are you cheering for?

Aquidneck Island Essay Contest

Essays are due February 12. This is an exciting opportunity to voice your opinions on a current national or international problem of your choice and have the chance to win a $500 savings bond!

Howard Zinn

Last week Howard Zinn, author, historian, and social activist died. Many of you have read sections of “A People’s History of the United States” as part of your study of American History. He looked at events through the eyes of people who are not always covered in traditional textbooks. He reminded us that we are all part of the history of our country and the stories and experiences of ordinary people are just as important as the elections of Presidents and battles fought.

CWI



You did a great job on your Depression Era photo assignment. Many of you put yourselves into the shot and wrote eloquently about the experience these people were living. The single mother with her children in the lean-to tent...the men dressed in their suits waiting in line for free food...the family walking along the dusty road with all of their belongings in a wagon...truly dark and difficult times.

In order for us to better understand the economics behind the Depression and our current recession, you need to look up the unique vocabulary that is used to describe economic conditions and factors. You have a basic list of terms that you should be working with and you should add other words as you encounter them in your reading. Increasing your vocabulary will help you understand the material and make you a better writer. It is also a great way to increase standardized test scores such as the NECAP and the SATs.

Your current events this week were on business and economics. We had a great variety as we looked at the struggles of the Toyota company and the impact it may have on domestic auto makers. We looked at banks that are still struggling to provide loans for small business owners. And we looked at President Obama’s efforts to encourage job growth through tax cuts for businesses who hire.

You also worked in the computer lab this week on the historical stock charts and your own stock charts. You quickly saw that people in 1929 who borrowed money to purchase stocks (bought on margin) were wiped out in the crash. The good times were rolling along in the late 1920’s and no one expected them to end, even though there were warnings signs in the economy. You then had the opportunity to select your own stocks and look at the 52 week cost range. Many of you “made” huge sums of money if you bought low and sold high. Some of you lost large sums of money if you bought high and sold low. So now you have to ask yourself...do I want to be in the stock market where the rewards can be significant, knowing the losses could also be significant? That is why you need to know how this system works and to decide how much you are willing to invest and what rate of risk can you tolerate.

The section review for Chapter 22 section 3 is due next class. Make sure to keep up with the readings and reviews.

Next week we will watch segments of a PBS American Experience video on the Crash of 1929, and we will reenact decisions families had to make during this period We will have our final assessment on Thursday (Day 1). As I have said, one of my favorite assessments for this time period is to give you a list of vocabulary words and you write a story or a letter using the words in a manner that shows you know their meaning.

World History

This week we continued our study of Imperialism. We read “The White Man’s Burden” by Rudyard Kipling. Make sure to take the time to look up an author so you have a better understanding of who the person is...what experiences they had...why they produced this type of poem. Many of you have almost instant access to information through the internet so take a few minutes and get background information to help you better understand your assignment.

“My Boy Jack” is a moving PBS special about Kipling's efforts to have his son enlist in the British army to fight in World War I. Kipling was a passionate patriot and felt this war was essential for the freedom of England. While he was too old to fight himself, he believed his son, even though he had very poor eyesight, should be part of the action. This show features Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter) as Jack. Warning...keep a large supply of tissues close by!

You also completed your maps of Africa and Asia which showed the major colonial holdings of the European countries. To think that Africa was literally carved up at the Berlin Conference by Europeans, with no input from the people being divided! Many of the problems of Africa today can be traced to colonial times.

Your current event this week focused on business and economics. One of the major motives for a country to seek colonies was to provide additional natural resources, to establish places for investment, to expand markets and to use cheap labor.

We also went over your Industrial Revolution task. This was your first attempt at document analysis for the portfolio. The task requires you to analyze the document and use your prior knowledge. You will be doing a similar activity next week when you analyze a series of short excerpts on imperialism and then write an essay. This will be your second task offering. Prior to writing the essay, we will practice the skills you will need to analyze the documents and then convert that information into an essay.