CWI/Modern America
This week you presented your World War II projects. Congratulations on a great job. There were many interesting projects with great visuals. Your reflection sheet gave you the opportunity to think about your project, how you worked with your partner and to recognize those areas where you need to make changes for future projects.
One lesson we can all learn is that when working with technology you have to anticipate glitches. If you wait till the last minute to submit a project you may run into technical difficulties. Plan ahead to give yourself time to correct the problem so you can be on time.
Another important lesson is to read the rubric. Too many times students loose points because they did not go back and reread the rubric and apply it to their project. In last weeks blog, I urged you to read over the rubric as it contains all the elements that you needed to meet standard.
Finally, many of you will be doing a Capstone presentation in the next few weeks. This presentation gave you a taste of what that event will be like. Take the time to dress appropriately for the event...we had many sharp looking presenters and that shows your judges that you are taking this event seriously. Make sure you use note cards...it is professional and neat...loose leaf paper is not a good substitute. Practice, practice, practice...be comfortable with your project, know what words you want to use, pace yourself, smile and stand up tall...you should be proud of your work!
This week we also finished reading about the World War II battles of Europe and the Pacific. Your accountable talk activity on Friday gave you the opportunity to think more deeply about these events. Try to envision what it must have been like to be landing on the beaches of Normandy or fighting the tenacious Japanese in the Pacific or flying target airplanes...these people were everyday citizens...plumbers, electricians, factory workers, teachers and yet they were asked to defend our country in these far away places under the most brutal of situations...you can see why they have been called “The Greatest Generation.”
The final section in our text highlighted a turning point in history: the dropping of the atomic bomb. We are the only country in the world that has used an atomic weapon. This event changed the world and how we view the possibility of ending life on this earth as we know it with this powerful force. The citizens of Hiroshima understand this possibility and have dedicated their city to the pursuit of peace and the elimination of nuclear weapons. This goal has also been supported by President Obama. On Friday I shared with you some on my photos from my trip to this city. While I have been fortunate to see many of the splendors of the world, I must say my day in Hiroshima has made the most lasting of impressions.
Many times you are assigned sections in the text to read and them complete the section review or worksheet. It is up to you to put the time and effort into these activities if you want to earn a high quiz grade. If you copy off a partner you are not learning the material and thus your quiz grade will be low. On March 19 many of you were on a field trip so take the time to come by and makeup the work you missed that day which included a quiz on the Battle Front.
Next week we are going to practice document analysis as your next portfolio task will require you to analyze primary sources before responding to a prompt. As part of your WW II project, you were required to use a primary source so you are getting practice with these skills prior to the task. I would also like to make time to watch a few clips from “Band of Brothers.”
World History
We have finished our study of World War I and had an interesting reading from UpFront Magazine entitled “Why World War I Still Matters.” This reading focused on the conflicts of today that are directly linked to the decisions made at the peace conference: the establishment of Iraq, notification that a state for the Jewish people would be coming, and the continuing difficulties in Russia and Turkey.
You did a nice job on your World War I maps and quiz on the peace treaty. The quizzes are a great way to earn points as they are announced and you know they are based on your text readings. You need to be developing strategies to be a good text reader...you can do bold to bold notes, outlines, turn each headline into a question and then answer or you can do the section reviews. While an activity may not be assigned, you need to select a strategy that works for you. This is a sign of an independent learner.
We read a primary source reading on life under Stalin. We will continue to use primary sources so you can become more comfortable using documents and making your own interpretations. This will serve you well as you continue with your study of history and as you attempt more graduation tasks.
And speaking of tasks...you now have your Imperialism task scores. Congratulations to all who met standard. If you did not meet standard, take the time to read over the comments. A strong thesis stateament that responds to the prompt is the foundation for a good essay. Make sure that you use the required number of documents in your essay. The documents should be incorporated into essay where you weave prior knowledge with your interpretation of the documents.
Reality Television and History
I just finished reading an interesting piece in The New York Times on a new reality show called Undercover Boss . The show has the boss of a company shadow a lowly employee to better understand the plight of its workers. Some of the bosses see the light and thus make changes in the working conditions but there may be business leaders who ignore the challenges and continue to focus on the bottom line. What caught my attention in the article was the link to history when the Russian people believed that “If only the czar knew of our suffering, he would do something” as well as the reference to the New Deal which provided many of the basic protections workers have today.
It is a question we have to ask ourselves...if we know of injustice or suffering what do we do about it? What is our role and the role of our government in correcting inequalities?
This week you presented your World War II projects. Congratulations on a great job. There were many interesting projects with great visuals. Your reflection sheet gave you the opportunity to think about your project, how you worked with your partner and to recognize those areas where you need to make changes for future projects.
One lesson we can all learn is that when working with technology you have to anticipate glitches. If you wait till the last minute to submit a project you may run into technical difficulties. Plan ahead to give yourself time to correct the problem so you can be on time.
Another important lesson is to read the rubric. Too many times students loose points because they did not go back and reread the rubric and apply it to their project. In last weeks blog, I urged you to read over the rubric as it contains all the elements that you needed to meet standard.
Finally, many of you will be doing a Capstone presentation in the next few weeks. This presentation gave you a taste of what that event will be like. Take the time to dress appropriately for the event...we had many sharp looking presenters and that shows your judges that you are taking this event seriously. Make sure you use note cards...it is professional and neat...loose leaf paper is not a good substitute. Practice, practice, practice...be comfortable with your project, know what words you want to use, pace yourself, smile and stand up tall...you should be proud of your work!
This week we also finished reading about the World War II battles of Europe and the Pacific. Your accountable talk activity on Friday gave you the opportunity to think more deeply about these events. Try to envision what it must have been like to be landing on the beaches of Normandy or fighting the tenacious Japanese in the Pacific or flying target airplanes...these people were everyday citizens...plumbers, electricians, factory workers, teachers and yet they were asked to defend our country in these far away places under the most brutal of situations...you can see why they have been called “The Greatest Generation.”
The final section in our text highlighted a turning point in history: the dropping of the atomic bomb. We are the only country in the world that has used an atomic weapon. This event changed the world and how we view the possibility of ending life on this earth as we know it with this powerful force. The citizens of Hiroshima understand this possibility and have dedicated their city to the pursuit of peace and the elimination of nuclear weapons. This goal has also been supported by President Obama. On Friday I shared with you some on my photos from my trip to this city. While I have been fortunate to see many of the splendors of the world, I must say my day in Hiroshima has made the most lasting of impressions.
Many times you are assigned sections in the text to read and them complete the section review or worksheet. It is up to you to put the time and effort into these activities if you want to earn a high quiz grade. If you copy off a partner you are not learning the material and thus your quiz grade will be low. On March 19 many of you were on a field trip so take the time to come by and makeup the work you missed that day which included a quiz on the Battle Front.
Next week we are going to practice document analysis as your next portfolio task will require you to analyze primary sources before responding to a prompt. As part of your WW II project, you were required to use a primary source so you are getting practice with these skills prior to the task. I would also like to make time to watch a few clips from “Band of Brothers.”
World History
We have finished our study of World War I and had an interesting reading from UpFront Magazine entitled “Why World War I Still Matters.” This reading focused on the conflicts of today that are directly linked to the decisions made at the peace conference: the establishment of Iraq, notification that a state for the Jewish people would be coming, and the continuing difficulties in Russia and Turkey.
You did a nice job on your World War I maps and quiz on the peace treaty. The quizzes are a great way to earn points as they are announced and you know they are based on your text readings. You need to be developing strategies to be a good text reader...you can do bold to bold notes, outlines, turn each headline into a question and then answer or you can do the section reviews. While an activity may not be assigned, you need to select a strategy that works for you. This is a sign of an independent learner.
We read a primary source reading on life under Stalin. We will continue to use primary sources so you can become more comfortable using documents and making your own interpretations. This will serve you well as you continue with your study of history and as you attempt more graduation tasks.
And speaking of tasks...you now have your Imperialism task scores. Congratulations to all who met standard. If you did not meet standard, take the time to read over the comments. A strong thesis stateament that responds to the prompt is the foundation for a good essay. Make sure that you use the required number of documents in your essay. The documents should be incorporated into essay where you weave prior knowledge with your interpretation of the documents.
Reality Television and History
I just finished reading an interesting piece in The New York Times on a new reality show called Undercover Boss . The show has the boss of a company shadow a lowly employee to better understand the plight of its workers. Some of the bosses see the light and thus make changes in the working conditions but there may be business leaders who ignore the challenges and continue to focus on the bottom line. What caught my attention in the article was the link to history when the Russian people believed that “If only the czar knew of our suffering, he would do something” as well as the reference to the New Deal which provided many of the basic protections workers have today.
It is a question we have to ask ourselves...if we know of injustice or suffering what do we do about it? What is our role and the role of our government in correcting inequalities?
1 comment:
Interesting post and questions. I think the answer gets even tougher when you ask what is the government's role in correcting the injustices that may exist in other countries. What role does the US play as the world power? Along the same lines, something I thought a lot about when the earthquake in Haiti happened, and then again with the earthquake in Chile. The US provided, and continues to provide, a huge amount of resources and assistance to these countries. I am sure there are citizens of the US asking "what about me" especially in this recessionary period. Thanks for the post!
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