Looking Ahead

Sometimes the weather is not a good indication of the season we are about to enter but there are some sure signs of Spring at MHS: basketball, hockey and wrestling playoffs, baseball sign ups, Newport’s Saint Patrick’s Day Parade, and the Hawaiian dance. This is also the time that 3rd quarter interterms are sent out...yes...we only have about 12 weeks of school left this year. But it is also a time to think about what you want to accomplish as the year comes to an end. Are you confident your grades will earn you a spot in the college or training program of your choice? Will your grades earn you scholarship funds to help finance your next level of education? Have you participated in community service programs and contributed to the success of a club or sport team?

Spring is a great time to renew your commitment to do all that you can to be successful at the next level.

Law Day Contest

Interested in winning $1,000? Tenth and eleventh grade students are invited to enter the annual Rhode Island Law Day essay contest. The essay (up to 800 words..2-3 pages) must focus on one of the following topics: downloading copyrighted music, posting personal information on the web, or sexting. Guidelines and entry forms can obtained by emailing the RI Bar Association at fmassie@ribar.com.

CWI/Modern America

Congratulations to all of you on your letters to the President! I was so impressed with your observations, insights, and thoughtful comments. Your letters will soon be on their way to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

This week we spent time in the computer lab so you could work with your partner on your World War II project. Your school email and access to the Acrobat web site give you the opportunity to continue your collaboration outside of school. If you recall, two of the challenges you had doing the Africa project were lack of access to your partner and not having PowerPoint on your computer at home. Now those two hurdles have been passed and you have the opportunity to successfully complete your project.

We did run into some learning bumps as we worked with Acrobat. One issue was how to print the slides...you can do that by going to the presentation tab and clicking “export”. The slides will be converted into pdf and then you can print.

A few helpful hints:

1. Read the rubric...read the rubric...read the rubric...
Most questions on content and presentation are in the rubric...if you have questions before Monday at 11 pm...email me or stop by room 246...

2. Google is not a source...it is a search engine...it would be like listing MHS library as a source...

3. Make sure you practice with your partner...have your note cards ready...presentations are on March 16.

In class, we developed, with a partner, a timeline for the events of World War II. The war was fought in two major locations: Europe and the Pacific. Many of you have mentioned that you have watched “Band of Brothers” about the paratroopers who went into Normandy. It is one of my favorite history shows and hopefully we will have time to watch a small part of this miniseries. To give equal billing to the war in the Pacific, Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg have teamed up again and on March 14, HBO will start “The Pacific.” We read a review from the New York Times in class. Many newspapers and magazines have joined in their accolades for the series, while noting that it graphically portrays the especially gruesome nature of combat in this campaign. Both miniseries are based on interviews with the men who fought in these two distinct theaters of war.

We also practiced our map reading skills before taking a quiz on the events leading up to the war. You read about the many contributions by all Americans to the war effort. Your worksheet helped you organize the information as you read. Our study of history was further enhanced by watching an ABC News clip of the women pilots of World War II who were honored in Washington this week. So many interesting stories to be discovered...if you have anyone in your family or neighborhood who fought or lived through this conflict, take the time to talk with them...ask them questions...this is history at its best!

World History

This week we scanned our Imperialism task into the computers. This task may go into your graduation portfolio if you met standard. You will also receive an in-class grade for the essay.

We continued with our study of World War I by writing about how Paul and his school friends changed during the course of the war as we watched “All Quiet on the Western Front.” How often we read about the enthusiasm of a country when it enters a conflict, and then after a few difficult months see that spirit tempered by a new understanding of what war is all about!

We also read about the causes of the Russian Revolution and Lenin’s rise to power. We talked about how economic disparity foments discontent which, if left to continue, causes people to rise up. The peasants were starving and the soldiers did not have supplies, so this led to widespread frustration. Lenin promised peace, bread and land for the peasants, and he quickly tried to deliver on all of these fronts while eliminating any competition for his position.

Next week we will talk about the objections to the peace treaty and end our study with a map assignment and a reading on “Why World War I still matters.”