What a banner week our sport teams have had: wins in girls’ softball and lacrosse, wins in unified basketball, and a win for the boy’s baseball home opener. Being part of a team builds great camaraderie and spirit…you want to do your best for the team…this is much like it should be in a classroom…everyone pulling their weight and contributing to the overall success of the class. Great job…now go to Frosty Freez to celebrate!
For the past few weeks our attention has been drawn overseas as we watch protesters in South West Asia demonstrate and die for a more open and democratic government. But this week our news seems to be focused on the national scene as Congress grapples with a funding bill to keep the government operating. The Republicans are holding out for severe budget cuts in many domestic programs including Head Start and student loans while the Democrats, though agreeing to some reductions, are trying to protect programs that serve our low income populations. Without a spending bill in place, you could see federal services come to a halt: no passport services, national parks closed, federal employees without paychecks…the list goes on and on. Let’s hope our leaders can work out a compromise. This debate reminds me of an article that appeared in The Providence Journal this week that stressed the need for better civics education in our schools so that students, our future voters, will know how the system works and what they can do to make government more responsive to their needs. I smiled when I read this article as you have already taken the first step to being active citizens…you wrote your first letter to the President. I hope you will continue to be active in the civic arena by staying informed on the issues, making your views known, and voting.
International Speakers
Our next two speakers will be from France and Chile. They will be speaking during the advisory period on April 15 in room 212. Make sure to fill out your pass, present it to your advisory teacher and then hand it in as you enter 212. We have extended the invitation to our French and Spanish students so we expect a full house…come early for a good seat. Reminder…this is a mandatory in-school field trip.
Period E class
On Tuesday you had your announced Cold War quiz on chapter 26, section 1. Some of you struggled with the quiz…make sure you use the section review as a guide to review key ideas and of course understand the unique vocabulary for this unit. You have a vocabulary list that you must be working on as we continue with the unit. Successfully completing this worksheet will allow you to be ready for the final Cold War assessment on April 13.
We also read about the Truman and Eisenhower Doctrines. A doctrine is a policy or a position. Truman clearly stated that his administration would use economic aid to help any country fight communism. Eisenhower took another step by offering military assistance. Though communism has ceased to be the threat it was in the 1950s and 1960s, President Bush announced a doctrine of preemptive action against any country we perceived as a threat. He stated the US would act alone if necessary and our success would rely on our overwhelming military might. President Obama, while not stating a clearly defined doctrine, has shown greater willingness to negotiate before acting militarily and to seek international support for any action taken. In recent weeks Libya has been a prime example, with intense negotiations leading up to combined actions by NATO.
We also watched a video clip on the Seven Phases of the Cold War. This mini documentary gave us a good overview of the Cold War from 1945 till the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. The photos gave us a sense of what it was like to live in a divided country (Germany) and a divided city (Berlin). Listening and watching the video also gave you the opportunity to practice note taking skills. As you go on to higher education you will find many professors speak very quickly and cover a lot of material. You have to develop an ear for important information and a quick note-taking strategy so you can capture the essence of the lecture.
We also looked at the Cold War in Asia, South America and the Middle East. Your worksheet gave you the opportunity to organize key information. You also had a map of Korea that allowed you to see the progression of the conflict and the resulting stalemate. The country remains divided at the 38th parallel today. We can only hope that at some point peaceful unification will take place. We watched a short clip hearing recollections from Korean veterans. Sometimes this conflict is known as the forgotten war as many people do not know the reasons we fought in Korea or the result.
On Friday we had three very successful presentations on the Bay of Pigs, the Berlin Crisis, and the Cuban Missile Crisis. Working in your groups you were able to present key information in an efficient manner. Make sure when doing this type of activity that you put the story into your own words and rely on visual information. You had a graphic organizer so at the end of class you should have a good summary of these three conflicts. The Cuban Missile Crisis is probably the closest we ever came to nuclear war. If you are interested in learning more about this event, I urge you to watch “Thirteen Days in October” starring Kevin Costner. It is a very accurate rendition of the tense weeks as President Kennedy and Premier Khrushchev faced off over the Soviet missiles in Cuba. Also take the time to talk with family members…many of them lived through this time and can tell you about the tension everyone felt.
You also had a current event due Friday. We are at the end of the quarter so congratulations to all who turned in this assignment…it can only help your grade. For homework you have a brief article on the fall of Saigon. The article is from UpFront and I think you will find it compelling. On Monday you will work in groups with the overall question of why the Vietnam conflict was so controversial.
Our quarter comes to an end next week and grades will go out on Friday. Make sure you have uploaded your task to TieNet by Wednesday April 13. Everyone who handed in the task E period passed!!!
Parent/Teacher/Student Conferences
On Monday, April 11 between 4 and 6 we will be conducting conferences. Please feel free to come by. We have a few time slots still available.
One More Week to R and R
Next week is our last week before our April break. Keep up the good work…you can make it!
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