Good News...at Last

If you had class on Friday, you saw how good news, namely a lower unemployment rate, immediately impacted the stock market. As we looked at the CNN Money link, the leading graph showed an immediate spike in the Dow Jones average as the new lower unemployment rates hit the news. Investors watch news developments closely because the stock market’s response can be quick and dramatic, as it was on Friday.

This week we continued to focus on the Great Depression starting in 1929 and made numerous comparisons to the recession of 2007-2009. Even though we may still feel we are in a recession, technically we are not as the economy is growing, but at a slow rate. You had the opportunity to show your understanding of the key vocabulary words for the unit by completing the announced quiz. You also had an in class writing assignment that asked you to compare and contrast an iconic photo of the depression with an editorial cartoon. And finally, you have a worksheet with guided reading questions that you need to respond to as you read “From Boom to Bust” from the September 21, 2009 UpFront magazine.

We also took time to look at individual stocks, such as Apple and Disney to see how they have fared over the past month, year and five years. You quickly discovered that much money can be made and lost in the market. The reading about Miss MacRoberts’ grandfather personalized this story of gain and loss. For homework, you are to bring in the history of one stock’s price for the past month, year and 5 years, along with an article about the stock so we can better understand how events at companies influence their stock prices. If you are on Facebook, then you have heard that the company is about to go public, that is, they will be selling stock in the venture for the first time. Rumors abound on what the initial pricing of the stock will be but it is expected that billions of dollars will be raised once the stock becomes public.

Contest Time

Rhode Island high school students interested in participating in a video/poster safety contest should contact www.ipc.rhodeislandhospital.org for further information on the chance to win prizes ranging from $200 to $500 dollars. The contest aims to tap into the creativity of young people and to get the message out that safety needs to be a daily concern. No essay to write…just a creative video or poster!

DigiGirlz Day

High school girls interested in learning more about careers in technology may want to attend a Microsoft symposium to be held in Boston in March. If you are interested in learning more about this conference, see Mr. Fontaine for further details.

Two Articles Worth Your Time

On the front page of this morning’s NYT, there is an article about the number of foreign students now attending American universities. American universities are encouraging foreign applicants because they add a global experience to campuses and they pay full tuition. Universities see that students need to know how to operate in a global community and thus want their campuses to reflect this new dynamic.

And our friend, Nicolas Kristof, has an intriguing opinion piece, “After Recess: Change the World.” It describes the impact Change.org is having, and he uses as an example a fourth grade class in Massachusetts that used the web site to gather signatures opposing the actions of a major movie studio. Just think of the possibilities this web site could have!