From Violence to Peace

 

This week we learned of a horrifying attack on Malala Yousafzai, a 14 year old girl in Pakistan, who was attacked by the Taliban as she publicly spoke out in favor of education for girls.  Malala was shot in the neck and head on a school bus. As of this morning, she has undergone surgery to remove the bullets and is in stable condition.  Millions from around the world are rallying to her support.  Malala gained public attention when she was 11 years old when she urged Pakistani officials to provide education for all girls in her country.

On a more positive note, the Nobel Committee awarded the Peace Prize to the European Union in recognition of the 27 countries who have joined together since World War II to promote peace, democracy and human rights.  In announcing the award, the chairman of the Committee credited the EU with transforming Europe "from a continent of wars to a continent of peace."  The Committee also noted the importance of recognizing the achievements of the EU at a time when it is struggling to meet the challenges of economic instability and social unrest.

 And closer to home, we had a lively and fun Spirit Week filled with crazy costumes, floats and lots of blue and white throughout MHS – and a big win on the football field!

CWI

This week we did a group activity focused on the foreign policy positions of our two presidential candidates.  You had a graphic organizer that helped you sort through the different positions on key problem areas, including the Israel/Palestine standoff, the rise of China, the continuing threat of Iran, and the new strength of Russia.  You brought in news articles to share with your group that helped you better understand the different approaches to dealing with international issues that President Obama and Governor Romney espouse.  We also read an article from The Economist, “Aworld of troubles.” If you feel you need more information there are numerous articles posted on the web or you can check out this PBS site. With all this background knowledge, you should be prepared to write (or tape) a 30 second radio ad for the candidate of your choice.  You have a rubric which clearly outlines what you need to do to meet standard.  This should be a fun activity as we get closer to selecting our president.  This project is due on October 18 for period G and October 19 for all other classes. 

We started our study of Africa with a montage of photos and music that introduced us to this large and diverse continent.  You have your political map assignment which you can turn in any day next week.  You will have a quiz on the map so a good map will earn you a good quiz grade.

We also started our group projects on Africa.  We went over some helpful hints for working in groups, including making a plan, having a timetable that allows for the unexpected, playing to people’s strengths and having a system of communicating among group members.  The room management plan required you to have your MHS email account up and running for this project. Using this account allows you to easily share information and slides, which makes the project easier to handle.

While you may be building only one or two slides yourself, make sure you understand all the information about your country that your group members have gathered.  Make sure to spend time reading a newspaper from the assigned country as that is clearly listed as a requirement on the rubric. Be prepared to respond to questions from our class.

World History

We only met twice this week due to our holiday. Your Scientific Revolution poster projects were due on Wednesday but only half the class was prepared to present.  We took the time to run through all the reasons why projects were not done and did some problem solving.  You need to manage your time so you can complete work on time. You had a rubric to guide you.  You had one day in the library where you could have printed the picture and found the quote.  If you don’t have access to a computer at home this was your chance to do what needed to be done.  Keep in mind our public library on West Main is an excellent resource as there are people to help you and lots of computers.

We did some of our presentations and will finish the rest on Monday.  We are taking notes on key information so we can be prepared for the quiz.

We also did a “baseline” assessment on a primary source reading.  You had an excerpt from the 95 Theses by Martin Luther and using a graphic organizer you had to answer questions about the document and the time period.  This was our first primary source evaluation and we will have more over the coming months.  By doing this baseline assessment I can see where you need extra instruction so you can improve and be ready for the tasks required for graduation.