This week saw a surge in violence in South West Asia as
Palestinian fighters launched a barrage of rockets from the Gaza Strip, which
is controlled by the radical movement Hamas, into Israel. Several Israeli civilians were killed. Israel retaliated with missile strikes and
fighter-bomber attacks that killed both Palestinian civilians and at least one militant
leader of Hamas. Israel also began mobilizing
ground forces for a possible invasion, similar to the one in 2008. With the civil war continuing in Syria, this
troubled region continues to be a hotbed of violence and one where American
interests are directly involved.
“War Dance”
We finished watching this award winning film and you had an
in class writing assignment that gave you the opportunity to think and write
about the similarities you share with the young people of northern Uganda. Many of you wrote with a great sense of
empathy. You understood some of the hardships
they have endured and you understood about how hopes and dreams can keep you
alive and motivated. As Captain Yaw
mentioned in his remarks last Friday, understanding people and their culture
will help us reduce violent conflict in the world. Great job!
South West Asia
The heightened violence between Israel and Hamas came as we
started our unit on South West Asia.
Along with intensified fighting in the Gaza Strip, the Syrian civil war
continued to escalate as thousands of refugees flowed into Turkey. How can a country absorb so many displaced families? Who will shelter and feed the thousands who
are fleeing? With Turkish and Syrian
forces exchanging artillery fire across the border, and Israel firing into
Syria for the first time, this conflict threatened to expand from a civil war
into one involving nation-states, bringing a new level of violence to the
region.
Our unit on South West Asia began with the map and map quiz.
Maps are especially important for this
region as you see how Israel was carved out of an area inhabited by
Palestinians. You need to look at the complicated borders to see how division
is further complicated by multiple sections of land inhabited by both
Palestinians and Israelis. Moving east,
you saw how Afghanistan’s opportunities are limited by its being land
locked. And you can see the strategic
and economic importance of the Suez Canal as a short cut from the Mediterranean
to the Red Sea, saving the thousands of miles shipping would have to travel
around Africa if the canal were closed or blocked. You had class time to finish
the map so you should have been in good shape for the quiz.
We also had our first set of current events for the new quarter. Doing your current events assignment is good
practice for the portfolio task we will be doing in early December. The task is based on your ability to
summarize and analyze a series of current events. At this point, you should be earning high scores
for this assignment. You usually have
about one week for the assignment and you have a rubric. Excuses for not doing the assignment include
“I forgot” (it is written on the board for the week, and don’t you read the
blog?) or “My computer is broken, my printer is out of ink, I have no paper” (you
do not need a computer to do this assignment...you can hand-write the summary
and you can cut the article out of the paper or photocopy it). Students who do the current events are usually
the students who earn the highest grades for the quarter.
Are you watching the evening news or going on line to stream
the latest broadcast? It is an efficient way to stay up to date and to build
your background knowledge for our class discussions. Be in the know...
Multi Text Reading
Working in groups allows you to share ideas, ask questions
and gain a deeper understanding of our readings. Unfortunately, it can also be a time when
socialization takes precedence over learning.
Be mature…focus on your work and use everyone’s ideas to help you better
understand the issues.
Status of Assignment
Sheets
For homework, you need to share your status of assignment
sheet with your parent and guardian, have them sign it and return it for
credit. This sheet will go back into
your portfolio. We are working on
staying organized.
Parent/Teacher/Student
Conferences
If you have been absent, make sure you take the time to stay
after school to find out what lessons and assignments you missed so you can
stay current with your work. You may also use Advisory time to come by Room
246 to make up work if you have asked in advance for a pass. It is your
responsibility to make arrangements for missed work.
World History
This week we finished our study of the rise of
Parliament. Over a period of 100 years,
Parliament positioned itself to hold the King accountable and reduced the monarch’s
power so that more power would be in the hands of many, the Parliament.
We also had our Enlightenment interviews. This was a great time for you to work with a
partner to gain a better understanding of how this age of reason contributed to
such key ideas as life, liberty and the right to own property and the
obligation of governments to provide for the people.
You will have a quiz on Tuesday on Chapter 18 section
1. You have a worksheet to help you work
through key ideas and events that were covered during the interviews.
Current events are due on November 20 and you may select any
international issue.
Time for a Laugh
On Tuesday I attended a Naval War College lecture by Jeff Immelt,
the CEO of the General Electric Company. This was an inspiring speech as he spoke about
the challenges in business and the need to recruit workers who understand
international challenges. He went on to
explain all the things he does to connect with workers and one of his major initiatives
is writing a weekly blog. Oh my gosh…I
have something in common with a CEO who brings home $15 million dollars a year!
Extra credit
Be the first in your class to email the correct answer using
your MHS account to earn extra credit:
This coming week President Obama will be the first sitting president
to visit these two Asian countries…name the two countries and the reason for this
landmark visit.
Time for some turkey
and a rest
A heads up that this blogger will be taking a break next
week…
And a sad milestone…
R.I.P.
Twinkies, Snowballs and Ho Hos.
.
No comments:
Post a Comment