At the Half Way Point

Congratulations for all of your hard work this week. A record number of students handed in a study guide and therefore were successful on the mid-term. Job well done!

We are at the half way point in the school year. This is a perfect time to pause and reflect on your track record and plan for the second half of the year. For those of you who are meeting standard — keep up the good work. For those of you who have been struggling, let’s put together a corrective action plan: a more serious approach to your studies, doing the homework, staying after for extra help, and making up missed work after being out. It is your choice!

Leo reminder:

If you are interested in participating in community service projects please stop by the Student Activity Center on Wednesday after school to help the Leo Club make blankets for children at Hasbro Hospital. This is a fun group of students who are trying to better their communities. Come on down and join in the fun!

CWI/Comparative Government

Thank you for your patience as MHS crafts a second semester course which will combine key concepts from our old US II class with the new Comparative Government course. You are the transition class so efforts are under way to give you the best from both curriculums.

We started off on Friday with a video about “The Great Depression.” Your video sheet asks you to compare and contrast the economic struggles of the 1930’s with our own current economic problems. This assignment will take on much more meaning if you take the time to talk with family and friends about their recollections of the 1930’s and to ask how today’s economic difficulties are affecting their lives and plans.

On day 1 (Wednesday) your first current event is due and it must be about our current economic situation. You can look for articles on the Economic Stimulus bill which Congress is debating, unemployment figures, home foreclosures, bank updates, or stores going out of business.

Let’s also look for some good news. Last night the local TV station had a new feature listing local businesses that were looking for workers. They featured a bank in Cranston that needs tellers and a truck repair garage in Kingston looking for diesel mechanics. We are all in this difficult situation together and everyone needs to make an effort to help others. Take a moment and think about what you can do to help ease the budget constraints at your home and at school.

AP European History

On Friday you received the list of chapter assignments for second semester. You can see we are more than half way through the curriculum as we work towards the May 8 exam.

Chapter 24, “Life in the Emerging Urban Society,” is divided into four subsections. Each of you will work with a partner or trio to present the information in the form of a power point on February 6. You will have 3 days in the library to work with your group. Please email your final project to me at asullivan@mpsri.net prior to the start of class. We will need the entire class period to get through the presentations so you will be ready for the test on February 10. The project is worth 100 points.

The groups include:

Taming the City: K. F. and A.M.

Rich and Poor: J.L., R.C. and C. O.

Changing Society: S.G., H.W. and A.F.

Science and Technology: C.B. and M.M.

The class decided to drop the study guide requirement for this chapter. The bold to bold notes will be due the day of the exam and will be worth 50 points.

World History

On Monday you will start your on-demand task on the Industrial Revolution. As we have said, the task will require you to analyze two primary source documents and then respond to the prompt. You should be well prepared for this task as you have a great deal of prior knowledge and are familiar with working with documents. It should take us 2-3 days to complete the writing assignment.

Be A Part of It

Our country and most of the world were watching and celebrating on January 20 as we witnessed the swearing in of our 44th president, Barack Hussein Obama. Another peaceful transfer of power and an historical one as President Obama becomes our first African-American Commander in Chief.

Our news networks worked overtime as they brought us live events from the 3-day celebration and infused lessons from the Civil Rights movement and past Inaugurations. It was a history teacher’s dream as we walked around DC and witnessed the numerous posters and displays celebrating this event and its historic precedents. Stay tuned for a special Inaugural Blog with pictures!

So now the hard work begins, as President Obama has called on all of us to roll up our sleeves and contribute to the restoration of our economy, our standing in the world community and the legacy we will leave those who follow us. There is something for everyone to do. As high school students you may want to consider joining the Leo Club. This club is the youth branch of the Lions Club which is an adult group devoted to community service. Our own Leo Club will be meeting on Wednesday in the Student Activity office to make fleece blankets for the children of Hasbro Children’s Hospital. Stop by and join in the fun and get the good feeling that comes with helping others.

CWI

This week we completed our study of East Asia. The final writing assessment was given on January 22 and 23 and many of you were absent. Make sure you stop by to make arrangements to take the final assessment within the 5 day makeup period as we are at the end of the quarter.

You have the study guide for the final exam. Keep in mind that CWI is a one semester course so the exam you take this week is considered your final. You should use your portfolio materials, the blog and the study guide to prepare for the final. Watching the evening news to see and hear the lead stories will also serve you well. The study guide is worth up to 10 extra points and must be handed in at the start of the exam. The responses to the study guide will require you to answer many of the questions on a separate sheet of paper. Take the time to provide complete responses so you can earn lots of points.

Next semester’s course is entitled “20th Century America and Globalization.” Modifications have been made in the proposed Comparative Government course so that topics from US II, that many of you have not taken, will be incorporated. We will start with The Great Depression which will give us the background we need to better understand our current economic situation.

AP European History

Your midterm exam will consist of 45 multiple choice questions. There will be 5 questions from each of the chapters we have covered, starting with Chapter 13 on the Renaissance and running through Chapter 23, “Ideologies and Upheavals.” You will also have one DBQ with 11 documents. It will be scored using the AP DBQ rubric which you have in your notebook. There will be no free responses.

Your chapter 23 study guide will be collected the day of the exam and is worth 100 points. Last class I gave you a list of all of the quarter’s assignments and values.

You have put a great deal of time and effort into the class and I know your hard work will pay off. If you look at the text, you can see we are more than half way through the curriculum that is required for you to be successful on the AP exam on May 8. At the start of the second semester I will give you a calendar that lists chapters and due dates so you can plan. I have also set aside two weeks for a review period.

World History

This week we completed our unit on The Industrial Revolution. We focused on using primary source documents and looking at both the benefits and challenges to workers and business owners during this time of dramatic change. After the mid term we will have one day to review this time period and then you will start your portfolio task. The task will ask you to read primary sources and then respond to a prompt. The rubric used is the response to informational text.

You have your study guide for the exam. The study guide is worth up to 10 points so take the time to go through your text and review the terms, places and people. You should also go through the work you have completed that is part of your portfolio...history DOES repeat itself in this class! Finally you can review the blog as there is an entry for every week of the semester. I know you will be successful if you follow these steps.

The Countdown Begins

The count down has begun... rail tickets have been purchased, the camera has fresh batteries and after a few more lessons with the MP3 recorder I should be ready for the trip to DC for the Inauguration! Plans are underway at MHS to bring the ceremony into the school at a variety of viewing areas including the café and room 212. Be sure to ask your teachers where you can view the event. TV coverage starts early in the day and will last through the parade.

You are witnessing history! Future textbooks will describe this Inauguration as a turning point in our history, and when your children study US history they will ask you what it was like to be a part of it. So watch, listen, and think about what this all means!

CWI

We are rapidly coming to the end of our one semester course and our study of East Asia. You have one final worksheet on the two Koreas and Taiwan before you take your in-class writing assessment on January 22.

Next week you will receive a study guide for the final exam. You may earn up to 10 extra points on your final exam grade by completing the guide and turning it in at the start of your exam period.

Next week we will also do a final update of your portfolio as I return your current events quiz, your final worksheet and your task. I want to pass on my congratulations to all the task writers from A period. Everyone in that period met the standard!

In order to prepare for the final I would encourage you to take your portfolio home and review all the work you have done. In addition, reading over the weekly entries on the blog will give you a quick overview.

World History

This week we continued studying the Industrial Revolution and looking at both the benefits and drawbacks to this time period from the perspective of the worker and the business owner. You have your packet with the worksheets and a primary source reading. Keep in mind that your portfolio task, which will be given the week after midterms, will require you to read primary source documents and then respond to a prompt.

A study guide for the midterm will be given out on Tuesday. You may earn up to 10 extra points on your midterm grade by completing the study guide and turning it in at the start of the exam period. We will also update your portfolio next week. You are encouraged to use the portfolio to study for your midterm. You also have a blog entry for every week of the semester that you can read over.

AP European

We will finish Chapter 23 next week by focusing on the revolutions of 1848. We will not have a separate exam on the chapter as those questions will be folded into the midterm. The midterm will consist of multiple choice and a DBQ with multiple documents. The DBQ will be scored using the AP rubric so you will be expected to group the documents and provide point of view analysis. To prepare for the midterm I would urge you to go over your study guides and bold-to-bold notes.

Tank Man: An Image to Remember

I hope your December break has left you rested and ready to wrap up our first semester on a positive note. We have only two more weeks before we start the mid-term exam week. Keeping all of your papers in your portfolio will serve you well as they will allow you to review the material covered from September through January. The blog should also be a useful tool as you prepare for your exams. There is a blog entry for every week of school so take the time to go back and read the entries as a way to review.

It has been a difficult week to watch the news as job losses continue to mount. The country now has a 7.2% unemployment rate which is the highest it has been in 16 years. Rhode Island and Michigan lead the country will unemployment over 9%. President-elect Obama has been urging Congress to act quickly on his economic stimulus package which is aimed at putting people back to work through infrastructure improvement projects and expanding green technology. Putting people to work gives them money to spend and that is what our economy needs right now.

Overseas, the conflict in Gaza continues to bring suffering and death on an ever-widening scale. Despite a UN resolution calling for a ceasefire, Israel continues to press its attack into Gaza and the leaders of Hamas continue to fire rockets into Israel. Hundreds of civilians have been killed or injured, and the emotions aroused by the fighting will make it even harder to find a peaceful resolution to this longstanding conflict.

Inauguration Update

This week we learned that all bridges into Washington, DC on January 20 will be closed to regular vehicular traffic. Buses and vans with special permits will be allowed into the city but in an effort to avoid total gridlock, all other vehicles will be prohibited. Dulles Airport, which is about 35 miles outside of DC, will convert a runway into a special airplane parking lot as it expects at least 500 additional planes for the festivities.

When I go to Washington for the Inauguration I will take along an MP3 recorder so I can interview people on the Mall. It is expected to be very cold and crowded, so I will be interested in hearing what has motivated them to come to this event. I will also try to call back to MHS so you can have the opportunity to ask questions. Meanwhile, efforts are underway to bring cable coverage of the Inauguration into the café, room 212 and the gym. Stay tuned for information on how you can watch it from school on January 20.

CWI

This week you handed in your portfolio task. As CWI is a one semester course, this will be the only task offered. It was a 50 point class assignment and if you meet standard, you may put it in your graduation portfolio. I am confident you did a great job.

This week you also handed in your China (East Asia) maps, took the quiz, and held your accountable talk activity. The UpFront readings and handouts gave you a great deal of background on China and posed some thought provoking questions. Does China’s rise help or hurt the US? Would you rather have job security or freedom and human rights? Is the China education system more effective then the US system? What do US workers have to do to become more competitive? We will conclude our study of China by watching a Frontline show entitled “Tank Man” which tells the story of the young man who defied Chinese authorities and stood in front of an army tank in Tiananmen Square.

Your next current event is due January 13 and it must be an article about East Asia.

AP European

Your test on Chapter 22 is on Monday. The study guide will be collected that day.

World History

This week we completed our study of The French Revolution and the Age of Napoleon. You have a map activity to complete over the weekend to prepare yourself for your “book” test on Monday. You also have a study guide which will help you review for the test as well as a description of the test. This will be good practice for the mid-term exam.

We will start the study of the Industrial Revolution on Monday. We will continue to use primary source readings in order to better prepare you for your first portfolio task which will be given after we complete our study of this time period. The task asks you to interpret the primary sources and make a judgment.

Extra credit: What is the name of the church in which Napoleon’s tomb is located ?