Conflict Takes Many Forms

This week we became enthralled with the athletic accomplishments of young people from around the world as we watched the Olympics. The daring of the aerial skiers, the strength of the downhill racers, the tenacity of the hockey teams and the beauty and grace of the skaters were all captured for the world to see!

At the same time, we witnessed a Rhode Island event draw national attention as all the teachers at Central Falls High School were fired. The school’s test scores have not met the standard set by the state so drastic measures were taken to initiate change aimed at providing each student a quality education. The debate has been about what needs to be done to improve the school. Supervisors, teachers, parents and students have not come to an agreed upon action plan so the firings took place in an effort to start September 2010 anew.

Modern America/CWI

We had a busy week as we completed our charts on the New Deal, interacted with a power point that reviewed the major programs and took a quiz on the programs.

Eleanor Roosevelt played a major role in helping her husband’s administration stay in touch with the people. She travelled over 50,000 miles per year in an effort to gain the first hand knowledge the President needed to make decisions that were good for the common man. She became his eyes and ears, as travelling was difficult and tiring for him due to his paralysis from polio. Our First Ladies Project gave you the opportunity to read further about Mrs. Roosevelt and about our current First Lady, Michelle Obama. I hope you enjoyed seeing history from their perspective.

While FDR was very popular, he also had his critics. Your graphic organizer allowed you to gather information on his critics. Some people thought he did too little for the common man while others criticized him for making government too large and intrusive. This debate continues as people such as Sarah Palin criticize President Obama for creating a large government bureaucracy, while some of his fellow Democrats complain about his slow, deliberate manner. In order to prepare for a future task, we practiced reading primary sources and developing a thesis statement.

On Friday we collected current events. For homework you have your MHS email account paperwork which must be turned in on Monday. Your next two assignments will require you to have your MHS email account set up and active. You also have the final worksheet on the New Deal. This is a fun section in our text as you learn about the importance of the radio and movies during this time period. Walt Disney brought a great deal of laughter to people who needed a reprieve from the difficulties of the day.

Our final assessment on the New Deal will be a take home activity.

World History

This week we finished writing our task on Imperialism. Teachers in the department will be meeting to calibrate the tasks. You will earn class credit for the essay, and if you meet standard it may go into your portfolio.

We started our study of World War I and judging from our first day’s discussion it appears you have a good foundation. We spent one day in the computer lab working on propaganda posters. They played a role in recruitment of men and mobilizing the entire population to help fight the “Hun.” You handed in your map which showed the Allies and the Central powers. We will do a map at the end of the unit so you can see how boundaries changed over time. Who were the winners and losers and how did this contribute to World War II? For homework you have a worksheet on section 3, “A New Kind of Conflict.”

Perhaps it is appropriate that we study the two great wars of the last century while the Olympics play out before us, contrasting the value of peaceful competition with the massive destruction wrought by armed conflict.

Time for a Break

And now some time for rest, relaxation, and reflection. We have an entire week ahead of us to celebrate President’s Day, catch up on sleep, and perhaps read a good book. Take the time to do whatever you find most restful so upon your return you are ready to delve into our next units. While there is no formal homework over the break, I just know you will be watching the news and keeping up with the outside world!

Rhode Island was featured on the news last night with the announcement by our Congressman Patrick Kennedy that he will not be running for reelection. For the past 64 years, a Kennedy has served in Congress, so with his retirement (at age 42) Congress will be without a member of the Kennedy family. They have a long and distinguished history of public service and I am sure he will continue a life of service in his next venture.

CWI

This week we watched excerpts from the PBS video “The Crash of 1929” that helped us better understand the irrational exuberance of the stock market and the ultimate crash. The nation was faced with high unemployment, a sluggish economy, and families driven into destitution. President Hoover believed that the situation would ultimately correct itself and urged banks and companies to participate in voluntary programs that would aid the economy. In the election of 1932, America had a clear choice between Hoover and his voluntary approach and Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s approach that called for massive government intervention, which he called The New Deal. The citizens spoke clearly and elected FDR in a landslide.

Even the music of the time helped us better understand the mood of the country as we listened to the somber lyrics of “Brother Can you Spare a Dime” and contrasted that with FDR’s campaign theme song “Happy Days are Here Again.” As you read more about FDR you will see that he was a master at communicating concern and compassion, but also confidence, to the American people. We want to believe that better days are ahead and FDR was the country’s number one cheerleader. If you are a fan of Broadway shows, you may recall that “Annie” has a famous scene with the little red-haired orphan singing “The sun will come out tomorrow” to FDR and Mrs. Roosevelt.

We also reenacted the decisions families had to make during the Depression on how they would try to increase their income and cut down on their spending. We quickly discovered that a family’s spending helps provide someone else’s income, while tightening our belts actually hurts the community. During tough times we want to protect ourselves from the unknown but cutting back too far on spending slows the recovery. All you have to do to see this effect is to drive down Thames Street in Newport and look at the empty shop windows. Small business has been especially hurt during today’s rough economic times.

We had our final assessment on Thursday. All of the questions came from our class activities so I expect some excellent grades. After the assessment you were given the New Deal chart that will allow you to organize information about the programs FDR and Congress implemented to improve the economy. Be on the lookout while you are watching the news or reading the on-line papers for the programs President Obama and Congress are working on to put people back to work. Our reading from The Newport Daily News spoke directly to the similarities of the 1930’s and today.

Finally, we talked about how you can become a millionaire by regularly saving small amounts of money over time. If you decide to go into the stock market, the historical charts show that over time the market goes up. Since you have well over 50 years before you may retire, time is on your side. So start saving today and by the time you are ready to retire you will be a millionaire!

World History

This week we finished our activities on Imperialism. You handed in your maps of Africa and Asia. We watched a video on the Europeans’ scramble for territory in Africa and we practiced document analysis on the impact of imperialism on India and Great Britain. On Friday you were given the documents for the task and had time to mark them up and start thinking about how you want to respond to the prompt. When you return from the break you will be given one day to write your essay. Be sure to follow the rubric as that is how the essay will be scored. You must meet standard on all the starred items to have the essay entered into your graduation portfolio.

A break for the blog

Next Saturday there will not be a posting...I am off for some R and R...including reading “FDR: The First Hundred Days” by Anthony Badger and “The Defining Moment: FDR’s Hundred Days and the Triumph of Hope” by Jonathan Alter. I look forward to sharing their insights with you when we return. Have a safe and restful break!

One World – In Good Times and Bad

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This week, studying the Great Depression, we saw how volatile our economy can be. We happen to be living in a period when our economy may be at greater risk than at any time since the Depression, so its lessons are particularly relevant. In fact, Ben Bernanke, Chairman of the Federal Reserve (his photo is hanging on the board) has said there are lessons from the Depression of the 1930s that can help us cope with the current recession. As one indicator of the present uncertainty, early in the week we saw the largest stock market decline since March of last year, then in the very last hour of trading the market rose on the good news that the unemployment rate had fallen to 9.7%. While 9.7% is a large number, it is no where near the level of unemployment during the Depression of the 1930’s when it reached 25%. Back then there were few support systems for families...no unemployment insurance....no food stamps....no health care.

Along with our own economy, the market was affected during the week by concerns over financial problems in Greece, Spain and Portugal, a reminder of how intertwined the world’s economies have become.

Haiti Fund Raiser

Congratulations to the Leo Club for a successful fund raiser and to all who contributed. Over $200 was raised to help the people of Haiti.

Report Cards

You should be receiving official notification of your grades this weekend. There should be no surprises. If you keep your status of assignment sheet up to date you know your grade at all times. If you are meeting standard...congratulations and keep up the good work. If you are struggling, let’s put together a corrective action plan.

Super Bowl

Very little homework was given this weekend so plan accordingly if you want to be one of the millions of viewers watching the big game. This is the biggest TV event of the year for advertisers and I know many who are not sports fans who watch just to see the commercials. So who are you cheering for?

Aquidneck Island Essay Contest

Essays are due February 12. This is an exciting opportunity to voice your opinions on a current national or international problem of your choice and have the chance to win a $500 savings bond!

Howard Zinn

Last week Howard Zinn, author, historian, and social activist died. Many of you have read sections of “A People’s History of the United States” as part of your study of American History. He looked at events through the eyes of people who are not always covered in traditional textbooks. He reminded us that we are all part of the history of our country and the stories and experiences of ordinary people are just as important as the elections of Presidents and battles fought.

CWI



You did a great job on your Depression Era photo assignment. Many of you put yourselves into the shot and wrote eloquently about the experience these people were living. The single mother with her children in the lean-to tent...the men dressed in their suits waiting in line for free food...the family walking along the dusty road with all of their belongings in a wagon...truly dark and difficult times.

In order for us to better understand the economics behind the Depression and our current recession, you need to look up the unique vocabulary that is used to describe economic conditions and factors. You have a basic list of terms that you should be working with and you should add other words as you encounter them in your reading. Increasing your vocabulary will help you understand the material and make you a better writer. It is also a great way to increase standardized test scores such as the NECAP and the SATs.

Your current events this week were on business and economics. We had a great variety as we looked at the struggles of the Toyota company and the impact it may have on domestic auto makers. We looked at banks that are still struggling to provide loans for small business owners. And we looked at President Obama’s efforts to encourage job growth through tax cuts for businesses who hire.

You also worked in the computer lab this week on the historical stock charts and your own stock charts. You quickly saw that people in 1929 who borrowed money to purchase stocks (bought on margin) were wiped out in the crash. The good times were rolling along in the late 1920’s and no one expected them to end, even though there were warnings signs in the economy. You then had the opportunity to select your own stocks and look at the 52 week cost range. Many of you “made” huge sums of money if you bought low and sold high. Some of you lost large sums of money if you bought high and sold low. So now you have to ask yourself...do I want to be in the stock market where the rewards can be significant, knowing the losses could also be significant? That is why you need to know how this system works and to decide how much you are willing to invest and what rate of risk can you tolerate.

The section review for Chapter 22 section 3 is due next class. Make sure to keep up with the readings and reviews.

Next week we will watch segments of a PBS American Experience video on the Crash of 1929, and we will reenact decisions families had to make during this period We will have our final assessment on Thursday (Day 1). As I have said, one of my favorite assessments for this time period is to give you a list of vocabulary words and you write a story or a letter using the words in a manner that shows you know their meaning.

World History

This week we continued our study of Imperialism. We read “The White Man’s Burden” by Rudyard Kipling. Make sure to take the time to look up an author so you have a better understanding of who the person is...what experiences they had...why they produced this type of poem. Many of you have almost instant access to information through the internet so take a few minutes and get background information to help you better understand your assignment.

“My Boy Jack” is a moving PBS special about Kipling's efforts to have his son enlist in the British army to fight in World War I. Kipling was a passionate patriot and felt this war was essential for the freedom of England. While he was too old to fight himself, he believed his son, even though he had very poor eyesight, should be part of the action. This show features Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter) as Jack. Warning...keep a large supply of tissues close by!

You also completed your maps of Africa and Asia which showed the major colonial holdings of the European countries. To think that Africa was literally carved up at the Berlin Conference by Europeans, with no input from the people being divided! Many of the problems of Africa today can be traced to colonial times.

Your current event this week focused on business and economics. One of the major motives for a country to seek colonies was to provide additional natural resources, to establish places for investment, to expand markets and to use cheap labor.

We also went over your Industrial Revolution task. This was your first attempt at document analysis for the portfolio. The task requires you to analyze the document and use your prior knowledge. You will be doing a similar activity next week when you analyze a series of short excerpts on imperialism and then write an essay. This will be your second task offering. Prior to writing the essay, we will practice the skills you will need to analyze the documents and then convert that information into an essay.