Genocide in Rwanda, Day 7 - Class Recap

The United Nations negotiating table between South and North Korea. We watched Hotel Rwanda in class today, which also has the United Nations involved. Photo taken in January 2014.

Dear class,

Today was our last Global Studies class together in 2015! I was happy to check in on what everyone was up to during Winter Break and talk more about the world, before starting Hotel Rwanda. Here's what happened in class today:

Learning Targets:
Knowledge LT 20: I can identify the critical components of imperialism.
Communication LT 1:  I can communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing
Behavior LT 3: I can communicate and work effectively within a team or group.

Soundtrack: "Reelin' in the Years" by Steely Dan. Selected for today because the next time we have class together, it will be a new year! Lyrics here.

AGENDA 12/18/15:
News Brief - Manya
Speech Debrief
Hotel Rwanda
Break!

Homework: Read the blog. Work on any late or incomplete work. Have a great, safe break. See you in 2016! Next news brief: Mr. Fritz.

News Brief: Manya selected this story for the news brief: BBC.com - Russia Turkey: Sukhoi jet black box 'damaged'. We found Russia in our world maps and noted we did a news brief there.

I also talked about this story: NPR.org - Violence Escalates In Burundi; U.S Citizens Urged To Leave.  The reason I chose this should not be a surprise: there are lots of references to Rwanda in this story. I played the audio for the story in class, and scrolled down the transcript, as well. Hopefully, people will be paying attention to Burundi and stop the violence there.

I will also be doing the next news brief, since there is such a long time between classes! I love following what is going on in the world, so it will be easy for me. I hope everyone continues to follow the news over break!

We also talked about what we will be up to over break. I shared that my family will be in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico for five days, then I will be going to the Alamo Bowl in Texas on January 2nd to see Oregon play.So there is certainly a lot of travel in the near future for me. :-)

As I said in class, I realize that, for some students, being at home is harder than being at school, so just know that my thoughts are with you all, and that I am excited to see you next year!

Speech Debrief: Before we started watching Hotel Rwanda, I asked for some thoughts about the Rwanda speeches. Thanks for the feedback given! I really enjoy that activity, and as I said in class, I'm always so proud of my classes. Never a doubt in my mind that you would impress the administration in the room!

Hotel Rwanda: The rest of class was spent watching the movie Hotel Rwanda (2004). I normally do not show entire movies in class, but this one is SO good and relevant to the Rwanda unit. Here is the worksheet of questions to answer as we watched:

Google Drive: Hotel Rwanda Questions

We watched 59 minutes in class, and will watch the rest when we get back from break.

At the end of class, I asked again for any revised copies of the Rwanda speech (which I will be grading). If you are needing it to find the rubrics to turn in with your revised paper or work on it over break, here they are:

Google Drive: Individual United Nations Rwanda Speech Assignment

Have a wonderful two weeks off! See you in 2016!

Genocide in Rwanda, Day 6 - Class Recap

A look at the view from the podium in our room for the United Nations speeches about Rwanda!

Hi everyone,

You all did such an amazing job today! I am so proud of you and your effort in these speeches! It was an inspiration to be able to see how well you communicated about the genocide and the learning targets for the unit. Here's what happened in class today:

Learning Targets:
Knowledge LT 20: I can identify the critical components of imperialism.
Communication LT 1:  I can communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing
Behavior LT 3: I can communicate and work effectively within a team or group.

Soundtrack: "Heroes" by David Bowie. Selected for today because you got to be heroes for the people of Rwanda. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 12/16/15:
News Brief - Tiffany
Setting the Stage
United Nations Speeches
Hotel Rwanda

Homework: Read the blog. Turn in any late or incomplete work, and the individual copy of your United Nations speech ASAP. Next news brief: Manya.

News Brief: Tiffany had the news brief today and selected an article about this story: BBC.com - Paris attacks: French police arrest suspect. We didn't go too in depth on this, due to my wanting everyone to have adequate time to do some final prep before speeches. Thanks, Tiffany!

Manya was selected to do the next news brief. We did not watch BBC World News today, due to the time with speeches, but here it is to watch, if you want to.

Setting the Stage: Right after the news brief, I went over exactly how the speeches would work in class, and talked specifically about a tie that I brought in for students to wear if they wanted, which a friend who went to Rwanda brought back for me. The tie was made by survivors of the genocide, so I thought it was pretty important symbolism as we were talking about needing to prevent it!

After the introduction, I gave about 10-15 minutes for groups to get ready and organized, then we started.

United Nations Speeches: I LOVED these! Again, the vast majority of students did such a good job with this! The basic set up was to have a group come up and line up behind the podium, do their speech in order, then listen as the panel at the front (for your class, it was Vice Principal Aki Mori and fellow Global Studies teacher Pat McCreery, along with myself) gave positive feedback about how your speeches went.

I really appreciated your effort and willingness to speak up about Rwanda! I know that the panel was impressed. I also wanted to make sure and publicly thank Mr. Mori and Mr. McCreery for being willing to give their time to come see you speak. What a cool community we have at Westview!

After the speeches were done, there was not enough time to start Hotel Rwanda, so we will do that next class.

At the end of class, I had everyone (who had not already done so) turn in their individual speeches (five paragraphs) with the rubric attached.

Here's the assignment sheet again, if you are needing it to find the rubrics to turn in with your revised paper:

Google Drive: Individual United Nations Rwanda Speech Assignment

Thank you all so much again for your hard work today and in the build up for it! You totally rock! I am very proud of everyone. See you next class - our last before Winter Break! :-)

Genocide in Rwanda, Day 5 - Class Recap

My mom, Amanda Fritz, giving a speech after she was elected to Portland City Council in 2008. Photo taken by my dad!

Hi everyone,

Today was our last day of preparation for the Rwanda speech in front of the United Nations! Lots of tips and stuff to talk about. Here's what happened in class today:

Learning Targets:
Knowledge LT 20: I can identify the critical components of imperialism.
Communication LT 1:  I can communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.

Soundtrack: "Man in the Mirror" by Michael Jackson. Selected because you get to "make that change" with your speech, and also, practicing in front of a mirror is a good strategy to prepare for a speech. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 12/14/15:
News Brief - Ashleigh
Brainstorm Public Speaking
Rwanda Video
Speech Work Time

Homework: Read the blog. The United Nations group speech in front of an administrator is next class! Practice! Dress up (if possible)! Be ready to go with your group! Also, if you haven't turned in your revised/final individual speech, please do so ASAP. Next news brief: Tiffany.

News Brief: Ashleigh had the news brief today and selected an article about this story: CNN.com - French teacher made up story of ISIS attack, official says. We found France in our world maps again, and talked about why this might have happened, and irrational fear based on religion. Thanks, Ashleigh.

Tiffany was selected to do the next news brief.

We also watched the one minute BBC World News update. Here's the link to see the latest one minute update, at any time of day (it will probably be different from what we watched in class):

BBCNews.com - One-minute World News

Brainstorm: Public Speaking: We talked in class about some tips for giving a good speech. I used two video clips for this:

The 2014 National Champion of Original Oratory, Andrea Ambam.

I only showed the first two minutes or so of this in class, but the point was hopefully made clear. She does a great job of knowing her material, standing straight, using hand gestures to be engaging, making eye contact, and varying her tone of voice.

As a class, we thought of good public speaking tips. Here's what we came up with:

- If possible, use humor to grab attention
- Hand gestures when appropriate
- Speaking with confidence
- Dramatic pauses
- Use metaphors to relate to audience
- Watch your facial expression (you know something the audience doesn’t)
- Get feedback from others to improve
- Memorization is helpful, try not to pause for umm, or like, or verbal tics
- Don’t just look at one place
- It’s okay if you don’t go word for word (the audience won’t know)
- Make sure your voice is clear and able to be heard
- Be formal with your communication
- Try to keep your inflection the same throughout
- Speak slowly and deliberate

Next, I showed this five minute video from Toastmasters (an organization devoted to helping people with public speaking):

I hope that all of this made everyone feel better, or at least, provide some tips on how to feel better about the speech!

Rwanda Video: Finally, before work time the rest of class, I showed half of this video that an American media company made for Rwanda's tourism department. I wanted to show this to highlight some of the beautiful aspects of Rwanda, as another counter story to what people may typically think.

Group Speech Work Time: The rest of the class was devoted to working on the speech in groups - getting the order down, practicing, and refining. The groups are (some may have six, which means that the group will have four middle speakers on speech day):

Group 1: Samson W, Olivia Q, Hitesh V (absent), John N, Byron D, Josh B

*Group 2*: Mathew M, Tiffany C, Alaina E, Ethan W, Manya J

Group 3: Baylie C, Lisanna S, Kai E, Marquis R, Meher C, Mandy C,

Group 4: Blake H, Alex G, Alex K, Noah B, Britney G, Ashleigh N,

Group 5: Medha P, Ellie H, Edo M, Anthonette M, Natalie R, Queena W,

*Group 6*: Mark K, Juwon E, Malini G, Sim L, Emily T

Here's the assignment sheet again, if you are needing it to find the rubrics to turn in with your revised paper:

Google Drive: Individual United Nations Rwanda Speech Assignment

Please make sure to bring a revised final copy of your speech (if you have not turned it in already), for me to grade, next class! Be prepared and confident in your speech - I know you will all be great! Let me know if there is anything else I can do to help!

Genocide in Rwanda, Day 4 - Class Recap

Fireworks to start the 2011 US Open, held in New York City, which is where the United Nations meets.

Dear class,

I hope that today was productive for you and your group! I certainly enjoyed reading over your speeches and trying to help everyone revise them. Here's what happened in class today:

Learning Targets:
Knowledge LT 20: I can identify the critical components of imperialism.
Communication LT 1:  I can communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.

Soundtrack: "Somali Udiida Ceb (Somalia, Don't Shame Yourself)" by Maryam Mursal. Selected because Somalia has a direct impact on why the United States was reluctant to do anything to stop the genocide in Rwanda. Listen to the song here.

AGENDA 12/10/15:
News Brief - Anthonette
Hutu Ten Commandments
Peer Review
Group Speech Work

Homework: Read the blog. Revised/edited Rwanda speech due. Bring one copy for me to grade, and your paragraph that your group decided to use for the speech, to work on. The Rwanda resources will help. Next news brief: Ashleigh.

News Brief: Anthoneete had the news brief today and selected an article about this story: BBC.com - Rwanda genocide: Ladislas Ntaganzwa seized in DR Congo. This is so incredibly interesting, since we are studying Rwanda and the genocide! We found Rwanda in our world map packets and I read through the article a bit as a class, because it was so relevant to what we are learning about. Amazing, amazing timing. Thank you, Anthonette!

Ashleigh was selected to do the next news brief.

We also watched the one minute BBC World News update. Here's the link to see the latest one minute update, at any time of day (it will probably be different from what we watched in class):

BBCNews.com - One-minute World News

Finally, we checked in about the weekend and what everyone is up to.

Hutu Ten Commandments: I talked about this right after the news, as yet another aspect in the lead up to the Rwandan genocide that students could write about for the speech:

The Hutu Ten Commandments (1990)

Again, it was not a surprise at all that a genocide occurred, with words like that being used, years in advance. This would count as part of the Polarization stage of genocide.

Peer Review: I passed out a review sheet and went over exactly what everyone should be looking at, as far as their papers being revised. Here it is - if you missed class, please complete it!

Google Drive - Rwanda Speech Peer Review Form

Basically, you need to be sure to talk about the United Nations definition of genocide and the role that imperialism (especially Belgium's classification of Hutus and Tutsis) had in starting the ongoing genocide. Here's the Imperialism PowerPoint again, if you wanted to look in more depth. Hint: you cannot say that Hutus are promoting imperialism against the Tutsis. That's not imperialism at all.

Google Drive - Imperialism PowerPoint

I tried to give feedback on as many papers during class as I possibly could - I apologize for not being able to get through everyone! Fortunately, the groups should have helped a lot in revisions, too.

Group Speech Work Time: The rest of the class was devoted to working on the speech in groups. Next class, you will be refining and practicing your speeches. The groups are (some may have six, which means that the group will have four middle speakers on speech day):

Group 1: Samson W, Olivia Q, Hitesh V (absent), John N, Byron D, Josh B

*Group 2*: Mathew M, Tiffany C, Alaina E, Ethan W, Manya J

Group 3: Baylie C, Lisanna S, Kai E, Marquis R, Meher C, Mandy C,

Group 4: Blake H, Alex G, Alex K, Noah B, Britney G, Ashleigh N,

Group 5: Medha P, Ellie H, Edo M, Anthonette M, Natalie R, Queena W,

*Group 6*: Mark K, Juwon E, Malini G, Sim L, Emily T

I used the Random.org List Generator to make the groups. :-)

While everyone worked in groups, I tried as hard as I could to look at the papers that were turned in and immediately get them back with feedback. Here were the elements I most commonly saw as being needed for addition in the speeches:

1) Need to mention United Nations definition of genocide, made in 1948, after the Holocaust.
2) Need to connect classification of the Hutus and Tutsis to the legacy of Belgium’s imperialism.
3) Asking the United Nations for something SPECIFIC. Not just “do something.” Say “more troops” “more funding” “more awareness – declare this as what it is: genocide.”

Here are the directions, from earlier in the unit:

The final assignment for the unit and before break is a speech before a mock United Nations, in class. You will be pretending that it is April 24, 1994 - the actual date that arguments were ongoing at the United Nations Security Council about how to respond to the conflict in Rwanda.

There are a few steps in the process to prepare for the speech, which will be given on Wednesday, December 16th. The first is to write a persuasive essay (in the form of a speech you could give).. Here's the assignment:

Google Drive: Individual United Nations Rwanda Speech Assignment

As a reminder, this will eventually be a formal speech before break that you give as a part of a group, in front of the class, with myself and another teacher and/or administrator (like Dr. Franco) listening. You are going to need to persuade us to act and do something!

To prepare for this, I passed out a class set of copies of three things:

1) The United Nations definition of genocide, as agreed to by the world in 1949. This is helpful, because if you can persuade the United Nations that genocide is occurring in Rwanda, they HAVE to act (because that's what they agreed to).

2) The Eight Stages of Genocide. I read over the stages, but not all of the content describing them. There is a lot of information that might help you craft your speech! You can certainly talk about every stage of genocide, occurring in Rwanda, up to April 24, 1994. Here are some hints on how to do this.

3) A reading that goes over more of the history in Rwanda, what happened during the genocide, and the end. Remember, you can't talk about anything after April 24, 1994, but you can make predictions as to what will happen if the United Nations refuses to act! The reading is pages 5-10 here:

Google Drive: Rwandan Genocide Speech Preparation Materials

Another resource that might help could be your Cornell Notes from last class, which was on this presentation:

Google Drive: Genocide in Rwanda: The Basics PowerPoint

Please be sure to ask me if you have any questions or need help in any way! I'm really excited to see what you can come up with! :-)

Genocide in Rwanda, Day 3 - Class Recap

A young Egyptian guy, who wanted me to take his picture in front of the pyramids in Cairo. Photo taken in 2014.

Hi everyone,

Two more weeks of work until a nice break! Lots to do - today, we looked more into Imperialism and Privilege, as I asked students to think about how they may have impacted Rwanda. Here's what happened in class today:

Learning Targets:
Knowledge LT 20: I can identify the critical components of imperialism.
Communication LT 1:  I can communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.
Critical Thinking LT 1: I can explain multiple perspectives and viewpoints.

Soundtrack: "Africa for Norway" by SAIH - The Norwegian Students’ and Academics’ International Assistance Fund. I was projecting this video as students walked in - it is a humorous look at stereotyping, and how Norwegians should not stereotype Africans, because what if the opposite happened. I read the reasoning behind the video in class.

AGENDA 12/8/15:
News Brief - Mandy
Imperialism
Privilege
Speech Work Time

Homework: Read the blog. Rwanda speech due - bring two copies, typed. The Rwanda resources will help. Next news brief: Anthonette.

News Brief: Mandy had the news brief today and selected an article about this story: BBC.com - Donald Trump's Muslim US ban call roundly condemned. Mandy related this to outside the United States by mentioning that the article says UK and French leaders were also saying Trump was wrong for wanting to ban Muslims from entering the country. I mentioned that, although Donald Trump is leading the Republican polls right now, he remains pretty unpopular with most Americans. We found the UK on the world map packet and noted we did a news brief there.

Anthonette was selected to do the next news brief.

We also watched the one minute BBC World News update. Here's the link to see the latest one minute update, at any time of day (it will probably be different from what we watched in class):

BBCNews.com - One-minute World News

Finally, we checked in about the weekend and what everyone was up to. I shared about going to Columbus, Ohio to watch the Portland Timbers win the MLS Cup championship!

Imperialism: Next, I went over the concepts of imperialism and colonialism, in the form of a PowerPoint. Students took notes (if you took Cornell Notes, all the better) on the presentation.

Google Drive - Imperialism PowerPoint

One of the learning targets associated with this unit is Knowledge LT 20: I can identify the critical components of imperialism. This presentation was to help students understand how to do that, especially in regards to how Belgium had an impact in Rwanda, long after the independence in 1962.

Privilege: Another component of how we look at people in the world is the concept of privilege. Specifically, white privilege - a system of advantages some people get over others, that are often not even recognized. Here is the reading we went through, by Peggy McIntosh (this was an abbreviated version of the full article):

Google Drive - White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack

As part of this reading, I used the male privilege example of the Men's National Team of the United States playing on grass (which they prefer) over turf, and the women being forced to play on turf. Here's an article about that: FiveThirtyEight.com - U.S. Men’s Soccer, But Not Women’s, Gets To Play All Its Games On Grass.

Basically, I am asking everyone to think about how our privilege here in America (of being a world superpower) relates to our study of Rwanda. Specifically, I think that race has a lot to do with it. We did a quiet activity with this document, which I think was pretty powerful (the Westview teachers recently did this, too). Thank you for your participation here.

As part of this section, I also provided some counter stories to the negativity surrounding Africa. In particular, I highlighted these:

BloombergView.com - It Isn't Just Asian Immigrants Who Thrive in the U.S.

This was about how the highest levels of educational achievement in the United States are from African immigrants.

TheEconomist.com - Why does Kenya lead the world in mobile money?

Since some people believe that Africa is very far behind in technology (and to be certain, some places are), I pointed out this story, which is about how Kenya has a system that is the best in the world for sending payments on the go.

I also showed RisingAfrica.org, which has lots of stories about the positive sides of Africa, and went into some detail about the African Union, as well as the effort to help Rwanda during the genocide.

Finally, as a challenge assignment for the TAG students in the class, I read the first part of this long article on Paul Kagame, the President of Rwanda. If you want to learn more about why the balance in assessing Kagame is so tricky, and enjoy a reading challenge, here's the entire article:

NYTimes.com - The Global Elite's Favorite Strongman

The first part has to do with how clean and safe Kigali is now, which is related to the counter stories I was trying to present.

Speech Work Time: The rest of the class (about 15 minutes) was devoted to working on your speech. Here are the directions, from last class:

The final assignment for the unit and before break is a speech before a mock United Nations, in class. You will be pretending that it is April 24, 1994 - the actual date that arguments were ongoing at the United Nations Security Council about how to respond to the conflict in Rwanda.

There are a few steps in the process to prepare for the speech, which will be given on Wednesday, December 16th. The first is to write a persuasive essay (in the form of a speech you could give). This is due in class (TWO COPIES, typed) next class - Thursday, December 10th. Here's the assignment:

Google Drive: Individual United Nations Rwanda Speech Assignment

As a reminder, this will eventually be a formal speech before break that you give as a part of a group, in front of the class, with myself and another teacher and/or administrator (like Dr. Franco) listening. You are going to need to persuade us to act and do something!

To prepare for this, I passed out a class set of copies of three things:

1) The United Nations definition of genocide, as agreed to by the world in 1949. This is helpful, because if you can persuade the United Nations that genocide is occurring in Rwanda, they HAVE to act (because that's what they agreed to).

2) The Eight Stages of Genocide. I read over the stages, but not all of the content describing them. There is a lot of information that might help you craft your speech! You can certainly talk about every stage of genocide, occurring in Rwanda, up to April 24, 1994. Here are some hints on how to do this.

3) A reading that goes over more of the history in Rwanda, what happened during the genocide, and the end. Remember, you can't talk about anything after April 24, 1994, but you can make predictions as to what will happen if the United Nations refuses to act! The reading is pages 5-10 here:

Google Drive: Rwandan Genocide Speech Preparation Materials

Another resource that might help could be your Cornell Notes from last class, which was on this presentation:

Google Drive: Genocide in Rwanda: The Basics PowerPoint

Please be sure to ask me if you have any questions or need help in any way! I'm really excited to see what you can come up with! :-)

Genocide in Rwanda, Day 2 - Class Recap

The results for our class when I asked students to think about five things that come to mind when we think about Africa. I mean, the comparison with Europe makes the differences pretty startling, right?

Dear class,

Today is always one of my favorite days to teach. Not because it is particularly fun to talk about genocide, but because it is SO important that we stop ignoring it, and especially the continent of Africa. If I ignored it, when would you hear about it? What associations would you continue to make? Here's what happened in class today:

Learning Targets:
Knowledge LT 20: I can identify the critical components of imperialism.
Communication LT 1:  I can communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.
Critical Thinking LT 1: I can explain multiple perspectives and viewpoints.

Soundtrack: "My Generation" by The Who. Selected for today because it is your generation that can change the world for the better. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 12/4/15:
News Brief – Britney
Debrief Pop Quiz
Scream Bloody Murder
United Nations Speech

Homework: Read the blog, and look at for Rwanda resources, and continue working on your United Nations speech. Next news brief: Mandy.

News Brief: Britney had the news brief today and selected an article about this story: BBC.com - Boko Haram crisis: Cameroon troops 'free 900 hostages'. This is a good news story out of Africa! Hopefully, more hostages will be freed soon. We found Cameroon on the world map packet and noted we did a news brief there.

Mandy was selected to do the next news brief.

We also watched the one minute BBC World News update. Here's the link to see the latest one minute update, at any time of day (it will probably be different from what we watched in class):

BBCNews.com - One-minute World News

Finally, we checked in about the weekend and what everyone is up to. I will be in Columbus, Ohio, watching the Timbers play for the MLS Cup! I will be back to school on Tuesday.

Debrief Pop Quiz: I always enjoy looking at what we know when it comes to Europe and Africa. Here is the PowerPoint with the combined results for your class answers:

Google Drive: Period 5 Europe vs. Africa Pop Quiz Results PowerPoint

It was only fair that I showed my own results, from when I was given this quiz when I was in graduate school, and I said much the same thing. Here's my actual paper from 2008:

As I tried to forcefully point out in class: isn't this stunning? We know that Africa is a place of enormous need. Why don't we know much more about it, then? Why don't we help our fellow human beings, instead of ignoring them and not learning anything about the continent? Taking this quiz inspired me to make sure to talk about the Rwandan genocide (which was only 20 years ago) in my Global Studies classes. It's why it is my favorite unit of the year and one that I have a lot of emotional investment in. I care, and I think it's important that students care about people in the world.

Scream Bloody Murder: This was a section of a documentary from CNN, that aired in 2008 (not so coincidentally, right as I was about to teach this unit for the first time). Here are the three videos I showed in class (caution: some of the material is graphic and difficult to watch and/or listen to):

United Nations Speech: I hope that you watched those videos and felt frustrated, angry, and upset. The fact that the United Nations (the global community of countries) and the United States (as the most powerful country in the world) did little, if anything, to prevent or stop the worst genocide in modern world history, is awful.

So, the final assignment for the unit and before break is a speech before a mock United Nations, in class. You will be pretending that it is April 24, 1994 - the actual date that arguments were ongoing at the United Nations Security Council about how to respond to the conflict in Rwanda.

There are a few steps in the process to prepare for the speech, which will be given on Wednesday, December 16th. The first is to write a persuasive essay (in the form of a speech you could give). This is due in class (TWO COPIES, typed) next Thursday, December 10th. Here's the assignment:

Google Drive: Individual United Nations Rwanda Speech Assignment

As a reminder, this will eventually be a formal speech before break that you give as a part of a group, in front of the class, with myself and another teacher and/or administrator (your class will most likely have Westview Vice Principal Aki Mori) listening. You are going to need to persuade us to act and do something!

To prepare for this, I passed out a class set of copies of three things:

1) The United Nations definition of genocide, as agreed to by the world in 1949. This is helpful, because if you can persuade the United Nations that genocide is occurring in Rwanda, they HAVE to act (because that's what they agreed to).

2) The Eight Stages of Genocide. I read over the stages, but not all of the content describing them. There is a lot of information that might help you craft your speech! You can certainly talk about every stage of genocide, occurring in Rwanda, up to April 24, 1994. Here are some hints on how to do this.

3) A reading that goes over more of the history in Rwanda, what happened during the genocide, and the end. Remember, you can't talk about anything after April 24, 1994, but you can make predictions as to what will happen if the United Nations refuses to act! The reading is pages 5-10 here:

Google Drive: Rwandan Genocide Speech Preparation Materials

Another resource that might help could be your Cornell Notes from last class, which was on this presentation:

Google Drive: Genocide in Rwanda: The Basics PowerPoint

There is definitely a LOT to think about here. I am confident that you can write a five paragraph essay in a week! Next class, I will go over the concept of imperialism and colonialism more, and then give the rest of the class as prep time. The typed copy of your individual speech will be due the following class.

Please be sure to ask me if you have any questions or need help in any way! I'm really excited to see what you can come up with! :-)

Genocide in Rwanda, Day 1 - Class Recap

A look at your responses for "Name five things that come to your mind when you think about Europe" question on the pre-assessment quiz today. Next class, I'll show you the Africa responses, as well. What do you think it will look like?

Hi everyone,

Welcome back! Now we have a fast paced dash to Winter Break for the next few weeks. We have a lot to pack in, for sure! Here's what happened in class today:

Learning Targets:
Knowledge LT 20: I can identify the critical components of imperialism.
Communication LT 1:  I can communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.

Soundtrack: "Storms in Africa, Pt. 2" by Enya. Selected for today because we started talking about Rwanda, which is a country in Africa. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 12/2/14:
News Brief – Byron
Review Tests/Grades
Hook/Textbook Hunt
Rwanda

Homework: Read the blog. Turn in any missing work ASAP. Review your notes from the PowerPoint on Rwanda. Next news brief: Britney.

News Brief: Byron had the news brief today and selected an article about this story: BBC.com - Syria conflict: Russia accuses Erdogan of trading oil with IS. We found Russia on our world map packets and continued to talk about the situation in Syria. I told the class that I was trying to explain it at dinner over the break, to someone who was curious! :-)

Britney was selected to do the next news brief.

We also watched the one minute BBC World News update. Here's the link to see the latest one minute update, at any time of day (it will probably be different from what we watched in class):

BBCNews.com - One-minute World News

Finally, we checked in about the break and what everyone was up to.

Review Tests/Grades: Thanks to the grading day Monday and the long weekend, I am now completed with all grading and late work, so your class grades should be updated! I passed out the culture unit work, government tests, forced choice reflections (graded for two learning targets, both in class discussion and with your written reflection about multiple perspectives and the role of government), and any other missing work. If you are concerned about anything related to grades, please come see me at lunch, before school, or after school. Or, send me an email!

Hook/Textbook Hunt: I will sit down tomorrow and type up a list of what everyone said in response to the questions (we just did 1-16). I know there were a lot, so thanks for hanging in there with me. Like I said in class, I took this exact same quiz at Lewis and Clark (as part of the class where I learned how to be a teacher) and was absolutely amazed about what I did and did not know. I'll share your responses next class.

The textbook hunt: I'm not sure if all of you understood what I was saying, so here it is again. In our Modern World History textbook, which was published in 2005 (11 years after the genocide in Rwanda) there are TWO in text mentions (a one sentence recap for each) of the genocide, each citing ethnic violence between the Hutu's and the Tutsi's and 500,000 people dying, while there is ONE other picture, with two small paragraphs beneath it, citing a number of 1,000,000 dead. So again, the textbook barely had anything at all to say about the genocide, and when it did, it couldn't even be consistent with the number of people killed. Why do you think this might be?

Genocide in Rwanda: Finally, the presentation:

Google Drive: Genocide in Rwanda: The Basics PowerPoint

A few things about this. One: most of the statistics I used in the first few slides are found here: CIA World Factbook - Rwanda. Now by NO MEANS are those statistics solid hard facts. I know of plenty of other sites that will give different numbers. However, since these are the official US government statistics, I think that it will be useful for your upcoming assignment (which I will reveal next class).

Two: I found the picture of the propaganda, "beat the cockroaches" on Wikipedia, here: Rwandan Genocide. Now as most of you know, NEVER use Wikipedia as a source in a paper or for anything else. However, it can be used as a good start to researching something for yourself - just find the sources the article links to at the bottom and go from there. As Michael Scott from The Office once said: "Wikipedia... is the best thing ever. Anyone in the world can write anything they want about any subject, so you know you are getting the best possible information."

No, it is not. But it is a funny quote nonetheless!

Much less humorous information: The horrific picture of the Hutu man (who did not support the genocide) that lived after being hacked multiple times by machetes can be found here: Salon.com: Inferno.

Please review the PowerPoint and your notes for next class, as we will be going more in depth! Thank you for your focus and questions today. I know this may not be the most fun subject to learn about, and it is so important to not ignore. See you next class.

Government, Day 6 - Class Recap

My dad took this photo of me at a "Turkey Bowl" on Thanksgiving, in 2011. I hope you enjoy your break!

Hello everyone,

Welcome to your Thanksgiving break! Thanks for doing your homework and checking in on the blog to see what we are up to. Here's what happened in class today:

Learning Targets:
Knowledge LT 17: I can explain how and why world societies organize themselves and how power is established and maintained.
Communication LT 1: I can communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.

Soundtrack: "Thank You" by Dido. Selected for today because of it being the week of Thanksgiving. I am very thankful to get to be your teacher, and for all of you! Lyrics here.

AGENDA 11/24/15:
News Brief – Kai
Lost!
Shibboleth

Homework: Read the blog. Complete any missing work and have it ready to turn in. Have a great Thanksgiving! Next news brief: Byron

News Brief: Kai had the news brief today and selected an article about this story: CNN.com - Putin calls plane's downing by Turkey 'stab in the back'. We found Turkey on the world map (which is perfect, because it is Thanksgiving week), and I talked about how this is a developing news story, and what is happening. Russia and Turkey having a major conflict would be a very bad development, for many reasons, so hopefully that doesn't happen.

Byron was selected to do the next news brief.

We also watched the one minute BBC World News update. Here's the link to see the latest one minute update, at any time of day (it will probably be different from what we watched in class):

BBCNews.com - One-minute World News

Finally, we checked in about the upcoming break and what everyone is up to. I hope that it is a great time for everyone, and I also know that the holidays can be hard for a variety of reasons. Take care of yourselves!

Lost!: I really enjoyed the group responses to this activity! It was pretty funny to listen to the group leaders, laws, punishments, and priorities.

Google Drive - Lost Island Government Group Activity

Thanks for your participation in this! It was a fun way to review what we learned during the government unit.

Shibboleth: In keeping with the theme of Thanksgiving, and our work looking at various forms of  government, we closed class before the break by watching this episode of The West Wing, which had to do with Thanksgiving, immigration, school prayer, direct democracy, and representative democracy. There were no notes or any other requirement - it was just a relaxing way to end the class and go out to Thanksgiving Break. Here's the funniest scene of the episode, in my opinion:

That was it for the day! Thank you so much for your focus and hard work! See you next week. Enjoy your Thanksgiving break!

Government, Day 5 - Class Recap

The Statue of Liberty in New York, which is a symbol of immigration to the United States. 

Photo taken in 2011.

Dear class,

Welcome to your weekend! Thanks for doing your homework and checking in on the blog to see what we are up to. Here's what happened in class today:

Learning Targets:
Knowledge LT 17: I can explain how and why world societies organize themselves and how power is established and maintained.
Communication LT 1: I can communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.

Soundtrack: "Kings and Queens" by 30 Seconds to Mars. Selected for today because of the connection to monarchy, and this song gets me fired up because it reminds me of watching ESPN tennis tournaments. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 11/20/15:
News Brief – Ethan
Finish "Who Rules?"
Government Test
Lost!

Homework: Read the blog. Have a great Thanksgiving! Next news brief: Kai.

News Brief: Ethan had the news brief today and selected an article about this story: CNN.com - Russia bombards Raqqa, ISIS headquarters in Syria. We found Russia on the world map (in Asia/Europe) and an extended conversation about the situation in Syria, with lots of questions about what is happening and the different people wanting power. I love it when news brief sections are like that, with multiple questions from all over the class! We also talked about the upcoming weekend.

Kai was selected to do the next news brief.

We also watched the one minute BBC World News update. Here's the link to see the latest one minute update, at any time of day (it will probably be different from what we watched in class):

BBCNews.com - One-minute World News

Who Rules?: Before the government test, I wanted to give the class time to review the reading and answers in the packet:

Google Drive - Who Rules? Reading and Questions

I gave about five minutes before the test for study of the PowerPoint notes, as well.

Government Test: I do not think this was especially difficult, if you have been in class and following along with what has been going on the last few days! Obviously, I have lots to grade, with culture and forced choice, as well, but it is likely that these will be on your progress report grades, which are due after Thanksgiving.

Lost!: At the end of class, we had a little fun with a scenario inspired by "Lord of the Flies" and the TV series "Lost." I asked everyone to get back into the same groups as last class, based on the forms of government being analyzed and skits performed, and then passed out one of these papers to each group, which contain the scenario and questions for the group to answer:

Google Drive - Lost Island Government Group Activity

We will continue with this next class and talk about the different group proposals, then probably have some fun. :-)

See you next week!

Government, Day 4 - Class Recap

The White House, in Washington, D.C., which is typically seen as a symbol of the leadership of the United States government, because the President lives there. Photo taken in 2010.

Dear class,

I enjoyed seeing the skits today about the various forms of government around the world that we are studying! Hopefully, combined with the reading and notes, you now have a good idea about how each system works. Here's what happened in class today:

Learning Targets:
Knowledge LT 17: I can explain how and why world societies organize themselves and how power is established and maintained.
Communication LT 1: I can communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.

Soundtrack: "Princess of China" by Coldplay and Rihanna. Selected for today because a princess is part of a monarchy, which is a form of government that we are discussing. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 11/18/15:
News Brief – Hitesh
Group Work
Skits
Who Rules?

Homework: Read the blog. Study for forms of government test next class. Next news brief: Ethan.

News Brief: Hitesh had the news brief today and selected this article to talk about with the class: MSN.com - More than 30 dead as carnage returns to NE Nigeria. Another tragic story about a bombing around the world. We talked a little bit about Boko Haram and what is going on in Nigeria, as well as the continuing story in Paris, before moving on.

Ethan was selected to do the next news brief.

We also watched the one minute BBC World News update. Here's the link to see the latest one minute update, at any time of day (it will probably be different from what we watched in class):

BBCNews.com - One-minute World News

Group Work/Skits: As I mentioned above, I really enjoyed the skits about representing different forms of government, even if they were very brief. The groups did a good job of thinking of how to present each of the main ideas!

Here was the packet that this was based on (a few of the types were not on the PowerPoint, like Oligarchy and Anarchy, so make sure to review them and what some of the benefits and drawbacks of each system are):

Google Drive - Types of Government Readings

Just look at the readings from A-G, because you do not need to know the economic structures that are later in the packet, yet. In class, we went over the form of government, along with possible benefits and drawbacks.

Who Rules?: The rest of class was devoted to your groups going through this packet, designed to be a review before the forms of government test:

Google Drive - Who Rules? Reading and Questions

The first page has a good overview of the types and classifications of governments that we are studying. The following pages are practice, to help compare and contrast the systems of government. We will finish this next class and then take the test. A question from the test, for checking the blog, is: What form of government  ...is ruled by a small group of people, usually the wealthy elite?
a.  oligarchy, b.  theocracy, c.  communism, d.  anarchy. Guess in the comments and I will tell you if you are correct!

 Please study and ask questions if you are at all confused! See you next class! :-)

Government, Day 3 - Class Recap

The Parliament of Barbados, in the Caribbean. Photo taken in 2011.

Hi everyone,

We went into more detail as to what government is and looks like in various systems around the world. Lots of content to check out! Here's what happened in class:

Learning Targets:
Knowledge LT 17: I can explain how and why world societies organize themselves and how power is established and maintained.
Communication LT 1:  I can use language and  style that is appropriate to the content area.

Soundtrack: "Paris, Tokyo" by Lupe Fiasco. Selected for today because of the horrific attacks in Paris on Friday. Also, just an excellent song about traveling around the world. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 11/16/15:
News Brief – Natalie
Debrief Forced Choice
Forms of Government
Group Activity

Homework: Read the blog. Turn in any missing work ASAP! Next news brief: Hitesh.

News Brief: Natalie had the news brief today and selected an article about this story to talk about: CNN.com - How attacks in Paris unfolded. We went into detail about the Paris attacks and what happened there. I talked a bit about my own experience in Paris (as my girlfriend is from there), and showed a map of where the attacks happened. This was in an attempt to provide some context for what happened and why. It is important that we continue learning about what is going on in the world! Thanks, Natalie.

Hitesh was selected to do the next news brief.

We also watched the one minute BBC World News update. Here's the link to see the latest one minute update, at any time of day (it will probably be different from what we watched in class):

BBCNews.com - One-minute World News

I also asked about the weekend and what people were up to, before moving on.

Debrief Forced Choice: This was when we talked about how the activity went and the answers to these questions (a one page written reflection was due to be completed in class today): What was the most difficult or controversial question for you? Why? How do these sorts of questions relate to the study of government?

I really like the debate format in forced choice (obviously, or I wouldn't spend the majority of two days on it), so thank you for your participation and reflection!

Forms of Government: This was a PowerPoint presentation that went over various basic forms of government. Students took Cornell Notes (if they wanted that form - otherwise, it was on a regular sheet of paper) on the lecture. Here's the file for review (there will be an upcoming quiz on forms of government):

Google Drive - Forms of Government PowerPoint

As with most presentations I create, the pictures are almost entirely mine! :-)

We finished with this today, as we did not have time to start the group activity. That's okay! It was a spirited discussion in class, full of good questions, for which I am thankful. We can usually make time for that. See you next class!

Government, Day 2 - Class Recap

Winter time is coming! Photo taken outside my house in 2008.

Dear class,

It was so nice to see you all again today! A quick week, with Veterans Day in the middle. Again, I really enjoyed the discussion today. Here's what happened in class:

Learning Targets:
Knowledge LT 17: I can explain how and why world societies organize themselves and how power is established and maintained.
Communication LT 1:  I can use language and  style that is appropriate to the content area.

Soundtrack: "Get Up, Stand Up" by Bob Marley. Selected for today because students were standing up for what they believed in, in terms of the Forced Choice questions. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 11/12/15:
News Brief – Emily
Culture Presentations?
Forced Choice
Reflection

Homework: Read the blog. Catch up on any late/incomplete/missing work. Next news brief: Natalie

News Brief: Emily had the news brief today and although she wasn't in class, she selected this story to talk about and emailed me, which was great: NBCNews.com - 16 ISIS-Linked Suspects Held in Europe-Wide Sweep: Italy Officials. This is part of the ongoing campaign against ISIS in Europe, especially those who are using the internet to try and recruit others. We found Italy in our world maps and noted that a news brief was done on the story. Thanks, Emily!

Natalie was selected to do the next news brief.

We also watched the one minute BBC World News update. Here's the link to see the latest one minute update, at any time of day (it will probably be different from what we watched in class):

BBCNews.com - One-minute World News

I also asked about the weekend and what people were up to, before moving on.

Culture Presentations?: This time was utilized by a student that did not present last class. Thanks for doing this today, and for the attention and respect of the class.

Forced Choice: This is one of my favorite activities of the year. I had the class answer the following questions and choose YES or NO to each of them. Then, we split up the class so that two sides were facing each other. With each question, students moved to the side they felt best represented their opinion on the matter. These are difficult ethical questions and I am glad that we have the type of classroom culture that students feel able to talk about them! The questions were:

1. Giving up some of our rights (like our phones being searched without a warrant) is necessary for our own protection.
2. Everyone in the US should have the right to own guns if they want.
3. Private businesses should be able to choose to not employ people who have a sexual orientation they disagree with.
4. Marijuana should be legalized everywhere for recreational use.
5. Public schools should strictly enforce a standardized dress code.
6. Organized prayer in public schools should be allowed.
7. The government of a country should be able to make unpopular decisions.
8. Should the motto “In God We Trust” be removed from our currency?
9. I agree with the death penalty option for convicted murderers.
10. People in power are always corrupt in some way.

Today, we did questions 3, 4, and 9 (the class was a really talkative and engaged group today!). Lots of interesting questions and critical thinking! Thank you for your responses and participation. It was not possible to get to every hand that was up in every discussion, for which I apologize. I am glad that students were engaged!

As part of the discussion, I showed this website, which has a map of states with and without employment discrimination laws for orientation and gender identity: Mic.com - One Map Shows Where You Can Still Be Fired for Being Gay in 2015.

I also said that I would link to an article showing that it is much more expensive to put someone to death (due to all of the legal appeals) than keep them in prison for life: OregonLive.com - Can Oregon afford the death penalty?.

If you had any other articles or links to share to back up what you shared in class, please post them in the comments!

Reflection: With about 10 minutes left in class, we stopped the debate, so I could give the assignment, which is important, because we spent most of two days on this activity.

This will be completed next class: Write a one page reflection on the activity. What was the most difficult or controversial question for you? Why? How do these sorts of questions relate to the study of government?

If nothing was difficult for you to answer, maybe pick one that you felt most passionately about. We will do a short debrief on the activity next class, then move on to learning about the basics of government around the world.

Thanks! See you next class!

Government, Day 1 - Class Recap

On the roof of the Bundestag building in Berlin, Germany. This is where the government of Germany meets. Photo taken in 2013.

Hi everyone,

Welcome to a shortened week, with Veterans Day on Wednesday! I really enjoyed the discussion today in class. I'm sure it was a nice change from all of the writing students have had to do in the last few days for the class! Here's what happened in class:

Learning Targets:
Knowledge LT 17: I can explain how and why world societies organize themselves and how power is established and maintained.
Communication LT 1:  I can use language and  style that is appropriate to the content area.

Soundtrack: "The War Was in Color" by Carbon Leaf. The reason I chose this song for today is because it is all about a veteran describing war to his grandson. We have Wednesday off of school because of Veteran's Day and it is important that we honor the service of those in our armed forces. Lyrics (which I read part of in class) here.

AGENDA 11/9/15:
News Brief – Queena
Culture Presentations
Forced Choice
Reflection

Homework: Read the blog. Turn in any late/missing/incomplete culture work (especially DBQs). Next news brief: Emily

News Brief: Queena had the news brief today and selected an article about this story: TheGuardian.com - Million Mask march: police chief condemns 'unacceptable' violence. We found the United Kingdom in our world maps and noted that we did a news brief on the country. I talked about the movie V for Vendetta (2005) as being related to this march, which is about Guy Fawkes Night. An interesting part of English culture!

Emily volunteered to do the next news brief.

We did not watch the one minute BBC World News update, due to the sound not working, but here's the link to see the latest one minute update, at any time of day (it will probably be different from what we watched in class):

BBCNews.com - One-minute World News

I also asked about the weekend and what people were up to, before moving on.

Culture Presentations: Because I wanted to give as much time in class last time to writing the DBQ, we did not have the time for presentations (for the students who chose to do a presentation for the culture project). I enjoyed everyone that went today! Thank you for your effort in crafting great presentations and visuals.

Forced Choice: This is one of my favorite activities of the year. I had the class answer the following questions and choose YES or NO to each of them. Then, we split up the class so that two sides were facing each other. With each question, students moved to the side they felt best represented their opinion on the matter. These are difficult ethical questions and I am glad that we have the type of classroom culture that students feel able to talk about them! The questions were:

1. Giving up some of our rights (like our phones being searched without a warrant) is necessary for our own protection.
2. Everyone in the US should have the right to own guns if they want.
3. Private businesses should be able to choose to not employ people who have a sexual orientation they disagree with.
4. Marijuana should be legalized everywhere for recreational use.
5. Public schools should strictly enforce a standardized dress code.
6. Organized prayer in public schools should be allowed.
7. The government of a country should be able to make unpopular decisions.
8. Should the motto “In God We Trust” be removed from our currency?
9. I agree with the death penalty option for convicted murderers.
10. People in power are always corrupt in some way.

We only made it through question 2 today, so I will pick and choose next class as to which questions we will discuss and debate, before writing a reflective piece about the experience. I love these discussions and I think we did a great job of following the Ground Rules that we established at the beginning of the year.

Thank you for your participation, everyone! Be ready to keep talking next time.

Culture, Day 10 - Class Recap

I am going to bet that many students wrote that one of the ways culture both reflects and shapes society is through religion. This is a church in Budapest, Hungary, in 2013. I just loved the lighting here! No special effects!

Dear class,

Hooray! You are finally done with the DBQ final essay for the culture unit (if you were able to complete it in class)! I really appreciated how focused everyone seemed to be today in class, and I am excited to start looking into how everyone did. Here's what happened in class:

Learning Targets:
Communication LT 1: I can communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.
Critical Thinking LT 1: I can explain multiple perspectives and viewpoints.
Knowledge LT 15: I can explain how culture both reflects and shapes society.
Behavior LT 1:  I can manage my responsibilities as a student.

Soundtrack: "Get Ready for This" by 2 Unlimited. Intended as a pump up song to write the DBQ essay today in class! Here's a link to the version I played in class, from ESPN's "Jock Jams" CD.

AGENDA 11/5/15:
News Brief - Emily (Mr. Fritz)
Write Essay
Culture Project
Turn In Unit Work

Homework: Read the blog. If you did not turn in your culture unit work today (or missed class), you need to get all of this in to me as soon as possible. Enjoy your weekend if you are done with everything! Here is the culture unit work:

1) Surface culture worksheet (National Geographic photos PowerPoint)
2) Cornell Notes on Culture definitions/iceberg PowerPoint
3) Nacirema writing (neatly written or typed, 200 words minimum)
4) Exchange student presentation notes (optional to include)
5) Time for School Notes/Answers
6) Culture Project (include the assignment/rubric from this, even if you are doing a presentation/visual)
7) Culture unit checklist and self-assessment form. (this should be stapled on the top)

Next news brief: Queena (and Emily).

News Brief: Emily was not in class today, so I had the news brief today and chose an article about this story to talk about: CNN.com - Russian plane crash: U.S. intel suggests ISIS bomb brought down jet. We found Egypt in the world map packet, and talked about possible reasons why, if this theory about the bomb turns out to be true, ISIS would want to bring down an airliner full of Russian people (possibly in retaliation for Russia beginning airstrikes against ISIS in Syria).

Queena was selected to do the next news brief (Emily still needs to do one, as well).

We also watched the one minute BBC World News update. Here's the link to see the latest one minute update, at any time of day (it will probably be different from what we watched in class):

BBCNews.com - One-minute World News

Write Essay: Today was almost entirely devoted to writing the essay portion of the culture DBQ. We began this process last class, with this handout going through the steps to writing a DBQ:

Google Drive - How to Write a Document Based Question 

We had about an hour in class to be writing, with finishing up the document analysis, and writing the essay. About half the students were able to finish in class, and the rest took the DBQ home to finish this weekend.

Culture Project: We did not have time in class to present or talk about the Culture Project, though I am very excited next class to hear from students who did a presentation or visual to talk briefly about! If you did not finish this, please do so ASAP and turn it in with the rest of your culture unit work.

Turn in Culture Unit Work: See above, in the homework section, for a list of everything that should be turned in as a part of the culture unit.

Remember to have this check list completed and stapled on the front, as well:

Google Drive - Culture Unit Checklist and Self-Assessment

I will go through these as a collection of evidence from the unit. The DBQ is a different and separate score. If you finished this all today, great! If you have not, please do so ASAP, as we will move on to a new unit next class, after any culture project presentations and visuals are shared! :-)

Have a great weekend!

Culture, Day 9 - Class Recap

A clock in a park in Hanoi, Vietnam. Next class will used for your DBQ essay final! Today, students took a look at the documents and began to think of possible responses for the essay. Photo taken in 2011.

Hi everyone,

Today was your first chance to look at the DBQ unit final on Culture. Next class, you will be writing an essay on the prompt "How does culture both reflect and shape society?" Here's what happened in class:

Learning Targets:
Communication LT 1: I can communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.
Critical Thinking LT 1: I can explain multiple perspectives and viewpoints.
Knowledge LT 15: I can explain how culture both reflects and shapes society.
Behavior LT 1:  I can manage my responsibilities as a student.

Soundtrack: "Born in the U.S.A." by Bruce Springsteen. Selected for today because the song is typically seen as representing patriotic themes, but a closer look at the lyrics (as we did in class) show that the song is really about a deep dissatisfaction with American culture.

AGENDA 11/3/15:
News Brief – Blake
How to DBQ
Document Analysis
Prep Time

Homework: Read the blog. Have a plan of action in mind for writing the DBQ essay in class. Bring ALL of your culture unit work (to be turned in next class as a collection of evidence for LT15):

1) Surface culture worksheet (National Geographic photos PowerPoint)
2) Cornell Notes on Culture definitions/iceberg PowerPoint
3) Nacirema writing (neatly written or typed, 200 words minimum)
4) Exchange student presentation notes (optional to include)
5) Time for School Notes/Answers
6) Culture Project (this is the big one - due next class).
7) Culture unit checklist and self-assessment form.

Next news brief: Emily

News Brief: Blake had the news brief today and chose an article about this story to talk about: CNN.com - Russian plane crash in Egypt: Airline blames 'external influence'.  We found Egypt on our world maps and talked a bit about the region as an area of conflict, which may have contributed to this airline flight crashing. and also shared some stories from the Halloween weekend and other current events.

Emily was selected to do the next news brief.

We also watched the one minute BBC World News update. Here's the link to see the latest one minute update, at any time of day (it will probably be different from what we watched in class):

BBCNews.com - One-minute World News

How to DBQ: Since this is your first DBQ in high school, I wanted to give as much preparation time as possible. So today was spent analyzing the actual documents on the test and writing out answers to five of the eight document questions. Next class, you will use three of the five documents you analyzed in order to construct your essay (due in class).

We went through a guide together in class, learning about how to write a DBQ. Again, I think this is going to be a really helpful resource for you in planning what to write (especially the graphic organizers on pages 8 and 9):

Google Drive - How to Write a Document Based Question 

Remember as well to have this check list completed, as well:

Google Drive - Culture Unit Checklist and Self-Assessment

Document Analysis/Work Time: The rest of the class was devoted to work time on looking at the test (I am not posting it online, obviously) and analyzing your culture unit documents to try and answer the question of: How does culture both shape and reflect society? This is what you will be doing next class as the final! Lots of work to be done before then! Make sure you are on top of everything and ready to turn in your culture work next class!