Genocide in Rwanda, Day 1 - Class Recap

A look at previous class 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 11/29/16:
News Brief – Mills
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: Josie.

News Brief: Mills had the news brief today and selected an article about this story: CNN.com - Colombia plane crash: 75 dead on Brazil soccer team's charter flight. We found Colombia on our world map packets and talked about this tragic recent news story. I also made sure to talk about the death of Fidel Castro in Cuba, using some of the words we used in the government unit recently!

Josie 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 showed Wildcat News in class, which is here if you missed class or wanted to see it again:

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 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 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 long 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 11/21/16:
Wildcat News Brief – Josie (Mr. Fritz)
Finish "Who Rules?"
Government Test
Lost!

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

News Brief: Josie had the news brief today, but was absent from class, so I filled in and selected an article about this story: WashingtonPost.com - Death toll in Indian train crash rises to 146 as search for bodies ends. We found India on the world map (in Asia) and I talked about my experience on the trains there, as well as lamented this tragic loss of life. We also talked about the upcoming long weekend.

Mills 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 watched Wildcat News, which is here to watch again if you missed class:

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 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 into small groups 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, before moving on to our next unit.

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 – Cameron
Group Work
Skits
Who Rules?

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

News Brief: Cameron had the news brief today and selected this article to talk about with the class: WashingtonPost.com - Portugal arrests military instructors after commando deaths. We found Portugal in the world map packet and noted that we did a news article on the country, before moving on to talk about the upcoming weekend.

Josie 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 it's just an excellent song about traveling around the world. Lyrics here.

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

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

News Brief: Andrew had the news brief today and selected an article about this story to talk about: Weather.com - Mass Evacuations Underway After Deadly 7.8-Magnitude Earthquake Leaves 'Utter Devastation' In New Zealand. This is a big news story, as New Zealand had another big earthquake in 2011. I talked a bit about my trip to New Zealand in 2014. We found it in our world maps and noted that a news brief was done on the story. Thanks, Andrew!

Cameron 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.

Forced Choice/Reflection: 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. Government officials should have to approve/sign off on marriages that they are against on religious grounds.
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.

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!

After the debate, I gave some time to the class to these questions (a one page written reflection was due to be completed in class today - if you did not finish, it is homework): 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, 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! :-)

Group Activity: We did not have time for this today, so we will do this next class. Thanks, everyone!

Election Night Recap

Hello everyone,

We did not hold a regular class today, as I chose to have a conversation about the election results last night, what happened, what will happen next, and took questions from the class for the first half of the period. I think my overwhelming point was that, no matter who you supported in this election (if anyone at all), we are here for you now and into the future. We take Embracing Community very seriously here at Westview, and I think everyone in class did a great job of respecting each other during class. We will continue to talk about this in the future, I'm sure. For now, please try to enjoy your four day weekend! Next class, we will get back to our new unit, on Government, which we continued during the second part of class.

Take care of yourselves and each other.

- Luke Fritz

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 Friday and a staff development day on Thursday! 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 Final Countdown" by Europe. Selected for today because it is the final countdown (of hours!) until the end of the 2016 Presidential Election! Lyrics here.

AGENDA 11/7/16:
News Brief – Gayuni
The Election
Culture Presentations
Forced Choice

Homework: Read the blog. Watch the election coverage tomorrow. Next news brief: Andrew.

News Brief: Gayuni had the news brief today and selected an article about this story: BBC.com -  Migrant crisis: 'Hundreds dead' in shipwrecks off Libya. We found Libya in our world maps and noted that we did a news brief on the country. We also discussed the sheer amount of refugees seeking a better future by risking their lives in this dangerous crossing, and how important it is to pay attention to what is going on here.

Andrew was selected to do the next news brief. I also asked about the weekend and what people were up to.

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

BBCNews.com - One-minute World News

We also watched Wildcat News today. Here it is to watch again if you are interested:

The Election: Because today is the last day before the presidential election tomorrow, I made sure to go through what is happening and when to expect results. We went through a few websites for this:

1) The FiveThirtyEight.com election forecast. I have been showing this all semester in class, and it appears that the polls have recently tightened a bit, though Hillary Clinton is still favored to win a majority of the time. As a reminder: it is not who wins the most votes in the country, it is who wins the amount of states that add up to at least 270 electoral votes that wins.

2) A map of poll closing times for each state, when results begin to be announced. Yay for geography and maps! This map is in Pacific Time, whereas the map I showed in class was Eastern. I pointed out some keys in the early states to look for in terms of who might be ahead. Virginia and Georgia at 4:00 PM tomorrow are two examples of important indicators. At 8:00 PM on the West Coast, polls close, and it is likely that within the next couple of hours after that, we will know who will be the next President of the United States.

3) A map of how long it took to determine who won each state in 2012. Helpful to know how long things might take!

Please let me know if you have any questions about what is going on - I'm here to help you understand!

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: 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. The questions were:

1. Giving up some of our rights (like our phones being listened to without a warrant) is necessary for our own protection.
2. The Second Amendment means that everyone in the US has the right to have any firearms that they want.
3. Same-sex marriage should be legal everywhere and government officials should have to recognize marriages that they are against on religious grounds.
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 decisions that the majority of the people do not support.
8. Should the motto “In God We Trust” be removed from our currency?
9. I agree with the death penalty for convicted murderers.
10. Colin Kaepernick should be able to take a knee during the national anthem if he wants and not face any team or legal consequences.

We only made it through question 4 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! Be ready to keep talking next time. If you have any further thoughts, please post them in the comments!

See you on Wednesday, when we will surely have lots to talk about! :-)

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 am sure that everyone focused during class and I am excited to start looking into how everyone did. Here's what happened in class with Mr. Smith, who was my sub as I was at a Beaverton School District Equity meeting:

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 would have played in class, from ESPN's "Jock Jams" CD.

AGENDA 11/3/16:
Welcome Mr. Smith
News Brief - Katie
Write DBQ Essay

Homework: Read the blog. Enjoy your weekend if you are done with everything!

Next news brief: Gayuni.

News Brief: Katie had the news brief today and I'm sure did a great job with selecting a story to talk about with the class, as everyone found the location in the world map packet.

Gayuni was selected to do the next news brief.

If you wanted to watch the one minute BBC World News update, here's the link to see the latest one minute update, at any time of day:

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. This was due at the end of class. I hope that it went well for everyone!

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 dedicated to Culture Project presentations! 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 11/1/16:
News Brief – Louis
Culture Project Presentations
Work/Prep Time

Homework: Read the blog. Be good for the sub! Have a plan of action in mind for writing the DBQ essay in class. Bring ALL of your culture unit work to be used during the essay, as no electronic resources may be used.

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
5) Time for School Notes/Answers

Next news brief: Katie

News Brief: Louis had the news brief today and chose an article about this story to talk about: CNN.com - Mosul: Iraqi forces on city's doorstep. We found Iraq in the world map packet, talked about the ongoing battle against ISIS in the region, and also shared some stories from the Halloween weekend and other current events.

Katie 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

Culture Project Presentations: This was most the rest of the class, as students who did PowerPoint presentations or visual representations for their Culture Project talked about their own culture. I really loved this, and it is always so cool to learn more about different cultures around the world and in our classroom! Way to go, everyone that went today! If you did not turn in your project yet, please submit it on Google Classroom, or turn in a paper copy to the box in the classroom.

Make sure you are on top of everything and ready to write your DBQ essay in class with the substitute on Thursday! Thank you!