Monday, October 30, 2017

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 10/30/17:
Wildcat News Brief – Ido
Culture Project Presentations
DBQ Prep
Work/Prep Time

Homework: Read the blog. Bring ALL of your culture unit work to be used during the first part of the DBQ!

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) Time for School Notes/Answers

Next news brief: Devin.

Wildcat News Brief: Ido had the news brief today and chose an article about this story to talk about: Indpendent.co.uk - Catalonia: Fascists caught making Nazi salutes during anti-Catalan independence protest. We found Spain in the world map packet, talked about the ongoing conflict with Catalonia, and also shared some stories from the Halloween weekend and other current events.

Devin 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):


Finally, we ended this section by watching Westview Wildcat News. If you missed class or wanted to see it again, it can be found here:



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. I will grade these later this week - the grades will be on the progress report, so please turn it in ASAP if you have not already.

DBQ Prep: The last part of class was for getting ready for an upcoming Documents Based Question (DBQ), which is a type of essay that you will likely see many more times in your high school career. In order to help understand what to do with the writing portion, I had the class take notes on this PowerPoint presentation:


Your notes from this will help next class as we start the DBQ together! Thank you for your hard work! See you next class!
Posted by at No comments:
Labels:

Thursday, October 26, 2017

Culture, Day 8 - Class Recap


Camels in front of the entrance to The Treasury in Petra, Jordan. Photo taken July 2014.

Hi everyone,

Today was our last in-class work day for the Culture Project assignment. Here's the recap for the day:

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: "Thriller" by Michael Jackson. Selected for today because of the association with Halloween! Lyrics here.

AGENDA 10/26/17:
News Brief – Jackson
Reflect/Shape
Grade Check
Culture Project

Homework: Read the blog. Continue working on the Culture Project - due next class! Next news brief: Ido.

News Brief: Jackson had the news brief today and came in early to find this article with me before class: BBC.com - China congress: No heir apparent as Xi reveals top leadership. We found China on our world maps and talked a bit about the leadership process there and why this is such a big deal that the Chinese president has so much power. Thanks, Jackson!

Ido was selected to bring in the next news brief, and we checked in about the upcoming weekend, 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):


Reflect/Shape: I wanted to be sure students had another opportunity to understand how to respond to the learning target of how culture both reflects and shapes society, so we went through this quick PowerPoint together in seeking to provide some more information about the terms:


Hopefully this helped in understanding some of the key terms of the learning target for the unit.

Culture Project/Grade Check: The rest of class was devoted to work time on the DBQ (which students passed back at the end of class) and continuing to work on the culture project, as I checked in with every student in the class about grades and what could help. There are a lot of options of what to do - it could be writing, a visual, a presentation, or something else. Here's the assignment:


This will be due in class on Monday, so be working on it at home and ask questions if you need help!

Have a great weekend, everyone!
Posted by at No comments:
Labels:

Tuesday, October 24, 2017

Culture, Day 7 - Class Recap


A big part of American culture is sports. This was taken at the 2010 Holiday Bowl, before Oregon played Oklahoma State, and won! :-)

Dear class,

Most of today was taken up with working on your Culture Project, which is due next week on Tuesday! Here's the recap for today:

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: "Party in the USA" by Miley Cyrus. Selected for today because we talked about American culture, as well as Halloween upcoming. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 10/24/17:
News Brief – Derek
Time for School Updates
Culture Project
Work Time

Homework: Read the blog. Continue working on the Culture Project - due next Monday! Next news brief: Jackson.

News Brief: Derek had the news brief today and came in early to find this article with me before class: BBC.com - IS foreign fighters: 5,600 have returned home - report. We found Iraq on our world maps and talked about this ongoing story, as ISIS faces pressure from all sides in Iraq and Syria. We also checked in about the weekend and what students were up to outside of class.

Jackson was selected to bring in 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

Time for School Updates: After watching Part 2 (just the parts having to do with the students, not the interview at the end), I showed the updates that PBS recently put out about 6 of the 7 students in Time for School. Here are links to see them again (the video should start playing at the new sections of the video):





It was really interesting to see how everyone is doing now, and what they are up to in their lives!

Here is the most recent version of the Time For School documentary (including Shugufa) if you want to see what everyone is up to!


Culture Project/Work Time: After watching the updates, the rest of class was devoted to work time, in completing the Time for School questions, and continuing to work on the culture project. There are a lot of options of what to do - it could be writing, a visual, a presentation, or something else. Here's the assignment:


This will be due in class next week on Monday, so be working on it at home, bring work into class to do next class, and ask questions if you need help! I went around the class and answered questions about it, or helped brainstorm ideas. Please continue to be working on this at home! See you next class. :-)
Posted by at No comments:
Labels:

Friday, October 20, 2017

Culture, Day 6 - Class Recap

Note: My classes today had a substitute teacher today due to me needing to attend a Westview Global Studies team meeting in Salem. This recap is what I wanted to have happen in class - a shortened day due to the Homecoming Assembly schedule!


A pagoda in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. This was right across the street from where my friend Clarke lived for a while. Photo taken in 2011.

Hi everyone,

Today we finished the Time For School assignment and continued to work on the Culture Project. Here's the recap for today:

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: "Rhapsody in Blue" by Leonard Bernstein. Selected for today because I went flying over the last weekend, and this song is used in United Airlines commercials. No lyrics, but listen here.

AGENDA 10/20/17:
News Brief – Everett
Time for School
Culture Project

Homework: Read the blog. Continue working on the Culture Project! Next news brief: Derek.

News Brief: Everett had the news brief today and hopefully had something interesting to share with the class as everyone noted on their world maps where it was. Derek was selected to do the next news brief last class.

Because I was not in class, there was no BBC News today. 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):

Time For School: We finished Time For School today. If you missed class and the handout, here it is:


Again, the point to this was to analyze how we see surface culture and what deeper culture is like in different areas around the world.

If you missed class and need to catch up, or simply want to review it again:
Today, we went back to the assignment, talked about the students and their culture, then answered the three questions on the back side of the paper. Please keep this for the future, as it will be part of the Culture Unit Collection of Evidence.

Culture Project/Work Time: I introduced this last class. This is one of the main assignments for the culture unit, and I hope it is interesting for students to work on! There are a lot of options of what to do - it could be writing, a visual, a presentation, or something else. Here's the assignment:


This will be due in class on Monday, October 30, so be working on it at home, bring work into class to do, and ask questions if you need help!

The rest of class was devoted to working on the Culture Project. Please continue to be working on this at home and let me know if you have questions by sending me an email! See you next class. :-)
Posted by at No comments:
Labels:

Wednesday, October 18, 2017

Culture, Day 5 - Class Recap

On the football field at Westview, later this past summer. Athletic events are a big part of Westview culture!

Hi everyone,

We continued learning about culture today! I also introduced the Culture Project that you will be working on the next couple of weeks. Here's the recap for today:

Learning Targets:
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: "Represent" by Weezer. Selected for today because we were talking about how people in different cultures represent themselves. This was also a pump up song for the 2010 World Cup. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 10/18/17:
News Brief – Trent
Culture Project
Time for School
Plans for Friday

Homework: Read the blog. Turn in missing/incomplete geography work ASAP. Start working on your Culture Project! Be good for the substitute on Friday! Next news brief: Everett (then Derek on Tuesday).

News Brief: Trent had the news brief today and talked about this story with the class: BBC.com - Spain warns Catalonia on self-rule as deadline looms. We found the Spain in our world maps (in Europe) and talked about the ongoing conflict over the region of Catalonia. Thanks, Trent! Everett was assigned to do the next news brief (and then Derek on Tuesday).

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):


Culture Project: This is one of the main assignments for the culture unit, and I hope it is interesting for students to work on! There are a lot of options of what to do - it could be writing, a visual, a presentation, or something else. I'm really interested in learning more about your own culture, and I hope that you are able to learn more about your own culture, too. Here's the assignment:


This will be due in class on Monday, October 30, so be working on it at home, bring work into class to do, and ask questions if you need help! Talk with me if you are thinking about doing something in the "Other" category!

Time For School: I really like this documentary as part of our unit on culture, because it is especially interesting to me to see how school and education is a part of different cultures around the world. Here was the handout that I gave to students to fill out as we were watching:


Again, the point to this was to analyze how we see surface culture and what deeper culture is like in different areas around the world.

We finished Part 1 of Time For School 3 today, if you missed class and need to catch up, or simply want to review it again:

We also started Part 2, and finished class about 6 minutes in.


We will finish this next class with the substitute on Friday and continue working on the culture project after that! Thank you!
Posted by at No comments:
Labels:

Monday, October 16, 2017

Culture, Day 4 - Class Recap


I really like this picture I took of a kid (I have no idea who it is) at Trillium Lake by Mt. Hood, last summer. Fishing could be a part of his family culture!

Dear class,

We are now really getting into the culture unit! Today, we learned more about education and culture, as well as sharing our Nacirema stories! Here's what happened today:

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: "Abc" by Jackson 5. Selected because it relates to the theme of school and culture, which we learned more about today with Time for School! Lyrics here.

AGENDA 10/16/17:
News Brief – Grace
Review Cornell Notes
The Nacirema Stories
Time For School

Homework: Read the blog. Finish working on the Nacirema assignment if you did not in class (see below). Check your grade in Student VUE and improve it, if possible. Next news brief: Trent.

News Brief: Grace brought in an article about this story to talk about for the news brief today: BBC.com - Sebastian Kurz: Austrian conservative set to become world's youngest leader. We found Austria in the world map packet (the Europe map) and discussed this article for a bit - this man is the same age as me, possibly running a country! Thanks, Grace! Trent was randomly drawn as the next news brief.

We checked in about the weekend, and anything else that was happening, as well. I had an incredible time in Orlando, watching the Thorns win the NWSL Championship!

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

Here is Wildcat News for the day if you missed class or wanted to watch it again:



Review Cornell Notes: Last class, we went through a PowerPoint on culture. Today, we returned to our notes as part of the AVID process of Cornell Notes, and made questions about the material, as well as summarizing information. There were two handouts that went with this (from last class):



Again, here's the PowerPoint on culture that I wanted notes to be taken on:


Thanks for trying this way of taking notes!

The Nacirema Stories: We returned to the Nacirema reading and assignment from last class, as students tried to make their own versions of the Nacirema stories.


Here's the assignment that has to do with the with the Nacirema reading:


Remember, you are trying to identify something about our own culture, that, when described from an outsider's perspective, would actually seem pretty strange. We finished these in class (if you did not, please finish it at home) and shared a few out before moving on.

Time For School: I really like this documentary as part of our unit on culture, because it is especially interesting to me to see how school is a part of different cultures around the world. Here was the handout that I gave to students to fill out as we were watching:


Again, the point to this was to analyze how we see surface culture and what deeper culture is like in different areas around the world.

We got about 34:00 in to the following video, if you missed class and need to catch up, or simply want to review it again:


I hope you are finding this interesting and engaging! See you next class! :-)
Posted by at No comments:
Labels:

Thursday, October 12, 2017

Culture, Day 3 - Class Recap


Today's soundtrack was "Wavin' Flag" by K'Naan, so the photo for today is of a picture I took of the flag of Turkey on a ferry, overlooking the Bosphorus Strait in Istanbul. Photo taken in 2013.

Hi everyone,

I enjoyed blowing your minds today (see below)! I think it was a good class, with finishing the culture PowerPoint lecture notes, and then having fun with the Nacirema reading. Here's what happened today:

Learning Targets:
Knowledge LT 15: I can explain how culture both reflects and shapes society.

Soundtrack: "Wavin' Flag" by K'Naan. Selected for today because flags are a symbolic representation of a county, which is integrated into culture. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 10/12/17:
News Brief – Alondra
Cornell Notes
The Nacirema
Work Time

Homework: Read the blog. Finish your Nacirema short write, please! Check your grade in Student VUE and improve it, if possible. Next news brief: Grace.

News Brief: Alondra brought in an article about this story to talk about for the news brief today: BBC.com - Australia jet and navy data stolen in 'extensive' hack. We found Australia in the world map packet (the Oceania map) and discussed this story for a bit. Thanks, Alondra! Grace 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):


Cornell Notes: This is a note-taking strategy that we are going to be using frequently this year at Westview - especially if you are at all familiar with the AVID class. There were two handouts that went with this:



We went through both of these together, as I made sure to talk about the way in which Cornell Notes help with retaining information. Here's the PowerPoint on culture that I wanted notes to be taken on:


Really, the Iceberg Model is all about what we cannot see. We had an interesting discussion in class with this, as we looked more into deep culture, and what some good examples might be. As I said in class, I think everyone does not want to stereotype cultures, or be prejudiced against them in some way, so we need to seek to understand cultures around the world. Your notes are a good start in this!

The Nacirema: I always enjoy this (an old school reading, but a good one). To begin, we used another AVID strategy that involves numbering the paragraphs of a reading. We read this famous article together, as most students sat perplexed about what the heck was going on.


Spoiler alert: here's the assignment that has to do with the with the Nacirema reading:


The end of class was spent looking at the reading, and trying to analyze how the Nacirema story might relate to our own culture. Next class, we will share our writing about the Nacirema using similar language and theme. This is usually a pretty fun assignment, once you think of an aspect of our culture to use!

That was it for the day! See you next week! :-)
Posted by at No comments:
Labels:

Tuesday, October 10, 2017

Culture, Day 2 - Class Recap


Another part of my culture is having dual citizenship, due to my mom being born and raised in the United Kingdom.

Dear students,

Today, we got back to work on our new unit of culture. We learned a little bit more about the "iceberg" model for it. Here's what happened today:

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: "American Pie" by Don McLean. Selected for today because we were talking more about American culture, and this song famously contains lots of references to it. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 10/10/17:
News Brief – Bianca
NG Slides
Our Culture
Cornell Notes

Homework: Read the blog. Check your grade in Student VUE and improve it, if possible. Next news brief: Alondra.

News Brief: Bianca brought in this article to talk about for the news brief today: NYTimes.com - North Korean Hackers Stole U.S.-South Korean Military Plans, Lawmaker Says. We found South Korea in the world map packet (the Asia map) and we talked for a bit about the situation between the two Koreas. I also showed a few photos from my visit to the DMZ there in 2014. Alondra was assigned the next news brief.

Next, we checked in about the weekend and anything else students wanted to talk about, before moving on.

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):

NG Slides: After the news, we finished the National Geographic culture slides activity from last class. I passed out this sheet last class (it is also on Google Classroom):


After that, we went through this slideshow of pictures from the National Geographic Photography: Culture website. Here are the photos we went through:


I love all of these pictures because the world is such a diverse and interesting place! I enjoyed the class guesses as to what was going on in each. At the end, I revealed where each photo was taken and a bit of a description, as well.

Our Culture: After the slides, we moved on to looking at what our own culture is like. I split students up into groups and had each group brainstorm the following: What is our culture like? With your group, brainstorm aspects of what culture is like at the following three levels. Use your culture traits from the slideshow last class!

American Culture
Portland/Beaverton Culture
Westview Culture

I had a lot of fun listening to the examples given for each of these, which did do a good job of highlighting different elements of culture! I think it was really fun and productive in understanding culture.

Cornell Notes: This is a note-taking strategy that we are going to be using frequently this year at Westview - especially if you are at all familiar with the AVID class. There were two handouts that went with this:



We went through both of these together, as I made sure to talk about the way in which Cornell Notes help with retaining information. We will look at these together next class! Here's the PowerPoint on culture that I wanted notes to be taken on (we were able to get to slide 10 in class):


Really, the Iceberg Model is all about what we cannot see. Last class, the National Geographic slides that we went through were all surface level culture. I want everyone to start thinking about DEEP culture - what is ingrained in us and we do not even think about.

That was it for the day! See you next class! :-)
Posted by at No comments:
Labels:

Friday, October 6, 2017

Culture, Day 1 - Class Recap

Part of my family's culture is attending Oregon Duck football games (well, maybe not so much for my sister). This is us outside the 2011 BCS National Championship Game in Arizona.

Hi everyone,

Today, we moved on to a new unit: Culture! What an interesting topic. Culture defines who we are, yet we shape and create it every day! Here's what happened today in class (we did a lot, so be ready for a fair amount of reading):

Learning Targets:
Knowledge LT 15: I can explain how culture both reflects and shapes society.

Soundtrack: "Food" by Common and Kanye West. Selected because we talked about what we had for breakfast today, as a part of our culture. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 10/6/17:
Grades/News Brief – Alexis
What is Culture?
The Lost Boys
Our Culture

Homework: Read the blog. Make sure you have all of your Geography unit work turned in if you haven't turned it in already! Next news brief: Bianca.

News Brief: Before the news brief today, I passed back the grades from the Geography unit (record turnaround on them for me!) and explained why I gave what I did. Then, Alexis brought in an article about this story for the news brief: BBC.com - Zimbabwe succession row: Grace Mugabe warns of coup plot. We found Zimbabwe in the world map packet and talked about what happened with this story for a bit, as well as trying to define the word "coup."

Thanks, Alexis. Bianca was assigned 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):


I also asked about the upcoming weekend and had a good time hearing what students were up to, before we moved on.

What is Culture?: I started this section and new unit by asking what everyone had for breakfast today. The answers were:

• Pie x 1
• Nothing x 9
• Muffin x 1
• Waffles
• Granola Bar
• Toast x 3
• Piece of fruit x 2
• Sandwich x 5
• Hashbrowns
• Eggs x 4
• Cereal x 6
• Yogurt x 2
• Pancakes
• Bacon

I saw this article a while ago and thought it was interesting, which is why I asked:


We looked at a few of these different types of breakfast (all of which were certainly better than "nothing" as the high answer - you need to eat before school, everyone!) and identified "food" as an aspect of culture. Then, I passed out this sheet (most students did this in Google Classroom using their Chromebooks):


After that, we went through this slideshow of pictures from the National Geographic Photography: Culture website. As we went through, we brainstormed as a class all the different aspects that could go in the second box, of 10 characteristics of culture. Here are the photos we went through:


I love all of these pictures because the world is such a diverse and interesting place! I enjoyed the class guesses as to what was going on in each. We only went through the first 14 in class today, so don't skip ahead and do the rest, yet!

The Lost Boys: Next, I showed part of a documentary on The Lost Boys of Sudan. This shows the dramatic differences between the culture in Sudan and the culture in America - something I think we do not think much about at all:


As a counterbalance, I showed this commercial that was made about Lopez Lomong, who was one of the "Lost Boys" and who eventually gained American citizenship, made the US Olympic Team, and carried the American flag into the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing:


I showed these videos to highlight some key aspects to American and Sudanese culture. We will continue to explore cultural similarities and differences of various different cultures during this unit.

Our Culture: We didn't have the time at the end of class to dive into this, so I ended it here. Next time, we will finish the photo slides and continue introducing culture. Have a great weekend!
Posted by at No comments:
Labels:

Wednesday, October 4, 2017

Geography, Day 9 - Class Recap

This is me doing the Gangnam Style dance, at Gangnam Station in Seoul, South Korea, in January of 2014. Yes, the Korean girl who took this was laughing at me.

Dear class,

We are finally done with map quizzes and most of the Geography unit! Thank you for your patience and understanding as we finished today and there was a flurry of activity. I will grade your packets in the coming days for your upcoming progress reports. Here's what we did today in class:

Learning Targets:
Behavior LT 2: I can self-direct my learning.
Knowledge LT 7: I can demonstrate an understanding of the characteristics of locations and regions.
Knowledge LT 10: I can demonstrate an understanding of the connection between physical and human systems.

Soundtrack: "Gangnam Style" by PSY. Selected because we had our last map quiz today, on Asia. South Korea is where PSY is from, which is in Asia. Lyrics (which are mostly Korean, and hilariously translated to the English alphabet) here.

AGENDA 10/4/17:
News Brief – Ellie
Asia Map Quiz
5 Themes/Map Work
Turn in Collection of Evidence

Homework: Read the blog. Your geography packet needed to be turned in today, so if you have parts you did not turn in, please get it to me ASAP. Next news brief: Alexis.

News Brief: Ellie brought in an article about this story for the news brief: CNN.com - U.K. scrambles to help stranded travelers after 'biggest ever' airline failure. We found the United Kingdom in the world map packet and talked about this story for a bit. Thanks, Ellie! Alexis was assigned 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):


Asia Map Quiz: This was the last map quiz opportunity (remember, you had 6 possible opportunities with different map quizzes - 4 of which you choose as your best work to be graded along with the other geography work we have been doing). We graded and passed this back in class, so everyone should have had all the graded quizzes available for selection.

Atlas/Map Work: There was time in class for students to be finishing any geography unit work, after the Asia quiz. I hope you used your time wisely! The assignments for the unit are:

1) The completed world map packet, labelled and colored. Link here.
2) Your choice of the top four out of the six map quizzes that we took in class.
3) Latitude and Longitude in Central Asia worksheet. Link here.
4) The Five Themes of Geography Atlas activity. Link here - also on Google Classroom to submit there.

Turn in Collection of Evidence: Finally - the first graded packet of work for the semester! This was the accumulation of all the work we have done with the geography unit - the quizzes, five themes papers, the latitude and longitude assignment from Asia, and your completed world maps by continent (colored and labelled). Here is the rubric students used in class to self assess (I will be using this same paper to write grades and comments on):


I will look at what students wrote on this, along with the work that was stapled and turned in with it, in order to determine your proficiency grades are for these two learning targets, which is what the first grades of the year will be based on. Thus, if you did not do well with keeping up with your maps, doing well with the quizzes, and making sure to use class time effectively for the Five Themes of Geography packet, you may have some unfortunate news coming soon if you do not make up the work.

Next class, we will start our look at culture in depth. See you then!
Posted by at No comments:
Labels:

Monday, October 2, 2017

Geography, Day 8 - Class Recap


The Pyramids of Giza in Egypt, taken in July of 2014. Today, we had our Africa map quiz in class, which included Egypt!

Dear class,

Welcome back to our first week of October! This week should close out the first big unit of the year, on Geography. Next class is our last map quiz, and then we will start moving on to Culture later in the week! Here's what happened today:

Learning Targets:
Behavior LT 2: I can self-direct my learning.
Knowledge LT 7: I can demonstrate an understanding of the characteristics of locations and regions.
Knowledge LT 10: I can demonstrate an understanding of the connection between physical and human systems.

Soundtrack: "I Ka Barra (Your Work)" by Habib Koite. Selected for today because Habib Koite is from Senegal and based in Mali - two countries in Africa. The song lyrics are in Bambara (the main language in Mali), so here's a link to the actual song if you want to just listen to it again.

AGENDA 10/2/17:
Wildcat News Brief – Anagha
Africa Map Quiz
Latitude/Longitude
Atlas/Map Work

Homework: Read the blog. Finish Asia/Middle East maps (colored and labeled) for the quiz next class. Bring all of your other geography unit work/quizzes to be able to turn in - your completed map packet, top four quiz scores, latitude/longitude worksheet, and 5 themes map activity (on Google Classroom). Next news brief: Ellie.

Wildcat News Brief: Anagha had the news brief today and selected this story to talk about: BBC.com - Catalan referendum: Spain region 'not seeking traumatic split'. We found Spain in our world maps and talked for a bit about what happened with this extremely controversial vote and the desire for independence in the Spanish region of Catalonia. Thanks, Anagha! Ellie volunteered as the next person up.

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):


I also checked in about the weekend with everyone to see if anyone was up to anything interesting or fun, before moving on.

Finally, we watched Wildcat News for the day. Here it is again if you wanted to watch or missed class:



Africa Map Quiz: The second to last map quiz out of the six! Remember that your top four scores will be turned in for your grade for the geography targets. We corrected the quiz in class and then passed them back.

Latitude/Longitude: I wanted to make sure that we went over the concepts of latitude and longitude again, in identifying where places are in the world. With that, I passed out this worksheet having to do with Asia (which, not so coincidentally, students were labeling in class today):


I will collect these as part of the collection of evidence for the geography learning targets later in the week, along with your top four map quizzes, finished map packet, and Five Themes of Geography packet.

Atlas/Map Work: The last part of class was dedicated to labeling and coloring the Asia and Middle East sections of the map packet, in order to be able to use it on the last map quiz next class. For checking the blog, here's a question from the quiz: This island country—an archipelago made up of many atolls—is located south and west of India. If you are missing your map packet and know you need to have it done, please print out another and have it ready to go for next class:

Google Drive - World Maps Packet

Here's the Five Themes of Geography Atlas activity to continue working on (which mostly has to be in class with the atlases here):

Make sure to have your map packet completed, and as much of the Five Themes packet done as possible for next class!
Posted by at No comments:
Labels:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)