Wednesday, February 28, 2018

Willamette Promise/WOU Registration Day - Class Recap


I attended Western Oregon University in college - here is my intramural basketball team after winning the championship!

Dear class,

Today was the start of our in class journey towards college credit together! There will be many more details in the coming days and weeks, but I wanted to make sure we had all of our students register for the opportunity. Here's what happened today in class:

Learning Targets: 
Critical Thinking and Analysis LT 2: I can explain connections between events, issues, problems, and concepts.
Knowledge LT 19: I can explain the impacts of nationalism and revolutionary movements.

Soundtrack: "The Second Coming" by Juelz Santana and Just Blaze. Selected for today because of the connection with my basketball team at WOU and also because this opportunity will not be likely to come around for you a second time! Lyrics here.

AGENDA 2/28/18:
News Brief – Alexis
Willamette Promise
Registration
Forecasting Questions

Homework: Read the blog. Make sure all of your World War I work for the Collection of Evidence is completed and in order! See below for links! Your final essay will be in class on Friday! Next news brief: Anita.

News Brief: Alexis had the news brief today and selected this story to talk about: CNN.com - Meghan Markle to 'hit ground running' to empower UK women. We found the United Kingdom again on our world maps and talked about this story.

Anita has 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

Willamette Promise: To start this process, I explained to the class what the Willamette Promise program is and how it is an opportunity to earn college credit (through Western Oregon University) for a project we are doing in Global Studies. Here is the PowerPoint that I went through with the class as an overview:


I added plenty of my own commentary to this presentation, but basically: this is an incredible opportunity for students. I know we will be able to make good use of it.

Registration: The main point of the day was to register for the Willamette Promise course and also as a student at Western Oregon University. I passed out student State Testing ID numbers for the first part (if you missed class, I can provide you with your number as requested). Remember that you must register with your exact name as it is on StudentVUE with your home address that is on file with the school. Here is the video that we watched in class to help with this process:



Hopefully this process made sense and went smoothly for you. Remember that you need to register for both Willamette Promise AND Western Oregon University using the links provided here:


Forecasting: The end of class was set aside for any forecasting questions that I could answer or help with! Please remember that next class (on Friday for Period 3) will be your timed in class final essay on World War I - bring all of your notes to use and your Chromebook if you would rather type than write! See you then!

Monday, February 26, 2018

World War I, Day 7 - Class Recap


One of the conditions put on Germany at the end World War I was to have no navy ships. Here's a sailboat in Hawaii. Photo taken in 2011.

Hi everyone,

I really enjoyed playing Jeopardy to review World War I with everyone today! Hopefully, you had some fun, as well, and learned again about the important aspects at the end of the war. Here's what happened today:

Learning Targets: 
Critical Thinking and Analysis LT 2: I can explain connections between events, issues, problems, and concepts.
Knowledge LT 19: I can explain the impacts of nationalism and revolutionary movements.

Soundtrack: "Be Prepared" from The Lion King. Selected for today because of the World War I final essay on Friday (on Wednesday, we will be registering for the college credit aspect of this class), and all the work that is due along with it. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 2/26/18:
Wildcat News Brief – Bianca
Jeopardy Review
Work Time
Prepare for Final Essay

Homework: Read the blog. Bring student registration information and Chromebooks next class on Wednesday. Make sure all of your World War I work for the Collection of Evidence is completed and in order! See below for links! Next news brief: Alexis.

News Brief: Bianca had the news brief today and selected this story to talk about: BBC.com - Syria conflict: Putin orders Eastern Ghouta 'humanitarian pause'. We found Syria again on our world maps and talked about this story, along with what has been happening in the United Nations with Syria.

Alexis has 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):


If you missed class or wanted to watch it again, here is Wildcat News for the week:



Jeopardy Review: This was just to help with the concepts and information we talked about the last few classes, with the end of World War I. I am not going to post the entire slideshow here, but I did have a lot of fun, and I think most students in the class did, too. Congratulations to Team 1 for their come from behind victory!

Work Time: I passed out this checklist for students to organize their WWI work:


Here's all the work you need to have ready to turn in on Friday, when you will be completing your final essay in class (you will have about an hour to write five paragraphs):


2) Franz Ferdinand assassination answers (separate sheet of paper)

3) Rough Draft/Practice Essay on start of WWI, with brainstorm/graphic organizer (see last slide here for the essay prompt). Please also get this peer reviewed, as well. It does NOT need to be finished as a final draft - all I am looking for here is that you have the writing process.

4) Letter from the Trenches assignment

5) US Entry into WWI paragraph (bottom of the second page, in TS/CD/CD/CM/CS format)

6) Treaty of Versailles Worksheet (see example on second page, then follow format for the rest of the points).

Prepare for Final Essay: If you want to prepare, think about possible thesis statements about what happened at the end of World War I and be able to use vocabulary words that you took notes on in class.

Please be ready to turn your completed work in with your in class essay on Friday!

Thursday, February 22, 2018

World War I, Day 6 - Class Recap


The World War I Memorial Stonehenge replica in Goldendale, Washington, overlooking the Columbia River Gorge and Mt. Hood. Photo taken in 2015!

Hi everyone,

I know that today was mostly a take notes and work day. I did enjoy the questions and discussion we had in class, though! Today was important because next week, you will be asked to write about the end of World War I - which we learned about in class today! Here's what happened today:

Learning Targets: 
Critical Thinking and Analysis LT 2: I can explain connections between events, issues, problems, and concepts.
Knowledge LT 19: I can explain the impacts of nationalism and revolutionary movements.

Soundtrack: "In The End" by Linkin Park. Selected for today because we talked about the end of World War I in class! Lyrics here.

AGENDA 2/22/18:
News Brief – Alondra
A Flawed Peace
Treaty of Versailles
Work Time

Homework: Read the blog. Finish all World War I work (see below)! Next news brief: Bianca.

News Brief: Alondra had the news brief today and selected this story to talk about: CNN.com - Package sent to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle treated as 'racist hate crime'. We found the United Kingdom in our world map and discussed what happened in the article. Bianca was assigned 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):


A Flawed Peace: Thank you so much for your focus on taking notes! I think it will really help you during the prep for the final essay. Here is the presentation again, in case you missed it, or if you wanted to review for your final (a VERY good idea):

Google Drive: The End Of World War I - A Flawed Peace PowerPoint

You will be asked to write about these topics for your final essay, so make sure that you know them and have good notes! One of the terms I showed you (and you will be expected to know for your final essay) was President Wilson's Fourteen Points (that is a link to the actual 14 points). "Armistice" is another term you will absolutely need to know how to use in your essay. You also might want to know the Armenian Genocide and the 1918 Influenza Virus (so, you know, like all of the important stuff from the PowerPoint).

Treaty of Versailles: The last slide of the PowerPoint was about the Treaty of Versailles, which is an easy link to see how World War II started. I want to make sure that everyone understands what the elements of the treaty were, so we started a brief in class worksheet about the main points. Here it is if you missed class or lost your paper:


This was the last handout and assignment for the World War I collection of evidence that will be turned in next week, after the final essay!

Work Time: Here's all the work you need to have ready in preparation for your World War I final essay:


2) Franz Ferdinand assassination answers (separate sheet of paper)

3) Rough Draft/Practice Essay on start of WWI, with brainstorm/graphic organizer (see last slide here for the essay prompt). Please also get this peer reviewed, as well.

4) Letter from the Trenches assignment

5) US Entry into WWI paragraph (bottom of the second page, in TS/CD/CD/CM/CS format)

6) Treaty of Versailles Worksheet (see example on second page, then follow format for the rest of the points).

That's everything that you need for the Collection of Evidence, so there's plenty to work on! Next class, we will play Jeopardy to review, then the rest of class will be work time. See you then!

Tuesday, February 20, 2018

Snow Day Early Release - Class Recap

Hi everyone,

Well, that was quick, wasn't it? We had a short class today due to school being released at 10:15 AM. I saved most of the new content we were going to go through for next class, but did want to post Wildcat News again for students who missed class or wanted to see it again:



As a reminder, your homework is to finish your World War I assigned work - I will go over this in more detail next time I see you. Enjoy the snow and see you next class! :-)

Thursday, February 15, 2018

World War I, Day 5 - Class Recap

As you know, Paris was just on the other side of the Western Front in World War I. Here's a picture of the Eiffel Tower, taken in 2013.

Hi everyone,

Welcome back to the blog! There is plenty going on in class and lots of assignments due soon that we have been working on together. Here's what happened today in class:

Learning Targets: 
Critical Thinking and Analysis LT 2: I can explain connections between events, issues, problems, and concepts.
Knowledge LT 20: I can explain the impacts of nationalism and revolutionary movements.
Communication LT 1: I can communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.

Soundtrack: "Carry On My Wayward Son" by Kansas. Selected for today because a previous student wrote to suggest it on the blog, and provided a reason that connected to the unit! Lyrics here.

AGENDA 2/15/18
News Brief - Neel
Essay Writing
Peer Review
Forecasting Questions?

Homework: Read the blog! Finish your World War I essay and get it peer reviewed, if you did not in class. Next news brief: Cole.

News Brief: Neel brought in an article about this story today for the news brief: NYTimes.com - Doomsday Clock Is Set at 2 Minutes to Midnight, Closest Since 1950s. We found North Korea (somewhat related to this story!) in our world map packets and talked about this story, before moving on to talk about the weekend and what students are up to outside of class.

Cole 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):


Essay Writing: The rest of class was devoted to finishing your rough draft/practice essays on the start of World War I. The essays are supposed to be five paragraphs long, and needed to be peer reviewed in class. Here are some resources to help if you still need to finish:




The question you are answering is: Why did World War I start and what happened at the beginning of it?

Words to use: militarism, alliances, imperialism, nationalism, Franz Ferdinand, Sarajevo, Triple Alliance, Triple Entente, June 28th 1914, trenches, Eastern Front, Western Front.

Use your notes!

Peer Review: When students were done, I wanted the World War I practice essays to be peer reviewed by someone in the class. Here's the form for that:


Please have this done at least once! It will help you prepare for the in class final essay! The rest of class was devoted to work time. Here's a reminder of all the other work we are doing in class that needs to be turned in as a part of the World War I Collection of Evidence after the final essay in class:

1) Cornell Notes on MAIN reasons WWI startedUS entry, and A Flawed Peace (soon).


3) Rough Draft/Practice Essay on start of WWI, with brainstorm/graphic organizer (see above).

4) Letter from the Trenches assignment


There will be a couple more assignments before the final in class essay, as well. Lots of hard work - thank you for checking the blog and working to stay up to date!

Tuesday, February 13, 2018

World War I, Day 4 - Class Recap

During today's class, Jalen and I had a "debate" about the weather outside. In this picture, is it partly cloudy, or partly sunny? Who is right? The answer is that unless someone can bring facts to the debate (being objective), both of us could make good arguments based on our opinions (being subjective). I took this picture on the Caribbean island of St. Maarten in 2009. Partly cloudy? Partly sunny? You decide.

Hi everyone,

I enjoyed talking about the entry of the United States into World War I today, as well as continuing to work on the start of the way essay. If you want to review all of the material, this is the recap for you!

Learning Targets: 
Critical Thinking and Analysis LT 2: I can explain connections between events, issues, problems, and concepts.
Knowledge LT 20: I can explain the impacts of nationalism and revolutionary movements.

Soundtrack: “GDFR" by Flo Rida. Selected for today because it was "Going Down For Real" after the United States entered World War I.

AGENDA 2/13/18:
News Brief - Jackson
US Entry into WWI
Objective/Subjective
Essay Writing

Homework: Read the blog! Keep working on your rough draft essay (with brainstorm sheet completed, as well) - peer review will be next class. Neel has the next news brief.
---
News Brief: Jackson had the news brief for us today. Here is the story he chose: BBC.com - Tonga parliament building flattened by Cyclone Gita. We found Tonga on our world maps and talked about this story for a bit, before moving on to discuss what we were up to outside of class.

Neel was selected for 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):


US Entry into WWI: This portion of class was devoted to learning how the United States became involved with the war. Hopefully this made sense - if not, please ask questions in the comments! For your final essay, it will probably be good to know the terms "Lusitania," "unrestricted submarine warfare," and "the Zimmerman Note." Here is the presentation to review if you missed class or want to see it again:


Not too complicated or note heavy, I hope.

Objective/Subjective: Again, this started out with Jalen and I debating the weather. The two terms here are objective = facts/concrete details and subjective = opinions/commentary. Related to that, I passed out this worksheet, on possible reasons (your subjective opinion based on the objective facts!) why the United States entered World War I:

Google Drive: Why Did The United States Enter World War I Worksheet

This worksheet (on the back side) is asking students to write one paragraph with five sentences in the style that I asked for with the body paragraph notes that we did last class (TS/CD/CD/CM/CS).

Essay Writing: The rest of class was devoted to continuing to finishing the US Entry into WWWI worksheet and to write your rough draft essays on the start of World War I. Here's the prompt again: Question: Why did World War I start and what happened at the beginning of it?

Words to use: militarism, alliances, imperialism, nationalism, Franz Ferdinand, Sarajevo, Triple Alliance, Triple Entente, June 28th 1914, trenches, Eastern Front, Western Front.

Use your notes! Be ready to finish these in class next time, then peer review! :-)

Friday, February 9, 2018

World War I, Day 3 - Class Recap


Today's talk about writing essays included a bunch of pictures of Alcatraz Island, in San Francisco. Here's a picture of the city from that trip (Spring Break in 2011).

Dear class,

I realize that there has been a lot of me standing and talking to the class this last week! I apologize - hopefully it will not stay that way. I am simply guessing that you would rather hear all of this information personally explained to you, rather than copy notes from the textbook. On to the recap:

Learning Targets: 
Critical Thinking and Analysis LT 2: I can explain connections between events, issues, problems, and concepts.
Knowledge LT 20: I can explain the impacts of nationalism and revolutionary movements.

Soundtrack: "Take Me Out" by Franz Ferdinand. Selected for today because of the band name (of course), and because Franz Ferdinand was taken out to start World War I. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 2/9/18:
News Brief - Derek
Read Letters
The Most Important Skill
Graphic Organizing

Homework: Read the blog! Keep working on your World War I essay (we will continue to work on it in class the next two days, too). Next news brief: Jackson.

News Brief: Derek had the news brief today and selected this article to talk about: BBC.com - Winter Olympics 2018: South and North Korean athletes unite during opening ceremony in Pyeongchang. We found South Korea in our world map packets and discussed this story, before moving on to talk together about what is going on outside of class for everyone.

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):


Read Letters: A few students volunteered to read their "letters from the trenches" aloud as a class. I really enjoyed these, and thought the students that shared did a great job of incorporating some of the vocabulary and concepts that we talked about, along with creatively writing about the subject. Way to go! Keep these - you will be turning them in at the end of the unit.

The Most Important Skill: I said this in class and I really believe it: the ability to write (especially a good essay) is the most important skill that you will need in order to be successful in high school and college. Thus, this lecture was something I hope you paid very close attention to. Please see the PowerPoint below (it is also linked to on Google Classroom):


The basics: every essay needs to start out with a "thesis statement" in the first paragraph (the introduction). Each of the three paragraphs after that should contain one main point you are trying to make. The format (or recipe) for those "body" paragraphs are like this: topic sentence, concrete detail/fact, concrete detail/fact, commentary/opinion, and then a concluding sentence. Finally, after the three body paragraphs, you will write a conclusion that restates the thesis. This is a LOT of information to try and learn, I know. That is why I am having you practice in class before I ask you to write me a real one at the end of the World War I unit.

Graphic Organizing: Based on the essay question on the last slide of the PowerPoint, I gave three different examples of "graphic organizing" your essay. I asked you to use one of these examples to start up your essay. If you missed class, here is one of the examples that you can use to start thinking about your essay:


Along with this, I gave the class a good format for writing a thesis (and even included one on World War I to start you off, if you were having trouble):


Hopefully this made sense. It is okay if it does not right away. That is why we are practicing!

For the rest of class, I had you start up your essays using your graphic organizers - then the actual writing if you finished that. Here are the prompts that we were using (the last slide of the PowerPoint): 

Question: Why did World War I start and what happened at the beginning of it?

Words to use: militarism, alliances, imperialism, nationalism, Franz Ferdinand, Sarajevo, Triple Alliance, Triple Entente, June 28th 1914, trenches, Eastern Front, Western Front.

Use your notes! Cite my presentation as (Start of World War I Notes) for any concrete details directly from me. You can also use the textbook, if you like.

Again, we will continue working on this in class. The essay itself is not homework to fully complete - I want to help you through each step this time. Next time, it will be an actual assignment/test. You will be including your work here with that final assignment - so it is not like this work will not count.

Phew! I know that is a lot. Please let me know if you have any questions! See you next class!

Wednesday, February 7, 2018

World War I, Day 2 - Class Recap


My Great-Grandfather, Joseph Herbert "Bert" Frank, who was a medic for Great Britain during World War I. Photo courtesy of a conversation with my grandmother in 2007!

Hello everyone,

Thanks for another great class! I appreciate your willingness to listen and participate in what is going on! Here's what happened today in class:

Learning Targets: 
Critical Thinking and Analysis LT 2: I can explain connections between events, issues, problems, and concepts.
Knowledge LT 20: I can explain the impacts of nationalism and revolutionary movements.

Soundtrack: “Waiting on the World to Change" by John Mayer. Selected for today because the world definitely changed as a part of World War I. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 2/7/18:
News Brief - Trent
Review Notes/Answers
Europe Explodes
My Connection
Life in the Trenches

Homework: Read the blog! Finish your letter from the trenches if you did not in class. Next news brief: Derek.

News Brief: Trent had the news brief today and selected an article about this story to talk about: BBC.com - Taiwan earthquake: Deaths confirmed amid rescue effort. We found Taiwan in our world maps and talked about this story as a part of the news brief. I also asked about what students were up to outside of class.

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):


Review Notes/Answers: This was the part of the process for Cornell Notes, in grouping terms, adding questions about the material, and summarizing what the presentation was about (on the MAIN causes of World War I). Thanks for your participation on this! I think it will help you remember! We also reviewed the answers from the Franz Ferdinand assassination reading, and found vocabulary words to review.

Europe Explodes:
 During this section, I showed the class the map animations about what happened at the start of World War I here:


 I asked the class to take general notes about what the maps dealt with - especially in regards to the "Western Front" and "Eastern Front" relating to Germany. These are two very famous terms that you will hear about later in life, I am sure. It is important to learn about all of the different "dominoes" that fell in terms of alliances at the start of the war, as well.

My Connection: This section was a short and sweet (I hope) presentation about my great-grandfather's involvement in World War I as a medic. I did not ask the class to take notes. In case you missed class, or wanted to see the pictures again, here it is:


I hope it was interesting, and I hope that you ask about your own family history! It was fascinating for me to learn about it from my grandmother over tea. :-)

Life in the Trenches: This section consisted of two parts. First, I showed the class a few minutes of a documentary on World War I (in color!) that talked about how awful the war was from the perspective of those who fought in it. That video can be found here (I started it at 7:49 and stopped it about 11:30 or so into it):


After watching the video clip, I talked a little more about conditions in the trenches, which were long lines dug out in the ground, not far away from each other. Over the course of the war, not much progress was made in the battles, since any advance by the opposition was fairly easy to stop. I believe I called the whole idea "stupid" quite a bit in class. It totally was.

I handed out a worksheet of letters home (also on Google Classroom) from soldiers on in the trenches, and then had the class imagine they were in the same position. This was what the work was for the rest of the class - making up your own letter on the back of the worksheet. If you missed class, you can download the worksheet and create your letter here:


Thank you for your work on this. We will continue to talk about these letters next class. See you then!

Monday, February 5, 2018

World War I, Day 1 - Class Recap


Your anonymous feedback for what you like about this class! :-) 

Hello everyone,

Welcome to a new semester and a new unit to study! Today, we started looking at World War I and making connections to what we have already learned about as far as imperialism in Rwanda, the Holocaust and the rise of Hitler, and everything else we have talked about. Here's what happened today:

Learning Targets:
Critical Thinking and Analysis LT 2: I can explain connections between events, issues, problems, and concepts.
Knowledge LT 20: I can explain the impacts of nationalism and revolutionary movements.

Soundtrack: "Brand New Day" by Sting. Selected for today because it is a brand new semester and a chance to start again! Lyrics here.

AGENDA 2/5/18:
News Brief - Albert
Review Class Feedback
Ominous Beginnings PowerPoint
Murder of the Archduke

Homework: Read the blog and post a comment again! Finish the reading questions if you did not in class. Next news brief: Trent.

News Brief: Albert had the news brief today and selected an article about this story to talk about: BBC.com - Juan Barros case: Chile sex abuse letter contradicts Pope over 'cover-up'. We found Vatican City on the world map and talked about this story for a bit, before moving on.

Trent was selected to do the next news brief.

As usual, we checked in about what students were up to outside of class (I hope finals went well!). I showed my reaction to the Philadelphia Eagles winning the Super Bowl. I was pretty excited. :-)

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):


Review Class Feedback: We looked at the anonymous feedback that students gave me before the Ladkah semester final about how the class was going, and how I am doing as a teacher. Here it is again if you want to check it out:


Some observations:
1) It looks like students really love what we learn about in class, as well as the discussions we have, which is awesome to see!
2) The class knows it could get better at notes and having everyone participate.
3) The class likes that I am helpful, passionate, and engaging.
4) However, some students feel like I could do a better job of going slower (or faster) with material (if anything at all).

As I also noted in the last slide, we have lots of work to do in the second semester, which will probably be more challenging for most students than the first semester. We will be discussing this more in class, but you have the opportunity to earn college credit in Global Studies this year by completing a research project, which will will start in March. Lots to get to, for sure.

Ominous Beginnings PowerPoint: To start up the World War I unit, I showed this recent clip from the BBC about what millennials know about it.

I went over the definition of "ominous" and used the example of music in a scary movie: you know something bad is about to happen. The rest of the PowerPoint was about the M.A.I.N. causes of World War I. The class took notes (Cornell Notes would be awesome!) on each slide - which will come in handy at the end of this unit. Please review the presentation if you missed class, or did not have enough time to finish up your notes:


Thank you so much for your focus during this part of class! You all seemed to really be getting what I was talking about, which is great to see.

Murder of the Archduke: I passed this document around (or had students access it on their Chromebooks), and read it aloud to the class, trying to describe what happened in the assassination of Franz Ferdinand. - Borijove Jevtic: The Murder of Archduke Franz Ferdinand at Sarajevo, 28 June 1914. This is the story of how World War I started. I had the class answer the analysis questions at the end, as well. It is such an important event in history - all set up by the MAIN causes of World War I. The questions at the end were what we finished class with. We will start next time by going over the answers together.

This was what we ended class with! Thank you for your participation and focus today! :-)