Semester Finals - Class Recap

Sunset over Waikiki Beach in Honolulu, Hawaii. It was a great year, everyone! Thank you for your hard work! Photo taken in 2011.

Hi everyone,

Today was our last day of class for the year! We had our final Israel-Palestine peace conference, reflection on the year, and also talked about life and what is coming up for a while. Here's what we did today in class:

Learning Targets: 
Communication LT 1: I can use language and style that is appropriate to the content area.
Critical Thinking LT 2: I can explain connections between events, issues, problems and concepts.
Knowledge LT 9:  I can explain demographic changes in the world and their effects.
Knowledge LT 19:  I can explain the impacts of nationalism and revolutionary movements. Knowledge LT 21:  I can explain how religious ideas impact the shaping of societies.

Soundtrack: "Thankful" by Kelly Clarkson. Selected for today because I always choose this song for the last day of class, since I am so thankful to get to teach you all. Thank you! Lyrics (some of which I read aloud in class) are here.

AGENDA 6/15/18:

News Brief/Summer Plans – Jalen
Final Presentations
Discussion
Reflection/Adventure

Homework: Read the blog (if you want)! Have a great summer! Let me know if I can help you at any point in the future! I will be at the July 25 at 1:00 PM coffee shop meeting with Mr. Puterbaugh at the Barnes and Noble Starbucks in Tanasbourne, about summer reading (or anything else you want to), if you are going to that! See you in the fall!

---

News Brief/Summer Plans: Jalen had the news brief today and selected an article about this story to talk about: BBC.com - Russia denies access to jailed Ukraine film-maker Sentsov. For the last time, we found Russia in the world map and noted this story. Thanks, everyone for doing this all year and getting better at geography in the process! In class, we tallied up the number of times we talked about the different continents throughout the year and talked a bit about why the news tended to be centered in a few different areas.

World Map Topics:

South America - 4

North America - 4

Oceania - 3

Africa - 7

Europe - 17

Asia - 24

Middle East – 19

We talked about why this might be and what we can do to continue to stay informed and engaged about the whole world.

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 talked in class about the importance of following the news and trying to stay up to date with what is happening in your city, state, country, and world. Knowledge is power! Try to stay plugged in to what is going on, if you can!

Final Presentations/Discussion: As promised, this was the Israel and Palestine peace conference. First, we had speeches and presentations (students that needed to demonstrate a Communication grade) that explained various aspects of the conflict and proposed possible solutions. We then had an in class discussion, first in small groups, and then as a larger class about the prospects for peace. Generally, I thought this was quite good, and students seemed to know their stuff. Thank you for your effort on this! I look forward to reading your papers, as well.

After the final project, as I alluded to all year, we played the Sporcle Country Game for one last time. Your final score as a class was 145 out of 197. Thank you for playing!

Reflection: The last part to the final was a reflection short answer about how the year went in Global Studies - what you learned, what you will put into practice in your life, what you are wanting to study in American Studies or APUSH next year, and what you will remember five years from now. I look forward to reading these!

There is a fair amount of work involved in grading the finals, but the deadline to submit our grades is next Wednesday by 3:00 PM, as a heads up.

Adventure: At the end of class, I talked about having the spirit of curiosity in life and whatever you do - that could involve traveling around the world, or even just going to a local stream and exploring. I showed this video, which I've watched probably a hundred times or more to illustrate this - I hope it is as inspiring to you as it is to me, and a good reminder of so much of what we learned this year:

Thank you all so much for being so wonderful to work with. I truly loved teaching each and every one of you, and I hope you know that I care about you and want you to be successful in the future. Take care of yourselves and I hope to see you around! I am especially excited to be "looping" next year to teach American Studies to most of the class! Have a great summer! :-)

Semester Finals, Day 2 - Class Recap

Sunset over Waikiki Beach in Honolulu, Hawaii. It was a great semester, everyone! Thank you for your hard work! Photo taken in 2011.

Hi everyone,

Today was our last day of class for the year! We had a lot of reflection time, then talked about life and what is coming up for a while. Here's what we did today in class:

Learning Targets: 
Communication LT 1: I can use language and style that is appropriate to the content area.
Critical Thinking LT 2: I can explain connections between events, issues, problems and concepts.
Knowledge LT 9:  I can explain demographic changes in the world and their effects.
Knowledge LT 19:  I can explain the impacts of nationalism and revolutionary movements. Knowledge LT 21:  I can explain how religious ideas impact the shaping of societies.

Soundtrack: "Thankful" by Kelly Clarkson. Selected for today because I always choose this song for the last day of class, since I am so thankful to get to teach you all. Thank you! Lyrics (some of which I read aloud in class) are here.

AGENDA 6/21/17:

News Brief – Alexander C.
Reflection
Adventure

Homework: Read the blog (if you want)! Have a great summer! Let me know if I can help you at any point in the future! I will be at the July 20 coffee shop meeting with Mr. Puterbaugh at the Barnes and Noble Starbucks in Tanasbourne, about summer reading (or anything else you want to), if you are going to that! :-)

---

News Brief: Alexander C. had the news brief today, but was not in class, so I filled in and selected an article about this story to talk about: CNN.com - Gunmen attack Mali luxury resort, at least 2 dead. For the last time, we found Mali in the world map and noted this story. Thanks, everyone for doing this all year and getting better at geography in the process!

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 the trailer to the recently released documentary Disturbing the Peace (which is now on Netflix) on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which gave me a lot of hope after I watched it:

I talked in class about the importance of following the news and trying to stay up to date with what is happening in your city, state, country, and world. Knowledge is power! Try to stay plugged in to what is going on, if you can!

Reflection: After the news brief, I showed a video from Dr. Franco and student government about the end of the year, and expressed our desire to address a recent racist incident in a student bathroom here. The video we watched is here:

After the video, I asked students to write in response to: What can you do to make sure everyone is welcome here at Westview?

I then asked students who were comfortable to share out, and we had a good conversation. I look forward to reading your responses and I know that all of you are just as passionate as I am in making sure that we eliminate hate from our school.

The last part to the final was a reflection short answer about how the year went in Global Studies - what you learned, what you will put into practice in your life, and what you will remember five years from now. I look forward to reading these as well!

There is a fair amount of work involved in grading the finals, but the deadline to submit our grades is Friday by 3:00 PM, as a heads up.

Adventure: The final activity of the year for your class was the Sporcle country name game. And what a final activity it was! Largely thanks to the strength of Andrew's last minute heroics, your class scored 185/197 and took home the championship out of all of my classes by one country! This was absolutely awesome and I will fondly remember this as one of the most epic moments in a year end final for me. :-)

At the end of class, I talked about having the spirit of curiosity in life and whatever you do - that could involve traveling around the world, or even just going to a local stream and exploring. I showed this video, which I've watched probably a hundred times or more to illustrate this - I hope it is as inspiring to you as it is to me, and a good reminder of so much of what we learned this year:

Thank you all so much for being so wonderful to work with. I truly loved teaching each and every one of you, and I hope you know that I care about you and want you to be successful in the future. Take care of yourselves and I hope to see you around! Have a great summer! :-)

Ladakh Semester Final - Class Recap

Congratulations! If you passed the class, you have completed a semester of Global Studies! Photo taken at Niagara Falls in 2010.

Dear class,

Today was finals day in class and, as promised, we did a essay test on the Ladakh, with multiple different possibilities for learning targets to address. Here's what happened in class 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 10: I can demonstrate an understanding of the connection between the physical and human systems.
Knowledge LT 15: I can explain how culture both reflects and shapes society.
Knowledge LT 17: I can explain how and why world societies organize themselves and how power is established and maintained.

Soundtrack: "Kashmir" by Led Zeppelin. Selected for today because Ladakh is located in Kashmir, India. A classic song! Lyrics here.

AGENDA 2/8/17:
News Brief – Alexander B.
Grades
Class Feedback
Ladakh Final

Homework: Read the blog. Good luck on the rest of finals! Next news brief: Louis.

News Brief: Alexander B. selected an article about this story for the news brief today: DohaNews.co - Qatar Airways launches world’s longest flight with new NZ route. We found New Zealand (where the flight was to) in the world map packet and noted we did a news brief story about the country. I love international air travel, but 17 hours on one flight does seem like probably too much, even for me. An interesting story, for sure!

Louis was assigned to do the next news brief.

As a part of the news brief, I told the class that on Friday, we would be having visitors from Japan come into our classroom for about 30 minutes to observe. Hopefully this is a cool experience for everyone! :-)

We also watched the one minute BBC World News update in class. 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

Grades: After the news and checking in with students about if anything fun or interesting was going on outside of class, I talked about how grades for the class (and the final) would work. Basically, the Westview Global Studies team has a general agreement to use the final to help improve student grades, instead of bring them down. That said, if there is an obvious lack of effort or knowledge, we will take that into account, as well. So, if you are an A student, you can be almost assured of keeping that grade. If you have a lower grade, the final is an opportunity to improve. I am only going to put scores in the gradebook (StudentVUE) that improve grades (so you might just see a blank grade for your final), so that I can finish grading everything by the deadline. We do not have a grading day, due to the snow, so I am hoping to try and grade these as quickly as possible so you have an up to date grade ASAP.

Class Feedback: In the spirit of assessment, I asked students to provide me with some feedback about how class has been going this year so far, and what can be improved. The four questions that I asked students to anonymously answer were:

What do you like about this class? What do you think you as students are good at?

What does this class (you, as students) need to improve at?

What do you like about Mr. Fritz as a teacher? What is Mr. Fritz good at as a teacher?

What does Mr. Fritz need to improve at as a teacher?

I will show everyone the combined results from this next class, so we can learn about what is working and what could be improved. Thanks for participating in this!

Ladakh Final: This was the assignment for the rest of class. As promised, I let students use notes from the previous class(es) on Ladakh. The test itself was four questions (all the questions needed to be answered), followed by a short response essay for each one. There were five different learning target possibilities that the final addressed (written out above). I am looking forward to reading these over and assessing where you are at! If students finished early, there was time to quietly work in class.

Final grades for the semester are due by Tuesday, February 21. I anticipate that I will submit them far before then, but just a heads up. Thanks for your hard work, everyone! See you next class, when we will start the second semester! :-)

Semester Finals - Class Recap

Sunset over Waikiki Beach in Honolulu, Hawaii. It was a great semester, everyone! Thank you for your hard work! Photo taken in 2011.

Hi everyone,

Today was our last day of class for the year! We had our final Israel-Palestine Peace Conference, reflection on the year, and then talked about life and what is coming up for a while. Here's what we did today in class:

Learning Targets: 
Communication LT 1: I can use language and style that is appropriate to the content area.
Critical Thinking LT 2: I can explain connections between events, issues, problems and concepts.
Knowledge LT 9:  I can explain demographic changes in the world and their effects.
Knowledge LT 19:  I can explain the impacts of nationalism and revolutionary movements. Knowledge LT 21:  I can explain how religious ideas impact the shaping of societies.

Soundtrack: "Thankful" by Kelly Clarkson. Selected for today because I always choose this song for the last day of class, since I am so thankful to get to teach you all. Especially this year, which was a pretty challenging one, with my dad being killed - it was so helpful to be able to come to class and work with you. Thank you! Lyrics (some of which I read aloud in class) are here.

AGENDA 6/17/16:

News Brief – Malini
Final Project
Reflection
Adventure

Homework: Read the blog (if you want)! Have a great summer! Let me know if I can help you at any point in the future! I will be at the August 23rd coffee shop meeting with Mr. Puterbaugh about summer reading, if you are going to that! :-)

---

News Brief: Malini had the news brief today and selected an article about this story to talk about: BBC.com - Doping: Russian athletes remain banned from competition including Olympics. For the last time, we found Brzail in the world map and noted this story. Thanks, everyone for doing this all year and getting better at geography in the process!

I talked in class about the importance of following the news and trying to stay up to date with what is happening in your city, state, country, and world. Knowledge is power! Try to stay plugged in to what is going on, if you can!

Final Project: As promised, this was the Israel and Palestine Peace Conference. First, we had speeches (students that needed to demonstrate a Communication grade) that explained various aspects of the conflict and proposed possible solutions. We did not have enough time left in class for the discussion, but I look forward to reading everyone's papers! Generally, I thought this was quite good, and students seemed to know their stuff. Thank you for your effort on this! I look forward to reading your papers, as well.

Reflection: The last part to the final was a reflection short answer about how the year went in Global Studies - what you learned, what you will put into practice in your life, and what you will remember five years from now. I look forward to reading these!

There is a fair amount of work involved in grading the finals, as well as late work that I need to grade. So, I anticipate having the grades submitted on Monday, but it could possibly be earlier.

Adventure: At the end of class, I talked about having the spirit of curiosity in life and whatever you do - that could involve traveling around the world, or even just going to a local stream and exploring. I showed this video, which I've watched probably a hundred times or more to illustrate this - I hope it is as inspiring to you as it is to me, and a good reminder of so much of what we learned this year:

Thank you all so much for being so wonderful to work with. I truly loved teaching each and every one of you, and I hope you know that I care about you and want you to be successful in the future. Take care of yourselves and I hope to see you around! Have a great summer! :-)

Ladakh Semester Final - Class Recap

Congratulations! If you passed the class, you have completed a semester of Global Studies! Photo taken at Niagara Falls in 2010.

Dear class,

Today was finals day in class and, as promised, we did a essay test on the Ladakh, with multiple different possibilities for learning targets to address. Here's what happened in class 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 10: I can demonstrate an understanding of the connection between the physical and human systems.
Knowledge LT 15: I can explain how culture both reflects and shapes society.
Knowledge LT 17: I can explain how and why world societies organize themselves and how power is established and maintained.

Soundtrack: "Kashmir" by Led Zeppelin. Selected for today because Ladakh is located in Kashmir, India. A classic song! Lyrics here.

AGENDA 1/28/16:
News Brief – Anthonette
Grades
Class Feedback
Ladakh Final

Homework: Read the blog. See you next week! Next news brief: Ashleigh.

News Brief: Anthonette selected an article about this story for the news brief today: BBC.com - Zika virus: Up to four million Zika cases predicted. We found Brazil on our world maps (please keep these for next semester!) and talked about what Zika is. Something to be aware about (but not freak out about), for sure.

Ashleigh was selected to do the next news brief.

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

BBCNews.com - One-minute World News

Grades: After the news and checking in with students about if anything fun or interesting was going on outside of class, I talked about how grades for the class (and the final) would work. Basically, the Westview Global Studies team has a general agreement to use the final to help improve student grades, instead of bring them down. That said, if there is an obvious lack of effort or knowledge, we will take that into account, as well. So, if you are an A student, you can be almost assured of keeping that grade. If you have a lower grade, the final is an opportunity to improve. I am only going to put scores in the gradebook (StudentVUE) that improve grades (so you might just see a blank grade for your final), so that I can finish grading everything by the deadline. We have a grading day on Friday (no students), so I am hoping to submit grades then.

Class Feedback: In the spirit of assessment, I asked students to provide me with some feedback about how class has been going this year so far, and what can be improved. The four questions that I asked students to anonymously answer were:

What do you like about this class? What do you think you as students are good at?

What does this class (you, as students) need to improve at?

What do you like about Mr. Fritz as a teacher? What is Mr. Fritz good at as a teacher?

What does Mr. Fritz need to improve at as a teacher?

I will show everyone the combined results from this next class, so we can learn about what is working and what could be improved. Thanks for participating in this!

Ladakh Final: This was the assignment for the rest of class. As promised, I let students use notes from the previous class(es) on Ladakh. The test itself was four questions (all the questions needed to be answered), followed by a short response essay for each one. There were five different learning target possibilities that the final addressed (written out above). I am looking forward to reading these over and assessing where you are at! If students finished early, there was time to quietly work in class.

Final grades for the semester are due by Monday morning. Thanks for your hard work, everyone! See you next week! :-)

Ladakh Final Prep - Class Recap

We finished the Ladakh documentary in class today, in which we learned that many of the people there are Buddhist. This is a famous Buddhist temple (Swayambhunath) in Kathmandu, Nepal. Photo taken in 2015.

Hi everyone,

Today was our last day of preparation for the semester final, which will be next week. I think we are generally in a good place and ready to take it! Here's what happened in class 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 10: I can demonstrate an understanding of the connection between the physical and human systems.
Knowledge LT 15: I can explain how culture both reflects and shapes society.
Knowledge LT 17: I can explain how and why world societies organize themselves and how power is established and maintained.

Soundtrack: "Final Hour" by Lauryn Hill. Selected for today because it is the last class before finals, and Ms. Hill references a thesis in her song lyrics.

AGENDA 1/22/16:
News Brief – Queena
Seminar Debrief
Ancient Futures, Part 2
Ladakh Final Prep

Homework: Read the blog. Prepare for finals (see below)! Period 5 final is Thursday at 9:30. Next news brief: Anthonette.

News Brief: Queena selected an article about this story for the news brief today: ABCNews.com - Somalia Attack Turns Symbol of Resurgence Into One of Grief. We found Somalia in Africa on our world maps and discussed the continuing anarchy there, as well as how the African Union and other countries are trying to help.

I also showed this article and talked about Holocaust survivors in general: JTA.org - Candy-making Holocaust survivor believed to be world’s oldest man.

Anthonette was selected to do the next news brief.

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

BBCNews.com - One-minute World News

Seminar Debrief: I wanted to talk a little about how the Socratic Seminar on the Rise of Hitler reading went last class. I was super pleased with how students were able to take control and lead the discussion! I also randomly chose a few students today in class to give their opinion on the activity. It did seem like the consensus was that it was worthwhile and interesting, so I will look for ways to incorporate it again in the future!

I also told everyone that the Behavior Learning Target grades for the mini-unit on the Holocaust are now in the grade book and can be looked at on StudentVUE. I think it is a good indication of where everyone is at! Thank you for participating!

Ancient Futures, Part 2: As I have been explaining in class, your final will be based on a case study of what happened in Ladakh, which is an region in India. Students will be asked to write about many different aspects of the Ladakh, using almost all of the learning targets we have been through this semester.

Here is the reading packet I passed out last class. Students were taking notes on the back page during the documentary:

Google Drive: Intro to Ladakh Readings

We watched the rest of this famous documentary, looking at traditional Ladakh.  Students are analyzing how it has changed, and how geography, culture, and structures of power play a role in the society.

This is an old movie, for sure (I remember watching it when I was in high school), and also so good at going over the themes we have been talking about all semester.

Ladakh Final Prep: Please finish your notes on the different learning targets and how they relate to the case study of the Ladakh by reviewing the reading material! Let me know if you are confused about how to prepare. See you next week, for our last class of the semester!

Semester Finals - Class Recap

Sunset over Waikiki Beach in Honolulu, Hawaii. It was a great semester, everyone! Thank you for your hard work! Photo taken in 2011.

Hi everyone,

Today was our last day of class for the year. We had our final Israel-Palestine Peace Conference, reflection on the year, and then talked about life and what is coming up for a while. Here's what we did today in class:

Learning Targets: 
Communication LT 2: I can use language and style that is appropriate to the content area.
Critical Thinking LT 2: I can explain connections between events, issues, problems and concepts.
Knowledge LT 10:  I can explain demographic changes in the world and their effects.
Knowledge LT 20:  I can explain the impacts of nationalism and revolutionary movements. Knowledge LT 22:  I can explain how religious ideas impact the shaping of societies.

Soundtrack: "Thankful" by Kelly Clarkson. Selected for today because I always choose this song for the last day of class, since I am so thankful to get to teach you all. Especially this year, which was a pretty challenging one, with my dad being killed - it was so helpful to be able to come to class and work with you. Thank you! Lyrics (some of which I read aloud in class) are here.

AGENDA 6/11/15:

News Brief – Kendall
Peace Conference/Final
Pictures/Stories
Happy Summer!

Homework: Read the blog (if you want)! Have a great summer! Let me know if I can help you at any point in the future! :-)

---

News Brief: Kendall had the news brief today and selected an article about this story to talk about: NPR.org - Virginia Teen Pleads Guilty To Supporting ISIS Over Social Media. It is fitting that we ended the year on an article related to ISIS, since that was definitely the topic we spent the most amount of news brief time on. Thanks, Kendall.

We also watched VICE News for the last time today. If you want to stay up to date with these, look at the VICE News Playlist on YouTube - they are updated every weekday!

I talked in class about the importance of following the news and trying to stay up to date with what is happening in your city, state, country, and world. Knowledge is power! Try to stay plugged in to what is going on, if you can!

Peace Conference/Final: As promised, this was the Israel and Palestine Peace Conference. First, we had speeches (students that needed to demonstrate a Communication grade) that explained various aspects of the conflict and proposed possible solutions. Then, I led a discussion based on the different issues. I tried to ask everyone for their thoughts at least once. Generally, I thought this was quite good, and students seemed to know their stuff. Thank you for your effort on this! I look forward to reading your papers, as well.

The last part to the final was a reflection short answer about how the year went in Global Studies - what you learned, what you will put into practice in your life, and what you will remember five years from now. I look forward to reading these!

There is a fair amount of work involved in grading the finals, as well as late work that I need to grade. So, I anticipate having the grades submitted on Monday, but it could possibly be earlier.

Pictures/Stories: The end of class was set aside for some time to talk about summer (and collect pictures from the back wall, if students remembered), as well as students to ask me anything they wanted to (obviously, within reason) about anything at all. I enjoyed this time!

Happy Summer! Thank you all so much for being so wonderful to work with. I truly loved teaching each and every one of you, and I hope you know that I care about you and want you to be successful in the future. Take care of yourselves and I hope to see you around! Have a great summer! :-)

Ladakh Semester Final - Class Recap

Congratulations! If you passed the class, you have completed a semester of Global Studies! Photo taken at Niagara Falls in 2010.

Dear class,

Today was finals day in class and, as promised, we did a DBQ style test on the Ladakh, with multiple different possibilities for learning targets to address. Here's what happened in class today:

Learning Targets:
KN LT 6 - Location and Region
KN LT  11 - Human and Physical Systems
KN LT 16 - Culture
KN LT 18 - Structures of Power

Soundtrack: "Kashmir" by Led Zeppelin. Selected for today because Ladakh is located in Kashmir, India. A classic song! Lyrics here.

AGENDA 1/22/15:
News Brief – Sarah
Ladakh DBQ Final
Quiet Work Time

Homework: Read the blog. See you next week! Next news brief: Santiago.

News Brief: Sarah selected an article about this story for the news brief today: CNN.com - ISIS gaining ground in Yemen, competing with al Qaeda. We talked a little about the importance of Yemen, as the leadership (allies of the United States) is under threat from rebels.

I was proud of Kendall for watching the State of the Union speech on Tuesday! Way to go! Lots of important international issues were covered. If you missed it, watch it here or read it here.

Santiago was selected to do the next news brief.

Ladakh DBQ Final: This was the assignment for the rest of class. As promised, I let students use notes from the previous class(es) on Ladakh. The test itself was six documents (all the questions needed to be answered), followed by a short response essay. The essay was structured to be one paragraph, following an analytical structure that Mr. Lathrop and I want you to use. There were four different learning target possibilities that the final addressed (written out above). This final could also count towards a writing process score for Mr. Lathrop's class. I am looking forward to reading these over and assessing where you are at!

Quiet Work Time: If students finished early, there was time to quietly work in class.

Final grades for the semester are due by Tuesday morning. Thanks for your hard work, everyone! See you next week! :-)