Period 1: Genocide in Rwanda, Day 6 - Class Recap

Hotel Rwanda Movie Poster

I don't really have too much to introduce today, though I will say that writing my lesson plan was actually surprisingly difficult - there were just so many loose ends I wanted to try and get to! Everything outside the watching of the actual movie was about review. Expect a little more of that next week. I really put the pedal to the metal before break, so I think it is important that we go back and realize just what we were talking about.

Soundtrack: "Comin' From Where I'm From" by Anthony Hamilton. Again, I chose these because it deals with empathy. It's a song explaining about coming from a difficult place in life. One of my favorites.

AGENDA 1/8/09
Debrief Speech/Grades/Life
Empathy
Rules for Movie/Assignment
Hotel Rwanda – Pt. 1
--> Check in with Mr. Fritz (bring colonialism to genocide chart and speech notes).

HW: For those who did not get the colonialism to genocide flow chart done, that is homework due Monday. Since I talked to every single one of you about this, I am expecting no problems. For everyone else, keep checking the blog and have a wonderful weekend!

Debrief Speech/Grades/Life: First off, I wanted to reiterate how good the speeches were and how you've earned the time off. We talked a little bit about how giving the speech felt, what the hardest (or easiest) parts were, if it was intimidating, and finally, if you could imagine doing it in a real life situation - speaking out about something that is horribly wrong in the world. That would probably be my ultimate goal for assigning the whole thing.

I also went over how I will break down the 50 points for the project, which is as follows:
Individual Speech 10
Group Speech 20
Individual Part of Group Speech 10
Group Participation 10

I will grade each aspect with regards to what the assignment asked you to do (with things like due dates and typed copies kept in mind). If you wrote out your speech because you couldn't print it at school, I would appreciate it if you would e-mail me a typed copy as soon as possible so I can include it in the grading I will do this weekend.

Empathy: Before watching the movie, I asked about what "empathy" meant to you. It is at the core of what this unit is about - developing a sense of what it would be like to be in someone else's shoes. Not pity (which is feeling sorry for someone), but empathy. I really believe that empathy promotes action, so I was glad to hear some good definitions - and also that you actually cared about doing the speech. It makes me proud!

Rules for Watching Movie: I just wanted to make sure that everyone knew the ground rules going into the movie. It's really important to me that we don't disrespect the subject matter, especially after all of this build up. I think that everybody got this. Sometimes I think I'm a little too blunt with stuff like rules, but I think it's better safe than sorry.

Hotel Rwanda, Pt. 1: Interesting comments at the end of class! I promise that the movie gets a little easier to watch - it's very inspirational. However, we do have to realize that this stuff goes on around the world - it's the only way we can stop it. Thanks for paying close attention. I'm excited to read your responses and get back to you!

Talk to Mr. Fritz: I know that this was probably somewhat distracting, but I really wanted to touch base with all of you. Hopefully you now all know exactly where you are in my class (though remember, if you are missing things from Mrs. DeFrance, you need to get those into - and talk to - her ASAP). You should know a lot more when I get those speech grades back to you. Please e-mail me if you need another update on what I need from you.

Homework: Remember to do the colonialism to genocide flow chart! We will be using this for a project next week, so it is critical you get it done.

Finally, here's an interesting link coming off that last edit from the previous post: Security Council calls for cease-fire in Gaza - CNN.com. I know that most (or all) of you do not know much about the situation in Israel and the Gaza Strip, and I hope that this is a topic we will cover in the future because it is a region that will remain important forever. An interesting little quote from the article that caught my eye: "Fourteen of the council's 15 members voted in favor of the resolution, with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice abstaining from the vote on behalf of the United States."

This was apparently because the U.S. wanted to see the results of the peace effort that is being facilitated by Egypt (more detailed link). Still, what kind of message does this send?

I think that's about it. Go Blazers on Saturday (7 PM, Comcast Sports Net) and Eagles on Sunday (10 AM, FOX)! Have a great weekend!

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First message:

Hello students,

I wanted to drop a little note to say that I will be posting the class recap a little later this evening than I normally do, because I have class at Lewis and Clark from 3:30 to 7:30. Could you imagine if you had a four hour long class? And had to miss the BCS National Championship game in the meantime? The sacrifices of being a teacher! :-)

Remember to be working on those cause and effect charts if I didn't check it off today.

Have a great evening!