Period 1: Nigeria - Building a Power, Day 1 - Class Recap

The "Whose Line is it Anyway?" Newsflash we watched in class.
Good afternoon, amazing students!

Thank you for a very productive morning. I realized after the fact that I was supposed to let you go a few minutes early to watch the PRIDE video in your next class, so I apologize for not getting the memo on that (it seemed like most the teachers did not, so I feel better). Overall, I liked what everyone had to say during all aspects of the period, but especially our talk at the beginning on what we can be doing and thinking about as far as homework in on time and language used in the classroom. It was nice to have a sense of renewed focus.

Essential Questions: How do different structures of power impact the people over whom they govern? What is a developed nation?

Soundtrack: "No Such Thing" by John Mayer. Picked because of "no such thing as the real world" and the connections to high school (it's basically all about the student experience). Video can be viewed here.

AGENDA 2/5/09
Pressing the "Reset" Button
News Brief
Newsflash
Developing Countries Worksheet
Going Home

Homework: Family member quiz. Check blog!

Pressing the "Reset" Button: This was perhaps long overdue, but yes, I made a seating chart. I am hopeful that it will cut down on the noise. I also, if you noticed, repositioned the desks so that everyone should be able to easily see the board and projection (if you've noticed, I like to show and write things up there a lot).

We also talked about late work and what we can do to get better about it. As I wrote last class blog, a 63% is totally unacceptable. I liked hearing your thoughts about this - either to provide incentives for 100% turn in rate, or more disincentives. I will seriously consider this input and get back to you. Being a more upbeat guy, the 100% turn in rate little reward is something that intrigues me, but it would have to be something in-class related. I am not going to bribe you every time I want something done in time. It should be an expectation. That being said, I will see what I can think up of.

After the late work talk, I related to you the feedback I got from Mrs. DeFrance from the last class about some of the language that was being used, without me hearing. Wow. This one is totally on you guys. Important to know why calling something "gay" as a form of putting it down is a really terrible thing to do. I'm fine with criticism, just put it in ways that do not put down things. Instead of "this is stupid," how about: "this is really difficult and I don't understand why we are doing this." See how easy that was? Just put some effort into being aware of what you say. It's a good habit to be in.

News Brief: Brandon shared an article (that he had previously sent me, so it was semi-okay that he didn't bring it out) he found online about North Korea developing a missile that can hit the West Coast of the United States. That article can be found here: BBC.news: N Korea 'preparing missile test'

I asked "Does North Korea scare you?" It seemed like the general consensus was no, but why? I said I am not particularly scared of North Korea either, but aren't they part of the "Axis of Evil"? Interesting to think about. Also interesting: why is North Korea spending billions of dollars on these missiles and developing nuclear power when many of the people in North Korea are so poor and hungry they have to eat twigs? (last section).

I also showed the class this article from the Oregonian on Western Oregon University accepting Portland seniors: Oregonian: 14 Portland high schoolers get on-the-spot WOU admissions. Going to college is definitely a goal that I have for all of you - and it is attainable if you work hard and overcome adversity (because everyone will face adversity during the next few years). Let me know if you ever need any support!

Scout will be presenting an article on Monday (I was able to catch her in the hall on Friday).

Newsflash: This is where we watched the "Whose Line is it Anyway?" clip (at the top of the post) and I asked you to fill out a "pre-assessment" for the Nigeria unit, so I can see what you know going in to the new Nigeria unit. I looked over a few of these and I LOVE them! "So and so, reporting for Action 4 News in hot Nigeria in Africa..." Good times. I have to thank Mrs. DeFrance for this idea - I think it worked very well. Thanks again for getting into it and writing down what you know.

Developing Countries Worksheet: This was geared so that we could start answering the question: What is a developed nation? The worksheet asked you to go through the textbook and research a little bit about what it says for the particular area that you chose to write about. I will give you a little more time to get this done at the beginning of class on Monday, then I will ask each group to come up and explain a little about it. Sound good? The class seemed to be doing great with this - thanks for working hard in your new areas. I trust that the seating arrangements aren't too bad - let me know if it is please.

Going Home: At the end of class, I went over exactly what you need to do for your homework, but here it is again: Ask a family member to fill out the little Nigeria quiz - without any sort of help! If you happen to lose the question sheet, here are the questions again to write out:

Where is Nigeria?
What impact has colonialism had on Nigeria?
What kind of government does Nigeria have?
What do you know about Nigerian culture?
What is a developing country?
Why do you think we are studying Nigeria in the class your family member is in?

This had got to be one of the easiest homework assignments of all time (besides checking the blog). Please come with the completed sheet on Monday, thanks!

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Finally, I found a really interesting article on the new President of Somalia and the renewed sense of purpose for the country that I think everyone would be interested in: CNN.com: Hopes high for Somalia's new Islamist president. This was on the front page of CNN.com - it made me smile because again, what we are studying is relevant! Good times.

Have a wonderful evening, and if the Blazers do not beat the ex-Sonics in Oklahoma on Friday, something seriously wrong happened. Remember to watch The Office tonight at 9 if you want to - my favorite TV show ever! I will be in class from 3:30 to 7:30, so that would explain if your comment or e-mail is not answered immediately. See you Monday!