Revolution! Day 2 - Class Recap

This is a picture I took of Maria Sharapova carrying the flag of the Russian Federation at the Opening Ceremony of the London Olympics. The flag is different from the one the USSR had after the revolution!

Hi everyone,

Another sort of relaxed day in class today, with finishing and presenting our togetherness posters, and starting to learn a little bit about the Russian Revolution. Here's what happened in class:

Learning Targets:
Critical Thinking LT 1: I can explain multiple perspectives and viewpoints.

Knowledge LT 20: I can explain the impacts of nationalism and revolutionary movements.

Soundtrack: “San Francisco" by The Mowgli's. Selected for today because Cassidy posted the link to the video as a comment on the blog for last class. Love brings people together! :-) Lyrics here.

AGENDA 2/27/15:

Wildcat News Brief - Maria

Finish Posters/Present
Newsflash
Peace, Land, and Bread

Homework: Read the blog! Tony has the next news brief.

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News Brief: The news brief article for today was brought in by Maria, who selected this article to talk about: CNN.com - Prominent Bangladeshi-American blogger Avijit Roy killed. We talked about Bangladesh as the former "East Pakistan" and why Mr. Roy was killed for talking about freedom.

After the news, we talked about the "What Color is This Dress?" controversy, which was a huge story over night. The internet is funny. Also, the dress is blue and black.

Tony, you are up for next class.

We also watched VICE News today before moving on.

Finish Posters/Present: The first 20 minutes or so of class was used to finish the artistic representations of what brings the world together - left over from last class. I enjoyed seeing what everyone created, and I will try to do some decorating with them in our classroom! :-)

Newsflash: This is absolutely my favorite way to start a new unit. Good teachers always try and assess where students are at before they teach any specific content (otherwise, we would have no idea if you had actually learned anything or not). If you wanted to see the hilarious "Whose Line is it Anyway?" clip again, here it is:

So awesome. Next, I passed out the "pre-assessment" paper that was geared around going back in time to Russia in 1917. If you did not complete this in class, you absolutely need to do this BEFORE going on to reviewing the presentation. If you missed class, or lost your copy (I will have you turn this in later), here it is to download and print:

Google Drive: "Newsflash" Russian Revolution Pre-Assessment

Again, it does not matter if you do not know very much: make an educated guess!

Peace, Land, and Bread: After the newsflash activity, I started up the Russian Revolution content. Here is the vocabulary list that students were filling out during the presentation (the quiz will be on these terms):

Google Drive: Russian Revolution Vocabulary Terms

I helpfully three hole punched these, as well. See? I listened to your feedback about making notes easier!

Here is the main event - the PowerPoint of the basics of what happened during the Russian Revolution:

Google Drive: "Peace, Land, and Bread: The Russian Revolution" PowerPoint

We only made it through the first two slides of this in class, so we will get back to it and finish next week. Enjoy your weekend, everyone! :-)

Revolution! Day 1 - Class Recap

My view of the 2012 Rose Bowl, between Oregon and Wisconsin. I showed the class a video of my reaction to the end to this game.

Dear class,

I loved today. It was fun to be able to focus on some good in the world and have a little fun being creative! Here's what happened in class:

Learning Targets:
Critical Thinking LT 1: I can explain multiple perspectives and viewpoints.

Knowledge LT 20: I can explain the impacts of nationalism and revolutionary movements.

Soundtrack: “Where is the Love?” by The Black Eyed Peas. Chosen for today because we have been talking so much about war, genocide, and revolutions (soon) - I thought we needed to focus a bit on love and what brings people together across the world. Lyrics here. 

AGENDA 2/25/15:

News Brief

Debrief WWI Essay

Togetherness
Create Posters

Homework: Read the blog! Maria has the next news brief.

---

News Brief: The news brief article for today was brought in by Matt. Here is the story: CNN.com - What is ISIS' appeal for young people? I talked about how Iraq is trying to kick ISIS out of one of it's main northern cities, Mosul, as well. Maria, you are up for next class.

We also watched VICE News today before moving on.

Debrief WWI Essay: Next, I asked the class for general feedback about how the in-class essay went. I really appreciated the responses here. I noted that you will have to do such tests in the future, like for SATs, and this was good practice. That was definitely my hope! Yes, it may have been tough to write so much, in an entire class period. I do think that most of you did well with it. I know it was a difficult assignment!

Togetherness: After this, I turned our attention to something more exciting and interesting (I hope): ways in which the world comes together. Here's what the class came up with when I asked about what brings the world together:

- Tragedies
- Art
- Music
- Creative Expression
- Food
- Peace
- Holidays
- Celebration
- New Years
- Money
- Friendship
- Sports
- Technology
- Education
- Video games

- Religion

A good list! I then showed six consecutive videos (a record, but there are so many good ones out there)! Here are the links to them, if you want to watch again:

The end to this video:

The world's reaction to the United States Men's National Team winning a critical World Cup game at the last second in South Africa, 2010: YouTube.com - Landon Donovan Goal Reaction.

This is my own video from the Rose Bowl. Yes, that's me screaming incoherently at the last second win, and my brother jumping up and down in the video.

The "Free Hugs" campaign in Australia: YouTube.com - Free Hugs.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights. 

 "Dancing (2012)"

I LOVE these videos. All great examples of what brings people together across so many different areas.

Create Posters: Your task after watching this was to start creating a poster of something that brings the world together. Again, this is extremely low stakes - it's not going to be a huge grade or anything. Just a fun activity to remember that there is more to the world than just conflict. We will try to finish these up next class, present, then move on to the revolution unit. Sound like a plan? Thanks for the great class today! Let me know if you have other videos that you enjoy along these same lines! :-)

World War I, Day 8 - Class Recap

Hopefully you feel like you just won a big game after completing your World War I final essay in class today. I took this picture on April 21, 2009, as our Portland Trail Blazers beat the Houston Rockets in a playoff game.

Dear class,

Hooray! If you were in class today, you completed the essay test for our World War I unit! I'm looking forward to reading them all. In the meantime, relax and enjoy some rest before we start the next unit. Here's the short class recap for 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: "Over There" by George M. Cohan. Selected for today because it was an actual song used during World War I in the United States. Listen to the song here and read the lyrics here.

AGENDA 2/23/15:

News Brief - Isaiah

World War I Test

Turn in Work

Forecasting

Homework: Read the blog! Turn in missing work if you do not have it today. Complete your forecasting online by tomorrow! Next news brief: Matt

News Brief: As usual, we started with a news brief. Isaiah selected an article about this story: CNN.com - Turkish soldiers evacuate Tomb of Suleyman Shah in Syria. What a super interesting story! I encourage everyone to read it. We also talked about President Obama asking for authorization to possibly send US troops to fight ISIS on the ground. Thanks, Isaiah!

Matt was selected for the next news brief. We also watched VICE News for the day.

World War I Test: I was VERY pleased with how this went. Almost every single student worked hard for over an hour, quietly writing and responding. Mostly, I tried to stay out of your way with this, aside from occasional updates on how much time was left in the period. Again, I am really looking forward to seeing how everyone did. Thank you so much for your hard work and focus!

Turn in Work: After the essay test, I had everyone turn in all of their World War I work. Here's the checklist/rubric that should be stapled to the top of your work packet:

Google Drive: World War I Collection of Evidence Rubric/Checklist

Here are links again to all the work you needed:

1) Cornell Notes on MAIN reasons WWI started, US entry, and The End of WWI: A Flawed Peace.

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).

Forecasting: At the end of the class, as students were finishing their essays, I went around and was happy to talk about forecasting, which is due tomorrow during 4th period. Please fill out your online forecasting, as well - make sure you are forecasting for 16 credits, with 5 alternates! Come see me if you have any last questions!

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 20: 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 next class, and all the work that is due along with it. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 2/19/15:
News Brief – Eric
Jeopardy Review
Work Time
Prepare for Final Essay

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! Next news brief: Isaiah

News Brief: Eric had the news brief today and selected this story to talk about: BBC.com - Iran nuclear talks: US accuses Israel of 'leaks' I talked about the United States wanting to make a deal with Iran about their nuclear program, which the US sees as a threat to security in the Middle East. Israel has had plenty of issues with Iran and does not trust it at all, so many think that they are trying to sabotage the talks so that Iran is punished more than they already are.

Isaiah volunteered (and was randomly selected by Eric!) to do the next news brief.

We also watched VICE News for the day before moving on.

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 2 for their come from behind victory!

Work Time: Here's all the work you need to have ready to turn in next class, when you will be completing your final essay in class:

1) Cornell Notes on MAIN reasons WWI started, US entry, and The End of WWI: A Flawed Peace.

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.

Have a great weekend and please be ready to turn your completed work in with your in class essay!

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 this past weekend!

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 20: I can explain the impacts of nationalism and revolutionary movements.

Soundtrack: "In the End" by Linkin Park. Selected for today because we really focused today on the end of World War I and the events happening in the world. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 2/17/15:
News Brief – Sam
A Flawed Peace
Treaty of Versailles
Work Time

Homework: Read the blog. Next news brief: Eric

News Brief: Sam had the news brief today and selected this story to talk about: CNN.com - Egyptian warplanes bomb ISIS targets in Libya after killings of Christians. This is another interesting story, especially as the United States helped bomb Libya a few years ago to help the rebels win the civil war there.

I also talked about our Oregon Governor being forced to resign: OregonLive.com - Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber's statement. We talked in class about why Kitzhaber was forced to resign (mostly because of ethical complaints about his fiance using her public role as Oregon First Lady to profit from private companies) and a little about Kate Brown, who will become the next governor on Wednesday at 10 AM. A really interesting and important time in our state government!

We finished the section by watching VICE News (which was extra fascinating today, I thought)!

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. The 

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:

Google Drive - Treaty of Versailles Worksheet

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:

1) Cornell Notes on MAIN reasons WWI started, US entry, and The End of WWI: A Flawed Peace.

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!

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 to your long weekend! 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.

Soundtrack: "When It's Over" by Sugar Ray. Selected for today because we are coming to an end to our World War I unit soon! Lyrics here.

AGENDA 2/12/15

News Brief - Elena
Essay Writing
Peer Review
A Flawed Peace

Homework: Read the blog! Finish your World War I essay. Next news brief: Sam.

News Brief: Elena brought in an article about this story today for the news brief: CNN.com - Ukraine ceasefire deal reached after marathon Minsk talks. Let's hope this deal actually stops all the violence in the region! We have talked a lot about Ukraine this year, because it really is a high interest area for the United States, along with Europe and Russia.

Sam was assigned to do the next news brief.

Finally, we also watched VICE News today, too.

Essay Writing: The rest of class was devoted to finishing your rough draft/practice essays on the start of World War I. I went around the room and checked off homework (at least two paragraphs were supposed to be completed). 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:

Google Docs: Writing Easy Essays in Social Studies PowerPoint

Google Docs - Graphic Organizer for Writing Essays

Google Docs - Thesis Statement Formula and Example

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! Cite my presentation as (Fritz Lecture) for any concrete details directly from me. You can also use the textbook, if you like.

Peer Review: When students were done (or forgot their work at home, in a couple of troubling cases), I wanted the World War I practice essays to be peer reviewed by someone in the class. Here's the form for that:

Google Drive: World War I Peer Review Form

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:

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

2) Franz Ferdinand assassination answers

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

4) Letter from the Trenches assignment

5) US Entry into WWI paragraph

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!

World War I, Day 4 - Class Recap

During today's class, Christian 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 2/10/15:

Wildcat News Brief - Nate

US Entry into WWI

Objective/Subjective

Essay Writing

Homework: Read the blog! Finish US entry into WWI worksheet. Finish first two paragraphs of your rough draft essay (with brainstorm sheet completed, as well). Elena has the next news brief.

---

News Brief: Nate had the news brief for us today. Here is the story he chose: uk.reuters.com - Hundreds of Russian troops stage exercises near Ukraine. This continues to be an area of the world with a lot of conflict and is really important to understanding so much of what is happening in global affairs. Thanks, Nate!

Elena was selected for the next news brief.

Here's Wildcat News for the day:

We also watched VICE News for the day, before moving on.

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:

Google Drive: US Entry into World War I PowerPoint

Not too complicated or note heavy, I hope.

Objective/Subjective: Again, this started out with Christian and I debating the weather. The two terms here are objective = facts/concrete details and subjective = opinions/commentary. I handed out this sheet of quotes of possible reasons why the United States entered World War I, and had students respond at the end with thoughts:

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

Please finish these and keep them to turn in with all your other World War I work, which will be a collection of evidence for the unit.

Essay Writing: The rest of class was devoted to continuing 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! Cite my presentation as (Fritz Lecture) for any concrete details directly from me. You can also use the textbook, if you like.

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

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: "Sympathy for the Devil" by The Rolling Stones. Selected for today because Matt suggested it, and there are all sorts of lyrics about historical events in the song.

AGENDA 2/6/15

News Brief
Read Letters
The Most Important Skill
Graphic Organizing

Homework: Read the blog! Keep working on your World War I essay. Next news brief: Nate

News Brief: Jocelyn brought in this news article (and accompanying video!) for the news brief today: BBC.com - Chicks place low numbers on the left. This was a science experiment conducted in Italy! I was glad to see the news brief feature a feel good story. :-)

We watched Wildcat News today, as well:

Finally, we also watched VICE News today, too.

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 (remember that if the text doesn't show up in Google Docs, click "File" then "Download" and it should when you have a copy on your own computer):

Google Docs: Writing Easy Essays in Social Studies PowerPoint

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:

Google Docs - Graphic Organizer for Writing Essays

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):

Google Docs - Thesis Statement Formula and Example

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 (Fritz Lecture) 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 is not homework - 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!

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 2/4/15:
News Brief - Cassidy
Review Cornell Notes
Europe Explodes
My Connection
Life in the Trenches

Homework: Read the blog! Next news brief: Jocelyn.

News Brief: Cassidy had the news brief today and selected this article to talk about: CNN.com - Jordan executes prisoners after ISIS hostage burned alive. What a terrible story this is. I was just in Jordan for a day this past summer, and I have to say that I really loved my time there (aside from a bout with food poisoning). We talked about the ongoing conflict with ISIS, why they killed the Jordanian pilot, then moved on to watching VICE News for the day.

Review Cornell Notes: 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!

Europe Explodes: During this section, I showed the class the map animations slideshow for the start of World War I here: PBS.org - Europe in 1914 and here: PBS.org - The Great War. 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:

Google Docs - Mr. Fritz's Connection to World War I PowerPoint

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 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:

Google Docs: Life in the Trenches - Letters Home Worksheet

Thank you for your work on this. It will be fun to go over them together next class!

World War I, Day 1 - Class Recap

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

Hello everyone,

Welcome to a new week 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: "Eleanor Put Your Boots On" by Franz Ferdinand. Selected for today because of the band name connection to the start of World War I. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 2/2/15:
News Brief - Sari
Review Class Feedback
Ominous Beginnings PowerPoint
Murder of the Archduke

Homework: Read the blog! Finish the reading questions if you did not in class. Next news brief:

News Brief: Sari had the news brief today and selected this article to talk about: CNN.com - Japan: 'We will never, never forgive' ISIS for apparent beheading. We talked about this as another very tragic story involving ISIS. We also talked a bit about the Super Bowl and what we did over the weekend. Finally, we watched VICE News for the day.

Cassidy was selected to do the next news brief.

Review Class Feedback: Before this, I wanted to talk a little more about how that Socratic Seminar last class went, so I asked for a few thoughts from students. I know it was challenging to do - I am hoping that we can try it more, later in the year! I like it when students get to process information and think for yourselves, instead of me just telling you all of this information.

After that, we looked at the anonymous feedback that students gave me 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:

Google Drive - Period 3 January Class Feedback

Some observations:

1) It looks like students really love what we learn about in class, which is awesome to see!

2) The class knows it could get better at focus and attention.

3) You like that I am good at explaining concepts and that I am a fun teacher.

4) However, some students feel like I could do a better job of explaining (if anything at all).

Ominous Beginnings PowerPoint: 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 Cornell Notes 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:

Google Docs - World War I: Ominous Beginnings PowerPoint

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, and we used popcorn reading to have the class read it aloud - 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.

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