Friday, January 22, 2016

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 – Caleb
Seminar Debrief
Ancient Futures, Part 2
Ladakh Final Prep

Homework: Read the blog. Prepare for finals (see below)! Period 1 final is Tuesday at 7:45. Next news brief: Faith.

News Brief: Caleb selected an article about this story for the news brief today: BBC.com - North Korea arrests US student for 'hostile act'. This was a breaking news story as of this morning, so we talked about why North Korea might do this, why it probably isn't a good idea to visit North Korea at the moment, and anything else related to the story.

Faith 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):


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:

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!

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