My intramural basketball team at WOU, which won the 2007 championship (and those sweet T-Shirts), out of 32 teams. From left to right: Clarke, Kyle, Brandon, Mr. Fritz (without beard!), and Cody. Not pictured: Jake, who had to miss the final game. Basketball = an activity that I love! Remember to do your homework by doing an activity that you love this weekend and reporting back!
Hello class!
What a positively BEAUTIFUL day out! I really hope that you have found some way to enjoy it, because coming Sunday, more snow is in the forecast! I enjoyed what we did in the assembly shortened class today. Thank you for your engagement in what we were doing! I am especially excited to read the Nigeria final essays and see your thoughts on the essential questions of the unit.
Strange to think about, right? Next week we will begin to move out of Africa, into the Middle East! All sorts of new and extremely interesting things to talk about. That is what I will be doing for most of this weekend (besides playing some basketball, to fulfill my own assignment): grading papers, writing papers, and writing the unit plan for the next few weeks. Any suggestions on things that you would like to do? Let me know!
Essential Questions: How do different structures of power impact the people over whom they govern? Why do some countries thrive while others fail?
Soundtrack: "Duel of the Fates" by John Williams. There are no lyrics that make sense for this song, but the music video (which apparently appeared 11 times on TRL, according to Wikipedia) can be found here. Man, I love Star Wars. Also, chosen because you probably had to really duel with that essay. :-)
Homework: Mandatory activity that you love. Spring forward! Check blog!
I am not kidding about this assignment. You MUST do something that you love doing (again, I will caution you that your activity has to be safe and legal please) and be prepared to report back on how it went in the comments section of this blog (if possible) and in-class next Tuesday. Have fun with this, but do not take this assignment lightly! Something that you truly, really, love to do. I am excited to hear about what everyone can come up with!
News Brief: At the start of class, I asked about what everyone was excited for this weekend. We then went over the essential questions, soundtrack, and agenda, before diving right in to talking about Andrew's article, which was probably this one: CNN.com: British cruise ship in 'pirate attack' scare. Way to bring something in about Somalia! It is hard to believe that more than 1,000 people were taking a cruise off the Gulf of Aden, though the story does say that it was an around the world trip. Certainly one way to spend your hard earned cash! It's like the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disneyland, only real. Thanks for the article Andrew! Carson, you are next up for Tuesday! An current news article, having to do with anything outside the United States, please.
Homework: I really enjoyed this discussion. Some of the words that I heard tossed about when I asked what your general impressions of homework (throughout your life) were: stressful, inconsistent, time consuming, inconvenient, good practice, and lack of communication. At least, that is what I can remember. We also talked about homework specifically in my class, and there were some interesting suggestions and feedback that came out. Specifically, we talked about the idea of having someone be able to make up credit through other activities, which I struggle with a little bit as a teacher. Ultimately, the main goal of any class is actual learning taking place. I think that can come in a variety of different forms.
I will pledge to keep considering the amount of homework that I give, when I give it, and other avenues to get credit. As Zack T. pointed out, it is not really fair to have someone slack off for an entire term, and then turn it on at the very end to pass the class, while someone else might be getting everything in on time, but still struggling with the concepts. We also talked about my class and how we use homework in class to prove other points. Very rarely (if ever) do I give you homework that does not have some specific use in class that can translate to direct learning. Also, I would point out that the reason that we almost never do worksheets out of the textbook is because Social Studies is not about memorizing facts and figures for tests that you are immediately going to forget (trust me, I have been there too). In this class, I really want to have us be focused on abstract problems that promote different ways for you to think about an issue (this is called critical thinking). Anyway, it was a very good discussion to have, so thank you again for participating.
The Office & Nigeria: I started off this section by showing the class a clip from the currently running commercial promoting Tanzania (Brooke's African country) as a tourist destination:
Now doesn't that look absolutely incredible? Tell me that you do not want to go climb Mount Kilimanjaro now! A great final reminder that Africa is a continent that can and should be traveled to.
Next, I showed a clip from The Office episode "Michael's Birthday," from Season 2. I cannot find it online, but if you have the money, I cannot more strongly recommended buying or renting Season 2 of The Office on DVD. Really one of the best television seasons in history. The point of showing the clip was to see Michael say "when the son of the deposed King of Nigeria e-mails you for help, you help!" We then went on to talk about the threats of the Nigerian scam e-mails. In particular, I showed you the Snopes.com article on the fraud. Also, you may want to check out the Wikipedia article on advance-fee fraud. It is crazy to think that the roots of the scam are in the 1920s! I also mentioned that Citibank had recently fallen prey to the scam too, and almost lost 27 million dollars. Read the New York Times article to learn more. Finally, this whole thing is so big that the US Embassy has an entire website, with sample e-mails, devoted to countering it.
Again, the point of this was to really let you know to NEVER click on any links in any e-mails that are asking you to input passwords (no matter how legit it looks), give money, or get personal information from you. The very high likelihood is that it is a fraud.
Essay Peer Review/Sharing: I liked this! I am concerned about those of you who neglected to turn it in today (please e-mail me as soon as possible with any missing work!), but overall, I think that this part of the class went well. I really enjoyed hearing those thesis sentences! The vast majority sounded great. As I stated in class, I will have them graded and given back to you by next class.
Exit Tickets: Thank you again for filling these out and providing feedback on the essay writing process and class in general. I will definitely look over them all and try to address any problems that I see in class next week. As always, if you ever have anything else you feel uncertain about, please come talk to me, comment here, or e-mail. I really do care about what you have to say and want to work hard for you! At this point I think it is pretty hard to deny that. Let's make it a two-way street! :-) ---
Blazers are at home tomorrow against Minnesota (7:00, CSN) and Monday against the Lakers (7:00, CSN). It also happens to be my brother's birthday, but since he is all the way across the country in New Jersey, I am thinking the e-mail and phone call will have to do. Hopefully I will be getting some good basketball time in - I will be sure to comment on how that goes as well! Today's lunch game was way too short, but definitely still fun. We played in the gym, and eventually got some 5 on 5 going! Alas, the pep assembly had to kick us out, but it was great to see all of you that showed up to play!
Thank you so much for your hard work this week everyone! Enjoy the weekend off and come refreshed for next week! Tell everyone about doing the activity that you love in the comments!
My brother Maxwell and me, after the commencement ceremony at Western Oregon University, 2008.
Good afternoon class!
I am attempting to get this update up quickly, so those students that need to access the internet at school can check it out before leaving. Today was a day of highs and lows, I think. I loved our discussion on what creates happiness (especially as it relates to thinking about successful countries) and I think that the teaching essays part could have gone much better. As Mrs. DeFrance pointed out to me after class, if there are long periods of silence when I ask for questions, that usually means that almost everyone is confused or does not get what I am asking. So I am interested to see what you can create - maybe you were all completely on board with everything? I doubt it, but we will see.
Essential Questions: How do different structures of power impact the people over whom they govern? Why do some countries thrive while others fail?
Soundtrack: "Smile Like You Mean It" by The Killers. Lyrics here. I really enjoyed the guessing game for why I picked this song! All of your thoughts were very good connections! Yes, I like to smile a lot and am almost always optimistic about things. I have found it goes a long way toward happiness! I also picked this because of our continuing talk on essays, asking you to smile like you actually meant it when we were talking about them.
AGENDA 3/4/09: Hand Back Work (Sources) News Brief The Pursuit of Happiness Easy Essays
Homework: Final draft of essay finished, to hand in, TYPED. Check blog!
The final essay assignment, which we went over pretty thoroughly in class, can be downloaded here if you lost your copy:
As I stated in class, what I really need is for a clear thesis statement in the first paragraph, followed by the next three paragraphs (or sections) based on a topic sentence (explain what the paragraph is going to be about), two concrete details (what are the facts that support your claim?), a commentary by you (remember, do not use "I" in this paper), and finally, a concluding sentence. This is for each of the three middle sections. Finally, your concluding paragraph should restate the thesis and tell the reader what you just went over.
I know this is a lot, but please use your yellow papers to help you with this! They will help you break down each sentence in a very easy to follow manner. I should have done a better job promoting this in class. If you feel like you can write this essay without help, that is fine. However, I think most of you would greatly benefit from having your thoughts laid out on that paper first.
Remember to have someone else read it before you print off your final copy! I would be happy to take a look and suggest changes if you need. Just e-mail me and I will try to get back to you as soon as possible.
Cite your sources please! Not only inside the paper, but the more complete version at the very end! Here is the website that I think will help many of you out:Purdue University - MLA and Style Guide. Go all the way to the bottom of that page to see how you can cite various different sources (whether they are online or in a book, or something else).
Again, do not hesitate to ask questions! I know that there must be many! Let me know and I will help you, seriously! :-)
News Brief: Alondra brought in a very interesting and timely article on the Sri Lankan cricket team being attacked in Pakistan. Her article can be found here: CSMonitor.com - "Militant attack on cricket team in Pakistan could backfire". Wow, Pakistan really is an area that everyone should pay a whole lot of attention to. I also brought up in class that I was just listening to this story on the way into school this morning. Class, I could not more highly recommend that you listen to NPR (National Public Radio) news whenever you can. It is 91.5 FM here in the Portland Metro area and just outstanding when it comes to talking about the world. Thank you Alondra for the article! Andrew H., you are up for next class on Friday. One current article, having to do with anything outside the United States.
The Pursuit of Happiness: No, not the movie (which spells happiness as "happyness"). Though the discussion this section sparked was probably more interesting than any movie could have been! Here are the two articles that I projected for the class: BBC.co.uk - "Nigeria tops happiness survey" and BusinessWeek.com - America's Unhappiest City: Portland, OR. I do not think I need to recap our class discussion, but I loved all the stories that you brought to it! It is definitely something to think about when you consider how Nigeria is affected by changes in government, or whether or not it is thriving or failing. What is your definition? That is what I want to see in those essays! A fantastic way to get into the lecture on essays, thank you.
Easy Essays: Okay, this was difficult, I am not going to lie to you. As I said at the beginning of this post, I am not entirely sure how much of this actually got through to everyone, especially because the PowerPoint was uncharacteristically pretty dull. Almost all the information that it had is on your yellow sheet and assignment handout, but here it is again, should you wish to review it:
I think everything else I pretty much covered in the "Homework" section above, so go back up to that if you need further clarification. Of course, you are more than welcome to comment as well. ---
That should do it! Breaking news: I have tickets to the Blazers/Pacers game tonight! The opportunity came up really unexpectedly, but I am thrilled. However, this means that I will probably have very little opportunity to answer your comments until much later tonight. Also, since tomorrow is the second B day of the week and I will not be at Westview full time until after Spring Break, I will not be at the school tomorrow. However, Mrs. DeFrance knows that some of you might need to go to the computer lab, and I told her to hand out passes as needed, so please go check with her. Remember to watch the Blazers tonight (7:00, CSN), and tomorrow night in Denver (7:30, TNT), as well as The Office tomorrow (9:00, NBC), but ONLY if you have all of your homework, including your essay, done first! :-)
Let's work together on this! Please put a lot of effort into these essays - you will be rewarded, not just in my class. Have a fantastic afternoon!
A picture I took of an elephant at the Oregon Zoo, last year. Yes, there are elephants in Nigeria. Hopefully, not lonely ones.
Hello and welcome to another class recap!
I'm going to try and take my time on this one, because hopefully all of you will be checking out this post after the talk we had in class today about the importance of following along online. Today was a good class, though I can sense that there is a lot of angst and confusion about the essays. That's okay, really. For Wednesday, I just want you to have as much written as you can think of. It will truly help you.
Essential Questions: How do different structures of power impact the people over whom they govern? Why do some countries thrive while others fail? - Again, we are really starting to try and hone in on answering these questions!
Soundtrack: "The Circle of Life" by The Lion King (Broadway Musical). Lyrics here. I picked this song because it (as we all know) is related to Africa. That, and it's just plain a great song. I told you a little bit about my job working at the airport - I remembered after class that I actually had a cell phone video of my friend Clarke doing the "Circle of Life" song with the "Last Bag" tag from Lufthansa, so if you feel like it, watch below and laugh at how awesome we are.
As I said in class, I would highly recommend The Lion King musical, if you ever get the chance to see it. I'm really not that into theatre, but it was outstanding when I saw it in London in 2007.
AGENDA 3/2/09: Blog Recap News Brief Pen Pal Letters Essays - Rough Draft Work
Homework: Rough draft of essay finished. Check blog!
I'll talk a lot more about this in the essays section below, but basically, I want you to bring in a rough draft essay, trying to answer the essential questions of: How do different structures of power impact the people over whom they govern? Why do some countries thrive while others fail? - especially in relation to what you know about Nigeria already. There are tons of tools at your disposal for this, but let me know if you are having trouble with ideas. I have no length requirement, but I will say that if you follow the introduction, three main points, and conclusion format that we talked about for the persuasive speeches, you will be fine. Remember, this is for you to express your opinion, because it matters!
Blog Recap: This is self-explanatory. I pulled up the class recap from last class, read everything aloud, showed the class how to post a comment, and tried to make the point that reading the blog and knowing about what is going on in class is very much related to your success.
News Brief: Some of this happened before the blog recap, but to make the flow better, I am putting it here. I asked the class about the weekend. I remember Jazmyne telling us about the chili cook off that she attended at McKenzie's house. I told the class about my intramural success (or lack of it) at Lewis and Clark on the weekend. Archana recapped the Blazers game (and by the way, Archana must have taken the Blazers performance to heart, because she was amazing the entire period long at staying involved with what was going on), which was fantastic.
Jillian shared a news article with the class about Iran. I'm guessing this was not the exact article, because it was published two hours ago, but here is a similar one: LA Times.com - "U.S. commits to arms control, engaging with Iran". This brought up a lot of interesting questions! We talked about the "Axis of Evil" (which I believe I also linked to when we were talking about North Korea). I also asked the question, "does Iran scare you?" This is probably the most important area in the world as far as U.S. foreign policy goes. Do we try to talk them out of developing a nuclear weapon, if they are? Do we use force (again) to intervene? Difficult questions! Excellent article Jillian, thank you. Alondra, you are up for next class. One current news article, having to do with something outside the United States please.
Pen Pal Letters: I really liked this activity, thanks everyone! I asked you to read over someone's letter, and then we came together as a class to discuss aspects of a good pen pal letter. I actually graded all of these already (it is amazing what I can do when I am not correcting or writing comments), and almost everyone that turned it in today got a 10/10, because they were fantastic. Incredibly heart warming too, by the way. I'm glad that it seems you took this assignment to heart. I also liked the "P.S.: Tell me about your culture" that was added to a few. That made me chuckle. All in all, job well done. I gave these to Mrs. DeFrance to send on over to Nigeria. I will let you know once I hear anything about them again. :-)
By the way, as agreed upon, I will have your Africa Travel Guides graded and returned to you on Wednesday. So far, they are amazing!
Essays - Rough Draft Work: I can hear the groans now. By the way, I loved the groans when I said "just watch me get fired up about writing essays!" That was a highlight of the day for me. Okay, let's go over this nice and slowly.
As a form of introduction to thinking about writing an essay on a question that is completely up to you, I asked Jillian, who was nearest to the window, her opinion about what the weather was outside. She said that it was sunny. I told her that she was wrong and that it was partly cloudy. For some reason, the class seemed to conclude that I must have been right, because I am the teacher. Really? So if it was snowing outside, and I said that it was sunny, would I still be right? I think it's weird how students sort of expect that teachers are never, ever wrong about things. I know that I did it in school too.
The point here being that both Jillian and I could have made good cases for why we thought the weather was the way that it was outside. We could have cited evidence like "about 5% of the sky has clouds in it, over there on the horizon" or "there is rain on the ground" or "the sun is clearly hitting the trees outside" to back up our case. This is clearly almost exactly what I am asking you to do when you are writing your essay in response to the essential questions on Nigeria. What do you think?
How has the recent transformation from a dictatorship to a democracy affected the people in Nigeria? Do you think that Nigeria is "thriving" or failing? Again, this is not really a persuasive paper, it is more of a "here is the evidence which proves the point" paper. We are going to talk a lot in class on Wednesday about building points around a thesis, but here is a great little website that should help in the meantime: The Five Paragraph Essay.
I had some interesting comments after class from a student that said that there was no way that Nigeria was not failing. Really? That is an interesting perspective. Take a look at the PowerPoint again:
I see at LEAST five extremely positive things going on in Nigeria that a good case could be built around in that presentation, should you choose to go that route when talking about why some countries thrive while others fail.
Finally, I know this is hard. I know that many of you are having an extremely difficult time even knowing where to start with this. That is fine. However, if you work with me here, I guarantee it will pay off in the long run.
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There is a special two hour long 24 tonight starting at 8:00, which I am pumped about, but I have to meet with some of my fellow teachers at Lewis and Clark to watch our delightful in-class videos at 7:00, so I'm hoping to make it back in time. Until next class, please continue to work hard and comment or e-mail me with any questions or concerns. Have a great evening!
I am proud to report that at 1:08 PM this afternoon, I was finally able to untangle every last knot from the ball of yarn. Let it never be said that I don't have patience. :-)
Welcome to another class recap!
I was so excited about how the timing went today in class! We actually got to everything I had planned, and even had a good amount left to try and peer review the pen pal letters. Thanks for a really fun, good, class everyone.
Essential Questions: How do different structures of power impact the people over whom they govern? Why do some countries thrive while others fail? - I especially wanted to think about these in terms of the U.S. today as well.
Soundtrack: "Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!" by Dean Martin. Lyrics AND video AND song here: YouTube: Dean Martin - "Let it Snow!" Wow, let me tell you - when I started playing this song before class, looked outside, and it was snowing... one of the real highlights of my short time as a teacher. It's the small things in life. I really love snow, and to be teaching while it is snowing out was a joy. A fantastic way to start the day, because I didn't even have trouble getting out of my neighborhood!
AGENDA 2/26/09: News Brief Debrief Last Class America and Globalization Class Unity Activity Pen Pal Letters
Homework: Final copy of Nigerian pen pal letter. Check blog! Have a fantastic weekend!
Basically, what I am going to be looking over these letters for is spelling/grammar, some relation to what we have been talking about in class (culture, geography, conflict, structures of power, etc), and overall effort. Most of what I saw today in class looked excellent, but hopefully having a little time to have another pair of eyes look at your letter helped. Please re-write the letter (remember, do not type this!) and bring to turn in on Monday.
News Brief: After going over the essential questions, agenda, and soundtrack, Gerold told us about yesterday's crash of an Turkish Airlines (TK) Boeing 737-800, outside Amsterdam Schiphol (AMS) Airport. At least 4 Americans died in the crash, but most of the passengers survived. Here's a recap: Reuters: "Dutch say Turks, Americans among Schiphol crash dead"
Very timely article, thank you Gerold! Jillian, you are up for next Monday. A current article about anything going on outside the United States.
Somehow, our discussion turned into talking about Guantanamo Bay, the U.S. prison camp on Cuba. I talked a little about why the international community tends to think that the prison is a really bad thing, and a little about waterboarding, which most people would probably conclude is torture. President Obama announced that he plans to close Guantanamo within the next year, though there is a debate about what to do with the prisoners.
Abe mentioned one released prisoner in particular. A little research shows that he was probably talking about Binyam Mohamed, who is mentioned in this article: BBC News.com: "Call to relax Guantanamo regime" Very interesting. Again, you can begin to see why many people in the international community believe that Guantanamo is an outrage (though remember that there is always another side to the debate). Many of the prisoners held there may have committed terrible crimes, but they have not been charged with anything. President Bush kept them as "enemy combatants," which is a term that he used to say that no crime needed to be charged in order for them to be kept.
Debrief Last Class: I pulled out the playing cards to ask the class what you thought of the Africa Fair. Someone mentioned again that it went a little too fast. Yep. Message received there. I have to get better at the timing. But overall, I thought it was a useful exercise and fun to see all the great work that you did.
Russel ended up winning the "Local Super Hero" T-Shirt, because he had the best comment (as judged by me) on his sheet. It was interesting to hear some of the other comments - especially because I asked you to read the best one! Maybe we should work on giving thoughtful responses?
America and Globalization: First off, we talked a little about what "globalization" means. I described it as the increasing interdependence of people across the world. The Wikipedia entry says pretty much the same thing. So, I asked the class to bring up some interesting highlights of the President's speech on Tuesday. I was pretty disappointed with the lack of participation on that one. As I said in class, perhaps I need to make stuff like that, and checking the blog, mandatory. I mean, it was on like 15 different stations, and available to view online whenever! Anyway, I read some of the quotes that I thought were interesting, including one about never quitting when it comes to education and the importance of the world. Here's the first one that I read (the transcript of the entire speech can be found here):
We are a nation that has seen promise amid peril, and claimed opportunity from ordeal. Now we must be that nation again. That is why, even as it cuts back on the programs we don't need, the budget I submit will invest in the three areas that are absolutely critical to our economic future: energy, health care, and education. It begins with energy.
We know the country that harnesses the power of clean, renewable energy will lead the 21st century. And yet, it is China that has launched the largest effort in history to make their economy energy efficient. We invented solar technology, but we've fallen behind countries like Germany and Japan in producing it. New plug-in hybrids roll off our assembly lines, but they will run on batteries made in Korea. Well I do not accept a future where the jobs and industries of tomorrow take root beyond our borders - and I know you don't either. It is time for America to lead again.
Really pretty interesting stuff. How do you think the rest of the world responds to something like that - especially if you are in one of those countries that is mentioned above as beating us?
Class Unity Activity: Finally! This was really interesting and fun. I have to give credit for the idea and the yarn to my friend Alexis, who is currently in the same program as I am at Lewis and Clark. Good times. Thanks for your participation, and remember that we are all interconnected! When someone stumbles, it is up to the rest of us to help them back up! :-)
Totally worth the 3 hours of untying knots in the yarn too...
Pen Pals: I had Mrs. DeFrance come in to explain a little more about the program and why it is important. Hopefully she cleared up any lingering questions for you. After that informative session, I had you get a partner to review and peer edit your letters, so that when you hand them in on Monday, they will be perfect! Remember, what I am really looking for is that you have good spelling and grammar (we don't want to trip up our Nigerian friends with our bad English!), some sort of tie in to what we have been talking about in class, and a good effort. Other than that, please have fun with this assignment!
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No new Office episode tonight, but it should be back on next week. Blazers (who have been playing mostly terribly for about a month now) play Friday at 5 against Minnesota (CSN), as well as back here in Portland against San Antonio on Sunday at 5 (KGW - Ch. 8). Please enjoy your weekend, and as always, let me know if you have any questions or thoughts about class (or really, anything). I will be unable to post and respond to comments from about 3:15 to 7:45, because I will be in class, but I definitely love seeing what everyone has to say, so fire away!
Outside the school of our Nigerian pen pals - ECWA Staff School, Jos, Nigeria.
Good afternoon class,
First off, if you were not present in class (or came and didn't turn it in), I need your travel guide e-mailed to me ASAP, so you do not lose more credit than you have to.
Okay, with that out of the way, let's talk a little bit about class. I LOVED what everyone brought to the table during the Africa Fair (which I realized was rushed, but still ended up taking most of the class). I have to think of better ways for everyone to get involved in the different countries, but I think the main thing we got out of this was that when you repeat something about your country 15 times in a row, you are probably going to remember it for a while. Please hang on to those peer comment sheets - we will use them next class!
Essential Questions: How do different structures of power impact the people over whom they govern? Why do some countries thrive while others fail?
Soundtrack: "Come Rain or Come Shine" by Billie Holiday. Selected because it is rainy outside and there was a fairly big assignment due. Zack asked what year the song was from. I'm still not sure, but a little research says that the original song was published in 1946. Billie was one of many to sing it after that. Lyrics here.
AGENDA 2/20/09: News Brief Africa Fair Class Unity Activity Pen Pals
Homework: Pen pal letter to Nigerian student (if you were absent, write a draft of a letter that you think a student in Nigeria would be interested in). Watch President's speech tonight (6 PM, all local TV stations) and write out notes on what is said about countries outside the U.S.
Let me explain the homework a little better, because it was extremely difficult to get everyone to focus at the end of class there. What I want you to do is to write (not type!) out a letter in response to your Nigerian pen pal. What do they want to know about? What do you want to know about? Try to focus on some key things we have talked in class about, like culture, geography, government, and structures of power. By that, I mean a question like: what role does a teacher have in a Nigerian classroom? That would be a good "structure of power" question. Again, I want you to have fun with this, because it loses the fun if I ask you to say all sorts of bland things like "tell me about the role of geography in shaping your experience," because that's simply not something you would normally say. I just want some acknowledgement of what we have been talking about in class.
And if that still isn't clear, please comment, e-mail, or ask Mrs. DeFrance at school tomorrow (I will not be there). I want you to come in with a draft letter, which we will be using in class.
News Brief: We began class by talking a little about the weekend and what was going on around the world. I told you about my eye getting scratched, meeting Senator Merkley, the Blazer game, and the Oscars. Yesterday, I went to see Slumdog Millionaire, which won, like, every Oscar it was nominated for, including Best Picture. Great movie. Interesting reaction from India about it though! I found this article online that I thought some of you might enjoy: FT.com - 'Slumdog' success divides India. The section I thought was most interesting (emphasis mine):
India is not Somalia. We are one of the foremost nuclear powers in the world, our satellites are roaming the universe. Our police commissioners' offices don't look like shacks and there are no blind children begging in the streets of Mumbai.
Randi talked a little bit about an article she found on the Charles de Gualle (CDG) Airport in Paris cutting back on routes. I can't find the article after a basic search, but I think it was probably talking a lot about the effect the economy has had on international traveling. Thanks Randi! Up for next class is Gerold.
Africa Fair: Like I said above, this was great. A little bit hard for me to structure, because even though it ended up taking most of class, I know many of you were probably frustrated with the lack of time at each desk. I think from now on I will try to really work on getting small group work back in play. It's nice that you had such a lot of exposure to so many cool countries, but in the end, I'm wondering how much you actually learned from a 1 minute talk. Maybe a smaller group, less countries, but longer session would work better in the future?
Anyway, a small note about the turn in rate: Thank You. I realize this may have been partially inflated because five people were out sick (by the way, incredible timing on this - a day that a nice big project is due I get the worst attendance of the year so far - hmm), but the vast majority of those that were in class came ready to present and turn in something. Just by the general impressions and looking around, there were some absolutely excellent guides. So thank you. If you are not happy with how your guide turned out, remember that you can always revise for more credit.
Thank you for your participation in that activity. It was a lot of fun! As the class stated afterwards, my due date for getting these all graded and back to you is next Wednesday, March 4. Thanks for that! Boy, if I don't get them back to you by then, I'm an enormous hypocrite.
Class Unity Activity: Is anyone aware of the long running "my apologies to Matt Damon, we ran out of time" bit on the Jimmy Kimmel show? This activity is like Matt Damon. I am pretty sure that we will get to it next class though, so be excited for that.
Pen Pals: Again, look above to the homework section for a recap of what I am asking you to do for this. There were a ton of questions in class about the letters being addressed to someone else, who wanted a picture, e-mail address, phone number, etc... I know it's difficult to get past, but really, those are not important questions. What's important is that you read the letter and get an understanding about where the student is coming from. You don't have to give out any personal information yourself. Just follow what I wrote above and come in with a written draft.
I showed a few things in class. First is the Google Maps satellite imagery of Jos, Nigeria, where our pen pals are from. I did a search for the specific school and found that the "B" option on the side of this link is probably right around where the school is - Google Maps: Jos, Nigeria.
We also talked a little bit about education in Nigeria (32% of males attend school, 27% females), even though it is theoretically open and optional for everyone and government funded. For more information about Jos, check out this handy Wikipedia article - Wikipedia - Jos. As I always stress, it is difficult to entirely trust Wikipedia, but one particular statement is cited so I think it is okay to say that Jos is the 10th biggest city (most populated) in Nigeria. What is the tenth biggest city in the U.S.? San Jose, California. Portland is 30th. Yay for knowledge.
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Barring any further thoughts or questions, I think that should just about do it. Remember to watch President Obama's speech (and the Republican response by Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal) tonight and note what they have to say about the global community! Have a fantastic evening, see you on Thursday!
LATE ADD: You can read President Obama's entire speech here. If you just read that last sentence, you are required to bring at least one thing in to share with the class that you found was interesting about how he is relating to the global community.
Wow, I am excited that it is Friday. This week was definitely tiring, even though it was only four days long! Today was one of those days where I woke up, and the alarm clock had been going off for a full minute. So not cool. But as always, it was great to get to come to class and see everyone - and I do think we had a very productive day. Chances are, if you are reading this, you have most of the travel guide researched and done with, because you are a good student. :-)
Essential Questions: How do different structures of power impact the people over whom they govern? Why do some countries thrive while others fail?
Soundtrack: "Edge of the Ocean" by Ivy. Lyrics here. I chose this song because a) it's one of my favorites, and just plain good, and b) Nigeria is on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean. Heck yes, I found a way to make a connection! I talked a little in class about the movie trailer I first heard the song in. That movie is Before Sunset (2004), which is the sequel to Before Sunrise (1995). Both of those movies are absolutely fantastic. You would never think that watching two people talk for so long would be interesting, but it is, trust me. The content is sometimes a little adult (just language), but I would highly recommend them both (start with the Before Sunrise, obviously, but Before Sunset is one of my favorite movies ever) if you want some fantastic entertainment. Here's the trailer I talked about: Before Sunset Trailer.
AGENDA 2/20/09: News Brief Class Unity Activity? Questions Computer Lab/In-Class Work
Homework: FINISH travel guide for Tuesday! Check blog!
Again, do not leave this until the last minute! Be working on it over the weekend, and asking questions should you have any! I will be here to help, as always. Please either comment or e-mail me if needed.
News Brief: We began class by talking a little about what people were excited for in the upcoming weekend and any news items. I remember that Russel changed a diaper, Jazmyne is playing basketball in a fundraiser this weekend, and Carson is thrilled about baseball tryouts next week starting at 6 AM. We also talked about the Blazers, the Oscars, and how badly the class could hear us through the wall playing Jeopardy yesterday (which, by the way, it's never fun to apologize to Mr. Hardin - which happens way too often). However, as you pointed out, your class isn't nearly as bad, for which I am very thankful. Just another reason why you guys rock! Except that now I'm paranoid to have a time for class interactions, like the upcoming Africa Fair we are doing on Tuesday. We will see how that goes!
C.J. recapped an article about Rwanda, which basically consisted of him saying "Hutu's are killing Tutsi's again." Thus, I have really don't know what his exact article was, but here's another recent one on Rwanda: Rwandan Army to start Congo withdrawal. Randi, you are up for next class, on Tuesday. One current article, about anywhere outside the United States.
Class Unity Activity: I had this as an option if the class was tired of working on the travel guide, or feeling like there was too much friction or something. However, it was voted down, so we will probably attempt to do it after the travel guide presentations/Africa Fair on Tuesday. No big deal - but it should be pretty interesting!
Questions: I didn't really hear too many questions, though as I circled around the room, I did get many individual questions about the travel guide. I need the travel guides in on time, so please feel free to ask away in the comments, should you have any problems or concerns. Or ask someone else in the class - I'm sure they'd love to help, because all in all, you guys are rock stars.
Computer Lab/In-Class Work: Yes, so you voted to go to the computer lab to work for the rest of the period, which should have given you a ton of time to work. Again, if you need a pink pass from me, please let me know on Monday! I really liked how on task we were for the most part - though it did seem like people were maybe a little preoccupied with finding the right itinerary through flying. Don't worry if you can't get it exactly down, and let me know if you need help. Thank you for working so hard - I am very excited to see the results!
--- Also, I thought this article on the current economic climate in comparison to past "Great Depressions" was extremely interesting, so maybe you will too: CNN.com: So, just how bad is the economy?
That should just about do it. Please do not feel stressed! Communicate with me if you are having issues. Also, Blazers vs. Hawks tonight (7 PM, CSN) - though I will unfortunately be missing it, in order to possibly meet some U.S. Senators. I think that's a fair trade. Watch the Oscars on Sunday if you get the time, and please relax for a good long while, but be working hard as well! You will be rewarded and feel much better about not having to worry about it. Have a wonderful weekend, amazing students!
The current advertisement for Portland International Airport's non-stop, direct flights to NRT, AMS, and FRA. More information can be found here:Be a Local Super Hero.
Hello and welcome to another class recap!
I was very excited about class today - I think we are getting our mojo back after such a nice long weekend. Thank you for all your good hard work during the time I gave you. We SHOULD have more time next class, if we can use that computer lab that actually works again. If not, book hunting it is.
Since there really isn't too much else to say up front here, on to the recap it is!
Essential Questions: How do different structures of power impact the people over whom they govern? Why do some countries thrive while others fail?
Soundtrack: "Fly" by TQ. As I stated in class, TQ is one of my all-time favorite music artists, if not the favorite. Here are the lyrics to Fly. If interested, I would also say that "Until" (which has to be in the discussion as my favorite song ever), "Gone But Not Forgotten," "Internationally Yours," "Hard Life," and "Paradise" by TQ are probably all in my top 50 favorite songs of all time list. And that isn't even including his one big hit, "Westside" - which is an okay song, but not even close to these. His lyrics for some of his songs are a little suspect (and explicit), but every once in the while, he comes up with absolutely amazing stuff. And almost nobody has heard of him, go figure. "Fly" was chosen today because of our continued effort to "fly" to Africa and create a travel guide, as well as the lyric about "five students for every teacher, now we gonna get some education that's real." Yes.
AGENDA 2/18/09 Hand Back Work News Brief Questions Computer Lab/In-Class Work
Homework: Continue to work on travel guide. Check blog.
Hand Back Work: I handed back everything I have from the class so far. I think that there are 7 students that still have not turned in the Five Points on Somalia homework, meaning we are only at a 78% turn in rate, STILL. Frustrating, to say the least. Anyway, here's how I graded those: if you followed directions and found five points that you thought could be used to repair Somalia, and typed a little bit about why you chose each one, that was a 10/10. If you were missing any of that (either no 5 points, or not typed, or I needed more from you), you did not receive full credit (though you absolutely have the opportunity to revise and resubmit). If if was late, you were docked accordingly. Please e-mail me if you have any questions or concerns about this.
We also talked a little bit about your weekends - I remember Russel's new baby brother, Lauren's sushi outing, and Scout cooking up some delicious Mac and Cheese - and the importance of spell checking and proof reading before turning things in. The example I gave was of the school newspaper article on Abe, which spelled his last name wrong in three different ways (which is pretty incredible). We also talked about the article on Ben, as well as the absolutely insane article on sexuality at school, that has Mrs. DeFrance and I totally paranoid now. I won't recount my other thoughts, but I'm glad the class wanted to hear what I had to say about it all.
Finally, I talked about spelling "definitely" right, as well as introducing the "Be A Local Super Hero" T-Shirt as being the prize for the best travel guide, as decided by the class. By the way, I LOVED the lack of enthusiasm for this idea. No seriously, it is making me crack up as I type this right now! Because really, what a silly ad campaign - why on Earth would people be excited about it? Anyway, t-shirt is the prize - it's a white elephant bribe! I know you are all pumped to go out and win it. ;-)
News Brief: Nolan very nicely summed up this article: BBC News.com: "Athens hit by wave of firebombs". I talked a little about how injustice can spark riots and used the example of Rodney King in class, which sparked the LA Riots in 1992. Here is the infamous video of the incident that got broadcast around the world (Warning: Violent and Disturbing): Rodney King beating.
Thanks for that really interesting article Nolan! C.J., you are up for Friday. A current article about anything outside the United States.
Questions: I really like this whole "mandatory" questions time, as uncomfortable as it may seem if there are no questions. The way that I see it, there always should be questions. If I have a little time set aside to welcome questions, people are more willing to actually ask, to fill time. Hopefully, anyway. Let me know if this is a bad idea.
Computer Lab Time/In-Class Work: Wow, so the computer lab situation, not so good. I'm glad that Mrs. DeFrance bailed me out on that one. It's probable that the people in class working from the books got a whole lot more out of this time. Generally, however, we did very well once everyone got all settled down. Thanks again for this. Some good links for you again:
The CIA World FactBook - Go here and choose your country for a fantastic start for those basic facts. Remember to cite all the information that you use!
Kayak.com - Again, this is a FANTASTIC website for finding fares and routes to those African countries. My advice: find the biggest city in your country, and then start typing it in as a destination. Does Kayak come up with something for you? Search that. If it doesn't, or you search and can't find anything, just try the nearest country to you, and offer a car to pick up travelers at the airport in the guide you are creating. Sound good?
Please feel free to post any other links that you find!
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Okay, as usual, I will not be able to answer or post comments (or e-mails) from 3:30 to 7:30 tonight, because I will be in a ridiculously long class at Lewis and Clark. I always look forward to coming back home and seeing if anyone is posting though, so go ahead if you so desire! Also, it's about dang time the Blazers are playing again. Tonight vs. Memphis at 7:00 on Comcast Sports Net. Or, you could Pack the Pit (I think I missed that today) if you want. Lots of options - just keep working on that travel guide please!
Have a wonderful evening!
Late Addition: First trade for the Blazers! Ike Diogu to the Kings for Michael Ruffin from the Bulls. Blockbuster! ;-) Source: Blazers Edge.
Click above for my FlightMemory page - make your own and post a link in the comments! :-)
Good afternoon students,
Okay, now that was an interesting class, right? I really liked what everyone had to say during our seminar (I'll go over it more below), but I do want to make sure that we are keeping that core value of respect for each other alive. You can completely disagree with each other's views (and I think that there was definitely a lot of disagreement), but please do not disrespect individuals or people as a whole. That being said, the class excellent breakdown of the article, and there was some really good participation (I would guess about 75% of the class had at least one thing to say). I'm excited to get to see it on video (thanks Brandon)! :-)
I am going to post the recap, and then come back later and post another blog about flight stuff (because as you probably saw, I'm a huge geek about it). So look forward to that later.
Essential Questions: How do different structures of power impact the people over whom they govern? How does a developing country become developed? - As an aside, I think we did some pretty good work today with that second question, thank you!
Soundtrack: "International Airport" by Carbon Leaf. This is an excellent song about flying all over the place. Carbon Leaf is one of my favorite bands - their album Indian Summer is an all-time classic. Lyrics for International Airport here.
AGENDA 2/13/09: News Brief Socratic Seminar Redux Leaving on a Jet Plane Computer Lab Time
Homework: Work on travel guide. Check blog!
Here is the list of who signed up for what country: Algeria - Andrew H. Benin - Alondra Botswana - Zack T. Cameroon - Kurtis Chad - C.J. Democratic Republic of the Congo - John Cote d'Ivorie (The Ivory Coast) - Scout Djibouti - Russel Egypt - Jazmyne Ethiopia - Abe Gabon - Gerold Ghana - Mustafe Guinea - Jordan Guinea-Bissau - Carson Kenya - Zach N. Liberia - Nolan Libya - Aaron Madagascar - Nicole Mali - Brandon Mauritius - Archana Morocco - Andrew K. Mozambique - McKenzie Namibia - Nathan Niger - Tanya Sierra Leone - Robert South Africa - Lauren Sudan - Thuy Swaziland - Randi Tanzania - Brooke Togo - Morgan Uganda - Kierra Zambia - Jillian Zimbabwe - Ben
Whew, now that's some good effort. For those that need to see the assignment again or lost a copy, here it is to download:
Remember that we set the due date in class of Tuesday, February 24th. Please be working on it during your long weekend - I am really excited to see what you can do with this! :-)
News Brief: Nathan brought in an article about the continuing violence in Afghanistan. Again, an incredibly important place in the world, and very interesting to study! We will be doing just that after this unit. Nolan, you are up for next Wednesday - any current news article about something outside the United States.
Socratic Seminar Redux: At the beginning of the class, I apologized for the lack of time that we were able to devote in the previous class to the seminar, and for me talking too much. It really is difficult, especially when what is being said is so interesting! :-)
We started up again in a giant circle, and went over the seminar ground rules again. I was really glad to hear your thoughts, even though it did (as we noted) get a little heated. That is sort of the point of discussing a controversial text - I want people to have different interpretations. I think overall, we did a good job of not making it personal, though there were definitely was some moments when I was like: "Oh wow, okay, I need to say something..." I think it comes with the process. We are going to continue to develop this skill of going into texts and seeing what they have to say.
There were TONS of things brought up that had me blown away. I always love it when you make connections to things outside the class, like genocide against Native Americans and the "animalistic" nature (like in Lord of the Flies). I also thought that it was interesting to hear your thoughts on if the positions had been switched, and white people were in Africa - that black people would colonize them, because humans are inherently greedy. If this is the case, how can we get past stuff like that, to work towards the common good? If we admit that greed and selfishness is a part of human nature, what do we need to do to move beyond it?
I liked the feedback from right after too - it is good to see that people were into the conversation (though Ben, you were absolutely right about me still butting in a little too much - sorry)! Let's make our goal for next time to really invite participation from everyone else. Make it a priority! Also, please contact me if you have any questions or concerns about the environment in the class - especially during debates like the one we had today.
All in all, the seminar was well done, and I'm glad that we really got to devote a lot of time to it. Thank you to everyone for being involved.
Leaving on a Jet Plane: This is where I passed out the travel guide assignment, and asked: "Why did we start this whole unit on studying Africa?" As I pointed out, part of it was that we saw the differences in conceptions between Africa and Europe, with Africa having overwhelmingly negative impressions. The travel guide is hopefully going to present you with some great opportunities to get past that notion - because there really is just an incredible amount of culture in Africa.
I also did a little show and tell with my airport badge, passport, and model plane of the Lufthansa Airbus A340-300. By the way, for those students that had actually flown that flight - if any of you flew during the last three summers, it is entirely possible that I loaded your bags or cleaned your seat. Small world! :-)
I will bring all that stuff in again for next class, which may or may not be in the computer lab (we might just use books from the library to research). I also introduced some helpful links (though the next post that I will write on airlines will have a lot as well), which are below:
Kayak.com - A great place to start, when you know where you want to go. Enter PDX as the origin airport, and find the three letter code of biggest airport in your country using the Wikipedia article below - that is just one way to find how to get there.
Computer Lab Time: Obviously, we did not have time for this. Which, surprisingly, I am okay with. I wanted the seminar to control how much time we devoted to the lab, and since it was just a good conversation for so long, there really wasn't enough time to go up there. Next class we will devote almost the entire time to working on your guides, but don't assume that we will be able to go to a computer lab - bring any materials you think you may need!
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That should be just about it for this post! Look forward to another one later tonight about airline stuff. Please feel free to comment or e-mail me if you need! I should be out tonight from around 4:30 to about 10:00, so don't worry if it doesn't post immediately, or you don't hear from me right away.
Also, funny story - after class, when I was checking my e-mail, I got a message in my Spam folder that was a Nigerian scam! Complete with the President's name and coming from the city of Abuja! It made me laugh.
Watch the All-Star Weekend - and have a wonderful long weekend! You guys are all amazing, do you know that? See you next week! :-)
Because I am currently waiting to talk to another Westview teacher for a homework assignment from Lewis and Clark (yes, I have them too!), I figured I might as well get the recap done early today, while everyone is forecasting!
First off, I want to apologize for the rushed feeling of the seminar today. I did not know that class would be ending so soon until right before. I also think I was probably a little too directly involved in the discussion. I should have let everyone get their thoughts in on their own. It's very difficult for me as a teacher, because my main goal for this particular seminar was participation. What happened was good - I loved some of the ideas that were brought up. What I did not feel particularly proud of was my trying to force people to talk, at the expense of those who really did want to. It is a difficult problem for me. When I have a few people who are really into the conversation, I love it, but I also am really interested in what everyone else has to say.
I think the opposite of my goal happened today. I was so concerned with getting everyone to participate that I was the person taking up much of the time with my own thoughts, trying to get everyone involved! I just think it backfired. For everyone that was really excited to bring tons of ideas to the table, I am sorry for that lack of time. Obviously, we are going to do the seminar for the outside group next class - which is even more difficult because that is the group that did not volunteer to talk in the first place.
Anyway, I hope that we got something out of it. I'll try different things in the future with the seminar! Please let me know if the comments or by e-mail what you thought of things.
Essential Questions: How do different structures of power impact the people over whom they govern? How does a developing country become developed?
Soundtrack: "Refuge (When It's Cold Outside)" by John Legend. Selected because it is cold outside and the classroom should be a place of refuge and excitement. Lyrics are here.
AGENDA 2/11/09 Hand Back Work News Brief Chapter Presentations Socratic Seminar Visiting Africa
Homework: Find out basic information about your country - bring to class on Friday. Check blog!
If you do not remember which country you signed up for (which would be understandable, given the rush), please either comment or e-mail me. I just want you to begin investigating on your own - we will do more in class on Friday.
Hand Back Work: You should have your Somalia article handed back to you. I know that some people did not. Are you sure that you turned it in to me? Remember, I went around and checked it off, but I did not collect it until the end of class that day. I did look in my folder, and I did not find any other work. Please let me know if you think I may have misplaced it - or you could just send me another copy and I will be fine.
News Brief: McKenzie brought in an article about crazy weather in Europe - BBC.com - High winds hit north-west France. Again, an interesting look at some the extreme weather that has been happening! I talked a little about climate change/global warming, and the impact that melting ice caps have, due to the loss of ability to reflect light. This is called a "feedback loop" and here is an excellent recap of what I was talking about: ABC News.com: What is a "Feedback Loop?" Nathan, you are up for Friday - any news article that talks about something outside the United States.
Chapter Presentations: These were a lot better today, I thought. I especially liked how it seemed like almost the entire class was paying pretty close attention to what the groups were talking about. I don't know if that is a function of the new seating chart or not, but it was definitely appreciated. Again, the reason that we did this activity was to learn a little more about how different places around the world have dealt with development. We then crafted a small list of what we had learned about developing countries - off the top of my head, I think it was something like: struggling, time consuming, conflicts, government building. Good! I was actually a little surprised we got that much out of the exercise. Sorry if it was boring!
Socratic Seminar: Hopefully you have read some of my thoughts above about this. Basically, I think that I didn't allow everyone enough time to really go through and talk about it - and I know that there were definitely times when people had to restrain themselves from bringing excellent ideas to the table. This was my bad - but again, it's difficult. What do I value more: participation of everyone, even if it isn't that deep, OR about a third of the class really getting into the discussion and going very deep into it? For this seminar, I wanted participation, and I think I let everyone down by trying to force it too much. Live and learn!
As for the thoughts that WERE raised: EXCELLENT. It is obvious to me when people are doing the reading, making connections, and excited about asking questions. I loved what we had to say about the article. I especially liked how it seemed like nobody just completely rejected what the author had to say, even if the way he made his argument was pretty controversial. I seemed like everyone really considered the root causes of the answers to the original question of: how does a developing country become developed?
Again, please post any other thoughts, questions, or comments about the seminar - by all means, if you felt like you didn't really get to say what you wanted today, let it out on here! Let's start a discussion again! :-)
Visiting Africa: Thanks for staying behind for a minute or two to pick out your countries. Please e-mail me if you need to know which one you picked or have any questions.
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That should just about do it! Please have a wonderful afternoon. Don't forget to watch the World Cup qualifier between the USA and Mexico (4 PM, ESPN2) and/or the Blazer game vs. the ex-Sonics tonight (7 PM, CSN). Also, watch The Office tomorrow night, because it is pretty much guaranteed to make you laugh. And we could all use some more of that! I will not be at Westview tomorrow, as it is my day to do some homework, planning, and sleep a little. So, see you Friday!
Did you know that this week is only the second since I took over as your full time teacher in early December that we have had a week with three A days? At least, I'm pretty sure. It definitely feels like I do not get to see you guys enough - the breaks, days off, and quirks of the schedule have had some interesting effects on class time so far!
Today was another good day, though I must say that I was a little disappointed with the quality of the presentations (I'm not sure if we actually got anything at all from that exercise, which may be partly on me) and how it seemed like some of you STILL neglected to do the easiest homework assignment of all time. I'm not even sure what to say about that.
However, as always, I loved your questions and our interactions during the PowerPoint. Things like that make me excited to be a teacher - making a (hopefully) interesting lecture and diving right into new content that we get to break down in the upcoming classes. Woo hoo!
Essential Questions: How do different structures of power impact the people over whom they govern? What is a developed nation?
Soundtrack: "Man in the Mirror" by Michael Jackson. A great song about starting with yourself, instead of blaming others for not doing anything. "If you want to make the world a better place, take a look at yourself and make a change." Lyrics here.
AGENDA 2/9/09 News Brief Finish Worksheets Present Chapters Developed vs. Developing Debrief Homework PowerPoint
Homework: Read article and write at LEAST two questions that arise from it. Be prepared to discuss Wednesday! Check blog!
--> The article that you are supposed to read can be downloaded here if you lost it or were not in class to pick a copy up:
Again, this is supposed to be controversial, and I want everyone to bring your thoughts, reactions, and most importantly, questions that it raises. I am anticipating an extremely interesting discussion - don't let me down! Also, I want you to really think hard about this. There is an obvious, easy reaction to much of what the author is writing, but does he make any points that need to be answered?
News Brief: I started off class by asking about everyone's weekends. I didn't really say much about mine, but on Saturday, I took a four hour long test - one of the many that we have to take in order to become licenced teachers. It was ridiculous! I also talked a little bit about Honors this year - please go see or write to Mr. Hardin ASAP if you are interested! Time is rapidly running out, and many of you are more than capable of taking on the extra load.
It is interesting to consider the types of weather we are seeing all over the world. As Keirra put it very well, it is just weird. We have a whole lot of extremes. Frankly, it's a little scary, because part of climate change is extreme weather. Something to be thinking about. I hope that we get to talk about this a little bit later in the year! McKenzie, you are up for next class. Please bring in a current article about something outside the United States.
Finish Worksheets: I'm not sure how many of you actually used this time to work on your textbook worksheets for presentation, but it probably should have been a little more than you did. Part of that was due to people missing from class who had the paper, and part of that is that many of you just plain lost the worksheet, which I don't know what to tell you.
Present Chapters: As I said above, I think we could have done a little more with these. It didn't really seem like everyone really knew things about their chapter today. Some good basic facts, but that was about it. Hopefully the groups that are going next class can pick up the slack. It was definitely good to have a little reflection on what is going on around the world though - I wanted you to be thinking of how each of the areas were developing. The notes that you took will be useful in the future as you think about the question of: what is a developed nation?
Developed vs. Developing: I cut this for time, it was an activity that we will come back to at a later date.
Debrief Homework: I was very interested to hear what your family members had to say and the general impressions given! It was great to listen to the reasons given to why we are studying Nigeria. My question to you after today's presentation: why ARE we studying Nigeria? I'd be interested to hear your thoughts!
PowerPoint: This took up the last half of class. Like I said, I love these things - especially when I can make it interesting. I stated repeatedly that I did not want you to write out everything on every slide, but rather to get the most interesting or relevant information. For those that want to see it again (or did not see it at all, due to not being in class), here it is (remember, click "Save As" instead of "Open" - it is way faster):
A few things here. Someone asked (I think it was Scout) what the lowest Infant Mortality Rate in the world is. The answer can be found here: Wikipedia: Infant Mortality Rates. It looks like either Singapore or Iceland. Look at all those countries that have better IMRs than the US! Also, can you imagine living in Angola, where your child has about an 16-18% chance of dying before their first birthday? Just crazy. The IMR is really a key statistic for looking at the overall health of a country - it says a lot about the conditions and the health care available.
For those interested, I get my statistics for these presentations from The CIA World FactBook - which are far from perfect (and sometimes blatantly incorrect), but I always find it interesting to see what the U.S. Government says its data is.
In regards to colonialism, I said I would link to the Daily Show clip of John Oliver interviewing Kenya's ambassador to the UN. Really quite funny, but you can really see how seriously the ambassador takes the questions about colonialism. Generalizing, I think that most Africans would agree with him - an absolutely terrible era in world history that should never be revisited:
I also pointed out that the news coverage of Nigeria is overwhelmingly negative right now. Why? Is that a legitimate thing? Search "United States" on Google News - what do you get?
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That should do it for now. Please be reading that article (multiple times) and bring in your thoughts and questions for next class! Remember that it is linked above should you need to download it. As always, please comment below or e-mail me if you have any questions, comments, or concerns. Have a wonderful evening!
Late addition: It is SNOWING at my house right now! Not sticking, but still, nice! :-)
