February 2010

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Week 5, 3/1-3/5

February 26, 2010 in Uncategorized | No comments

Did anyone else notice how the days of February are exactly the same as the days of the week for March?  For example, 2/1 was a Monday, so is 3/1.  I got confused a few times when I was trying to get my calendar organized,  but I think that everything is settled now.

Anyway, I hope that you all have an excellent Monday and Tuesday, I’m sad to be away from you for 2 days again.  While it’s great to learn how to be a better teacher, it’s tough being away from my classroom and you all, where I find so much joy!  Anyway, be sure to show the sub how wonderful you are, let’s change the reputation at this school!

You will be watching the movie, “Blood Diamond” with the sub.  Keep imperialism in mind as you are watching the movie and see if you can connect what you see in the movie to imperialism and how imperialism plays a role in setting the scene for the movie.  Also don’t forget that your first current event of the semester is due on Wednesday, the day I return.  Get ready for some fun discussion, it seems like it’s been a long time since our last current event day!  The rest of the week we will wrap up the loose ends of where we’re at with imperialism and launch the project for DSA, yay!!

Homework:

  • Current event #1 due Wednesday, 3/3

Week 4, 2/22-2/26

February 23, 2010 in Uncategorized | No comments

Does it feel like second semester just began to anyone else?  And while the feeling of the semester is still fresh, we are actually in the 4th week already, nearly half way done with the quarter.  This stretch can be long, no breaks until spring break which is the first full week in April.  Use the month of March to get refocused.  You know what my expectations and routines are, use this time to get back on track with your homework and get settled back into the routine of school.

We are continuing our study of imperialism, but this week we will turn away from Africa and look at how imperialism affected other parts of the world as well.  We will start our lecture on imperialism in India and China and we will finish it when I return from my conference on Thursday.  While I am gone on Tuesday and Wednesday you will be working in your imperialism groups and analyzing poetry from Vietnam on Tuesday and writing a group essay on Wednesday about whether or not France should continue its influence in Southesast Asia.

Keep up the good work and remember to be as wonderful for the sub as you always are for me.  Continue to give me material so that I can keep bragging about all of you to everyone I know!

Homework:

  • Page 307 in your textbook, #3, 4, and 5, due Thursday, 2/25
  • Page 81 in your workbook, due Friday, 2/26

Week 3, 2/16-2/19

February 17, 2010 in Homework | No comments

Another short week and a field trip!  I am really looking forward to our trip to Berkeley, it should be a lot of fun!  Tuesday we will do our scramble for territory activity and hopefully you will have fun and understand imperialism in Africa a bit more.  Wednesday is our fieldtrip (hooray) and Thursday we will do review for the Africa map test which will be on Friday, 2/19.

Homework:

  • Workbook page 75 due Thursday, 2/18
  • Africa map due Friday, 2/19
  • Study for Africa map test which will be Friday, 2/19

Week 2, 2/9-2/12

February 9, 2010 in Homework, Uncategorized | No comments

The first of our 2 short weeks is here.  I hope that you enjoyed your weekend and the Saints victory on Sunday!

100_0320As I was thinking about the content of this week I can’t help but think about my time and friends in D.R. Congo.  We will finish watching the movie Hotel Rwanda on Wednesday, a movie that deals with the harsh and ugly reality of the world that we live in, the world our ancestors have created.  I see so much hate around me, a world where people hate one another because that’s what they have been told to do and I wonder how I can change things.  How did I make a difference?  How can I help my friends in Congo who have lost their homes, who have seen murder, torture, and rape?  What can I do for people who are suffering on the other side of the world?  Sometimes I get so fed up with my helplessness that all I can do is cry.  I see people suffering all around me and I feel so useless.

I have realized that all I can do, that the best thing I can do is educate people.  I can tell people about what is happening around the world.  I can refuse to be one of the Americans who ignores what is happening in other places and I can refuse to plead ignorance.

Sometimes history is ugly, sometimes it’s uncomfortable.  For this reason we must study it.  We must look at what has happened in the past and learn from it so that we can try to prevent it from happening again.  Once we finish the movie we will look at how imperialism has affected Africa and the impact the Europeans had on the continent.

Homework:

  • Workbook pg. 73, due Wednesday, 2/10
  • Page 296 in textbook, #1, 3, & 5 due Friday, 2/12

Semester 2, Week 1, 2/1-2/5

February 3, 2010 in Homework | No comments

It’s Wednesday and I am just now updating our blog…dang it!  Grades are all in, first semester is truly done and I finally have time to sit down and update you all on what to expect for this first week of the new semester.  I’m sorry that it’s so late, I will certainly try to do better the rest of the semester.  Remember that it is a clean slate for all of you and each one of you has the ability to succeed if you do the work and ask for help when you need it.  I am here for you, if you need help, please ask.

Ok, back to business.  Most of you are taking the CAHSEE this week, good luck!  In history class we are starting a new unit on imperialism.  We will spend the majority of this week kind of setting up for the major content which will start next week.  Monday will be spent reviewing grades and working on vocabulary and a timeline for the imperialism unit.  If you don’t finish the worksheet in class you may finish it for homework and turn it in on Tuesday.  Tuesday and Wednesday you will work in your groups, preparing to teach your classmates about the sections to which you are assigned.  You will present on Thursday and on Friday there will be a quiz on Chapter 8 followed by a movie.

The movie that we are watching this week is called Hotel Rwanda.  I show this at the beginning of the imperialism unit because I want you to see the effects of imperialism before we study it.  Imperialism has impacted the world in major ways and many of the issues we are dealing with in third world countries today are a direct result of imperialism 150 years ago.  It’s important that we understand how our actions affect other people and make an imprint on history.

Homework:

  • Imperialism worksheet due Tuesday, 2/2/10
  • Page 261 in your textbook, #1 and 3 due Wednesday, 2/3/10
  • Page 267 in your textbook, #1 and 4 due Friday, 2/5/10