The Week of January 10-14

O.K. Sports Fans!  The following is what you can expect from the week to come:

Socials 30/33:
Monday:  Project work
Tuesday:  Module 8 work
Wednesday:  no class, as all students are writing their English Departmental exam.  If you wish to work on projects from 8 to 9, you may.  However, you are welcome to prepare for English.
Thursday:  Socials Departmental Part A for those students choosing to write it.  Project work for everyone else.
Friday:  Module 8 work

English 30-2:
Monday:  Exam preparation
Tuesday:  Exam preparation
Wednesday:  Exam, 9 a.m.
Thursday:  Part B exam prep.
Friday:  Part B exam prep.

Socials 10-1:
Monday:  Final Assessment Project work
Tuesday:  "
Wednesday:  "
Thursday:  Party Forum and Election
Friday:  Essay writing workshop and rough draft writing

Have a great week!

Socials 10-1 Final Assessment

The following is the final assessment project outline for Socials 10-1:

Topic:  Canadian Government

Requirements and Instructions for your project are as follows:

Your task is to collaborate with group members in order to create a new youth based political party for Nunavut.  You have class time from Friday, January 7 until Wednesday, January 12 in order to complete this project.  On Thursday, January 13 you will have your forum and election.

Your team must:

1.       Develop a name for your party

2.       Create a party logo

3.       Develop a party platform that reflects the values and concerns of youth in Nunavut.

4.       Elect a party leader

5.       Prepare a persuasive speech for your leader to deliver

6.       Prepare an advertising campaign (posters, pamphlets, slogans, T.V. and radio ads, etc.) to represent and promote your party over the course of the campaign

7.       Each group member is responsible for producing at least ONE element of the campaign

8.       You must record your daily progress for the next two weeks in a journal.  This will be a critical reflection of the party development process, forum, election, and position paper progress

9.       Your group must create a visual and auditory record of this progress.  This will be part of your final project, which you will present to the school and community on January 21.

At Thursday’s forum, you will present your party platform, ads, etc., and attempt to persuade students that they should vote for your party.  BE CREATIVE.  Following party presentations, there will be an open question and answer forum.  Prepare for this. 

At the end of the forum, you will have an opportunity to elect the political party of your preference.  Each student will be issued one ballot.

Guidelines and instructions for your position paper are as follows:

1.        Select any thesis related to Canadian Government, e.g.,

a.       First Past the Post vs. Proportional Representation

b.      Qualities of a good Prime Minister

c.       An Elected Senate

d.      Consensus vs. Parliamentary Style Government

e.      Media’s influence on campaigns

f.        Appropriate policies of a political party

g.       Setting pre-planned election dates vs. Spontaneous

h.      Canada’s involvement in Afghanistan

i.         Etc.

2.       This is to be a formal essay.

3.       Your topic must be Kim-approved

4.       Minimum 500 words, typed, double spaced, Times New Roman font 12

5.       Title page and works cited page in MLA format

6.       Must produce a rough draft, complete with editions and revisions

7.       Must utilize a minimum of three sources other than dictionaries and/or encyclopedias

8.       Your essay is due NO LATER THAN Wednesday, January 19.

Evaluation will be as follows:

1.        Completion of Political Party Project as per guidelines                   30 marks

2.       Journal, Self, and Peer Assessment of Group Work                          20 marks

3.       Position Paper                                                                                    40 marks

4.       Active Participation at Social Studies Celebration of Learning         10 marks

Total                                                                                                        100 marks

Happy New Year!

Welcome back to school, everyone!  Hope your holidays were pleasant and restful and you're all ready to  dig in to the final three weeks of the semester!

**A Big Reminder that the Social Studies Celebration of Learning/Heritage Fair takes place on Friday, January 21.  The school will be open for viewing of projects from 1:30 to 3 p.m.  Parents and community members are welcome to attend!

For the week of January 4-7:

Socials 30/33:
Tuesday and Friday are project days.  Wednesday and Thursday will be reserved for work on the final Module.

Note:  For those students writing the exam, which is optional, Part A is Thursday, January 13 at 9 a.m.

English 30-2:
We will be working on poetry, poetic terms, and short stories this week, before moving on to exam preparation on Thursday and Friday.  Part A of the Departmental Exam is on Wednesday, January 12 at 9 a.m.  This exam is NOT optional, and is worth 50% of the course mark.

Socials 10-1:
We will be discussing Government and Politics this week.  Students will begin working on their final assessment projects (in place of a final exam), which involves creating and promoting their own political parties before hosting a democratic election next week.  Look for specific project details in a future blog post.

Have a great week everyone, and a healthy and happy 2011!

The Superpowers in Europe

The Superpowers in Europe

Definitions:

Containment:  policy whereby the U.S. tried to prevent communism from spreading

Expansionism:  policy of a nation whereby it attempts to extend its political and economic influence into another region or nation

Sphere of Influence:  a territory or nation that falls under the exclusive influence of another, usually more powerful, nation

Balance of power:  an attempt by two or more nations to achieve military equality in both conventional and nuclear arms

Sovereignty:  independence—a nation’s acting on its own without outside interference from any other nation or group of nations

-          Yalta and Potsdam set the stage for the Cold War, as it was in those negotiations that the spheres of influence that dominated the post WWII world began to take shape.  At Potsdam, Stalin refused to allow freely elected governments in eastern Europe (a priority for the U.S., France, and England) because he was afraid they’d be anti-Soviet.

-          When Berlin was split into 4 zones of occupation, each of the allies followed its own policy.  Therefore, the western allies sought to establish a Germany with a strong economy and democratic government, while the Soviets wanted to punish Germany, and thus dismantled factories and stripped it of heavy machinery.  Because France and Britain were exhausted and financially devastated by WWII, the zones in Germany really became bipolar.

-          In 1947, the U.S. developed the Truman Doctrine, a plan to assist the economic rebuilding of Greece and Turkey, and to contain any plans of communist expansion into the Middle East.

-          Under the terms of the Marshall Plan, the U.S. offered financial assistance to all European nations, including communist ones, under the condition that they work together for economic recovery.  The U.S.S.R. saw this as an anti-communist move and denounced it, instead forming COMECON to compete.

The Berlin Crisis:

-          1948

-          Germany is split into four zones of occupation.  Berlin is in the Soviet zone, but it too is split into four zones.

-          Western powers introduce the Deutschmark as currency into West Germany, not including Berlin.  The Soviets responded by introducing their own currency into all of Berlin.  The Western Allies responded by flooding Berlin with Deutschmarks.  As a result, the Soviets blockaded all land access to Berlin from West Germany, thereby cutting off supplies of food, medicine, etc. from the Allied zones.

-          In June of 1948, the Allies began a massive airlift to Berlin.

-          In April of 1949, the Soviets ended the blockade when they realized the Allies were determined to continue the airlift as long as necessary.

NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) and the Warsaw Pact:

-          Established by Western Allies as a defensive alliance in April, 1949 as a result of the belief that the Soviets wished to eventually gain control of all of western Europe.

-          September, 1949, Soviets successfully test their first nuclear weapon

-          Soviets believe the balance of power in Europe has shifted to the western alliance, so they establish the Warsaw Pact defensive alliance in 1955.

Movements for Independence Within the Communist Bloc:

-          Yugoslavia, 1945-48 (successful)

-          Hungary 1956 (unsuccessful)

Tuesday, December 14

Well, here we are at the last week of school before Christmas vacation.  It's "Turkey Dinner Day", which makes that even better!  Here's a brief summary of what's to come.

Socials 30/33:
Today we go back to curriculum, and a discussion of the Superpowers in Europe.  Today's notes will be placed in the next entry.  You'll receive the information, and begin completing an in-class assignment, which you'll work on today and Thursday.  Wednesday and Friday are reserved for project work.

English 30-2:
Today we'll continue to look at poetry, including some terms.  Then we'll practice more departmental questions.  Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday are reserved for catch-up on assignments, or exam prep if you've completed all work.  We'll make our annual Christmas trek to the Brown for coffee on Friday.

Socials 10-1:
We have a busy final week ahead of us.  Today, you can prepare for tomorrow's test or work on your essay.  After tomorrow's test, you will work on citizenship questions, and then your essay.  Thursday's reserved for essay work.  The essay is due Friday, which is our school Christmas party.

World War II Treaties

World War II Treaties (Jigsaw)

Goals of the Wartime Conferences:

-          Russia, America, and Britain are the “Big Three”

-          Russia required a buffer zone between it and the “west”

-          America wanted a world of free trade to avoid post-war depression.  Did not want to team up against Russia.

-          Britain wanted to team up against Russia with America and remove Russia from negotiations

The Atlantic Charter:  August, 1941 between Britain and the United States.  It was intended as the blueprint for the postwar world after World War II and turned out to be the foundation for many of the international agreements that currently shape the world. The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade(GATT), the post-war independence of British and French possessions, and much more are derived from the Atlantic Charter.
Main points of the Charter:

-          Neither country shall seek gains from the war, territorial or other

-          There will be respect of the rights of all peoples to choose the form of government they desire; independence and self-government will be given back to those countries who had these taken away from them

-          There will be free access to the high seas

-          Improved labour standards, economic adjustment, and social security around the world will be encouraged

Tehran Conference:

-          1943 between the “Big Three”

-          Not all topics were agreed upon

-          Churchill wanted a second front in the Balkans to relieve pressure on the USSR.  This was rejected, but they were promised a second front in 1944

-          Could not agree on Poland’s boundaries

-          All agreed Germany would be divided

-          Percentage Agreements:

o   USSR had control of Romania and Bulgaria

o   Britain had control over Greece

o   Yugoslavia and Hungary were split

Yalta Agreement:

-          Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin negotiate on the USSR’s involvement in 1945

-          Terms were

o   Germany’s division amongst the Allies

o   Poland’s boundaries were altered

o   Poland would have free choice of its government

o   USSR would enter the war against Japan

o   USSR would receive

§  Rights in Manchuria

§  Parts of Sakhalin and Kuril Islands

§  Territorial privileges in the Far East

Potsdam:

-          July 1945

-          Stalin (USSR), Clement Atlee (GB), Harry S. Truman (US)

-          Demobilization had begun

-          Russian troops occupied much of eastern Europe

-          Mistrust between Stalin and the western powers existed

-          Settlements:

o   Germany was to pay reparations and be demilitarized

o   Russian troops supervise Japan’s surrender

o   Final boundaries for occupation zones were established

Why is it December 7 already?

Welcome to Tuesday, everyone!  Expect a few interruptions in our day today as NTI presidential candidates visit our school to do a little campaigning. 

Socials 30/33:
Thanks to all students and parents who attended the assessment meeting last week.  I really appreciate your questions and feedback.
We've completed Module 6 and will move into Module 7 on Wednesday, as today is TAPS Door Decorating in Block A.  Thursday and Friday are reserved for project work.

English 30-2:
Today we'll enjoy your scene performances from "fareWel" and review some grammar for the final exam.  We'll also be practicing for the departmental over the next few days while completing one more film study, this time on "The Ghost and the Darkness".  It's a gooder.  Enjoy.

Socials 10-1:
We'll wrap up Staking the Claim by next week.  Then we'll move into the exciting world of Canadian Government.