My Classroom Blog...a mix of History, Psychology, Literature, Art, Political Science and some other cool stuff with a social justice slant.
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Greg Mortenson on NPR
http://www.npr.org/2010/11/17/131388647/greg-mortenson-founder-of-central-asia-institute
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129429265
"Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope... and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance." ~Robert F. Kennedy
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129429265
"Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope... and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance." ~Robert F. Kennedy
"Lean on Me" Discussion Questions
Discussion Questions:
What methods did Principal Clark use to repair Eastside High School?
Do you agree or disagree with his methods?
Was he successful? Explain.
As you already know, the film is based on a true story. Research the story. What in the film is inaccurate? Where did you find your information?
Why we write....
“Writing is a form of therapy; sometimes I wonder how all those, who do not write, compose, or paint can manage to escape the madness, the melancholia, the panic fear, which is inherent in a human condition.”
-Graham Greene
-Graham Greene
"It's not plagiarism - I'm recycling words, as any good environmentally conscious writer would do." ~Uniek Swain
"You must stay drunk on writing so reality cannot
destroy you." ~Ray Bradbury
"Words - so innocent and powerless as they are, as standing in a dictionary, how potent for good and evil they become in the hands of one who knows how to combine them." ~Nathaniel Hawthorne
"Finding Forrester" Discussion Questions
Discussion Questions:How does Jamal help William Forrester?
How does Forrester help Jamal?
Discuss the setting.
How can you tell what "class" Jamal belongs to and what "class" Forrester belongs to?
How does "class" affect both characters?
How does race affect both characters?
What does the basketball symbolize and what do books symbolize?
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Lessons about Standing up to Intolerance
Lessons:Teaching Tolerance Lesson (Analyzing Editorial Cartoons)
http://www.tolerance.org/activity/editorial-cartoon-intolerance
Teaching Tolerance Lesson (Tolerance and Genocide)
http://www.tolerance.org/activity/tolerance-and-genocide
Teaching Tolerance Lesson (A Timeline for Change)
http://www.tolerance.org/activity/timeline-change
Education for Change (Awareness Activities)
http://www.edchange.org/multicultural/activityarch.html
Zinn Education Project Lesson Plans
http://zinnedproject.org/posts/category/explore_by_theme/racism-racial-identity
Free Resources about Tolerance:
http://www.tolerance.org/mix-it-up/downloads
Reach and Teach Resources:
http://www.reachandteach.com/content/article.php/bullied
Education for Change Handouts and Resources:
http://www.edchange.org/handouts.html
Friday, December 17, 2010
Standing up to Injustice and Cruelty
PBS Complete Lesson:http://www.pbs.org/pov/film-files/pov_inheritance_lp_lesson_plan_0.pdf
Choral reading of "The Terrible Things"
Discuss (Who were the "Terrible Things"? In real life, who/what are the "Terrible Things"? Was there a moral to the story? If so, what was it?)
In class writing:
-Write about a time when they or someone else stood up for a person or persons who were being treated unjustly.
- Discuss how the choices we make when confronted with injustice and cruelty have a lasting impact on ourselves, our families and society.
Good Reads (Eve Bunting, Terrible Things)
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/356388.Terrible_Things
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Integrity
“Integrity is doing the right thing, even if nobody is watching.”“Integrity is not a conditional word. It doesn't blow in the wind or change with the weather. It is your inner image of yourself, and if you look in there and see a man who won't cheat, then you know he never will.”
"Character is much easier kept than recovered." ~Thomas Paine
"You do not wake up one morning a bad person. It happens by a thousand tiny surrenders of self-respect to self-interest." ~Robert Brault
"Never separate the life you live from the words you speak.” - Paul Wellstone
Freedom Writers-Reflection
Assignment #2
Select a diary entry from "Freshmen Year" pages 1-46.
Connect what you've read to an experience you have had in your own life and an experience you read about either from another book we have read in class or a book you read in another class.
Your reflection should be at least two paragraphs in length.
Extra credit opportunity:
Sketch the scene from the diary entry you selected.
Quotes about character
“Watch your thoughts, for they become words. Watch your words, for they become actions. Watch your actions, for they become habits. Watch your habits, for they become character. Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny. ” -Unknown "A pure hand needs no glove to cover it." ~Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Scarlet Letter
"When you stretch the truth, watch out for the snapback." ~Bill Copeland
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Lewis and Clark Activity (PBS)
Visit the link below:http://www.pbs.org/lewisandclark/
Click on "Inside the Corps" to find the answers to 1-6:
1. How much money was appropriated to fund the expedition?
2. How many people made up the "Corps"?
3. Who were the Captains?
4. Name two mathematical instruments brought on the trip.
5. Name three examples of presents for Native Americans that was brought along on the trip.
6. What camp supplies were brought? (List four)
Click on "Native Americans" to find the answers to 7 and 8.
7. How many Native American tribes would the Corps of Discovery encounter?
8. Briefly describe the ritual performed by the Corps each time they encountered a new tribe.
Listen to the experts (Living History):
9.Who was Sacagawea, and how did she aid the expedition?
10. What kinds of animals did Lewis and Clark discover?
11.What is the larger historical significance of the expedition?
Monday, December 13, 2010
Concept Maps/ Mind Maps in the Classroom
Concept Maps:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concept_mapping
Wikipedia (Mindmapping)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mind_map
Concise Learning:
http://www.conciselearning.com/visualmapping
The Best Mind-Mapping Blogs:
http://thedailyreviewer.com/top/mind-mapping
Examples from Mywebspiration:
http://www.mywebspiration.com/examples/educators
Top 10 sites:
http://cyber-kap.blogspot.com/2010/05/top-10-sites-for-brainstormingmind.html
Friday, December 10, 2010
December 13-17
United States History:
Lewis and Clark online activity:
http://hansengeorge.blogspot.com/2010/12/lewis-and-clark-expedition-online.html
Lewis and Clark Online Activity (Do together as a class on the smartboard)
http://hansengeorge.blogspot.com/2010/12/lewis-and-clark-activity-pbs.html
Quotes about Making a Difference
Nobody can do everything, but everyone can do something. ~Author Unknown
You must be the change you wish to see in the world. ~Mahatma Ghandi
Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed. -Martin Luther King, Jr.
"Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented."- Elie Wiesel
“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” - Martin Luther King Jr.
The best way to cheer yourself is to try to cheer someone else up.
-Mark Twain
"Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable... Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals." -Martin Luther King, Jr.
'Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever does.' -Margaret Mead
You must be the change you wish to see in the world. ~Mahatma Ghandi
Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed. -Martin Luther King, Jr.
"Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented."- Elie Wiesel
“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” - Martin Luther King Jr.
The best way to cheer yourself is to try to cheer someone else up.
-Mark Twain
"Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable... Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals." -Martin Luther King, Jr.
'Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever does.' -Margaret Mead
Lewis and Clark Expedition (online activity)
Visit the site below. Answer the questions.
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/west/index.html
1. What year did Thomas Jefferson ask Lewis to undertake this expedition?
2. What were the goals of the expedition?
3. What will you take with you on your voyage? (enough food for the two year trip or plenty of paper?)
4. As you travel, you encounter many Native Americans. Name one tribe you encounter along the way.
5. Who was Charbonneau's teenage bride who undertook most of the voyage with you?
6. She is Shoshone, true or false?
7. Along the way, you must pass through which mountains?
8. You also must cross a number of rivers. Name one.
9. How do various Native American tribes help you along the way?
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/west/index.html
1. What year did Thomas Jefferson ask Lewis to undertake this expedition?
2. What were the goals of the expedition?
3. What will you take with you on your voyage? (enough food for the two year trip or plenty of paper?)
4. As you travel, you encounter many Native Americans. Name one tribe you encounter along the way.
5. Who was Charbonneau's teenage bride who undertook most of the voyage with you?
6. She is Shoshone, true or false?
7. Along the way, you must pass through which mountains?
8. You also must cross a number of rivers. Name one.
9. How do various Native American tribes help you along the way?
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Three Cups of Tea- Timeline Project
Illustrated TimelineUsing your storyboards as a guide, create a chronological timeline illustrating the events occurring in Three Cups of Tea. Use illustrations, clip art, and pictures taken from magazines to decorate your timeline. You may use graph paper or construction paper for your timeline.
You must include a minimum of twenty events and ten illustrations/clip art/pictures on your timeline.
Timelines must be neat and easy to read. I recommend typing your information on the computer, printing it out and gluing it on your graph paper or construction paper.
Your timelines will look like "road maps" in the shape of mountains (symbolic of both Greg's up and down struggles to accomplish his goals in Pakistan and Afghanistan and the mountainous countryside of the region.
Marbury v. Madison
Marbury v. Madison Jeopardy
People
*(100)President who attempted to preserve his philosophical legacy through a number of political appointments.
*(200)President John Adams' Secretary of State
*(300)Thomas Jefferson's Secretary of State
*(400)The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court who wrote the decision in Marbury v. Madison
*(500)The presidential election of 1800 was between ________ and ________.
Terms, etc.
*(100)The year Marbury v. Madison was decided
*(200)To strike down an act of Congress
*(300)The Supreme Law of the Land
*(400)A court order compelling a public official to take action or prohibiting a public official from taking an action
*(500)These officials tend to have less political power, as other elected officials are less inclined to cooperate with them
Law
*(100)The power to review laws and determine their Constitutionality
*(200)Article of the Constitution which describes and defines the role and responsibilities of the Judicial Branch
*(300)What did William Marbury want the Supreme Court to do?
*(400)Did the Supreme Court issue the ruling Marbury had hope for? Explain.
*(500)What three questions did the Court ask itself when deciding how to proceed in this case?
People
*(100)President who attempted to preserve his philosophical legacy through a number of political appointments.
*(200)President John Adams' Secretary of State
*(300)Thomas Jefferson's Secretary of State
*(400)The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court who wrote the decision in Marbury v. Madison
*(500)The presidential election of 1800 was between ________ and ________.
Terms, etc.
*(100)The year Marbury v. Madison was decided
*(200)To strike down an act of Congress
*(300)The Supreme Law of the Land
*(400)A court order compelling a public official to take action or prohibiting a public official from taking an action
*(500)These officials tend to have less political power, as other elected officials are less inclined to cooperate with them
Law
*(100)The power to review laws and determine their Constitutionality
*(200)Article of the Constitution which describes and defines the role and responsibilities of the Judicial Branch
*(300)What did William Marbury want the Supreme Court to do?
*(400)Did the Supreme Court issue the ruling Marbury had hope for? Explain.
*(500)What three questions did the Court ask itself when deciding how to proceed in this case?
Monday, December 6, 2010
Inspirational Quotes (Speak up/Stand up)
Don't think you're on the right road just because it’s a well-beaten path. ~Author Unknown
"Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented."- Elie Wiesel
He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
We must become the change we want to see in the world.
Mohandas Gandhi
'Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever does.' -Margaret Mead
He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
We must become the change we want to see in the world.
Mohandas Gandhi
'Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever does.' -Margaret Mead
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Quotes about speaking up....
"Stand before the people you fear and speak your mind -- even if your voice shakes." Maggie Kuhn"First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out—
because I was not a communist;
Then they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—
because I was not a socialist;
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—
because I was not a trade unionist;
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
because I was not a Jew;
Then they came for me—
and there was no one left to speak out for me."
— Martin Niemöller
Don't try to figure out what other people want to hear from you; figure out what you have to say. It's the one and only thing you have to offer."
~Barbara Kingsolver
A man who stands for nothing will fall for anything.
-Malcolm X
He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
History will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was not the strident clamor of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
"We may have found a cure for most evils; but it has found no remedy for the worst of them all—the apathy of human beings." -Hellen Keller
Freedom Writers Diary
First assignment:Find a quote about "finding your voice" or "speaking out." Create a poster including the quote and images that support the meaning of your quote.
Vocabulary Exercises: word search and crossword puzzle worksheets
Daily Journal Writing/Writing Prompts:
http://www.freedomwritersfoundation.org/site/c.kqIXL2PFJtH/b.2260037/k.93F0/Teacher_Tips.htm#prompts
Concept Map: setting, themes, characters of the book
Resources:
Freedom Writers Foundation:
Official Movie Site:
Friday, December 3, 2010
Lewis and Clark Resources
PBS (Lewis and Clark):
http://www.pbs.org/lewisandclark/into/index.html
Lewis and Clark Interactive Game:
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/west/
Scholastic Magazine Lewis and Clark Activity:
http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/lewis_clark/
http://www.pbs.org/lewisandclark/into/index.html
Lewis and Clark Interactive Game:
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/west/
Scholastic Magazine Lewis and Clark Activity:
http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/lewis_clark/
Creating a Storyboard (Three Cups of Tea)
Assignment:Create a storyboard for the book Three Cups of Tea. You will be required to draw and summarize at minimum one scene/passage from each chapter of the book.
Resources:
Time for Kids Storyboard Worksheet:
Storyboard Organizer Worksheet:
Scholastic Magazine Article on Storyboarding:
Scholastic Magazine Article (Differentiated Instruction and Storyboarding in the classroom):
Story Board Templates:
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
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