Gary Coyle’s Grade 8 Humanities

Significant Items Covered:

• Feedback- What are the three most valuable things you have learned during the population project process?
• Technology and The Future Literature Circles (1, 2 and 3)
• School and the Future Discussion
• Jigsaw –How Internet Based Technology Works
• Where Do I Stand on Technology?

Reflection –

BLOG clean-up and catch-up and comment.

At this point you should have the following posts on your BLOG . As part of your Quarter 4 grade I will begin evaluating BLOGs on May 15 so please make sure you are up to date at that point. You will also need to select what you think is your best comment and e-mail it to me to evaluate by that date.

1. End of Q3 Feedback
2. Evaluating Vonnegut Quote
3. What is Technology (Most and least useful)
4. Blogging cartoon analysis
5. Population Project Work Plan
6. The Net Effect of Globalization
7. Most valuable things learned from Population Project

Please take some time today to catch-up, clean-up and comment to others.

Major Points From Last Week

• Population Project Worktime
  • Writing and evaluating intros and conclusions
  • Conferencing regarding outlines

Reflection

Please analyze the above cartoon and post your ideas to your BLOG. As part of your analysis please address the following questions:

1. What are the main visual elements?
2. What issue is this cartoon about?
3. What is the cartoonist’s opinion on this issue?
4. What evidence in the cartoon supports your opinion on how the cartoonist feels?
5. Why is this cartoon ironic?
6. How does this cartoon relate to our study of technology and the future?
7. What other techniques could the cartoonist have used to make this cartoon more persuasive?

Image from: www.sandiegohomeblog.com

Major Items Covered

• Human Rights
  • Mini-UDHR
  • Human Rights in the News Activity
  • Video-UN and How it Functions
• Grammar – Sentence Problems, Semi-colons
• Intro Short Stories
• Read Aloud – Harrison Bergeronand Plot Pyramid
• Read Aloud– The Euphio Question and Plot Pyramid
• BLOG Journal – Evaluating Vonnegut quote
• Share Non-Conflict Poems
• View – Epicac

Reflection:

Please respond to the following with a thoughtful entry to your blog.

1. What is technology?
2. What are the 5 most and 5 least important technologies used today?
3. How do you feel about the amount of and use of technology at AES?

image from www.frc.ri.cmu.edu

Major Points From Last Week:

• Flashpoint Digital Story Wrap-Up
• Genocide Fishbowl discussion
• Video Clips – Hotel Rwanda / Killing Fields
• The Question of Israel
• Human Rights
• UDHR

Reflection

Please post your response to the following in your BLOG.

Go back and review your goals for quarter three in humanities. These can be found in the January Archive of your BLOG in a posting titled,” End of Quarter 2 Feedback”. Evaluate how well you have achieved those goals. Include specific evidence from the quarter to validate your evaluation.

In addition to your evaluation please create three specific goals that you have for quarter four in humanities. Remember that a good goal is realistic, measurable and specific. List them at the end of this BLOG entry. Please title this entry: End of Quarter 3 Feedback

Image from http://joefelso.files.wordpress.com

Major Points From Last Week:

• Feedback- Comment Fest III
• View – Animal Farm Part II
• Lecture – Causes of WWII and Brainpop video
• Grammar-Sentence Combining II
• WW II – Web Scavenger Hunt and share answers
• Grammar-Sentence Combining III
• Hitler
  • Clip from Triumph of the Will
  • Brainpop
• Interactive Maps and a Timeline of WWII

Reflection

Please post to your BLOG your response to ONE of the following discussions that you found the most meaningful.

1. Anne Frank and her family were German refugees who resettled and tried to build their lives in the Netherlands. Although the Franks were proud of their German heritage, their feelings toward Germany became very complicated during the war. Anne wrote: “Fine specimens of humanity, those Germans, and to think I’m actually one of them! No. that’s not true, Hitler took away our nationality long ago. And besides, there are no greater enemies on earth than the Germans and Jews.” (October 9, 1942.)Although Anne had lived in the Netherlands since 1934, she did not become a Dutch citizen. Did Anne have a nationality? If not, were Anne’s civil rights protected by any nation? By 1939 some 250,000 Jews, half of Germany’s Jewish population, had fled their homeland. Did these refugees have any guaranteed rights?
2. In The New York Times the writer Anna Quindlen asked, “Would our understanding of the Holocaust be quite the same if Anne Frank had not taken a small plaid diary into hiding with her?” Respond to this question and explain your answer.
3. In her diary Anne opined: “…if you’re wondering if it’s harder for the adults here than for the children, the answer is no…Older people have an opinion about everything and are sure of themselves and their actions. It’s twice as hard for us young people to hold on to our opinions at a time when ideals are being shattered…” (July 15, 1944.) Do you agree or disagree with this quote? When was the last time that you experienced the “shattering” of an ideal?
4. Anne Frank wrote: “I don’t believe the war (World War II) is simply the work of politicians and capitalists. Oh no, the common man is every bit as guilty; otherwise, people and nations would have rebelled long ago!” (May 3, 1944.)The Nazis needed Dutch collaborators to carry out their fascist decrees. What would have influenced someone to become a collaborator? What factors would have encouraged someone to join the resistance? Do you think these factors were based on personal characteristics or political beliefs? How should accountability for wars be assigned? So many say they never understood what was happening. How likely could that have been?

*Questions synthesized from ReadingGroupGuides.com