Thursday, June 18, 2009

Social 30/33 Question Forum

At the bottom of every blog post you should see a hyperlink for comments. Click on that hyperlink to make a comment.
A pop-up window will appear. Type your comment in the box (no limit on the number of questions at one time, nor is there a limit on the number of characters). Make sure that you use the format that I requested. I will not be answering anonymous questions. However, when it comes to "choosing an identity", please choose anonymous.
Once you've finished typing in your question, just click on the "Publish Your Comment" button. If you want to preview what you've typed, and maybe catch some typos, click on "Preview". I'll try to answer your questions as soon as possible.

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

June 16


I have posted your final marks in Social 20-1 in the hallway outside of my classroom. I am recommending that some of you take Social 30-2 next year, so you should be receiving a letter in the mail soon. You will probably have to make an appointment with your guidance counsellor to make the switch from 30-1 to 30-2. There were no failures on Part B of the Final Exam, but I'm sure that some of you may be disappointed with the results. Overall, the class average was a very strong and respectable 74%. Given the difficulty of this final exam, this is an outstanding result. No one got 90% or higher on the final. I do not send you results by e-mail or post it here on the blog, so if you want to see the mark breakdown, you must come to R4 and check it out for yourselves. I will be keeping the results posted outside my classroom throughout the exam break. You were an excellent class, and I hope to teach you again next year, although keep in mind that I won't be teaching Social 30-2 next year.

Saturday, June 13, 2009

Social 20-1 Question Forum

At the bottom of every blog post you should see a hyperlink for comments. Click on that hyperlink to make a comment.
A pop-up window will appear. Type your comment in the box (no limit on the number of questions at one time, nor is there a limit on the number of characters). Make sure that you use the format that I requested. I will not be answering anonymous questions. However, when it comes to "choosing an identity", please choose anonymous.
Once you've finished typing in your question, just click on the "Publish Your Comment" button. If you want to preview what you've typed, and maybe catch some typos, click on "Preview". I'll try to answer your questions as soon as possible.

Friday, June 12, 2009

June 12

I hope that the last day of classes went smoothly for all of you. I'm sorry that I couldn't be there for most of the week, but as you know, I was pretty sick. I'm feeling better now, I still have a nasty cough though (I don't have swine flu). Just some reminders for all of you:
  • Social 33 and Social 30 students: you have Part A of your Diploma Exam on Tuesday, June 16th (it will be written in computer labs and classrooms throughout the school, from 9:00-11:30). Bring your student ID cards.
  • Social 20-1 students: Part B of your Final Exam (100 multiple choice questions) will be written on June 16th from 9:00-11:00 in the Main Gym. Make sure you bring your student ID cards.
  • Social 20-1 students, please return your Exploring Nationalism textbooks on the day of the exam.
  • Social 20-1 students: please check your e-mail today, I will be sending you a Jeopardy! review game for Social 20-1 (it's too bad we didn't get a chance to play it in class, but it actually takes a bit of technical skill to pull off those games in class, and I didn't want to stress out the substitute teacher), also I will be including instructions in that e-mail message on how to post questions on the blog-- that's right, I'm allowing comments on the blog prior to your final exam and I will answer your questions--don't worry Social 30 and 33 students I'll do something similar for you prior to your Part B of the Diploma.
  • Social 30 and 33 students Part B of your Diploma Exam is on June 26th,from 9:00-11:30 in the Main Gym.

I just wanted to say that I really enjoyed teaching all of you this semester. I hope that you learned a lot over the course of the semester, and that maybe you had a few laughs as well. For my Grade 12 students, I hope that you maintain your focus and study for both parts of your final exam, and that you achieve the marks that you want. I will be in the school on Monday to post your school awarded marks (Grade 11 students, I won't be posting your marks until you've finished writing Part B of the Final Exam), or if you want to pop in to ask some questions face to face. For my Grade 11 students, you can come in also on Monday to ask questions, or you can simply post questions on the blog (please see instructions in the upcoming e-mail message). Also, Social 20-1 students, perhaps you will have me again in Social 30-1 next year. I am teaching one section of 30-1 in the first semester and one section in the second semester. I will not be teaching 30-2 next year. It was a pleasure teaching all of you this year!

Thursday, June 11, 2009

June 11


You wrote your in-class final exam today. Your school awarded mark for Social 30 will be posted outside my classroom early next week.


You were given multiple choice questions from Unit 3 today to practice on. If you aren't sure of the answers, send me an e-mail and I'll either post the answers on the blog, or send it out by e-mail.


You wrote your in-class final exam today. Your school awarded mark for Social 33 will be posted outside my classroom early next week.

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

June 10


Today was spent doing some review of writing position papers for the Diploma Exam. You were given some quotations that you could also incorporate into your essays as well. You have your in-class final exam tomorrow.


Today was a study and review period. I have sent you a review PowerPoint game on the Interwar Years and WWII that might be worth a look. You have your in-class final exam tomorrow.


You wrote the Part A of your Final Exam today, which took the whole period.

Tuesday, June 09, 2009

June 9


I gave you some Unit 2 Questions to practice on today (from Chapters 5-8 in the textbook Exploring Nationalism). I set the seating plan for the Part B of the Final Exam, which is on Tuesday, June 16th in the Main Gym. I?f you missed class today and want to know what seat you have been assigned, please send by an e-mail. I also posted your final course mark in Social 20-1, this will account for 70% of your mark in 20-1. Part A of your final exam (the essay) will count for 10% and the Part B (100 multiple choice) will count for the other 20%.


I finished off the Social 33 Review PowerPoint today, and I have sent it to you already. If you want to print it off to have a hard copy, make sure you print off 4-6 slides per page, because it is a massive PowerPoint presentation. If you know the material on this PowerPoint extremely well, you should do well on the Diploma Exam.


You wrote your Contemporary World Unit Final today. Please remember that you have your In-Class Final Exam (which covers Topic A and B) on Thursday, June 11th. It is 70 multiple choice questions. I also took in the practice exam that you wrote yesterday in class. I will be sending the answer key to this exam to you this week. Please check your e-mail tonight. I have sent you a list of past Diploma Exam questions that I would like you to print off and bring to class tomorrow.

Monday, June 08, 2009

June 8


I continued working my way through the Social 33 Review PowerPoint presentation. I'll be starting Topic B tomorrow in class. I also think that you should work on the Social 33 Review Exam that I have put on the school's X-drive. Look at the pictures below to see where this exam is located. The questions on this review exam are all past Social 33 Diploma Exam questions, so this is what you can expect on the final.





I gave you back your Unit 3 Position Papers today. Remember that you have your Final Exam Part A (in-class position paper) on Wednesday. I gave you some more time to work through some Unit 4 Chapter 16 multiple choice questions. I also gave you a practice Unit 1 Final Exam (please return these tomorrow). I will send you the answers by e-mail.



You wrote a practice Diploma Exam today with a partner (this was obviously not for marks). I will send the answers to you by e-mail tonight. Here is a link to the study guide for your Contemporary World Unit Final (which is tomorrow).

Friday, June 05, 2009

June 5


I started to review the entire Social 33 course with you today. I started delivering a PowerPoint presentation called "Social 33 Review", which I will eventually send to you. While I was going through this presentation you were to take some notes. We'll continue to do this on Monday and probably Tuesday as well. Please remember that you have your Social 33 In-Class Final Exam (Topics A and B) on Thursday, June 11th. I gave you the study guide yesterday, if you missed class yesterday, you need to get these notes from a classmate.



I gave you some updated marks in Social 20-1 (which could potentially change depending on your results on the Unit 3 Position Paper)and you had time to work on Unit 4 multiple choice questions. I also collected your Chapter 16 Key Terms and Questions.



I gave you a handout on key terms associated with the contemporary world and a glossary of key terms for Topic B. I also delivered a presentation entitled "Contemporary Economic Globalization" today, which I will be sending to you this afternoon. Please remember that you have your Contemporary World Unit Final on Tuesday, June 9th (please see the study guide here) and your In-Class Final Exam (which covers Topic A and Topic B)is on Thursday, June 11th (sorry no study guide here).

Thursday, June 04, 2009

June 4


We finished watching "Shake Hands with the Devil" today. Tomorrow, we'll be moving on to contemporary economic globalization. You could be reviewing for your Contemporary World Unit Final tonight. This unit final is on Tuesday, June 9th, and you can find the study guide here.



I did some homework checks at the beginning of class today. Your Chapter 16 Key Terms and Questions are due tomorrow. For the remainder of class, we worked in pairs on multiple choice questions from Unit 4 material (Chapters 13-16). We'll finish this off tomorrow.



We worked on on the Topic A and B Review Booklet for most of the period.I went over the answers to this booklet. I gave you the study guide for the Social 33 In-Class Final Exam in class today, so if you missed class today, you need to get the study guide notes from a classmate. I will not be posting this study guide on the blog or sending it to you by e-mail. This test is on Thursday, June 11th.

Wednesday, June 03, 2009

June 3

This is going to be a long post...

I gave you some notes on the post-Cold War world, specifically on Yugoslavia and Rwanda. I gave you a handout that provides you with a synopsis of key events of the 1990s, including the Persian Gulf War (1991), the civil war in Yugoslavia (1991-1995), the Rwandan Genocide (1994), the war in Kosovo (1999), the continuing conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, and conflict between India and Pakistan. You are responsible for reading and completing the questions in this booklet. We started watching "Shake Hands with the Devil" today, and we'll finish this off tomorrow. Make sure that you keep studying for your upcoming Contemporary World Unit Final (this is on June 9th), please see the study guide below. You also have an In-Class Final Exam that covers both Topic A and Topic B, and it's 70 multiple choice questions (this is on Thursday, June 11th). Sorry, no study guide for this one...review the entire course!

1. The Middle East:

  • review Chapter 12
  • review all summary notes on the Iran-Iraq War, Afghanistan and the Persian Gulf War
  • review Conflict in the Middle East handout (with timeline of Israeli-Palestinian Relations)
  • review Iran-Iraq War and Gulf War booklet
  • review summary notes on the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq
  • terrorism

2. China:

  • review Chapter 14
  • review notes packages/booklets on China
  • review key people/key events in China's recent history
  • review notes from the videos "One Man's Revolution" and "China Since Mao"

3. American Sphere of Influence:

  • review this chapter in your textbook (in my edition it's Chapter 15)
  • I gave you summary notes of Chapter 15, it's in the same package as the summary notes of Chapter 14 (China)
  • review booklet that covers American intervention in the Western Hemisphere (primarily in Central America) and other parts of the world, both during the Cold War and after

4. The End of the Cold War:

  • review collapse of communism in Eastern Europe and the USSR
  • German reunification
  • rise of nationalism and ethnic conflict in the Balkans/Yugoslavia
  • consequences of the collapse of communism on the contemporary world: unipolar world? multipolar world?

5. Post-Cold War Events in the Contemporary World:

  • Gulf War
  • Somalia
  • ethnic cleansing in former Yugoslavia (Bosnia)
  • Rwandan Genocide
  • tensions/conflict in the Middle East (Arabs and Israelis, Palestinians and Israelis)
  • Kosovo
  • tensions/conflict between India and Pakistan

6. Contemporary Economic Globalization:

  • freer trade/trade liberalization
  • development of economic trading blocs (EU, NAFTA, MERCOSUR)
  • global financial institutions (World Bank, IMF)
  • global trade regulation (WTO)
  • other important institutions (G8, G20)
  • Keynes, Hayek, Friedman
  • NGOs
  • pro-globalization/anti-globalization

7. The United Nations:

  • structure, organization and role of the United Nations on the international stage
  • voting procedures
  • criticisms
  • Security Council




I gave you a little bit of time to work on the Topic A and B Review Booklet (you will get a little bit of time to work on this tomorrow). I went through a PowerPoint presentation on the Diploma Exam Part A, which I have already sent to you. Here is your homework assignment for tonight:

At a public forum during a recent election campaign, four candidates were asked to respond to the following question:
What should the federal government do about the national debt?

Candidate #1: Despite the fact that the federal government has balanced its current budget, Canada is still almost $600 billion in debt. The government continues to provide too many services with taxpayers’ money. The government must stop regulating businesses and providing services that can be offered more efficiently by private enterprise. Individuals must have more economic freedom. The debt can be reduced without raising taxes

Candidate #2: Raising taxes will not solve the debt problem. The more taxes people pay, the less they spend as consumers. Government spending must be frozen at current levels and taxes must be cut for both individuals and corporations. With more money to spend, the economy will grow and unemployment rates will drop. If people are working, the government will spend less to support the unemployed. As wealth is created, the number of people on assistance will drop. With reduced government spending, the debt can be reduced more rapidly.


Candidate #3: Few people want to see an end to the social “safety net” or to pay more taxes. But most Canadians are reasonable and willing to make a deal with the government. Government can cut spending by becoming more efficient in delivering services, but health care, education, and financial support for those I need must be maintained. Now that the deficit has been eliminated, individuals and businesses must accept temporary tax increases to help pay off the debt. Everyone must work together.

Candidate #4: The survival of government-supported programs is essential. The government must increase taxes on wealthy citizens and corporations. Cutting government spending on social programs makes no sense. Cuts will hurt low-income people, making it harder for them to get ahead. The rich can afford higher taxes, especially if it means helping to preserve a healthy, well-educated workforce, and reducing the debt at the same time. Government spending is not the problem, generating more revenue is.

You have just left the public forum described in the proceeding page. Consider the candidate’s response.

Based on the candidates’ responses to the question,
“What should the federal government do about the national debt?” Who would get your vote?


Write a letter to the editor I which you:
  • Identify and explain your opinion
  • Give reasons to support your explanation

Reminders for Writing:

  • Plan your composition
  • Organize your ideas and support
  • Use blue or black ink for your written work
  • Correct any errors that you find in your writing

You wrote your Unit 3 Final Exam today. Please remember that your Chapter 14-15 Key Terms and Questions are due tomorrow for homework check marks, as are the last two PowerPoint presentations.

Tuesday, June 02, 2009

June 2


You wrote your Unit 3 In-Class Position Paper today in the Blenheim Room. You have your Unit 3 Final Exam tomorrow, here is the study guide. Your Chapter 14-15 Key Terms and Questions are due on Thursday.


I gave you a couple of handouts today on Contemporary World Events and we did an exercise on major global economic organizations today. We started working on a Topic A and B review booklet at the end of the period that we'll continue tomorrow.


I gave you three packages on China today (you are responsible for this material), and we watched a couple of videos and took notes on them. We watched "One Man's Revolution" and "China Since Mao". If you missed class today, make sure that you get these notes and information packages on China. I set some dates for exams today as well. Your Contemporary World Unit Final is on Tuesday, June 9th and your Topic A and Topic B Final Exam is on Thursday, June 11th. I gave you the Topic B Review Booklet today as well, so you need to start doing some review of the course now. I will post the study guide for the Contemporary World Unit Final tomorrow on the blog.

Monday, June 01, 2009

June 1

Welcome to June, and the last 10 classes of the 2008-2009 school year.



We started looking at the Middle East today. I gave you two very important handouts today, one was entitled "Conflict in the Middle East" which outlined major groups, major countries, importance of the Middle East in the contemporary world, and reasons for conflict. On the back side of this handout, there is a timeline of Israeli-Palestinian relations, and I emphasized certain key events and dates from this timeline that you must know for your Diploma Exam. I went over the answers to the worksheet that you worked on today, called "The Superpowers and the Middle East".



I went through the last PowerPoint presentation for Unit 4 today it's called "Regional Disparity in Canada". I will be sending this presentation to you today, please print it off and add it to your notes. I'll be doing a double homework check to see if you have printed off the last two PowerPoint presentations in Thursday's class. You have your Unit 3 Position Paper tomorrow (in the Blenheim Room), and your Unit 3 Final Exam on Wednesday (here is a link to the study guide, scroll down to find it).



We finished watching "Why We Fight" today. Make sure that you have read Chapter 14 for tomorrow's class, and make sure that you have taken notes on key concepts and people in that section of the textbook.