Friday, June 10, 2011

Social 30-1 Question Forum

If you have any questions that you'd like me to answer prior to the Diploma Exam Part A or B, simply comment in this question forum. Click on "Comments", post your question, and make sure that you put your initials at the end of the question.
For example,
"What were the major decisions made at the Yalta Conference?"
K.G. Social 30-1 Period 3

Thanks! Good luck on all of your Diploma Exams!

Social 10-1 Question Forum

If you have any questions that you'd like me to answer prior to the Final Exam Part B, simply comment in this question forum. Click on "Comments", post your question, and make sure that you put your initials at the end of the question.
For example,
"What's the difference between integration and accommodation?"
K.G. Social 10-1

FINAL MARKS in Social 10-1 have been posted outside my classroom. When you check your mark, please note that it is the mark that is highlighted yellow, and that, yes, I do round those numbers.

The class average on Part B was 81%, so congratulations! Hopefully you are happy with your individual mark. I do not post your marks on the blog, nor do I send them to you by e-mail. The next time that you're in the school, swing by Room 111 to check your marks. Have a great summer, and good luck on all of your other exams!

Wednesday, June 08, 2011

June 8

You wrote your Trial Final today, which took most of the period. These exams have been marked already, so you'll get the results tomorrow.

You wrote Part A of your Final Exam in class today, which took about 65 minutes of the period. I also gave you your seat assignment for the Final Exam Part B. The Final Exam Part B counts for 15% of your final grade in Social 10-1, with Part A counting for 10% of the grade. Most of you will be writing Part B in the Main Gym on Monday from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Tuesday, June 07, 2011

June 7

You wrote your Chapter 15-16 Test today, which took most of the period. Make sure that you review how to write a three source analysis assignment (WRA I) because that is what tomorrow's Part A of the Final Exam will be like. Make sure that know the structure and organization of a WRA I. You will have 60 minutes to write this assignment and we will be doing it in class time. Your Chapter 18-19 Key Terms and Questions are due on Friday.

We focused in on preparing for the WRA I of the 30-1 Diploma Exam. We used as an example the January 2010 Diploma Exam WRA I. You broke into small groups of 4-5 to put together a detailed outline of what a WRA I would look like. Once again you'll get copies of these outlines. I'll be giving these out tomorrow. Keep in mind that they won't use these sources again, the idea was to practice writing/planning a WRA I, emphasizing organization, structure and key concepts of the course. Your Trial Final is tomorrow, so make sure that you review, since the Trial Final wipes out your lowest mark. Make sure that the Trial Final isn't your lowest mark!

Monday, June 06, 2011

June 6

I went through a PowerPoint presentation today called "The Effects of Globalization on Individuals and Communities". I will be sending this presentation to you tonight, along with the Social 10-1 Final Exam Study Guide. Your Chapter 17 Key Terms and Questions are due tomorrow. Your Chapter 15-16 Test is tomorrow, please see the study guide here. Part A of your Final Exam is on Wednesday, make sure that you review how to write a three source analysis.

I gave back all your essays from the entire semester. I broke you up into small groups of 4-5 to write a group outline based on the January 2011 Diploma Exam WRA II.  I'll scan the outlines that you wrote in class and send you a copy of them tomorrow. Please remember that you have your Trial Final on Wednesday, please use the Social 30-1 Study Guide that I gave you to study for it. Remember, the Trial Final wipes out your lowest mark. I'll post your exam marks tomorrow and then you can make a decision as to which test you're going to wipe out.

Friday, June 03, 2011

June 3

We watched a short video from the CBC News in Review series called "Rising Food Prices Threaten Millions". As you watched this video you were to complete the video study guide that went along with it. Please make sure that you read the information in the booklet as well. I also went through a PowerPoint presentation that looked at the "Biofuel Controversy". This lecture centered on the advantages and disadvantages of the development of biofuels such as ethanol in the United States and Brazil. I have sent this PowerPoint to you already. Your Chapter 15-16 Test is on Tuesday, June 7th, and you can find the study guide here. Part A of your Final Exam will be on Wednesday, June 8th. Part A is a WRA I three source analysis assignment that you will have 60 minutes to write.

I went through parts of two different essay outlines today, one on active citizenship and the other centered around individualism vs. collectivism. I have sent these essay outlines to you already. I have also sent you the Social 30-1 Diploma Exam Study Guide and a chart filled with a comparison between the old Social 30 essay prompts and how easy it is to change it into a Social 30-1 text-based source for a WRA II essay. I did a homework check on your Chapter 13 and 14 booklet today as well. Please study for your Social 30-1 Trial Final (it's on Wednesday, June 8th) using the study guide that I have sent to you. Please check yesterday's post for some links to materials that are designed to help review for the Diploma Exam.

Thursday, June 02, 2011

June 2

We worked on an essay outline for a political-themed essay today in class. I will be sending the outline that both my Period 3 and 4 classes put together. I'll also send you the outlines that previous semester classes put together. Tomorrow, we'll look at what an individualism vs. collectivism and an active citizenship essay might look like. It might be a good idea to start reviewing for not only your Trial Final (which is on June 8th), but also your Diploma Exam. When preparing for Part A it might be a good idea to look at the official Alberta Government preparation guide (here's the link for the 30-1 guide, and here's the link for the 30-2 guide), as well as Student Writing Samples from previous Diploma Exams (here's the 30-1 January 2010 sample, and the 30-2 January 2010 sample, as well as the 30-1 January 2011 sample and the 30-2 January 2011 sample) so you have an idea of what the markers are looking for in your writing.

  • Social 30-1 Trial Final is on Wednesday, June 8th
We finished watching "Blood Diamond" today in class. There is a film study that goes along with this film which is due tomorrow. There was a comment on the blog the other day about the link to the Amnesty International article not working, and I checked it out and the article that is on the Amnesty site does not deal with all of the topics in Part 2 of the film study. Here's what I'd like you to do instead: Click on this link to a PDF document. On page 3 of this document, you'll find answers to some of the questions in Part 2. Also, you can look into the Kimberly Process here. You can also learn more about the RUF here. If  you are interested in learning more about what it was like being a child soldier during the conflict in Sierra Leone, I can highly recommend the book A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah, it is an excellent book. You can hear Ismael Beah speak in the video below about child soldiers from Human Rights Watch. There's a lot going on in the world that you may not always hear about on the nightly news. Romeo Dallaire's latest book They Fight Like Soldiers, They Die Like Children, also looks at the issue of child soldiers, and is also highly recommended. I challenge you to learn more about natural resource-fuelled conflict in the world today. These are problems that are still being dealt with. Here is a link to your Chapter 15-16 Test Study Guide.