February 29

Social 10

You wrote your Unit 1 Writing Assignment in class today. If you missed today's class, you need to have a parent give me a phone call to confirm that it was an excused absence. This writing assignment will count fairly heavily until we do more in-class writing assignments. The goal is to have you write these in-class writing assignments in preparation for the Part A of your final exam in June. You have your Unit 1 Final Exam on Tuesday, March 4th. It is 55 multiple choice questions. Here is the study guide (scroll down to find it). This is your weekend to prepare and review key concepts and case studies from Unit 1 (Chapters 1-5 material). You will get the results back from your Chapter 3-4 Quiz on Monday, I finished marking them today.

Social 33

You wrote your Democracy Unit Final today in class. I have marked the multiple choice section already, and so far, so good. Hopefully, I will be able to mark the writing assignments this weekend so you can get the results back for this important unit final. Please remember that you have your Political Cartoon Analysis Assignment due on Thursday. If you want to relax, this would be a good weekend to do it, since you have no other homework! Have a great weekend!

February 28

Social 33

I gave you an assignment today that is due next Thursday. It requires you to analyze a political cartoon and write an analysis of it. I gave you a handout with some information about how to analyze political cartoons as well. I will be sending you an example of an analysis of a political cartoon so you can see what my expectations might be for this assignment. You can, of course, find political cartoons in the local newspapers, but you can also find some online. Here are some great hyperlinks for finding political cartoons:

• The Chronicle Herald (Halifax, Nova Scotia; Bruce MacKinnon)
• Calgary Sun (TAB)
• Patrick Corrigan Political Cartoons
• The Daily News (DeAdder)
• Aislin (The Montreal Gazette)
• Ottawa Sun (Dewar)
• Cartoon Link
• Brian Gable (Globe and Mail)
• MacKay Editorial Cartoons
• Daryl Cagle's Professional Cartoonists Index
• Today's Best Cartoons
  

I would select a contemporary political cartoon (nothing older than say 5 years), it will just make you job of analyzing the cartoon easier.
I also gave you a worksheet which is due tomorrow. You are to complete Activity 5 and 6 for homework, with your answers on a separate piece of paper. Please remember that your Democracy Unit Final is tomorrow, here is the study guide (scroll down to find it).

Social 10

You wrote your Chapter 3-4 Quiz today in class. I also collected your "Bend It Like Beckham" film studies. Your Chapter 5 Key Terms and Questions are due tomorrow. I will be taking them in for a homework check. Tomorrow, you will write an in-class assignment in which you will analyze three sources. This is practice for Part A that you will write in June (however, it will count for marks). You have your Unit 1 Final Exam next week, on Tuesday, March 4th. Here is the study guide (scroll down to find it).

February 27

Social 10

We finished watching "Bend It Like Beckham" today. Your "Bend It Like Beckham" film study booklet is due tomorrow. You have your Chapter 3-4 Quiz tomorrow, here is the study guide. You will write your Unit 1 Part A Writing Assignment (in class analysis of three sources) on Friday. I went through an example Part A today in class, and gave you a rubric for it.

Upcoming Important Dates for Social 10 Students:

• "Bend It Like Beckham" Film Study is due tomorrow
• Chapter 3-4 Quiz is tomorrow (February 28th)
• Unit 1 Part A Writing Assignment (in-class analysis of three sources)
• Unit 1 Final Exam is on Tuesday, March 4th
  

Unit 1 Final Exam Study Guide:

Unit 1 Final Exam will be Tuesday, March 4th. The format for the exam is entirely multiple choice. It will consist of 55 multiple choice questions, 60-65% of the questions will be "source-based" questions, while the remainder will be simply knowledge and comprehension style questions. In other words, the source-based questions will use political cartoons, timelines, a chart or diagram, a graph, a reading, a photo or a map, and you will have answer questions related to that source. The source-based questions will be difficult to prepare for. You must have a firm grasp of the concepts and key terms that were introduced in Unit 1, because that will allow you to apply the knowledge that you have to answer the multiple choice questions.
Please study your key terms from Chapters 1-5, and the topics covered in that unit.

1. Key Terms/Key Concepts in Unit 1:

• globalization
• pluralistic society
• transnationals
• society
• “the global village”
• United Nations
• G-8
• La Francophonie
• NATO
• individual identity
• collective identity
• traditions
• minority group
• official bilingualism
• universalization of pop culture
• hybridization
• media transnationals
• media consolidation
• CBC/SRC
• Official Languages Act
• CRTC
• Canadian Content (CanCon)
• homogenization
• monoculture
• assimilation
• marginalization
• accommodation
• secularism
• integration
• cosmopolitan
• acculturation
• cultural revitalization
• Charter of Rights and Freedoms

2. Know your case studies extremely well!

3. Be able to apply key concepts! (see comments above)

Social 33

I gave you a worksheet that compared fascism and communism. We also watched an A&E Biography Benito Mussolini for the remainder of the class. While watching the video you should have taken notes on the techniques of dictatorship used by Mussolini. Please remember that your Democracy Unit Final is on Friday, February 29th. Here is the study guide.

February 26

Social 33

We watched a video called "The Wave" today. while we were watching the video I asked you to take notes on the techniques of dictatorship that you saw in the film. I also collected your Activity 3 worksheets on dictatorships. You'll get these back tomorrow. You should be reviewing the Democracy Unit tonight, the Democracy Unit Final is on Friday, here is the study guide.

Social 10

We continued watching "Bend It Like Beckham" today in class. We'll be finishing it off tomorrow. Please remember that you have your Chapter 3-4 Quiz on Thursday, the study guide is here. Tomorrow I will be teaching you how to write Part A of your Social 10-1 Final Exam by giving you an example. You will be writing one of these assignments in class on Friday. Also, if you haven't posted on your group blog, or haven't invited me to read it yet, please do so. I will be setting a deadline for this tomorrow in class.

February 25

Social 10

I went through a presentation to day that covered the Challenges and Opportunities of Globalization. This presentation corresponds to Chapters 4 and 5 in your textbook Perspectives on Globalization. As I went through this lecture, you were to take notes on the presentation on a concept web handout. If you missed today's class, you will need to get these notes from a classmate, I do not send this presentation out. We then started our film study of the film "Bend it Like Beckham". This film covers quite nicely a lot of the key concepts in Chapters 4 and 5. We'll hopefully be able to finish the film in class tomorrow. There are a few students and groups who have no invited me to view their blogs or have no posted to their group blog yet. Please do so in the next few days, I'll remind you of this tomorrow in class. For your first blog post, I will be doing a homework check on it very soon.

Upcoming Important Dates for Social 10 Students:

• Chapter 3-4 Quiz is on Thursday, February 28th (matching, short answer format; here is the study guide)
• Unit 1 Writing Assignment (in-class; analyze and interpret three sources) is on Friday, February 29th
  
  

Social 33

To start today's class I acted like a dictator to introduce our unit on dictatorships. I also gave some handouts on techniques of dictatorships and types of dictatorships. One of these handouts, Activity 3, is due tomorrow. Please don't forget that you have your Democracy Unit Final this Friday, here is the study guide.

February 22

Social 10

You wrote your Chapter 1-2 Quiz today in class, it took most of the period. I returned your Chapter 3 Key Terms and Questions as well today. Please make sure that you post on your group blog, and send me an e-mail to invite me to read it. I have commented on some of the postings, but not all of them yet. I'll talk about this again on Monday. I assigned the Chapter 4 Key Terms and Questions for homework for Monday.

Upcoming Important Dates for Social 10 Students:

• Chapter 4 Key Terms and Questions due Monday, February 25th
• Chapter 3-4 Quiz is on Thursday, February 28th (matching, short answer format)
• Unit 1 Writing Assignment (in-class; analyze and interpret three sources) is on Friday, February 29th

Chapter 3-4 Quiz Study Guide:

• Know the key terms from Chapter 3-4
• Be able to answer the Questions for Inquiry in Chapters 3-4 (they appear on p.49, p.53, p.58, p.73, p.80)
• Know relevant case studies from Chapters 3-4: the Francophones, the Aborigines and the Lubicon, as well as other relevant examples related to assimilation, marginalization, accommodation and integration
  
  

Social 33

I covered two major concepts related to voting in democratic systems today: first past the post (FPTP) and proportional representation (PR). We also finished watching the Simpsons episode from yesterday's class. Please remember that you have your Democracy Unit Final next Friday, here is the study guide (copy and paste this into Word, and print it off, use this to focus your studying).

February 21

Social 33

You wrote your Democracy Quiz at the beginning of class today. I had you finish the reading that I gave you towards the end of class yesterday on different types of democratic systems. Next, I gave you time to do a reading on political groups and the media. At the end of class we watched a little bit of an episode of "The Simpsons". See you tomorrow!

Social 10

I collected your Chapter 3 Key Terms and Questions at the beginning of class. You completed your web awareness activity today. Also, you set up a group blog. This took longer than expected, probably in part due to the location, it would have been better if we were in a computer lab. At any rate, I've received invitations to read a few blogs. Here are the groups/individuals that I've heard from so far:

• Gibson
• David B's group
• Rachel's group
• Dimitrije's group
• Jason

There are several groups and individuals that I haven't heard from yet. So if you're one of them, please send the invitation to read your blog again and then I'll update who I have heard from here on my blog. Your first post on your blog is due tomorrow, so please make sure that you post and invite me to read your blog as well. If you were not in class today, you might be able to join a group still, so don't set up a blog just yet.

Please remember that you have your Chapter 1-2 Quiz tomorrow, the study guide is here.

February 20

Social 10

I collected your Illustrated Concept Maps and Written Descriptions today at the beginning of class. I went through some notes on media transnationals (if you were away today, you'll need to get these notes from a classmate) and then I gave you the remainder of class time (about 35 minutes) to work on your Chapter 3 Key Terms and Questions, which are due tomorrow. Please don't forget that you have your Chapter 1-2 Quiz on Friday, here is the study guide.

Social 33

I gave you a reading comparing the American and Canadian political systems, and you were to complete a chart based on the reading. We went over the answers to the chart in class. I also gave you some other readings on the democratic forms of government as well today.

In studying for your Democracy Quiz, which is tomorrow, please use the study guide that I've put together for your Democracy Unit Final. Think of the Democracy Quiz as a tune-up for the unit final down the road.

Upcoming Important Dates

• Democracy Quiz is on Thursday, February 21st
• Democracy Unit Final is on Friday, February 29th
  
  
  

February 19

Social 33

I collected your Chapter 4 booklets again for a homework check on the American section, as well as taking in the Canadian Government Internet Reearch Assignment. I gave out some handouts on the American government system today, and I had you add some notes to these handouts as we went through them together. On Thursday (February 21st) you will have a short Democracy Quiz. On Friday, February 29th you will have your Democracy Unit Final. Here is the study guide for that unit final:

Democracy Unit Final Study Guide:

25 multiple choice questions (from past Diploma Exams) and 1 writing assignment
Key Concepts/Key People/Key Terms:

• Thomas Hobbes
• John Locke
• political spectrum
• radicals
• moderates
• liberals
• conservatives
• reactionaries
• absolute monarchy
• dictatorship
• democracy
• fascism
• communism
• anarchy
• rule by many
• rule by few/elites
• direct democracy
• representative democracy
• first past the post
• proportional representation
• universal suffrage
• majority rule
• minority rights
• Canadian Constitution
• Charter of Rights and Freedoms
• political parties
• media
• interest groups

2. Advantages/Disadvantages of Direct Democracy (ppt)
3. Advantages/Disadvantages of Representative Democracy (ppt)
4. Techniques/Characteristics of a Democracy (ppt)
5. Canadian Political System:(handouts)

• executive, legislative, judicial branches of government (roles)
• Prime Minister and Cabinet (which branch? what roles/responsibilities do they have?)
• Leader of the Official Opposition (roles/responsibilities)
• the Queen and the Governor General (roles/responsibilities)
• MPs in the House of Commons (roles/responsibilities)
• the House of Commons and the Senate (which is elected? which is appointed? what is the purpose of the Senate? which branch do they belong to?)

6. American Political System:(handouts)

• executive, legislative, judicial branches of government (roles)
• checks and balances in the U.S. system of government
• separation of powers
• President and Cabinet (which branch? what roles/responsibilities do they have?)
• the House of Representatives/Congressmen (roles/responsibilities)
• the Senate/Senators (roles/responsibilities)
• different terms in office, voting methods for President (4 yrs), House of Representatives (2 yrs), and the Senate (6 yrs) --WHY?

7. Political Spectrum (know it VERY well), print off Ideology notes from the blog (check under Social 33 links)

Social 10

We finished watching "Whale Rider" in class, and then we went through the film study questions together as a class. I went over some questions and concerns that you had about the Illustrated Concept Map Assignment and specific questions about the written description that should go along with the concept map. Tomorrow, we'll be talking a bit about media transnationals.

Upcoming Important Dates for Social 10 Students:

• Illustrated Concept Map Assignment is due tomorrow (February 20th)
• Chapter 1-2 Quiz is on February 22nd (here is the study guide)

February 13

Social 10

I gave you the results of your World Geography Test that you wrote yesterday. I collected and handed back your homework: the Chapter 2 Key Terms and Questions. We then started our film study of "Whale Rider" which we will finish on Tuesday. Please remember that you have your Illustrated Concept Map Assignment due on Wednesday, February 20th. Please check your e-mail because I am sending out the marking guide for this assignment. Also, on February 22nd you will write your Chapter 1-2 Quiz, here is the study guide for this quiz:

• Study your Chapter 1 and 2 Key Terms
• Review the case studies from the textbook in Chapters 1 and 2, specifically the Metis, the Francophones, the Hmong, and the Maori
• Be prepared to answer any of the "Questions for Inquiry" from Chapters 1 and 2 (they are on the following pages: p.9, p.14, p.20, p.29, p.35, p.39)
  

Social 33

I went over the structure of Canadian government at the beginning of class, and went through how a bill becomes a law, and gave you an assignment (Canadian Government Internet Assignment) that is due on Tuesday, February 19th. Also due on Tuesday, the American section of the Chapter 4 booklet (most of you have already finished this homework in class).

February 12

Social 33

You wrote your Introduction to Political Systems Test today in class. After you finished this test you were suposed to work on your Chapter 4 question booklet. The Canadian section of this booklet is due tomorrow in class. The American section is due on Tuesday, February 19th. If you finished the Canadian section off in class, then you have no homework. See you tomorrow.

Social 10

You wrote your World Geography Test today in class. I then gave you an assignment sheet for your first major project in 10-1: the Illustrated Concept Map. This project is due on Wednesday, February 20th. I gave you some time to work in small groups brainstroming the interconnections between the concepts that must appear on the concept map. I also did a homework check today on the Chapter 1 Key Terms and Questions. Your Chapter 2 Key Terms and Questions are due tomorrow. If you have them finished: work on your Illustrated Concept Map Assignment...don't leave this until the last minute, work on it a bit every night!

February 11

Social 10

I collected your first writing assignment today at the beginning of class. If you didn't hand it in today it is now late and subject to a late penalty of 10% per day, that is of course unless you had an excused absence today. You have your World Geography Test tomorrow, so please make sure that you study for it (there are some helpful links on Friday's post to help study for this test). Also, your Chapter 1 Key Terms and Questions will be due tomorrow, and your Chapter 2 Key Terms and Questions will be due on Wednesday as well.

Social 33

I went over a "Democracy" Powerpoint presentation in class today. I will be sending this presentation off to you tonight, so please make sure that you let me know if you don't receive it (check your junk mail folders too, just in case it ends up there). I gave you a handout on characteristics of a democracy that you took some notes on, and then I gave you the Chapter 4 booklet that you'll be working on tomorrow after you have completed the Introduction to Political Systems Test (please see the study guide here, scroll down to find the study guide).

February 8

Social 10

I gave you a little bit of time to have your rough drafts peer edited at the beginning of class. I also gave you a list of countries and major cities that will appear on your World Geogrpahy Test. For the remainder of class you should have been working on completing Chapter 1 Key Terms and Questions from the Unit 1 Worksheet. Here are some good hyperlinks to geography games:

• How Well Do You Know Your World?
• Test Your Geography Knowledge
• Maps.com Online Games

Please see the list of important dates below.

Upcoming Important Dates for Social 10 Students:

• Writing Assignment: Global Connections is due on Monday, February 11th (good copy: either typed or printed in blue or black ink)
• World Geography Test is on Tuesday, February 12th
• Chapter 1 Key Terms and Questions are due on Tuesday, February 12th
  
  

Social 33

You wrote your first Social 33 quiz today, and it was on Individualism and Collectivism. The results were very good. I gave you the remainder of class time to complete Chapter 3 Q2-7 from page 28 in the textbook A Changing World. These questions are due for homework on Monday, but it looked like most of you finished it in class. Please have a look at the upcoming importatn dates below, as well as the study guide for your test on Tuesday.

Introduction to Political Systems Test Study Guide:

1. Key Concepts/Key People:

• ideology
• government
• politics
• to govern
• economics
• individualism
• collectivism
• fascism
• conservatism
• liberalism
• radical
• conservative
• reactionary
• liberal
• absolute monarchy
• democratic socialism
• communism
• representative government
• Thomas Hobbes (ideas/beliefs)
• John Locke (ideas/beliefs)
• norms
• mores
• rule by few/elites (dictatorships)
• rule by many (democracies)

2. Political Spectrum:

• similarities/differences between groups
• values supported by each group (radical, liberal, conservative, reactionary)
• placement on spectrum of various groups
  

3. Forms of Government:

• advantages/disadvantages of each type of government that we have examined (absolute monarchy, democratic socialism, communism, representative government, fascism)
  

Test Format:
30 multiple choice questions
1 writing assignment (letter to the editor on a particular issue, information is given to help you write your letter)

Upcoming Important Dates for Social 33 Students:

• Chapter 3 Questions (Q 2-7 page 28) are due on Monday, February 11th


• Introduction to Political Systems Test (see study guide above) is on Tuesday, February 12th

February 7

Social 33

We went over some more concepts related to the political spectrum today. You worked with a partner trying to determine where to place radicals, liberals, conservatives and reactionaries on a spectrum. We also looked at similarities and differences between radicals and reactionaries, and between fascism and communism. You have two pieces of homework tonight.

• Go to Social 33 Links and double click on the hyperlink called Political Spectrum: Ideology Notes. Print off the PDF file that pops up.
• Go to http://www.politicalcompass.org/ and click on the hyperlink on the left-hand side of the website labeled "Take the Test". Take the survey, and print off the grid results. Bring this grid to class tomorrow, so we can share the results.

Social 10

We did some small group brainstorming about our positive and negative effects on the world, and the positive and negative effects that the world has on us. We shared our ideas as a class, and then I had you write an introductory paragraph on the following topic: "What are my effects on the world?" hopefully, you got this introductory paragraph peer edited. I'm setting aside a little time tomorrow for peer editing, so it's a good idea to write a roguh draft on this informative essay tonight so it can be edited by a peer tomorrow. Also tomorrow, I'll be giving you the study guide for the World Geography Test that you're writing on Tuesday, February 12th. Also, I'll be giving you some time to work on your Unit 1 Worksheet tomorrow.

February 6

Social 10

You had the entire period to work on your map, it is due tomorrow. Please make sure that you have it completed! Here are some reminder instructions for the map:

• People on the map should be represented by circles, color the circles and make sure there is a number beside each circle
• Make sure that you have colored the 25 different countries (color the entire country), these countries represent the 25 items that you found for homework last night
• Make sure that you have labeled every country that you or a classmate has a connection to
• Choose different colors to represent your different categories (food, clothing, electronics, entertainment)
• Make sure that you have a detailed key on the back of your map
• Make sure that you have a title for your map
• Make sure that you have a simplified key on the front of your map

Here is a useful hyperlink to an online atlas, it's called World Atlas.com , this website is useful if you know what continent the country that you're looking for is located. If you don't know the continent, there is also a "Find Any Country Here" hyperlink that will take you to a scroll down menu which would be useful. Have a look at the picture from the website below if you're not sure where the hyperlink is located. Happy country hunting!

Please make sure that you bring your copy of Perspectives on Globalization to class tomorrow.

Social 33

I talked a little bit about the origins of the political sprectrum today in class. We then watched a video called "Forms of Government: What's the Score?" and filled out a worksheet to go with it. This video introduced you to different forms of government that can be grouped into two broad categories: rule by many (democratic socialism, representative democracy) and rule by few (absolute monarchy, communism, and fascism). We'll be continuing to look at the political spectrum tomorrow. Please remember that you have homework tonight: Ideas About Political Organization (worksheet) is due tomorrow. Also, please remember that you have an Individualism and Collectivism Quiz on Friday.

February 5

Social 33

Today we moved on to looking at the concepts of individualism and collectivism. You will be having a quiz on this topic on Friday. I will be sending out the two presentations that we have done in class later on this afternoon, so please check your e-mail (possibly even in your junk mail folder if you have a Hotmail account). If you don't receive these presentations please send me an e-mail and I will send them out to you. You also have some homework from the textbook A Changing World which is due on Thursday, February 7th, so please make sure that you complete it.

Upcoming Important Dates for Social 33 Students:

• Ideas About Political Organization (worksheet) is due on Thursday, February 7th
• Individualism and Collectivism Quiz is on Friday, February 8th
  
  

Social 10

I gave you some organizational webs at the beginning of class to show you the scope and sequence of the course. Then we played a game of "Global Bingo" (with prizes to be awarded tomorrow). Your homework assignment is very simple tonight: create a two column chart (one column labeled "item" and one column labeled "country"), and find 25 items from your household from 25 different countries. The completed chart is your first homework assignment that will be checked for marks, which I will do tomorrow in class. I also gave you a list of upcoming important dates, which I will summarize below:

Upcoming Important Date for Social 10 Students:

• 25 items-25 different countries chart is due tomorrow (February 6th)
• World Geography Test is on Tuesday, February 12th
• Chapter 1-2 Quiz is on Friday, February 22nd
  

February 1

Social 10

For most of the class period we examined different definitions of globalization. As you could tell from this activity, there are many different perspectivs about globalization, and whether it is a beneficial or detrimental force in our world today. We also looked at some visual examples fo globalization and tried to make connections to globalization. Please make sure that you bring the textbook Perspectives on Globalization to class on Tuesday. Have a great long weekend!

Social 33

Today we started the looking at the effect of political and economic systems on your lives. We brainstormed a list of possible connections between your lives and politics and government and economics. I will be sending the presentation that we built together in class today after school. Next week we'll be looking at the concepts of individualism and collectivism and the political spectrum. I collected your letters of introduction at the end of class, if you didn't hand it in, please do so on Tuesday. Have a great long weekend!