March 31

Welcome back from holidays!

Social 10

We had a little talk today about plagiarism and how to avoid it. I will be sending you a PowerPoint presentation on how to avoid plagiarism in the future later on this afternoon. You should always be careful not to simply copy and paste something that you find on the Internet into your assignments and projects, this is a classic example of plagiarism. I gave you back your Imperialism Research Projects today, so that is why we talked about plagiarism because there were instance(s) of plagiarized project(s). We finished watching "Where the Spirit Lives" today, and I decided to not give you the quiz that goes with this film due to so many missing students on the last day of class before the Spring Break. You do have homework tonight, it is finishing off the last bit of textbook work in Unit 2, you must complete the Chapter 9 Key Terms and Questions for homework check marks tomorrow.

Upcoming Important Dates for Social 10 Students:

• Chapter 9 Key Terms and Questions are due tomorrow (April 1st)
• Unit 2 In-class writing assignment (Part A-style question with 3 sources) is on Wednesday, April 2nd
• Unit 2 Final Exam is on Thursday, April 10th

Social 33

We did a brief review of economic systems that we have covered so far this semester. We looked at the economic spectrum, the types of economic systems, the economic values associated with these systems, advantages and disadvantages of the market economy, the business cycle and describing the economy in the various stages of the business cycle. I then gave you a couple of handouts, one on the characteristics of the command economy (this handout includes advantages and disadvantages of the command economy), and the other handout was a booklet on the structure of the Soviet economy. I also gave you some reading to do out of A Changing World: Chapter 11 "Getting it Straight" questions 1-7 are due tomorrow.

March 20

Social 33

For most of the period you wrote your Political Systems Unit Final. I also collected your USA in the 1920s and 1930s booklets today as well for a homework check mark. I hope that you enjoy your holiday. See you on March 31st!

Social 10

We went through a few items related to the numbered treaties today. I gave you an excerpt called "Education is our Buffalo". We also started watching a film about the residential school system in Canada called "Where the Spirit Lives". We'll be finishing this movie up after Spring Break. I collected your Imperialism Research Project today as well. If you didn't hand this project in today please know that you will be deducted 10% a day. If you hand it in on Monday, March 31st I will deduct 30% from your mark on the project. Hopefully, you all handed it in on time. If you didn't hand it in during class time today, you can send it to me by e-mail. I tend to send you an e-mail back saying that I received the project. Please enjoy your Spring Break! No homework!!

March 19

Social 10

We finished watching "Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee" today in class. If you missed today's class, you will be excused from writing the quiz that went along with the film. I gave you back the results of the Chapter 7 Quiz today as well. If you missed class today, I'll try to find time tomorrow to show you the results of this quiz. Please remember that your Imperialism Research Project is due tomorrow.

Social 33

We watched a short video on "FDR and the New Deal" and then you had the remainder of class time to work on the USA in the 1920s and 1930s booklet. This booklet is due tomorrow for a homework check, so hopefully you finished it in class. Please remember that your Political Systems Unit Final is tomorrow. It consists of 50 multiple choice questions, please study! The study guide is below.

Political Systems Unit Final Study Guide:

• characteristics of democracies
• types of democracies
• advantages/disadvantages of democracies
• advantages/disadvantages of direct democracy
• advantages/disadvantages of representative democracy
• be able to draw upon case studies/examples (Canada, USA)
• understand other key concepts like first past the post, rep by pop, and proportional representation
• understand the political spectrum and related concepts (for example, values associated with liberals, radicals, conservatives etc.)
• types of dictatorships
• characteristics of dictatorships (key ingredients/"recipe for a dictatorship")
• techniques of dictatorships
• advantages/disadvantages of a dictatorship
• the individual's role in a dictatorship
• similarities and differences between a dictatorship and a democracy
• be able to draw upon case studies/examples (fascist Italy, Nazi Germany, Stalin's USSR)
• techniques of dictatorship used by Mussolini, Hitler, and Stalin
  

March 18

Social 33

We watched a film on "The Great Depression" in class today. This video provided you with some information about not only economic conditions in the United States during the Great Depression, but also some interesting bits about social conditions as well. One thing that you should definitely know about the recovery from the Great Depression was that Franklin D. Roosevelt (or simply FDR) put in to place "the New Deal". FDR won the 1932 Presidential election (three years into the Depression), FDR's plan was get money back into Americans' pockets, so his New Deal was a series of job creation programs and agencies that gave Americans employment. If people have jobs, they will spend money, and if consumer confidence is high (or growing) you can spend your way out of a Depression. Ultimately it was probably not the New Deal that pulled the United States completely out of the Depression (more likely it's the U.S. entry in WWII that does this) it does help get Americans working again. The New Deal agencies are sometimes referred to as an "alphabet soup" because each one had an acronym, for example the WPA (Works Progress Administration), the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps), the NRA (National Recovery Agency) and the TVA (Tennessee Valley Authority) to name just a few. I also gave you a booklet on the USA in the 1920s and 1930s, which will be due on Thursday. This booklet was not assigned as homework as you'll get about an hour's worth of class time tomorrow to work on it. Your "homework assignment" tonight is to study and review the entire Political Systems unit, as you have a unit final on it on Thursday, March 20th. This unit final is all multiple choice (55 questions), here is a hyperlink to the study guide (please scroll down to find it).

FDR in 1933, in one of his "fireside chat" radio broadcasts.

Social 10

You wrote your Chapter 7 Quiz for much of today's class. When you finished you were asked to read Chapter 9 in your textbook. We'll be finishing "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee" tomorrow in class, and then you'll write a quiz on the film. Please remember that your Imperialism Research Project is due on Thursday, March 20th.

March 17

Social 10

Most of today's class was spent watching the film "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee". When we finish this film you will be writing a quiz on it, so please make sure that you pay attention during the film. Tomorrow you will write your Chapter 7 Quiz. Please make sure that you know the material from Chapter 7 as well as the "Historical Globalization and Imperialism" presentation. Here is the study guide for this quiz (please scroll down to find it). Please remember that your Imperialism Research Project is due on Thursday. Please check your e-mail, I have sent you the marking guide for this project. Yes, you do have cite your references properly, and yes, you do have to cite the images that you use for the illustrated timeline.

Social 33

I collected your Market Economy chart/worksheet at the beginning of class today. Most of the period was spent writing your Dictatorship Unit Final. Please remember that you have another unit final on Thursday, March 20th, and it is on our entire Political Systems Unit. Here is the study guide, please scroll down to find it.

March 14

Social 10

I finished off the presentation/lecture on the "Legacies of Historical Globalization in Canada". I will be sending this presentation to you this afternoon. Also, we started watching a film called "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee" which we will be continuing next week. Please remember that there are a couple of important dates coming up next week, you have your Chapter 7 Quiz on Tuesday, March 18th. Here is the study guide for this quiz. Also, your Imperialism Research Project is due on Thursday, March 20th (if you are handing in a PowerPoint presentation or a movie, please make sure that we won't have any problems handing it in, it's probably best to burn it to a CD-R). I will be sending the rubric for the Imperialism Project today as well, please make sure that you refer to this rubric as you create the project.

Social 33

I did a review of the business cycle at the beginning of class. I showed you a video on the Great Depression called "Boom or Bust", and then I gave you a worksheet on the characteristics of the market economy. This worksheet/chart is due on Monday, but hopefully you finished it in class. Don't forget that you have two big tests coming up next week: the Dictatorship Unit Final (March 17th) and the Political Systems Final (March 20th). Here are the study guides. Hopefully, you study and review our entire Political Systems unit over the weekend.

March 12

Social 10

I did a homework check on the last presentation that I did in class, which was "Historical Globalization and Imperialism". You were to have printed it off by now, so I thought that I would see how many of you had. If you didn't get full homework check credit for this, don't fear, you can get partial marks if you print it off tonight and bring it to class tomorrow. That presentation is really important because it is a supplement for the Chapter 7 material. Please remember that you have a Chapter 7 Quiz on Tuesday, March 18th, here is the study guide.
In today's class I went through another presentation/lecture called "Legacies of Historical Globalization". I will be sending this presentation out to you this afternoon, it would be smart to print it off and add it to your notes. You have some homework tonight: Chapter 8 Key Terms and Questions are due tomorrow. Please make sure that you read the appropriate sections of Chapter 8. Please avoid just hunting for the answers and not reading the material. This pays off on tests. I can always tell when a student doesn't read the chapter material as opposed to a student who has done the required reading. The student that has read the material has more to draw from and doesn't write in generalities.

Social 33

I had you hand in your Dictator Assignment and Dictatorship Internet Assignment at the beginning of class today. If you didn't get it in today, please know that you will be deducted 10% for each day that the assignment is late. We also did some review of some economic concepts that we have covered already. I tend to do this when I teach Theme II: Economic Systems in Social 33. Repetition helps you learn these concepts and ideas, so please be ready for a quick review every day. I also introduced a new concept today, and that was economic values associated with the various economic systems, and how the market economy would answer the basic economic questions. I gave you a handout on the market economy that you need to learn really well, especially the characteristics and the advantages and disadvantages of the market economy. We then watched a video called "Capitalism", which was awesome. Don't forget that you have two tests coming up, here are the study guides for your Dictatorship Unit Final (March 17th) and your Political Systems Unit Final (March 20th).

March 11

Social 33

We started Theme II in Topic A today by looking at Economic Systems. We have finished Theme I, except for writing some unit finals. If there is any material in Political Systems (Democracies and Dictatorships) that you're unsure about, just come and see me. I gave you a few handouts today about economic systems, basic economic questions, means of production, scarcity, and the three basic economic systems that we'll be looking at, namely, market economy, command economy and mixed economy. All of these economic systems have different values associated with them, and all answer the basic economic questions differently, as we'll see. You do have some homework tonight (if you didn't finish the textbook work from A Changing World in class), yo must do Q1-6 in Getting it Straight and Q2 and Q5 from the Getting Organized sections in Chapter 7 in A Changing World. Don't forget that your Dictator Assignment and Dictatorship Internet Assignment is due tomorrow. Here is a hyperlink to the study guides for both the Dictatorship Unit Final and the Political Systems Final Exam.

Social 10

Most of today's class was spent in the library doing research on the Imperialism Research Project. Most of you now have selected a country to study. This project is due on Thursday, March 20th. This project could be organized as a written report (please put it in a duotang if you opt for this format), a PowerPoint presentation, or as a movie. Last semester, students were only allowed to do this as a written report, so I don't have any PowerPoint or movie examples to show you. I will show you how people organized their reports though. You have a Chapter 7 Quiz next Tuesday, so please use the study guide below to help you with your preparations for this test.

Chapter 7 Quiz Study Guide:

This quiz will have three sections: a matching section, a multiple choice section, and a short answer section

1. Key Terms for Chapter 7 Quiz:

• historical globalization
• the Silk Road
• international trade
• the Columbian exchange (the grand exchange)
• mercantilism
• capitalism
• free market
• Adam Smith
• entrepreneur
• communism
• industrialization
• the Industrial Revolution
• cottage industries
• cottage system
• physiocrats
• exploitation
• imperialism
• Eurocentrism
• ethnocentrism
• European imperialism
• "old" imperialism
• "new" imperialism
• colony
• protectorate
• sphere of influence

2. Study the Questions for Inquiry from Chapter 7 (be able to answer these questions using case studies and examples that we have covered in class):

• What were the beginnings of global trading networks?
• What values are associated with capitalism?
• Whose values did industrialization effect?
• Why did England industrialize before other European powers?
• What were some of the effects of the Industrial Revolution?
• In what ways did imperialism benefit one people over another?
  

March 10

Social 10

Most of today's class was disrupted by registration for Grade 11 next year. When most people returned to class we drew lots and picked countries for the Imperialism Research Project. Tomorrow's class will be spent mostly in the library, starting the research process on the country that you have selected. For those of you that missed class today, don't worry, there are still countries to pick from. Just another gentle reminder: many of you still need to post to your group's blog and make a comment on a classmate's posting. Both the blog post and the comment must be on the Bhutan article from this month's National Geographic. Please go to your group's blog for the hyperlink and the question to be answered.

Social 33

I gave you some more notes on Soviet history, from Stalin to Gorbachev. We then watched a few videos from the CBC News in Review on the fall of communism in the Soviet Union. I then gave you a handout on the structure of the Soviet government. You have a couple of tests coming up next week: the Dictatorship Final Exam on March 17th and your Political Systems Unit Final on March 20th.

Dictatorship Unit Final Study Guide:

Dictatorship Unit Final is on Monday, March 17th. It is multiple choice and will have a writing assignment as well.

• types of dictatorships
• characteristics of dictatorships (key ingredients/"recipe for a dictatorship")
• techniques of dictatorships
• advantages/disadvantages of a dictatorship
• the individual's role in a dictatorship
• similarities and differences between a dictatorship and a democracy
• be able to draw upon case studies/examples (fascist Italy, Nazi Germany, Stalin's USSR)
• techniques of dictatorship used by Mussolini, Hitler, and Stalin

Political Systems Unit Final Study Guide:

Political Systems Unit Final is on Thursday, March 20th. It consists of 50 multiple choice questions.

• characteristics of democracies
• types of democracies
• advantages/disadvantages of democracies
• advantages/disadvantages of direct democracy
• advantages/disadvantages of representative democracy
• be able to draw upon case studies/examples (Canada, USA)
• understand other key concepts like first past the post, rep by pop, and proportional representation
• understand the political spectrum and related concepts (for example, values associated with liberals, radicals, conservatives etc.)
• understand all concepts listed off above for the Dictatorship Unit Final Study Guide
  

March 7

Social 10

I did a homework check on your Chapter 7 Key Terms and Questions at the beginning of class. We watched "Tools of Exploitation" today in class, as you were watching this video you were to complete a video viewing guide sheet. I also gave most of you back your Unit 1 Part A In-Class Writing Assignments. Overall, I was pretty pleased with the results of this written assignment. There is still room for improvement though. This weekend might be a good time to complete the reading from the National Geographic magazine that I posted a hyperlink to on your group blogs. You must read the article, your response should be 'substantial' (at least two paragraphs) on the question that I posted on your blogs. You must also post a comment on someone else's post, either from your own group blog, or from another group's blog (they will have to add you as a reader). Have a great weekend!

Social 33

I collected the booklet "Lenin and his Heirs" as a homework check at the beginning of class. We then watched an A&E Biography on Joseph Stalin for most of the rest of the period. Have a great weekend!

March 6

Social 33

I went through some Russian and Soviet history today in preparation for an assignment that I gave you in class. The assignment was a booklet called "Lenin and His Heirs", this entire booklet is due tomorrow. I also collected your Political Cartoon Analysis Assignments. If you didn't hand this in today, you will lose 10% per day that it is late, get them in as soon as possible!

Social 10

I collected your Chapter 6 Key Terms and Questions at the beginning of class and returned them to you at the end of class. I also went through a presentation called "Historical Globalization and Imperialism". I will be sending this presentation to you later this afternoon, so please check your e-mail inboxes. If you don't receive this e-mail message please let me know. If I don't hear from you I assume that everything is fine. I assigned the Chapter 7 Key Terms and Questions for homework tonight, they are due tomorrow.

March 5

Social 10

We looked at a picture book today called The Rabbits as an introductory activity for Unit 2. Every time I go through this book with students, there are new observations. Looking at a book like The Rabbits, with all of its subtle details really helps to teach you to look at things carefully and critically in order to get meaning from the text. Your observations were outstanding. Your homework assignment tonight is to read Chapter 6 and complete the Chapter 6 Key Terms and Questions. I will be doing a homework check on this assignment tomorrow. I've double-checked the hyperlink that I posted on your group blogs yesterday, and it works. For whatever reason, the article on Bhutan was temporarily unavailable, so today the hyperlink should work. Check your blogs to see exactly what the assignment was.

Social 33

I went off on a bit of a rant of low voter turnout and voter apathy at the beginning of class. I meant every word of it. If young people don't vote, the issues that matter to you will be ignored, so when you come of age, please vote!
Next, I had you do a reading from the textbook A History of the Twentieth Century (pages 22-25), and do the following questions for homework: Q2 A-C on page 24, and Q3 A-E on page 25. Most of you finished this in class, but it is for homework. It is absolutely critical that you complete the Political Cartoon Analysis Assignment and hand it in on time in tomorrow's class. I have some flexibility for taking in late homework assignments. This assignment must be handed in on time, or 10% will be deducted for every day that it is late. If you need to find a cartoon or complete your analysis still please check your e-mail. I sent you a couple of things yesterday related to this assignment, one of which was an example of a cartoon analysis. Here are some useful hyperlinks to help you with this assignment:

• 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

March 4

Social 33

We went over the results of the Alberta provincial election. Most of the period was spent watching the video "The Fatal Attraction of Adolf Hitler". Please remember that you have your Political Cartoon Analysis Assignment due on Thursday. I will try to remember to send out an example analysis today. You also got the results of your Democracy Unit Final back today.

Social 10

Most of the period was spent writing the Unit 1 Final Exam. Please check your blogs tonight. It would be a good idea to start working on your response to the Bhutan article, but first, you need to read the article. I've put a hyperlink to the article on your group's blog. We're starting Unit 2 tomorrow.

March 3

Social 10

We did a reading and a debate on whether globalization is beneficial or detrimental to cultures of the world. Please remember to study for your Unit 1 Final Exam tomorrow. Here is the study guide (scroll down to find it). Please remember that you need to add me as an author on your blog so that I put up a hyperlink to the National Geographic article that I want you to read and respond to. I will be putting the actual response question on my blog post on your various blogs. We'll also be looking at adding classmates to your reader's lists as well this week.

Social 33

We continued working our way through the dictatorship unit in class. If you missed today's class, you must get today's handouts. We'll be looking specifically at the rise of Adolf Hitler tomorrow in class by watching the video "The Fatal Attraction of Adolf Hitler".