October 5

IB 20 HOTA

I gave you each a copy of the United States Constitution graphic novels to read this long weekend. I showed you a video on the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights. I also talked about how to write a Paper 3. I'll post the Paper 3 handout on the wiki and share the page with you all so you can print off a copy for yourself if you missed class today. You'll be writing a Paper 3 on Tuesday.

Social 30-1

We did some review of the "economic snapshots" of the business cycle and the Keynesian economic response to the various stages on the boom and bust cycle. I also had you listen to an NPR podcast on the Obama administration using Keynesian economics to deal with the global recession of 2008. I did a homework check on the Chapter 4 Key Terms and Questions. I didn't assign the Chapter 6 Key Terms and Questions for homework, but you should get working on them this weekend since they'll be later next week.

Social 10-1

We had our class debate on the following topic today: BIRT globalization benefits the world's cultures. I will give you feedback on this debate on Tuesday and my decision as to which side "won" the debate.

May 10

IB 30/35

We had a class today to review for the Paper 3 exam that you have this Thursday, May 12th. Please add to the Paper 3 Review Google Doc in the next few days. We're starting Social 30-1 material on May 16th. You also have class again on May 19th.

Social 30-1

I went through a PowerPoint presentation really quickly today called "Political Challenges to Liberalism". Most of the content in this lecture has been covered already in Unit 2 and Unit 3. You also had some time today to start reading up on the history of modern China, since I'm using the PRC as a case study of authoritarianism. Please have  a look at the upcoming important dates:

• USA-Canada Comparative Government Assignment is due on Friday, May 13th. 
• US Civil Rights Movement Assignment (questions on the front only) are due on Monday, May 16th

Social 10-1

I went through a PowerPoint lecture today called "The Impacts of Economic Globalization on the Environment". I then showed a video from the CBC show "The Fifth Estate" called "Made in Bangladesh". If you missed class today, you can watch the video below. You should also check out the following articles, that will give you different perspectives on the factory collapse in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Don't forget that your TNC Dossier Assignments are due tomorrow.

• The Spectator: In Praise of Sweatshops 
• The Guardian: The Bangladesh factory tragedy and the moralists of sweatshop economics
• Slate: Different places have different safety rules, and that's okay

May 9

IB 30/35

There was no class today because you wrote your Paper 2 today. Please check the schedule below for upcoming important dates. I'll see you in class tomorrow for our Paper 3 review session.

• Paper 3 Review session is on Tuesday, May 10th (during regular class time)
• Paper 3 is on Thursday, May 12th (pm)

Social 10-1

We finished watching "Globalization is Good" today. I had time to read Chapter 13 and work on the key terms and questions for this chapter. The Chapter 13 Key Terms and Questions are due tomorrow.

Social 30-1

You got your Unit 2 WRA II assignment back today at the beginning of class. I want you to go to the following website: https://canada.isidewith.com/ tonight, We'll have a discussion about your results tomorrow. We had a class discussion around three different questions:

• Should the voting age be lowered?
• Should voting be mandatory?
• Should everyone over the age of 18 be allowed to vote?  

Next, I split you into four groups to summarize some of the viewpoints in the classroom, and then we had a whole class discussion about the issues related to these questions. Please remember that your USA-Canada Comparative Government Assignments are due on Friday, May 13th. You are strongly encouraged to work with a partner on this assignment. One week from today, your Civil Rights Movement is due one week from today (May 16th). 

October 13

IB 30/35

I continued going through the Paper 3 Advice for the Civil War and Reconstruction Period PowerPoint presentation. Please challenge yourself and do the remaining activities in the presentation. Wherever it asks you to pick a question and take 5 minutes to write an outline for that style of question, give it a try. Make sure that you have read Chapters 11-13 in The United States and Its People. Please check the IB 30/35 wiki (under United States Civil War) for the study guide. On Thursday, the test will consist of multiple choice questions, a matching section, and a document analysis. On Friday, you'll write a Paper 3 on the Civil War and Reconstruction Period. Use these codes to check out previous IB Diploma Exam questions on the Civil War era:

• M09/3/HISTX/HP3/ENG/TZ0/AM
• M10/3/HISTX/HP3/ENG/TZ0/AM
• M11/3/HISTX/HP3/ENG/TZ0/AM
• M12/3/HISTX/HP3/ENG/TZ0/AM
• M13/3/HISTX/HP3/ENG/TZ0/AM
• M14/3/HISTX/HP3/ENG/TZ0/AM
• M15/3/HISTX/HP3/ENG/TZ0/AM

Social 30-1

Please make sure that you have read, highlighted and annotated the readings in your Social 30-1 study booklet on the command economy. I did a homework check on your Chapter 5 Key Terms today. Please remember that you have two tests next week. On Monday, October 19th you have your Market and Mixed Economy Test. On Thursday, October 22nd you have your Economic Systems Exam (market, mixed and command economies). Please see the study guide for Monday's test below.

MARKET ECONOMY AND MIXED ECONOMY EXAM STUDY GUIDE:

This exam will be on Monday, October 19th

• Chapters 3-4 and Chapter 6 in Perspectives on Ideology
• please see the summary notes from the Ideologies textbook: Chapter 7 (Private Enterprise)
• supply-side economics
• boom and bust cycle/business cycle
• laws of supply and demand, Adam Smith, invisible hand, market forces
  self-interest, consumer sovereignty, competition, private ownership, profit motive
• basic economic problems/questions
• advantages/disadvantages of the market economy
• causes of the Great Depression
• FDR and the New Deal
• please see summary notes from the Ideologies textbook on the Mixed Economy Case Studies #14 (Sweden) and #15 (Canada), you can find this on the Social 30-1 wiki
• nationalization
• democratic socialism
• welfare capitalism
• Keynesian economics
• the business cycle and fiscal and monetary policies (study all of the notes I gave you and the booklet that I gave you)
• demand-side economics
• neo-conservatives
• monetarism
• trickle down economics
• supply-side economics
• Thatcherism and Reaganomics
• Milton Friedman
• Friedrich Hayek
• how Keynesian economics deals with a recession
• how supply-side economics deals with a recession

Social 10-1

I gave back your Unit 1 WRA I three source analysis assignments, and your Unit 1 WRA II Essays. Please see me in tutorial for one-on-one help. If you received a mark of 90% or higher, please e-mail those WRA Is or WRA II Essays to me. Please have your Chapter 6 Key Terms and Questions ready for a homework check on Thursday. 

November 28

Social 30-1

I gave you updated marks for your Unit 2 Final Exam. I went through the American system of checks and balances, and then assigned the Comparative Government Assignment. Please work with a partner on this assignment. This assignment is due on Monday, December 8th. Make sure that it is a comparative chart, and make sure that you include pros and cons for the appropriate sections. We spent the rest of class time doing small group discussion on the following four questions:

• Should the voting age be lowered?
• Should voting be mandatory?
• Should everyone over the age of 18 be allowed to vote?
• Is the first past the post system democratic?

IB 20 HOTA

I showed you a video from the U.S. History series on "Expansionism" today. As you watched the video you had to write notes on the documentary. I also went through how to write a Paper 3. You will be writing a Paper 3 on Monday. You will have 5 minutes to write an outline for your essay, and 50 minutes to write the Paper 3.

May 15

IB 20 HOTA

I showed you a video from the U.S. History series on "Expansionism". I then went through a booklet on advice for writing the Paper 3. You will be writing a Paper 3 on Unit 6 material next Thursday (May 22nd). I assigned you to groups today as well. Each group member is supposed to help contribute to building a detailed essay outline for Unit 6. You can find the link to the essays on the IB 20 wiki under Unit 6: Nation-Building and Challenges.

Social 10-1

I finished off the PowerPoint presentation "Globalization and Sustainability" today. I will be posting this presentation on the wiki this afternoon. I also showed you an interview between George Stroumboulopoulos and former CIBC chief economist Jeff Rubin, which was part of the promotional tour that he was doing to support his book "Why Your World is About to Get a Whole Lot Smaller".

Upcoming important dates for Social 10-1 students:

• TNC Dossier Assignment is due on Tuesday, May 20th
• Unit 3 WRA II Essay is on Thursday, May 22nd
• Unit 3 Final Exam is on Monday, May 26th (please see the study guide below)

Unit 3 Final Exam Study Guide:

Please make sure that you have read Chapters 10-14. Please make sure that you have the following PowerPoint presentations, and that you study from them:

• "Foundations of Economic Globalization"
• "The Expansion of Economic Globalization"
• "Challenges and Opportunities of Economic Globalization"
• "The Impact of Economic Globalization on Environments"
• "Globalization and Sustainability"

Make sure that you have reviewed the Key Terms from Unit 3 (all the terms listed on the Unit 3 Worksheet, plus the extra key terms that appeared in the PowerPoint presentations). The Unit 3 Final Exam will consist of 50 multiple choice questions.

IB 30/35

You wrote your last IB History exam today, so hopefully that went well for you.
Your next class with me will be on Thursday, May 22nd.

May 9

IB 30/35

Today was the review session for Paper 3. Instead of going through the Paper 3 Review Session PowerPoint in class, I sent it to you by e-mail. I gave you a sample answer to a U.S. Civil War question and had you read it and mark it. I also gave you a booklet with a number of past Paper 3 questions. I will send you some sample markschemes for past Paper 2 and Paper 3 as well by e-mail.

Please note your test dates:

• Wednesday, May 14th: Paper 1 and Paper 2
• Thursday, May 15th: Paper 3

Your next class with me will be on Thursday, May 22nd.

Social 10-1

I did a homework check on your Chapter 12 Questions today. We started a film study called "Globalization is Good", and luckily we were able to finish it.

Upcoming important dates for Social 10-1 students:

• TNC Dossier Assignment is due on Tuesday, May 20th
• Unit 3 WRA II Essay is on Thursday, May 22nd
• Unit 3 Final Exam is on Monday, May 26th