School’s just around the corner

School starts next week for another exciting year. I’ve been busy this summer finishing up my masters in reading at NEIU, traveling the Midwest and taking a short trip out to the east cost, attending lots of weddings, and reading for pleasure.

In Chicago my wife and I have been hosting guests, cycling around, and enjoying the city. We also attended Lollapalooza for all three hot and sunny (and sometimes rainy) days.

I’m currently working my way through the novel Shogun by James Clavell. I love historical fiction and am quite a Japanofile (since I lived and taught there for two years) so I don’t know how it took me so long to finally read this book. I often have a short attention span and while I read a lot there are few authors that can keep me interested for 1200 pages but I’m over 800 pages in and can’t put the book down. The personal stories, culture clash, and political intrigue are all interwoven so well that you’re immersed in the story.

In addition to reading some historical fiction novels I’ve also been reading some graphic novels, including the often recommended Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi. It’s an autobiographical coming of age story set in turbulent Iran of the 1980s.

Ken Burns on WWII

Famous documentary filmmaker Ken Burns has a new sprawling documentary on WWII coming out this fall. WTTW Chicago has been running half-hour previews of it this July. Can anything more really be added to one of the most documented events (ever?) in human history?
One one hand, what more can be said? On the other Ken Burns is a masterful filmmaker and will undoubtedly add something to our insight and understanding.

From the website: THE WAR, a seven-part series directed and produced by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick, tells the story of the Second World War through the personal accounts of a handful of men and women from four quintessentially American towns. The series explores the most intimate human dimensions of the greatest cataclysm in history — a worldwide catastrophe that touched the lives of every family on every street in every town in America — and demonstrates that in extraordinary times, there are no ordinary lives.

The trailer on the PBS website certainly looks compelling but as with most contemporary retellings of the war, Burns wants it both ways: war is hell but what a great war it was.

I also notice that the History Channel has been rerunning the excellent Band of Brothers series this summer.

UPDATE: Well, after watching the half-hour preview I don't think that this series will overly romanticize the war. I'm really looking forward to seeing it this spring.

Dunce-Cap Nation?

You can take a global IQ quiz here at the Newsweek website, but with 150 questions of mostly trivia, it's not going to make you feel very smart. (I stopped at question 50)

Since we're on the subject of not feeling so good about yourself, there's yet another poll that "found many gaps in America's knowledge." While I'm not so concerned with Americans being able to know the first five presidents, there are some more troubling statistics. 41% thought that Saddam had something to do with 9/11. More of the adults polled knew the winner of American Idol than the Current Supreme Court Chief Justice. I think that it's almost more generational if you know the answer. I know the Chief Justice but I have know idea who won American Idol. You can read more here.

Update: I just asked my wife figuring that she would know both, but she didn't know who won American Idol. Has she moved on into my demographic?

Blagojevich the Fanatic

Over at the on-again-off-again-but-always-funny The Daley Show Blog (a play on words: The Daily Show + Mayor Richard M. Daley) they’re having some fun with the Governor and Photoshop.

Besides being an avid runner, Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich is quite the Chicago sports enthusiast. In recent weeks, he's been seen cheering and even participating at various contests.

Here, he helps Luol Deng track down a loose ball in a game against Detroit. The governor was whistled for a moving pick violation.


Check out rest of the post by clicking here.

Politician Postcard WebQuest

Activity I: Politicians in the news

Turn to the Government Officials page (73) in the back of your blue constitution workbook. Choose one of the officials to search for in the news archive. You can type in their full name (e.g. Rod Blagojevich) or their title and last name (e.g. Governor Blagojevich) and click on the news button. It’s a good idea to choose who you’ll be writing to.

You will see news stories relating to the person. Choose two articles from the first page of results (make sure that they aren’t about the same thing). Summarize them briefly but coherently on your worksheet.

Next, find the address to write to them. It’s best to start where they work (the Senate, White House, and so on). Start with Google and see what you come up with. If you have trouble, ask for help.

How to Address Politicians
When writing your politicians, you should always address them properly. Whenever e-mailing your politicians, you should use the same salutations as below. Letters should be addressed in the following manner:

Senators:
Honorable______________
United States Senator
(Address)
Dear Senator_____________

Representatives:
Hon.______________
Member of Congress
(Address)
Dear Congressman___________

Governors:
Hon.______________
(Address)
Dear Governor_____________


President:
Hon. ____________
President of the United States
(Address)
Dear President ______

Activity II: Postcards

Possible topics include, but are not limited to:
Iraq War
Taxes
Postage
Driving age
Curfew
School rules
Immigration
Wages
Working age
Darfur (Sudan)
Global warming
Gas prices
School hours
Other topics?

Sudan

We are going to be writing postcards to politicians soon and to highlight one of the many issues that we might write about we are watching a Channel One investigation on the conflict.
You can watch it and do more related activities by clicking here.

U.S. Constitution WebQuest

First, take a look at the Declaration of Independence by clicking here, then the Constitution by clicking here (same site), and the Bill of Rights. You can also check out an interactive constitution here.

Next, try your hand at your America IQ by going to the channel one site (click here) and trying the quiz.


Finally, look up the names of the Federal Government Officials on page 73 (on the back, inside cover) of your constitution workbook.
Fill in all of the Federal Government officials (first eight), the Secretary of State, and the Representative from your district (your district is the 5th—make sure that it is the federal Representative. His initials are R.E.). You don’t need to fill out the other ones.
Transfer that information to page 6, #98-104, in your Constitution Practice Test.

Chapter 32 WebQuest

1) The Presidential Election of 2000
First we will read about the 2000 election in your textbook. Then, take a look at these two sites about he election:

CNN
Wikipedia

Who won the election? Who got the most votes?

Next, compare that to the up coming 2008 presidential election. I know that it’s early but check out these sites:

http://www.270towin.com/
Have the called Illinois for the Republicans or the Democrats? Which are they predicting to win the election?

http://www.electoral-vote.com/ (this site has the 2004 results on the top, but scroll down to the bottom to see current polls)
Who is favored in Illinois for the Democrats? For the Republicans?

2) Chapter 32 Practice Quiz
Go to https://mlas.classzone.com/ and log-in. There you will find a practice quiz for Ch 32. Take it with a friend and see how you do.

3) 80s Trivia Hunt
Guess what? I don’t know the answers to our trivia questions. I didn’t check my answers until after I printed up the questions and the website doesn’t have the answers. Look around the Internet and find the answers to these:

Which of the following was the first video to be aired on MTV?
Down Under by Men at Work
Money for Nothing by Dire Straits
Physical by Olivia Newton John
Video Killed the Radio Star by the Buggles

Which of the following was not a character on the Smurfs?
Wild Smurf
Slouchy Smurf
Forgetful Smurf
Clumsy Smurf

Which of the following video games did not lead to a Saturday morning cartoon?
Pac Man
Joust
Q-bert
Donkey Kong

Which of the following nations did not boycott the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles?
U.S.S.R.
East Germany
Romania
Albania

Which of the following Transformers was not a decepticon?
Megatron
Jazz
Starscream
Soundwave

In what year was the major league baseball season cut short by a 50 day strike?
1981
1982
1983
1984

Which of the following television shows was the first to debut?
Head of the Class
Growing Pains
Perfect Strangers
My Sister Sam

In October of which year did the US stock market crash?
1984
1985
1986
1987

Which of the following was not a Billboard #1 hit?
Rock Me Amadeus by Falco
Material Girl by Madonna
Take On Me by A-Ha
Jack and Diane by John Cougar

The famous "Where's the Beef?" commercial was a commercial for which fast food chain?
McDonald's
Burger King
Wendy's
Roy Rogers

Iraq & Vietnam

We are discussing Ch 30 on Vietnam in school now and comparing the War to the current war in Iraq.




WEBQUEST
Find websites that chronicle what life is like for U.S. soldiers in Iraq. You can then use this information to help you write your letter with realism and creativity. Be prepared to share what you find with the class.









Assignment
Chapter 30 Assessment
Comparing the Vietnam War and the current Iraq War
You have been called up for active duty!

You were recently called up for active duty for the armed forces. You will need your notebook, folder, and textbook. Warning: There may be spies in our midst and sensitive information could fall into enemy hands. You may not share your supplies or information with anyone. You may use information from any sources and your own knowledge, but you may not share it with other soldiers.

To start writing this letter, we will use the RAFT formula.

R is for Role. You are a solider but what kind? Where in Iraq?
You could also be:
· a nurse or doctor
· a soldier from another country in Iraq like Poland or England
· a civilian at home in the U.S. writing to someone in Iraq
· an Iraqi civilian or police officer writing to family in the U.S.

A is for Audience. Imagine who you will be writing to: Will you be writing to your fiancé? Family? Mother? Sibling? Friend? Don’t forget to write in letter format and keep in character.

F is for Format. I’m asking that you write a letter, but you could also write diary entries, rather than to a person. You can also write the letter as an email instead of a paper letter. Just remember, whichever format you choose you must have an introduction and conclusion.

T is for Topic. The topic is the similarities and differences between the Vietnam War and the current Iraq War, and whether you think that the Wars should be compared or not.

Your grade for the letter will be based on:
- Accuracy of information
- Your comparisons of similarities and differences, using details and examples
- Whether you think that comparing the Wars is acceptable or not
- Your creativity and connections in your letter

See the rubric on the other side for the details of how you will be graded.

Genocide In Darfur

As we have discussed in class, Genocide is not confined to the history books. It's happening right now in Darfur, a region of Sudan in Africa.

We've discussed what's happening there, watched a video on it, and most importantly talked about what students can do to make a difference.

We'll be taking more direction action fourth quarter but seeing this recent political cartoon shows that the issue is still on America's conscious--as it should be.

To learn more check out SaveDarfur.org