G. Blog

Well, at least the end of our class. Thanks for a great year. I truly do hope that we can stay in touch as you continue on your journey. Let me know if there's anything I can do for you. You know how to get a hold of me.

As for the WHAP scores, they should be coming out in the next couple of weeks or so. Please send me an email when you find out about your score. Whether you passed it or not, don't sweat it too much. It's just one test on one day. But I hope you all did well.

Many of you who couldn't make it the last day of school requested a link to the end of the year WHAP video. Here it is: WHAP 06.07 End of the Year Video

Enjoy the summer!
g.

Busy whirlwind of activity over the last few days getting to Ft. Collins, CO. and training for the reading of the AP World exam. A few of the details first.

Made it to Fort Collins by about 1230 PM on Friday, June 1. Relatively uneventful journey from Portland. I'm staying in an old college dorm from the 1960s on the campus of Colorado State University. But I’m not the only one here. I’m merely one of about 500 readers that made the journey to read your exams. About half of those 500 are AP World high school teachers from all over the states and the world. To give you an example of how diverse the attendees' hometowns are, a buddy of mine I met at last year’s from the Seattle area spent the year teaching in Kiev, Ukraine. He came all the way from Kiev for the reading this year. The other half of the participants are college professors, assistant profs., and history graduate students. At my table there are 4 high school teachers and 5 college profs. It's a good mix. The high school teachers know their stuff and what it's like for the students who take this test. The college faculty provide a good balance and perspective for the reading based on what our target is in AP.

As for the number of exams being graded this year, we are up from 85,000 exams last year to 100,000 exams. Crazy to think that we can get through it in a week, but it gets done every year. I’m reading the comparative question again this year. I was a little disappointed by that, but only in the sense that I wanted training on a different question. I'm working at a table area (affectionately referred to as a yurt) with about 8 others. One is the "table leader", the guy in charge of us. The rest are "readers", of which I am one. We’ve spent parts of the last couple of days training on reading essays using a very specific comparison rubric designed just for the question. We spent lots of time reading essays with a partner, putting stickies on the back with our score, then swapping essays ("back reading" they call it) and seeing if the score's matched. You'll be comforted to know that this is what they call an "asset model". We work hard to find you points from the bottom up, just like what we did in class this year when we scored. The goal is accuracy first. Speed is a distant second. I’m not the fastest reader, but I’ll get through about 150 essays each day.

Specifically for this year’s comparative essay on empire building, I’d say that the essays are better than the comparative revolutions essays I read last year. Several kids, though, aren’t earning many or even any points due to their not really addressing the prompt. The most common reason why is that they don’t comparatively address the process of “empire building” (conquering and expanding). Lots of essays I’ve read have compared the empires themselves, but not their respective processes of empire building. It’s really a big difference, but an easy mistake to make, I guess.

For those of you thinking about the geography of the change/continuity over time question, writing on China, India, Japan will not earn you the points for Southeast Asia. Sorry about that. They’re being pretty strict on the geography of the question, but it sounds like most people focused on the Middle East, anyway. As for the DBQ, your essay has to be focused on the attitudes of Roman/Han officials to technology. If you don’t focus it on attitudes towards that, no dice. Hopefully y’all did that.

Went to a lecture tonight given by the author of your text, Jerry Bentley. Very interesting talk on the topic of teaching world history and why we should do that and/or what are the benefits of doing so. Essentially he said that it helps us understand the world more, it helps us deal with and accept issues of diversity, and it provides wisdom about how to solve or deal with some of the issues we are confronted with in our modern world. Good stuff.

I’m out of here. Gotta get some rest before the morning round of essays comes. Hang in there.

g.

Enjoy the long weekend, folks.

On Tuesday we will discuss Section 9-11: 151-229. As part of the simulation we'll participate in later in the week, we'll be reading Part III: Environmental Issues on the International Agenda, to focus our thinking about the development of foreign policy and international efforts to address global issues. We'll also see another small segment from the PBS series The World in the Balance: The People Paradox

Wednesday's class will be focused on the final sections of the books, 12-13: 233-263. We will also form our simulation groups on that day based on four possible options/positions you'll defend in class on Thursday. The final segment of the People Paradox will air on this day, too.

Thursday is set aside for our Latin 7-8 test and the simulation.

Section 2-5: 30-95. Due for discussion on Thursday of this week, including responses to the following questions/prompt:

Write out what you consider to be the top five laws for being human/that should govern human beings

Looking around at the rest of the animal kingdom, what’s the one thing that man doesn’t do that all other species in the natural world do OR don't do?

Once again, there are opportunities for extra credit as we move down this "home stretch" of the year:
Semester 2 Extra Credit

We'll discuss this more in class this week. Due dates are set for finals week in June.

Just a quick reminder and link for the review calendar we discussed in class today. Get creative with rides and car pooling to make this happen. We're almost there.

Review Calendar for AP World Exam

Also, as mentioned in class, we'll be doing our Socratic Seminar on globalization on Thursday. Come to class with 5 question on the following focus prompt: What are the challenges (both problems and opportunities) America and the world face with globalization?

Ciao!
g.

Very close vote on the presentations that were given in class. Group grades based on the rubric will be posted soon. The winning designs and proposals are as follows:

WHAP 1: Cold War Institute 1st place (second place goes to CHASEORWENT)
WHAP 2: KickButt History 1st place (second place goes to The Terminators)

Tomorrow you'll be watching the movie To Live in class and prepping to do a character CCOT essay in class on Friday in the computer lab.. Consult the following link for the prompt: CCOT: To Live

Some of you have asked for more info about the SAT II Subject Test for AP World. The regular registration deadline for the June test is this Friday. The late registration deadline is May 9. Word is that studying for the AP World tests prepares you very well for this. It's only MC (95 questions). Have a look at some of the practice questions: Practice Questions

For some of you, taking this test might make sense, depending on where you plan to attend. Check it out, including more sample questions, etc: SAT II World History Info

Speaking of studying, taking 15-30 minutes/night between now and 05/17 will make the AP World exam a manageable feat. Seriously, a little bit goes a long way, and there's lots of info to refresh. Reread those review questions, drag out your IDs, visit the flashcard site for the Bentley 3rd edition, read the review book. All of these activities will help. We'll be doing some stuff in class over the next few weeks to help, including some after school sessions, but you need to do some on your own if you’re interested in doing well and having the best possible shot to “pass”.

We're almost there ... hang in,
g.

Having recently studied WWII, please note that the History Channel is showing Band of Brothers this weekend. Set up those DVRs and TiVos!

********

Band of Brothers is a ten-part video series dramatizing the history of
one company of American paratroopers in World War Two—E Company, 506th
Regiment, 101st Airborne, known as "Easy Company." Although the
company's first experience in real combat did not come until June 1944
(D-Day), this exemplary group fought in some of the war's most
harrowing battles. Band of Brothers depicts not only the heroism of
their exploits but also the extraordinary bond among men formed in the
crucible of war.

There are several different way to structure a COT essay. Remember, the essential task is to show how something has stayed the same AND changed over time. That being the case, read the prompt carefully, consider what it’s asking you to do, determine if there are any categories it gives that may serve as units of analysis (body paragraphs) for showing change/continuity over time, then create an analytical framework that will best serve your needs in addressing the prompt.

Below are links to the PowerPoint we used to intro COT. I've also included a document that reviews some possible analytical frameworks. Choose something that makes sense to you based on the prompt, and one that helps you answer the question to the best of your ability. This essay is due Tuesday night at 11:59. A hard copy is due in class on Wednesday.

Good luck ... email with questions.
g.

http://www.mistergweb.com/COTReview_files/frame.htm

http://www.mistergweb.com/cotframe.pdf

Ahh, spring always gets away from me. Back to the blog.

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UPCOMING DUE DATES

Busy week ahead what with WASL and all. Reminder and clarification of due dates.

Joy Luck Club: The stuff from Friday’s schedule that we weren’t able to get to will be taken care of on Monday, including the promised video snippets we discussed. In addition to that, you also have due for discussion another dialectical journal (combined entry) for the Moon Lady and Rules of the Game story. This would be your 3rd dialectical journal entry. You need about a page’s worth of response or however long it takes to create a quality response to 3-4 quotes using 3-4 different text response strategies. You can always look up the homework/reading for this novel on G. Web: http://www.mistergweb.com/JLCcalendar06.07.pdf

AP World: We will quiz on 37 on Monday and watch one more of the WWII cartoons (Spirit of ’43) as part of our discussion on propaganda and POV during WWII. When we finish with that, we’ll discuss a project on the Cold War that will take us through the week. IDs for 38 are due Wednesday night. The COT essay on Labor Systems is due Tuesday night. For those who can manage an early turn in of this either for Monday in class or Monday night on Turnitin.com, that would be greatly appreciated. Those are the essays that I’ll grade first during the WASL testing time. We’ll be doing some peer reviews of these COT essays as well. Those will be due on Friday night. Quiz 38 is planned for Friday.

Hang in there … we’re almost there.
g.

Busy time ahead for us as we move into the new semester and begin our research project. This email is just a couple of quick reminders about things to bring for next week and some links relate to our study.

On Monday we meet in the LIC for the first period of the block. Please come in quickly and quietly. Grab a seat up front and wait respectfully for Mrs. Knapp to begin her presentation. You should have 20-30 minutes to begin looking for sources and information after the overview of the resources.

Once the presentation is complete, dive in. This will be the time to begin collecting the bits and pieces of info that will support the position you’ve adopted. This info goes on the 3.5 x 5 note cards I asked you to bring for this day. Take a second and review the PowerPoint on how to format the cards. There is also information about how to put together a “Works Consulted” document, which you should work on all week long. The “Works Consulted” is a list of MLA formatted sources that potentially could have a place in your final “Works Cited”. We’re looking for about 10 sources in this document by the end of Monday, February 12. For good measure, I’ve also included a link to the intro to research PowerPoint if you wanted to review that.

http://www.mistergweb.com/notecards_wc_files/frame.htm

http://www.mistergweb.com/research_files/frame.htm

Don’t forget about the This I Believe essays being due on Monday night, as well as the IDs for 29. Consider talking to your parents about submitting your work to the NPR This I Believe web site. It requires a little leg work on your part, but the chance to get your work “published” and a little cash reward should provide a little incentive.

And last but not least, don’t forget to visit the NBC Friday Night Lights mascot competition site and post a comment. The winning school gets a sizeable cash prize.

http://www.nbc.com/Friday_Night_Lights/mascots/gallery/18068.shtml

Hang in there … you are half way through your sophomore year. Congratulations!
g.

Lots of stuff going on in class as we march toward the end of the semester.

In English we’ve just finished up our reading of Into the Wild. Based on our completely unscientific system of rating books on a five point scale in our class, this has been, by far, the most popular book we’ve read this year. Average for this book was in the high 3s. That’s a homerun in the world of high school English. Check it out: Into the Wild

Our study of Greek and Latin roots continues. We’ve recently tested on our first two units. Our second two units are posted on the web site. We will test on this in the second or third week of February. Exact date of test TBA. Latin/Greek 3-4

We’ve been reading and discussing personal essays from National Public Radio’s This I Believe program. Students began the writing process this week and will submit their first personal essay of the year on Monday, February 5th. To learn more about this program and the assignment, check out these two sites:

• This I Believe Writing Assignment (.ppt)
• NPR: This I Believe

For most of February our class will focus on the infamous sophomore persuasive research project. In this endeavor, students, choose a topic, research it, then develop a written argument based on a question they’ve identified on their topic. Our goal is to familiarize students with both print and digital resources, learn the research process, and hone their ability to use skills of rhetorical analysis in evaluating arguments. Beyond the research and writing component, the final performance is a speech based on their research.

In AP World, we’re nearing the end of Unit 3. Students should consider reviewing ID terms from this unit, reading the review book, and completing the review questions for the unit. Our assessment for this is scheduled over two days. The written portion, a DBQ, will happen on February 13th. The multiple choice portion will take place the next day on February 14th.

The end of the semester is Friday, February 2nd.

Cheers!
G.

Check out this article on a clan that fought the Incas in the years leading up to Pizzaro's fateful visit to Andean highlands.

Cloud Warriors Civilization in Peru

Hey, lots of people have emailed about the IDs and other due dates. Let's go ahead and bump back IDs one night. They are due Wednesday night at 1159, whether we have school on Wednesday or not.

Don't forget about peer reviews. Those are due Thursday night, but DOUBLE CHECK the due date.

As for the Latin/Greek test, let's move that to Thursday as well.

Please keep up on your Into the Wild reading. We will have a discussion of Tuesday's and Thursday's reading on Thursday ... or maybe Friday, depending on whether we have school tomorrow (Wed.) or not.

Hang in there and be safe.
g.

This review WHAPcast is focused on general developments in Europe and Byzantine Empire during Unit 2, particularly on the different flavors of Christianity that developed in each area and how that impacted various societies.

Unit 2.2 Review WHAPcast

To subscribe to G. Blog WHAPcast, click on the following link and select your podcatcher choice:

Subscribe to the G. Blog WHAPcast

To follow along with the PowerPoint for this WHAPcast, navigate to the following link:
Unit 2.2 Review PowerPoint

If you lost your copy handed out in class today, download a copy of the Unit 2 CC Essay Prompts. One of these prompts will be the one you write on when the written portion of the exam is administered on Tuesday in class.

Hard to believe, but we're already to Unit 3. Here are copy of the IDs.

Unit 3 IDs

Busy time of the year, folks. This email is several things, including a list of things to consider as we push toward our winter break, guidelines for assignments, and a few announcements.

Socratic Seminar Questions:

This week instead of DWH, we will review the material for 22 with the Socratic Seminar model. To gain entrance into the seminar, you have to come prepared, much llike DWH, with questions. But the questions are different than DWH questions. Rather than focusing on question development and different historical interpretation methods, you have a chance to pose truly deep, “big picture” discussion questions and/or prompts that are open ended, requiring critical thought and have multiple “right” answers depending on the person answering it and how they decided to answer it. I’m asking for a total of 5 good, solid questions/prompts for our discussion.

For instance, a good seminar question might go something like this two part question/prompt: Examine the role that religion played in this second unit. Was Christianity a bigger player or Islam … and why?

If you’re stuck as to where to begin, have a look at the bullet point list below. These items represent the major trends of unit 2. Use these as inspiration if you’d like, but don’t merely restate the statement in question format or something overly simplistic like that.

• Older belief systems, such as Christianity, Hinduism, Confucianism, and Buddhism, came to become more important than political organizations in defining many areas of the world. Large religions covered huge areas of land, even though localized smaller religions remained in place.
• Two nomadic groups - the Bedouins and the Mongols - had a huge impact on the course of history during this era. I guess, in some ways, I’d consider the Vikings a nomadic group also.
• A new religion - Islam - began in the 7th century and spread rapidly throughout the Middle East, Northern Africa, Europe, and Southeast Asia.
• Whereas Europe was not a major civilization area before 600 CE, by 1450 it was connected to major trade routes, and some of its kingdoms were beginning to assert world power.
• Major empires developed in both South America (the Inca) and Mesoamerica (the Maya and Aztec.)
• China grew to have hegemony over many other areas of Asia and became one of the largest and most prosperous empires of the time.
• Long distance trade continued to develop along previous routes, but the amount and complexity of trade and contact increased significantly.

Fishbowl:

We’re fishbowling on Friday after the quiz and SLOB discussions. I’d like our topic to be based on the following article. Please take 10 minutes to peruse the article and choose a policy option that you’d like to argue for in the fishbowl. Post War Iraq Fishbowl Article: http://www.mistergweb.com/post_war_iraq.pdf

Unit 2 Review Questions:

The due date has been moved to Saturday. Please start now and don’t wait till Friday. http://www.mistergweb.com/review2.pdf Get these done. No sob stories about missed deadlines.

WHAPcast:

Check out the latest WHAPcast on Islam and Unit 2. http://mistergweb.com/cblog/index.php There are also some links in a previous entry to currents issues which are tied into our WHAP curriculum and themes.

Unit 2 Study Session:

There is an after school study session on Monday, December 11th, from 2:40 to about 5 or 5:00 PM. This is strictly optional, but it should be a rocking good time. There will be pizza there. I need some volunteers for bringing drinks and cups … who can help? If you could please RSVP via email to me, that would be great. By the way, the MC portion of the exam will be on Wednesday 12/13. No more than 20 percent of the questions will come from Unit 1 material.

ID 23:

With the Unit 2 Review Exam, study sessions, etc. I’d like to postpone the turn in date for the 23 IDs to Thursday night at 11:59 PM. That will allow you to focus on Unit 2 studying.

Hang in there, guys. We’re almost to a well deserved break. Study hard. Practice developing your study tools and habits. Hard work pays off, indeed.

Cheers!
g.