September 20-24

Contact me by e-mail at: http://kbenoy@nvsd44.bc.ca.

Things that are static -- not requiring regular change -- can be found at my website:http://sites.google.com/site/kbenoy/ . I'm afraid I do not update this regularly though. Most of the time, all current material will be linked to directly from this blog.

This blogsite will have all the changing material -- lesson plans and links to particular assignments. I will try to ensure that all assignments are posted here. If you see something underlined, it means that you can click on it to go to the item. I will do this for pdf documents, PowerPoints, videos and sometimes music.

My tutorial times are officially 2:55-3:15 on Mondays and Fridays. However, I am available most days before school, at noon and after school. Drop by or make an appointment if you need guaranteed time. I also respond to e-mails within a day at worst.

Social Studies 8

Expect a unit test soon -- not next week, but early in the following week, worth around 75 marks. It will be based on map reading and the use of Canadian Oxford World Atlas (7th edition). We will also have a number of quizzes worth from 5-30 marks throughout the unit. You will not always be warned ahead of time about quizzes -- so it is important to keep up.

If you are struggling, be sure to see me outside of class for extra help!

• Monday, September 20 - Hand in Continents and Major Water Bodies map. Take up Activity 9 #1-4 and Activity 10 work. Introduction to military grid. Military Grid Worksheet. Complete the Letter/Number Grid Worksheet for homework.
• Tuesday, September 21 - Take up any problems with military grid. Take up the Letter/Number Grid Worksheet. Weather permitting, we will take a "Super Benoy Field Trip" to complete a Sutherland School Map assignment. Value: 10 marks, due in two classes. If the weather does not cooperate we will move on to Wednesday class material and, hopefully, complete this assignment when weather cooperates.

• Wednesday, September 22 - Take up any problems with the Sutherland School Map -- if we were able to go outside on Tuesday. Latitude introduction. Geographical Essentials, pp. 32-35. Key lines of latitude and why we have seasons -- see the video Geography Seasons for this. Introduction video to Latitude and Longitude - with questions. Note: you need to login to Discovery Education's streaming video site to do this. Mr. Benoy posts the access code in the classroom -- though this is a paid service the school may not be able to afford much longer. Complete the Latitude #1 worksheet for homework - Please make the following changes to the sheet! 1. the reference should read Canadian Oxford World Atlas 7th Edition, not 5th edition. 2. On the back of the sheet change the page numbers to pages 118-119 for questions 12-14. If you make these changes, everything will make sense. Sorry about the problem.
• Thursday, September 23 - Hand in your map of Sutherland. Take up Latitude #1 sheet. Short quiz on important lines of latitude. Review and more background on Latitude. Watch Kim Shaw's Latitude & Longitude video.Latitude #2 worksheet (Once again this sheet was geared to an earlier atlas, so make the following changes: Change the reference to the Canadian Oxford School Atlas 7th edition at the top of the first page. Change the instructions for questions 7-10 from using pages 59 and 69 to pages 56 and 60. Change the pages in the instructions at the bottom of page 1 to pages 116-117 from pages 112-113) -- note: this should be completed for homework over the weekend.

• Friday, September 24 - This is a professional day, so you do not have classes, but your teachers get a chance to learn new things as we still go to work. If you have fallen behind in your assignments, this is the perfect chance to catch up. Remember, all work is posted on this blog!

Social Studies 11

Expect your first unit test on Ideologies/Parties/Elections to be on Thursday, September 23. The mark breakdown is most likely to be as follows: 30 multiple choice question (1 mark each); 10 statements - you identify the ideology of the speaker - 1 mark each (sorry, I forgot to mention this in class Wednesday!); 4 items to label on a diagram (1 mark each); 5 definitions - you write a sentence or two about each term or name (2 marks each); 2 long answer questions from a choice of 4 options (6 marks each). The test should, therefore, be out of about 66 marks. Bonus marks can be earned for creating flash cards. On this test, the total value of the exam is over 50 marks, so it is possible to earn up to 5 bonus marks. You need to complete at least 25 flash cards to do so.

• Monday, September 20 - Take up I Can Vote and #1-3 & 5, p. 115. Elections handout. Elections in Canada – The first-by-the-post system. (If time; proportional representation too). Read Government pp. 88-97. Do #4, p. 97. Research Canadian federal political parties. Which party would you support in the next federal election? Why? About a half page or so of writing is needed to adequately answer this question. Value: 10 marks, due Thursday. Find political party information at Elections Canada's registered political parties page.

• Tuesday, September 21 - Take up #1-3, p. 257 & #4, p. 97. Elections lesson – day 2. Various voting systems. BCSTV animation. Assignment: What electoral system do you feel is best? Why? (due Friday. About 1 page).

• Wednesday, September 22 - Hand in Political Parties research. Note: We are beginning the next unit today and this material will not be on tomorrow's test. We are doing so to test on the day indicated in earlier blog-posts. I will explain my flash card bonus mark policy today. Begin Legislative Branch - focus on the House of Commons. Be sure to look at the Parliament of Canada website. Download, read and study from the Guide to the House of Commons. Read pp. 231-233 sidebar. Do #1-3 in the sidebar on p. 233. Study for the test next class.

• Thursday, September 23 - Unit test on Ideologies, Political Parties and Elections -- the material we have studied since classes commenced. Complete the homework from Wednesday for Monday.
• Friday, September 24 - Professional day, so classes are not in session. Use this time to catch up on any missed assignments.

History 12

We are testing the first unit on Monday, so your next exam is a long way off. The breakdown of marks for Monday's test is: 15 multiple choice questions (1 mark each), 10 definitions -- where I give you the definition and you give me the term or name (1 mark each), 5 definitions -- where I give you the term or name and you provide the definition or why the person is important (2 marks each), and one essay (worth 18 marks - with 6 for composition and 2x6 for content). The test will most likely be out of 53 marks.

Here is the Plan for Topic #2.

Here are the Topic #2 Questions.

We do not have enough time to watch enough video material in class. I will post material for you to see on the blog and highly recommend that you watch as much as possible.

Find out about the conditions in 1914 by watching nicely colourized movie footage in The Great War in Colour; The Beginning - Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5. For a nice, quick video summary of the situation in 1914, see How Stuff Works; World War I Begins in Europe - some nice period movie footage (only 5 minutes). The standard explanations of the origins of World War I are outlined in Origins of World War I - Part 1 and Part 2, or, try this 50 minute video World War I; To Arms 1914 -- then look at the rest of the series if you want to gain some real expertise. Watch Yale University Professor John Merriman's lecture on the Origins of World War I. He also has lectures posted on other aspects of modern history that a Google search would quickly lead you to.

• Monday, September 20 - Unit Test. Pick up Topic #2 Plan and Topic #2 Questions.
• Tuesday, September 21 - Complete our introduction to Europe Before World War I - the Alliance system. Part 2. Begin looking at the nations of Europe before the War. Base notes. Work on Topic #2 Questions.
• Wednesday, September 22 - Continue with the nations of Europe before the war - finish Russia/France/Britain - base notes -- then continue with the Ottoman Empire/Germany & Italy - base notes.
• Thursday, September 23 - Finish the countries of Europe before the war - concluding Ottoman Empire/Germany & Italy - base notes. If time, look at causes of the war and reasons for peace in 1914 - base notes.
• Friday, September 24 - Today is a professional day. Make good use of the time to complete the essay from the bottom of the Topic #1 Plan - due Tuesday of next week.