January 10-14

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/However, I'm afraid I do not update this regularly. I spend most of my time keeping the blog up to date.

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

Sutherland has renewed its license with Discovery Education Streaming services and all of the Discovery videos and video clips are available for student use. If you established an account in previous years, you can access it using your existing login name and password. If you do not yet have an account, get the code from the poster at the front of my classroom (sorry, I cannot post this online) and enroll. Use is free and students have copywright privileges; you can use chunks within your presentations legally.

My tutorial times are officially 3:10 to 3:30 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 will respond to e-mails within a day at worst.

Social Studies 8

Block 3 students - be sure to get DPA (Daily Physical Activity) sheets in! Copies of the monthly forms are available here in Word and PDFformats.

We will test India/China/Japan all together in the last class - on Friday, January 21.

We will move quickly, studying this material in less depth. Expect 20 multiple choice questions (1 mark each), 2 groups of 5 matching questions (10 marks total) and a choice of 2 from 3 long answer questions (6 marks each). The total value is, therefore, 42 marks and you can earn 3 bonus marks from 25 flash cards.

• Monday, January 10 - Take up #1-7, p. 26. Watch the rest of What the Ancients did For Us; India - part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6. Read pp. 26-28, do #1-5, p. 28. Also read pp. 112-116 & Do #1-6, p. 116.
• Tuesday, January 11 - Take up homework answers in class. Video on Akbar the Great - sorry, this is a video tape that is not available on the Internet. Why is Akbar considered one of the great figures in world history? If not in class -- or if you would like to learn more, watch Michael Wood's documentary: The Story of India, part 27, part 28. You might also consider watching this 30 minute summary of the Mughal Empire. Read pp. 28-31. Do #1-5, p. 31.
• Wednesday, January 12 - Take up homework. WatchThree Teachings - an introduction to Chinese culture and its roots in Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism. Why is it possible for people to believe in all three teachings at the same time? What do each of these belief systems focus on?Map Assignment: South and East Asia - 10 marks, due next class. Read pp. 31-36. Do #1-6, p. 36.
• Thursday, January 13 - Hand in maps. Take up homework. Video -- sorry this is unavailable on the Internet - on Shih Huang Ti (the Chi'in First Emperor). 1. How was the emperor able to unify China? 2. Why is he generally seen as an evil figure in history? 3. What great building project did he create? 4. How did he try to become immortal? Watch this film, Shih Huang Di as a substitute or to learn more. Read pp. 117-121. Do #1-5, p. 121.
• Friday, January 14 - Take up homework. Watch What the Ancients Did for Us; the Chinese part 1, part 2, part 3,part 4, part 5, part 6 (or watch in one part if you have Veoh installed on your computer). What great contributions did the Chinese give to the world. If we do not finish seeing this video, you are expected to do so for homework. Read pp. 121-123. Do #1-5, p. 123. Optional: Watch New Frontier; China During the T'ang Dynasty,part 1, part 2, part 3; also New Frontier; China During the Song Dynasty, part 1, part 2, part 3. A short amateur video on footbinding is also interesting.

Social Studies 11

The Geography textbook 21st Century World is available online. Just click on the title to access the table of contents.

With so little time left, there will be only one unit test in the Geography unit. It will cover chapters 1-3 and will be on Monday, January 17. Expect it to have 65 multiple choice questions and two from a choice of 10 long answer questions - valued at 6 marks each. The total is, therefore, out of 77 marks. 30 properly done flash cards will earn 5 bonus marks. We will not test chapters 4 & 5 -- but this material needs to be studied as it will be part of the material tested on the final examination.

You should be studying for the final exam at this time. Next week I will run an exam preparation class outside of school time. Expect it to run for about an hour to an hour and a half. We will look for an appropriate time slot this week.

It is essential that you are currently preparing to write the Provincial Final Exam. This is not a test that you can cram for with one or two days to go. You must become familiar with what to expect on the final exam and comfortable with the format of the test. Go to the ministry sites ( Frequently asked questions page, table of specifications, key verb list, &scoring criteria) to see how the exam is put together and look at past exams -- in fact you should write the sample test and look at the posted key to see how you do. To see how to approach the essay questions, look at this documentprovided to train markers of the exam. Link from my web page on writing the SS11 final, and also see myPowerPoint on how to approach the test.

• Monday, January 10 - Take up #1 on p. 37. Look at the population pyramids for Japan and Nigeria and go over reasons why their shapes are so different. Video segmentandquestions on Shanghai, Changing China - Urbanization ). Look atGapcast #2 - Urbanization. Read pp. 42-45. Do #1-5, p. 45. Do the Further Thought assignment #1-5, p. 46.
• Tuesday, January 11 - Take up homework. Stewart Brand's City Planet and questions. Read pp. 54-55. Do #1-4, pp. 55-56.
• Wednesday, January 12 - Take up #1-4, pp. 55-56. Chapter 3 PowerPoint. Read pp. 57-61. Do #1-8, p. 61.
• Thursday, January 13 - Take up homework. Watch Hans Rosling's Chimpanzees Know Better, to see how countries and populations are and are not different around the world. Ch. 3 PowerPoint - be sure to do so yourself for homework if we cannot do so in class. Read pp. 61-70. Do #1-5, p. 64 and #1-2, p. 70.
• Friday, January 14 - Take up homework. WatchGwynne Dyer's Escaping From History, & do the following questions: 1) What are living conditions like in Mexico City? 2) Why are people abandoning the countryside? 3) What does Dyer believe must happen for the developing world to get their fair share of consumer goods? Read pp. 70-73. Do #1-8, p. 73 and 1, 2, 5 and 7, p. 74 in "Further Thought."

History 12

Plan for Topics #5 & 6.

Questions for Topics #5 & 6.

There will not be a unit test on topics 5 & 6. However, expect significant weight on this material on the final exam. You will submit work to #62 of the questions at the end of this week. All marks must be finalized by the last week of classes, so you know your mark going into the final exam.

• Monday, January 10 - Eastern Europe Since Khruschev (base notes). Listen to Soviet era music -example 1, example 2, example 3, example 4.
• Tuesday, January 11- Eastern Europe Since Khruschev (base notes). Listen to this version of the national anthem -- or this 1991 Rock version (cheesy).
• Wednesday, January 14 - The Collapse of Communism and beyond (base notes). Lube's rock version of the Russian anthem (click here for a techno version - or, more energetically mixed). Watch an NBC news summary of the 1991 Soviet coup attempt (under 8 minutes). If you have time, watch the CNN Cold War; Soldiers of God episode -- on the Soviet experience in Afghanistan -- topical given Canada's involvement there today. Charlie Rose's 1996 interview with Gorbachev is fascinating, dealing with his experiences and thoughts about Russia. Post Soviet Music videos: example 1,example 2, example 3, example 4, Lube music video set to scenes from Rota 9 (Company 9) -- a Russian film of Afghan war).

• Thursday, January 13 - Maoist and post-Maoist China (base notes). At home, watch the History Channel video Mao Declassified, which deals with the Cultural Revolution. Music videos give an interesting insight into Maoist culture. Watch Song of Dragon River I link to the first part).
• Friday, January 14 - The Middle East Since 1956 (base notes). If you have the time, watch the History Channel's Battlefield Detectives; Israel's Six Day War (part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5), and also Modern Warfare: Yom Kippur War (1973). If you are interested in Israel's Weapons of Mass Destruction, watch the BBC's Correspondence: Israel's Secret Weapon. See the situation from the Palestinian perspective in the BBC's Clash of the Worlds; Palestine . Look at modern attitudes in the region through music videos with the following:Yallah ya Nasrallah (an anti-Arab Jewish song with English subtitles, , Moon Erhabo (Anti-Israeli Rap), and watch this short documentary on Palestinian Hip Hop -- oddly popular with Israeli youth, Hadag Nahash -- the Sticker Song (with English subtitles).