January 12 to 16

Mr. B. & Mr. G.

For those of you new to my blogsite, it is intended to work alongside my website at: http://kbenoy.googlepages.com/

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

Things that are static -- not requiring regular change -- will be posted on the website. This blogsite will have the changing material -- lesson plans and links to particular assignments. I will try to ensure that all assignments are made available on the Internet in this way. If something is underlined on the blog, it means that you can click on it to see a copy of the particular item -- this could be a pdf document, PowerPoint, music or a video.

Use this blog to see what is coming up each week. I will usually post it on Saturdays for the following week. If you are away, you can check up on what you are missing. There really is no reason for you not to know what is happening. If you do not have an Internet connection, you certainly know someone who does. If too ill to work while away, be sure to attach a note from home to any overdue work when you hand it in and I will most likely waive any late deduction.
If you can't read the PowerPoint material on your computer, download PowerPoint Viewer from Microsoft. It is free.

Sutherland has a license to access Discovery Education's United Streaming video collection. Students may download or stream videos from the collection by going to http://streaming.discoveryeducation.com/index.cfm . Use the passcode posted in the classroom to register. If you have lost it, see me, or e-mail me, for this information. Students are licensed to include this content within their own creations.

My tutorial times are officially 2:55-3:15 every Monday and Friday. However, I am available most days before school, at noon and after school. Drop by or make an appointment if you need guaranteed time.

Social Studies 11

We are working through the Geography portion of this course and are using our in-house textbook, The 21st Century World. This book is available online at http://www.design4effect.com/soc11 . It is a number of years since this was created, so I offer apologies in advance for dead links. Until a 36 hour day is available, I am unable to update it all unless I am offered significant help doing so.

Chapters 2 & 3 will be tested together at the end of this week. The test breakdown is as follows: 65 multiple choice questions (1 mark each), and 3 choices from 10 options of long answer questions (worth 6 marks each). The total value of the test is, therefore 81 marks. To earn the maximum of 5 bonus marks, 30 good flash cards are required.

You should be preparing for the final examination. Read my Tips for Writing the Social Studies 11 Provincial Exam. Go to the Ministry website and look at the exam table of specifications, familiarize yourself with key exam terms, access past exams and answer keys, and look at the essay scoring criteria to see how your essays will be marked.

• Monday, January 12 - Take up #1-3, p. 48. Begin chapter 3 PowerPoint. Read pp. 57-61. Do #1-8, p. 61.
• Tuesday, January 13 - Take up homework. Video - Gwynne Dyer's Escaping From History. (Sorry, this one is not available on the Internet). 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. 62-64. Do #1-5, p. 64.
• Wednesday, January 14 - Take up homework, continue PowerPoint on chapter 3. If we do not finish this in class, be sure to download and work through the remainder. Read pp. 64-73. Do #1-3, p. 70, #1-8, p. 73.
• Thursday, January 15 - Take up homework. Video: Gwynne Dyer's The Bomb Under the World." (Sorry, it is not available on the Internet). While watching this video, answer the questions: How is consumerism changing India? What are the positive and negative consequences for this developing country and for the world? Prepare for chapter 2 & 3 unit test next class.
• Friday, January 15 - Unit Test on Chapter 2 (Population) and Chapter 3 (Standards of Living). Read pp. 83-86. Do #1-3, p. 84, #1-4, p. 85 & 1-2, p. 86. Be sure to spend time preparing for the final exam on the weekend.

Comparative Civilizations 12

With only three weeks remaining, we will not have another unit test. The remaining material will be tested on the final exam.

The final examination in this course will be held on the last two days of class, instead of during exam week. This test is worth 15% of your course mark. Only the first part of the test is closed book. You may refer to your notebooks in answering all other material.

Final Exam, Day 1: Slide Identification (closed book). Expect 50 items. You are to identify the work, the artist and the period (100 marks - since not all items have all three parts, we will give bonus marks for any third part identified). The remaining part of day 1 is an essay question - choose 1 from among 4 options (24 marks - 6 for composition and 18 for content -- marked according to the provincial examinations English & History rubrics).

The Mannerism and Reformation packages are due on Monday, January 12 -- by 4:30 p.m.

The Grandeur and Obedience package is due on the last day of classes - day 2 of the final examination -- in class.

• Monday, January 12 - Video: Art of the Western World; Realms of Light, on Baroque art. work on Grandeur and Obedience Package.
• Tuesday, January 13 - Bernini - Scupture. Short video clip of Bernini's works. Work on package. See Simon Schama's ThePower of Art; Bernini - Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9.
• Wednesday, January 14 - Palladian and Baroque Architecture. Work on Baroque package.
• Thursday, January 15 - Painters - Rubens and Velasquez. Sister Wendy segments. Work on Grandeur and Obedience package. Watch Great Artists; Rubens. England's National Gallery has a nice podcast on their Velasquez exhibit, with great information on the artist and his work.
• Friday, January 16 - Painters -- Carravaggio and Gentilleschi. Video clip on Caravaggio's technique. Work on Grandeur and Obedience package. Watch Simon Schama's video on The Power of Art; Caravaggio - Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5 (59 minutes). There is a good feature film on Gentilleschi, Artemisia. This is worth watching if you can acquire a copy.

History 12

This unit is global in scope -- far more than previous units. I will tend to focus on one region or issue at a time, which will mean that we will jump around more in time order. We did a bit of this in the last unit, but expect far more from now on. It is, therefore, essential that you find a way to make sure that you get the chronology right. I strongly suggest that you create a time line, with years on one axis and a series of columns, labelled Europe, Asia, North America, and South America on the other axis. Put major events on this timeline in the appropriate location and time. This will help you see events graphically -- recognizing how they might influence other events, elsewhere in the world, in the Cold War era.

The good news is that there will be no more unit tests. To save time, I have also cancelled the in-class essay that was first planned. I do not wish to lose further blocks to testing. Topic 5 & 6 material will, however, be strongly present on the Provincial Final Exam. Link here to Topic 5 & 6 questions. Link here to the plan for Topics 5 & 6. This is increasingly inaccurate in terms of dates of lessons though, as we have taken a bit longer than originally outlined.

• Monday, January 12 - Complete Economic Resurgence in Japan (base notes).
• Tuesday, January 13 - Eastern Europe Since Khruschev (base notes). Listen to Soviet era music - example 1, example 2, example 3, example 4.
• Wednesday, January 14 - Eastern Europe Since Khruschev (base notes). Listen to this version of the national anthem -- or this 1991 Rock version (cheesy).
• Thursday, January 15 - 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, example 5, Lube music video set to scenes from Apocalyptica (Russian film of Afghan war).
• Friday, January 16 - 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 linki to the first part).