Friday, January 27, 2012

January 30 - February 3






















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/.

Notice to Parents: Because of the current labour dispute, only grade 12 marks are supposed to be provided on report cards. Written comments are proscribed. This does not mean that we are not reporting marks to students and parents regularly.

If you want an update regarding marks or other information you need only e-mail me at the address above. I am happy to give a full account that goes well beyond what a report card provides.

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.

Course outlines are posted in the material for the first class this semester - go to the Monday, January 30 posting.

Social Studies 8

We will begin with a Geography unit. Expect a unit test at the end of this, worth around 75 marks. This will be in roughly 3 weeks. 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!

You will need the following material for the Geography unit: a ruler, pens, pencils, and coloured pencils, erasers, whiteout, a portable computer storage device (USB key, with at least 1 GB of space on it -- which you can use in all of your other classes too), and lined paper.

Keep all of your material in order in either a section of a bigger binder, with work from other courses, or a smaller Social Studies binder. The choice is yours. You should also have section dividers to separate units. Keep all work to study from for the final exam at the end of the course. After unit tests, you can take this work out and leave it safe at home if you do not want to keep carrying it around -- just don't lose it.

National Geographic has some nice overview PowerPoints for this unit. See Map Elements and Map Skills.

Social Studies 11

We will begin with the Government unit and start with the old red text to deal with ideologies. You will get the Counterpoints text, which we will use for most of the semester, once we get past ideologies -- which Counterpoints does not deal with well.

Expect your first unit test on Ideologies/Parties/Elections to be on Wednesday, February 15 -- or thereabout. The mark breakdown is most likely to be as follows: 30 multiple choice question (1 mark each); 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.
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Tuesday, January 24, 2012

January 23-27













We are at term end and are in the midst of final examinations this week.

Grade 8 writes on Monday, between 11:15 and 12:45. Block 2 is in room D205. Block 4 is in D207.

History 12 writes on Tuesday, between 1-3 in the afternoon in room D200

Social Studies 11 has a provincial exam. It is written on Wednesday, between 1-4 in the afternoon in the small gym.

Please bring text books to your exams, where I will pick them up. If you fail to do so, you will get a bill at the exam. If the book is back to me by Wednesday afternoon I will rip up the bill. After Wednesday I send the bills to the office and you will have to deal directly with office staff.

I will post results on my classroom window (by student number) as soon as they are finalized (except for Social Studies 11, which is provincially assessed). I fully expect SS8 and History 12 marks to be complete by Thursday afternoon.

Parents wishing to know final marks need only e-mail me to receive the final class mark, exam score, and final grade.

Best of luck to all of my students for the second semester!
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Monday, January 02, 2012

January 16-20
























  • 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/.

    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.

    Course outlines are posted in the material for the first class this semester - go to the Wednesday, September 7 posting.

    During the job action, parents who would like a mark update can contact me by -mail at any time. I should be able to provide this within a day or two of your request.

    For the Grads: Find pictures from the Winter Formal on November 23 at:     https://picasaweb.google.com/115201598663198640965/WinterFormal2011

    Social Studies 8

    The final exam is coming up soon, so you should be reviewing material for it in addition to doing day-to-day work.
Your Final Exam is on Monday, January 23 between 11:15 a.m. and 12:45 a.m. Be sure to bring your text books to school to hand in before the test. Block 2 should go to room D205 and Block 4 goes to room D207. If you have an IEP, you may have been told to go to an alternate location.

Bonus opportunity work -- complete this material to replace zeros on missed homework checks and even increase old marks.

  • Tuesday, January 17 - Take up #1-6, p. 36. Watch What the Ancients Did for Us; the Chinese - A few advertisements in Chinese will appear before the video starts, so be patient. 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. 117-121. Do #1-5, p. 121. Read pp. 121-123. Do #1-5, p. 123. (Sorry about the double homework; it is needed for us to finish the course. 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.
  • Wednesday, January 18 - Take up #1-5, p. 123. Watch Genghis Khan. 1. How did Genghis Khan unify the Mongols? 2. Where did the Mongols expand after unification? 3. Why were the Mongols so successful. No specific new homework tonight. Be sure to review for the last unit test and final exam.
  • Thursday, January 18 - Watch watch this French documentary (with English narration); Eurasia; Le Reve Mongol. 1. How did Kublai Khan come to rule China? 2. What was needed before Kublai Khan could unify China under his rule? 3. How did ruling China change the Mongols of Kublai Khan? How did they try to maintain their culture? 4. What contact did Kublai Khan's China have with the outside world? 5. Why did the West become interested in China at this time? Read pp. 123-125. Do #1-7, p. 125.
  • Friday, January 19 - Make up #1-7, p. 125. Video: Shinto Part 1, Part 2. 1. What are Kami? 2. Would Shintoism appeal to non-Japanese people? Why or why not? 3. How is it that Buddhism and Shintoism can be practiced at the same time? Watch Ancient Warriors; The Samurai, part 1, part 2. 1. What were the Samurai? 2. How were the Samurai similar to Medieval European Knights? How were they different? Read pp. 126-130. Do #1-8, p. 130.
Social Studies 11

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

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 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.

An out-of-class exam preparation seminar will be given on Wednesday, right after school. Attendance is voluntary, but well-advised.

  • Tuesday, January 17 - Take up #1-3, p. 84, #1-4, p. 85, #1-2, p. 86 and #1-3, p. 87. Take up homework. PowerPoint for Chapter 4 - Note -- we will move very quickly through this. Be sure to scan the PowerPoint again, on your own time, in order to take good notes. Read pp. 88-93. Do #1-4, p. 89, #1-5, p. 91 and #1-5, p. 93.
The exam schedule is now posted around the school. History 12 will be written on Tuesday, January 24, from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m., in room D200.
  • Tuesday, January 17 - Bad News -- The only time I could get a doctors' appointment this week was during this block. I will have you watch a video on the Iranian Revolution -- Iran and the West; Imam Khomeini; The Man Who Changed the World. and we will pick things up next class. Be sure to read the lecture notes on Islamic Fundamentalism below. Rise of Islamic Fundamentalism (base notes). The Irish documentary Whose Afraid of Islam is an interesting look at cultural struggles. Lube music video set to scenes from 9ya rota (9th Company Russian film of Afghan war) -- you might also listen to the title track. Watch and listen to the songs of the Iranian Revolution: Example 1 - Tribute to Imam Khomeini (with English subtitles),Example 2, Example 3 -Khamenei is Our Leader (With a speech by the Iranian cleric at the start), Example 4 - Iranian song supporting Palestinians against Israel. If you can manage it, be sure to watch a BBC documentary that compares the rise of radical Islamists and American Neo-Conservatives is The Power of Nightmares. If there was any material left from last class, we will complete it today.
  • Wednesday, January 18 - Southern Africa and the Fall of Apartheid (base notes). Watch Charlie Rose's interview with F.W. De Klerk, the Afrikaaner who brought an end to apartheid. How can white and black reconcile in South Africa? Watch Spear Cleansing (23 minutes, about Letlapa Mphalele, who ordered the killing of whites, and Ginn Fourie, who's daughter was killed on the order of Mphalele. Both are now friends and colleagues. A good historical treatment of the lives of human rights leaders Gandhi and Mandela is Together We Lit Up the Sky. Music was a powerful weapon in the anti-apartheid movement. Johnny Clegg, a white student of Zulu music and dance, wrote hugely popular music, often with a strongly propolitical bent. Watch some of the videos of anti-Apartheid activist and ethnomusicologist Johnny Clegg: Scatterlings of Africa, Asimbonanga (Nelson Mandela appears on stage with him in this clip), One Man, One Vote. For something a little different, try Nwampfundla. ...and in response, a revival of Boer nostalgia from when the Boers once fought against all odds in the Boer war - Delarey.
  • Thursday, January 19 - We will complete any lecture material that is unfinished and watch video material if there is any class time remaining -- probably drawn from the optional material above, unless I find something better during the week.
  • Friday, January 20 - Exam Preparation work. If time permits, additional video material.

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January 9-13

















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/.

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.

Course outlines are posted in the material for the first class this semester - go to the Wednesday, September 7 posting.

During the job action, parents who would like a mark update can contact me by -mail at any time. I should be able to provide this within a day or two of your request.

For the Grads: Find pictures from the Winter Formal on November 23 at:https://picasaweb.google.com/115201598663198640965/WinterFormal2011

Social Studies 8

I do not expect we will have a unit test on our final History material -- Ancient and Medieval India, China and Japan. This would take away class time that we can ill-afford to lose at this time in the semester. You will need to study it though as there will be questions on the final exam that cover this material.

Final exam locations and times are now posted around the school. These will be written from 11:15-12:45 on Monday, January 23. Classes are not held during the exam schedule.

Block 2 will write their exam in room D205
Block 4 will write in room D207

A bonus assignment is now available to help you boost your mark before the final exam. Look at it and follow the instructions.

  • Monday, January 9 - Take up homework. Introduction to Indian civilization. Video: Legacy; Empire of the Spirit and questions. Read pp. 22-26. Do #1-7, p. 26. You need to look at the following two PowerPoints on your own: Hinduism and Buddhism. For a very nice summary of world religions, see the PowerPoint Religious Realms from the University of Texas.
  • Tuesday, January 10 - Take up #1-7, p. 26. Watch What the Ancients did For Us; India - part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6. List important Indian inventions and explain their significance. Read pp. 26-28, do #1-5, p. 28.
  • Wednesday, 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. 112-116 & Do #1-6, p. 116.
  • Thursday, January 12 - Take up homework. Watch Three 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. 28-31. Do #1-5.
  • Friday, 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. 31-36. Do #1-6, p. 36.
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 may be only one unit test in the Geography unit. It will cover chapters 1-3 and will be on Friday of this week. 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 may or may not test chapters 4 & 5, depending on how our time goes -- but this material needs to be studied as it will be part of the material tested on the final examination.

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.


The final exam time and place is now posted around the school. Social Studies 11 will write in the small gym from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday, January 25.
  • Monday, January 9 - Take up homework - #1-5, p. 45 and Further Thought assignment #1-5, p. 46. Stewart Brand's City Planet and questions. Read pp. 54-55. Do #1-4, pp. 55-56.
  • Tuesday, January 10 - Take up #1-4, pp. 55-56. Chapter 3 PowerPoint. Read pp. 57-61. Do #1-8, p. 61.
  • Wednesday, January 11 - 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.
  • Thursday, January 12 - Take up homework. Watch Gwynne 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." Study for the chapters 1-3 test next class.
  • Friday, January 13 - Unit Test on chapters 1-3. Read pp. 83-87. Do #1-3, p. 84, #1-4, p. 85, #1-2, p. 86 and #1-3, p. 87.
History 12

Plan for Topics 5 & 6

Questions for Topics 5 & 6 - To #62 was due Friday, January 6. The remainder is due by Friday, January 20.

Essay #3 - Due by Friday, January 13.

Glossary Bonus Assignment

We will not test Topics 5 & 6 -- as this would take a block away from instruction and all of this material is tested on the final exam in any case. Questions up to #62 were due last week. I am, of course, still accepting them. The last batch of questions are due on the second from last day of classes next week.

I am currently putting together the final exam, which will be a two hour examination during the school exam period. Expect 100 multiple choice questions, a Document question valued at 14 marks and an essay question, valued at 18 marks. The total is, therefore, 132 marks - weighted at 20% of your final mark (Course work comprises 80%). You have 2 hours to write the exam.

The exam schedule is now posted around the school. History 12 will be written on Tuesday, January 24, from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m., in room D200.

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