Thursday, January 31, 2019

The American Dream: Revisited, Day 2 - Class Recap


We talked today about wealth inequality in the United States. This is a photo from high up in the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Photo taken in 2014.

Dear class,

I enjoyed today's quick (due to the Assembly Schedule) day with you all, as we continued to revisit the idea of the American Dream and whether or not it is an attainable reality for everyone. Here's what happened in class today:

Learning Targets Addressed:
Communication LT 1: I can communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.
Critical Thinking LT 5: I can justify and support arguments or interpretation with appropriate evidence.

Soundtrack: "Just a Dream" by Nelly. Selected for today because of our continued conversation about the American Dream. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 1/31/19:
News Brief - Gaby
Wealth Inequality
The American Dream
Prep Time

Homework: Read the blog! Be prepared for Socratic Seminar discussion next class! Next news brief: Julian.

News Brief: Gaby had the news brief today and selected an article about this story to talk about: FoxNews.com - Polar vortex victims include University of Iowa student, ex-city councilman, police officer and wife. After discussing the story, we also checked in to see if anyone was up to anything interesting or fun outside of class.

Julian was assigned to do the next news brief.

As part of the news brief, we also watched the one minute BBC World News update. Here's the link to see the latest one minute update, at any time of day (it will probably be different from what we watched in class):

BBCNews.com - One-minute World News

Wealth Inequality: To continue our look at the American Dream: I had students break into small groups and walked everyone through this lesson on guessing what wealth inequality looks like in the United States: MorningsideCenter.org - Wealth Inequality in America. I used different colors of paper and paper clips, but otherwise, the lesson is pretty much the same as what we did in class.

Basically, I wanted to see what students thought wealth distribution looks like in the United States, before I showed this video to the class as to the differences between typical perceptions and reality:



After the video, we had a discussion about what we noticed and reasons for why this wealth distribution pattern might have an impact on our society. My guess is that these numbers were surprising to you - why do you think that was?

American Dream: Next class, we will have a Socratic Seminar discussion on the question: "Is the American Dream attainable by everyone?"

Here is the packet that I passed out last class with readings with opinions about the status of the American Dream:


This packet will be turned in and assessed for a Critical Thinking grade, in combination with the Communication grade from the Seminar. The video notes on the last page are on the above video.

Prep Time: The rest of class was spent preparing for the Socratic Seminar next class. As a reminder, this is a student led discussion, based on the question: Do you think everyone can attain the American Dream? Why or why not?

Come prepared to next class with your answers and higher level questions about the American Dream! See you on Monday, barring a snow day! ;-)
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Tuesday, January 29, 2019

The American Dream: Revisited, Day 1 - Class Recap


Your anonymous feedback for what you like about this class! :-) 

Hello everyone,

Welcome to a new semester! We began by getting organized and reviewing feedback from last semester, then moving on to prepare for a Socratic Seminar discussion on the American Dream! Here's what happened today:

Learning Targets:
Communication LT 1: I can communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.
Critical Thinking LT 5: I can justify and support arguments or interpretation with appropriate evidence.

Soundtrack: "Brand New Day" by Sting. Selected for today because it is a brand new semester and a chance to start again! Lyrics here.

AGENDA 1/29/19:
News Brief - Emma H.
Organization
Review Class Feedback
The American Dream

Homework: Read the blog and post a comment again! Finish the reading questions if you did not in class. Next news brief: Gaby.

News Brief: Emma H. had the news brief today, but was absent from class, so I filled in and selected an article about this story to talk about: CNN.com - Some states allow parents to get out of vaccinations. Then this happens. We talked about this story for a bit, before moving on.

Gaby was selected to do the next news brief.

As usual, we checked in about what students were up to outside of class (I hope finals went well!).

We also watched the one minute BBC World News update. Here's the link to see the latest one minute update, at any time of day (it will probably be different from what we watched in class):


Organization: Next, I offered students time to clear out their binder of work from last semester for my class, and to get organized and ready for the next semester. Let's all try to work on this for the rest of the year! :-)

Review Class Feedback: We looked at the anonymous feedback that students gave me after the semester final about how the class was going, and how I am doing as a teacher. Here it is again if you want to check it out:


Some observations:
1) It looks like students really love what we learn about in class, which is awesome to see!
2) The class knows it could get better at working well together and being on time to class and with work.
3) The class likes that I am positive, helpful, enthusiastic, and that I explain/teach concepts well.
4) However, some students feel like I could do a better job of not talking during movies and grading (if anything at all).

As I also noted in the last slide, we have lots of work to do in the second semester, which will probably be more challenging for most students than the first semester.

The American Dream: To start this semester, I wanted to remind students of last semester, when we talked about the concept of the "American Dream" and students made posters with slogans. Next week, we will have a Socratic Seminar discussion on the question: "Is the American Dream attainable by everyone?"

Here is the packet that I passed out today with readings with opinions about the status of the American Dream:


In class, I had students read the first article in the packet and underline words or phrases that they did not understand, to ask a partner for help. We then went through them as a class.

We will continue working on this packet and preparation next class (which is a bit shorter, due to an assembly schedule). My plan is to then have the Socratic Seminar in class next Monday. Thanks for your hard work today - here we go again!
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Wednesday, January 23, 2019

Semester 1 Finals - Class Recap


The sun has set on Semester 1 of the 2018-19 school year! Photo taken in Hawaii in 2011.

Hi everyone,

Today was immigrant group presentation day for almost everyone in class, so I hope that you feel as if they went well and were worth the time! Here's what we did today in class:

Learning Targets Addressed:
Behavior LT 3: I can work effectively within a team or group.
Communication LT 1: I can communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.
Knowledge LT 16: I can explain the process of change and continuity in a society, place, or region.

Soundtrack: "The Final Countdown" by Europe. Selected for today because of it being finals for our class! Lyrics here.

AGENDA 1/23/19:
News Brief – Valeria
Presentations
Citizen USA
Class Feedback

Homework: Read the blog. Next news brief: Emma H.

News Brief: Valeria had the news brief today and selected an article about this story to talk about: CNN.com - How the video confrontation between Catholic students and a Native American elder blew up. After discussing the story, we also checked in to see if anyone was up to anything interesting or fun outside of class.

Emma H. was assigned to do the next news brief.

As part of the news brief, we also watched the one minute BBC World News update. Here's the link to see the latest one minute update, at any time of day (it will probably be different from what we watched in class):


Presentations: During this part of class, students presented on the immigrant groups they selected. I first asked for volunteers, then drew randomly. Here's the assignment again:


Here is the list of groups that presented:


Finally, here is the sheet for notes that I passed out to the class:


Citizen USA: This was a short documentary (available streaming on HBO GO - if you do not have it, do not worry, as I will not ask students who missed this to make it up). Here are the questions I had students answer as we watched the documentary (which we might have already finished last class):


Here is a list of dates for citizenship/naturalization ceremonies in Portland, if you are interested in attending one, after having seen them in the documentary! I attended one in August 2018 to see what it was like, which must have been the first one I have attended since

USCourts.gov - Oregon Naturalization Ceremonies

At the end of the documentary, we talked about the questions and anyone's experience with the citizenship process as an immigrant. Thank you for this conversation! We have such an interesting group of people in our class and school!

Class Feedback: If we had time, the last part of class was given to answering questions about how class is going for everyone so far. The questions are:

1) What do you like about this class? What is this class good at?

2) What does the class need to get better at/improve at doing?

3) What do you like about Mr. Fritz as a teacher?

4) What can Mr. Fritz improve at doing as a teacher?

Hopefully, students had substantive feedback to give for each part! This was anonymous, to allow for students to write freely. I will analyze these results and get back to everyone at the start of next semester! Have a great rest of the week!
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Tuesday, January 22, 2019

Immigration, Day 6 - Class Recap


The swearing in of new United States citizens in Portland. Photo taken on August 16, 2018. A list of upcoming naturalization ceremonies like this can be found here.

Dear class,

Welcome to finals week! Today we started with presentations (if any groups wanted to go) and watched a documentary on the process for naturalization/legal immigration to the United States. Here's what we did today in class:

Learning Targets Addressed:
Behavior LT 3: I can work effectively within a team or group.
Communication LT 1: I can communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.
Knowledge LT 16: I can explain the process of change and continuity in a society, place, or region.

Soundtrack: "Natural Blues" by Moby. Selected for today because of how difficult the naturalization process to become a United States citizen is! Lyrics here.

AGENDA 1/22/19:
News Brief – Noah
Presentations?
Citizen USA
Discussion

Homework: Read the blog. Finish working on your final presentation with your group (checklist here), which is due next class. Next news brief: Valeria.

News Brief: Noah had the news brief today and selected an article about this story to talk about: NYTimes.com - Why Vietnam Appeals as Possible Host for Trump-Kim Summit. After discussing the story, we also checked in to see if anyone was up to anything interesting or fun outside of class.

Valeria was assigned to do the next news brief.

As part of the news brief, we also watched the one minute BBC World News update. Here's the link to see the latest one minute update, at any time of day (it will probably be different from what we watched in class):


Presentations?: During this part of class, I asked if any groups were prepared and ready to present (along with having their group packet printed and ready). Here's the assignment again:


Here is the list of groups to present:


Finally, here is the sheet for notes that I passed out to the class (or will pass out next class, if no groups went today):


Citizen USA: This was a short documentary (available streaming on HBO GO - if you do not have it, do not worry, as I will not ask students who missed this to make it up). Here are the questions I had students answer as we watched the documentary:


Here is a list of dates for citizenship/naturalization ceremonies in Portland, if you are interested in attending one, after having seen them in the documentary! I attended one in August 2018 to see what it was like, which must have been the first one I have attended since

USCourts.gov - Oregon Naturalization Ceremonies

Discussion: At the end of the documentary, we talked about the questions and anyone's experience with the citizenship process as an immigrant. Thank you for this conversation! We have such an interesting group of people in our class and school! See you next class, for our final period of the semester! If you did not present today, you will be asked to go next class.
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Thursday, January 17, 2019

Immigration, Day 5 - Class Recap


One of the quotes at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Washington, DC. Photo taken in 2011.

Hi everyone,

Thank you for your efforts today in class and this semester as a whole! Next week is finals week (even though we do have one more A day on Tuesday, before finals for this class). Here's what we did today in class:

Learning Targets Addressed:
Behavior LT 3: I can work effectively within a team or group.
Communication LT 1: I can communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.
Knowledge LT 16: I can explain the process of change and continuity in a society, place, or region.

Soundtrack: "Pride (In the Name of Love)" by U2. Selected for today because of the song's connection to Martin Luther King Jr, who we honor on Monday with a day of service (and no school). Lyrics here.

AGENDA 1/17/19:
News Brief – Jaden
MLK Day of Service
Final Project
Work Time

Homework: Read the blog. Continue working on your final presentation with your group (checklist here). Know your grade (updated on StudentVUE) and improve it, if possible! All late/missing/revised work for this semester is due by TODAY. Next news brief: Noah.

News Brief: Jaden had the news brief today and selected an article about this story to talk about: CNN.com - An American CEO who survived 9/11 died in the terror attack on a Kenya hotel. After discussing the story, we also checked in to see if anyone was up to anything interesting or fun outside of class.

Noah was assigned to do the next news brief.

As part of the news brief, we also watched the one minute BBC World News update. Here's the link to see the latest one minute update, at any time of day (it will probably be different from what we watched in class):


Finally, I shared this article about common misconceptions about immigrants to the United States, as well:


I want to continue to be clear about what the facts are as we continue this unit!

MLK Day of Service: There is no school on Monday, to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, who would have turned 90 this year and we talked about during our Civil Rights unit this year. I always encourage students to see this day as a day of service, not a day off. In light off that, here is a great list of local events that are happening in our area:


Let me know if you are planning of doing anything or end up serving the community in some way over the weekend!

Final Project: Last week, I introduced what the final project will look like for this semester (a group presentation due on finals day, or before, if the group wants to get it done with):


Groups were formed last week and immigrant groups were selected. Here is the list of groups:


Work Time: The rest of class was devoted to work time in researching the immigrant group the team selected, and continuing to create and practice the presentations. On Tuesday, when we next meet, I will ask for volunteers to present (if anyone wants to), and then we will watch a documentary about the citizenship process in the United States, to prepare for finals later in the week!
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Tuesday, January 15, 2019

Immigration, Day 4 - Class Recap


Given the ongoing government shutdown over the possibility of a border wall, this is a picture of me at the Berlin Wall in 2013.

Dear class,

Our last week before finals will mostly be working on the final presentation! Here's what we did today in class:

Learning Targets Addressed:
Behavior LT 3: I can work effectively within a team or group.
Communication LT 1: I can communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.
Knowledge LT 16: I can explain the process of change and continuity in a society, place, or region.

Soundtrack: "Refugee" by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Selected for today because many refugees have immigrated to the United States. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 1/15/19:
News Brief – Gunnar
Final Project
Work Time
Exit Ticket

Homework: Read the blog. Continue working on your final presentation with your group (checklist here). Know your grade (updated on StudentVUE) and improve it, if possible! All late/missing/revised work for this semester is due by this Thursday, January 17th. Next news brief: Jaden.

News Brief: Gunnar had the news brief today and selected an article about this story to talk about: CNN.com - Trump's attorney general pick faces Senate hearing. After discussing the story, we also checked in to see if anyone was up to anything interesting or fun outside of class.

Jaden was assigned to do the next news brief.

As part of the news brief, we also watched the one minute BBC World News update. Here's the link to see the latest one minute update, at any time of day (it will probably be different from what we watched in class):


Final Project: Last class, I introduced what the final project will look like for this semester (a group presentation due on finals day, or before, if the group wants to get it done with):


Groups were formed last week and immigrant groups were selected. Here is the list of groups:


Work Time: The rest of class was devoted to work time in researching the immigrant group the team selected, and continuing to create the presentations.

Exit Ticket: At the end of class, I passed out this survey of what has been done so far with the project for the group and what needs to be done, to help see what has happened so far:


Next class will probably be more of the same, as we wind down the semester and all late work is due! See you then!
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Friday, January 11, 2019

Immigration, Day 3 - Class Recap


My two passports! I have dual citizenship through my mother, who was born and raised in the United Kingdom.

Hi everyone,

One full week down, one more full week left in the semester, before finals! Here's what we did today in class:

Learning Targets Addressed:
Behavior LT 2: I can manage my responsibilities as a student.
Communication LT 1: I can communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.
Knowledge LT 16: I can explain the process of change and continuity in a society, place, or region.

Soundtrack: "Immigrant" by Nitin Sawhney. Selected for today for obvious reasons connected to our current unit. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 1/11/19:
News Brief – Jakob
Finish Stereotypes and Statistics
Final Project
Work Time

Homework: Read the blog. Know your grade (updated on StudentVUE) and improve it, if possible! All late/missing/revised work for this semester is due by next Thursday, January 17th. Next news brief: Gunnar.

News Brief: Jakob had the news brief today and selected an article about this story to talk about: ABCNews.go.com - US official says troop withdrawal from Syria has started. After discussing the story, we also checked in to see if anyone was up to anything interesting or fun outside of class.

Gunnar was assigned to do the next news brief.

As part of the news brief, we also watched the one minute BBC World News update. Here's the link to see the latest one minute update, at any time of day (it will probably be different from what we watched in class):


Finish Stereotypes and Statistics: Last class, we looked into some common stereotypes about Latinx immigrants and the actual facts. I wanted to make sure we finished this today in class as it is very connected to the ongoing government shutdown over the border between the United States and Mexico.

 This was the link I shared with students to help:


Here is the worksheet that students filled out:


We then talked about this information as a class and the importance of knowing facts.

Final Project: Next, I introduced what the final project will look like for this semester (a group presentation due on finals day, or before, if the group wants to get it done with):


In class, I gave students time to consider which immigrant group might be most interesting to learn about. Here are the options:


Today, groups were formed and immigrant groups were selected. Here is the list of groups:


Work Time: The rest of class was devoted to work time in researching the immigrant group the team selected, and beginning to create the presentations. This is largely what we will work on all next week in preparation for finals (this project is the final for this semester). Thanks for your effort this week!
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Wednesday, January 9, 2019

Immigration, Day 2 - Class Recap


Last class, we visited the front lobby at Westview, and learned about some of the many languages spoken by families here.

Dear class,

We continued our sprint to the finish line of the semester today, by looking at immigration in the United States. Here's what we did today in class:

Learning Targets Addressed:
Behavior LT 2: I can manage my responsibilities as a student.
Communication LT 1: I can communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.
Knowledge LT 16: I can explain the process of change and continuity in a society, place, or region.

Soundtrack: "Come As You Are" by Nirvana. Selected for today because of the millions of immigrants who have come to the United States as they are. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 1/9/19:
News Brief – Ryan
Last Night's Speeches
Stereotypes and Statistics
Final Project

Homework: Read the blog. Know your grade (updated on StudentVUE) and improve it, if possible! All late/missing/revised work for this semester is due by next Thursday, January 17th. Next news brief: Jacob.

News Brief: Ryan had the news brief today and selected an article about this story to talk about: CNN.com - Lonely George was the last Hawaiian tree snail of his kind. He died, and an entire species has gone extinct.. After discussing the story, we also checked in to see if anyone was up to anything interesting or fun outside of class.

Jacob was assigned to do the next news brief.

As part of the news brief, we also watched the one minute BBC World News update. Here's the link to see the latest one minute update, at any time of day (it will probably be different from what we watched in class):

BBCNews.com - One-minute World News

Finally, I also noted that new research into the Holocaust has shown that there was a particularly horrific and deadly period of time in 1942 where about 14,000+ Jewish people were killed per day for three months, making it even deadlier than the Rwandan genocide on a per day basis. Since last year, I told my Global Studies classes that Rwanda was the deadliest genocide per day, I wanted to update this.

Last Night's Speeches: Because of our unit on immigration, and the ongoing government shutdown over the possibility of a border wall between the United States and Mexico, I wanted to show students the speeches that were delivered by President Trump and then Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. Here are the videos we watched:





As we watched, I wanted students to take notes on what the government leaders were saying about what they wanted to happen with the current situation with the border and the shutdown, and why. We then had a conversation about some of the information presented in the speeches.

Stereotypes and Statistics: Next, connected to the speeches, I asked students to consider some common stereotypes about immigrants (specifically, Latinx and Hispanic immigrants), and find data about the actual statistics. We watched this video to introduce this section of class:



 This was the link I shared with students to help:


Here is the worksheet that students were filling out:


We then talked about this information as a class, and were just about finished as the bell rang to stop our short Wednesday together. Next class, I will introduce the final project! See you then!
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Monday, January 7, 2019

Immigration, Day 1 - Class Recap


The poem at the base of the Statue of Liberty in New York is (partially) as follows: 

Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door

Photo taken in 2011.

Hi everyone,

Welcome back to Westview and the start of our time in 2019 together! Here's what we did today in class:

Learning Targets Addressed:
Behavior LT 2: I can manage my responsibilities as a student.
Communication LT 1: I can communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.
Knowledge LT 16: I can explain the process of change and continuity in a society, place, or region.

Soundtrack: "New Year's Day" by U2. Selected for today because of the obvious connection to the start of 2019 in class. My dad used to play this song loudly every January 1 as I was growing up! Lyrics here.

AGENDA 1/7/19:
News Brief – Mr. Fritz
Immigration Overview
PowerPoint Notes
Where Are We From?

Homework: Read the blog. Know your grade (updated on StudentVUE) and improve it, if possible! All late/missing/revised work for this semester is due by next Thursday, January 17th. Next news brief: Ryan.

News Brief: I had the news brief today and selected an article about this story to talk about: CNN.com - Cornered: Trump escalates shutdown crisis. After discussing the story, we also checked in to see if anyone was up to anything interesting or fun outside of class over Winter Break.

Ryan was assigned to do the next news brief.

As part of the news brief, we also watched the one minute BBC World News update. Here's the link to see the latest one minute update, at any time of day (it will probably be different from what we watched in class):

Where Are We From?: At the start of class (as the first slide of the presentation indicates), we took a quick class field trip to the front lobby at Westview, which has the languages of students hanging. The prompt here was (this is posted on Google Classroom):

Select a language spoken here that you want to learn more about (not your own) – write it down.

Research the language and where speakers of it originate from.

How many people speak the language in the United States? What is their story?

We talked about what we found as a class - hopefully students found this introductory activity interesting!

Immigration Overview: To start off our unit on immigration to end the semester, I showed this video about sources of immigration to the United States since 1850:


This was to help provide some background knowledge as we began thinking about reasons people would move to the United States and their impact once arriving here.

PowerPoint Notes: Next, I had students learn a bit more of the details about how and when people came to the United States, through this presentation:


Here is the sheet for notes on the presentation as we went through it:


And here is the timeline on the back side of the note sheet in class:


Thanks for following along with this! It's great to be back - let's have an awesome end to the first semester!
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