Cold War America, Day 3 (The Korean War) - Class Recap

The "Bridge of No Return" between North and South Korea, in the De-Militarized Zone. Photo taken in January of 2014.

Dear class,

After what seems like an eternity due to all the testing last week, we were back at it today in class! Here's what we did:

Learning Targets:
SS.HS.KN.ALT.09: I can identify how technological knowledge and innovation shapes a society, place, or region.
SS.HS.KN.ALT.17: I can explain the process of change and continuity in a society, place or region.
SS.HS.KN.ALT.23: I can describe the influences, impacts and resolutions of historical conflicts.

Soundtrack: “Gone But Not Forgotten” by TQ. Selected because we talked about the "Forgotten War" in Korea today in class. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 4/29/14:
News Brief
Debrief Primary Sources
The Korean War
Unforgettable

Homework: Read the blog! Next news brief: Andrew

News Brief: Taryn had the news brief today and selected this story: CNN.com - The artificial leaf that could power the world. Such an interesting story! Science is so cool. Thanks, Taryn!

Debrief Primary Sources: I gave the class a few more minutes to finish this up, then we started talking about the sources and what they meant for the start of the Cold War. The four sources and worksheets are here:

Stanford.edu - Cold War Primary Sources

Please keep this for future reference in class!

The Korean War: This was the first actual war of the "Cold War" period in America. Remember, the term "cold" is used to describe the relationship between the United States and the Soviet Union, because we were never actually at war them directly, just in various wars with allies around the world. Here is the presentation I made, if you missed class, or I went too fast (as is definitely possible):

Google Drive: The Forgotten War PowerPoint

This was a fairly lengthy PowerPoint, I know. I tried to pack the entire history of the Korean War into one presentation. Students were asked to take notes of information that related to the learning targets of the unit (above). Most students did really well with this, it seemed! Thank you! All of the pictures in the PowerPoint are my own - most of them from my trip to Korea in January! I love it when I get to travel to places that I then teach about.

Here is the video that I showed in class, about the geography of the war. It settled back almost exactly where it started, which is another reason people tend to forget about it.

Here is a link which goes over six different stages of the war:

PBS.org - American Experience: The Korean War

Unforgettable: We did not get to this today. It is possible that we will watch it next class, but we may move on (there is SO much to cover in the Cold War). If you want to watch it, here it is:

Again, I really appreciate your focus, effort, and participation today in class! Presentation days can be super boring, I know. Good questions and involvement make it more interesting for everyone. Thanks!

OAKS Test - Class Recap

Today, the class took the OAKS Reading Test in class. It is an acronym for Oregon Assessment of Knowledge and Skills, but I still think of trees. This was a tree outside my dorm room at Western Oregon University in 2006.

Dear class,

We had a break from the Cold War today, because it was our scheduled time to take the OAKS Reading test. A much shorter class recap:

Soundtrack: “Ready Steady Go” by Paul Oakenfold. Selected because of "Oak" in "Oakenfold." Get it? The very deep and insightful lyrics are here.

AGENDA 4/24/14:
Attendance
OAKS Test – S130

Homework: Read the blog! Next news brief: Taryn

OAKS Test - S130: I hope this went well for everyone! Next class, we will get back to learning about the Cold War.

Cold War America, Day 2 - Class Recap

 Shibuya Crossing in Tokyo, Japan. Today, we talked about the United States dropping the atomic bomb. President Truman was insistent on not using it on Tokyo. Picture taken January 2014.

Hi everyone,

Today is the start of only eight more weeks of school left in the year! Here's what we did today in class:

Learning Targets:
SS.HS.KN.ALT.09: I can identify how technological knowledge and innovation shapes a society, place, or region.
SS.HS.KN.ALT.17: I can explain the process of change and continuity in a society, place or region.
SS.HS.KN.ALT.23: I can describe the influences, impacts and resolutions of historical conflicts.

Soundtrack: “Bomb The World” by Michael Franti & Spearhead. Very applicable lyrics for our day of talking about the atomic bomb, including "We can bomb the world to pieces, But we can't bomb it into peace."

AGENDA 4/21/14:
News Brief /Blog Recap
Pro/Con: The Bomb
Cold War Primary Sources
Grade Conferences

Homework: Missing and/or late work to me by next Wednesday for progress report grades. Read the blog! Next news brief: Taryn

News Brief: This is the story that Jocelyn brought in today: CBSNews.com - Famous Los Angeles mountain lion exposed to poison. Hopefully, the mountain lion will fully recover! Interesting that one can live in the territory surrounding Los Angeles.

Pro/Con: The Bomb: This picked back up where we left off last class. If you missed class or wanted to see the document to debate from again, here it is:

wednet.edu - Was the Atomic Bomb Necessary to Win World War II?

The format I used was to pair everyone up and then have one person start on the YES side for about a minute and a half. Then the second person went for the same time, with no interruption. After that, I had each side choose their favorite point that they had heard from their partner, and begin a 30 second final round by arguing the opposite side that they started, using that point. Typing all that just now, I realize that sounds absurdly complicated in print, but it really was not. Thanks for your participation here! After the debating was done, we did a 5 minute free write on these questions:

What is your actual opinion on whether or not the United States should have used the atomic bomb on Japan? What is the single best reason to support your position?

It seemed like the class was about split down the middle on whether or not the atomic bomb should have been used.

Cold War Primary Sources: After the debate, I passed out a class set of copies regarding some beginning of the Cold War sources. I also gave every student a worksheet that had to do with reading and analyzing the sources. If you missed class, or wanted to check them out again, here are the materials that I used:

Stanford.edu - Cold War Primary Sources

Along with the timeline (that I read aloud), I showed part of this clip from British Prime Minister Winston Churchill's "Iron Curtain" speech, about the Soviet Union taking over Eastern Europe:

The other primary source that I used was this website containing President Truman's diary entries from the lead up to dropping the atomic bomb on Japan:

PBS.org - Entries from President Truman's Diary

In particular, the last one, about not dropping the bomb on Tokyo, and focusing on military targets is interesting. Of course the majority of the deaths from the bombs were civilians. 

Grade Conferences: As students were working on the Cold War primary sources packet, I called everyone up to go over grades. If you would like to improve your grade by the progress report, hopefully you know exactly what you need to do now. Remember that grades are always posted by student ID number in the classroom, as well. Keep working hard!

Cold War America, Day 1 - Class Recap

My thoughts on the Berlin Wall, as aptly summed up by some graffiti there. That is how high the wall is, for anyone wondering. Photo taken in June 2013.

Hi everyone,

I am not sure about you, but I have a To Do list that is about a mile long at this point. I do like writing the blogs, though! It reminds me of everything we did today in class and makes me think of how it all went. In this case, I think it went well! Here's what happened today:

Learning Targets:
SS.HS.KN.ALT.09: I can identify how technological knowledge and innovation shapes a society, place, or region.
SS.HS.KN.ALT.17: I can explain the process of change and continuity in a society, place or region.
SS.HS.KN.ALT.23: I can describe the influences, impacts and resolutions of historical conflicts.

Soundtrack: “The Times They Are a-Changin’” by Bob Dylan. Selected because we are changing to a new unit and this is a very famous song about American society changing. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 4/17/14:
News Brief
Newsflash
Cold War America PowerPoint
Pro/Con: The Bomb

Homework: Missing and/or late work to me by next Wednesday for progress report grades. Read the blog! Next news brief: Jocelyn.

News Brief: Caden had the news brief today and selected this article to talk about: CNN.com - 'Kill switch' may be standard on U.S. phones in 2015. I talked about the implications for this possibility, along with the new Apple "Find My iPhone" software that allows users to do a similar thing. Thanks, Caden!

Newsflash: This is absolutely my favorite way to start a new unit. Good teachers always try and assess where students are at before they teach any specific content (otherwise, we would have no idea if you had actually learned anything or not). If you wanted to see the hilarious "Whose Line is it Anyway?" clip again, here it is:

So awesome. Next, I passed out the "pre-assessment" paper that was geared around going back in time to the Cold War. If you did not know what the Cold War was about, that was fine! Here's the pre-assessment:

Google Drive: The Cold War Pre-Assessment

I enjoyed all the made up news reports! Brr! Many of them seemed to be quite cold in nature!

Cold War America PowerPoint: Next, I started actually teaching the class about the Cold War. If you missed class, or wanted to see the PowerPoint again, here it is (the notes guide is in class - I do not have an electronic copy):

Google Drive: The Cold War and McCarthyism PowerPoint

As I said in class, I really like PowerPoints that are more visual and interactive, so I try to include personal pictures and stories to connect the material with real life. Thank you for all the questions! I am looking forward to diving into the material even more with you.

Pro/Con: The Bomb: One of the slides in the PowerPoint was about the Arms and Space Races between the United States and the Soviet Union. When I asked the class how many atomic weapons had exploded in the world, we had a range from 2 to 80 or so. Here was the video that I showed in class (well, not all of it, but enough to get the point), which gives a visual reference for how many nuclear bombs have been detonated in the world's history:

As anyone can clearly see, there have been quite a lot of nuclear bombs detonated - most of which happened during the "Cold" War as a form of intimidation and power.

To end class, I passed out this reading about the ethics of dropping nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, to essentially end World War II. Next class, we will be debating both sides of this issue. Here is the sheet of possible reasons on either side. I would like everyone to come prepared with their top three reasons on either YES or NO, ready to debate next class.

wednet.edu - Was the Atomic Bomb Necessary to Win World War II?

Please be ready to talk about this! Thanks for an enjoyable class. See you next time! :-)

Civil Rights, Day 11 - Class Recap

The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Washington, D.C. Photo taken in 2011.

Dear class,

I hope that you enjoyed your sunny weekend! I know I sure did, especially with being able to go through all of your activist projects! Today is really the last day of the Civil Rights unit. Here's what we did:

Learning Targets Addressed:
SS.HS.KN.ALT.17: I can explain the process of change and continuity in a society, place or region.
SS.HS.KN.ALT.19: I can explain the role and impacts of social hierarchies.
SS.HS.CO.ALT.01: I can organize ideas in a logically sequenced manner and in a way that is appropriate to the content area.

Soundtrack: “Pride (In the Name of Love)” by U2. Selected for today because the song is about Martin Luther King Jr., who was one of your options to write about in the in-class DBQ. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 4/15/14:
News Brief
Activist Project Grades
DBQ Write
Make Up Work Time

Homework: Turn in any late/missing work by next Wednesday for progress report grades. Read the blog! Next news brief: Caden

News Brief: Lauren selected this story to talk about today in class: FOXNews.com - Van kills boy, 4, returning from father's funeral. What an absolutely heartbreaking story. The details are just terrible. The boy's father was killed by a stray bullet intended for a 16-year-old. The boy himself was running towards his mother. Just awful, awful news. Not really much else I can say.

Activist Project Grades: If you turned in the activist project last class, I graded it and got it back to you today in class. How is that for a quick turnaround? Here is how I broke down the grading rubric for the assignment:

RE.ALT.04: Use evidence

Present evidence = look of poster/brochure, amount of time and effort put into the design and writing sections, slogan

Synthesize specific information = overall message/point and how well it is conveyed

CO.ALT.01: Organize ideas

Transitions effectively/develop the topic thoroughly = spelling, grammar, amount of time and effort put into the writing

CR.ALT.04: Evaluate information 

Conclusion = strategies and recommendations for help section

Clearly analyze and explain strengths and weaknesses = opposition section

Please see me if you are at all confused about the grade you received. Thanks for your hard work on these!

DBQ Write: The rest of the class was for actually writing the five paragraph Document Based Question that we started brainstorming last week. The entire Civil Rights unit was fair game for writing about and using in your essay response to the prompt of: How did social hierarchies lead to the Civil Rights Movement and which method of activism was more efficient for promoting change?

The document packet (which you had to use two sources from) contained perspectives from Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X as to their methods of activism. There were also a lot of other in class materials that you could use to get to your four total sources needed. Thank you for your hard work on this in class! I know this was not the most fun day for many of you. The ability to write a basic essay is so important for your academic success, though!

Make Up Work Time: If you were able to finish the DBQ early, the rest of the time in class was for making up missing and/or late work for me. Please be checking your grade print outs (by student ID) in the room, to stay updated about your current grade as progress reports and the end of the year approaches!

Civil Rights, Day 10 - Class Recap

A few students had projects relating to animal abuse or the environment, which made me think about this picture I took in New Zealand in February. Herding sheep off the road in my rental car was pretty fun!

Dear class,

Thank you so much for your work with the activism project! From what I saw, students really seemed to know their stuff about their topic. Please remember to email me at luke_fritz@beaverton.k12.or.us if you need to turn in your works cited page!

Learning Targets Addressed:
SS.HS.KN.ALT.17: I can explain the process of change and continuity in a society, place or region.
SS.HS.KN.ALT.19: I can explain the role and impacts of social hierarchies.
SS.HS.CO.ALT.01: I can organize ideas in a logically sequenced manner and in a way that is appropriate to the content area.

Soundtrack: “Applause” by Lady Gaga. Selected for today because I was applauding your effort with the projects! Lyrics here.

AGENDA 4/11/14:
News Brief
Showcase Showdown
Activist Debrief
DBQ Introduction

Homework: Read the blog! Next news brief: Lauren.

News Brief: Sarah R. had the news brief today and selected this article to talk about: HuffingtonPost.com - Monica Jones and the Fight Against Racial and Gender Police Profiling in the U.S.. This helpfully related to our civil rights unit on discrimination, and also related to Sarah's activist project! If you are interested in the case, Sarah sent along this article that updates what is going on, as well: BestPracticesPolicy.org - Trans Activist Monica Jones’ Trial Postponed due to Constitutional Challenge of ‘Manifestation of Intent to Prostitute’ Statute. Thank you, Sarah!

Showcase Showdown: Finally, it was time to talk a little about your project with other students in the class! I handed out a paper that had a table with columns for names, activism topics, why it is important, and if you agreed. One side of the class went over to the other side to interview them, then the second side reversed it. I hope that you enjoyed learning about what everyone was interested in and their projects were interesting! I am excited to look more in depth at them.

Activist Debrief: After the sharing was done, I asked a few questions from the back of the interview sheet about the projects:

1) Which project do you think had the most powerful message? Why?
2) Which project do you think could be the most effective at eliciting change? Why?
3) Which project had the best presentation? Why?

DBQ Introduction: We are at the close of the Civil Rights unit, as of next class. For the final, you will be writing an in-class essay about social hierarchies and the best way to change in regards to equal rights. Today was a brainstorming day in class. If you missed class, then please bring everything from the Civil Rights unit (basically, anything since the Historical Investigation) to class, as it will help you. Basically, you are using 4 documents from the unit (there are 4 in the packet that I gave you as options in class). Those four documents (two have to be from the packet) should be used to construct a five paragraph essay, including a thesis statement in the introduction, three body paragraphs with topic sentences, and a conclusion that has the thesis statement restated again. This assignment will hit four different learning targets! Be prepared to write next class!

Have a great weekend!

Civil Rights, Day 9 - Class Recap

The view over Queenstown, New Zealand. This place was stunningly beautiful and reminded me of the good life that we have when we learn about the world! Photo taken on February 3, 2014.

Hello everyone,

I think we probably could have finished the activism project with one less day of work in class, but at least this way, your projects should be fantastic for Thursday! Here's what we did today.

Learning Targets Addressed:
SS.HS.KN.ALT.17: I can explain the process of change and continuity in a society, place or region.
SS.HS.KN.ALT.19: I can explain the role and impacts of social hierarchies.
SS.HS.CO.ALT.01: I can organize ideas in a logically sequenced manner and in a way that is appropriate to the content area.

Soundtrack: "Good Life" by OneRepublic. Selected because we are hoping to promote good lives for everyone through this project. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 4/9/14:
News Brief
Computer Lab Time
Finish Activism Projects

Homework: Have the activism project done and ready to show next class. Read the blog! Next news brief: Sarah R.

News Brief: The news brief today was brought in by Dhruv, who selected this story: CNN.com - 'Race is being looked at' as a possible motive in attack on driver in Detroit. A very timely article, considering our look at race in America and how civil rights have been influenced by it throughout time.

Computer Lab Time: This was the last time in class available to work on the activism project. We used the computers in N228 (after I mistakenly took us to the library to start) to try and find sources of information for it (remember that you need three total, cited in MLA format on a separate sheet of paper). Hopefully, everyone is feeling good about working on the elements of the project. There is poster paper and printer paper in the room, as well. Please come prepared for next class! You will be expected to share with others, no matter what state your poster or brochure is in.

Finish Activism Projects: I saw some really great examples during class today. I think this could be pretty great, if everyone keeps working hard on finishing it! Let me know if you need help!

See everyone on Friday, with your finished projects, please!

Civil Rights, Day 8 - Class Recap

This is the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve, which is not too far outside of Los Angeles. One of the topics that students have chosen to do an activist project on is climate change. Photo taken in 2008.

Dear students,

Welcome to another week! The sun has broken through the clouds - it is going to be a bright sunny day! Here's the recap for today:

Learning Targets Addressed:
SS.HS.KN.ALT.17: I can explain the process of change and continuity in a society, place or region.
SS.HS.KN.ALT.19: I can explain the role and impacts of social hierarchies.
SS.HS.CO.ALT.01: I can organize ideas in a logically sequenced manner and in a way that is appropriate to the content area.

Soundtrack: "More Than A Feeling" by Boston. Selected because you should have more than just a feeling about your activist project - you should want to act and do something! Lyrics here.

AGENDA 4/7/14:
News Brief
Library Research

Homework: Have elements 5+6 done for activism project (everything should be finished for putting together in a brochure or poster next class - the project is due on Friday). Read the blog! Next news brief: Dhruv.

News Brief: Cesar selected this news story to talk about: CNN.com - Take CIA Out of Loop on Torture Report. We talked a little about some of these techniques that have been used to interrogate suspects in the past, like waterboarding, which sounds totally awful.

Library Research: We used the computers in the library to try and find sources of information for the project (remember that you need three total, cited in MLA format on a separate sheet of paper). Hopefully, everyone is feeling good about working on the elements of the project. There will be poster paper and printer paper in the room, as well.

Please be sure to work on the activist project over the weekend and come back ready to try and finish it in class on Wednesday. Let me know if you need any help with this at all. Again, this is due in class this Friday. Thank you!

Civil Rights, Day 7 - Class Recap

Something I am passionate about (relating the activist project) is promoting women's soccer, ever since one of my friends in high school played at the University of Portland. This is a photo of the season opening "tifo" display in the crowd last season for the Portland Thorns professional soccer team.

Hi everyone,

Welcome to another class recap! Back in the full swing of things after the break. Here's what we did today:

Learning Targets Addressed:
SS.HS.KN.ALT.17: I can explain the process of change and continuity in a society, place or region.
SS.HS.KN.ALT.19: I can explain the role and impacts of social hierarchies.
SS.HS.CO.ALT.01: I can organize ideas in a logically sequenced manner and in a way that is appropriate to the content area.

Soundtrack: “Comin’ From Where I’m From” by Anthony Hamilton. Selected because your activist project should explain why you are passionate about changing something - coming from where you're from. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 4/3/14:
News Brief
Finish The Differences Between Us
Library Research

Homework: Have elements 3 + 4 (along with 1 + 2) done for your activism project. Read the blog! Next news brief: Cesar.

News Brief: Allison had the news brief today and talked about this story: CNN.com - Fort Hood shooting: 'Texans' hearts are once again very heavy'. This is obviously such a awful story. Especially with the great news that no U.S. soldiers died in combat in the month of March, 2014 - the first time in a very long time.

After the news brief section, I passed back a proficiency grade from the Early Struggles readings. Those are in the gradebook now. Please ask if you are at all confused by what you got and why! I would love to explain in person.

Finish The Differences Between Us: If you missed class, here is the link to watch the part of the Race: The Power of Illusion documentary, titled "The Difference Between Us." MSU.edu - Race: Power of an Illusion.

The film guide that went along with this is here (keep for future reference): Google Drive - The Differences Between Us Film Questions.

I enjoyed our talk after the documentary about it. Like I said, I think it is a pretty powerful way to think about the concept of race - in that biologically, it does not exist, but socially, it has a huge impact on our day to day experience.

Library Research: The rest of the class was devoted to library research on the activism project. I tried to get around to every student to check in about where everyone was at. There were some really great ideas! Remember that you need to have three sources, cited in MLA format. I also want you to propose (you do not actually have to do it) a plan of action of how you might actually be able to help further your cause.

Please let me know if I can help with this process! See you next class!

Civil Rights, Day 6 - Class Recap

Sand on a beach near Waldport, at the Oregon Coast. I went on a day trip during Spring Break and really liked how the sand looked like a fingerprint design, so I took a quick snap on my iPhone.

Hello class,

It was so great to see everyone again! I hope that you all had a restful and enjoyable Spring Break. I am certainly excited to get back to class! Here's what we did today:

Learning Targets Addressed:
SS.HS.KN.ALT.17: I can explain the process of change and continuity in a society, place or region.
SS.HS.KN.ALT.19: I can explain the role and impacts of social hierarchies.
SS.HS.CO.ALT.01: I can organize ideas in a logically sequenced manner and in a way that is appropriate to the content area.

Soundtrack: “Welcome Back" by Ma$e. For obvious reasons. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 4/1/14:
Spring Break Recap
News Brief
Physical Traits
The Differences Between Us

Homework: Have elements 1+2 done for activism project. Read the blog! Next news brief: Allison.

Spring Break Recap: To start the class, I had students go talk with the person on the opposite side of the room, as if it were a mirror image. I just wanted you to check in about how Spring Break went and if anything interesting or noteworthy happened. Then we came back together as a class and I asked if there were any especially fun activities anyone did.

News Brief: Next, we turned to the news and this story that Rachel brought in for us: CNN.com - Police: NY man, 86, shoots grandson, girlfriend before taking own life.

Physical Traits: To get back into thinking about race and civil rights, I asked the class to brainstorm physical differences aside from race and gender. We came up with a list that looked something like:

Hair color
Eye color
Blood Type
Ability to curl tongue
Hand preference

To show how different those classifications were, I had everyone stand up and try to classify themselves based on these characteristics. The point here was that (obviously) the groups changed for each question. So why is race so important in our society as a definition?

The Differences Between Us: A few things here. First, I talked about the importance of equity work and study to me, as a white male teacher. I realize right off the bat that the color of my skin influences the ways in which students see me. I also wanted to acknowledge that racism and negative social outcomes based on race are still very much an issue - that ignoring race does a huge disservice to the problem.

I also talked a bit about the term "people of color," which I have been using in class. I showed this recent NPR article about the history with referring to, well, people of color: NPR.org - The Journey From 'Colored' To 'Minorities' To 'People Of Color'. It appears there is an interesting discussion of the term in the comments, as well.

After that, I introduced the first episode of Race: The Power of An Illusion - The Differences Between Us. Here are the questions to go along with the documentary:

Google Drive: The Differences Between Us Film Questions

If you missed class, or wanted to see the documentary again, we made it to about 43 minutes in, here: MSU.edu - Race: Power of Illusion.

Next class, we will finish this, then go to the library to work on research for your activism project. Remember, please have parts 1 and 2 done!