Who is behind Mona Lisa's Smile?

This is great for my Renaissance Unit!

Researchers are trying to find the model for Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa smile.  They are looking for her remains.

Here is a video clip about it:


And here is a link to the article itself. 

Drug Cartel Video

I may have posted these before but I am doing my drug cartel lesson again.

Here is the NY Times lesson that I based my lesson on.

Here is the video that I used to show at the beginning (9 minutes long), breaks down the drug cartels

Good Sites for World Civ Primary Sources

Use this link for primary documents.  The link takes you to a textbook's websites with tons of link to other primary source documents.  I've already used this for our Renaissance day.

Mexico Inaugurates new President

Here is a video clip of Mexico inaugurating their new President.  Just in time for our Latin America Unit!

DBQ World Civ Website

Here's a website for World Civ where the teacher posts different document based questions that it seems she has created.


Here's the link: http://teachersites.schoolworld.com/webpages/cholt/honors.cfm?subpage=1357749

Reading Level

You can type a sentence into this website lexile.com and it will tell you the reading level of the reading.

The following are links to DBQ's for the AP World History Test.  Can be used for Geography or World Civ. Good for primary sources!

Christianity and Islam attitudes towards Trade

Spread of Buddhism in China

Han and Roman Attitudes towards Technology

Modern Olympic Changes from 1890's to today

Scramble for Africa/Berlin Conference

Industrial Revolution in India and Japan

Election 2012-Obama's Acceptance Speech and Romney's Concession Speech

Obama's Acceptance Speech

Romney's Concession Speech:

Links for Israeli Palestinian Conflict

NY Times article I haven't read yet

Simplified breakdown of conflict's background

MrDonn lesson plan with interesting simulation idea

Netflix Movies for Classes

Documentaries on Netflix that I could use in class (haven't seen them...just going off their titles):

World Civ:
Cracking the Mayan Code
Breaking the Maya Code
Egypt's Golden Empire
2012: Science or Superstition
Out of Egypt
Pompeii Back from the Dead
Colosseum A Gladiator's Story
Into the Great Pyramid
Mummies Secrets of the Pharaohs
Greeks Crucible of Civilization

Geography:
Inside North Korea
China's lost girls
Secret's of Jerusalem's holiest sites

Point of View: Israeli vs. Palestinian

Haven't really looked at it but looks promising: different points of view of Israeli's and Palestinians. 

Also, the documentary Promises.  Don't know how to get it though...

Possible Aztecs/Incas Columbian Exchange Lesson (and chocolate!)

lots of good links here! 


Reading on what it was like for the conquerors to come in and see Tenochtitlan 


History of chocolate

Cortez and the Aztecs

While frantically searching for a more interactive way to teaching the Aztecs, I came across this PBS website of lesson plans. 

I clicked on the lesson plan ideas about the Aztecs and was blown away!  So many good ones.  For example, having a UN discussion of if we should hold a 500th year celebration of Hernan Cortes conquering the Aztecs.  This gets into--was it good for Cortes to conquer?  Was it inevitable?  What are the impacts?  Are the impacts important or could we have lived without them?

Undecided voters on the election

CNN did six profiles on undecided voters and how they feel about their election.  They are each different video clips.  I've only watched one--a recently graduate from college with no job.

Here is a link to the cnn spot where the videos are.

Here is the link to the one I watched. 

South Africa's First Black Idol: Case Study of Apartheid

This could be a really good article for apartheid.

Hunger in Africa and other Africa/UN Links

Here is a video from ABC News on hunger in Niger.   Ask what did you learn about hunger in Niger.

NY Times Lesson: UN is born

Mass rapes in Congo reveal US weakness

Impact of U.S. Aid to Kenya

African Messages to the U.S.

CNN video clips:  (from the open mic section)

South Africans messages to U.S. (how do they feel about America, etc.)

Kenyans messages to U.S. (how do they feel about America, etc.)

Jerusalem on U.S. Candidates

This video clip shows mini interviews with Israelis and Palestinians on their take on the U.S. Presidency.

Interesting and shows a lot about our relationship with people in Jerusalem.

European Union Online Pamphlet

The EU puts out this pamphlet geared towards young adults.  The purpose is to get to know the EU and to become familiar with its member countries.


Here is the link. 

The Roman Republic Notesheet

Here is a link to the Roman Republic Note Sheet and here is a link to the Teacher's copy of the Note Sheet.

Greece Crossword Puzzles

Good for after the test extra credit opportunity:

Crossword 1
Cross World 1 Answers 

Crossword 2 (Greek Gods)

Roman Coliseum (from the History Channel)
--This video gives a brief overview of the Coliseum.  The main purpose of the video seems to be to connect the Coliseum with modern day stadium.  This would be a good way to show Roman influence today.

Ancient Egypt Videos

Tombs of Ancient Egypt:



Sights to see in Egypt (Modern and Ancient)





5 Things we Learned from the Convention

Party Convention: Ann Romney

Here is a video clip that shows excerpts from Ann Romney's address at the GOP Party Convention.

 

Good questions to ask for current event:

Does a presidential candidate's wife matter?

Ann Romney is considered Mitt Romney's "secret weapon."  What do you think that is?

Should we only look at a candidate's political career or should we evaluate a candidate's family life as well?

Inferences Activity

A great activity to get students and able to make inferences is the "Ordeal by Cheque activity."  Students have to look at a series of checks and determine the story behind the checks.

Here are the checks:
http://www-tcall.tamu.edu/research/eslclassroom/ch2/ordealcheques.pdf

And here is a woman's interpretation of the checks.
http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=57818

The students could analyze the checks and write a story in a paragraph about what they think is going on in the checks.  Then they can read others interpretations in the classroom and then read one of the one I've found online.

365 Thought Provoking Questions

Use this website to get students thinking!  Good for Journal Articles.

http://www.marcandangel.com/2011/03/14/365-thought-provoking-questions-to-ask-yourself-this-year/

Olympics: Cameroon's Missing Athletes

This CNN article discusses how many Cameroon athletes are defecting during the London 2012 Olympic games.

The article states that Cameroon is one of the poorest countries and that athletes are defecting because they want to have better training facilities/coaches/ etc (and thus a better environment altogether) than they experience back at home.

The article is good to show:

Movement between countries
Poor conditions in Africa
Still effects of colonialism
Etc. etc.

Egypt Case Studies: Make-Up

I want students to look into different aspects of life in Ancient Egypt.  They could choose the case study that they want (cosmetics, war, funeral practices, ship building, food, etc.), have a handout with questions and then have a couple of different documents to analyze about their topic.  They can complete as a pair.  Then they can draw a picture of that their case study in ancient Egypt with some basic facts.  It would be cool to have them share with each other in some way.  

Here are some questions I brainstormed for them:

1. How is beauty different in other cultures?  How is beauty different in Egypt than from today? How similar?

2. How does Egyptian's use of cosmetics a sign of "civilization" (hint: choose one of the 5 characteristics of a civilization and discuss it in relation to cosmetics)

3. Describe the make-up that ancient Egyptians used.   List 5 different things.

4. What ingredients did they use to make their make-up?

5. Draw a picture of what a typical woman's make-up in Egypt would look like. 

6. Apply to yourself:  Do you like using make-up?  Why or why not?  Do you think make-up enhances beauty or masks it?  Why do you think that woman throughout time have sought out ways to improve their appearance with make-up?  Do you think that Egyptian make-up is beautiful or excessive? 

Potential Articles:

• The Past, Present, and Future of Looking Good by Sarah Fewster (found through SIRS Discoverer.  Looks at make-up in general and has some fun facts but doesn't go into Egypt a ton)
• Fun Facts:
• Egyptians and Romans had their cosmetics buried with them so they could shine in the afterworld.
• Lettuce Head (330-30 B.C.): Ancient Egyptians put shredded lettuce on their bald spots to encourage hair growth. And they dyed gray hairs with a mixture of henna, cow's blood, warm oil, and crushed tadpoles.
• Grease Queen (69-30 B.C.):
  
   Egyptian queen Cleopatra bathed in goat's milk to moisture her skin and used bear grease to style her hair.
• Cosmetics weren't made specifically for teens until the 1940s, and those teens were encouraged to use natural colors. Then in the 1960s, teens developed their own makeup styles and trends. By the 1980s, teen cosmetics became a $20 billion industry.
•  For a great history of beauty trends, check out For Appearance' Sake: The Historical Encyclopedia of Good Looks, Beauty, and Grooming, Oryx Press, 2001
•   For more on ancient cosmetics, read "Style of the Nile: Recreating the chemistry and cosmetics of Queen Nefertiti," Discover Magazine, September 1999.
• Egyptian Make-Up (provides very simple, straightforward info on Ancient Egyptian Cosmetics)
• Cosmetics, Perfumes, and Incense in Ancient Egypt by A. Lucas (The Journal of Egyptian Archeology) 
• This seems very informational.  More of a journal article.  We don't have full access so unless we want to spend 10 dollars one day then we can't see more than one page.
• Wikipedia: Beauty and Cosmetics in Ancient Egypt
• Great simple information as always.  Emphasizes that wearing make-up in Ancient Egypt served a spiritual purpose
• Ancient Egypt’s Toxic Makeup Fought Infection, Researchers Say by Sindya N. Bhanoo
• Good NY Times article although it might be good to use another article in addition to this one.
• Looks into ingredients used in make-up and also raises the question: is Make-up good or bad?  Do we sometimes hurt ourselves to try and achieve "beauty"?  Is that okay?
• 5 Ancient Egyptian Cosmetics
• Seems like a good, simple overview.

Promises--Isreali/Palestinian Conflict Documentary

Promises is a documentary that shows the perspectives of Israeli and Palestinian children.  They follow seven Israeli and Palestinian children who all live around Jerusalem.

Brad said that he viewed the movie in high school and in a Middle East college class.  He loved it.  I think if Brad could still remember the movie and the issues it looks at AND that it was shown to him in two different class that it is worth looking at.

This link takes you to a website that posts documentaries for free.  It says that the documentary is available to watch on that website but I couldn't get it to work.  Try back later.

Human Rights Watch--Saudi Arabia

I came across the Human Rights Watch website that does research in human rights around the world.

I was interested in this article Perpetual Minors, which looks into how women are treated in Saudi Arabia.  The Human Rights Watch organization considers Saudi Arabia as having one of the worst records in the world today on women's rights. The article is based on interviews with Saudi Arabian women.

I have not read it (just read the opening few lines) but the article looks very revealing.

Marathon and Olympic History

Against all odds, a Greek marathon runner is going to be able to compete in the London Olympics.

This seems particularly touching because Greece is the birthplace of the marathon.

The back story of the marathon comes during the Persian Wars.  The Persian soldiers fought the Athens city-state at Marathon, leaving the actual city-state unprotected (check on how far it is betweens Marathon and Athens).  Athens won the fight and then sent Pheidippides, a fast runner, ahead to run to Athens and deliver the news that they had defeated the Persians.  This was so that Athens would not give up the city to the Persians if attacked before the Athenian soldiers could return.  Pheidippides made the run, announced their victory to the Athenians and then died.

When the first modern Olympics was being prepared for in 1896 in Athens, they wanted a way to popularize the Olympics (get people excited about it).  They decided to include the marathon event (the official marathon distance had been slightly tweaked over time and became 26.2) for men.  The first time the Olympics held a women's marathon was in 1984 in Los Angeles.

Traditionally, the marathon is the last event of the Olympics and it typically ends with the finish line in the Olympic Stadium.

So having a greek woman run in the marathon race is not only appropriate, but important/special.
For more information about the original Olympics, wikipedia has a great page on it. Go here.

Women's Rights and Olympics

1928--When Women Were Allowed to Compete in the Olympics for the First Time.
In the 1928 Amsterdam Olympic Games, women competed in the Olympics for the first time.  This article discusses the progress of Olympic women athlete in part, and pays tribute to the incredible Betty Robinson who was the first girl to win gold in the 100m Track and Field event. Robinson wore a skirt while she ran her race!

Saudi Arabia includes women for the first time in Olympics.
This great article reveals a lot about gender roles in Saudi Arabia, specifically the limited women's rights. Here would be some good questions to consider along with the article:
1. Why was almost "mission impossible" for Saudi Arabia to find two women athletes to compete in the Olympics?
2. Do all Muslim countries have the similar struggle with women participating in sports? Why or why not?
3. What does the article reveal about why Saudi Arabia is considered to have the worst record on women's rights in the world?
4. Why does Minky Worden, director of global initiatives at Human Rights Watch, feel that Saudi Arabia including women in the Olympics this year is not a sign of increasing women's rights in Saudi Arabia?
5. Personal Reflection: Do you think that Saudi Arabia should allow women to participate in the Olympics?  Why would some Islamic nations allow women to participate and others do not?  Do you think there is progress being made in Saudi Arabia for women's rights?  Is it right for the Olympic Committee to force Saudi Arabia to include women in the Olympics?

The rise of the arab female athlete:

1. How do these Olympics demonstrate possible progress for female athletes in Muslim countries and women's rights in general?
2. Why is there still a long way to go in Qatar for women's rights?

London 2012: The women's Olympics?
Discusses how women are doing extremely well in the Olympics and also how this is the first Olympics were every country has women athletes.

Olympic Clips

Toying with the idea of using clips from the Olympics to show countries around the world.  I could show the clips in class, post them on the blog, etc.

South Africa wins first rowing gold medal. (Questions to go with this: Of the four "rowers" on the South African teams, what are the races of each?  How does this rowing team itself show an end to aparthied?  How could it possibly also show remaining white dominance in Africa?)

Italy vs. Russia in a foil match, Italy wins and considered best team ever.

North Korean soccer players protest when South Korean flag is shown for their team.

Why is this flag mistake especially embarrassing?  Why would confusing the South Korean flag for the North Korean flag more shocking than confusing other countries' flags? (Think of the history of North and South Korea.)  Do you think that the North Korean soccer players were right to protest and delay the game for an hour?  Why or why not?  What do flags symbolize and why are they important to Olympic athletes?

I wish I could find a way for my students to watch the Parade of Nations in the Opening Ceremony.  The commentators gave a little tidbit of information about all the participating countries.  The information revealed a lot about the political status in certain countries, the relationships between countries, the different religions represented, the way women are treated in different countries.  Tidbits I do remember:
-Greece always appears first in the parade of nations to honor the original Olympics held in Greece.  The nation where the Olympics are being held that year (in this case Great Britain) appears at the end of the parade.  The rest of the nations walk in alphabetical order following Greece.
-This is the first year that all of the 204 competing countries have men and women on their Olympic teams.
-They pointed out nations that have been British colonies in the past and even discussed a current debate over who owns an island in South America (I think the South American country that is in the land struggle with Britain is Argentina or Chile or...I can't remember).
-Greece has a smaller number of athletes participating in the London Olympics than usual, which reflects the economic crisis going in Greece now.  They could not afford to send more athletes. This following video shows how a Greek marathon runner made it to the Olympics despite Greece's financial problems:

Olympics and Judaism

The Olympic gymnast Aly Raisman is Jewish and used a Jewish folk song for her floor routine in the Olympics. (Here is the article about her choice of Jewish music)

163 Good Questions {Journal Entries}

Here is a link to a list the New York Times developed of 163 good starter questions for teens.  I think they were meant as an online conversation through the NY times, but I could easily incorporate the questions into lessons as starters for the day.

For example:

When in your life have you been a leader? (can discuss politics/government, etc.)
Do you trust your government? (lead into a discussion on the role of politics/government)
How do you feel about zoos? (human-environment interaction)
When do you become an adult? (lead to discussion on gender roles/family roles/culture/etc.)

Anyways, I don't know how many questions are useful but it could be a good place to brainstorm.

Mummification

Here is a link to the "Mummy Maker"--an educational game that teaches the process of mummification.

Hammurabi's Code

While teaching Ancient Mesopotamia/Sumer, I want to focus on Hammurabi's code for the following reasons:

1. It highlights the political structure that Sumer developed 

2. The code of laws shows the challenges surrounding developing a civilization

3. The laws themselves reveal how the people felt about religion, their responsibilities, etc. (You can see people's values shine through in their laws)

4. Students can connect with living under laws and are at the age where they are starting to be affected by laws (Why should there be a law about the driving age?  About drinking? What if you were caught stealing from GAP?  What should be the consequence of your crime?)

I came across this great lesson plan while researching on the internet.  I will need to pear it down because I am fitting Ancient Sumer/Hammurabi's code into one day, but I really like the opening attention grabber (what are the positives and negatives of living in a large community? make a list of each on the board) and the stations.  I think the activity leads to a lot of interaction, discussion and possibly debate. 

Yay!

Comparisons--If it were my Home

I came across a fun, informative and quick to use website this past week: ifitweremyhome.com.

This website lets you click on any country and it will compare it to where you live.  The comparison is basically a list of percentages.  For example, when I compare the U.S. to Japan this is what I learn:

If Japan were my home, I would:

have 54.56% less chance of dying in infancy

have 46.42% less babies

use 41.54% less electricity

consume 39.97% less oil

have 39.78% more chance at being employed

spend 61.59% less money on health care

make 29.74% less money

live 3.93 years longer

experience 15.33% less of a class divide

be 83.33% less likely to have HIV/AIDS

have 0.28% more free time

You can click on each different percentage to get more info about Japan.

The website would best be just a fun thing to direct students to and get them interested in different parts of the world.

World Civ Blogs/Collaboration

I recently found out I will be teaching World Civ next year at Timpview instead of Government.  I've been needing to do a mental shift over World Civ and took some time tonight to review materials.

Holly Bowers and Brenna Perry both taught a regular World Civ class last year at Timpview.  I found their blogs which will be invaluable.  It's going to be a tough task to teach all of world history in a semester, BUT it is doable.  Thankfully they have laid a good foundation and I just hope to be able to do it justice.

Here are the links to their blogs:

Mrs. Bower's World Civilizations
Mrs. Perry's World Civilizations

Update on Mexican Drug Cartels

Here, here and here are more updated articles on the Mexican Drug Cartels.  Now that I know I will be teaching Geography next year (yes!!!!), I would love to use these articles to keep my "cartel day" current.

Cuban Missile Crisis Video

Holly Bowers pointed out a great cartoon/song that explains the Cuban Missile Crisis.  This would be a great way to wrap up a CMC discussion.  It is super simple and enjoyable to watch.  And it's only 3 minutes about!

Cuban Missile Crisis Debate

Another great idea from Rebecca Simmons!

On our day where we discussed JFK and the Cuban Missile Crisis, we began class with some background on the 1960 election, the Space Race and the Bay of Pigs.  I gave this direct instruction as if it was the 1960's and we were feeling the Cold War pressures.

Then we watched a short clip of 13 days to introduce our "current crisis" with missiles being discovered in Cuba in 1962.  We watched from 10:38 to a little after 17 minutes (I cut it off right were Bobby Kennedy says that they should lock a bunch of smart guys in a room to try and figure out what to do).  I told the class that they are the "bunch of smart guys" and need to help advise Kennedy on which of the three options to take in the CMC.  The following are the 3 options:

1. Air Strike/Attack
2. Naval Blockade to prevent Soviets from bringing in more missiles
3. Diplomacy with the Soviets

One student was selected to be JFK and the rest of the students were given different roles.  They each selected a paper from a manila envelope titled with the words Top Secret written on the cover.  Their paper explained who they were.  About ten of the students became the real advisors to Kennedy (Bobby Kennedy, McNamara, etc.) and the students read about that person's stance during the CMC.  The rest of the students got a piece of paper explaining if that they could be a hawk (pro-war) or a dove (pro-peace).

Students then had 10 minutes to read their paper and write down their notes on what they would say to advise Kennedy (tell them this has to be turned in for points).

Then Kennedy stood and presented his current feelings about the CMC and then opened the floor for others thoughts.

I had Kennedy sit in a comfortable chair facing the podium.  Students were told that they each needed to stand at the podium and present their argument in order to receive points for the day (if they spoke once they got 10 pts, every time they spoke afterwards they got 1 extra credit point).  Kennedy could ask questions of anyone.

I was amazed at how well this worked!  Almost every student stood up of their own free will and presented their argument.

At the end, Kennedy made the decision.  Then we discussed what would happen if that was his real decision (what if we had really done the air strike).

We then debriefed and discussed why he choice the blockade and the real results.

THIS WAS THE CLOSEST WE EVER CAME TO NUCLEAR WAR!!!

Overall, this requires at least 45 minutes.  I wish we had had more time to allow students to respond to each other and participate more than once.

I used this in both an honors and a regular U.S. History class and it worked great for both!

Here is the website where the original ideas came from.  The website has the documents explaining each person's role as well as a PPT about each possible outcome.

I would totally use this again and would try and incorporate the same "advice" kind of debate for other topics as well.

Early Civil Rights Movement

In subbing for Rebecca Simmons' U.S. History class, I have come across some of her excellent ideas.

Rebecca uses 5 B's to explain the Early Civil Rights Movement.  They are:
1. Baptist Preacher (MLK Jr.)
2. Baseball
3. Brown v. Board of Edu.
4. Montgomery Bus Boycott
5. Bodyguards at School (the Little Rock, AK situation)

In doing some background research for this bit of direct instruction, I came across this great article on America, baseball and integration.  If I were to teach this in the future, I would love to have students maybe read this article on their own.

Geography Blog

I came across this teacher's blog at Sunset Ridge Middle School.  It would be great to use as Geography collaboration.

U.S. Government Blog

My dear friend Brenna Perry has been interning this year at Timpview High School.  I came across her U.S. Government blog today and I liked her material!  She has a lot of great ideas and resources.

Campaign Commercials

The website "The Living Room Candidate" allows you to look at different commercial ads that campaigns have used since Eisenhower.  The campaign ads are from 1958 to 2008. Students could take a trip to the computer lab and compare and contrast these commercials.   They could answer questions like the following:

How have campaign commercial stayed the same over the years?  How have they differed?
How do campaign commercials target the opponent?
Which add do you think is the most affective in 2008?
What is the campaign commercial of Jackie Kennedy in 1960 trying to do (she is speaking Spanish in the commercial)?
How do you think that the television changed presidential campaigning?
etc.

They can view the commercials themselves and read little blurbs about the candidates and the election.

Poll Everywhere

Poll Everywhere allows you to take a survey in your classroom using texts.  This would be great, especially in a government class where you want lots of opinions.  The link I provided takes you straight to the K-12 Teachers section of the website

Where do your taxes go?

I just discovered that the White House has a site that will tell you where your tax money goes (national defense, medicare, education, natural disaster relief, etc.)  Students could type in their income or an average American income and see where the taxes go :)

Just click here

Occupy Wall Street Video Clip

CNN just put out a video clip trying to explain the Occupy Wall Street Movement.  This could be used in a variety of ways: from protest, revolution, government, economy, etc.  I don't know how well the video explains it but it could be good.

Here it is:

Letter to Syrian First Lady

While reading CNN this morning, I learned about a video that 2 U.N. Ambassadors wives (from Britain and Germany) made.  The wives are heard reading a letter to the Syrian First Lady asking her to stand up to her husband and stop being a bystander.  People had hoped that Asma Al-Assad, the first lady, would bring a good Western influence on Syra.  Asma attended college in London (majoring in computer science) and worked in business there before marrying the Syrian President in 2000.  Despite people's hopes, Asma has remained next to her husband through his controversial reign.

The two U.N. wives made the following video and put it on YouTube to ask Asma to act.  The video has contrasting images between Asma's life of style and poise and the horrors that other Syrian mothers face.




This seems especially appropriate seeing as we just learned about how the U.N. can help African countries.  At the end of the clip, the U.N. wives ask people everywhere to send similar letters of their own to the first lady. 

Worse Than War--PBS Special

PBS made a video called Worse Than War.  Wendy King, another Timpview High School teacher, recommended this as another option to watch besides Hotel Rwanda.

I have not watched the film but I think it looks at the Holocaust/Genocides in the world.  It is just under 2 hours long.

Click here for a link to the website or watch the video below.

Watch Worse Than War on PBS. See more from Worse Than War.

Should a President's Character Matter?

Here is a link to a 2012 Republican debate.

The candidates are discussing how much weight we should put on a presidential candidate's character.  This is largely in reaction to the public's questioning of Newt Gingrich's character (in light of his affairs).

I am using this as a lead in to my discussion of Bill Clinton.  My objective is to have students use evidence to support an argument for Clinton's presidency as a success and for Clinton's presidency as a failure.  

Bill Clinton Impeachment Lesson Plan

http://billofrightsinstitute.org/resources/educator-resources/lessons-plans/presidents/clinton-impeachment/

Here is a link to a lesson plan about Bill Clinton's impeachment.  I haven't totally looked through this lesson plan yet but I may want to reference it for my lesson this week in U.S. History.

This movie from CNN reports on the fall of communism in Bulgaria. It is a great movie, in addition to the 30 of 30 ESPN movie called "Once Brothers" that focuses on the Yugoslavian fall of communism.


The Bulgarian movie is called "Autumn of Change" and is on the CNN video website. 










Communism

A young CNN reporter talks in a video about the fall of communism in Bulgaria.  

This would be good to look in to communism and East vs. West Europe.

WWII Movie

A student recommended the movie "Empire of the Sun" to me because she had watched it in her AP World History class.  She said it was a great way to learn about WWII in Japan.  It is an older movie with Christian Bales as the main character (he was 10 years old at the time).  She said you could watch it instantly on Netflix.

This same student recommended the movie "7 Years in Tibet" as well.

Can you change your personality?

Tomorrow we are having an "Exploring Yourself" day in AP Psych.  We have been learning about all different types of personality perspectives and personality tests so this is our chance to tie it all together.

We are going to discuss these questions:

What is your "personality"?
How reliable are personality tests?
What if you don't like your personality?
Can you change your personality?

I found this video clip from Huffington Post that discusses 5 things you can do to try and change (what you can) of your personality.

Latin American Dance

For our Culture Day for Latin America, I had another student teacher Lynette Yorgason come in and teach my class about different dances.

It was fascinating to learn that every state in Mexico moves their skirt a different.  As a result, you can tell where someone lives by the way you move you skirt. This is great to emphasize with students because it helps them see that there are differences within Latin American culture.

Here are the three different dances that were learned about:

 1) The dance from the Mexican state Jalisco.

This dance has you stomp your feet in triplets. You begin by stomping your right foot hard, then step with your left foot and then right foot.  Then you stomp hard on your left foot and do lighter steps on your right foot then left foot before you stomp hard on your right foot again.  You repeat this over and over again.

We had the class move in a circle clockwise stomping their feet.

The boys clasp their hands high behind their backs.  The girls pretend like their holding out a big skirt and moving it side by side.

The reason there is so much stomping of feet is because their music doesn't have a strong beat in it, so they make their own beat.

Type "Jalisco Dance" into YouTube for a video.

2) The dance Cumbia from Colombia.

This is an interesting dance because it shows the influence between the natives of Colombia and the African slaves.  The African slaves had chains around their ankles so they could only shuffle their feet. As a result, Cumbia dance is the shuffling of feet.  They made it more interesting by rotating their hips.  The women hold up large skirts and move their skirts around as they dance.  The men put one hand high on the back while they tip their hat and shuffle their feet.

Type "Cumbia Dance" into YouTube for a video.

3) The dance Capoeira from Brazil.

This is a fight dance.  I don't know too much beyond that and would need to do more research.  We didn't actually do this dance in class but we watched a video.  It is amazing because the entire dance is a choreographed fight.

The boys especially liked watching this video.

Look for this movie in YouTube: "The best capoeira video ever"

The students really enjoyed learning about the dances and participating in them as well.  I would definitely try to replicate this again. It took about 20 minutes to explain, dance and watch the video clips.

Nelson Mandela

Nelson Mandela was recently treated for a hernia.  He is 93 years old and South Africa is worried about the day that they have to say goodbye to their beloved hero.  Here is a video from CNN that discusses why Nelson Mandela means so much to South Africans.

Id, Ego, Superego Clip

A great way to show the difference between Id, Ego, Superego is a clip from Emperor's New Groove.

In this clip, Kronk had to make a decision. The angel and devil on his shoulders tried to influence him on what to do.  The angel was the superego, the devil was the id and Kronk trying to reason between the two is the ego.

Click here for the clip. 

Population Lesson Plans

The Population Reference Bureau has great statistics on population AND they have wonderful lesson plan ideas.

Click here for the website.

Other population ideas:
-Have students take the statistics of a country and make the population pyramid
-Make a population pyramid out of legos
-Have them compare population pyramids
-Read the children's book If the World Were a Village by David J. Smith and answer questions