March 15

IB 20

Most of today's class was spent discussing the sources that you were to do an OPVL document analysis of for the class. Here's a link to the episode on revising the U.S. Constitution from Fareed Zakaria's GPS show. Please remember that you have your American Revolution Test tomorrow, which will cover the events leading to the American Revolution, the American Revolution, the Revolutionary War, among other topics that we have covered up to this point. On Monday, you will be writing a Paper 1.

IB 30/35

Most of today's class was spent watching the documentary "Dear America: Letters Home From Vietnam" which features dramatic readings of actual letters written by young men and women that served in the Vietnam War. These letters have historical value because they were private letters not intended for publication so many of the writers shared their intimate thoughts, feelings and perspectives on their experiences during the war.

March 14

IB 20

We continued looking at the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights today by watching a video on that very topic. Be able to distinguish between the Virginia Plan, the New Jersey Plan and the Connecticut Compromise. Also, remember whole the issue of whether slaves would count in a state's population to determine the number of representatives in the House of Representatives. The issue of slavery was very much a "deal breaker" at the Constitutional Convention and as it was a sensitive topic the delegates dealt with it with the 3/5ths compromise. Please continue reading your United States Constitution graphic novels, I'll be asking for them back tomorrow. You do have a homework assignment tonight out of your History of the Americas book. On pages 71-73 you will find five different sources, you were assigned one of these sources (A-E) and you are to make an OPVL chart based on that source. Additionally, you are to answer the questions on page 73 related to these sources. This assignment is due tomorrow. For today's homework, I didn't collect it, but rather I would like to see you build the chart collaboratively on the wiki in the collaborative notes section. I also told you about some important upcoming dates (please see below). Use your IB Skills Handbook for help with the OPVL chart or the OPVL Document Analysis section of the IB 20 wiki.

Upcoming Important Dates for IB 20:

• American Revolution Test is on Friday, March 16th
• Paper 1 on the American Revolution is on Monday, March 19th

IB 30/35

Most of today's class was spent watching an excerpt from the movie "Born on the Fourth of July" which tells the story of Ron Kovic, a high school student from Massapequa, New York who enlists in the United States Marines and is wounded in the Vietnam conflict. As unsettling as this movie was you can see recruitment techniques, the fears of the times ("communism is all around us, they're moving in everywhere"), the techniques of warfare in Vietnam (how the war was fought: use of helicopters, dropping troops near villages, engaging the enemy/luring them out and then calling in air strikes) and the aftermath/impact that the war had on young men like Ron Kovic (issues of drug use, post-traumatic stress disorder). Please remember that your Vietnam War Assignment is due tomorrow (please see it below). IB Diploma students: please submit your TOK Essays electronically today. If you have any problems with this, please contact me by e-mail.

Vietnam War Assignment

A. PEOPLE
Identify and explain the role each played in the Vietnam War
1. Ho Chi Minh
2. Ngo Dinh Diem
3. Lyndon B. Johnson
4. Richard M. Nixon
5. Viet Minh
6. Viet Cong
7. Le Duc Tho
8. Henry Kissinger
9. William Westmoreland
10. "Draft Dodger"

B. CONCEPTS/TERMS
Explain the significance of the following with regards to the Vietnam War (identify participants or individuals if appropriate)
1. Ho Chi Minh Trail
2. defoliation
3. "search and destroy" mission
4. "Vietnamization of the war"
5. Gulf of Tonkin Incident
6. My Lai Massacre
7. domino theory
8. Kent State University protest (May 4, 1970)
9. Tet Offensive (January 1968)
10. Geneva Agreement (1954)

C. ISSUES
Provide the information requested
1. The predominant religion of Vietnam
2. The battle which marked the end of French colonial rule in Indo-China
3. The scandal which led to the only resignation of an American President
4. The Vice President who replaced the President after his resignation
5. Why was November 1963 a "bad month" for the governments of South Vietnam and the United States?

March 13

IB 30/35

We watched a video today from the CNN Cold War series on Vietnam. This video provided you with a lot of details on increasing American involvement in Southeast Asia, starting in the 1950s and into the late 1960s. Make sure that you have read the Vietnam War notes that are posted on the wiki in the Cold War section. I am assigning a Vietnam War Assignment for Thursday. You are responsible for the researching the following: (please see below)

Vietnam War Assignment

A. PEOPLE
Identify and explain the role each played in the Vietnam War
1. Ho Chi Minh
2. Ngo Dinh Diem
3. Lyndon B. Johnson
4. Richard M. Nixon
5. Viet Minh
6. Viet Cong
7. Le Duc Tho
8. Henry Kissinger
9. William Westmoreland
10. "Draft Dodger"

B. CONCEPTS/TERMS
Explain the significance of the following with regards to the Vietnam War (identify participants or individuals if appropriate)
1. Ho Chi Minh Trail
2. defoliation
3. "search and destroy" mission
4. "Vietnamization of the war"
5. Gulf of Tonkin Incident
6. My Lai Massacre
7. domino theory
8. Kent State University protest (May 4, 1970)
9. Tet Offensive (January 1968)
10. Geneva Agreement (1954)

C. ISSUES
Provide the information requested
1. The predominant religion of Vietnam
2. The battle which marked the end of French colonial rule in Indo-China
3. The scandal which led to the only resignation of an American President
4. The Vice President who replaced the President after his resignation
5. Why was November 1963 a "bad month" for the governments of South Vietnam and the United States?

IB 20

We started looking at the Articles of Confederation today. If you missed class today you missed guidance coming into the class to confirm your course selections for next year. You also missed some notes on the Articles of Confederation and the Second Continental Congress, so you should get these from a classmate. I have posted some notes on the wiki in Unit 4. I put up some Harvard style notes on the Articles of Confederation and summaries of the various articles that are in the Articles of Confederation. Please remember that the Articles of Confederation serve as the first constitution of the United States, and that they will be replaced rather quickly by the U.S. Constitution in 1789, and even the Constitution will be modified with the inclusion of ten amendments, which we refer to as the U.S. Bill of Rights today. Here is your homework assignment for tonight: create a four column chart similar to the one on page 70 of your History of the Americas textbook), with some modifications. The first column should be labelled as "Characteristics" (use the ones listed off in the first column from the chart on page 70), the next column should be labelled "Articles of Confederation" (include specifics from the articles themselves), the third column should be labelled "Problems that the Articles of Confederation Created" , and the fourth column should be labelled as "How the U.S. Constitution Addressed These Issues" (include specific details). I posted the full text of the Articles of Confederation on the wiki, but you can also find them here. You might want to check out the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation. You can also find the full U.S. Constitution here. I also gave you a copy of the U.S. Constitution graphic novel today as well for your reading pleasure and for reference. I think one of the strengths of the book is that it provides some historical context and background for why certain items are included or not included in the Constitution. You have these books until Thursday.

March 12

Before I get into today's post I'd like to direct your attention to a feature that I really enjoy from the Boston Globe called "The Big Picture" which is a great photojournalism section in their newspaper. Check out their three part feature on the 1st anniversary of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami. See it here.

IB 30/35

We watched the A & E Biography of Fidel Castro today, and despite the fact that it was a bit dated (from 1996) it was a good introduction to early events in his life that may have helped shape his beliefs and ideological perspective. We started talking about the Vietnam War today as well. Clearly, many of you have not read the Vietnam War notes that I put up on the wiki over the weekend. Please read these notes before tomorrow's class. I am assigning a Vietnam War Assignment for Thursday. You are responsible for the researching the following: (please see below)

Vietnam War Assignment

A. PEOPLE
Identify and explain the role each played in the Vietnam War
1. Ho Chi Minh
2. Ngo Dinh Diem
3. Lyndon B. Johnson
4. Richard M. Nixon
5. Viet Minh
6. Viet Cong
7. Le Duc Tho
8. Henry Kissinger
9. William Westmoreland
10. "Draft Dodger"

B. CONCEPTS/TERMS
Explain the significance of the following with regards to the Vietnam War (identify participants or individuals if appropriate)
1. Ho Chi Minh Trail
2. defoliation
3. "search and destroy" mission
4. "Vietnamization of the war"
5. Gulf of Tonkin Incident
6. My Lai Massacre
7. domino theory
8. Kent State University protest (May 4, 1970)
9. Tet Offensive (January 1968)
10. Geneva Agreement (1954)

C. ISSUES
Provide the information requested
1. The predominant religion of Vietnam
2. The battle which marked the end of French colonial rule in Indo-China
3. The scandal which led to the only resignation of an American President
4. The Vice President who replaced the President after his resignation
5. Why was November 1963 a "bad month" for the governments of South Vietnam and the United States?

As we will see, public support for the Vietnam War changes over time as more and more American soldiers are killed. We see a growth in the anti-Vietnam War demonstrations, and the media also played a role in the turn of popular opinion against the war. I REALLY recommend that you have a look at the this series of photographs from the Vietnam War era, pretty powerful imagery (make sure that you read the captions too). Here is a link to the NPR that explains the story behind the photograph below, definitely worth the time to read or listen to the podcast, and make sure that you look at the photo gallery of Eddie Adams' photographs of the Vietnam War.


There are certain iconic images associated with the Vietnam War. Here is another:

The above photograph is of Phan Thị Kim Phúc, O.Ont (born in 1963), she is a Vietnamese-Canadian best known as the child subject of a Pulitzer Prize winning photograph taken during the Vietnam War on June 8, 1972. The iconic photo taken in Trang Bang by AP photographer Nick Ut shows her at about age nine running naked on the street after being severely burned on her back by a South Vietnamese napalm attack. Contrary to popular myth, the US Air Force were not involved in the attack, and only two US troops were within 60 miles (97 km) of the scene, neither of whom had any say in the bombings. Still, it is a powerful image associated with the war.

IB 20

Most of today's class was spent doing course registration for Grade 12 next year. Tomorrow we'll be looking at the Articles of Confederation in detail.

March 9

IB 30/35

You wrote a Paper 2 on the Cold War today, which took most of the period. This would be a great weekend to polish off that TOK Essay don't you think?

IB 20

I did a homework check on your Declaration of Independence study guide at the beginning of class. You wrote a current events quiz as well. We then watched a video on the Declaration of Independence, and while the video was playing you should have taken some notes. Make sure that you visit the wiki this weekend, and go to the Unit 4: Independence Movement section. Download and complete the "Two Views of the Revolution" worksheet.

March 8

IB 20

We wrapped up our look at the Revolutionary War today in class. I will be posting the PowerPoint on the wiki this afternoon so you can access it and take further notes from it if you wish. We also started looking at the Declaration of Independence in the later half of the class and you were working through a study guide of the Declaration of Independence. This study guide is due tomorrow.

IB 30/35

We did some IB paperwork at the beginning of class, so if you missed class today, you might want to see me tomorrow to complete it. We watched a video from the CNN Cold War series on Cuba (1959-1962) which detailed the Cuban Missile Crisis. There is a level of detail in this video that is just missing in the BBC 20th Century History series. If you missed this video, here is a link to a website where you can watch (the video is split into 5 parts). You also had a Cold War Quiz today. Don't forget that you have a Paper 2 tomorrow on the Cold War.

March 7

I wanted to share something different with you tonight. Here is what I posted on my Facebook status this evening, please read if you have the time.

You’ll have to bear with me on this post, I’m going to be getting up on a soapbox for this one. My Facebook newsfeed has been dominated today by people posting a link to a video for Kony 2012, a campaign by Invisible Children Inc. to shed light on the atrocities perpetrated by Joseph Kony and the Lord’s Resistance Army. While I think it is admirable that you have taken an interest in global affairs and wish to attract attention to this issue, the Social Studies teacher in me feels the need to add my two cents to the discussion. I challenge you to think critically about what you “like” on Facebook, dig deeper into global issues rather than just jumping on the bandwagon. Here’s what I found out about this with a little investigation:

The organization behind Kony 2012 — Invisible Children Inc. — is an extremely shady non-profit that has been called “misleading,” “naive,” and “dangerous” by a Yale political science professor, and has been accused by Foreign Affairs of “manipulat[ing] facts for strategic purposes.” They have also been criticized by the Better Business Bureau for refusing to provide information necessary to determine if IC meets the Bureau’s standards.

Additionally, Invisible Children Inc. has a low two-star rating in accountability from Charity Navigator because they won’t let their financials be independently audited. That’s not a good thing. In fact, it’s a very bad thing, and should make you immediately pause and reflect on where the money you’re sending them is going.

By IC’s own admission, only 31% of all the funds they receive go toward actually helping anyone [pdf]. The rest go to line the pockets of the three people in charge of the organization.

Let’s get something straight: The Lord’s Resistance Army is bad news. And Joseph Kony is reprehensible, and needs to be stopped. But propping up Uganda’s decades-old dictatorship and its military arm, which has been accused by the UN of committing unspeakable atrocities and itself facilitated the recruitment of child soldiers, is not the way to go about it.

The United States is already plenty involved in helping rout Kony and his band of psychopaths. Kony is on the run, having been pushed out of Uganda, and it’s likely he will soon be caught, if he isn’t already dead. But killing Joseph Kony won’t fix anything, just as killing Osama bin Laden didn’t end terrorism. The LRA might collapse, but, as Foreign Affairs points out, it is “a relatively small player in all of this — as much a symptom as a cause of the endemic violence.”

Myopically placing the blame for all of central Africa’s woes on Kony — even as a starting point — will only imperil many more people than are already in danger.

Sending money to a non-profit organization that wants to muck things up by dousing the flames with fuel is not helping. Want to help? Really want to help? Send your money to non-profits that are putting more than 31% toward rebuilding the region’s medical and educational infrastructure, so that former child soldiers have something worth coming home to.

Here are just a few of those charities. They all have a sparkling four-star rating from Charity Navigator, and, more importantly, no interest in airdropping American troops armed to the teeth into the middle of a multi-nation tribal war to help one madman catch another madman.

The bottom line is, research your causes thoroughly. Don’t just forward a random video to a stranger because a mass murderer makes a five-year-old “sad.” Learn a little bit about the complexities of the region’s ongoing strife before advocating for direct military intervention.

There is no black and white in the world. Going about trying to solve a problem like the usage of child soldiers in central Africa as if the world was black and white just serves to make all those equally troubling shades of gray invisible. Maybe some people heard about this story and looked into the topic a little bit more, which is great, but I suspect for every person that got curious about the Lord’s Resistance Army and Joseph Kony there were ten others that simply “liked” the video on Facebook and posted it on their wall to show up in the newsfeed. I’m finished lecturing for today.

March 6

IB 30/35

We combined the two IB 30/35 classes today. Mr. Johnson lectured a bit on Harry Truman's administration, in particular his domestic policy. He will post this PowerPoint on the wiki. We started talking about the electoral college system when we looked at the 1948 election between Truman and Dewey, which Truman won. There is the famous photograph of Truman holding up a newspaper proclaiming Dewey the winner. When it came to the popular vote it was relatively close with about 2 million votes difference between Truman and Dewey, but when you look at the electoral college votes, it wasn't close between the two.

We also looked at more recent U.S. presidential elections, including the 2000 election where Al Gore won the popular vote but didn't win the right states to get the 270 electoral college votes to win. I tried to describe what a butterfly ballot looks like, but once I put up this graphic I think it helped you understand how some votes might have misplaced in the 2000 election in Florida.

We'll talk more about the American political system when we begin our review for the Alberta Social 30-1 Diploma Exam.

IB 20

You wrote a quiz on the movie "The Patriot" today. I also gave you some time to work on today's homework from The United States and Its People booklet, specifically reading pages 100-113, and completing the section reviews on page 106 and 113 respectively. This homework is due tomorrow.

March 2

IB 30/35

In anticipation of looking at the Korean War next week, I had to talk about the organization of the United Nations today. I will be posting the PowerPoint today on the wiki. Additionally, I will post "The Origins of the Cold War" PowerPoint as well on the wiki. That PowerPoint has additional information on it about the Hungarian Revolution, the Prague Spring and other Cold War topics and techniques. Please remember that when you are introduced to new Cold War events, try to apply the appropriate Cold War terminology that goes along with it. For example, when we talk about what happened in the Berlin Blockade we see the concepts of zones of occupation, spheres of influence, satellite states at play. I will also post my Korean War notes on the wiki, please read them before class on Monday.

IB 20

We continued watching "The Patriot" in class today, and we should be able to finish this film on Monday and write the quiz that goes along with it then.

March 1

IB 20

After writing a couple of tests this morning, I gave you a reading that had five different documents related to the Battle of Lexington. We'll talk about this document analysis activity next week. We started a film study on "The Patriot" today, which we will hopefully be able to finish.

IB 30/35

We did our last TOK group presentation today. As you know, the group looked at the War of 1812. I mentioned that I had read an article yesterday from the Los Angeles Times on the different perceptions of the War of 1812 and the planned celebrations to mark the bicentennial on both sides of the border. Here is a link to that article on the War of 1812. Also, with the L.A. Times there's an article here that covers "7 Things You Didn't Know About Dr. Seuss". (I thought it was timely given the TOK presentation we had on the Arts)

You also wrote a quiz on the Cold War, and watched a video from the BBC 20th Century History series called "Cold War Confrontation".