Thursday, February 28, 2013

February 28

You wrote your Unit 1 WRA I today. I also did a homework check on your Chapter 3 Key Terms and Questions. Your Chapter 4 Key Terms and Questions are due tomorrow. Please see the study guides for the Chapter 3-4 Test and the Unit 1 Final Exam below.
This test will be on Wednesday, March 6th. It will consist of a matching section (10 key concepts) and a short answer section.
  • make sure that you study the PowerPoint presentation "Contending Loyalties"
  • make sure that you have read Chapters 3 and 4 (it is all testable material)
  • know the key concepts/key terms from Chapters 3 and 4 (please see the Unit 1 Worksheet for these)
  • study your answers to the Chapter 3 and 4 questions from the Unit 1 Worksheet (all could potentially be on the test)

Your Unit 1 Final Exam is on Thursday, March 7th. It is 75 multiple choice questions. Make sure that you have read Chapters 1-4 in Exploring Nationalism. Please make sure that you know the key concepts from Unit 1 (see below). Also review the PowerPoint presentations that you should have in your notes. These are the presentations that you should review:

1. Nation and Identity
2. The French Revolution
3. The Napoleonic Era
4. Contending Loyalties

Know the key concepts from the Unit 1 Worksheet (a lot of them have been defined on the wiki by your classmates, check under Unit 1 Key Terms). If you know the key concepts you'll be able apply them to test.
  • nation
  • nation-state
  • nationalism
  • patriotism
  • self-determination
  • sovereignty
  • sovereign
  • civic nation
  • civic nationalism
  • ethnic nationalism
  • collective consciousness
  • French Revolution
  • Estates-General
  • Louis XVI
  • First Estate
  • Second Estate
  • Third Estate
  • cahiers de doléances
  • Ancien Régime
  • bourgeoisie
  • feudal system
  • philosophes
  • Declaration of the Rights of Man
  • National Assembly
  • Tennis Court Oath
  • constitutional monarchy
  • Jacobins
  • Girondins
  • National Convention
  • levée en masse
  • Robespierre
  • Danton
  • Marat
  • Reign of Terror
  • Napoleon
  • Napoleonic Code
  • Continental System
  • contending loyalties
  • cultural pluralism
  • reasonable accommodation
  • sovereignists
  • federalists
  • royal commission
  • expressions of nationalism
  • non-nationalist loyalty
  • alienation
  • segregation
I did a homework check on your Philosophies of Industrialism work booklets today. I covered a few different concepts today, including: welfare capitalism, welfare state and the emergence of modern liberalism. We reviewed the business cycle and introduced what the Keynesian response would be at various stages of business cycle. You have a couple of readings on Keynesian economics to go over tonight. Your Chapter 4 Key Terms and Questions are due on Tuesday.
We continued with TOK Group Presentations today. We should be able to finish off the TOK presentations tomorrow. Please be on time and ready to present (and be a good audience again tomorrow).

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

February 27

I gave you a study booklet today called "Philosophies of Industrialism", which is due tomorrow. Your Chapter 4 Key Terms and Questions are due on Tuesday. You were given a work period today to complete the study booklet and complete your Chapter 4 work. Make sure that you have read Chapter 4!
Today, I went over how to write a Written Response Assignment I (WRA I). You should have been taught how to write these assignments last year. You will write a WRA I tomorrow in class, and you'll have 60 minutes to do it. We did look at some practice sources today and practiced writing a response to a few sources as well. I did a homework check on your French Revolution DBA today. Please remember that your Chapter 3 Key Terms and Questions are due tomorrow (Thursday) and your Chapter 4 Key Terms and Questions are due on Friday. Please have a look at the Chapter 3-4 Test Study Guide below.
This test will be on Wednesday, March 6th. It will consist of a matching section (10 key concepts) and a short answer section.
  • make sure that you study the PowerPoint presentation "Contending Loyalties"
  • make sure that you have read Chapters 3 and 4 (it is all testable material)
  • know the key concepts/key terms from Chapters 3 and 4 (please see the Unit 1 Worksheet for these)
  • study your answers to the Chapter 3 and 4 questions from the Unit 1 Worksheet (all could potentially be on the test)
Today was another TOK Group Presentation day. We will continue with TOK Presentations tomorrow.

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

February 26

We saw two TOK Group Presentations today, and then you have the remaining 30 minutes to work on your Vietnam War Assignment.
Since I've been piling a lot of work on you as of late, I felt that you might need a class period to complete some of the homework assignments that are due. Tomorrow, your French Revolution DBA assignment is due, on Thursday your Chapter 3 Key Terms and Questions are due, then on Friday your Chapter 4 Key Terms and Questions are due. Tomorrow I will be reviewing how to write a WRA I three source analysis assignment, since you must complete one in Thursday's class. You have two other major assessments next week, with the Chapter 3-4 Test on Wednesday, March 6th and your Unit 1 Final Exam on March 7th.
I went through a PowerPoint presentation today called "Responding to Classical Liberalism". While I was lecturing you were to complete a note-taking chart on content from the lecture. Please check your e-mail for this presentation this afternoon. As we can clearly see, during the Industrial Revolution many new ideologies emerged in reaction to classical liberalism. I gave you the remaining time to work your Chapter 4 Key Terms and Questions.

Friday, February 22, 2013

February 22

You wrote your Paper 2 on the origins of the Cold War today. Please print off the Vietnam War Notes from the wiki this weekend. Make sure that you read, highlight and take notes on them. We're starting the Vietnam War on Monday. Of course, we also have TOK Group Presentations next week. Please have a look at the new documents that were posted on the wiki under the TOK, they should help out a lot on structuring your TOK essay.
We did some review today on 19th and 20th century political spectrums, the economic-political grid, before we delved into new territory. We looked at some basic economics, looking at scarcity, basic economic values, and basic economic questions. Next week, we'll look at the business cycle. I did a homework check on the Chapter 3 Questions as well. Here's the video that we started watching in class on the Industrial Revolution:


We had some group and class discussion time today. We covered the concepts of expressions of nationalism, and then we ranked the causes of the French Revolution. Next week, we'll be reviewing how to write a WRA I (3 source analysis writing assignment).

Thursday, February 21, 2013

February 21

You wrote your Chapter 1-2 Test today, which took the entire period. Please remember that your French Revolution DBA assignment is due on Wednesday, February 27th.
I finished off the PowerPoint presentation called "The Development of Classical Liberalism", which I will send out this evening. The remainder of class time was spent working on the Chapter 3 Questions, which are due tomorrow. I did a homework check on your Chapter 3 Key Terms at the beginning of class.
You wrote a quiz on the Cold War at the start of class. We finished watching the CNN Cold War series episode on Cuba (1959-1962) today. You will be writing a Paper 2 tomorrow on the origins of the Cold War.

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

February 20

I did a homework check on "Sick Around the World" today at the beginning of class. We started looking at Unit 2 material, specifically "The Development of Classical Liberalism". We didn't finish this PowerPoint lecture today, but we will tomorrow. Your homework tonight is your Chapter 3 Key Terms, with the Chapter 3 Questions being due on Friday.
I gave you back the results for the World Geography Test today. There are a few of you that haven't written this test yet, and you will have to complete it at a later date. I have sent to you the PowerPoint covering the Napoleonic Age, so check your e-mail for it. We watched a short video from the Turning Points of History series called "Napoleon's Invasion of Russia". I then gave you the remainder of class time to study for your Chapter 1-2 Test, which is tomorrow. Please find the study guide for this test here. Your French Revolution DBA assignment is due on Wednesday, February 27th.
We continued looking at the A & E Biography on Fidel Castro, and finished watching it today. We then turned our attention towards other key players in the Cuban Missile Crisis by watching a video from the BBC 20th Century series called "Mr. Kennedy and Mr. Khrushchev". We also started the CNN Cold War series Episode 10 Cuba (1959-1962), which we will continue tomorrow. Please remember that you have your Paper 2 on the origins of the Cold War on Friday, be prepared! Review how to write a Paper 2, and anticipate potential essay questions.

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

February 19

We covered a lot of ground today! I did a homework check on your Cold War historiography assignment today. I finished off the PowerPoint presentation on the Truman Administration and then moved into the Eisenhower Administration. We looked at a video from the Turning Points of History series called "Crisis in Korea". I gave you a handout on the Korean War and I highly recommend that you print off the Korean War Notes from the IB 30/35 wiki (you can find it under the Topic 5: The Cold War section of the wiki). We started the A & E Biography on Fidel Castro today, which we will finish tomorrow as a lead in to the Cuban Missile Crisis. You have a Paper 2 on Friday on the origins of the Cold War.
You wrote your World Geography Test today, and you'll get the results of this test tomorrow. We finished off "The Napoleonic Age" PowerPoint presentation. I will send this presentation out to you tomorrow. Please remember to study for your Chapter 1-2 Test, please see the study guide here.
You wrote your Unit 1 WRA II Essay today which took the entire period. Tomorrow we will be starting Unit 2 material. make sure to hand in "Sick Around the World" tomorrow in class.

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

February 13

You wrote your Unit 1 Final Exam today. You will be writing your Unit 1 WRA II Essay on Tuesday. Also due on Tuesday is the film study booklet from the PBS Frontline "Sick Around the World".
You watched an A & E Biography on Napoleon Bonaparte and then I started a PowerPoint presentation on "The Napoleonic Age" as well. I'll finish that lecture next week. On Tuesday you have your World Geography Test on Tuesday, please see the study guide here (scroll down to find it). On Thursday, February 21st you have your Chapter 1-2 Test, please see the study guide below.
This test is on February 21st. The test has a matching section and a short answer section.
  • Make sure that you have read both Chapter 1-2 from your textbook Exploring Nationalism
  • Study Chapter 1-2 Key Terms from the Unit 1 Worksheet
  • Study your answers to the questions from the Unit 1 Worksheet for Chapter 1-2
  • Study the presentations: "Nation and Identity" (Chapter 1 material + supplementary material), "Shaping Nationalism: The French Revolution" (Chapter 2 material + supplementary material), and "The Napoleonic Age" (Chapter 2 material + supplementary material)
You had a cartoon analysis assignment at the beginning of class today. We then started looking at the Truman Administration, and we'll finish this next week. It will be a good introduction to the Korean War. Your answers to the historiography of the Cold War PDF article is due on Tuesday. On Friday of next week your will have a Paper 2 on the origins of the Cold War, make sure that you're prepared.

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

February 12

If you didn't go to the WWII Behind Closed Doors website last night, please go to yesterday's post or the wiki to see what needs to be done. We watched a video from the BBC 20th Century History series called "Cold War Confrontations" which looked briefly at some early conflicts in the Cold War such as the Berlin Blockade and the Korean War. I also went through a PowerPoint presentation on the United Nations. This PowerPoint is already on the wiki. You have homework due on Tuesday, February 19th, so make sure that you answer the questions from the PDF file that I showed you on the wiki under Topic 5: The Cold War.
We finished watching the History Channel's "The French Revolution" video today. Next Tuesday, you have the World Geography Test, please see the study guide below. Below is a timeline that I made a few years ago, use this and your notes to complete the French Revolution timeline. If you go to the Timetoast website directly you can view the timeline in a chart format. Your Chapter 2 Key Terms and Questions are due tomorrow (February 13th).


This test will take place on Tuesday, February 19th. It is simply a country identification test. You will be given a world map with certain countries identified and you need to be able to write out what country it is. Here are the countries that may appear on the test:


  • any of the EU countries (there are 27 countries in the EU, a map of the EU is in your textbook on page 265)
  • any of the NATO countries (there's some overlap here with the EU, but not all EU countries are members of NATO)
  • any of the G8 countries: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United States, and the United Kingdom
  • full members of MERCOSUR: Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and other associate members or countries that are achieving membership in MERCOSUR, such as: Venezuela, Bolivia, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador
  • to ask you to know ALL of the countries in the African Union would be cruel, so we'll focus on countries that came up last year or will likely be in the news this year: Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Libya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Zimbabwe
  • other very important countries that will be in the news this year, or that we'll be talking about, or get mentioned in your textbook: Cuba, Mexico, Jamaica, Serbia, Georgia, China, India, Myanmar, Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Israel
  • **BIG HINT: if a country is a member of a few of these international organizations then there's a STRONG possibility that they will be on the test!!**


You wrote your Chapter 1-2 Test today. Please remember that you are writing your Unit 1 Final Exam tomorrow (please see the study guide below). Don't take this unit final exam lightly since it tests higher order thinking skills, and not simply knowledge and recall. Approximately 60% of the test will include sources, which reflects the blueprint for Part B of the Diploma Exam. You will be writing your Unit 1 WRA II Essay next Tuesday, February 19th. You will get the essay question sheet tomorrow.

Monday, February 11, 2013

February 11

We started looking at the "Origins of the Cold War" today. The PowerPoint lecture that I went through today is on the IB 30/35 wiki under The Cold War section. I also gave you a booklet on WWII Conferences and Agreements that you need to study. We'll be looking at some historiography on the start of the Cold War in the coming days. I would like you to go to the World War II Behind Closed Doors website tonight, and read the sections on the Yalta Conference and the Potsdam Conference. This is an excellent site, with tons of information, maps, video clips, timelines and archival footage and re-enactments as well. You do need to really make sure that you understand the Yalta Agreements and the Potsdam Declaration (among other things) and this is a great site to do this. Episode 3 is the one that contains most of the information that you would need to read and watch. There's a great little video clip on this website called "Stalin's Distrust of the West" that might help you see WWII from the Soviet perspective and why the Soviets might wish to extend control over Eastern Europe and be so distrustful of their wartime allies. You can find this video clip in Episode 3 (Dividing the World), scroll down and click on the video clip on the right called "Stalin's Distrust of the West". It's a short little clip, but you'll get the idea. We'll continue our look at the Cold War tomorrow.


I did a quick homework check on the Chapter 2 Key Terms and Questions today. We finished watching "Sicko" today. I gave you a booklet today that is to be used with the PBS Frontline documentary "Sick Around the World" (you may have to go the PBS website to watch the entire video). Please see the link to the video below. The questions on the front page of the booklet as well as the retrieval chart on page 2 are due on Tuesday, February 19th.


Watch Sick Around the World on PBS. See more from FRONTLINE.


The Chapter 1-2 Test is on Tuesday, February 12th. It is a mixed format test, it will have a matching section and a short answer section. Here is what you should review/study for this test:
  • Chapter 1 and 2 Key Terms/Concepts and the Supplementary Key Terms from the Unit 1 Worksheet
  • be able to answer any of the questions from the Unit 1 Worksheet (hopefully you have quality answers to study from!)
  • you must know the 19th century political spectrum and the 20th century political spectrum
  • know similarities and differences between communism and fascism
  • be able to label political and economic spectrums and the values associated with these ideologies
  • be able to label the political-economic grid and know examples of the ideologies in the quadrants (study the Ideology Notes and the notes I gave you in class)
  • know the differences between individualism and collectivism, be able to apply your understanding of these concepts
  • know the key ideas associated with Hobbes, Locke and Rousseau (for example, view of the nature of human beings, etc.)

The Unit 1 Final is a 55 question multiple choice test. It will be written on Wednesday, February 13th. Make sure that you study the following:
  • Chapter 1 and 2 Key Terms from the Unit 1 Worksheet
  • Study the Ideology Notes (Black Gold School District PDF file)
  • Study the 19th Century Political Spectrum
  • Study the 20th Century Political spectrum
  • Study the political-economic grid
  • Know the values and ideas associated with the various ideologies (on the 19th century and 20th century spectrums)
  • Study the Individualism and Collectivism booklet
We finished the PowerPoint presentation on "The French Revolution" and I will be sending this presentation to you today. We started watching the History Channel video on the French Revolution, which we will continue tomorrow.  I returned your Chapter 1 Key Terms and Questions. Your Chapter 2 Key Terms and Questions will be due on Wednesday. Please check your e-mail for the more information on the French Revolution.

Saturday, February 09, 2013

February 8

All of today's class was spent preparing for the TOK Group Presentations. This is the last class period that you will have for TOK in class.
We started watching "Sicko" on Friday. We'll finish this movie on Monday.

The Chapter 1-2 Test is on Tuesday, February 12th. It is a mixed format test, it will have a matching section and a short answer section. Here is what you should review/study for this test:
  • Chapter 1 and 2 Key Terms/Concepts and the Supplementary Key Terms from the Unit 1 Worksheet
  • be able to answer any of the questions from the Unit 1 Worksheet (hopefully you have quality answers to study from!)
  • you must know the 19th century political spectrum and the 20th century political spectrum
  • know similarities and differences between communism and fascism
  • be able to label political and economic spectrums and the values associated with these ideologies
  • be able to label the political-economic grid and know examples of the ideologies in the quadrants (study the Ideology Notes and the notes I gave you in class)
  • know the differences between individualism and collectivism, be able to apply your understanding of these concepts
  • know the key ideas associated with Hobbes, Locke and Rousseau (for example, view of the nature of human beings, etc.)

The Unit 1 Final is a 55 question multiple choice test. It will be written on Wednesday, February 13th. Make sure that you study the following:
  • Chapter 1 and 2 Key Terms from the Unit 1 Worksheet
  • Study the Ideology Notes (Black Gold School District PDF file)
  • Study the 19th Century Political Spectrum
  • Study the 20th Century Political spectrum
  • Study the political-economic grid
  • Know the values and ideas associated with the various ideologies (on the 19th century and 20th century spectrums)
  • Study the Individualism and Collectivism booklet
We continued with the PowerPoint lecture on "The French Revolution". We'll continue with this topic on Monday.

Wednesday, February 06, 2013

February 6

We went back over some material that we looked at yesterday. I went back over the 19th century political spectrum, the 20th century political spectrum, the political-economic grid, and the principles of collectivism and individualism. You should print off the Ideology Notes (PDF file) that I sent to you yesterday. Please also have a look at the following link here, it will help immensely. Please see the study guides for the Chapter 1-2 Test and the Unit 1 Final Exam study guides below.



The Chapter 1-2 Test is on Tuesday, September 12th. It is a mixed format test, it will have a matching section and a short answer section. Here is what you should review/study for this test:
  • Chapter 1 and 2 Key Terms/Concepts and the Supplementary Key Terms from the Unit 1 Worksheet
  • be able to answer any of the questions from the Unit 1 Worksheet (hopefully you have quality answers to study from!)
  • you must know the 19th century political spectrum and the 20th century political spectrum
  • know similarities and differences between communism and fascism
  • be able to label political and economic spectrums and the values associated with these ideologies
  • be able to label the political-economic grid and know examples of the ideologies in the quadrants (study the Ideology Notes and the notes I gave you in class)
  • know the differences between individualism and collectivism, be able to apply your understanding of these concepts
  • know the key ideas associated with Hobbes, Locke and Rousseau (for example, view of the nature of human beings, etc.)

The Unit 1 Final is a 55 question multiple choice test. It will be written on Wednesday, February 13th. Make sure that you study the following:
  • Chapter 1 and 2 Key Terms from the Unit 1 Worksheet
  • Study the Ideology Notes (Black Gold School District PDF file)
  • Study the 19th Century Political Spectrum
  • Study the 20th Century Political spectrum
  • Study the political-economic grid
  • Know the values and ideas associated with the various ideologies (on the 19th century and 20th century spectrums)
  • Study the Individualism and Collectivism booklet

I went through a PowerPoint lecture on "The Enlightenment". I will be sending this to you this afternoon. You have a quiz tomorrow called the Enlightenment Thinkers Quiz. Study the material that you were introduced to today. Study the philosopher's main work, main ideas, and key quotes. Your Chapter 1 Key Terms and Questions are due tomorrow.

We watched a video from Gwynne Dyer's 'War' series called "The Road to Total War". After we finished the video you had some time to meet with your TOK presentation group members.

Tuesday, February 05, 2013

February 5

We held our debate on the decision to use the atomic bombs at the end of WWII today. As I said at the end of the class, I felt that it was a very spirited debate from all three options. There was also clear evidence of research on the part of many of you, which added to the quality of the debate. In the next few days you will get some time to work with your TOK Group Presentation members. This Friday's class will be devoted entirely to TOK presentation time with your group members. Prior to tomorrow's class I want you to go on to the IB 30/35 wiki and go to the TOK section and view the Prezi on TOK Presentations. I think that it will help you considerably. I will also be putting up some documents on how to structure your TOK essays on the wiki.
We finished off the "Nation and Identity" PowerPoint lecture today. I have sent this presentation to you already. Your Chapter 1 Key Terms and Questions are due on Thursday.
We covered a lot of material today. I delivered a PowerPoint lecture called "Identity and Ideology". I have sent this presentation to you by e-mail already. I have also sent you Ideology Notes from the Blackgold School District, which does a really nice job explaining the economic-political grid. Your Chapter 1 Key Terms and Questions are due tomorrow. One week from today (February 12th), you have your Chapter 1-2 Test, please see the study guide below.
  • Chapter 1-2 Test is on Tuesday, February 12th
  • Unit 1 Final Exam is on Wednesday, February 13th (study guide will be posted tomorrow on the blog)
  • Unit 1 WRA II Essay is on Tuesday, February 19th

The Chapter 1-2 Test is on Tuesday, September 12th. It is a mixed format test, it will have a matching section and a short answer section. Here is what you should review/study for this test:
  • Chapter 1 and 2 Key Terms/Concepts and the Supplementary Key Terms from the Unit 1 Worksheet
  • be able to answer any of the questions from the Unit 1 Worksheet (hopefully you have quality answers to study from!)
  • you must know the 19th century political spectrum and the 20th century political spectrum
  • know similarities and differences between communism and fascism
  • be able to label political and economic spectrums and the values associated with these ideologies
  • be able to label the political-economic grid and know examples of the ideologies in the quadrants (study the Ideology Notes and the notes I gave you in class)
  • know the differences between individualism and collectivism, be able to apply your understanding of these concepts
  • know the key ideas associated with Hobbes, Locke and Rousseau (for example, view of the nature of human beings, etc.)

Monday, February 04, 2013

February 4

Most of today's class was split between two tasks: preparing for tomorrow's debate on the decision to use atomic weapons at the end of WWII, and TOK Group Presentations. We'll have the debate in tomorrow's class, and if there's time available then you will get some more TOK group time.
We started looking at course content with me going through a PowerPoint lecture called "Introducing Government", which introduced the ideas of Hobbes, Locke and Rousseau. I have sent this PowerPoint presentation to you already, so let me know if you didn't receive it. I also taught you some mnemonic devices to help you remember the principles of collectivism and the principles of individualism. The Chapter 1 Key Terms and Questions will be due on Wednesday.
I gave you the organizational web for the entire course today, and I talked briefly about key questions, themes and concepts for each unit. I then started a PowerPoint lecture called "Nation and Identity". We will finish this lecture off tomorrow, and then I will send the PowerPoint presentation to you. Please make sure that you have read all of Chapter 1 prior to tomorrow's class.