a little something extra...

Tomorrow happens to be my birthday, and that means presents. One for you, and one for me!

Here's the deal. Go online and find out how to say "Happy Birthday, Mr. Schick" in the language of any African tribe. Write it on a small sheet of paper (identifying the language, of course). Hand that sheet of paper to me as you walk into class tomorrow, and I'll give you five extra credit points. (Write your name on the paper, too.)

Other than that, we will continue to watch God Grew Tired of Us in class tomorrow. I hope you're enjoying the story of John Bul, Daniel, and Panther.

another excellent source

Global Issues in Context is a database that presents global perspectives on current events and world-wide issues, like deforestation, women's rights, fair trade coffee, drug cartels, the 2016 Olympics, and many, many more. They are even labeled as news, opinions, articles, editorials, etc., so you can tell the difference between fact-based stories and opinions. The resources are from all over the world, so you get not only the American/Western viewpoint, but the news from the Manila Times, Xinhua, and even Aljazeera. No passwords are needed; just jump in and research!

God Grew Tired of Us

The following questions are relative to the film God Grew Tired of Us, which we will be watching in class. Copy these questions into your OneNote, and answer them in class and/or for homework. Post the completed answers in your blog.

1. What Academy Award winning actress narrates the documentary?

2. In what countries does the film take place?

3. List the main characters of the film.

4. Define refugee.

5. Define IDP.

6. The film centers around a group of boys. What are they called?

7. Track the movement of the boys after they leave their homes in their original country (the answer to number 2).

8. What are some major differences between the lives of the boys and your own life, specifically when they are living in the refugee camps?

9. What are some of the difficulties that they boys must deal with when they arrive in the United States? How are their lives different in the United States in comparison to their home countries?

10. Answer the following question only after you conclude the viewing of the film:

The title of the film, "God Grew Tired of Us", seems to be somewhat ironic after hearing the account of the boys first hand. Explain why the title is ironic using specific examples from the film. Do the boys really believe that God had abandoned them? Or is their faith stronger than ever? Why? Give examples.

more resources, and the beginning of the Sub-Saharan Africa section

More online resources for your paper:

National Geographic Example: "Biodiversity Amazon Rainforest" in the search window netted 49 results. "2016 Olympics Rio" got 26 results. Often these sites come with spectacular photographs.

NationMaster Statistics, statistics, statistics. The real danger here is that you'll get distracted by all the cool stuff here (ranking nations by obesity, telvevision use, church attendance, happiness, cannabis use) and forget to do your research (literacy, oil use, most murderous, TFR, infant mortality). This one is a keeper.

Sections 01 & 05! Read p. 223, 224, and the first half of p. 226 in the text. Friday we will have a 10-point quiz on this material. I will also collect your maps (worth 5 points) in class Friday morning.

03: welcome to Sub-Saharan Africa; 01 & 05: project

For Section 03 only! Read p. 223, 224, and the first half of p. 226 in the text. Friday we will have a 10-point quiz on this material. I will also collect your maps (worth 5 points) in class Friday morning.

Sections 01 and 05: We spent more time working on your projects in class today. They’re due two weeks from today!

But wait! There's more!

Need another good source for your paper? Got a Harford County Public Library card? Go to Academic ASAP and enter your library card number. Excellent stuff there.

Do I have it right? Let me know.

I have listed the research paper topics, and the people working on them, in this document. Please check to make sure I have you paired up with the right person, and make sure I have identified your topic accurately.

This document is listed under Human Geo Class Documents on my blog.

research project

We're back from break, and today we're working on our projects in class. Since it is a really bad idea to procrastinate on a project this size, and the paper is due December 16, (two weeks from tomorrow), now is the time to get to work.

As you research your topic, here are a couple suggestions that are far more useful than the lazy Google search:

Facts on File: World News Digest This site is perfect for this project. Example: I typed "Amazon deforestation" in the search box and got 23 stories. "Mexican drug cartels": 48 stories. "US - Mexican immigration policy": 81 stories. You get the picture.

History Study Center Great place to find Historical documents. Example: Type "Panama Canal" in the search box and choose "Historical documents" in the second drop box, and you get 26 excellent primary source documents. Choose "Multimedia" in that dropbox, and you get some incredible old photographs.

CIA Factbook Choose a country, then click on "Transnational Issues" (near the bottom). Often a goldmine of information. Plus, there is never any dispute about this being a legitimate source of unbiased information.

I will post these under "Useful Links" on the right hand side of my blog. More to follow.

Día de Acción de Gracia

Time to give thanks! This is a reminder to help put a Latin American spin on the Thanksgiving holiday by bringing an authentic main dish, side dish, or dessert to school tomorrow (Tuesday). Please see Thursday's blog post for details.

Some final thoughts:

• Report directly to the Brown Room for class.
• If you don't want to keep your food in your locker, put it on the table in the back of Mr. Fendryk's room (room 127).
• Or, if your dish needs to be refrigerated, put it in the fridge in the Brown Room.
• Bringing your food in a nice dish or piece of Tupperware? Mark it (use an address label or just write on it with a Sharpie) so you can get it back at the end of the day.
• If your dish needs a serving spoon or a spatula and you can bring one in, that would be great. (Label it!)
  
• Don't forget to include a card or sheet of paper that includes your name, the name of the recipe, the ingredients, and the country of origin.

This should be a lot of fun! See you mañana !

review

Today in class, Sections 01 and 05 reviewed the Katrina/Global Warming test. Tomorrow will be 03's turn.

01 and 05 will begin work on their papers tomorrow in class. We will determine who is going to work with whom, and then each group will choose their topic.

REMINDER: Next Tuesday, our last full day of classes before the break, we will have a gustatory extravaganza. We will celebrate an American holiday (Thanksgiving) with a Latin American flavor. Since we are inventing this holiday, we'll call it Día de Acción de Gracias !

In a twenty-point graded homework assignment, each student will prepare an authentic Latin American dish to share with the class next Tuesday. This can be a main dish, a side dish, or a dessert. Recipes are available online, and can be from ANY Latin American country (listed below). Write or type out your recipe, the country of origin, plus what makes it authentic, to earn all 20 points. If you don't bring in a dish, or if you bring in Taco Bell, you receive a zero!

One more rule: NO SALSA.

This should be an eye-opening and mouth-watering experience!

Latin American countries: Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Argentina, Peru, Venezuela, Chile, Ecuador, Guatemala, Bolivia, Costa Rica, Panama, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Paraguay, and Uruguay.

Survey Monkey and Research Paper

If you would like to give real feedback on your Human Geography course, please complete the SurveyMonkey (student feedback survey) found here. This survey is completely anonymous, and I will not know how you answer the questions or what comments you choose to make. This link will be live through the end of this week. Thank you in advance!

As promised, here are more details on the research paper.

The length will be at least 1500 words. (That's the equivalent of three typewritten pages.) You have the option of including photos, charts, pictures, graphs - anything that will enhance your paper - but you still have to write at least 1500 words.

The paper is due at 8:00 AM on Wednesday, December 16. It will be posted to your blog. There will be penalties for every day (or portion of a day) it is late.

You will work in pairs, so for the next class please select your workmate.

You will choose your topic by next Tuesday. Here are some suggestions:

• the deforestation of the Amazon rainforest
• Andes mountain dwellers
• Mexico City: an environmental mega-disaster
• the Panama Canal
• the role of the Catholic Church in Latin America
• emigration from Mexico to the US
• the status of women in Latin American society
• Latino "futbol" (soccer)
• Contras and Sandinistas in the 1980's
• indigenous (native) peoples: a forgotten minority?
• Brazil's helpful role in climate change
• history of (pick a country): from colony to democracy
• the growth of Mercosur (a trade organization)
• drug trafficking in Colombia (or Bolivia, or Peru)
• the amazing diversity of the Amazon Basin
• farming (especially soy) in Brazil (or Argentina)
• enviro-tourism in Costa Rica
• the weird relationship between Hugo Chavez's Venezuela and the US
• urbanization and the megacities
• the violent drug cartels of Juarez (a border town near El Paso, Texas)
• how the weather patterns of El Niño affect Latin America - and us
• earthquakes and volcanic eruptions in Latin America
• the 2016 Olympics being held in Rio de Janeiro
• how the history of Mexico and Texas are intertwined
• eco-friendly fair trade coffee and biodiversity

If none of these float your boat, feel free to check out the chapter (p. 124 - 177) for more ideas. If you discover something else to write about, please submit it to me for my approval by Tuesday.


Don't forget to take the SurveyMonkey!

Latin America

For the chapter on Latin America, we will write a research paper.

(I will pause here for a moment to let that sink in...)

You guys have already written one research paper this semester, for your English class. This will be a chance to use the same skills and the same research methods, but in the context of Social Studies.

I have a couple dozen suggestions for topics, which we will be discussing in class. If you have another topic you would rather write on, you may submit it to me for approval.

You will be working in pairs on this project. There will be some class time devoted to this paper, but you will be expected to do a significant amount of research and writing outside of class.

You will choose your topic before we go on Thanksgiving break, so you will have the option of working on this over the break. The paper itself will be due in December; I will have an exact date for you soon.

Obviously, there will be a lot more information regarding this paper, which I will be telling you in class and posting on this blog.

Test day

I'll be entering grades tonight. Buckle up!

Our next chapter will cover Latin America. Since Thanksgiving is just around the corner, we are considering a class activity that involves celebrating the holiday. Which could mean eating. And cooking. What do you think?

You guys are the greatest!

You guys rock. I heard nothing but good things from all of your subs last Friday. Words like "a real pleasure," "no problems," and "great bunch of students" are always nice to hear. Thanks for being your usual incredible selves!

Final reminder: 100 point test on North America tomorrow. Scantron (so bring a pencil). Not open note, not open book (so bring your brain). It covers the five themes of geography as they apply to North America, so you should be studying your notes, Chapter 3 in the text, and this PowerPoint.

Study hard, and good things will happen!

When the cat's away...

...the mice will study for next Tuesday's test!

For Friday's class, you will break into small groups. Using your text and the PowerPoint I have posted here, each group will prepare at least 12 - 15 questions (with correct answers) that could appear on the test. Make sure your questions cover all five themes of human geography as they apply to the region of North America. When you are finished, one person from each group should post these questions to their blog, along with the names of the people who worked in your group. Finally, whoever posts these questions should email me at rschick@johncarroll.org so I know whose blog to check.

Thank you, and I'll see you next week!