Current Events
The following stories made up the current events portion of today’s classes:
- A crane collapsed in New York city killing at least two people. The crane fell from a 23 story building and landed on an apartment complex. The crane operator is believed to be one of the people killed. Mayor Blumberg is promising an investigation as this is the second crane collapse in the last two months in New York.
- The father, Joshua Lall, is the prime suspect in the murder of three family members and a tenant in Calgary yesterday. He alledgely called his father last week saying he was suffering a mental breakdown. The only survivor of the killing spree was a one year old girl.
- Luc Bourdon, defenseman with the Vancouver Canucks was killed in a collision with a semi tractor on his motorcycle. Investigators believe that inexperience resulted in him losing control and dieing.
- Forest fires in northern Manitoba are threatening the communities of Norway House Cree First Nation and Sheridan. 1,500 people have been evacuated and 75 firefighters and several water-bombers are fighting the blazes. Ontario firefighters have also been sent to help fight the fires.
- A malfunctioning pump on the toilet in the International Space Station has made using the bathroom difficult. A replacement will be delivered by the space shuttle when it visits the station. Discovery is set to lift off on Saturday.
Period One: History 30
Following current events the class completed notes on French-English relations before starting work on the Battle for Quebec jigsaw.
Period Two: History 20
Following current events the class
Period Three: History 20/Band
The class completed notes on The Wold Beyond the Cold War. Following the notes the class began their last presentation assignment of the year on Nationalism and Conflict Beyond the Cold War. Student created groups chose their topics and began work. A copy of the assignment is below:
Nationalism and Conflict Outside the Cold War
The Cold War confrontation between the Superpowers dominated much of the history of the twentieth century following the end of World War Two. However, history and events in other areas of the world did not cease just because the relations between the USSR and the USA were dominant. The relationships and conflicts outside of the Cold War often affected the Superpowers and many were in some measure influenced by them.
In this assignment you and your group will look closely at the one of the many conflicts that took place during the period of the Cold War or in the years immediately following its conclusion in 1991. These events, though not part of the Superpower confrontation, all had or continue to have a lasting influence on our world today.
Post-war India and Pakistan – Decolonization and Partitioning; p. 238-241
- Israel and the Arabs – A Jewish homeland amid Arabs; p. 213-17,219
- The United Nations – Promoting peace, development, and human rights; Chapter 9
- The Former Yugoslavia – Ethnic nationalism and ethnic cleansing; p. 321-322
- The War in Afghanistan – Islam against Communism, Al Quaeda’s origins, p. 208-210
- The Iran-Iraq War – Oil, Islam and the Superpowers; p. 219-221
- Israel and the Palestinians in the 1990s – Intifada, statehood and a homeland; p. 230-231
- The First Gulf War 1990-1991 – Hussein, Kuwait, and oil; p. 221,223-224
- Political Change in Russia – Democracy, oligarchy and economic dislocation; p. 323-326
Your group is responsible for creating a PowerPoint presentation for the class of no less than seven minutes. This should include: 1) necessary background information to understand the topic; 2) the goal of each side in the dispute in question; or of the international organizations involved; 3) the role of the international community in mediating or attempting to solve the problem or conflict; 4) important leaders from each side of the conflict, or of the international organization (minimum three); 5) the long-term significance of the conflict or change to the present state of the world; 6) a handout encapsulating important information and people that can be used by you class mates.
Your groups will be limited to three people with the exception of the group choosing the United Nations which can be four because of the size and importance of the topic.
Evaluation
Background-5, Goals-5, International Community-5; Significance-10, Presentation-12; Class handout-10; Important people-15.
Total /67
Period Four: History 30
Following current events the class completed notes on French-English relations before starting work on the Battle for Quebec jigsaw.
Period Five: History 10
Following current events there was a homework check on the first three questions on page one of Bismarck’s Legislative Program Jigsaw. Time was then given to complete the first page and students met as expert groups to share, compare and create the best possible answers to the questions. Mixed or sharing groups were then created and the class began sharing their answers. The jigsaw will be completed on Monday with a quiz on Tuesday.
