Vocab.Week.Two.

Eradicate world hunger.

Pick 5. Quiz Thursday.

1) equivocate (verb)

2) eradicate (verb)

3) erode (verb)

4) erratic (adjective)

5) escalate (verb)

6) esoteric (adjective)

7) espouse (verb)

8) eulogy (noun)

9) euphoria (noun)

10) euthanasia (noun)

11) epitome

Me no feel good :(

I am feeling very ill today - sorry I am not in! :( Sit wherever you please today, and I will reassign seats when I am back tomorrow...

I hope everyone had a great long weekend. Overall, great job on POLs...I cannot wait to start this semester with all of you!!! Erin will be in to discuss some things for internship today (later in the afternoon). Thursday will be SO exciting! :) Also, we will do our current events tomorrow, since I am not in today...

We will be watching the documentary, "Why We Fight" during class today - it should take 98 minutes, so after you watch it, you can have the last 20 minutes to reflect on the film. We are watching this documentary 1) because we will be starting our war documentaries next week, and I want you to see an example of a good documentary...please take notes during the film, so that you can make comments when you reflect about what makes a good documentary, and what maybe you did not like about it. Would you make your documentary similarly? Eisenhower, in his Farewell Address, warned against the rise of the "military-industrial complex," coining a new phrase - did his warning come true? (Reflect);

2) Later this semester, we will be putting "America on Trial," and there is a lot of information in "Why We Fight" about the anatomy of the American war machine - take notes during the film, in order to better understand some concepts for when we do put America on trial. If there are any questions, jot those down, so we can take a look at them.

Please blog your reflections by 10 pm today (you can do it in class, but some of you may want more time to do revisions at home - in your reflection, start off by reviewing the documentary (what was it about, etc.), and then follow up with your reflection answers.


In other news, 1) we will be posting the Oppression photo explanations downstairs tomorrow, so have them done; 2) I will bring you good examples of how I want your FBI files to look, so you can finalize them by Friday and turn them in; 3) who you are assigned to for your Candidate profiles will be up on the blog so you can start your research by this afternoon.

Lastly, Honors Book Reports are due today (if posted on your blog, let me know)...

All my love,
Elika :)

Who's Your Man...or Woman!?!

Candidate Profile Project

With the large number of candidates campaigning to become the next president, it can be difficult to distinguish various candidates from on another. Using Online NewsHour information available at http://www.pbs.org/newshour/vote2008/index.html along with other Internet and primary sources, answer each question below and create a candidate profile that describes one of the people campaigning to be president. Be prepared to share your candidate profile with classmates, and stage a mini-debate.

Research Questions: Due - Friday, January 25th (typed)
On a separate sheet of paper, compile complete answers to each question below:

1. The candidate I am profiling is:
   
2. The political party this candidate represents is:
3. What other political offices has this person had in his/her career, if any?
4. What prior political and leadership experience does this candidate have that makes him/her qualified to be the next president?
5. What is this candidate's point of view on major issues, such as:
1. The Iraq War
2. national security
3. education
4. healthcare
5. the economy
6. taxes
7. global warming
8. nuclear weapons
9. other topics of concern to me

6. Read a short biography about the candidate (1-5 pages) and summarize it.
7. Other interesting information learned about the candidate

Candidate Profile Project: Due January 28th

• On a trifold board, create a profile of the candidate that incorporates all of the information from questions 1-7 above along with at least 1 pictures of the candidate. If you want to create a website instead, please speak to me first.
  
• Organize the information so others can easily read about the candidate and understand what sets him/her apart from others who are campaigning to become the next president.
  
• At the bottom of the display, be sure to note when this candidate entered the presidential race.
  
• Leave a labeled section at the bottom of the display labeled "Campaign Outcome." This spot will be used to summarize the candidate's success in the bid for presidency.
  
• Create a "My Point of View" section on the poster board and write 2-3 paragraphs to address the following questions:
• Do you agree with this candidate and his/her point of view about important topics?
• Would you vote for this candidate? Why or why not?

The Debate, January 30th
After we learn more about the various candidates, you will debate as your candidate. We will set up debates between the candidates on the issues learned from our research projects.


Teams:

Period 1/2 -

Kucinich: Garrett, Danielle, Leila
Obama: Darnell, Jackie, Haidee
Hilary: Sandra, Eli, Enrique
Richardson: Cori, Amelia
Edwards: Giselle, Alejandra, Hilary
McCain: Yura, Mya, Thomas
Ron Paul: Bree, Ellis
Romney: Michael, Addilene, Eduardo
Huckabee: Mayra, Chris

Period 3/4/5 -

Kucinich: Zach, Matt, Jordan
Obama: Paris, Anthony, Anna
Hilary: Viktor, Molly, Minh
Edwards: Alina, Myles, Daniel
McCain: Nathan, Xochil, Yuting, Nikolai
Ron Paul: JeRevien, Maryross, Alex
Romney: Ethan, Candace, Mason
Huckabee: Zoli, Sophia, Colleen

vocabulary.week.1

Although small in stature, and fairly weak-looking, David, the mechanical "enginerd," actually presented a formidable challenge to the champion...

Welcome to the second semester of your junior year!! I am so excited to start this semester with a fresh start...So excited! :)

Here is the list you have all been waiting so patiently for...

1. intrepid - adj.
2. trepidation - n.
3. despondent - adj.
4. decorum - n.
5. aspire - v.
6. vacillate - v.
7. desultory - adj.
8. fallacy - n.
9. formidable - adj.
10. heritage - n.
11. guru - n.

Wait, you said there were ten?! There are. The eleventh is a chance at extra credit…for now (and don't you ever even think you can ask for it again) ;). It has been a while since our last vocabulary set, so just remember, it’s your job to give it your own twist. Use whatever image you think will help you remember the definitions. However, don't just stop with images (with their corresponding sentences/explanations) and definitions of terms - you want to practice these words as often as possible...otherwise, you will forget them!! You’ve got to make the word your own, with your own particular understanding of it. Adopt it into your vernacular as your own peculiar stepchild. You’ll never use the word in quite the same manner that I would, so it’s best you carve out a unique niche for it in the microcosm of your mind. :)

This semester, we will be slowly increasing how many images we do - we will start with FIVE (5)...they will still be due on your blogs BY Thursday morning at 8:15. That way, you can ask me any questions ON Thursday IN class. Perfect!! :)

Quiz on Friday.

What a little speaker!

The passion and conviction present in this girl’s speech is remarkable. Especially considering that she gave this speech in 1992, when most people were much less aware than they are now. [Few people are still aware of a massive floating ‘island of trash’ in the middle of the Pacific the size of Texas.] Then consider the fact that she was giving this speech to some of the most powerful people in the world, and that she was only twelve. Awesome.

Good luck on POLs!!! :)

Wise Words...

"Most people fail in life not because they aim too high and miss but because they aim too low and hit." -Les Brown

Elections?? Who?!?

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/vote2008/index.html

What ARE delegates anyway?!

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/01/02/delegate.explainer/index.html