Vietnam, McDonalds and Wal-Mart, Financial Crisis, and a Whole Lotta Shakin'

Welcome to another week!! We've got a ton of our plates, once again, for a 3-day week. Parent/teacher conferences are going to kick students out of school on Friday...too bad huh?!

US History I: Why do we need government? How is society organized, and how do people make decisions? Students had their "Free Classroom Island" last week where they were allowed to make all the decisions. Needless to say, they didn't like it! It reinforced the need for structure, routine, and a leader. To begin our new unit on government, students will read "Lord of the Flies" to analyze society's causes for breakdown, the needs of humans, etc.

World Geography: Have you gone to a Wal-Mart or McDonald's recently? Are you sure that was such a good idea? Students will take a long, hard look at both of these giants and whether or not they are good for America.

US History II: Vietnam, civil rights, the armed resistance movement, and Robert F. Williams. Does it get any better?

Economics: Do you know why the financial crisis of 2008 occurred? Ask my ECON class! We watched a documentary on the crisis, analyzed mutual funds/stocks/bonds, and are all set up for another great week.

Hope to see you all at Parent/Teacher Conferences this week!

California Callin'

The past four days in World Geography class have been exciting, enlightening, and of course, always entertaining! Why, you ask? Because students have just completed an all-exclusive, once-in-a-lifetime special four-day study on our great state of California!

Let's see: Did you know that farmers in the San Joaquin Valley, south of Sacramento, are having the exact opposite problem as central Illinois farmers? They can't get water! Environmental groups concerned about the loss of the delta smelt (2-3 inch fish) population have gotten a judge to order the irrigation pumps shut down. 

From Santa Ana winds, the Redwood Forest, Hearst Castle, Golden Gate Bridge, Camp Pendleton, Hollywood Walk of Fame, to the Sierra Nevadas, my students can now say they know California!

US History I is taking a test today on the Revolutionary War. Tomorrow starts an all-new adventure- can't spoil the secret yet!

US History II is delving into the 60s, Vietnam War, and JFK assassination. Ask them about the real assassination sometime and what could have happened!

And finally, Economics is fully into the Stock Market Game. They will be competing with other schools from Illinois to make the best trades, purchases, and sales in the stock market for the next two months. Each team has $100,000 to work with and can spend it any way they like. But they've got to research the stock in which they're investing to make a smart buy! It's great fun.

September Class of the Month

It is my privilege to present to you the August/September Class of the Month: 3rd Hour Economics!

I can't say how proud I am of these great students. They have shown an incredible ability to analyze and grasp some tough economic concepts. Ask any of them to show you why a minimum wage could be bad for America and they'll do it. Have them show you the difference between a price floor and price ceiling, and they'll graph like crazies trying to get you to see it their way. Who knows, maybe you're one of their victims already :)

US History I's next project is a Revolutionary War collage that will be hung in the room; they also just finished a Rev. War puzzle that adds yet another one to the growing collection. In addition, they are thoughtfully deciding who they would be in the war - a loyalist or a patriot.

World Geography is racing right along with their National Parks Project. We are thoroughly underway in our study of the United States, and our National Park System is something that is a bit of a mystery for many people. Maybe some of you caught Ken Burns' PBS documentary last week- I've heard great things! The World Geo students will be creating a 3-minute video advertisement of their park, in which they'll give information and sales pitches to come visit!

US History II began their long, exciting trek through the 60s and 70s today. Hippies, counter-culture, Vietnam, JFK, MLK...the list goes on and on! We're going to try and tackle it all in the weeks to come.

Fun times at Astoria High...and always a great day to be a Rebel!