Focus on Perspectives

Yesterday we began our case study on Colonialism in Canada - today you will continue with the questions that we began yesterday. You were asked to complete questions 1-4 for homework. Now, using the reading "Becoming a Minority" from Canadian Issues you will complete the remainder of the questions.

In the case study of Canada, it becomes clear that historical globalization did threaten the survival of Aboriginal cultures - disease, loss of land, and assimilation were among the pressures facing the aboriginal peoples.

Once you have completed the questions, I would like you to consider and write a detailed response (using support and evidence from the Canadian Issues reading) on the following:

How would you react if you were forbidden to speak your language and practise your cultural traditions?

Your response should focus on:
- what your cultural traditions are, what they mean to you and how they influence your identity.
- How important you think traditions and language are to the survival of a culture.
- How aboriginal peoples were treated under British imperialism (this will 'set the stage' to help you explain your reaction)
- How you would react if you were forbidden to practise traditions and speak your language.

Be sure to have an introduction, a body and a conclusion.

Start on this and we will continue with this writing assignment next class. Questions will be due on Thursday, November 19th!

Sudan

This week we will be moving on from our discussion on the Genocide in Rwanda to discuss imperialism in Sudan and its lasting legacy. During this case study there will be a novel reading to accompany the case study and provide more insight as to the conditions endured during the First and Second Sudanese Civil War.

Public Service Announcements

As we have discussed, you will be creating Public Service Announcements in print media for the Rwandan Genocide. Just for your own interest, I have added a new "gadget" called a 'video bar' that you will find located on the right side of this screen. All of the videos will be related to Rwanda and are available for you to watch.

Play your board games!

I have been encouraging you to take you board games home to play - PLEASE take some time with your families to show off the amazing projects that you have created! Or, invite your friends over for some good old fashion social studies fun!

Rwandan Genocide

Ten years ago some of the worst atrocities in the history of mankind took place in the country of Rwanda--and in an era of high-speed communication and round the clock news, the events went almost unnoticed by the rest of the world.

We have been discussing Rwanda and the atrocities that occurred for the 100 days in 1994 when 800 000 Tutsis were killed by Hutu rebels.

In order to help us understand the topic better, we reviewed the concepts as a class, completed a Jigsaw assignment and watched "Hotel Rwanda". Today we discussed that we see injustices frequently in our everyday lives - but what happens when this injustice is something as extreme as genocide? Should we just sit back and watch as we did during Rwanda?

We discussed the Genocide Convention today and watched a video that highlights genocides throughout time (Armenia, Holocaust, Cambodia, Yugoslavia and Sudan). We also began to discuss the importance of the United Nations. We will continue that tomorrow!

Current Events Assignment

Your current events are due today!

You will also have this class in the computer lab to work on your current events (TWO!) due on October 30th.

For this round of current events, you will have freedom to choose ONE of the articles that you will write about. For the OTHER article, however, I want you to pick one current event that illustrates the legacy of the Scramble for Africa (Imperialism in Africa).

That maybe seems like a daunting task. I suggest that you start with the PowerPoint that we went over in class on Friday. Look for the countries that were imperialized by European powers and then go to the websites(bbc, cbc, cnn, ctv, global etc.) and look to see if anything is happening there that is a result of colonial control. For example, the conflicts in Sudan can be linked back to the divide of north and south during imperialist control.

Once you have found an article, then follow the same steps outlined in the assignment guide in your course outline!

If you are having troubles finding this article, do the other current event first (the one that you get free pick of an article) and then come back to this one so that you do not waste too much time!

India and Beyond

Today you wrote your quiz on Imperialism in India. I have had a chance to look over them (they are not marked yet!) but can say that I am VERY impressed with what I have seen.

You were all paying attention yesterday as we went through the process of effectively writing a long answer response. I was very excited to see the 'brain gush' of keywords, concepts, names and dates on the tops of your pages!

Many of you dropped keywords into your long answer, defined key ideas, and even elaborated on the key points!

Tomorrow we will begin discussing Imperialism in Africa. Also, remember that it is my turn to do a current event presentation!! That means that you will see what is expected of you when you go to do your presentations.

Board Games

On Thursday, bring your snacks...and your game face! We will be having a board game extravaganza!! Students will draw names out of a hat - whose ever name they draw, they will be playing that person's board game for thirty minutes, we will then switch and begin a new game!

The best part? We will be LEARNING and REVIEWING (for your upcoming quiz) while we are having fun!

Case Study #1: Imperialism in India

We have started our first case study of imperialism, investigating British rule in India. We have been introduced to Gandhi and have studied the idea of passive resistance. Next week we will be going into depth on these concepts.

Don't forget about the quiz coming up on Friday, October 2 covering all concepts so far!!

Imperialism - The Board Game

We have been discussing Historical Globalization, imperialism, and the reasons for imperialism. We have learned many new concepts - we are now applying all of our knowledge and creating imperialism board games. We have been creating games that demonstrates the concepts of imperialism and incorporate all concepts that we have covered so far in the course.

The games coming along VERY well - everyone has been diligent in their work and the ideas have been outstanding! I'm very excited to see the end products.

Remember that the due date for the board games is Tuesday, September 29th!

Welcome!

Welcome to Social Studies 10-1, a course that explores the concept of Globalization in both historical and contemporary contexts. Be prepared to apply yourself as we delve into case studies that help us answer the question "to what extent should we embrace globalization?"