Monday, March 26, 2012

China's Culture, Today and Yesterday

Keep your homework out on your desk.


Today we will take a look at modern and ancient influences on Chinese culture. You will:

  • Practice using selected web sources to find information about an assigned topic
  • Practice citing sources using MLA format
  • Synthesize your research into a finished product
  • Define relevant search terms
Open an MS Word document. You will use this document to complete today's assignment. It is due at the beginning of tomorrow's class period (stapled, if necessary). It is worth 70 points.

First, here's some terms you'll need to know for today's activities:
  • meme
  • westernized
  • netizens
Part 1: An Introduction (30 points)
Watch the introduction video titled "Why China's Youth Find Western Culture Attractive" on the PBS NewsHour website. Use it to answer the questions below. You have 12 minutes to complete this section of the assignment.



Cite the video using MLA format.

1.   What are some aspects of Western culture that influence Chinese citizens? (2 points)
2.   When did Western culture start to become more influential in China? (2 points)
3.   How is the government "pushing back"? Why is it doing this? (2 points)
4.   How do Western companies adapt to China's market? Give examples. (2 points)
5.   How have internet users been affected by government policy? How have "netizens" been able to affect government policy? (2 points)

Part 1: Synthesis: Follow this rubric to answer the following question:
Do you agree that Western culture has too large of an influence over young people in China? Explain your response. (20 points)


You will need at minimum a topic sentence, 3 body sentences, and a conclusion (5 sentences minimum).

Part 2: Religion and Belief (40 points)
Throughout Chinese history, three major belief systems have held more influence than any others:
  • Buddhism
  • Taoism
  • Confucianism.
Even though other cultures are beginning to influence Chinese citizens (as you saw in the introductory video), these older customs still maintain their importance.


You will be assigned one of these belief systems. Access the Gale Student Resources in Context database through the PSM LRC page (password: psmlrc). Use the information you find in the database to answer the following:

Cite the source you use for your answers using MLA format.
  1. What are the basic principles of your assigned belief system? (2 points)
  2. Who is the founder/primary figure in your belief system? (2 points)
  3. What is the major written work of your belief system? (2 points)
  4. Approximately when did your belief system begin? (2 points)
  5. Is your belief system also a religion? Explain. (2 points) 
  6. Describe any symbols associated with your belief system. (2 points)  
  7. What do people who follow your belief system believe? Include specifics. (4 points)
  8. Describe any major rituals/practices of people who adhere to your belief system. (4 points)
Part 2: Synthesis (20 points): Follow this rubric to answer the following question:
Describe how your life would change if you followed your assigned belief system. Use specific information from your research in your response.

You will need at minimum a topic sentence, 3 body sentences, and a conclusion (5 sentences minimum). NOTE: If you need more than one paragraph to fulfill the rubric's requirements, write more than one paragraph!

****

Part 3: Pair and Share (10 points per column, 20 points total)
Create a 2-column chart in your Word document. Label the top of each column with the name of the two belief systems you did not research.

Work with your two neighbors (one for each of the belief systems you did not research) to fill out the table including a summary of their responses to the questions in Part 2.

    Wednesday, March 21, 2012

    World Geography Homework

    For homework tonight, Read Ch. 27.2. Answer the following questions on loose leaf paper (2 points each, 8 points total):
    1. What is a typhoon? What does the name mean?
    2. Describe the potential effects of a typhoon.
    3. Based on the information in the text, draw a typhoon.
    4. How might people in areas affected by typhoons prepare themselves?

    Monday, March 12, 2012

    Quarter 3 Exam Review Questions

    1. What is the longest river in Latin America? What countries does it go through?
    2. What is the largest mountain chain in Latin America? Describe its relative location.
    3. Define "urbanization." Then, describe its causes and effects in Latin America.
    4. Define "push" and "pull" factors. Give examples for each taken from the unit on Latin America.
    5. What was the cause of the Haitian Revolution? What were its effects?
    6. Who was Toussaint Louverture?
    7. Who is Bashar al-Assad? Why has he been in the news recently?
    8. What is happening in the city of Homs?
    9. Name and describe each of the 5 Pillars of Islam.
    10. Name the holy book, main religious figure, and place of worship for Christianity and Islam.
    11. Describe at least 2 major trade routes in and around SW Asia. Then, explain how a country could disrupt world trade using one of these routes.
    12. How did Israel become a country?
    13. What religion is practiced by the Palestinian people? By the Israeli people?
    14. Agree or disagree with the following statement: The United Nations caused the ongoing conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians. Support your response with at least three pieces of evidence from class.
    15. Argue for or against the following statement: The United States should offer military support to the Syrian rebels. Support your response with at least two pieces of evidence from class and the video.
    16. What is the "caste system"? How might it impact Indian society?
    17. What is an "archipelago"?
    18. Why is India's population expansion a "mixed blessing"?
    19. Why is South Asia typically seen as an impoverished region? What signs of hope for the region's future can we see?
    20. Use the information from your text, notes and our work on last week's DBQ to create a 3-part thesis statement.

    Thursday, March 8, 2012

    Quarter 3 Exam Review Topics

    Mohandas Gandhi, leader of the nonviolent
    revolution that allowed India to gain its
    independence from the British Raj. You can
    find a brief biography from the
    New York Times here.
    Your review sheet for your Quarter 3 exam is below. You can find an easily printed version at this link.

    In addition, the sample Document Based Question (DBQ) we looked at in class today can be found here.

    Homework for Periods 1 and 3 (30 points):
    Read through the review sheet. Use it to complete the following.
    • Identify the 5 topics you need to study the most
    • On a sheet of loose leaf paper, write down those topics, then write down the page numbers for each. In addition, find the topics in your notes.
    • For each of your chosen topics, record three pieces of information you believe will be important for your test.

    Homework for Period 6 (30 points):
    The PowerPoint presentation from today's class can be found at this link.

    Create a rough draft (in outline form) for the practice DBQ question (see link above) using this format:
    • Write out your introductory paragraph.
    • Create a loose outline of your “meat” s in this manner:
    • Skip a line from your intro.
    • Identify the “theme”/thesis of this first “meat” [underline or highlight it]
    • Indent bullets listing all facts/doc. info. and other o.i.”s that you will need in that
    • When done with that , skip a line and do the same for the other “meat” ¶s
    • Skip a line after your last “meat” and write you concluding out in full.
    • Bring your outline into class tomorrow and I will divide the class up into small “peer review” groups.
    • You will then read over the outlines of the other group members and make suggestions/corrections IN A CONSTRUCTIVE MANNER.

    QUARTER 3 WORLD GEOGRAPHY REVIEW SHEET
    Your exam will include information from the following chapters:
    • Ch. 9-11: Latin America
    • Ch. 21-23: Southwest Asia/The Middle East
    • Ch. 24-26: South Asia (India)
    You must:
    1. Be able to read a selection of text and answer any related questions.
    2. Be able to analyze a map and use it to respond to questions.
    3. Be able to analyze graphs/charts and use them to respond to questions.
    4. Demonstrate ability to write a three-part thesis statement, support that statement with primary source documents (Document Based Question Essay)
    5. Know all section vocabulary, especially the words discussed in class
    6. Know the political map of SW Asia. Be able to analyze political maps for Latin America and South Asia.
    7. Know the names and locations of Latin America’s important landforms (The Andes Mountains, the Sierra Madres, the Caribbean archipelago).
    8. Know the names and locations of SW Asia’s important waterways (Strait of Hormuz, Persian Gulf, Gulf of Aden, Red Sea, Mediterranean Sea, Indian Ocean, Tigris & Euphrates).
    9. Be able to describe the impact of landforms and waterways on human civilizations.
    10. Be able to describe the impact of colonialism and imperialism on different parts of the world (Haiti, SW Asia, India).
    11. Describe the difference between “push” and “pull” factors, and give examples of each.
    12. Argue persuasively about the causes and effects of the Haitian Revolution.
    13. Argue persuasively about the causes and effects of the Palestinian-Israeli dispute.
    14. Analyze potential causes and effects of recent events in Syria and Iran.
    15. Analyze impact of U.S. War on Terror in Iraq and Afghanistan.
    16. Be able to describe the major Southwest Asian trade routes.
    17. Know the 5 Pillars of Islam, as well as other relevant vocabulary (mosque, Muslim, hajj).
    18. Be able to describe the impact of Hinduism on Indian society.
    19. Be able to discuss the impact of the caste system on Indian society.
    20. Argue persuasively about the causes and effects of overpopulation in India.

    Study Tips:
    • Look through this list. Make a list of all topics you need to look over the most.
    • Look through your textbook and notes. Write down the page numbers where you can find specific information.
    • Find somewhere quiet! Review your text and notes.

    Tuesday, March 6, 2012

    The Story of India

    A statue of the god Shiva, ca. 1300 CE.
    Today, in order to further explore the impact of religion on India's culture, we will take a look at the PBS website The Story of India. The site is a wonderful resource full of photos, video and text.

    Open an MS Word document. You will use this document to complete today's assignment. It is due at the beginning of tomorrow's class period (stapled, if necessary).


    Part 1: An Introduction (10 points)
    Watch the introduction video on the website's home page. Use it to answer these questions (you'll have about 7 minutes to do this part -- we'll talk about it together):

    1. What information will this website allow you to access/discover about India? (5 points)
    2. What do you hope to learn about India through this website? (5 points)

    Part 2: Gods and Godesses (30 points)
    First of all, do Hindus believe in one god or many?

    You will be assigned two of the gods to research today. Complete this assignment in an MS Word document for each god. Type the god's name in bold font above each set of questions.
    1. Describe what the god/goddess looks like. What might this tell you about his/her worshippers' beliefs? (5 points)
    2. Summarize the god's duties. (5 points)
    3. Imagine that you were preparing for a prayer service to your assigned god. What would you do to prepare yourself? What would you be praying to this god for? (5 points)
    If you have time, examine the links for the other gods.
    1. Which god fascinates you the most? Explain.
    The list of Hindu gods is below:
    I will give you about 10 minutes to look at the various resources related to the gods. We will talk about each god as a class. As you listen to your classmates, complete the following:
    • For each god, record his/her name and one fact about him/her. 
    Part 3: Culture (30 points)
    First, you will choose 2 of the following topics. You will need to browse through the topics to make your choice. For each of the cultural topics you choose, complete the following. Type the name of your topic in bold font above each set of questions:
    1. Summarize the information you can learn about the topic from the website. (5 points)
    2. Describe the topic's influence on India's culture. (5 points)
    3. Imagine you are a visitor to India. How does this aspect of Indian culture compare to American culture? (5 points)
    Part 4: Synthesis
    Write a paragraph describing your visit to India. Use the information you researched to craft your response.

    You will need at minimum a topic sentence, 3 body sentences, and a conclusion (5 sentences minimum).

    Resources

     


    Friday, March 2, 2012

    Syria and India Current Event

    You will be assigned either INDIA or SYRIA. For your assigned country, locate a current event article. Use the article to complete the following on loose leaf paper (20 points):



    1. Cite the source, following MLA format. Follow this exact format: Author/Editor/Creator/Organization. Name of the Website. Name of Institution/Sponsor/Publisher of Website. Date Created. Type of Source (Web or Print). Date Accessed.
    2. Briefly summarize the article.
    3. Write down any words you were not able to define in the article, or define any words you had to look up.
    4. Why is the article's topic significant? Explain.
    5. What impact might the article have on people living in the United States? Explain.



    You may ONLY use Gale or The New York Times!


    20 points