It's been a rough two weeks!

To the students and parents out there who check their grades and this blog on a regular basis I apologize that this blog and the grades have not been updated as quickly or as often as they should.  I have been battling a cold for two weeks that resulted in me missing three days of school.  In the midst of all that my mother in law passed away which resulted in me missing another two days of school.  I am working to get back on top of the grades and hope to have everything up to date by the end of Fall Break.  Please don't hesitate to call or email me if you have specific questions.

Life after Parent Teacher Conference

Please check out the "Classroom Documents & Term Projects"page for the final list of amendments to our classroom disclosure.  There are several things there that can help you improve your grade.  Be sure to get started on your Unit Projects (Day in the Life and Current Event) and Term Projects (Cultural Projects & Foreign Films)

Preparations for the Unit 1 Test

As you all know by this point, Monday is the day you will be taking your Unit 1 test and turning in all of your assignments and projects for Unit 1.  I have updated the Intro Unit page with all the assignments, some power points, and other helpful study tools, as well as a Study Guide.  Please be prepared to turn your Unit 1 assignments in to the following four piles

Pile 1: Your parent letter (you can find this on the Classroom Documents page.)

Pile 2: Your World Pre Test (Reminder, you will not be tested on all the countries of the world for this first test.  Only the continents and the Cultural Regions.)

Pile 3: Your Island Project

Pile 4: All of your other assignments (see the top right hand corner of your Unit Plan for a list) and any extra credit you may have done,  Staple these to the back of your Unit Plan.

The test has 60 computer questions, 25 map related questions, and 5 short answer questions.

All of your assignments and some of the power points can be found on the Intro Unit Page

Check out the Intro Unit page if you need a copy of an assignment or if you would like to review some of the power points from class.

Welcome to Honors Geography & our Introduction Unit

Hello,

I hope you have heard that this class is both difficult and enjoyable.  I look forward to working with you this semester.  This blog should become a familiar site for you.  The pages on the right will be your main tool.  If you look on the "Class Documents & Term Projects" page you can find your Disclosure Document and Parent Letter.  If you look at the "Intro Unit" page you can find the Unit 1 Plan (The Unit 1 Plan is still under construction but I will have it done and ready for you by Monday.) and the instructions on how to complete the World pre-test.  Please don't hesitate to call me, email, or text me (you can find all of my contact information on the disclosure document.) if you have any questions.

You are welcome to look at the other units and assignments, but please know that I will be modifying/updating a lot of things before I formally assign them to you.

Mr. Stevenson

Virtual Tour of Asia

Here is the link for the web page: http://edtech2.boisestate.edu/jeremystevenson/502/Virtual_Tour/start.html

Download the assignment and answer the questions.

Watch the videos or check out the picture gallery for each country and based off what you see, tell which country you would most like to visit and why.

SSA Unit Day 1-3

I know you have had to make some adjustments over the last week with Ms. Peterson leaving and me taking over.  Please come see me if you have any questions, concerns, issues with grades from 3rd term or your present grade on power school.

As for our new unit (Sub Saharan Africa) I am really excited about the research that you are all doing.  If you click on the SSA Unit page link on the right side of this screen you will find the Unit Packet and the three reading articles we have assigned each night.

I have also added some powerpoints and videos that might help you with your UN Letter Research.

You will also find a list of extra credit Movies you can watch.

Remember, you have my phone number and my email address, please don't hesitate to use them if you have questions about your assignments or projects.

Don't forget to keep working on your international films and your Culture Project or Book Report for this term.

Thank You!

I just want to thank you all for being such great students! It's been an incredible experience for me to be able to teach all of you and I'll really miss it! Good luck with the rest of your year- you guys rock!

- Ms. Peterson

Unit 4 Day 5

Today we did our Peace Agreement activity and then talked about Middle Eastern culture. We even tried some falafel!

PowerPoint
Notes
Assignment List
Test Review

REMEMBER: Your unit test is next period! You need to turn in your Unit 4 packet, your individual peace proposal, group peace agreement, and 1/2 page response!

Extra Credit

Here are the two extra credit opportunities I introduced in class today!

           1) "America's Cultural Influence in Syria" article and questions

           2) Go to the website below and look through the slide show of influential people shaping the culture of the Middle East. Choose one person and do a little more research (look at their art, listen to their music, etc.) and write a 1-2 paragraph response on who the person is and what you thought of their work.            http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/08/50-middle-eastern-artists_n_1757199.html#slide=1349450

Unit 4 Day 4

Today we discussed the Palestinian perspective on the Arab/Israeli Conflict! We also talked about the U.S. Involvement in the Middle East.

PowerPoint
The Gulf War
September 11th
The Arab Spring

Remember: You received which side of the conflict you need to prepare for the Peace Summit- really think about the perspective you were given and give it some careful thought! Think about what things you want and what things you could compromise on.

Unit 4 Day 3

Today the class covered the Israeli perspective on the Arab/Israeli conflict! We also introduced the Peace Proposal and Peace Summit that will take place on Day 5.

PowerPoint
Class notes- Perspectives
Two Sides paper instructions
Peace Proposal and Peace Summit instructions


NOTE: All the notes for this unit are listed to the right under the Middle East Unit tab. (The unit plan is different but the handouts are all the same!)

Middle East Article and Questions

Here is the article we used the class before Spring Break as well as the questions that go with it!

Article: (these are links to the article text- I'll have some extra copies in the class binder if you'd like one of those as well)
Part 1:
http://www.thefreelibrary.com/10+Things+you+need+to+know+about+the+Middle+East%3A+Part+1+of+2%3A...-a0305192464

Part 2:
http://www.thefreelibrary.com/10+things+you+need+to+know+about+the+Middle+East+Part+2%3A+everyone+has...-a0305561030

Questions

Unit 4- Day 1&2

We began a new unit on the Middle East/North Africa!

On Day 1 we talked a little about North Africa and why it has so much in common with the Middle East. Then we began a discussion on the Arab culture and the Islamic religion. The students also picked the countries on which they will do their term project.

Day 2 was devoted to finishing up the discussion on Islam, introducing the Israeli culture, and presenting information about Judaism. 

Remember- terms and background knowledge is VERY important to know as we delve into the problems of the Middle East.

All the resources/handouts are below:

Unit 4 Plan

PowerPoint for Day 1&2

Arab/Israeli Terms handout

Day in the Life & Current Event instructions

Unit 3- Day 7

Test Day!

You should have gotten your maps for the next Unit (North Africa/Middle East) as well as the Maps/Graphs/Charts worksheet! If you didn't get those, come grab them ASAP!!

Unit 3- Day 6

Culture Day! We shared our Day in the Life projects and talking about European culture!

PowerPoint
Notes

Our Unit 3 test is next class!
Remember to turn in all late assignments no later than tomorrow!!

Unit 3- Day 5

We finished our discussion on nationalism today and started talking about STANDARD OF LIVING and the EU. Remember to complete that handout (to section 6) on the EU for next class!

PowerPoint on Nationalism
Nationalism handout
Information on Basque nationalism- (this includes that extra credit article on Catalonia)
Standard of Living and EU handout


REMEMBER- Your Day in the Life and Current Event papers are due NEXT CLASS!

Unit 3- Day 4

We took our Europe Map Test today! Remember- you can retake the map tests as many times as you need. We also started a lesson on nationalism and the role it played in European history as well as the role it currently plays in modern-day Europe.

PowerPoint
Class handout

Unit 3- Day 3

Today we finished our discussion on the fall of Communism and began talking about Balkanization! We discussed the breakup of Yugoslavia and watched portions of a film entitled Once Brothers. The film follows two members of the Yugoslavian National Basketball team and how the ethnic tensions between Croatia and Serbia affected their relationship and the team as a whole. The movie is available on Netflix if anyone wants to watch the rest of it (which I recommend doing- it's very interesting)!

PowerPoint
Class handout

This Thursday (the 14th)

This Thursday during lunch we will have a presentation on Cambodia and Vietnam in the classroom. 

Attending this can count as your Culture Project for this term so come, take notes, and learn about the fascinating culture of Southeast Asia! 

Also, this Thursday after school I will show a foreign film. 

This can count as one of the foreign films you need to see and write about before the end of the term. If you want to come, get a permission slip from me and have your parent/guardian sign it. 

Unit 3- Day 2

Today we began covering the Cold War and the fall of Communism! The links to everything are below:

PowerPoint
Class note guide

HOMEWORK: Read this article on Balkanization and remember to do your assignments from the Homework Committee (if you don't remember what your assignment was, ask others in your committee).

We also broke into committees and read about one event that led to the fall of Communism. Each committee needs to present on the event they were assigned. The event summaries are here if you need to read up on the one you need to present!

Unit 3- Day 1

We started the Europe/Russia unit today! We organized our classroom into a communist society with each student in a separate committee with distinct classroom responsibilities. (If you were absent when we divided into committees, please check your period's PowerPoint below to find out what you do).

We also began a discussion on the history of Russia and how the Industrial Revolution led to the people accepting communism.

Remember to read the "Life Under Stalin" article below for next class! You DO NOT have to answer the questions on the back of the article.

Unit 3 Plan
Day 1 PowerPoint
Class handout- note guide
Life Under Stalin article

Period 2 Committees
Period 7 Committees
Committee Descriptions

REMINDER: Your foreign films are due on March 22nd along with either your Cultural Experience OR Book Report. I will be showing a foreign film next Thursday, March 14 after school- if you would like to come, please have your parent/guardian sign this permission slip and give it back to me:
Foreign Film Permission Slip

Missing Assignment

Some of you have said you cannot find the Forces of Change worksheet we did. Below is another link to it:

Forces of Change assignment

Test Correction Example

Here is an example of how to do your test corrections!

Guns, Germs, and Steel Documentary

Some of you missed the day in class when we watched a portion of the documentary Guns, Germs, and Steel. It is available on Netflix (watch episode two entitled "Conquest") or below is a link to the episode on youtube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHZ-9uL0XXY

Map Quiz Help!

Here is an awesome website you can use to test your map knowledge! It's quite fun.

http://online.seterra.net/en/

Unit 2- Day 5

We learned about Latin American culture today! We were able to share our "Day in the Life Of" projects with one another and learn about the different aspects of life in Latin America.

Culture Day PowerPoint
Culture Day notes
Culture Interview assignment (we completed this in class)

Remember: We have our Unit 2 test next period and all your assignments are due!

Study Guide
Assignment Checklist

Unit 2- Day 4

Today we learned about the MOVEMENT theme of geography by looking at Drug Cartels in Latin America.

Class handout/notes

Video we watched at the beginning of class: http://www.nytimes.com/packages/html/world/2009-mexican-cartel/index.html

Interactive map: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/03/22/us/BORDER.html

Here is another video of a drug cartel bust in Utah: http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=19212689&title=police-seize-about-500000-in-meth-from-mexican-drug-cartel&s_cid=featured-3

Unit 2- Day 3

MIGRATION! We read an article on the changing patterns of migration from Latin America to the U.S. and then worked on our theme project and current event. Remember: they are due the 27th/28th!

PowerPoint
Migration Article

Homework: Read this article for next class! You will need to answer the questions on the bottom of the page and turn those in with your assignments on the last day of the unit.

Unit 2- Day 2

Today we finished going over colonization and moved onto some physical characteristics of Latin America. We then discussed three natural disasters that affect the area: earthquakes, hurricanes, and tsunamis.


PowerPoint- Natural Disasters
Class handout


You can read this article on Haiti and answer questions 3-6 on the handout above for extra credit!

You can also see the movie The Impossible and write 1-2 paragraphs on how it shows human-environment interaction for extra credit.

HOMEWORK: Read this article on migration in Latin America. You do NOT have to answer the questions at the end- we will discuss those next class.

Unit 2- Day 1

Today was all about the COLONIZATION of Latin America. We went over a brief history of the native peoples and watched Episode 2 of Jared Diamond's documentary Guns, Germs, and Steel. (If you missed this day, the documentary is available on Netflix- just watch the second episode on colonization.)

PowerPoint
Movie Guided Notes

The homework was to read the article on natural disasters that you received at the end of class. If you didn't get an article or want to read the other two, here they are:

Japanese Earthquake
Indonesian Tsunami
Haitian Earthquake

Unit 2

Unit 2 is all about Latin America! We'll be studying about the culture, physical characteristics, economy, and colonization of Latin America. Today we set up the classroom into different Latin American countries and learned about those. We also created our own government systems within those countries! Below is the Unit Plan that we will be following.

Unit 2 Plan

(Some of you said you did not get the unit plan at the beginning of the unit so USE THIS ONE- it's the most updated).

Map Pre-Test

I've had some questions on how to correct the map pre-tests. There isn't an answer key for you to look at- you're supposed to use the maps in your textbook to correct the test. That way you'll be able to see where the countries actually are.

If you have any other questions, don't hesitate to e-mail, call, or text me!

Island Project Mistake

There has been some confusion on the due date of the Island Project- it is meant to be due Feb 6/7 but I accidentally uploaded an old version of a PowerPoint that has the due date as Feb 8/11 (yes, I am human). So, I will take it Feb 8/11 without penalty although it would be most beneficial to you to turn it in earlier so you can spend more time studying for the test!

Sorry for the confusion!

Test Review Day!

Here is the test review sheet and here is the list of all assignments due on the test day!

Happy studying! You'll all do great!

Next Class

Remember- we're having our class birthday party next period! Here is the list of people who signed up to bring something:

PERIOD 2
Sydney - candy
Rayma- ice cream
J. Wilson - cake
Savannah & Shannon - presents
Honi & Joseph - balloons


PERIOD 7
Treats- Brenton, Addy, Miranda, Chris, Bengu, Maddy, Ali, Madi, Zane, Miles
Presents- Jace
Games- Hinckley, Hannah
Balloons- "PB", Becky Hill
Decorations- Maddy Archibald
Clowns & Fireworks- Clark

*Please remember that open flames are actually NOT allowed in the class. (Hint: Clark) And if you didn't sign up but still want to bring something, please do! I'm excited to celebrate the end of Unit 1 with you and prepare for the test! You are GREAT students!

Day 8- Feb 4/5

We went over cultural regions and cultural diffusion today! Remember to work on the culture portion of your Island Project and look at the maps on pgs. 76-77! They will help a lot.

Day 8 PowerPoint
Day 8 Notes

REMINDER

Remember to start looking at your term and semester projects: the Culture Project, International Cinema, and Book Report. All the instructions for these are under the Class Projects tab to the right.

International Cinema: you must watch two films per term and do a write-up on them. Here is a list of foreign films and recommendations that previous students have put together. Please remember to research the movie before watching it- some may have questionable content. Also, visit http://ic.byu.edu to see what the BYU International Cinema is showing.

Culture Project: go to one event of another culture or have someone who has lived there come and talk to you about it and show you pictures, food, clothing, etc. You must do this one term (the other term you will do the book report).

Book Report: choose a book from the list I provided or choose one of your own (make sure I approve it) and write either a report, letter, or make a scrapbook about it. You must do this one term (the other term you will do the culture project).

Day 7- Jan 31/Feb 1

Today we discussed world populations and migration! You should now be able to complete Parts 1-3 and 6-8 of your Island Project. Remember to bring your island to class next time so I can look over them and check off Parts 1-3.

Day 7 PowerPoint
Class Notes

Reading Notes for next class!

Day 6- Jan 29/30

Today we went over government and economy! Take a look at the PowerPoint and pages 100-104 in your book.

Day 6
Notes on PowerPoint

Just a reminder: the Island Project is due at the end of the unit and the Unit 1 plan is to the right under the tab marked "Intro Unit."

Day 5- Jan 25/28

Today we went through the Climate Regions of the world. We added Part 3 to our Island Project so make sure to get Parts 1-3 done ASAP!

Day 5 PowerPoint
Notes on PowerPoint
Planet Earth Assignment

Reading Notes for next class!

Day 4

On Day 4 we discussed our Amendment Activity and talked about the different kinds of landforms. I also handed out our first project! You are going to design an island and add different things to it everyday according to the things we learn in class.


Day 4 PowerPoint
Notes on PowerPoint

Island Project

Day Three

Today we went over Map Skills and amended our class Disclosure Document! A link to the PowerPoint is below.

Day Three
Class Amendments


REMEMBER: Be correcting your map pretests at home! They make take longer to do than you think so don't leave it to the last minute!

Day 2

Here is the Day 2 PowerPoint on the Five Themes of Geography! If you did not get a chance to finish the Five Themes assignment in class, please do it at home.

Day 2
Five Themes Assignment

First Day of Class

Congratulations on getting through the first day of class! 

You are all bright, fun students and I look forward to the rest of our semester together. Just to recap what we did:

Introductions
Took Geography pre-quiz
Went over what Geography is and why we need to take it
          ("Because most U.S. Americans don't have maps!!" according to Miss South Carolina)
Discussed the class Disclosure Document and Unit 1 Plan
          (Both listed under the Class Documents tab on this blog)
Started our Map Pre-test


Please remember to work on the Map Pre-test and have it done by next class period! Remember- you won't know all the answers and THAT IS OK! We'll go over it next class period.