Welcome to Valley High School Contemporary Issues class.
8/13/08
1. Writing exercise-Question-How do competition and cooperation relate?
2. Introduction to class
3. Set-up folders
4. Read-Handout-History of Olympics
Standard: Wide Range of Interest
8/15/08
1. Writing exercise-Question-What would your name be if you lived in ancient
Greece?
2. Read: Handouts-Athens & Sparta.
3. View DVD-Olympics 1896
8/18/08
1. Writing exercise-Question-How do the Olympic games affect world peace?
2. Read Handouts-Jesse Owens & Munich Massacre.
3. Continue DVD-"1896 Olympics"
8/20/08
1. Writing exercise-Question-Would you be willing to put in the time to
prepare for Olympic competition? Why or why not?
2. United Streaming Video-China
3. Calligraphy
8/25/08
1.Writing:Question-How do we know if an issue is a religious, social or legal
issue?
2. Read: Handout-"We Must Learn to Distinguish Among Questions of Ethics,
Social Conventions, Religion and the Law."
3. Read: World Writers Today-"One Word of Truth.... by Alexander Solzhenitsyn
Standard: Critical Thinking
8/27/08
1. Writing Exercise-Ques.-What are three rights granted in the US Constitution?
2. Read: The Words WE Live By-Pg.9-17
3. Read: World Writers Today-"One Word of Truth"
8/29/08
1. Read: Handout-"Confucious"
2. Play: Chinese Checkers
9/03/08
1. Writing Exercise: Ques.-What do you think of as a sin?
2. Read: Handout-"Seven Deadly Sins"
3. Read: Logic of Developing as an Ethical Thinker & Kolberg's Moral
Development Theory.
9/05/08
1. Read: "Oedipus Rex"
2. Create Masks of "Good & Evil"
1.Writing Exercise: Question: What is my best characteristic? What is the
characteristic that I need to work on the most?
2. Review Quiz
3. Kolb Self analysis
9/10/08
1. Writing Exercise: Question-What are your expectations for this class? How
do you plan to Realize these expectations?
2. Go over Review Quiz
3. Complete DVD First Olympics
4. Mount Masks
Standard: Self-Understanding
9/15/08
1. Writing Exercise: Question-Who is the governor of New Mexico? What do you
know about him?
2. Read: Kolberg's Moral Development Theory
3. Discuss Esential Questions.
Standard: Critical Thinking
9/17/08
1. Writing Exercise: Question-Who is the mayor of Albuquerque? What part of
government is the city council?
2. Read: The Geneva Convention
3. Read: The Words We Live by-p.51-para. 2,p.108-The Funeral of Liberty (blue
insert)
Standard-Thinking Skills-Problem Solving
9/19/08
1. Read:World Writers Today-P.16-The Mao Button
2. Answer questions P.28-29
Standard: Community/Global Awareness
9/22/08
1. Read: We The People-P.74-78-The Executive Branch of Government
2. Answer ques.p77-1-3
Standard: Critical Thinking
9/24/08
1. Writing Exercise-Does the party system give a president more influence in
Congress when he is a member of the majority party?
2. Read: We The People-P.102-106-What Caused The Rise of Political Parties?
3. Activity: Students declare a party, select an office,declare candidacy
9/29/08
1. Writing Exercise: Describe your platform as a candidate
2. Make ads to sell your candidacy;Why should anyone vote for you?
10/01/08
1. Writing Exercise: Who appoints Supreme Court Justices?
2. Read: WE THE PEOPLE-P.107-110-What is Judicial Review?
3. Read: Case of Al Odah v. US
Standard:Global/Community Awareness
10/03/08
1.DVD-The Great Debaters
10/06/08
1.Read: Handout-Jeff Bingaman's Newsletter-Border Violence
2.Write: Three causes for violence on NM/Mexico Border. Describe a plan for
improving conditions.
3.Complete:Learning Styles Format
Standards: Community Awareness;Understanding self
10/08/08
1.Activity-Make a poster to recruit students to Youth & Government
What do you think would interest students in this organization?
How could you get them to come to meetings?
2. Read: View: Great Debaters
Standard: Critical Thinking
10/13/08
1. Writing Exercise: How would you help to stop racial or ethnic prejudice?
2. Read: View-The Great Debaters
Standard: Interest Development
10/15/08
1. Review Quiz
10/20/08
1.Writing Exercise: Discuss three of the changes that came about as a result
of the social movements of the 1960's.
2. Write a description of the character from the Great Debaters that impressed
you the most. Give reasons why this character impressed you.
3. Start reading the "Pelican Brief."
10/22/08
1.Writing Exercise: Select one of the presidential candidates and describe why
you think this person should be the next president of the U.S.
2. Read: Handout from Smithsonian-"Four Political Conventions That Changed
America" Part 1
3.Read: The Pelican Brief.
10/24/08
1. View Video: "Election"
10/27/08
1. Writing Exercise: List three Contemporary Issues you would like to know
more about and why you think this would be a topic of interest.
2. Read: Handout-Four Conventions that Changed America-Part 3.
3. Read: Pelican Brief
4. Introduce jigsaw puzzle-Revensburger Castle
10/29/08
1. Discussion of Monday's Writing exercise
2. Read: Handout Four Conventions-Part 4
3. Read: Pelican Brief
4. Activity: Work on Puzzle
5. Alternative assignment: Computer research and print-Bio. John Grisham &
John Marshall
11/03/08
1. Read: Handout-Supreme Court
2. Discussion: Results of election of first African-American president
Standard: Global & Community Awareness
11/05/08
1. Writing Exercise: Do you think that reading a novel like "The Pelican
Brief" helps you to develop critical thinking skills or develops an awareness
of possibilities for behind-the-scenes plots?
2. Discussion of writing assignment
3. Alternative: Develop a comic strip using your favorite character as a
police officer.
Standard: Creativity/Critical Thinking
11/10/08
1.Read: Handout-Mohammed & Mohammedanism
2. View: DVD-War on Poverty
3. Discussion: Poverty in America, how do combat it
11/12/08
1. Writing Exercise: Why do you think Mohammedanism spread over the Middle
East? Remember to develop your paragraphs by supporting your ideas with examples.
2. Read and Discuss Writing Exercise.
3. Read: Handout-Morals
Standard: Global Awareness
11/17/08
1. Read: Handout-Values Survey
2. Read: Pelican Brief
3. Activity: Game-Worst Case Scenario
11/19/08
1. Writing Exercise: How are Christianity and Islam different? How are they
the same? How were Christ and Mohammad the same and how were they similar?
2. Discussion of Writing Exercise.
3. View: DVD-Secrets of the Koran.
11/21/08
1,Read: Handouts- Billie Jean King & Sugar Ray Robinson
2.Generate five questions over each Handout.
11/24/08
1. Complete Values Survey
2. Read: Pelican Brief
11/26/08
1.Read: Handout on Artificial Intelligence
2. Write: A description for a Robotic form. Answer the following queations:
a, What is it made out of?
b. How is it powered?
c. What does it look like?
d. How does it communicate?
e. What can it do?
12/01/08
1. Continue 11/26/08 assignment and discuss answers.
2.Write: Select three to five assignments from November and write your opinion
of what you learned and how useful the assignments you selected are for you.
If you select an assignment that is not of any use/interest to you, give
reasons why.
3. Discuss answers to #2.
4. Read:Pelican Brief
12/03/08
1.View: DVD-Pelican Brief
12/08/08
1. View: Pelican Brief.
2. Write: Select a character from the Pelican Brief and write about that
character's importance to the story.
12/10/08
1.Complete and discuss Monday's writing assignment.
2. Read: Handout-Buddhism
12/12/08
1.View: United Streaming Video-Buddhism
2.
12/15/08
1.View- Al Morale Review
12/19/08
1.7:40-8:10-Review
2. 8:50-9:20-Final Exam
1/05/09
1. Start Environment
2. 4-5 sheets butcher paper
3. Each student lists one meaning of Environment on sheet one
4. On sheet 2-students list three topics from word listed on sheet one
5. On sheet 3-write a statement about why they selected these topics
6. On sheet 4-select any topics he/she thinks could be combined & why
1/07/09
1. Prepare tank-layer stones and batting
2. Pierce tubing
3. Insert in tank
4. Add water with syringe
5. Define PERCOLATION & PLUME
6.. Observe percolation
Standard: Critical Thinking
1/12/09
1. Read: Article on Killer Lakes
Standard: Critical Thinking
1/14/09
1. Writing Exercise: Why is it important to conserve natural resources?
What can we do to Save our water supply?
2. Art Project: Demonstrating conservation
1/21/09
1.View: DVD Healing The Earth
1/26/09
1. Research: Wind Power-Describe at least one source of wind power and where
it is collected.
2. Read: Handout: Wind Power`
2. Sketch a wind power source
Standard: Global and Community Awareness
1/28/09
1. Play Board Game-Water Whiz
2/02/09
1.Vocabulary-Read words. Do the Word Search, Go over water Bill.
List five community conditions that could effect the cost of water.
2. Build a wind mill
2/04/09
1.Read Handout-Helsinki Rules
2.Form Teams-Read:Whaling in Japan;Rio Grande Compact;Los Alamos Labs
2/06/09
View DVD-Erie Canal
2. Discuss & practice operation of locks on canal model
09/09
1.Computer Lab.-CHOICES
2/11/09
1. Computer Lab.-"Choices"
2. Writing assignment: Write 3 paragraphs regarding your career choices
comparisons.
2/18/09
1.Barsch Inventory
2.Discuss scoring
3.Read: Hamilton Dunbar's Adventures on The Erie Canal
2/20/08
1.12 Ways to show growth in behaving intelligently
2/23/09
1. View DVD-Planet Earth 2; Write 10 comments on the DVD
2. Art Project: Make a collage demonstrating things on earth you want to save
the most.
2/25/09
1. Write: Word Search
Vocabulary-write complete sentences for 10 vocabulary words
NOTE: Tatiana and Isobel read first 2 chapters of Hamilton Dunbar while rest
of class is doing vocabulary exercise.
2.Read: Novel Adventures of Hamilton Dunbar
3.Activity: Art Project-make a collage of the things you want most to save on
this earth.
3/02/09
1. Select a court case from handout, read the case
2. Appoint a prosecutor and defense attorney
3. Argue case before class
4. Judge makes a decision
3/04/09
1.Read: Biography Charles Darwin & description of Intelligent Design
2.Form teams, Create arguments-one for evolution, one for Intelligent Design
3. Debate issue of Evolution and Intelligent Design
4. Read: Handout-Scopes Monkey Trial & Kansas Board of Education
3/09/09
1.Computer Lab.-CHOICES
2, Discuss information from CHOICES
3/11/09
1.Read: Handout-Scopes Monkey Trial & Kansas Board of Education
2.
3/13/09
1.Read: Handout: Friday 13-Superstitions
2. Activity: Art for Friday 13
3/16/09
1.Read:Irish Ghost atories
2.Write a Ghost story
3/18/09
1.Read: Case of Louie Lopez vs. State of NM
2.Write: An opinion with defense of Mr. Lopez's guilt or innocence
3. Read opinion to class.
4.Read: Adventures of Hamilton Dunbar
3/30/09
1. Language & Understanding Development-Hilda Taba-Leadership
2. List words that relate to Leadership, one sudent at a time
3. Group the words that are related
4. Label groups
5. State why these words are related
6. List words that are not related to Leadership
7. Group them and state why they are related
Read: Start book-How to be a Successful Criminal
4/01/09
Wendy-Crossroads Counselor-Steroids
4/3/09
1. Read: Case of Lizzie Bordon
2. Form teams: One team to find her guilty, one team to find her not guilty.
Teams must support their case with evidence,
3. Read: How to be a successful criminal
Standard: Critical Thinking
4/8/09
1. Read: Case of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg
2. Write: 3 reasons for and three reasons against the death penalty.
Standard: Global Awareness
4/15/09
1. Write: An opinion of Jean Valjean; discuss how you think he managed to keep
his humanity under such brutal circumstances.
2. View: Les Miserables
4/15/09
1. Read: Review of Video, Handout.
2. Write: An opinion of Jean Valjean; discuss how you think he managed to keep
his humanity under such brutal circumstances.
2. View: Les Miserables.
Standard:Creativity
4/20/09
1. Read: Bio. Victor Hugo
2. View: Les Miserables
4/22/09
1. Visit Larry Stableton-Set-up crime scene
2. Form 2 teams
Standard: Critical Thinking
4/27/09
1. Read: How to be a Successful Criminal
2. Write: Answer the following questions: 1. Select from How to be a
Successful Criminal three ways you would approach the current crime in our
class. 2. Describe two ways you would improve Albuquerque law enforcement.
3. Write your opinion about the intelligence of offenders.
4/29/09
1. Larry Stableton visit- Teams read notes from crime scene
2, Discuss and make corrections to notes.
3. Teams prepare defense and prosecution cases
Standard:Critical Thinking
5/04/09
1. Read: case of Lindy & Michael Chamberlain (Dingo)
2. Write: 3 reasons Lindy was considered guilty of murder and three reason why
she was cleared of the murder of her daughter.
Standard: Critical thinking
5/06/09
1. Larry Stableton crime scene analysis
2. Complete paperwork for crime scene
3. Discussion of clues
5/11/09
1.View: DVD-"A Cry in the Dark"
5/13/09
1. Complete DVD-"Cry in the Dark"
2. Write: Your ideas about what happened to the women's remains found on the
West Mesa.
5/13/09
1.Assign roles; Read "The Glorious Whitewasher"
2.Read: Bio. Mark Twain
3.Activity: Sketch a drawing of the Whitewasher
5/19/09
1. Read: Handout-"The Devil and Tom Walker."
2.Write: Answer the following 6 questions:
1. Describe an inlet.
2, What is a morass?
3. Who was Captain Kidd?
4. How miserly were the Walkers?
5, What would you do if you found a skull?
3. Write: A story about a devil
5/21/09
Final Exam
