Abraham, Moses, King

We are continuing on with our study of the monotheistic religions.  While we finished up Judaism yesterday, we'll be bouncing around a little bit throughout the whole unit.

If you recall, I've taught that all the monotheistic religions trace their roots back to Abraham.  He's also the founder of Judaism.

Yesterday we watched a clip of Martin Luther King Jr.'s last speech.  He gave it the day before he was killed.  Many people see the speech as prophetic, as he talks about wanting to live a long life - but not worrying about what will happen; not fearing any man.

Here's the clip:

The clip ties in with a couple things we've talked about.  First, he mentions totalitarian (i.e. unlimited) governments.  I used this to remind the students that they know what totalitarian governments are.

The second is the reference to the Promised Land.  We just finished reading Genesis 12:1-10, where God promises land to Abraham.  King is drawing a comparison to an America that was promised, but had not yet been delivered.  And he seemed to realize that he would not live to see those promises fulfilled, but he believed they would be.

Today we started discussing Christianity - and the different beliefs within the faith.  Tomorrow, we'll continue and start to introduce Islam in earnest.

If you want extra credit for reading and discussing the blog with an adult, you should watch the MLK clip with them, and discuss the clip as well.  Write down at least 3 sentences based on your discussion.  Turn in the paper tomorrow.

The February extra credit name of the day is Sojourner Truth.

Abraham, Genesis, Previous Post

If students want extra credit for reading and discussing the blog today, they should go read THIS POST.  It's very similar to what we did today.

So far, the list of February names is:

Fannie Lou Hamer
Mansa Musa
Nelson Mandela
James Baldwin
Scott Joplin


If you think of someone who should be on the list, but is not currently on the list, let me know.  Perhaps I'll add them.

February: Another Extra Credit Opportunity

In class, we've started studying religions - specifically monotheistic religions for now.  We're starting with Judaism, as it's the oldest.  After that, we'll move to Christianity, and then on to Islam.

Normally, I'd write a post about that - about what we're doing in class.  (It looks like I'm a day ahead according to this Feb. 4th, 2014 post... we were also talking about delays...)

Today, though, I wanted to talk about a new extra credit opportunity.  February is black history month.  Throughout the month, I'll be putting names on my "thought bubble" board in the back of the room.  If students go home, and research the name, they can earn extra credit.  They need to write me a paragraph about what they've learned.  They may not just plagiarize a paragraph from the internet.  They need to put it into their own words.

I would suggest not just looking up text.  Look up some videos, as well.

The first name was Fannie Lou Hamer.  Here's a video that would have worked.  I love it.




If you want extra credit for reading today's blog post, write a short paragraph about the video on Fannie Lou Hamer.  Have the adult you read and discussed the blog with sign the paper.

Turn it in tomorrow in the extra credit tray.  Make sure your name, date, and hour are on it.

Intro to Religions

Once again, I don't have a lot of time to post a full length blog.

Today's subject is a little bit touchy, though: religion.

As such, I thought it was worth linking to posts from previous years I've taught this material.

So, if you want to know what went on today, or if you want some extra credit: CHECK OUT THIS POST FROM 2011, or THIS POST FROM 2014.

The Connection between Literacy Rate and GDP

We spent today looking at a lot of data - and trying to make sense of it.  It was very similar to what the students did at Station 5 on Tuesday - but much more in depth.

We started off by looking at 4 countries in Africa that had low literacy rates: <70%.  Most students noticed that the GDP was also low.

Then, we looked at 4 countries in Africa that had high literacy rates: >90%.  Students could also pick up on the GDP being fairly high in those countries.

So then I asked the question, why?  Why do countries with low literacy rates have a low GDP, and why do countries with high literacy rates have a high GDP?

Some possible answers we came up with were:  People who can read and write have more human capital, and will be able to secure better jobs - raising the GDP of the country.  People who cannot read and write will have a much more difficult time finding a job and raising the country's GDP.

Also, if a country doesn't have enough money - they won't be able to pay for teachers. If they can't pay for teachers, it will lower the literacy rate of the country.

The next obvious question is - which is causing which? Is a low literacy rate causing low GDP? Or is low GDP causing low literacy rate? Or both?

Well, we skipped the obvious question, for now - and looked for outliers. Were there any countries that had a high GDP and low literacy rate, or vice versa?

We didn't find any countries with a high GDP and low literacy rate. But we DID find a couple countries with a high literacy rate, and low GDP.

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I know that being a teacher, I should write a solid concluding paragraph. But looking up at the clock, I noticed that as a teacher I'm also pressed for time. And there's no way I'll get the whole lesson written down into a blog post.

Still, if any of my students want extra credit, they may read and discuss this blog with an adult. To prove that you were here today, write down definitions for literacy rate and GDP.

Then, have the adult sign the paper. Make sure your name, date, and hour are on it, and turn it in tomorrow.