Project Week

This week and next week are Project Week at Wm. E. Hay!  Yesterday, the E/F class had an opportunity to Skype with a Social Activist from the Friends of the Congo Organization - Mr. Maurice Carney.  Maurice is one of those inspiring individuals who has a cause he is interested in and does something to better the lives of others.

Maurice talked to the class about the history of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.  He discussed the history of colonialism and how this has resulted in issues that are still being felt today.  He then discussed the current conflict in the DRC and how the rich wealth of resources has caused a legacy of exploitation from foreign countries and multinationals.

Finally, Maurice talked about the importance of Social Activism in our society today and that youth have the power to make a difference.

From this discussion, we will start our Social Activism Projects, something that will take us to the end of the year to complete.  I have asked the E/F class to spend the evening determining something they are passionate about and something they are good at so that they can create a meaningful activism project that is based on a cause that they are truly interested in.

I will keep everyone posted on activism projects!

Rwanda PSA's

We have spent the last week learning about the Rwandan Genocide of 1994 in an effort to understand the LEGACIES OF COLONIALISM AND HISTORICAL GLOBALIZATION.  To help students better understand the practice of the Belgians dividing the Hutu and the Tutsis into distinct races, I separated students upon entering the classroom by the length of their fingers (an arbitrary distinction).  We then discussed the history of Rwanda.  The conflict in Rwanda is difficult for students to imagine and so, to better visualize, we watched "Hotel Rwanda" - this is a haunting movie but it gives students a better understanding of exactly what happened in 1994.

We then began to discuss the idea of Social Activism.  Students are creating Public Services Announcements.  The goal is to learn what to do when you have a message and want to appeal to an audience to encourage them to make a change for the better.

Public Services Announcements are due on Friday, October 25th!

Students will have Thursday's class to work on these!

Need a "pick me up"? Here are 21 Inspiring Pictures and Stories!

A wonderfully inspiring collection of random pictures and stories!  
http://www.buzzfeed.com/expresident/pictures-that-will-restore-your-faith-in-humanity

Effective Presentations

We haven't had the opportunity to talk about effective presentations as you are currently researching and preparing to present your findings on the indigenous group that you have been assigned to the rest of your class.

With regards to the presentation, here is the criteria:
1. Each group member is responsible for speaking at some point during the presentation
2. You are to have at least one VISUAL to support your presentation (one picture/map etc.) One would be the absolute minimum - you want to explain something to your peers so it is best to use as many visuals to break down the content as possible. You could create a poster if you would like.
3. Incorporate one piece of MULTIMEDIA - a short video perhaps that helps your peers to understand the content
4. If you are using slides, do not place all of your information on the slides and read - we will talk the importance of BODY LANGUAGE, EYE CONTACT and VOICE during presentations before we present to the class.


You will have Monday and Tuesday to complete the research and prepare your presentation - you will want to rehearse this presentation with your group as well.  The presentations will take place on Thursday.  Knowing this, you may want to schedule some group time during Flex over this week!

Good luck!
Mrs. Shepherd