The Art of Living Dec. 15

Instead of a bellwrite, students added up their scores for Bellwrites #31-40. They wrote their total score at the top of the page for Bellwrite #40 and circled the number.

Today we finished reading Man's Search for Meaning. As we read, we discussed Frankl's idea that instead of asking what the meaning of life is, we should consider what life is asking of us. Each moment we have an opportunity to answer that question, and in this lies the art of living.
A student in class pointed out that, "Meaning is a personal decision."

We also discussed Frankl's thoughts on faith and hope (though he does not use those words to describe them). We talked about how we can look forward to a meaningful future and how that can give meaning to how we answer the present moment with our lives. Even as Frankl says the prisoners could choose not to mentally escape the present by living in the past, he also says they need to live for something in the future. Is this a contradiction? We need to live meaningfully in the present moment, yet we must also live for the future?

We also questioned Frankl's statement that no one can suffer for us. Certainly there is some suffering that we must experience to grow into our potential; however, we also know that Christ has suffered for us, individually.

Homework:

• Two articles due tomorrow (Hiroshima and Spirit Warriors)
• Comma quiz tomorrow
• Study for history final exam on Wednesday
• Final personal reflection essay on Man's Search for Meaning is due Thursday

Cold War Quiz Part 2

1. Explain MAD.
2. Put the following leaders in order:
1. Gorbachev
2. Putin
3. Stalin
4. Lenin
5. Khrushchev
3. What was Sputnik and why did it matter?
4. What happened at the Bay of Pigs?
5. How did JFK resolve the Cuban Missile Crisis?
6. Who was Ho Chi Minh?
7. Name one of the consequences of the Vietnam War?
8. Name 3 of the fruits of communism in the Soviet Union which we discussed in class.
9. What is ironic about the U.S. involvement in the Soviet-Afghan War?
10. What was the effect of glasnost on the Soviet Union?
11. Why was it significant that the Soviet Union developed the atomic bomb in 1949?
12. What two foreign countries governed Vietnam prior to the Vietnam War?
13. What is the historical significance of the Cuban Missile Crisis?
14. What were the Pentagon Papers and why did they matter?

Personal Reflection Essay on Man's Search for Meaning

Prompt: What have you learned about the meaning of suffering as you have read and pondered the book? How is it changing the way you understand the meaning of your own suffering? How is it changing your understanding of the Atonement of Christ?

What I really care about in this essay is that you get beyond the easy answers and gain deeply-felt insight. Make it personal. Draw on what Frankl says. Draw on scripture. Draw on what you observed from your response-to-suffering log.

 

Requirements:

·        MLA format

·        Length 500-750 words

·        Have a parent or trusted adult initial that they have read and given you feedback.

·        Due: Thursday, Dec. 18

Preparing for the end of Term Dec. 11

Writing Portfolio
Today we studied some tips for writing dialogue in short fiction.

Core
Bellwrite #41: Describe and effective approach to studying for a final exam. What do you intend to do to prepare for your history final?

Students have received a study guide for their history final exam. They should begin preparing immediately. The final exam will be Wednesday, Dec. 17.

We are continuing to read Man's Search for Meaning in class. As we read, we are identifying vocabulary words together on which students will be quizzed upon completion of the book. This will take the place of the individual spelling/vocabulary plans. Students received a writing prompt for their final personal reflection essay on Man's Search for Meaning (see separate post). This essay is due on the last day of school before Christmas break (Thursday, Dec. 18).

For the past two days in class, students have completed proofreading exercises that focus on the following: colon use, semicolon use, comma use, correcting sentence fragments and run-ons, and correcting faulty parallelism in lists.  We will do one more practice exercise before a quiz.

For history, students have two more readings to complete this term. They received one of these today: excerpts from Hiroshima  by John Hersey. This book follows the lives of 6 individuals living in Japan at the time of the Hiroshima atomic bomb. The excerpts we are reading follow the lives of 2 of these individuals. The purpose of this reading is to help students understand the impact of nuclear weapons. It should also raise a question, "Why did the U.S. military leaders feel it was necessary to use such a weapon on Japan at the close of WWII?"

The second reading students will complete should help answer this question. It is an excerpt from the book, Flyboys by James Bradley. The excerpt helps students understand the mindset of Japan's emperor Hirohito as well as the Japanese soldiers who were "trained" in a most brutal manner. This reading should help students understand why U.S. officials may have felt the atom bomb was the best option for ending the war in the Pacific Theater. Students will receive this reading tomorrow.

Homework:

• Study for history final.
• Work on reading excerpt from Hiroshima.
• Continue reflecting on the meaning of suffering in their own lives.

Final Exam Study Guide

Dates
Berlin Wall 1961-1989
Cold War 1947-1991
Iraq War 2003-2011
Afghanistan War 2001-present
Korean War 1950-1953 (present)
Sputnik 1957
State of Israel 1948
Chinese Cultural Revolution 1966-1976
Vietnam War 1955-1975
United Nations Created 1945
WWII 1939-1945
Bolshevik Revolution (October Revolution) 1917
Founding of the People’s Republic of China 1949
Truman Doctrine 1947

Allegory of the Olive Tree (Jacob 5)

What does the Allegory of Olive Tree have to do with the study of world history? How does the Allegory show us what the Lord cares about in world history?

The history of the world in the Allegory of the Olive Tree shows us what Christ considers to be the most important parts of the story. The allegory describes four visits the Lord of the vineyard (world) makes to the vineyard. Can you describe what happens in each?

We are living in the period of time described in Jacob 5:49-75, a period of time in which the House of Israel is being gathered—through missionary work and family history/temple work—in preparation for the Second Coming of Christ and the Millennium. Which verses talk about gathering? Which talk about the Millennium?

What does the prophecy from Malachi about the coming of Elijah have to do with the gathering discussed in Jacob 5? Why is it significant that in talking about family history we also use the analogy of a family tree?

Don’t confuse the House of Israel with the State of Israel; in this allegory the tree represents the people of the covenant, or in other words, those who have entered into the covenant of baptism. The House of Israel had been scattered throughout the world, and now the righteous are being gathered from around the world.

Even as the Lord gathers, He is also gradually separating the good branches from the bad. How does this apply to the world we live in today? In what ways do you see the Lord pruning and nurturing the vineyard?

How does the allegory develop the theme of the love and patience of the Lord of the vineyard?

If the olive tree is not only a symbol for the covenants of the House of Israel, but also for the Lord. Remember, the olive tree is a symbol for Christ’s atonement: olive oil is used for anointing and “Christ” means “Anointed One”; the tree of life is a symbol for the love of Christ (see 1 Nephi 11:25); Gethsemane means “olive press” and was the location where Christ suffered for the sins of mankind; the cross is referred to as a tree in scripture (see Acts 5:30); some olive trees are thousands of years old and as evergreens may be considered symbols of the eternal life Christ offers us through His atonement.

Middle East

What are the basic beliefs and practices of Islam? (Muhammad, Qu’ran, Angel Gabriel, 5 Pillars and 6 Articles of Faith, view of Jesus)

What are the origins of the Shia/Sunni division in Islam?

How do latter-day saints view Muhammad? (see article)

Where did boundary conflicts in the Middle East today originate? (Ottoman Empire, United Nations, British and French Mandates, ethnic boundaries, caliphate)

Explain the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict from both sides. (Western Wall/Dome of the Rock, Jerusalem, Holocaust, Abrahamic descent, land ownership/purchases, compromise?, Arab nations attack on Israel in 1948)

What is Islamic Extremism and what are its methods? How does it differ from moderate Islam? (terrorism vs. gradualism, 9/11, War in Afghanistan, meaning of “Islam”, sharia law, difference between Islamism and Islam)

What and where is ISIS? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQPlREDW-Ro

What was the Arab Spring and what role did social media play in it? (Arab world includes North Africa, Tunisia, awareness, organize resistance, crackdown in Egypt)

What role do technology and social media play in building the kingdom of God? (Elder Bednar’s talk, guest speaker Mrs. Rutherford)

Compare and contrast U.S. intervention in Iraq and Iran. (Saddam Hussein, weapons of mass destruction, CIA actions helping Saddam into power, CIA actions in Iraq-Iran War, Iranian Revolution, Ayatollah Khomeini, Iranian tensions with U.S.)

How have U.S. interventions in the Middle East added fuel to the Islamicist fire? How do Islamicists use social media to spread their message? (financial support, recruitment, spread ideology, spread terror)

 

Marxism

Who wrote the Communist Manifesto? When? Where? Why?

What was Marx’s communist utopia like?

According to Marx, how would the world arrive at his utopia? (consider both the role of the Proletarian Revolution and the 10 steps of socialism)

Evaluate Marx: what half-truths does he teach?

How does a market economy respond better to information than a command economy?

 

Communist China

How was the People’s Republic of China created? (Mao, Nationalists, Taiwan, Chinese Civil War)

Which of Mao’s policies show that he was imitating the Soviet Union? What were the outcomes of those policies?

What was the Cultural Revolution? Why did Mao institute it in 1966 when communism had already been in power in China since 1949? What role did education play in the Cultural Revolution? Why would Mao claim the government in China is democratic?

Be prepared to interpret a propaganda poster.

How did the policies of Deng Xiaoping create a hybrid form of communism in China?

How is capitalism changing China, for good and for bad? Why do some Chinese intellectuals believe that consumerism will help China’s government become more open and democratic (in the Western sense of the word)?

 

Rise of the Soviet Union

What were the causes of the February Revolution in Russia? (WWI, Tsar Nicholas II, Rasputin)

Who were the key players and what did they do in the October Revolution? (Lenin, Trotsky, Germany in WWI, Bolsheviks, interim government, soviets)

Why is Stalin considered a hero by many Russians today and a villain by many in the world? (kulaks, secret police, gulags, 5 year plans, show trials and purge, collectivization, U.S.S.R.)

 

 

Cold War Beginnings

What was the cold war? Between who? Why? When? How? (Superpowers, satellite states, iron curtain, conflicting ideologies, NATO, Warsaw Pact)

What were the Marshall Plan and the Truman Doctrine? How has the Truman Doctrine influenced U.S. foreign policy since then?

Describe the arms race and space race. How did they get started and why? (Sputnik, Atom Bomb, Hydrogen Bomb, mutually assured destruction, Reagan’s “Star Wars” and defense spending) How was the space race related to the “moon walk” in Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremonies?

Tell the story of the division of Berlin. How did it begin? What was the Berlin Airlift? How did the wall get built and how did it get torn down? How was the wall a symbol of the Cold War?

 

Cold War Hot Spots: Vietnam War, Korean War, Cuban Missile Crisis

Describe the Korean War: who, what, when, where, why. What are the long-term consequences for Korea? How did the guest speaker, Mrs. Adams, give another perspective on this war? (Kim Il Sung, 38th Parallel, Seoul, Pyongyang, United Nations, China, North Korea, proxy war)

 

United Nations

What is the United Nations? (General Assembly, Security Council, International Court of Justice, League of Nations failure, WWII end)

What are the four stated purposes of the United Nations in the Preamble to its Charter?

Why do some consider the existence of the United Nations a threat to national sovereignty? What does the Michael Brown appeal to the UN demonstrate about national sovereignty?

Why might it be better for the U.S. to act under UN authority than by carrying out police actions by itself?

If the UN were to gain the power to tax or to create a world currency, how might it morph into a socialist government? What does the UN’s support for the Rights of the Child demonstrate about the dangers of the social progress goal of the UN?

 

Fall of the Soviet Union

What was life like in the Soviet Union in the 1970s and 80s? What do the long-term fruits of communism in the Soviet Union demonstrate about communism?

How did Gorbachev’s reform policies of glasnost and perestroika contribute to the downfall of the Soviet Union?

Name some modern-day countries that were once a part of the Soviet Union. What do Putin’s recent actions in the Ukraine portend for other former members of the U.S.S.R.?

WWII---In the Pacific

What was it like for the Japanese at Hiroshima to experience the first atomic bomb? Describe the Japanese military mindset during WWII. How did the history of the Japanese contribute to this mindset? Why did American military leaders believe the atomic bomb was necessary?

Dec. 9

Writing Portfolio
We read some short stories to learn from their craft.

Core
Instead of a bellwrite, please complete the proofreading exercise with a neighbor.

Students took a quiz on the Cold War. We also read from Man's Search for Meaning (Class A through page 32, Class B page 31).

No new homework. Response-to-suffering log due Thursday.

Vietnam and Concentration Camps Dec. 8

Bellwrite #40:
1) The Allegory of the Olive Tree talks about the fulfilling of the Lord's covenants with the House of Israel through gathering. How does the story of the Cold War relate to the gathering of Israel?
2) How does the Cold War relate to FACE principles #2 and #7?

Today we reviewed the main causes and outcomes of the Vietnam War. We discussed how Vietnam was a French colony prior to WWII. During the war, when France surrendered to Germany, it lost control of its colonies and Japan took over in Vietnam. However, when Japan lost WWII and France tried to reassert control in Vietnam, many Vietnamese rebelled. They were ready for self-rule (nationalism). During the ensuing war between Vietnam and France, Vietnam ended up split with the northern half governed from its capital in Hanoi by a communist/nationalist government led by Ho Chi Minh and the southern half governed from its capital in Saigon by a government favored by western nations. The US wasn't so much in favor of the Southern government as it was opposed to the spread of communism from the North. Thus from the outset, Americans misunderstood the real motive of the Vietnamese in the war: to gain independence (not, as they supposed, to spread communism).

The war dragged on for 20 years, due in large part to the nature of the guerilla warfare waged by the Vietcong (guerilla army in the South which supported Ho Chi Minh's cause). Meanwhile, Americans lost faith in their government and their cause. The counterculture movement in America questioned almost all traditional American values and institutions. The war became more and more unpopular as news revealed that American soldiers were committing atrocities and the U.S. government had lied to its citizens (Pentagon Papers). The draft was also a concern to Americans who felt it was unjust that 18 year-olds could be drafted but couldn't even vote (by the way, this was when the voting age was changed). When American troops withdrew from Vietnam, the North invaded the South, uniting the country under a communist government. Neighboring Cambodia and Laos were plunged into chaos, including acts of genocide. Vietnam is still communist today, though reforms have led it in recent years to integrate into the world economy and form diplomatic relations with most countries.

Why did the U.S. fight such an expensive war to try to stop communism in such a small country? In part, this is due to the Domino Theory--the idea that if one nation in the vulnerable Southeast Asia were to fall to communism, it would take the others down with it. For these reasons, Vietnam is considered a proxy war through which the superpowers could indirectly combat each other's ideologies of communism and capitalism/democracy.

We read together from Man's Search for Meaning. We discussed for comprehension, as well as studying the following vocabulary words (including studying their Greek/Latin roots):
apathy
objectivity/subjectivity
mortification

Homework:
No new homework. The Response-to-Suffering Log is due Thursday (Extended deadline was granted due to a student request for more time to make the assignment meaningful. This decision was announced Friday. Apologies to students who did not get the message.)

Vietnam Dec. 4

Writing Portfolio

Students had time to write their first scenes for their short stories. Scenes need to be written in the deepest level of the Pyramid of Abstraction. They should be typed, double-space, approximately 2-4 pages.

Core
Bellwrite#39: What stood out to you from the article on the LDS Church and the Berlin Wall? Do you think there is a connection between the construction of the Freiberg Temple and the fall of the Wall?

We finished considering the fall of the Soviet Union. Class A took a history quiz. Students worked with their partners to answer questions from the "menu" about the Vietnam War.

Homework:

• Memorization due tomorrow.
• Spelling/vocab check tomorrow.
• Scene 1 of your short story is due tomorrow.
• Response-to-Suffering Log due Monday.
• Vietnam "Menu" Questions due Monday (one paper per partnership).

Fall of the Soviet Union Dec. 3

Bellwrite #38: How well are you accomplishing your goals for your spelling/vocabulary proposal? Are you actually improving? What adjustments do you need to make to how you are implementing your proposal?

Class B took a small history quiz. I presented key events of the Cold War:

Division of Germany/Berlin at the end of WWII
Marshall Plan
Formation of NATO
Arms Race
MAD
Sputnik (Space Race)
Korean War
Khrushchev
Berlin Wall
Cuban Missile Crisis
Vietnam
life in the 1970s-80s in the Soviet Union

1. pollution
2. grain shortages
3. shrinking economy
4. low quality consumer goods and inefficient distribution
5. housing and quality of life
6. censorship and misinformation

Afghan-Soviet War
Gorbachev's attempted reforms (glasnost and perestroika)
Satellite revolutions of 1989
Collapse

Homework:

• Read the article "The LDS Church and the Berlin Wall" by tomorrow.
• Full Jacob 5 memorization due Friday
• Spelling/vocab check on Friday
• Short story, scene 1 due on Friday

Suffering Dec. 2

Writing Portfolio

Pyramid of abstraction continued: We continued our work with understanding the pyramid of abstraction. After reviewing the first two thresholds (5 senses and scene), we discussed the next two (dialogue--both internal and external, and gesture). Students used the pyramid to begin writing the first scenes of their short stories.

Core
Bellwrite #37: What is suffering? Describe a recent time when you suffered. How did you respond--behaviorally and mentally--to your suffering?

Students passed off part 6 of their memorization.

We discussed the Response to Suffering Log assignment. We also read together from Man's Search for Meaning.

We reviewed the cold war maps and I shared part of a presentation on the Cold War.

Homework:

• Begin working on the Response-to-Suffering  log (due Monday).
• First scene of short story is due on Friday.

Mapping the Cold War Dec. 1

No bellwrite today. Instead, please work on the memorization. Part 6 will be due tomorrow.

In class, students colored/labeled maps to help them understand the "lay of the land" during the Cold War. We considered a map that shows the members of the two alliances during the Cold War: NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) and the Warsaw Pact (Please note that the United States is still a member of NATO today). We noted that Germany was divided. We discussed how the location of Berlin within East Germany made West Berlin into an "island" which was cut off, leading to the Berlin Airlift. We also noted that this division would later lead to the construction of the Berlin Wall. We also looked at a map that shows the modern-day countries that were part of the Soviet Union. We noted that Ukraine was once part of the Soviet Union. The Crimean Peninsula was given to Ukraine by Russia in the 50s, but is now one of the contested territories as Putin seems to be seeking territorial enlargement. (Note, the peninsula is connected by land to the Ukraine, NOT to Russia, which means electricity, gas, water, etc. must be supplied through Ukraine.) We will continue working with these maps tomorrow. Class B began to mark some other significant locations for the Cold War, including North Korea, South Korea, Seoul, Pyongyang, the 38th Parallel, Vietnam, Hanoi. Class B also discussed the origins of the term "Third World." (NATO constituted the first world, the Warsaw Pact the second, and neutral countries the third. In the 1960s the term "third world" started being associated with characteristics of poverty, disease, pre-industrialization, and dependence on foreign aid.)

Class A took the comma quiz today. If you were absent or on the field trip, please make sure to ask me about it.

We also began reading together from our next book, Man's Search for Meaning. Students will not be writing an academic essay about this book; rather, they will be asked to write some type of personal reflection on the meaning of suffering in their lives. More details to come.

Homework: Memorize Jacob 5 part 6 for tomorrow.

Commas and Cultural Revolution Nov. 21

No bellwrite today.

Students passed off their memorization of Jacob 5, part 5. Then they finished doing the comma practice in preparation for a quiz. Class B completed the quiz. Class A will do it after Thanksgiving.

Our own classmate Gabriel shared stories of his own family's experiences with the Chinese Cultural Revolution.

Then students reviewed the main ideas we have studied about Stalin. They gave the lecture to their neighbors for PowerPoint slides that were shown.

No homework. Enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday!

Russian vs. Chinese Communism Nov. 20

Writing Portfolio
Students learned about the pyramid of abstraction, a tool for writing which helps writers show instead of tell. We practiced starting with an abstract teenage problem (like the ones students have thought of to start their stories), and then moving it towards a concrete scene. We discussed two threshholds that must be cross as a writer moves downward in the pyramid: the five senses and scene (includes a specific moment in time and a specific location).

Core
Bellwrite #36: Compare Stalin to Mao. You may use a t-chart or Venn diagram if you like.

We discussed the bellwrite. Then Caleb shared a presentation on Lenin and Stalin, including Stalin's rise to power and his Five Year Plans.

We reflected on true principles that are illustrated by the history of Lenin/Stalin.

Students passed off part 4 of their memorization and began work on some comma exercises.

No new homework. Prepare for the spelling/vocabulary checkup tomorrow.

The Birth of the U.S.S.R. Nov. 19

Bellwrite #35: What questions do you have about the reading on communism in Russia? Summarize the main points of the reading.

Students finished studying the reading on commas from Eats, Shoots and Leaves. They also finished working on applying the comma rules to the handout with sample sentences.

We discussed students' questions from the reading on communism in Russia. I shared a presentation on Tsar Nicholas II and the rise of Lenin and the U.S.S.R.

Homework:

• Finish doodle notes on the reading about communism in Russia.
• Memorization of Jacob 5, part 4 due tomorrow. Part 5 is due Friday.

Doodle Notes and Commas Nov. 18

Writing Portfolio
We worked on defining short story parameters. Students by Thursday need to commit to their answers to the following questions:

1. What is the future technology that will be featured in the story?
2. What is the "teenage problem" that will drive the story?
3. How will you raise the emotional/social/spiritual stakes for the problem? (e.g., If the protagonist cannot resolve the problem, then how will it ruin their life?)
4. What is the limit on the technology that will play a role in the story? (Remember, technologies are like super powers, interesting because of their limits/weaknesses. Consider, for example, Superman and kryptonite.)

Core
Instead of a bellwrite, please write a letter of appreciation to our custodial staff. Please be specific about one or two things you appreciate. Have a classmate proofread your letter. Then write a final draft on the colored paper using your best cursive.

I introduced students to a method of notetaking we'll call "doodle notes." This method consists of capturing important ideas with a series of images and key words. A youtube video demonstrates this method. Of course, our focus in not on the artistic quality of the doodles, but on how well they enhance our understanding and memory. We practiced using this method with a reading packet on the rise of communism in Russia.

Students also read an excerpt from the book, Eats, Shoots and Leaves. This passage discusses 7 key rules of comma use. Students wrote down the 7 rules in their own words, noted exceptions or special cases for the rules, and wrote down sample sentences that demonstrate the rules. Some students started working on a handout that had sample sentences. They identified which commas were used correctly and which ones were used incorrectly (or needed to be added). For each instance, students identified which of the 7 comma rules was at work. We will continue work on this tomorrow.

Homework:

• Continue creating doodle notes on the reading packet. Go up through the sixth page to the white space. Stop when you reach the paragraph that begins, "For many millions of Russians..."
• Memorization of Jacob 5, part 4 (due Thursday) part 5 (due Friday)

United Nations's Social Agenda Nov. 17

Bellwrite #34: Should the United States continue to support the United Nations?

During class, students took a quiz on the United Nations:

1. Where is the United Nations' headquarters located and why is that significant?
2. When was the UN created?
3. What is the General Assembly?
4. What is the purpose of the Security Council?
5. What nations are the five permanent members of the Security Council (and why them?)?
6. What is the purpose of the International Court of Justice?
7. How is the UN funded? (Why does that matter?)
8. What are the four stated purposes of the United Nations in the Preamble to the UN Charter?
9. Explain three of the reasons opponents of the UN feel it creates a threat of a one world government?
10. Define sovereignty.
11. What does the Michael Brown case demonstrate about how the UN might be considered a threat to national sovereignty.
12. Rate your reading/annotating of the UN articles on a scale of 1-5.

 
We discussed why federalism would be celebrated within the United States (sharing sovereignty between state and the national governments) but feared when it comes to the United Nations (sharing sovereignty between national and the international/supranational governments).

I explained why some people fear the UN might create a world currency. If I had $100 in my bank account and the United States printed double the currency that had been in circulation, then the value of my $100 would drop to nearly half. The government has then taken the value of my money and redistributed it by spending it on social programs. Some say this is a form of socialism. Consider what might happen if this type of power were given to the UN, critics point out.

Next, we looked at a case study in the social agenda of the United Nations: the Convention on  the Rights of the Child (CRC) which is the guiding philosophy of UNICEF (the UN's sub-organization that works to care for children). We considered several of the rights declared by the CRC, both their merits and their potential dangers.

Students suggested that there are alternatives to the UN. Private organizations, some argued, could fulfill most of the social agenda of the UN without the danger of turning sovereign power over to a supranational government. Other students said that individual nations could and should do the things the UN undertakes. (However, some students pointed out that when individual nations negotiate for themselves, it tends to result in war.) Other students argued that the UN should exist, but only as a forum for leaders of nations to come together; it should not have any binding power at all. Other students argued the UN should exist to sanction international police actions but not to promote a social agenda. Clearly, there are a range of possible responses to the UN.

Homework:
Write 2-3 paragraphs responding to this prompt. Please type your response.

Should the United Nations exist? If so, what roles should it and should it NOT fulfill? If not, propose an alternative that will fulfill the stated purposes of the United Nations:
1) Preventing world war
2) Ensuring human rights
3) Upholding international treaties
4) Promoting social progress

United Nations and Sovereignty Nov. 14

Bellwrite #33: Why does the United States have both national and state governments? What kinds of decisions/laws are made at each level? Should there also be an international government like the United Nations? Why or why not?

In class we created a chart like the following. The students placed in each column the kinds of decisions/laws that they felt SHOULD be controlled at each level of government.

Family	City	State	National	International (Supranational)

We considered in-depth the placement of two areas: education and war crimes. We defined sovereignty as the power to make and execute laws (or the final say) in a particular jurisdiction.

Some students suggested sovereignty for education should be shared between family, city, and state levels. We considered some of the problems with local sovereignty (For example, what if the city wanted to educate all students solely from the Qu'ran? Or what if the city was too poor to provide a good education?). We also considered some of the problems with centralized sovereignty (For example, what if the national government wanted to secularize education? or use education to promote a particular political perspective?).

We even considered the possible merits and failures of having some educational decisions made at a supranational level (For example, richer countries could help provide education to those nations too poor to provide it for themselves. Or a supranational government could help stop the brainwashing education of terrorists. At the same time, consider the danger of consolidating that much power into the hands of the few.)

Next, we considered the prosecution of war crimes. Sometimes a nation might be weakened by factions or civil war so that justice cannot be served within the nation itself. In these cases, would a supranational court be appropriate? (We discussed the prosecution of war criminals from WWII/Holocaust and from the Rawandan Genocide.) Students pointed out that war crimes are carried out by individuals from a country, not usually by the entire populace of a country. Perhaps after stability and democracy have been restored, the governments themselves can prosecute their own war criminals (e.g., Germany prosecuting former Nazis). This would eliminate the need for a supranational government.

However, other students pointed out that in the case of intervening to stop war crimes which are currently occurring, it may not be wise to wait for the nation to autocorrect: too many lives would be lost. Perhaps then a supranational government should intervene. Of course, it wasn't a supranational government that stopped Hitler; rather it was individual nations who took upon themselves the burden of war against evil. We asked if war crimes could be stopped at the state level (say, by a state militia). Students pointed out that states may not have the means to do so. There is also a concern that state militias might create internal conflict, confusion, and duplication of effort within a nation like the U.S.

In addition to this discussion, we also had a guest speaker, Mrs. Arien Adams, share her family's stories from their first-hand experience with the Korean War. A few stories that stood out:

• The North Korean army was retreating through her mother's hometown as they were pushed out of South Korea by U.S. forces. The North Koreans tended to execute South Korean men or conscript them for labor. Her mother's father was saved on one occasion by hiding under a pile of blankets. On another occasion, her mother's brother left to go the market and never returned. The family does not know if he was taken by North Koreans or executed.
• Mrs. Adams returned to Korea as a university student. At the time many Korean students were protesting in the streets of Seoul, demanding the withdrawal of American forces from the bases there. They were saying the Americans had been there long enough, the war was long over, and they needed to leave. At first Mrs. Adams found their argument reasonable. After all, Seoul was a crowded city while the American base was located on prime real estate with lots of space for trees and lawns. But when she phoned her mother in America, who had experienced the Korean War, her mother told her that those students didn't know where their right to protest came from. Her mother did not understand why American mothers would have sent their sons to fight for the freedom of Koreans, but she was ever grateful for the freedom she'd been granted.
• Mrs. Adams talked about a photo of Korea at night which shows how capitalism and American influence has blessed South Korea, in contrast to North Korea. It is filled with light. Even an LDS temple is within an hour's drive of the border. She noted a pattern in history: the rebirth of democracy opens the way for the preaching of the gospel. We added that economic forces, such as capitalism, can often open the way for political liberty, which can then create conditions for religious liberty.

We read in class a case study in United Nations sovereignty: the Michael Brown family's appeal to the United Nations. We discussed why this family would appeal to the United Nations in a matter that seems to be related to national or even state concerns. In the hypothetical scenario that the United Nations voted for the United States to change its domestic law (laws governing its own concerns), would the United States be bound?

Homework:

• Review the United Nations Preamble handout in case there is a quiz Monday.
• Read the opinion article on the concerns that the UN will establish one world government. Be alert that this article expresses one side of a debate. We will discuss the other side on Monday.

Truman Doctrine continued Nov. 13

Writing Portfolio
We are taking a little break from the academic essay writing and doing some creative writing. In connection with our study of the Cold War during which nuclear technology played such a tremendous role in shaping the world, we will be writing short stories based in futuristic projections of current technologies. Today we generated ideas of how some of our current technologies might be 50 or 100 years in the future. We then considered ways in which teenage problems might be intertwined with some of those technologies.  A story is simply characters trying to work their way out of a problem. By Tuesday, students should have a solid idea of the problem their characters will face (as it relates to the future technology).

Core
Bellwrite #32: Why would countries like Greece be attracted to communism?

We discussed the Truman Doctrine. We noted that it establishes a U.S. foreign policy to give aid in  support of freedom and stop the spread of communism (containment). This aid, at the time, took the form of financial aid and military training, to address the two reasons the people embrace communism (according to Truman): poverty and strife (war).
We also discussed the following:
How does Truman define free nations?
In what ways does the U.S. today actually fall under the second way of life Truman opposes?

Students passed off their memorization today and turned in their Red Scarf Girl essays.

Homework:
Read and annotate the United Nations handout (see below).
Spelling/vocab check tomorrow.
Answer the questions about the Truman Doctrine with 1-2 paragraphs each:

1. What is the Truman Doctrine?
2. How has the Truman Doctrine affected U.S. foreign policy in the past 67 years?

The United Nations

The United Nations is an organization that focuses on developing and enforcing international laws and policies. The main goals of the UN are to achieve peace, social progress and economic development. The organization was founded after the end of World War II in 1945 as a way of replacing the failing League of Nations. There are currently 192 nations that are a member of the United Nations, and this includes all sovereign nations in the world except the Vatican. The Headquarters of the United Nations is located in New York City in the United States; the current President is Li Baodong of China.

The UN has several assemblies. The General Assembly is the main body of the UN and meets yearly. Each session lasts several weeks. During the first two weeks, all members are given the opportunity to address the assembly and bring items to the attention of the board. The General Assembly also votes on important issues. A two-thirds majority is needed in order to approve a law, an election or expulsion of a member.

The Security Council is a division of the United Nations whose goal is to maintain peace between nations. This is the only council with the power to make binding decisions which the members must carry out. All other councils can only make recommendations. Fifteen nations have members on the Security Council. Five of these are permanent and ten are temporary. China, Russia, France, the United Kingdom and the United States are the only permanent members.

The International Court of Justice is a division of the United Nations that is responsible for international trials and legal decisions. Its headquarters are located in the Netherlands. This court has heard cases of war crimes, ethnic cleansing and the like. The International Criminal Court is a division that began operation in 2002. This court judges those who have tried to commit war crimes and genocide across several nations and have violated international law in doing so.

The United Nations also includes several specialized agencies that work on particular issues. For example, the World Health Organization is dedicated to improving the health status of those in impoverished nations and ensuring that nations provide adequate health care for their citizens.

Funding for the United Nations comes from voluntary donations by member nations. The General Assembly is responsible for overseeing the budget and determining the capacity of each nation to pay based on their gross domestic product, or GDP. Less developed nations are asked to contribute less and instead advised to use their resources to improve the status of their nations.

 

Debating the Effectiveness of the United Nations

In recent years, participants in the United Nations debate have questioned the organization’s effectiveness. Those who criticize the organization often feel that the small administrative structure undermines the UN's peace keeping mission. Also, there are few repercussions in place for nations that do not follow mandates. Permanent members of the Security Council have been known to avoid mandates themselves because they cannot lose their status as members as easily. Still, many people believe that the United Nations provides a great basis for international relationships. Though the organization was founded over 50 years ago, it is still able to oversee the international court system and bring justice to many dangerous criminals. Without the United Nations, the world would be a very different place.

 

Preamble to the Charter of the United Nations

Background

The Charter of the United Nations is the foundational treaty of the international organization called the United Nations. It was signed at the San Francisco War Memorial and Performing Arts Center in San Francisco, United States, on 26 June 1945, by 50 of the 51 original member countries. (Poland, the other original member, which was not represented at the conference, signed it two months later.) It entered into force on 24 October 1945, after being ratified by the five permanent members of the Security Council—the Republic of China under Chapter II of the United Nations Charter (and currently by the People's Republic of China), France, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (later replaced by the Russian Federation), the United Kingdom, and the United States—and a majority of the other signatories.

Preamble

We the peoples of the United Nations determined

·         to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, which twice in our lifetime has brought untold sorrow to mankind, and

·         to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small, and

·         to establish conditions under which justice and respect for the obligations arising from treaties and other sources of international law can be maintained, and

·         to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom,

And for these ends

·         to practice tolerance and live together in peace with one another as good neighbours, and

·         to unite our strength to maintain international peace and security, and

·         to ensure, by the acceptance of principles and the institution of methods, that armed force shall not be used, save in the common interest, and

·         to employ international machinery for the promotion of the economic and social advancement of all peoples,

Have resolved to combine our efforts to accomplish these aims

Accordingly, our respective Governments, through representatives assembled in the city of San Francisco, who have exhibited their full powers found to be in good and due form, have agreed to the present Charter of the United Nations and do hereby establish an international organization to be known as the United Nations.

The Truman Doctrine Nov. 12

Bellwrite #31: Was it right for the U.S. to use military actions in Korea (1950-53) to try to contain communism?

We finished working on our exercise for using semicolons and colons. Students took an open-neighbor quiz.

Next, we held an in-class seminar on the Truman Doctrine speech. We considered how the speech would have affected international relations during the Cold War, how Soviets would have reacted to the speech, and how the speech affected (and may continue to affect) U.S. foreign policy.

Homework:

• Memorization of Jacob 5 part 3 due tomorrow.
• Red Scarf Girl essay due tomorrow.
• Vocab/spelling check on Friday.

Truman Doctrine Reading

 

Background

The Truman Doctrine is a set of principles of U.S. foreign policy declared by President Harry S. Truman in an address to Congress to request $400 million in aid to Greece and Turkey, as well as authorization to send American economic and military advisers to the two countries. Truman argued that the U.S. should support Greece and Turkey economically and militarily to prevent their falling under Soviet control.

Truman made the plea amid the crisis of the Greek Civil War (1946–1949). He argued that if Greece and Turkey did not receive the aid that they urgently needed, they would inevitably fall to communism with grave consequences throughout the region. Because Turkey and Greece were historic rivals, it was necessary to help both equally, even though the threat to Greece was more immediate (Turkey = oil-rich Middle East; Greece = warm water ports on the Mediterranean).

For years Britain had supported Greece, but was now near bankruptcy and was forced to radically reduce its involvement. In February 1947, Britain formally requested the United States take over its role in supporting the Greek government.

The policy won the support of Republicans who controlled Congress and involved sending $400 million in American money, but no military forces, to the region. The effect was to end the Communist threat in those nations (Greece and Turkey), and in 1952 both countries joined NATO, a military alliance that guaranteed their protection.
 

Truman Doctrine Speech

The United States has received from the Greek Government an urgent appeal for financial and economic assistance. Preliminary reports from the American Economic Mission now in Greece and reports from the American Ambassador in Greece corroborate the statement of the Greek Government that assistance is imperative if Greece is to survive as a free nation.

The very existence of the Greek state is today threatened by the terrorist activities of several thousand armed men, led by Communists, who defy the government's authority at a number of points, particularly along the northern boundaries.

 

Greece must have assistance if it is to become a self-supporting and self-respecting democracy. The United States must supply this assistance.

One of the primary objectives of the foreign policy of the United States is the creation of conditions in which we and other nations will be able to work out a way of life free from coercion.

We shall not realize our objectives, however, unless we are willing to help free peoples to maintain their free institutions and their national integrity against aggressive movements that seek to impose upon them totalitarian regimes. This is no more than a frank recognition that totalitarian regimes imposed upon free peoples, by direct or indirect aggression, undermine the foundations of international peace, and hence the security of the United States.

At the present moment in world history nearly every nation must choose between alternative ways of life. The choice is too often not a free one. One way of life is based upon the will of the majority, and is distinguished by free institutions, representative government, free elections, guarantees of individual liberty, freedom of speech and religion, and freedom from political oppression. The second way of life is based upon the will of a minority forcibly imposed upon the majority. It relies upon terror and oppression, a controlled press and radio, fixed elections, and the suppression of personal freedoms.

I believe that it must be the policy of the United States to support free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressures.

The disappearance of Greece as an independent state would have a profound effect upon those countries in Europe whose peoples are struggling against great difficulties to maintain their freedoms and their independence while they repair the damages of war.

It would be an unspeakable tragedy if these countries, which have struggled so long against overwhelming odds, should lose that victory for which they sacrificed so much. Collapse of free institutions and loss of independence would be disastrous not only for them but for the world.

Should we fail to aid Greece and Turkey in this fateful hour, the effect will be far reaching to the West as well as to the East.
 
The seeds of totalitarian regimes are nurtured by misery and want. They spread and grow in the evil soil of poverty and strife. They reach their full growth when the hope of a people for a better life has died.

We must keep that hope alive.

The free peoples of the world look to us for support in maintaining their freedoms. If we falter in our leadership, we may endanger the peace of the world. And we shall surely endanger the welfare of this nation.

Four R-ing the Korean War Nov. 11

Writing Portfolio
Today students worked on their Red Scarf Girl essays.

The audience for the essays has read the Red Scarf Girl and the "Communist Manifesto." They are educated, American adults, not necessarily LDS. It may have been a while since they studied the "Communist Manifesto," so you will want to give some brief background in your introduction.

This essay will certainly require more than 5 paragraphs.

Core
No Bellwrite

Students worked with their partners to 4 R the Korean War using questions from yesterday's class. By the end of class, they turned in a paper with the following:
1) 2 Questions and Answers (each answer should be 1-2 paragraphs)
2) 1 Principle reasoned from their studies (with 1 paragraph exploring how the principle applies personally to students)

We also did a review of semicolon and colon conventions (rules). We had a handout with sample sentences. Students are working to identify which semicolons and colons are used appropriately.

Semicolons:   independent clause; independent clause.
Colons:   independent clause: _____________________. (word, phrase, clause, or list)

Homework:

• Red Scarf Girl essays due Thursday
• Memorization (Jacob 5, part 3) due Thursday

Asking Questions about the Korean War Nov. 10

Bellwrite #30: What do you already know about the Korean War? Brainstorm a list of questions about the Korean War.

Today in class we worked on shifting responsibility for learning history to students. One of the best ways for students to learn is by asking questions, searching for answers, reasoning about what they learn, and relating what they learn to themselves (in other words, 4 R-ing). Students were paired to work on developing questions and answers about the Korean War. Tomorrow in class, they will work with their pair to four-R the Korean War.

I suggested that there are two types of questions: convergent (factual) and divergent (opinion). Students should be asking both types of questions, though the latter will require deeper levels of reasoning.

We also discussed the types of sources students can use in their research:
a brief overview (to get the big picture of the War--we are using the first four minutes of a video for this purpose)
a detailed narrative (for example, a full-length documentary, a chapter from a history textbook, or an article from an online encyclopedia)
primary sources (from people who actually experienced first-hand the War; I will provide a primary source from President Truman tomorrow)
secondary sources that examine the long-term significance of the war (for example, an opinion article from the Internet)
a source that helps us understand non-Western perspectives (in class we read a portion of an article by a former North Korean who says North Koreans are taught the war was started by an invasion led by the U.S. and South Korea).

We spent some time practicing evaluating sources by considering the aforementioned article. We reasoned that because North Korea does not allow its citizens to publish information on the Internet, any source we have must come from a North Korean defector. Although this information is likely to be biased against North Korea, this article does provide reliable information on how many North Koreans are taught to understand the War. The author herself admits that she had a hard time accepting a different version of the story of the War than the one she had been taught in North Korea. Her open discussion of her skepticism increases her reliability. Furthermore, she has first-hand experience living in the country for nearly 20 years. Thus, we accept her account tentatively, alert to possible fallacies in her thinking, but willing to accept her account as a reasonable reflection on North Korean beliefs.

In class we also used a demonstration to help us understand the general movements of the War. We played tug-a-war across our own "38th Parallel" in the classroom. We reenacted three phases of the war:
1) The initial invasion by North Korea of South Korea.
2) The counteroffensive by U.S. troops acting in the name of a "United Nations" police action which pushed the North Koreans back past the 28th parallel and nearly into China.
3) The counteroffensive by China-backed North Korean troops which ended in a virtual stalemate around the 38th parallel.

We also revisited the overview video, with student pairs developing questions they will research tomorrow in class to extend their understanding of the War.

Homework: NOTE!!! The Red Scarf Girl essay due date has been moved to Thursday to accommodate choir rehearsals tonight and tomorrow night.
Each partnership should bring an electronic device with Internet access to class tomorrow.

Homework: Find and print sources on Vietnam War, bring electronic devices for research in class