Current Events Aug. 29

Bellwrite #1: What are some current events in the kingdom of God?

We discussed the bellwrite, identifying ways in which the kingdom of God has been developing recently. For example, we considered ways in which the missionary work is hastening: the new Come Follow Me youth curriculum is designed to prepare youth to be able to teach the gospel well; the missionary age has been lowered, allowing more youth of both genders to serve as full-time missionaries; the Seminary program now requires students to pass a test for graduation, ensuring they understand important gospel concepts; etc. Following our discussion, the students identified a couple of areas of Church current events they need to research more.

We discussed current events. Thus far in class we have discussed the following:
1) Ebola in West Africa
2) The Ukrainian/Russian conflict
3) The history of ISIS (video link)

Terminology to know: Ebola, EU (European Union), Putin (president of Russia), Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), al-Qaeda, Saddam Hussein (former dictator of Iraq), Bashar al-Assad (president of Syria), Sunni vs. Shia

Class A reviewed the course syllabus and answered questions:

1) Extra credit? I do not usually provide it because students who want it are either A) already earning 99% in the class and should maybe consider relaxing a bit or B) behind on regular assignments which have been specifically designed to help them learn what the course is designed to teach and they should get caught up on those assignments.

2) Why are we studying history backwards? For two years now at AHS, I have not been able to study more recent historical developments (beyond WWII), which are very relevant to what is going on in the world today. I hope to change this trend by starting with the present. This approach will also allow us to ask more "Why?" questions as we study history.

3) How long are the units? They vary, depending on content and student interest. Our first unit will be done by the end of next week. The WWII unit will be one of the longest.

As a class we read an article on the humanitarian crisis of Syrian displacement and refugees. We then studied the recent history which has led to the Syrian civil war and the rise of ISIS (or the Islamic State).

Lastly, Class A students began studying the Allegory of the Olive Tree (Jacob 5). We will use this allegory to help us understand how the Lord thinks about world history.  We will continue this study next week.

Homework:

• State of the World Project is due next Thursday. Students who tend to wait until the last minute should try to get 1/3 of the project done over the long weekend.
• Continue listening to/watching world news.
• Class A should turn in the signed syllabus on Tuesday.