Week of February 1

I hope you all enjoyed your slightly extended weekend! I also hope you have a wonderful and productive week this week!!!

Monday, 2/1
Watch "Image Before My Eyes", answering questions

Tuesday, 2/2
Watch "Swing Kids"

Wednesday, 2/3
Finish "Swing Kid"
Discussion

Thursday, 2/4
Propaganda activity

Friday, 2/5
Judaism Discussion

Week of January 25

This week, we are going to start connecting to the historical context. Our main purpose this week is to start to see the life of Jews prior to 1933.

Monday, 1/25
Finish "Fiddler"
Discussion

Tuesday, 1/26
Research in library

Wednesday, 1/27
Research in library

Thursday, 1/28
Further research

Friday, 1/29
Share and Discuss

"Fiddler" and Traditions

What specific aspects of the movie do you think best illustrated the familial relationships and traditions that are so important in Jewish culture? Do you think those two elements benefitted the Jews during the Holocaust or did they benefit their destroyers? In other words, would close family ties and a strong sense of tradition have helped the Jews survive the Holocaust or would they have instead served to make them more vulnerable?

Forty+ Years Later, One Year Later...

Inauguration '09 The above text is hyper-linked to the transcript of President Obama's Inaugural speech from a year ago. We spent a lot of time on Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" speech in class. What effective strategies did Dr. King employ that you can find elements of in President Obama's? Would you consider this a moving speech? Why or why not? If so (or if not), do you think it achieves its purpose, whatever purpose he intended?

A Unit of Semantics

What thoughts do you have after our initial unit, which is a foundation for the class? We have discussed prejudice, discrimination, racism, anti-Semitism, genocide... Were there things you wanted to say in class, but didn't? What are your feelings on having watched "GATTACA"? Can you see the dangers of an "equal" society?

Week of January 19

This week will find us ending Unit 1 and taking our first test.  I do want to tell you that I have been SOOO impressed with you in this first unit and I hope it will only continue and grow.  :)

Tuesday, 1/19

Holocaust/Shoah/Anti-Semitism

Genocide

UN Handout

Wednesday, 1/20

Test

Thursday, 1/21

"Fiddler on the Roof"

Intro to "Fiddler"

Elements of Drama

Friday, 1/22

"Fiddler"

Who We Are

Had some amazing poems turned in from the '10 Holocaust Literature class.  Here are a few of the most interesting ones...

Who I Am by Krisheena

I am hot cups of apple cider on a winter's day.

I am random whimsical laughter.

I am pacifism and animal rights.

I am old books with crinkly pages.

I am a conforming non-conformist.

I am sketchpads, paint, and brushes.

I am my mother's best friend and my father's only child.

I am iPods with music blaring at full blast.

I am socially awkward.

I am afternoon naps and warm fuzzy blankets.

I am simple, yet complicated.

I am a jumbled puzzle yet to be solved.

Who I Am by Karla

I am grassy meadows on cloudless summer days.

I am daydreams during math class.

I am a smile that remains after it is shared.

I am deep conversation over coffee.

I am bubble wrap, waiting to be popped.

I am secrets of the whispering wind.  

I am America's Next Top Model obsessed marathon.

I am the curiosity of a cat.

I am brownie melts with ice cream on top.

I am John Coltrane's sweetest melodies.  

I am early morning workouts at the gym.

I am facebook.

I am errors concealed by eraser marks.

I am a puzzled expression on a child's face.

I am sin washed away with blood.

I am Karla.

Who I Am by Sierra

I am books and short stories.

I am summer and rainy days.

I am unique.

I am an aspiring accountant.

I am Keds, long socks, and warm clothes.

I am a student with a love for history and science.

I am sushi, chocolate almonds, and voss water.

I am disciplined and respectful.

I am not a morning person or a night person, rather a middle of the day type person.

I am a learner.

I am google and yahoo news.

I am a lover of eco-friendly products.

I am action movies, not drama or romance.

I am crime shows.

I am wii sports.

I am my own person.

Who I Am by Brooke

I am swimming, biking, and hiking.

I am kayaking, running, and canoeing.  

I am outdoors.

I am leaping, turning, and gliding.

I am stretching, bending, and counting.

I am dance.

I am religious, Christian, and structured.

I am a follower, believer, and enlightener.

I am Catholic.

I am warm, sandy, and soothing.

I am relaxing, calming, and gentle.

I am an ocean breeze.

I am frosted, cold, and fun.

I am sharp, speedy, and moveable.

I am ice skates.

I am second-born, house-mate, and the favorite.

I am loving, argumentative, and compassionate.

I am a sister.

I am cheese, milk, and chicken.

I am arroz, musica, and Monterray.

I am pollo loco.

I am being educated, inhaling knowledge, and working.

I am focused, determined, and thinking.

I am student.

I am open-minded, politically absorbed, and unique.

I am loud, hard-working, and an extrovert.

I am me.

Who I Am by Trevor

I am cold winter breeze, toboggans, snow balls.

I am warm pizza dough, seasoned tomato sauce, and freshly cut onions.

I am old school and new school.

I am incapable of writing poems, stories, letters, or anything with words in it.

I am guitar solos and chords.

I am liberal and I believe in change.

I am freedom, equality, and justice.

I am America.

I am red, white, and blue, and all she stands for.

I am outspoken and I don't care who knows it.

I am funny movies, some scary ones.

I am a pizza-making machine.

I am agnostic (we have no idea).

I am confusing, surprising, and simple all in one.

I am loving and kind.

I am an individual.

I am an American.

Who I Am by Rachel

I am winter sunshine.

I am mermaids, unicorns, and dreams.

I am colorful in black and white.

I am should have been Italian.

I am go with the flow.

I am think twice, thrice, and whatever comes after that.

I am an endless story.

I am escape from reality.

I am open-minded with firm opinions.

I am addicted to art; my heroine.

I am claim no religion.

I am music flows through my veins, even when I die.

I am a black sheep.

I am never fit in, go against the current.

I am a mass of contradictions.

I am indecisive.

I am no one is wrong.

I am dive head-first into your passion.

I am never forget.

Welcome to my Newbies!

Well, I am as nervous as I always am at the beginning of this class, but I am also just as excited as always!  It gives me great faith in your generation that so many of you (36!!!) would value the lessons from the Holocaust enough to spend an entire high school credit learning about them!  I am so anxious to get to know each of you and share my passion for Holocaust education.  I think there is much in store for us this semester and I just can't wait to get started!  :)