turning the tables

I like where this is going.

You guys seemed to respond pretty well to the guest teachers.  Many thanks to Mr. Jump, Ms. Brannan, and Mr. Hodges for taking over on short notice.

Section 01 is off to a great start with the followup activity.  Looking forward to seeing how the rest of you do.  More tomorrow!

Don't forget to put your class notes on your blog, where they will be useful to you later.

Thanks,
Bob/Robert

For all three sections...

Yesterday's class featured a review of the test on Population Pyramids and Demographic Transition.

I also assigned new seats, explained why we will be using our computers in class a little less, lectured on how ooVoo reduces your GPA, and notified you that you need to come to class with your computer charged (or be prepared to take notes on paper).  All this is in the interest of making you better students.

... and for Section 01

Many thanks to our guest lecturer today, for sharing his expertise on Economic Geography.

You should take the notes you took in class today, and post them in your blog for tonight.  Keep in mind that you can refer to your blog when you take your next test.  This should help you decide how thorough your posted notes should be.

giving thanks

Not every country has a national holiday set aside specifically to express gratitude.  But on the fourth Thursday of November, America does just that, and it is one of the healthiest things we can do.  Personally, my "Things To Be Thankful For" list centers around my family and my John Carroll relationships.  I am truly fortunate to be able to spend my days with all of you.  And it's not just the friendliness, humor, intelligence, and enthusiasm that you show that makes my day.  I'm grateful for those of you that challenge me.  I'm grateful for those of you who don't pay attention, and push me to make class more interesting.  I'm grateful for the quiet ones who make me work harder to get to know you.  All of you make this the best "job" I have ever had.

I hope you all have a terrific holiday break.  And even if it doesn't look like the perfect, idyllic picture above, I hope you enjoy the time with your family, and thank your lucky stars that you have such a good life.

Quiz day

If you were not in class today to take the quiz, please make it up after school tomorrow.  Meet me in the TV Studio right after the bell and take this quick 15 question quiz.  If you don't take it tomorrow, you will have to take it after the break, and you may forget some of this material.

Reminder about today's blog: post the names of everyone in your group, and your estimate of how much each person contributed to your project.  Be honest, and be fair.  Your estimate is confidential.

Also, be sure I am invited to view your Google Doc.  Use either of these addresses:

•  rschick@johncarroll.org 
•  bobschick13@gmail.com 

Looking forward to one last class (with 01) before the break!

projects due tomorrow

This is a little Sunday night reminder that your projects are due tomorrow before your class starts.  You have the rest of the night to get in touch with your group members and finish this 100-point assignment.

You will be held accountable for the amount of work YOU did on this project.  You will not be able to coast and let someone else do all the work.

The Ravens game is over, it's time to get to work.

Population/Demographic project

It looked like most of you got off to a very good start on this project.  Here is a reminder about some of the details of this 100-point assignment.

• assignment is due before class on Monday
• work not completed in class should be worked on together over the weekend
• remember to post the link to your Google Doc to your blog

Email me with any questions.

class discussion

Sometimes you participate in class discussions because you are involved and engaged.  Sometimes you have to know you're earning points before you get involved.  Sometimes even the points don't seem to matter.

What does it all mean?

Population pyramids, demographic transition charts, demographic characteristics - the goal here is to get you thinking about what all these things mean.  How do all these concepts tie together?  How do we interpret all this data?  And how would you fix these serious problems?

Like I said, something to think about.

worksheet

As we said in class, your homework is to finish the blue worksheet that we worked on in class.

And don't forget to blog!

Population Pyramids, Demographic Transitions, and other statistical study

(You guys must really be smart to be getting all this...!)

Sections 02 & 03 are introduced to the Demographic Transition chart.

Section 01 performs some analysis to put this new knowledge into practice.


It will be helpful to know all this when you are called upon to solve the world's overpopulation problems.  (You'll thank me later.)

Population Pyramids and the Demographic Transition

Sections 02 & 03 had good discussions today (thank you!) as we started looking at Population Pyramids.  An incredible site for seeing how the pyramids can change over time can be found here, and a nice summary of these pyramids can be found here.

Section 01 moved on to a discussion of the famous Demographic Transition.  Here's a recap of the four stages, plus the chart we covered today (with a bonus: Stage Five!):

Four stages of Demographic Transition

a. Stage 1:  High birth rate, high death rate; very slow growth, low RNI. In pre-industrial society, death rates and birth rates were both high and fluctuated rapidly according to natural events, such as drought and disease, to produce a relatively constant and young population. Children contributed to the economy of the household from an early age by carrying water, firewood, and messages, caring for younger siblings, sweeping, washing dishes, preparing food, and doing some work in the fields.

b. Stage 2:  Death rate falls dramatically, birth rate remains high; high RNI. A consequence of the decline in CDR in Stage Two is an increasingly rapid rise in population growth, called the "population explosion"), as the gap between deaths and births grows wider.

c. Stage 3:  Death rate remains low, birth rate drops; RNI slows. Stage Three moves the population towards stability through a decline in the birth rate.

d. Stage 4:  Death rate low, birth rate low; low RNI (as in stage 1). This occurs where birth and death rates are both low. Therefore, the total population is high and stable.

*Highest RNI is in stage 2*

Population Pyramids

We discussed them in class today.  If we went a little too fast for you, feel free to check out Wiki's description here.

See you tomorrow!

essay test today

I'm looking forward to reading your work over the next few days.

Be ready for tomorrow's test.

Come to class on time.  Have a fully charged computer, ready to go wireless.  All windows/programs you won't need for this essay must be closed.

You will spend the entire class period writing and rewriting this essay.  You will not be permitted to work for 20 minutes and turn in your essay just to be done with it.  This is your chance to show me your best work.  I have high expectations for this essay, so don't give me anything less than your best.

Here is the email address where you will email the final draft:  rschick@johncarroll.org .

terms to include in your essay

All of the following terms should be covered in your essay on geopolitics:

• discrimination
• genocide
• apartheid
• Nelson Mandela
• colonialism (especially in Africa)
• tribunal
• propaganda
• refugee
• the Holocaust
• United Nations

If you want feedback over the weekend, post your essay on your blog today or tonight.  Don't forget as always, your blog must be posted by midnight Saturday night in order for you to get credit.

Warning: taking the time to write and submit this essay may cause your grade on Monday's essay test to improve dramatically.

writing workshop

Today, it was Section 02 & 03's turn to do some writing.  If you want to get a little feedback on your work so far, post it on your blog and I will try to get to it this evening.

geopolitics

So, Sections 02 & 03 went over the last test today.  And Section 01 happily, eagerly and enthusiastically began writing an essay on geopolitics.

Section 01 All-Stars: if you would like, you may post today's writing as tonight's blog entry.

More writing tomorrow!

In the meantime, some geo-food for thought.


Geopolitics is:
a)  a theory that describes the relation between politics and territory
b)  the art and practice of analyzing, forecasting, and the using of political power over a given territory 
c)  a method of foreign policy analysis which seeks to understand, explain and predict international political behavior primarily in terms of geographical variables 
d)  the impact of geography on politics, but its usage has evolved over the past century to encompass wider connotations
e)  all of the above (this is the correct answer!)

back in the saddle

Okay, the three-day weekend is behind us.  Section 01 met today and reviewed the last test.  We had an awesome shadow named Joseph who drew me as a superhero.  (I like that kid.)  And I announced that the next test will not be Friday, as originally planned.  We need a little more time to cover this Geopolitics unit.  The test will probably be Monday - stay tuned for news.

Welcome to the second quarter!