Mental Gymnastics!

My sociology teacher in high school refused to refer to quizzes and tests as such because she claimed the labels induced stress, so we referred to them as "mental gymnastics". So, hopefully you performed well on today's assessment - whatever you choose to call it. Perhaps a Leviathan? You'll find out next week what that is if you don't already (hey, AP Euro students!).

We're finally finished with Unit 4 - Global Interactions.  Sophomores, you've been hanging out in this Early Modern Age since April of your freshman year (Remember the Renaissance? Yeah, that was all still the same time period). We're getting ready to move into Unit 5 - Industrialization & Global Integration, otherwise known as the Modern Age.  Global Integration is just a fancy way of referring to Imperialism, or the Western exploitation of other parts of the world (sounds a lot like the Early Modern Age). We'll chill in the Modern Age until the end of January. To help give you some foundational knowledge over this time period, we've asked you to read pgs. 616-619 out of your WHAP textbook for Monday.

Tomorrow we're going to take a bit of a mental break, although some of you perfectionists might incur some anguish over tomorrow's activity, and do some arts and crafts.  Please try to bring your own scissors and glue sticks! I love arts and crafts.  Here is a link to some creative ideas for painting canvases.  Although, I don't really advocate for the destruction of innocent teddy bears. If anyone would like to make any of the things on the link for me, I'd be much appreciated.

Speaking of arts & crafts, it's almost Halloween and there's so much crafting and baking potential to be had. Toilet paper bats, popsicle pumpkins, and cotton ball ghosts!  Your teachers fully embrace your creative spirit and would just love it if you brought baked Halloween goods for us.  Like those spider cookies below.  Or any of the following. You're probably noticing that we like for you to make us things.  Usually of the edible variety.

BRING THESE FOR MAH BELLY.

So I've been cracking up at this comic for the last few days.  There's more here if you're interested.

For your TBT pleasure, and since today was orange out day, but was supposed to be pink out day, I present to you, nine-year old Ms. Siddiqui in her pinkest and orangest outfit. That's my great-uncle to the left.  He still thinks Bangladesh is called East Pakistan. Lols.

So much pink and orange.

And finally, I leave with you a clip from The Office.  Oh, Creed. 

- Warrior Princess Siddiqui

Pirates, slaves, and war, oh my!

Today you got to discuss, or in some cases debate (I'm looking at you, 5th period), the relationship between economic gain and the use of violence. Kenneth Pomeranz, the author of the excerpt you read from The World That Trade Created, wrote about "primitive accumulation", or the act of seizing property and labor from others, the use of European privateers, and the foundations of warfare. The book makes for an interesting read if you're into economic history.  It's hyperlinked above.  If you were absent in class today, check out the website for an alternative assignment for you. 

Unfortunately, slavery and human trafficking still exist today. The U.S. Department of Labor attempts to keep a running list of products created by forced or child labor to create awareness.

In more uplifting news, I was finally featured on a Buzzfeed article about teachers in Halloween costumes.  I'm #17.  LIFE GOALS MADE. I am the second member of my family to make it onto a Buzzfeed list this year.  My middle sister showed up on a list earlier this year about South Asian hair accessories. She's #11.  So all of this is making my baby sister feel incredibly left out. #fomo

QUIZ TOMORROW. Make sure you're up to speed with all of the economic and social history we've been studying this six-weeks.  In addition, you need to make sure you have a general understanding of the plots of Sundiata and The Monkey King.  We'll have tutorials after school today and before school tomorrow in the larger Humanities room. Just a friendly reminder to make sure you to get to tutorials on time, because the room tends to fill up fairly quickly in the mornings, and there's nothing quite like having to repeat the answer to a question that's already been asked 7,643 times before you arrived.  Hopefully you're not like this young lady pictured below.

So, Adele just recently released her latest single, Hello, and everyone went crazy.  In an interview this week, Adele cited the late Amy Winehouse as her source of inspiration.  If you're unfamiliar with the incredible sound of Amy, your life is just sad.

Adele's Hello

Amy's Back to Black

For my art fans, President Obama has been working hard to update the White House by replacing some older decorative pieces with the works of 20th century artists (many of whom we'll study next semester, such as Rothko and Rauschenberg). Here's a short read on the changes. 

Obama snazzing up the White House

And finally, I leave you with a fake yet moving election speech, by Jack Donaghy from 30 Rock.

- Warrior Princess Siddiqui

How far did the Chinese Muslim eunuch really go?

Today's 9th Current Event was about President Obama's intention to scale back on standardized testing.  While it can be argued that accountability holds a place in national classrooms, the debate centers around the amount of time dedicated to testing and the function of testing itself.  Should you as a student be defined by a test score? Do standardized tests measure the quality of education in a classroom?

Comparing one of Zheng He's treasure ships to the Santa Maria

Ma He, otherwise known as Zheng He, was a Hui Chinese explorer and "chief of staff" during the reign of the Yongle emperor of the Ming dynasty.  History confirms that he made his way around the Indian Ocean, trading for various spices, animals, such as giraffes and ostriches, and other luxury goods.  While his voyages make for an interesting read, the bigger take away is that the technological developments of the Early Modern Age allowed for sailors like Zheng He and Prince Henry the Navigator to explore their surroundings and fill in the blank spaces on the map of the world.

As we mentioned in yesterday's blog post and in class today, our quiz over Key Concepts 4.2 & 4.3 will remain on Thursday, despite the change in the football game schedule. We hope you were able to review a little in class with your peers.  We will have tutorials tomorrow after school and Thursday before school if you have any questions. Stick the last two pages of your Unit 4 study guide as a reference.  You'll be expected to demonstrate an understanding of global trade and its economic and social consequences during the Early Modern Age.

This month's SUPER (Siddiqui's Unbelievable and Prepossessing Eating Recommendation) is Poor Richard's Cafe in east Plano.  If you've ever been overwhelmed by the Cheesecake Factory menu, this place will completely blow your mind.  Chicken fried steak? Eggs? Pancakes? Waffles? Biscuits and gravy? A little of all of the above? I want to go to there.

Need some mental downtime? Here are some totally relatable and relevant Snaps:

And finally, some words of wisdom from Liz Lemon:

- Warrior Princess Siddiqui

A deluge of rice and tea

ATTENTION: Due to the scheduling change with the football game now on Wednesday rather than on Thursday, we are going to build in study time on TUESDAY for Thursday's quiz.  Please bring any review materials and/or questions with you. 

It started off as an ordinary Monday - the skies were still grey from the effects of hurricane Patricia passing through Mexico, and students stockpiled themselves into the Library early in the morning as they attempted to literally add last minute touches to their presentations.

Everyone in Dallas as they waited for the rain this weekend.

And then the other storm hit.  The food storm, that is.

Humanities teacher after Humanities teacher was assailed with cinnamon, cardamom, rice, hummus, quinoa, tea, and even wasabi (I broke my Don't cry in front of the students policy today).

Still don't know what the fox said, but now we know about the red panda.

We hope everyone felt good about the projects they turned in today.  The purpose was to assess your understanding of a particular Early Modern state as they came into contact with the Europeans.  We're about to move into a time period where the balance of power is going to shift heavily in favor of the Western states.

Many things are happening this week, so make sure you're staying on top of things.  Here's a quick rundown:

• Wednesday: Class discussion over the Economics of Violence
• Thursday: Quiz over 4.2 & 4.3
• Friday: Arts & Crafts Day! Please bring your own scissors and glue sticks...our stash was inadvertently misplaced. 

Also, your Humanities Experiences are due a week from today! Just a friendly reminder that we will still have two reading assignments due next week, so it might be a good idea to get an H.E. out of the way even if you don't need to right now. Below you'll find some suggestions for things to try:

• Cinemark West Plano - The Met Opera's performance of Tanhauser by Wagner on this Saturday, October 31st at 11:00 am.
• SMU Meadows Museum - Check out Diego Velasquez's portrait of the infanta Margarita (also featured in his work, Las Meninas)
• UTD - The Best of Broadway VIII: Lights, Camera, Action! free musical performance on this Saturday, October 31st from 8:00 to 10:00 pm. 

And since we didn't get the flood that we were predicted to have - I give you one of my favorite music videos from the 90's by Blind Melon - No Rain. And you all now have a Halloween costume idea.  You're welcome. 

- Warrior Princess Siddiqui

the third eye is always the creepiest eye

Humanitarians,

Today we discussed The Monkey King, one of China's founding epics. I hope you enjoyed the trailer for the film as much as we did. Have any of you seen it? Was it as epic as it looked? We know you didn't finish the assignment that went along with our discussion, but there will be time later next week to finish it, so don't lose it!

Tomorrow, instead of looking at Asian Art (don't worry, we will come back to it!), we are giving you a work day for your Explorer's Expo. USE IT WISELY!



When's it due....???? I KNOW YOU KNOW. The answer is Monday! Be ready to go when class starts. Also, if you are cooking, please wait until Sunday to make the food. Teachers have real bad insurance, so we can't afford to die from your food. :)

Wednesday, you should have the Economics of Violence reading completed. Be prepared to discuss!!

Tomorrow is also Group Picture Day, i.e. the 9th circle of hell. Let me give you some etiquette for group picture day:

1. only come for groups you are in
2. come quickly!
3. sit. down.
4. making faces will cause me to rage, kicking you out of the picture
5. say something nice :)

This day in history time? I think yes. 

• 1836: Sam Houston was inagurated as the first president of the Republic of Texas



was he this tall irl?!

• 1954: West Germany joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
• 1973: Spanish cellist, conductor, and composer Pablo Casals died in Puerto Rico. 

• 1979: Muhammad Reza Shah Pahlevi, the deposed Shah of Iran, was allowed into the United States for medical treatment and the US refused to return him to Iran; this action led to the Iran hostage crisis. Which of course, led to the Ben Affleck movie, Argo. Fun fact, the Canadian ambassador, Ken Taylor, who helped some US workers escape (in the movie! and in real life) just recently passed away. There was an interesting NPR article about him that you can read here. 

Also, totally unrelated, these George Washington memes are totally making me lol.

Finally in honor of TBT, here are some super cute pictures of me as a kid. Check those bangs!

Have a wonderful Thursday! Cuddle up in the rain with a good book, or with the Economics of Violence excerpt!

- cbg

"cars haven't been made out of steel for decades"

Humanitarians,

I learned today that you do not know much about industry. This is ok, I guess, but it is also important to know where things you enjoy on a daily/weekly basis come from.

• How Cars are Made
• How natural gas is produced
• Modern Coal Mining in West Virginia

Also, I feel that 1st period did not believe me in America's love of the farmer. In my corner, I offer the following as evidence:

Today we answered questions over China/Japan during the Early Modern Age. Make sure you understand concepts like Neo-Confucianism, daimyos, foot-binding, Edo, and the cultural changes that are happening in both thanks to world-wide trade and travel. I find foot-binding especially interesting. China during this time is clearly a patriarchal society; footbinding, as the book explained, made it impossible for women to work or be self-sufficient (as well as permanently disabling them). During the Mao's Communist Revolution, one of the social groups that he was very successful in wooing to the cause was women, who in communism were promised an amount of equality that hadn't been seen. So in some ways footbinding led directly to Communism!

foot binding how to and picture. 

After this, we discussed the intensification of peasant labor in Asia, specifically China and India. The manufacturing of silk and cotton, for sale on what was now a world market, meant increased wealth for these areas, but also the need for cheap labor, which the poorest often filled. 

Make sure when we are talking about all of these things you are making connections! Does Edo sound like Versailles? Can you compare the peasant labor to the mita system or the encomienda system? How do both Spain and China change thanks to the influx of silver? How does Asia respond to Catholic Jesuit missionaries compared with how Native Americans respond to these same people? These kinds of questions are ones we love for exams, as does the college board. 

For tomorrow, please have read The Monkey King. 

this monkey king?

Things coming up next week:

Monday - Explorer's Expo DUE!

Wednesday - Economics of Violence reading due; be prepared for a graded discussion!!!

Thursday - Quiz!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If you haven't been doing your reading....shame on you, but also read yo, read.

That's it for class, now on to more interesting things...

This day in history: 

• 1805: Admiral Horatio Nelson died in the Battle of Trafalgar. Interestingly, Mr. Garafola and I went to the cemetary for the Battle of Trafalgar on our honeymoon. It is in Gibralter. 



look, there I am 

• 

  Gibralter also has these cute monkeys from Africa, but they steal stuff.

• 1879: Thomas Edison invented a workable incandescent electric lamp.

• 1959: The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum of modern and contemporary art, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright opened to the public in New York City.
• 1989: Marty McFly is asked by his good friend, Doc Brown, to go into the future to save his family from ruin. 

Happy Back to the Future Day!!!

Some trivia: 

• Apparently Ronald Reagan was amused by Doc Brown's disbelief that an actor like him could become president, so much so that he had the projectionist stop and replay the scene. He also seemed to enjoy it so much that he even made a direct reference of the film in his 1986 State of the Union address: "As they said in the film "Back to the Future", 'Where we're going, we don't need roads.'"
• When Marty is being judged at the band auditions at the beginning, the judge who stands up to say he is "just too darn loud" is Huey Lewis, whose songs, "The Power of Love" and "Back in Time" are featured on the movie's soundtrack, and also wrote Marty's audition song (which is a re-orchestrated version of "The Power of Love.")

• Sticker on Doc's rear truck: One nuclear bomb can ruin your whole day.
• Marty McFly mimics famous rock stars during the later part of his performance at the school dance, when he starts playing heavy metal. His kicking of speakers (The Who), playing the guitar while lying down (Angus Young of AC/DC), hopping across the stage with one leg kicked up (Chuck Berry) and his solo (Jimi Hendrix/Edward Van Halen).

Finally, go here to find out which Back to the Future character you are!

Happy Wednesday, halfway through the week already!

- cbg

Nants ingonyama bagithi Baba

Humanitarians,

I hope you now have "Circle of Life" stuck in your head. You're welcome.

Side conversation. Much of the music for The Lion King was written/performed by Elton John. Earlier this semester in Euro, I found out that many of you DON'T KNOW WHO ELTON JOHN IS. I can't. I MEAN SIR ELTON JOHN IS A LEGEND. So listen to some tunes below:

Ok back to the regular conversation.

Today in class, we discussed Sundiata, the African founding epic. Hopefully you understand both the story and the importance of the griot. In case you didn't get to watch it in your class, here is a modern day African griot doing his thing:

Remember, even though sometimes, especially when it comes from the lit book, the lit things we do in class seem more fun and easier to understand, they are still test-able, so ask questions if you don't get something!!

The rest of the week, the fun continues. Tomorrow, you have some WHAP pages on Asia due and on Thursday you need to have read The Monkey King (on the site!), one of China's founding epics.

Monday your explorer's expo IS DUE. Don't not do it, the repercussions will be many.

I don't have any articles Stanton hasn't deemed CE worthy to post today, but I do have two very exciting announcements:

1. Star Wars tickets went on sale yesterday! In case you don't know, Mr. Garafola is a die-hard Star Wars fan; we have many framed posters and several copies of the entire series at our house. We will be attending a showing right after school on Friday - when are you going?

i will be dressing up for this. 

2. Gilmore Girls is being revived by Netflix!!! Guys, this was like my youth. Rory Gilmore is only two years older than me, so I only figured out how to do high school/college because of her. I was devastated when the show ended without many things being resolved, BUT NOW IT WILL BE. GLORIOUS DAY! If you've never seen this show, the entire thing is on Netflix. Watch it, watch it all. 

Me. For real. 

lol

Finally, some this day in history:

• 1803: The Senate ratified the Louisiana Purchase and we were all able to enjoy Cajun food and Zydeco music

• 1803: The Senate ratified the Louisiana Purchase and we were all able to enjoy Cajun food and Zydeco music.
• 1944: General MacArthur returned to the Philippines, 30 months after he said "I shall return."

what a ba.

• 2011: Col. Muammar el_Qaddafi is killed by rebel troops in Surt, Libya, his hometown. This is part of the reason Libya is how it is today and why so many smugglers can work out of the country bringing refugees into Europe. 
• 2015: minus 1 day. Totally hot Justin Trudeau is elected Prime Minister of Canada. Meet our new neighbor to the north, he is kind of a babe:

Hope you had a little less stressful Tuesday, what with that DBQ behind you!

- cbg

Peace and Quiet, with the faintest trace of tears

                                                

Good Afternoon Humanitarians,

Whelp, you did it. DBQ is over and done with and all is left to the grading gods (us). Please please don't anger said gods by asking repeatedly if your essay is graded. It's graded when there is a grade in the gradebook (unless I resort to grade darts, in which case you get what you get). Hopefully you feel a tiny bit better than Frodo (also, side conversation, I've never seen this movie so I definitely had to look it up to make sure that was this guy's name):

Not a lot to say then, in the what we did in class today department. If you missed your DBQ, for choir or strep or laziness or whatever, please make sure you make it up ASAP! These take a while to grade so the longer we have it, the better!

Tomorrow, you have a x2 CE. As usual, Stanton did not take any of mine. I submit to you things I thought that you may enjoy reading, installment 2:

• Book About Rosemary Kennedy
• One about the Supreme Court Justices
• Pop Music + Shakespeare

Tomorrow, you also have Sundiata due. Embrace this experience to actually read out of the lit book. Also, it should remind you of something....

                                        

Then on Wednesday, some reading out of your WHAP book! Asia! 

Finally, don't forget that in exactly one week from today your Explorer's Expo is due. We are prepared to be amazed. 

In closing, here is some stuff that happened today in history:

• 1781: British Cornwallis surrendered to Washington at Yorktown, ending the last major battle of the American Revolution

                                 

• 1812: French troops under Bonaparte began their retreat from Moscow.
• 1960: The US imposes a partial embargo on goods exported to Cuba. Keep your eye on this; President Obama would like to end the embargo with Cuba, but only Congress has the power to do so.

Look for Raul Castro at the opening of Star Wars, I guess

Hope you had an excellent Monday!

- cbg

Guinea pigs for all

Man, the European explorers were awful people in the Early Modern Age. All of our African Slave Trade and Latin American social hierarchy discussion is making this blonde mad. Good thing it's the weekend, and we're heading into a low of FIFTY FIVE degrees. People, fall is here, and it's about time. You have a couple of readings due next week, so why not go read outside?

Look how productive this girl is with her maps. She's probably in Roelof's class.

In class today you also read an article about voodoo, which can come with a lot of misconceptions, mostly because of Hollywood. Voodoo is one of many examples we've been discussing of European culture blending with American and African cultures during this time period, as it mixes Catholic religious traditions with African and Native American spiritual practices. Voodoo is often misconstrued because of its roots in African slave culture, which was widely misunderstood during this time. Also, after today's lecture, I feel many of you haven't seen The Princess and the Frog. Fix that.

I bet you didn't hear that Taylor Swift is coming this weekend...oh wait, EVERY radio station is having contests to win tickets to her concert (I'm not jealous or anything, obviously). Here's a discussion of potential celebrity sightings we might see Ms. Swift bring out this weekend on her 1989 tour. Personally, I vote Beyonce.

Taylor, you are all of us.

Have the most wonderful weekend, friends! See you on Monday for the DBQ, which you're gonna rock! (Seriously. You're ready).

Siri, take me to India!

Today in class, we sped through the Latin Americas, and basically, white people ruin everything. Just kidding. But kind of not kidding in this situation. We'll finish up the rest of the PPT tomorrow, but keep in mind how some of our bigger course themes such as imperial expansion (of Spain and Portugal in this case) and exchanging of goods and cultures play out in the Americas. Unfortunately, this is not the last time we'll discuss the atrocious mistreatment of a group of people...tomorrow we're heading into your Ch. 25 reading and spending some time discussing the African slave trade and Voodoo!

 JCrew, your thoughts?

 Preach it, girl with awkward hand posture. Preach.

Today's lecture made me very sad, so let's spread some positivity. Sometimes it makes someone's day if you recognize something awesome about them. Remind your people how incredible you think they are, and if you're needing a little inspiration, look no further than our friend Joe Biden!

Lastly, out in the artsy world of the DFW are many possibilities for Humanities Experiences. Here are just a couple cool opportunities to keep your eye out for!

• Dracula as a ballet?! Who would've thought? This is in Lewisville if you want to check it out!
• Love poetry and music? Check out the Rhythm of Pen and Brush event. 
• Tonight you can go to Hamlet with Benedict Cumberbatch or Dial M for Murder at the Angelika in Plano! 

Because it's TBT, I'll leave you with a Virdin family photo (also featuring Mrs. Paddington, aka my mother, and my brother in the maroon hat. If you're wondering how I turned out blonde, so am I).

Insert Witty Title Here

Humanitarians-

I hope your brain isn't too fried after today. On the bright side, only TWO more days till the weekend! You can do it. Here are some links if you need a mental brain break.

• Watch this 8 year old boy challenge Usain Bolt, the Olympic runner, to a race. Presh.
• Cheetah cub and puppy friendship! 
• Go to Antarctica. 
• Pull a prank on your sibling with inspiration from Jim Halpert. 
• Plan your next hike (get outside, it's good for you). Plus then you can look at stuff like this-

Tomorrow we will return back to our old friend Bentley and discuss Latin America during the Early Modern Age. If you wish, go to the website and print out the class PPT for tomorrow to take notes on (there's a lot). We will also be answering questions over your Ch. 25 reading and CE'ing it up.

Did anyone watch the first Democratic debate last night? There was much flurry on the interweb today about different statements made during the debate (typical). In case you missed it, here were some notable moments from the first of many debates we will be seeing as the political season heats up.

Have a wonderful (and I hope relaxing) rest of your Wednesday. Now go read Ch. 25!

It is finished.

You survived your first DBQ; I hope you already feel more cool, confident and capable, like this kid:

Go celebrate the completion of your first essay of the year by eating some cookie butter or by binge-watching all the episodes of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt on Netflix (Tina Fey writes it...so you know it's genius)...or by preparing to take the PSAT/COGAT tomorrow! YAY! (If I type in all caps, maybe it'll make testing sound more exciting? No? Well, I tried). Your teachers should have posted the room assignments in their rooms, but they are also posted in the halls so you know where to go tomorrow.

Because of lovely standardized testing, tomorrow's classes will be shorter, and we are having a Humanities study hall. On Thursday, we'll be back to normal, which is when Chapter 25 is due, so make sure and keep on keepin' on in your black Bentley book. Additionally, don't forget to meet up with your people for the Explorer's Expo. Take the word of someone with years of experience in procrastination; I promise October 26 feels really far away, but it will be here sooner than you think.

                       

Mr. Stanton mentioned a couple of weeks back about an exciting HE opportunity called Aurora in Dallas this weekend. If you were (like me) thoroughly confused as to what he was describing, here's the link- http://dallasaurora.com/. The city apparently gets turned into a living art exhibit. To be honest, after looking at the website, I'm still a little baffled as to what is actually going on, but it looks rad. Check it out if you feel like being artsy cool this weekend. It's also free, and we could all use a little more free stuff in our lives.

You guys rock. Have a fabulous Tuesday.

If there's two things I can't stand it's people who are intolerant of other cultures and... the Dutch!

Some sharply dressed VOC officials from back in the day.
Okay, who votes that Garafola, Siddiqui and Virdin dress this way for Halloween? 

You know, for people known for growing tulips, eating a whole lot of chocolate and wearing wooden shoes, the Dutch could really be epic jerks. Trying to ethnically cleanse an entire race so that we all have something to sprinkle on egg nog? Not cool man... not cool.

We spent some time in class today talking about how the Dutch were able to dominate international trade in the 17th century. I know John Green threw around a lot of information, but focus on the key ideas:

1. The Dutch were able to get ahead of the game by monopolizing the trade of crucial spices that were in high demand. They didn't worry about nuisances like free markets and competition. 

2. They were able to do this through some excellent business choices and quite a bit of out and out violence. Not only did they subjugate the native people in Indonesia, they attacked competing trade posts run by the British and Portuguese. 

3. Despite the fact that they did eventually fall from dominating the world of trade, they, in essence, laid out a nice blueprint that others would follow. You need a big chunk of capital from your home government, very little oversight from that very government, and a cutthroat (literally) business sense. 

Let's watch the British, Spanish, and Portuguese take these ideas and run with them. 

We also got some great song rewrites in class today. Be sure to ask your teacher to share some of his/her favorites. 

We also had some good conversation around the subject of commodities history. Again, this is the study of history through things (natural resources, products, food, etc.) instead of people and dates and stuff. This is a really fascinating way to look at history. Plus, it's just fun to find out wear the food you eat, the stuff you wear, and things like that come from. An ugly side effect is that it made me super hungry all day. I MUST PUT THE CHEESE FRIES IN MY BELLY!

A quick reminder that we are writing our first DBQ on Tuesday in class. We have put quite a few resources online for you. Use them as you see fit. 

Preach on Brother John... preach on...

We hope that you enjoy your three day weekend. Spend some time getting a few things done (like WHAP reading), but be sure you also spend some time relaxing and having this thing other people call "fun". 

To wrap up our celebration of the ACL Festival, I leave with our final artist of the week. 

Here's your soundtrack for Friday: 

Self-reflection surveys and synthesis make for an interesting Thursday

As I write this the Texas Rangers are leading the Toronto Blue Jays in the first game of their playoff series. I wonder how it will turn out... I've never been much of a baseball guy myself, but you do have to pull for the home team, eh? Go Rangers!?

Oh Dwight... you always know what's in my heart.

Sophomores, based on the expressions on your faces while you answered those survey questions, you were taking the questions seriously. Good for you! We (teachers) had to take a version of the same survey. I thought it was pretty darn thought provoking. We'll see if anyone actually does anything with the information they get from it. (whoever "they" are)  ILLUMINATI

Next Tuesday is DBQ day! If you're concerned, just change the first letter to "B" and everything is fine. No one is scared of BBQ day. Unless you're a vegetarian, but that's your fault. 

We have posted a veritable cornucopia of resources on the website for you to use to prepare for the DBQ. Amongst the many items there, we put the Colombian Exchange DBQ up along with a sample outline that Mrs. Garafola so graciously put together so you can see how it's done. Take a look and see what helps you. Again, you are a better writer than you realize. Just try not to freak out. 

A couple of reminders - put on your whappy pants because you've got ch. 25 due next Thursday, Oct. 15. In addition, don't let that Explorer's Expo creep up on you. October 26 will be here sooner than you'd like. 

As we wind down our exploration of ACL Festival artists, here is some new music for you. I highly recommend this gentleman's music when you just need to chill out. 
Here's your musical soundtrack for an unseasonably warm Thursday: 

HIPPOS and Rubrics and DBQ's... oh my!

Speak the truth Brick Tamland!

Wooo Mama! Is your head spinning now? Especially you 9th graders... I imagine you're feeling a little overwhelmed. As I told the classes I worked with today; IT'S GONNA BE OKAY. 

Sophomores, you've worked on these essays for over a year now; you know this better than you realize. 

Freshmen, we have until May of 2017 to make sure you feel good about your abilities on this essay. That's a long time! 

Some points to remember no which of the DBQ formats you're working with:

1. Writing is about THINKING; no matter the subject or style. It is a way for you to demonstrate to your reader your thoughts on a chosen topic. If you approach your essay this way, most of the heavy lifting is done before the pen even hits the paper. Ideas first; words later

2. Don't worry so much about format right now (especially 9th graders). Focus on insightful interpretations of documents, in depth angles to approach prompts, unique ways to express your ideas. We'll get all the right "stuff" in the right places in plenty of time. 

3. These essays are built from the bottom up. You get points when you do well. You DO NOT lose points if you mess up. 

4. 9th graders, given everything, this probably won't go too well your first time writing a DBQ. We keep this in mind as we grade and, most importantly, it gives us a good starting point to build your confidence and abilities with AP writing. Sophomores, this might be a bit of a stumble for you as well. Again, you're better at this than you realize, and you'll be ready to go by May. We assure you!

Tomorrow, we'll be apart again. (I know. Don't be too brokenhearted)
9th graders will continue our lesson on the DBQ; 10th graders are going to a computer lab to take an online survey. Don't forget your CE for tomorrow.

Here's your next ACL artist for our celebration week. A personal favorite to say the least...
Your musical soundtrack for a Wednesday:

How do you like your trade? Well... triangular, of course!

So it was all about international trade in class today! I love it when everything comes together. Today's CE article was made possible by the very ideas that we are studying in our current unit. SO TEACHER EXCITED!

As we mentioned in class, the Columbian Exchange is one of the most pivotal events we'll study. Its impact can be seen in so many different ways - economics (obviously), socially (Latin America alone will develop a completely new social hierarchy due to the Exchange), religiously (how do you think South America ended up with the highest concentration of Catholics on the planet), biologically (pumpkins to Europe - coffee to the Americas - disease for everyone!), culturally (pick your musical genre - reggae, jazz, blues, hip-hop). In so many ways, our modern multicultural world is forged, in good ways and bad, through this time period. Plus, you know... COFFEE. 

THAT'S AN IMPRESSIVE LIST OF DISEASES. WELL DONE EUROPE!

Tomorrow we're going to leap into the warm, comforting waters of AP writing. Feel the relaxation. We're starting with everyone's favorite - the DBQ (document based question). Ninth graders, don't forget to print off a copy of the DBQ materials from the website for class tomorrow. In addition, everyone has a WHAP reading due on Thursday... sorta.

More sweet, sweet sounds from an artist performing at the ACL Festival this weekend. 

Here's your musical soundtrack for Tuesday: 

Sailing, sailing over the ocean blue...

Oh yeah! It's on like Donkey Kong now. Europeans fixin' to get up in erybody's face...

So, how'd your reading check go? That well? Well, good for you. I hope you didn't insult your teacher with some horribly mistaken guess at her/his age on your bonus question. I'm sure that won't have any consequences.

Today in class we answered some questions over ch. 22 in your WHAP book and then took a little reading checky-poo over that same reading. It was only five questions, so not a lot of margin for error. Thrilling wasn't it? After that, we assigned your Explorer's Expo Project. They're all interesting, but we hope you ended up with a region you're happy with for your presentation. Be sure to talk to your teacher as questions arise or problems come up. You don't want to start down a path to project heartbreak because you didn't ask for a little clarification.

As you hopefully gleaned from your last two reading assignments, we are well into the period of European expansion. We interacting here y'all! Personally, I love this period in history because I feel like so many of our contemporary problems and entanglements get their start right here. Getting out in the world and meeting new people is fun and rewarding, but it can get a bit messy at times. Be sure to notice modern day relationships that begin in this period we're studying. Good stuff.

In honor of the fact that this is the week between the two weekends of the Austin City Limits Music Festival, I think we'll spend some time this week getting to know some of the artists playing down south at the festival. First up, someone from our own backyard of Ft. Worth.
Here's your musical soundtrack for a Monday:

Hurricanes, pirates, and plagues, oh my!

Flashback Friday!! In celebration, here is a compilation of cartoon theme songs from the 80's and 90's (this is legit my whole childhood...except it's missing Gargoyles...amiright, sophomores?).

Today in class we discussed test-taking strategies and reviewed some frequently missed questions from our last quiz.  Remember, if you would like to discuss your quiz with your teacher, please set up a time with them to do so.

In class we got to see your varying degrees of success with international trade.  You might have left class wondering what in the heck cochineal is, why we need so many paintings, or what a Hoppo is? As someone in one of my classes said, "everyone keeps taking all of our money". If you finish Chapter 22 quickly (lol wut), then try to game on your own and see how you do. 

"Now the whole country is unified, everywhere there is peace and quiet, Manchu-Han relations are fully integrated so I command you to go abroad and trade to show the populous and affluent nature of our rule.  By imperial decree I open the seas to trade." 

- Kangxi, Qing emperor

Canton ca. 17th c.

The end goal for the European explorers and traders was Asia.  While the English, French, Dutch, Spanish, and Portuguese benefited immensely from overseas trade, the people of Asia also saw this as a lucrative opportunity.  During this time period, Canton was designated as the center of all international trade during the Qing dynasty in China. This was the go to destination for Western states (literally...foreigners weren't allowed anywhere else in China) to acquire paper, porcelain, silk, paper, and all other luxury goods. Eventually the Chinese started manufacturing goods specifically for Western buyers (something we'll get into later this unit). The nerdy history teacher in me loves reading up on the Canton trading system.

Need a break this weekend? Try out some of the following websites:

• Watch a pug lick your computer screen.
• Create your own Jackson Pollock!
• Like baby ducks? Watch a compilation of videos here. 
• Watch this Ted Talk on finding a job you love. 
• Find out if you're a nerd with this Buzzfeed quiz (sadly, I am not).

I leave you with some Harry Potter lols. 

Have a wonderful weekend, enjoy the weather, but you know...WHAP reading too. 

- Warrior Princess Siddiqui