Friday, May 1, 2009

Today's schedule is A-B-Lunch-C-D

A - Social Studies 11 - Today with Mr. Lux you will begin the class with current events. Remember that you will be responsible for bringing a news item to class and each day we'll have five students share. After you'll be looking at the technology developed throughout World War Two and we'll see the apparatus of death that the Nazi's created to carry out their "Final Solution" to the "Jewish problem" in Europe. You'll then watch the movie "The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas" dealing with two boys Bruno and Shmul and a relationship forged between them through the fence of a Nazi concentration Camp.

B- Social Studies 10 - To start the class with Mr. Lux today we'll begin with current events. Remember that you will be responsible for bringing a news item to class and each day we'll have five students share. You'll take some time to look at web sites like CBC, Globe and Mail, and Canoe which have news dedicated sections where you can find stories for current events. Next you'll wrap up the gold rush unit by connecting the 49ers of California with the Cariboo, the Kootenays, and the Klondike. You'll look at powerful characters like Begbie and Steele and you'll watch a youtube clip of the Cremation of Sam McGee...

There are strange things done 'neath the midnight sun
By the men who moil for gold;
The arctic trails have their secret tales
That would make your blood run cold;
The northern lights have seen queer sights,
But the queerest they ever did see;
Was that night on the marge of Lake Lebarge
that I cremated Sam McGee.

After this you'll hear some stories from the books of Pierre Berton and then you'll take a look at how the spirit of exploration and discovery led to the creation of British Columbia as a province in Canada.

C - Criminology 12 - Today we will discuss victims of crime and victimology. We'll look at the Holly Jones murder case in Toronto (2003) and try to find out what impact that would have on her family, her classmates at school, her neighbourhood, and really the entire greater Toronto metropolitan area. We'll have a few notes to take down on the problems of being crime victims (economic loss, system abuse, long term stress, fear, and antisocial behaviour). After we'll watch the Criminal Minds episode "Revelations" which is part two of the story involving Dr. Reid being abducted. I would like you to think of two things while watching the episode:

First pay attention to Tobias Hankel and his psychosis (fractured personality and Raphael - his fathers' persona) - Who is in control Tobias or his father? Why? What was the "trigger" for Tobias' psychotic break?

Next pay attention to Dr. Spencer Reid (the character is a genius who graduated from high school at 12 years old and holds PhDs in Mathematics, Chemistry and Engineering; BAs in Psychology and Sociology; and is working on a BA in philosophy). What do you think the short and long term impacts will be on this character as a result of being a victim of crime? Remember the character works for the Behavioral Analysis Unit at the Federal Bureau of Investigation. These people review crimes from both a behavioral and investigative perspective (reviewing and assessing the facts of a criminal act, interpreting offender behaviour, and interaction with the victim, as exhibited during the commission of the crime, or as displayed in the crime scene). So you can assume Dr. Reid has seen his fair share of nasty stuff but now he has become a direct victim.

Pau Hana Ohana!