Friday, February 10, 2012

Friday, February 10. 2012

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

A Block Social Studies 11 - Today with Ms. Krahn you'll be looking at the ways we can influence government in Canada. First, a reminder that the questions about the Senate are due today.

In class, we’ll be looking at the different ways we can influence our government. Yesterday we covered how voting and joining a political party are ways to express our political opinions, and today we’ll discuss how individuals and groups use civil disobedience, protest, and lobbying as a means to influencing change in government.

After this, you’ll be working in small groups to make a convincing argument on an issue. I’ll play another Rick Mercer rant as an example, since he works on making convincing arguments in these quick clips: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJajpU_boTE

I’ll also introduce your unit final project, which is to create a pamphlet that supports your side of a controversial Canadian political issue that you would like to see reformed or changed. Here’s a copy of the handout you will receive in class: http://www.box.com/s/hy58hzidkiirl6shvs31

Other stuff: Here’s a fantastic interview on the Bill Moyers show about how political divisions have become so entrenched in rhetorical morality that we’re losing the ability to come together and have an intelligent conversation about differing points of view. Moyers and his guest Jonathan Haid are discussing American politics, but we can still draw similarities to our own political system. Interesting stuff. http://billmoyers.com/episode/how-do-conservatives-and-liberals-see-the-world/

B Block Law 12 - Today we'll start by reviewing the three sections of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms that limit your individual rights (Reasonable Limits, Notwithstanding Clause and Where the Charter Applies). After this we'll look at the R. v. Oakes (1986) case which established the "Oakes Test" in Canadian law which allows reasonable limitations on rights and freedoms through legislation if it can be demonstrably justified in a free and democratic society. When we finish this we'll watch an episode of Law & Order from season 9 (episode 1) called "Cherished". From tv.com:

After a baby girl is found dead, Briscoe and Curtis investigate the family and learn that her adopted family and brother were trying to keep some painful secrets. Jack gets a new partner, Abbie Carmichael, who had a 95% percent success rate in her four years with Special Narcotics. Together McCoy and Carmichael try to prove that the little girl's brother committed the crime

The episode deals with some pretty heavy stuff (child abandonment and fraud) and to see a real life example check out the Pravda news article here. The real life case surrounds a couple who adopted a child from a Russian orphanage and a decision was handed down in the case in 2008. From the Salt Lake Tribune:

A Tooele Utah mother who admitted to killing a 14-month-old boy she and her husband adopted from Russia was sentenced Friday to prison for up to 15 years. Kimberly K. Emelyantsev, 34, who had pleaded guilty to second-degree felony child-abuse homicide in the death of Nicoli Emelyantsev, offered a tearful apology in 3rd District Court.
C Block Geography 12 - Today we'll finish our work on the Prince Rupert topographic map from the Canadian Landscape (pages 20 - 23). Yesterday we worked on questions 1, 2, 3, 4 a & b, and today I need you to work on questions 5, 7 a,b,d & e, and 9 a & b. Use Google Earth or Google Maps to help you with this assignment and if you have a problem or question you should ask me in class today, post a comment on this blog entry or e-mail me at my school address. The map assignment is due next Monday and today I'd like you to hand in the Week 2 package.

Pau Hana.

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