Wednesday, May 1. 2013

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

B Block Social Studies 11 - Yesterday we worked on the causes of the Great Depression and questions 1 a & b on page 79 of the Counterpoints text. Today we'll start by discussing the changes in the social fabric of Canadian society as a result of the Great Depression in the 1930's. You and a partner will work together on the Using Statistics in History questions 1 a, b, 3, and 4 from page 81 in the Counterpoints text. By doing this we will be able to see the impacts of the Great Depression on the Prairies in 1932 and 1933. We'll discuss your work and then we'll watch the Canada: A People's History episode Descent Into Chaos. After we'll focus on the political parties that emerged in reaction to the harsh economic and political climate of the time. We will look at the Union Nationale (Maurice Duplessis), the Social Credit Party (William "Bible Bill" Aberhart) and the Co-Operative Commonwealth Federation (J.S. Woodsworth). We'll even talk about the Canadian Nationalist Party (Joseph Farr) and the National Social Christian Party (Adrien Arcand) which were both unabashedly fascist (Arcand eventually became the leader of the National Unity Party). Lastly you'll need to work on questions 1 & 2 on page 89. Tomorrow we'll begin our look at the rise of dictators in the 20's & 30's.

D Block Criminology 12 - Today I'll start the class with a quick Power Point on crime trends in Canada which will help you with your blog entry from Monday and your question from class yesterday. The crime data indicate that rates have declined significantly in the past few years and are now far less than they were a decade ago. One of the major suspected causes for the crime rate drop is the age structure of society; the number of young males in Canada is lower than before and the data sources show relatively stable patterns in the crime rate. Ecological patterns show that crime varies by season and by urban versus rural environment, however there is evidence of gender patterns in the crime rate: Men commit more crime than women. Age is one of the largest influences on crime; young people commit more crime than the elderly (and there are fewer young people in society). Crime data show that people commit less crime as they age, but the significance and cause of this pattern are still not completely understood. Similarly, racial and class patterns appear in the crime rate. However, it is still unclear whether these are true differences or a function of discriminatory law enforcement. Today I'll have you work on two questions about crime trends...

C Block Social Studies 10 - Yesterday we discussed the explorers who established a British foothold in the Pacific Northwest (Cook, Vancouver, Mackenzie, Fraser and Thompson). After that we discussed the Oregon Territory and the boundary dispute that led to the 49th Parallel declared as the international border between Canada and the United States of America in 1846 (oh poor Point Roberts). Today I'll have you look at Fort Victoria (1843) as well as the establishment of Vancouver Island as a colony (1849). I'll have you work on the Douglas Treaties "Get to the Source" activity questions along with question 2 from the bottom of page 212 in the Horizons text. After this we'll look at the evolution of the two colonies (Vancouver Island and the mainland colony of British Columbia) up until they combined into one in 1866.