Friday, September 30. 2011

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

B Block Geography 12 - Today we'll start by finishing the Tsunami video we started yesterday in class: America's Tsunami Are We Next?. You'll need to complete two questions this weekend along with today's activity on plate boundaries. When we finish the video you'll then work on a plate tectonic boundary map of the world. You will need coloured pencils to copy the plate map from your Geosystems text or if you're not here check out:
http://www.platetectonics.com
http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/geology/tectonics.html
http://www.cotf.edu/ete/modules/msese/earthsysflr/plates1.html
http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/dynamic/dynamic.html
http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/Glossary/PlateTectonics/Graphics/framework.html
Ensure that you use different colours for divergent, convergent, and transform boundaries. You'll need to name the plates and show the relative direction that they travel as well. HINT: Do NOT forget the Juan de Fuca plate!

A Block Criminology 12 - Today we will spend a few minutes reviewing our discussion of violence and psychopathy from yesterday. After I'll have you watch a Law & Order Criminal Intent episode "Jones" about a psychopathic killer. From Wapedia...

In this episode, Detective Goren and Eames are investigating the death of a pretty, petite woman found drowned in her bathtub.

The detectives go to work, turning down a more high-profile case because this one looks interesting. Suddenly, they find themselves awash when a second victim is another petite woman found naked and washed up on shore just days apart. Goren quickly deduces she, too, was drowned in a bathtub. But the case turns out even bigger as a third body is found, with similar body type and strangled but not drowned. Later, a fourth woman is killed.

The investigation leads Goren and Eames to an abusive, cocaine-addicted lawyer. The connection is that the women were his clients and he also was taking them for a significant amount of money to help feed his gambling addictions. The detectives dig into the case, knowing that he has one more unknown victim remaining on his list. Since Goren and Eames are unable to get help from his wife, they race in a desperate attempt to save the potential victim.

D Block Social Studies 11 - Yesterday we looked at the five major political parties, their platforms and tried to select a party that most represents your beliefs. today you'll start by working through questions 1, 2, and 4 on page 258 of the Counterpoints textbook. After we'll take a look at other ways of influencing government such as civil disobedience, mass media, pressure groups and lobbyists (if you're good we may watch an episode of Family Guy - episode 303 "Mr. Griffin Goes to Washington). You'll have to answer the following questions:

1. What is a pressure group? What is a lobbyist? How do they influence government?
2. What is the role of the media in the political process (think news, reporting, campaigns, and advertising)?
3. What is civil disobedience? What are the three "guidelines" for practicing civil disobedience?

C Block Law 9/10 - Today we will continue our look at crime scene investigation. We will look at the basic stages of a search, documenting evidence, and examples of what is included in a crime scene investigator's toolkit. After this, we will watch the CSI episode "Burden of Proof" (Season 2 Episode 215). This leads us into your "Clue Us In" crime scene reconstruction project next week. On Monday I'll give you the criteria/outline for the project and then we'll be in the library from Tuesday through Thursday to work on it.

Pau Hana Ohana

Thursday, September 29. 2011

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

Because it is Terry Fox day here at Vanier the schedule for the day is altered. It looks like this:
D 9:05-9:55
C 10:00-10:50
Assembly/Run/Lunch 10:55-1:15
A 1:20-2:15
B 2:20-3:15

D Block Social Studies 11 - Yesterday we got caught up in a discussion about economics, politics and recent US & Canadian history...no big deal as it was a good conversation. Today we'll get back on track by looking at the five major political parties and their platforms. I'll have you look through the platforms and try to select a party that most represents your beliefs. You'll need to explain why you would choose that party if you were eligible to vote today. After I'll have you work through questions 1, 2, and 4 on page 258 of the Counterpoints textbook.




C Block Law 9/10 - Today we will continue our look at crime scene investigation. We will look at examining a dead body and review the scientists in the forensic crime lab. Tomorrow, you'll get a photocopied handout of your "Clue Us In" crime scene reconstruction/investigation assignment that you'll have time to work on in the library next week.

Don't forget that this Friday your poster is due (Serial Killer profiling analysis). If you are interested in playing crime scene investigation on line go to: Rice University's CSI: The Experience Web Adventure
We'll work on Rookie Training together next week.

B Block Geography 12 - Yesterday we looked at earthquakes and the seismic gap concept (focusing on Izmit Turkey in 1999). Today....Oh today we look at Tsunamis and the west coast of North America. We'll watch sections of the Discovery Channel documentary "America's Tsunami: Are we Next?" You will have two questions to work on tonight in your week four package:

1. How do Tsunami’s work? from p.11 &


2. Why can tsunamis cause such damage and devastation? What are some characteristics of the wave that factor into how much damage it could cause? How do coastal or shoreline features factor into the extent of damage? What role could a warning system play? How effective would a warning system be for the west coast of Vancouver Island? Why?

You can find more information at:
PBS documentary "The Wave that Shook the World"
PEP Tsunami Preparedness website

A Block Criminology 12 - Today we'll finish watching the Warner Brothers cartoons that we started yesterday in class and we'll wrap up our discussion with a few notes on the question: Where does violence come from? We'll look at personal traits, ineffective families, evolutionary factors, exposure to violence, cultural values, substance abuse, and firearm availability. After that we'll we'll discuss murder and homicide. We'll discuss the divisions of murder in Canada (1st and 2nd degree and manslaughter), the extent of murder in Canada, and murderous relations (acquaintance and stranger homicide). If there's time I'd like to talk about multiple homicides (mass and serial murder) and motives for killing other human beings.

Wednesday September 28. 2011

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

B Block Geography 12 - Today we shift our focus (pun intended) to earthquakes. We'll look at some video of the aftermath of the Izmit Turkey 1999 Mw7.4 earthquake along the North Anatolian fault. We'll also look at the Loma Prieta (San Fracisco) 1989 Mw6.9 earthquake along the San Andreas fault. We'll try to compare the two and then take some notes down about the three types of faults. After, you'll have a series of questions to complete from the Geosystems text (14, 15, 16, & 19 from p. 412). Check out the cool interactive activity at National Geographic Forces of Nature or the Today in Earthquake History at the USGS. For more information check out the Digital Geology webpage on earthquakes.



A Block Criminology 12 - Today we'll watch some Warner Brothers cartoons with all the glorious violence in them and we'll have a discussion about the acceptance of violence in our modern culture. While we watch the cartoons I want you to think about the implicit and implied messages that each cartoon sends to kids (rather than the explicit and obvious messages) and then we'll talk about what those messages do even if kids understand the difference between cartoon and real violence. We'll then complete our discussion with a few notes on the question: Where does violence come from? We'll look at personal traits, ineffective families, evolutionary factors, exposure to violence, cultural values, substance abuse, and firearm availability. Tomorrow, we'll try to make sense of homicide along with mass and serial murder.

D Block Social Studies 11 - Today we'll be looking at elections in Canada (including the 2011 Federal election held this past May) specifically focusing on political ideology and the parties that follow specific ideologies. A political ideology deals with goals (how society should work) and methods (how to reach the goals). We'll look at the major political parties in Canada: Liberal, Conservative, New Democratic, Green, and Bloc Quebecois. Well see what their platforms (goals and methods) were/are.


C Block Law 9/10 - Today we are going to finish up our crime map of the Comox Valley and understand geographic profiling and criminal hot spots, If we finish this activity then we'll start with our unit on crime scene procedures and we'll look at what the basic stages of a crime scene search are. The following are some great web pages to help understand the procedures:
Learning for Life Crime Scene Search study guide
U.S. Department of Justice Crime Scene Investigation guide
Criminal Profiling Crime Scene searches (FBI guidelines)

If you are interested in crime scene investigation as a career check out the BCIT courses (in Burnaby!) here

Tuesday, September 27. 2011

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

C Block Law 9/10 - Today we are going to start with your second quiz dealing with the topics we covered in Law 9/10 last week (mass & serial murder, profiling, and criminal pathology). Since we lost yesterday's class to the power outage we'll work on what we missed so... from yesterday's blog entry - After your quiz, we'll finish our look at profiling by examining Geographic profiling. I'll ask you to brainstorm a list of locations in the Comox Valley that you feel crime will be more prevalent in and you'll have to justify your reasoning. We'll work on a Comox Valley Crime Map from the Comox Valley CrimeStoppers website.

D Block Social Studies 11 - Since we lost yesterday afternoon's class to the power outage we'll need to focus a bit harder today. So, today we'll talk about the ways you can influence government, focusing on elections and voting. We'll look at representation by population, the first past the post system, and the concept of proportional representation. You'll need to work on 1, 2, 3, and 4 on page 253 along with 1 and 2 on page 258 of your Counterpoints textbook today. For help on why you should vote see:
Elections Canada Young Voters Site
Elections Canada Electoral System explanation
Compulsory voting in Australia explanation
Electoral Reform in BC First Past the Post or STV
About.com First Past the Post vs Proportional Representation
Historical record of Canadian Voter turnout
2011 Election Results CBC

A Block Criminology 12 - Today we will start with our Victimology quiz and then look at violent crime. We will focus on the roots of violent crime today. Where does violence come from (personal traits, ineffective families, evolutionary factors, exposure to violence, cultural values, substance abuse, and firearm availability)?

For homework tonight I would like you brainstorm a list of all the entertainment you can think of that is based in violence. Think of video games (HALO), television programs (CSI), books (30 Days of Night comics), movies (Saw), music (ONYX, Biggie, Megadeath, Anthrax, Slayer), sports (MMA, WWE), and other forms of entertainment. Take some time and scan through the TV channels this weekend (yep watch TV for homework). Can the roots of violence be traced back to youth? If so should we ban Warner Brothers cartoons? Is Bugs Bunny bad for kids? Comedy and violence are intermingled into a typical or formulaic narrative story.....Wile E. Coyote chases the Road Runner, Elmer Fudd chases Bugs Bunny, Sylvester chases Tweety Bird andthey inflict carnage on each other. The end is always the same....someone wins, someone loses, the loser is humiliated and we laugh at them (good clean wholesome fun). So tomorrow we'll watch some Warner Brothers cartoons with all the glorious violence in them and we'll have a discussion about the acceptance of violence in our modern culture. Think about the implicit and implied messages that each cartoon sends to kids.

An excellent source of information on violence in media and its link to aggression is the Media Awareness Network.
Check out Time Magazine for a good article on "Seeking the Roots of Violence".

B Block Geography 12 - For the first part of the class Mr. Claassen will take you to the library to work on your Graduation Transitions assignment. When that is finished and you're back in Geography, you'll work on your Day 14 assignment (define anticline & syncline, and work on questions 4 - 5 from page 412 in your Geosystems text). You will also have the opportunity to work on your Day 13 Juan de Fuca plate and Geothermal energy questions as well. For help with the geothermal energy check out:

USGS Other Energy Sources (Geothermal)

Canadian Geothermal Energy Association

US Energy Information Agency Energy Kids Geothermal

Monday, September 26. 2011

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

A Block Criminology 12 - Today your journal / blog entry is to post your response to Friday's question:

What are the short and long term impacts on victims of Crime? Use Harper in the Law & Order episode you watched today (Friday) and Chapter 3 pages 54-7 in Criminology: The Core textbook to help.

Next, I'd like you to find an article (news story) about a victim of crime and for that you should outline the impacts of the crime on them. Finally, using the two stories (one fictional and one real) explain what we should do to mitigate (soften the impact) the impacts of crime on victims (be realistic). Don't forget to find stories on crime in Canada check out the Canoe CNews crime archives.

B Block Geography 12 - Today in class you’ll look at tectonics and plate boundaries. You’ll have to take down a few notes on divergent, convergent, and transform plate boundaries along with hot spots and then you'll need to work on two questions on geothermal energy and the effects of the Juan de Fuca plate and ridge just off our shores.

For more on Plate Tectonics check out:

Earth Floor: Plate Tectonics
UCal Berkeley Plate Tectonics animated Gifs
NASA: Our Restless Planet animation library
Plate Tectonics Earth View
Plate Tectonics animations - University of Kentucky
UCAR - University of Michigan - Plate Tectonics
Essentials of Geology textbook Plate Tectonics animations

C Block Law 9/10 - Today we'll do a quick review for your second quiz (tomorrow) dealing with the topics we covered in Law 9/10 last week (mass & serial murder, profiling, and criminal pathology). After, we'll finish our look at profiling by examining Geographic profiling. I'll ask you to brainstorm a list of locations in the Comox Valley that you feel crime will be more prevalent in and you'll have to justify your reasoning. For more on Geographic profiling check out:

Mapping Crime by Keith Harris
Center for Geospatial Intelligence and Investigation
RCMP Geographic Profiling

Los Angeles Auto Theft hot spots 2003

D Block Social Studies 11 - Today we'll finish our government structure work. We've looked at the legislative and executive branches of government and I'll have you take down a chart comparing the structure of the federal and provincial/territorial governments. Today we'll talk about the ways you can influence government, focusing on elections and voting. We'll look at representation by population, the first past the post system, and the concept of proportional representation. You'll need to work on 1, 2, 3, and 4 on page 253 along with 1 and 2 on page 258 of your Counterpoints textbook today. For help on why you should vote see:
Elections Canada Young Voters Site
Elections Canada Electoral System explanation
Compulsory voting in Australia explanation
Electoral Reform in BC First Past the Post or STV
About.com First Past the Post vs Proportional Representation
Historical record of Canadian Voter turnout
2008 Election Results CBC