Wednesday, February 27. 2013

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

B Block Social Studies 11 - Today we'll quickly go through the political parties in Canada and their 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. After this, we'll go to the library to begin work on our Elections Project...

Your job is to form a group of like-minded people who will be a new political party. As a group you will work together to build a party image, platform, speeches, campaigning materials, and run for election. This project is worth 50 marks (including group participation, campaign materials, and winning the election). Consider the following as the elections laws:

Each group must:

1. have three people 
2. make a party name 
3. make a party slogan, a logo, and craft a media brand

Work together to build a party platform that shows your beliefs and tells citizens why they should vote for you. This includes what you stand for in terms of:

• social issues (health, welfare, education, class,human rights)
• economic issues (trade, business, taxes, employment, spending)
• legal issues (law & order, crime, changes to existing laws, amendments)
• changes you want to make for what reason?
• other issues (take on controversial topics and make a stand! environmental? procedural? gun laws? abortion? capital punishment? discrimination? terrorism?)

CAMPAIGN MATERIALS: Your platform must be presented in paper and/or digital form (preferably printed pamphlets, business cards, flyers, direct mail (AKA junk mail) campaigns, but other media applications are also acceptable commercials on television, radio, or pop-up ads, social media campaigns, etc.). Having a talented artists or media guru might be helpful for this.

The campaign period for the purposes of this election will be from Monday, March 4^th until the official day of voting (Friday, March 8^th). Campaign materials must not appear before the start date and will be removed after voting. Campaign materials must be limited to the local environs not exceeding the riding (room 611). Each group must prepare for and participate in a formal campaign debate (modified style- give your speech & answer questions) for fellow classmates and surprise guests. Electing a well-spoken leader might be helpful for this.

ELECTION DAY is Friday, March 8^th. There is no advance poll or absentee ballot. First past the post wins. There is no proportional representation.

Use Apathy is Boring to help you with political ideology for your newly created political party.

A Block Law 9/10 - Today we'll start with our first quiz in Law. Your first order of business is to relax and dazzle me with what you know. After we'll revisit your brainstormed list of locations in the Comox Valley that you feel crime will be more prevalent along with your justifications that demonstrate your reasoning. Finally, we'll work on a Geographic Profiling Comox Valley Crime Map from the Comox Valley CrimeStoppers website.

C Block Social Studies 10 - Today we'll look at the cultural landscape of Canada along with the First Nations peoples that existed on the land before the European settlers arrived in Canada. We'll focus on how the land shaped Aboriginal society in Canada and see the influences of the land on the way people lived. There are six major cultural regions of First Nations in Canada. From east to west, these are the Woodland First Nations, the Iroquois First Nations of southeastern Ontario, the Plains First Nations, the Plateau First Nations, the First Nations of the Pacific Coast and the First Nations of the Mackenzie and Yukon River basins.

Each Nation possesses its own unique culture, language and history and the practice of identifying all First Nations as a homogeneous group obscures the unique and rich traditions that each First Nation has developed and nurtured. Having said that, although there are many differences between First Nations, there are commonalities as well. For example, all First Nations were dependent on the land for survival and prosperity. All First Nations were hunters and gatherers. Some were also farmers. Without the skills and knowledge to hunt and fish and to gather food and medicines, First Nations would not exist today. Another commonality is that all First Nations lived in organized societies with their own governments, religions and social and economic institutions. Individuals, families and larger groups of people, such as clans, tribes and Nations, behaved according to a broad range of agreed-upon social, political and economic values. A third commonality was trade. All First Nations in Canada and North America as a whole traded extensively throughout the continent. Expansive trading practices contributed to the growth and development of First Nations cultures. These practices also enabled many First Nations to respond to the fur trade as competitive, efficient trading partners with Europeans.