Native American Heritage Day

 

Everything you learned about Thanksgiving is a lie.

On August 3, 1990, President of the United States George H. W. Bush declared the month of November as National American Indian Heritage Month. This commemorative month aims to provide a platform for Native people in the United States of America to share their culture, traditions, music, crafts, dance, and ways and concepts of life. This gives Native people the opportunity to express to their community, both city, county and state officials their concerns and solutions for building bridges of understanding and friendship in their local area.

Filmmaker Ben-Alex Dupris explores how the reality and resistance of Native Americans inspire the work of Pawnee artist Bunky Echo-Hawk, igniting discussions about environmentalism, Native rights, and numerous other current topics.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Is Social Media Killing Us?

 

Last year's congressional testimony of Frances Haugen, a former Facebook employee, reveals the ways that Instagram, which is owned by Facebook, negatively affects teenagers’ mental health and how hate speech has spread on the company’s platforms. The hearing could be a turning point for the social media giant.

In this lesson, you will learn about Ms. Haugen’s testimony and about some of Facebook’s most problematic practices. Then we invite you to discuss with your classmates how the company should be held accountable and what change should look like.

Does life imitate movies or vis versa?

To the Moon?!

Bang Zoom ...You're Going to the Moon!

NASA's launch of the Artemis 1 mission signals America's intent to return to the moon and beyond. CBS Reports' documentary "Artemis: America's New Moonshot" reveals the incredible endeavor of America's next great leap in space exploration and the collective will required to see it through. 

What is exciting about the Artemis Moon Launch? What are the challenges? How is it different from the historic moon landings of the past? What lessons can the launch teach us back here on earth?

Why is it called ARTEMIS?

All The News Thats Fit To Print

This term we will study the stories that make the headlines.

After looking at famous headlines from the past, write a headline for your story and then decide with your group which story is front page news?  How close were you the actual front page?

Your headlines should be to the point but should also draw reader interest to the story.  Consider these steps.

2.6 seconds.  That's how long you have to grab readers attention.

How can you know a GOOD headline unless you've seen some BAD ones?

Want to see your headline in actual print? Click here.

What Is Current Events?

 

Click here to watch video.

It was a lurching, stammering year that began in hope, flirted with whiplash, and shuddered to a halt. In 2021, miraculously effective vaccines showed up, a new President promised unity, and a jury convicted the man who killed George Floyd. It was also the year that supporters of the losing candidate took over the U.S. Capitol, Asian-Americans were given new reason to fear for their lives, and COVID-19 people killed Americans at a faster rate than before free, life-preserving injections were available across the land. Is it any wonder that, from Naomi Osaka to Simone Biles, the deliberate preservation of mental health–resilience was a major theme?

1) What do you think was THE most important event? Least important? Why?

2) What made each of these events headline news?

3) What similarities or differences did these events share?

4) What predictions can you make up about the events we will study this year?

Golden Arches Theory

 

The Golden Arches Theory comes from a 1995 book by New York Times foreign affairs columnist Thomas Friedman. It posits that nations whose economies can support fast-food chains tend to have a middle class that cares more about maintaining calm and commerce with its neighbors than starting conflict.

That belief actually fell apart in 1988, when civil war broke out in the former Yugoslavia. Over the years, the armies of India and Pakistan, and Israel and Lebanon, have respectively faced off, despite the presence of McDonald’s within their borders.

The calls for a brand boycott are premised on taking aim at the comfort of Russian oligarchs and the country’s middle class. Doing so, the thinking goes, will create enough economic and cultural isolation to put the screws to the Russian regime to retreat as Ukrainians continue to resist the incursion.

1) What is the Golden Arches Theory?

2) Do you think it will prevent us from war with Russia? Why/ Not? What has history taught us?

3) What other companies have joined McDonalds in sanctions against Putin's Russia?

4) Will you support these companies by giving them more business? Will you give less business to the companies who have not supported sanctions? Why/ not?

5) Is the dollar more powerful than the sword? Explain.

News vs. Media: What's the Difference?

You might see the terms “news” and “media” seemingly used interchangeably. While it might seem that they’re one in the same, it’s important to understand that there’s a strong distinction between the two. Media refers to the tools used to store and deliver information, whereas news (or, news media) refers strictly to the sharing of recent events.

News is all around us. From what we hear on the radio to what we see on television, come across on the Internet, see in an advertisement, or even hear from a colleague or friend, the news and peoples’ opinions on it are an ever-present part of everyday life. This information forms our opinions, shapes of conversations with others, and even affects how we view the world around us. With the wealth of information now available at most individuals’ fingertips, it’s important to take time to evaluate just where we find news. For many individuals, it’s some (if not all) of the following: television, laptop or computer, radio, newspaper or magazine, cell phone. tablet, smart tv, e-reader.

1) From whom do you hear most news events?

2) What role does social media play in how you access news?

3) What devices do you use to access news?

4) Why do you prefer these?

5) What is the difference between 'news' and 'media?'