Current Event: Opinion Articles or Editorial Cartoons

This week's current event is to find any opinion article or editorial cartoon that is interesting to you.  Please write a summary about what you read or saw and whether you agree or disagree with their opinion and why.  Here is an interesting editorial about a topic that is currently in the news in Alaska.  Today Governor Sean Parnell made it illegal to text and drive.  You may use this opinion piece for your assignment or go to the below sites and find another topic that interests you.


Our view: Don't text and drive
Governor signs bill to make the law clear

(05/10/12 18:47:44)
The late Jim Morrison of The Doors had the best sponsor statement for this legislation in just 11 words:
"Keep your eyes on the road, your hands upon the wheel."
Gov. Sean Parnell signed House Bill 255 Thursday morning, a bill that made explicit what lawmakers thought they had done in 2008 -- banning texting while driving.
A Kenai magistrate cast doubt on the first effort in 2011, so Reps. Les Gara, D-Anchorage, and Bill Thomas, R-Haines, led a bipartisan effort to remove all doubt.
The bill bans reading or typing messages on a cell phone, computer or any other screen while operating a motor vehicle in motion.
Is it necessary to say that this is a commonsense rule of the road for the sake of everyone's safety?
Evidently, because the Legislature had to spell it out in law.
So, as of Thursday, you text at the wheel, you're breaking the law. Otherwise, text at will.
And try to get "Roadhouse Blues" out of your head.

BOTTOM LINE: Turn on the ignition, turn off the screen. 



The New York Times Opinion Page

The Juneau Empire Opinion Page

The Anchorage Daily News

The Cagle Post: Daily Cartoons and Commentary

Current Event: Major Historical Event in Asia

Pick any Asian country and research a major historical event (tsunami in Japan, atomic bomb drop in Japan, the Vietnam War, Afghanistan War, etc).  Then write a news article about the event for your own made-up newspaper.

The following links are great for researching major events in Asia's history.

History for Kids

History Orb

The New York Times

How Stuff Works: Important Historical Events in Asia

Current Event: Hinduism, Buddhism, or Islam

This week's current event in Social Studies is to pick an article about the one of the three Eastern religions we are studying in class: Hinduism, Buddhism or Islam

The current event summary and opinion is due Friday, April 27th.  It can be handwritten, typed or submitted electronically in the comments section of this blog.

Here are some great links to articles.


Time for Kids

Scholastic News for Kids

The Buddhist Channel

Hinduism in the news

The Islam Tribune

Juneau Empire World News

Social Studies extra credit opportunity: Follow the links to the descriptions of one of the three religions and write a summary of what you read.  For more extra credit you can present what you learned in class.  You can also read and summarize about two smaller and not as well known religions from Asia: Sikhism or Jainism.

Social Studies: Alexander Archipelago

EXTRA CREDIT OPPORTUNITY!

What are the different straits in the Alexander Archipelago?  Today we already talked about Icy Straits near Glacier Bay and Lisianki Strait by Pelican.  What are some others?

Social Studies: Weekly Current Events Assignment

CNN: Asia Index

Time For Kids

Current Events Template

Name __________________
Teacher  ________________
Class ___________________
Due Date ________________
(1pt)

Topic required:____________________________________________________
Source required: __________________________________________________
My source: ___________________________________________________(1pt)
Title of article/news: ____________________________________________(1pt)

Summary of article (must be 5-10 sentences long and in your own words):  (12pt)
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

What is your opinion or reaction to the news? (must be at least 3 sentences and give specific examples from the article): (5pt)
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Must be in complete sentences with proper punctuation, spelling and nice handwriting.

Social Studies: Geography of Asia Worksheet

Name ______________________________  Ms. Gifford/LA/April 5, 2012

GEOGRAPHY OF ASIA

LOCATION: USE YOUR MAPS OF ASIA TO HELP YOU ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS.

1. List the oceans that surround Asia. _________________________________________________________________

2. What mountain chains separate Asia from Europe?  What man-made waterway separates Asia from Africa? _________________________________________________________________

3. Identify six large peninsulas in Asia.  Name Southeast Asia’s two archipelagos.________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4.What mountain range divides Southern Asia from the Far East? _________________

5. List the nations of Asia that share a border with India. ____________________________________________________________________

6. How many countries are landlocked (have no access to the ocean)? Name them. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

REGIONS: USE YOUR MAPS OF ASIA TO HELP YOU ANSWER THE FOLLWOING QUESTIONS.

THE MIDDLE EAST

1. What Middle Easter countries border the Caspian Sea? The Black Sea? The Mediterranean Sea? _________________________________________________________________

2. What island nation lies in the easter Mediterrranean Sea? The Persian Gulf?_________________________________________________________________

3. Identify the strategic straits that divide Turkey between Europe and Asia?_________________________________________________________________

4. What six countries occupy the Arabian Peninsula?  Which is the largest country? the smallest?_________________________________________________________________

5. In what country do the Tigris and Euphrates rivers begin?  Where do they meet?_________________________________________________________________

CENTRAL ASIA

1. What sea is completely enclosed by Central Asia? _________________________________________________________________

2. Which Central Asian republic extends into Eastern Europe?_________________________________________________________________

3. Which republic(s) in Central Asia border Russia?  China?  Iran?_________________________________________________________________

1. Do any Central Asian countries have access to the ocean? _____________

SOUTHERN ASIA

1. List the three major bodies of water that border the Indian subcontinent. _________________________________________________________________

2. What four mainland Southern Asian countries include territory in the Himalayas?_________________________________________________________________

3. Name the capital of the island off the southeast coast of India.

_________________________________________________________________

1. Into what bodies of water do the Indus, Ganges and Brahmaputra empty?_________________________________________________________________
2. Name the countries that border Nepal and Bhutan. _________________________________________________________________

THE FAR EAST

1. Which six Far Eastern countries are located mainly on islands? ________________________________________________________________
2. Name the countries that border the Yellow Sea. _________________________________________________________________
3. Identify the main river that flows through Indochina. _________________________________________________________________
4. What Far Eastern countries border China? India? _________________________________________________________________
5. Which countries occupy Borneo? _________________________________________________________________

Asian Vocabulary Word Search

Social Studies: Asia: The Physical Land

Tonight's homework in Social Studies is to finish coloring in the map titled, Asia: The Physical Land.  We learned today that the continent of Asia has the tallest mountains, the largest and highest plateaus, the largest deserts, most of the longest rivers, the deepest lake, the largest forest region, the largest flat plains, the most active volcanoes, the most earthquakes, and the hottest, coldest, driest, and wettest climates.

For extra credit, on Thursday, tell me something interesting you learned about the Dead Sea or the Himalayas.