All Classes: May 31-June 2

We have finally made it to the last week of school! This has been a wonderful year of growth and achievement on a number of levels. This week we will discuss how far we have come, & where we are headed. I plan on discussing current events in relation to our classes to wrap up the school year. Just because it is the last week, do not think we will not have something to do. If you have not done so already, you will need to turn your textbooks in to me ASAP! Another reminder of note, Thursday all students are expected to be at the London Bridge Resort for our Awards Assembly at 7:30 AM. This is a wonderful opportunity to support your fellow classmates! Finally, our graduation ceremony will be at 7:00 PM, also at the London Bridge Resort. Come out & celebrate graduation day! I wish all of my students & their families a safe & relaxing summer!

ATTENTION ALL CLASSES!

*-This Friday, May 27 is the deadline for AR! If you do not reach 100% of your AR goal by Friday, your grade will be reduced by 10%!

*-Elective class forms are due to Mr. Dornton by Tuesday, May 24! If you do not turn in your form, you will have no voice in your electives for next year!

JA 8 B Civics: May 23-27

This week we will continue our investigation of the American economy. We will discuss the concepts of free enterprise, entrepreneurship, & the circular flow model of economic activity. Students will also have class time to work on their final product proposal projects. Finally, we will investigate the significance of personal responsibility in making economic decisions & how to manage personal finances.

Conflicts of the 20th Century: May 23-27

This week we will begin our investigation of conflicts in the Middle East after WWII. After WWII, the Allied leaders felt that the remaining Jews deserved a homeland after the horrors of the Holocaust. The state of Israel was created, & conflict then ensued. During the Cold War, the Middle East was also a place of extreme changes & both the U.S. & Soviet Union wanted to make the region part of its "sphere of influence." We will discuss the causes & consequences of interventions in the region since WWII for the remainder of the school year.

World History: May 23-27

We will begin the week by wrapping up our investigation of WWII. We will discuss how the tides of war turned in favor of the Allies in the European theatre after D-Day, & in the Pacific through the island hopping campaigns. Finally, we will discuss the use of the atomic bomb, including the brutal effects it would have for the future of international relations. We will then begin to discuss the post-war world, in which the U.S. & Soviet Union would begin an era of tension & competition known as the Cold War that would last for nearly 50 years!

JA 8 B Civics: May 16-20

This week we will begin our investigation of the role that economics plays in our lives. We will also discuss how economics & government are connected, & how they affect eachother. We will discuss how different economic systems work , along with how we make economic decisions. We will investigate basic economic concepts such as scarcity, wants vs. needs, supply & demand, the factors of production & opportunity costs. We will discuss the issue of renewable & non-renewable resources, & what we can do to conserve & help OUR environment.

Conflicts of the 20th Century: May 16-20

This week we will continue our investigation of the Korean War. We will discuss how many feared that the war would turn into WWIII, and possibly the first & last all-out nuclear war. Then we will look at how the war would turn into a bloody stalemate & the eventual armistice. We will then investigate the concept & role of Domino Theory during the Cold War, & how it would lead to intervention & conflict throughout the globe. Towards the end of the week we will investigate the seeds of conflict in Vietnam, U.S. intervention & escalation, & the legacy of war in Vietnam, as it would mark a turning point in the history of warfare.

World History: May 16-20

This week we will continue our investigation of WWII. As Hitler's armies began to take control of most of Europe, the Japanese would unleash a sneak attack against the United States at Pearl Harbor. As the United States entered the war, the tides would begin to turn in favor of the Allies, also due in part to Hitler's failed invasion of the Soviet Union; Operation Barbarossa. Towards the end of the week we will investigate & discuss how the Allies began to strike back against the Axis on all fronts, including the most famous invasion of all; Operation Overlord. D-Day would mark the beginning of the end for Axis controlled Europe.

JA 8 B Civics: May 9-13

This week we will begin our investigation of political parties & the role they play in the political process. We will discuss how political parties developed in the United States & how they can affect the voting & election process as well. Today, many people identify with one of the 2 major political parties; republican or democrat. However, there are many other parties that exist as well. We will discuss what the parties do at the national level in order to help their candidates win elections.

Conflicts of the 20th Century: May 9-13

This week we will begin our investigation of the Cold War. We will discuss what the Allies decided to do with Germany, now that the war was over. It would be divided up among the Allied powers. After the world was left ravaged by WWII, two nations would emerge as superpowers that would fight for global dominance; the United States & the Soviet Union. The ideologies would face off, Democracy vs. Communism. We will investigate the West's distrust of the Soviets towards the end of WWII as well as the fear that Soviet communism would spread throughout Europe. This week we will examine the causes & consequences of the Korean War as well.

World History: May 9-13

We will begin this week by examining the problems created by the Treaty of Versailles, focusing on the impact it would have on Germany. We will examine the post-WWI uncertainty, as well as a worldwide depression that would have major ramifications across the globe. We will then shift our focus towards the rise of dictators after WWI, with an investigation of how Mussolini, Stalin, & Hitler obtained absolute power in their nations. Towards the end of the week we will closely examine the rise of Hitler & the creation of Nazi Germany. We will look at how the Nazis would take over all aspects of German life. We will also discuss how Hitler's defiance of the Versailles treaty would create the conditions for the bloodiest conflict in human history; the Second World War!

JA 8 A Civics: May 2-6

This week we will continue our investigation of the similarities & differences between criminal & civil law. Why do we have different types of courts for different types of crimes? How are punishments decided upon in these different kinds of courts? What is the role of the judge & jury? We will discuss this & more this week! Also, we will examine the juvenile court system this week as well.

Conflicts of the 20th Century: May 2-6

This week we will investigate the discovery of the Nazi concentration camps as the Allied troops marched their way into Nazi Germany & would eventually force them to surrender. Then we will also investigate the Allied victory in the Pacific. After the fall of the Nazis, the Allies were still battling the Japanese in brutal combat. We will discuss the use of firebombing in major Japanese cities like Tokyo, as well as the creation of a secret weapon that would change the world forever after it was used to essentially end the war; the atomic bomb!

World History: May 2-6

This week we will continue our investigation of the major events of WWI. We will discuss how advances in technology would change warfare forever. We will also investigate what it was like to be involved in trench warfare, as well as examining some of the major battles of the Great War. We will investigate how a "European Conflict" blossomed into a global war that brought in nations from all over the world, & change it forever!