Homework Due 10/4/12

1. BBC 2 news stories
2. Fill out Middle Eastern map.  How much do you know?  Fill in the rest with an atlas.
3. Follow up with defining "democracy" and "republic" and research Syria's trading partners.

This week we will continue our research of Azerbaijan, but will look at the relationship between the country and the United Nations.
Please answer the following questions.  Be prepared to share your answers.

Helpful web sites:  un.org (go to Member States--->Azerbaijan--->UN Data)
                               CIA Fact book

a. When did your country join the UN?

b. When did country become a nation?

c. Did the UN help your country to become a nation?

d. What was the former name of this nation?

e. Is your country a large, medium or small contributor to the UN budget?

f. Is the UN involved in any way in the health issues of your country?

g. Who are your trading partners?

h. Which ones are considered adversaries (enemies)?

i. Which countries located near your country have had violent conflicts?

j. Have these conflicts affected your country?

k. What percentage of its expenditures is spent on education?

l. What is the school expectancy rate?

m. Where is your country in the index of most developed/least developed nations?

Homework due 9/27/12

New and Returning Students:

1. Watch the BBC 1 Minute News and Record 2 Stories.

2.We are ready to start country research!

Here are some starting research questions:

1. Where is your country located? What is the capital city?

2. What are the neighboring countries? To which continent does it belong?

3. What are the physical features (mountains, rivers, nearby oceans, deserts, etc.)

4. What are some major events in your country's history? Why are they important?

5. What is the population of your country?

6. What ethnicities, religions and languages can be found in your country?

7. What are the traditional art forms?

8. What are the characteristics of your country's economy? (What does your country export?)

9. Who is the president or leader of your country?

10. What type of government does your country have? What was its former government?

11. What is the traditional diet?

12. What is the climate?

13. What are typical jobs? What is the name of the currency?

Take notes on these areas (no full sentences necessary). Use books, not just web sites for this research. Make a trip to the library and reserve some books if necessary. Encyclopedias can be a good source of information, too. Do a lot of reading-you are trying to become an expert on your country.

For web sites, check out the cyberschoolbus site (Country at a Glance-on the left hand side),

the CIA factbook site: www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook (this is a great starting place) and the BBC News site (they have country info. in addition to news stories).

Homework Due 9/20/12

1. Watch the BBC 1 Minute new with a parent. Record at least 2 news stories that you watched.

2. Read through these sections in your Model UN handbook: Present Day and What the UN Can and Cannot Do

3. With a highlighter or colored pencil, mark some ideas that you are think are important about the UN.
4.  Go to the cyberschoolbus web site.

5. Click on Millennium Development Goals of the UN (grey box). List the 8 goals and draw their symbol.

6. Using this web site as research, write a few sentences about each of these topics:

-what are MDGs

-current progress

-how are goals related to each other

-how countries can achieve goals

-special role of developed countries and goal #8

Returning students

1. Complete steps 1-4 of regular homework.

2. Re-read the information about the MDGs.  Make flash cards for each MDG-print out a symbol of each goal, paste it on one side of an index card, and on the back write a few facts about the goal. 

Homework Due 9/13/12

1. Bookmark this web site:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/

2. Click on the "video" link at the top and watch the BBC 1 minute news with a parent.  Watch the video clip several times.

3. After discussing what you saw with a parent, record at least 2 news stories on lined paper (or typed) in your Model UN binder.

4. Bookmark this website:  http://cyberschoolbus.un.org/

5. This is the kids version of the UN web site.  Click on "UN intro" on the right.

6. Read the 6 page article about the history of the UN.

7. Write 16 questions based on your reading.  Make them a mix of high and low level questions.
Example of low level:  What year was the UN formed?  How many sections are there in the UN?
high level:  Name 3 goals of the United Nations today.  What were the problems of the League of Nations?

8. Use index cards for your questions: question on one side, answer on the other.  Put your index cards in a rubber band or Ziploc bag.

9. Be prepared to answer other students' questions-read the article closely!

10. Watch the first 4 minutes of the video:  http://kidscanmakeadifference.org/kids-video
Be prepared to discuss it at our next meeting.