6/7 A quiz

Here is the correct quiz. Remember, "A" answers are conservative and "B" answers are liberal. If you need to know what a conservative would feel about immigration or abortion, go to these questions and see what the "A" answer is. You don't have to do anything with this quiz - just use it as a guideline to help you figure out the different views for the different positions. You could retake the quiz to see what YOUR position is, since the quiz you got in class today wasn't accurate.

Circle the response that best fits your viewpoint.

1. You think that the death penalty is
A. fair sometimes, because some criminals are too bad to be left alive
B. cruel and unfair – can be racist - and is a bad way to solve crime


2. The government should
A. allow parents to choose how schools will teach children
B. put more money into schools for more resources


3. You think having a gun
A. is an American right and people should be able to have one if they want
B. can be dangerous and not everyone should be able to get one

4. Homeless people
A. should just get a job; it's their fault that they are homeless
B. should get help from the government with money from taxes of those who work


5. Illegal immigrants
A. should be made to leave the country
B. do the jobs most Americans don't want

6. Marriage should
A. only be between a man and a woman
B. be allowed for lesbians and gay people

7. The war in Iraq
A. will spread democracy and equality
B. is about oil and should end

8. Poor people should
A. not get welfare because it costs others who work hard – people on welfare abuse the system and think they can get the same amount of money for not doing any work.
B. get welfare to help them get back on their feet and be successful people

9. Taxes are
A. too high and should be lowered
B. a way to pay for programs that people need
TURN OVER --------------------------------------------- >

10. The government should
A. tax the poor and the rich the same – rich people need to keep their money too so they can hire more people for their companies and make more jobs.
B. tax the richest people most - the people at the bottom never really see that money anyway.

11. The government should
A. stay out of the lives of people
B. be involved in people's lives

12. Government programs
A. cost too much of tax payers' dollars – we should find other people and organizations who should do the programs instead of having the government do it. The government only has specific jobs it has to do – it shouldn’t be in charge or extra programs.
B. should be made to help people – it is the government’s responsibility.

13. The government should
A. provide healthcare for those who don't have it
B. allow others to find their own way of paying for healthcare

14. If some poor and sick people get help from the government,
A. they will become weak and would never learn to help themselves
B. they will become better people and would help the country become a better place

15. The government should
A. help some schools use religion as a way to teach the lessons and values many no longer have
B. keep religion out of schools, because there are many different religions and not everyone believes in the same thing

16. Abortion is
A. Murder
B. A woman’s right to choose if she should go through with a pregnancy

Some of the issues I care about that are not listed here are:







Politics do/do not matter to me because:

8th grade classwork

Global Studies Mini-Project: Due Tomorrow

Color the map red, blue, and purple for the swing states. See page two to figure out which state is a swing state (it will say on the chart on the left side).

Then go to the following website:

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/05/19/politics/main4107550.shtml

Scroll down to State Profiles:

Pick Three States that you are interested in (I recommend picking the states that have the most electoral votes to give away, like Ohio, Florida, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, and Colorado).

Read the information that it has posted for the state.
You have to answer the following questions about each of the four states that you pick:

1. How many electoral votes can be gained from this state?

2. Who are the voters that each candidate needs to appeal to? Why is it such a close call here?

3. Who is more likely to win this state and why?

Sometimes you will have to click on some of the articles under all of the information in order to find the answers – you may have to dig and search a bit.

You should write this information in a neat and creative way under the map or around the map. You can write it on index cards. This project is worth 20 points, 5 points per state, and 5 points for neatly and accurately completing the map. This is one of the last projects you will get for this marking period – please do an excellent job on it – it will affect your grade.





Here is an example of what one of your explanation should look like:

North Carolina:
North Carolina is not a very important state to win, but it does help Obama if he wins this state. He wont have to worry as much about losing another state, since he will get 15 electoral votes from this one. This state usually votes republican because it shares similar cultural and social values with republicans (it is a fairly religious state with traditional families and way of life). However, according to the first article I read, North Carolina has a large African American population, and several universities and college (young people are more likely to vote for Obama). There are also more moderates and people who are interested in improving the economy, who think that Obama would be a stronger candidate. It will take Obama more campaigning and registering voters to make sure he wins. McCain will have to spend more time and money there, trying to inspire all the republicans who usually vote there, to support him.

Homework for 6/7 - october 28

 (If you are looking for the 8th grade CEs - scroll all the way down to the next entry).  

The following poem was written in 1883 by a woman named Emma Lazarus. It is engraved on the tablet that is part of the statue of liberty. 

The New Colossus

by Emma Lazarus

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame, 

With conquering limbs astride from land to land;

Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand

A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame

Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name

Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand

Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command

The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame. 

"Keep ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she 

With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor, 

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, 

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. 

Send these, the homeless. tempest-tossed me, 

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"'

Answer in your HJ - at least a paragraph each: 

1. Why do you think this poem is part of the Statue of Liberty?

2. The line: "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free..." is the most famous line in this poem. How does it relate to immigration? 

CE #5

8th Graders Only

Please read one of the following four articles. 

Then come back to this blog and press "comments" (at the bottom of this post)

Write your NAME and your CLASS and the TITLE of the article. 

Write a summary paragraph. 

Then write a paragraph discussing your views on this article AND why you think this article is important (or not important). Both of these can be addressed in one paragraph.

Make a list of the vocabulary words you did not understand and include definitions. 

Finally, make a list of some questions you have about the article. 

This can include questions you have about the content, things you do not understand, "Who is General Patraeus?" "What does it mean to be a republican?" or bigger questions about the issues that are discussed, "how can we solve this problem?" or "why is something like this happening?"   

Submit your "comment."

I will read it, grade it, and then post the grade and comments on teacher ease. No one else will see your comment.

Most of the articles will be from New York Times.com. You need to register with the NYTIMES website and make an account. It's free and you will have to use the NYTIMES website in the future, especially in high school. Enjoy the news! 

The articles:

Article 1

Article 2

Article 3

Article 4