REVIEW FOR LAST HUMAN GEO TEST

Today in class we reviewed for our LAST HUMAN GEO TEST! The semester is almost over and we have one more human geo test to take. The unit we have been working on for the past two weeks was about North Korea. We learned about the leaders and the oppressive government that takes place in the North Korean country. We also watched a documentary on everything that happens inside of North Korea. Here is the material that we need to know for tomorrow's test :

- type of government - socialist and Stalinist
- the capital of North Korea - Pyongyang
- name some countries
- kim il-sung was the first leader, invaded South Korea in 1950
- kim jong-il was the second leader
- the word and meaning of Juchae - we can do things for ourselves
- myths about kim jong-il
- kim jong-un was the third leader
- he was the youngest world leader
- terrible leader worse than the past two leaders of the country
- biggest army in the world

1-14-15

Today in class we continued with the powerpoint we were going through about North Korea. We also took some more notes on the leaders of the country. We also heard about some of the crazy stories about the leaders and how they teach their people how they are absolute perfection and no one is greater. Here are some notes from today:

- The first leader of North Korea was Kim Il- Sung

- He was in charge from 1948-1994

- His title was the Great Leader or Supreme Leader

- He viewed as a god

- This was the establishment of "cult of personality

- People are required to show extreme devotion to him

- During the early part of his rule, many churches and temples were destroyed

- The second leader of North Korea was Kim Jong- Il

- He ruled from 1994-2011

- One myth about him was that he could control the weather based on his mood

- Another myth is that he wrote 1,500 books in three years

- The present leader of North Korea is Kim Jong-Il

- He became the Supreme Leader 

- He is only 32 yrs old and is the youngest leader in the world

- He was obsessed with basketball and computer games

- He attended school in Switzerland

- Terrible leader, maybe even worse than the past two leaders

North and South Korea

When we got back from break on Monday, we started a new unit and it will be our last unit for our human geo class. Next semester most people have Western Civilization and that class takes place of human geo. Our last unit is called the differences between North and South Korea. Most of it though, talks about North Korea and how it is isolated from the world. Here are some notes we took about this subject:

- North Korea has a oppressive government
- It is very secluded and isolated from the world
- Currently headed by Kim Jong-Un
- Kim Jong-Un didn't seem to like The Interview
- State-run socialist government that many consider to be stalinist dictatorship
- Official name - Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)
- Not North Korea - they claim to be the legitimate rulers of the entire peninsula
- Isolated by the government
- Isolated Geographically
- They are on a peninsula
- Pyongyang is the capital and is located 39 degrees north
- Bel Air, MD is also located 39 degrees north
- North Korea is a developing country, and it lacks development
- North Korea has more than 24 million people

Today's Test

Today in class, we took the cultural geography and world religion test. It wasn't that hard like I thought it would be. It was pretty good and it only had a few questions that I didn't really know or study. The setup of the test wasn't bad either because it was all multiple choice and there was no essay. I think multiple choice tests are the easiest because all the answers are there for you and you don't have to worry about it. Essays aren't always hard, but I feel like you won't get the full points for the essay unless you know what your teacher will except to be in your essay and what they won't except. We took the test and it didn't take that long either, it was only like maybe about 30 questions. After everyone took the test, Mr. Schick graded the Scantron tests. It took like two seconds and that same class we had enough time to know our final grade. I was really nervous because I really needed a good grade. I finally found out my percentage grade and it was an 85% so it was fine with me and I was okay with it. I really wanted an A but I knew that I wasn't too sure I would get one so I didn't but the 85 was good with me because other people got lower than that. Some people got really bad grades which didn't make sense and I bet they thought the same way because it wasn't a bad test in any way. I don't really know but I was happy with the grade because it won't take my grade down at all and I was happy we found out our grade in class because I was already worried about it.

Review for test

Today in class, we reviewed what would be on the test for Wednesday. I feel like after we reviewed, it seems to be a little bit easier on knowing what we should expect on the test. Before, I was kind of worried because I really wasn't sure and I really need a solid A on this test so I can have an A in this class instead of a B. I am really trying for that because I really want it obviously and because I know I can do it, it's just not always easy. This test doesn't seem that it will be that hard, it is just I feel like I will worry until we get our grade back because I mean that's what everyone does. It's just typical to do that really. During class, I asked to go over the cultural geography powerpoint because that was the part of the test I was worried about. I feel better about that powerpoint because Mr. Schick just told us all the things that we would be tested on for each of the slides which was great so we really did know what to expect. The world religions powerpoint though I feel like I have got pretty well, but I am going to keep going over it tomorrow for memory and make sure I know what is really important and what isn't that important. I honestly think that it really won't be bad and I kind of knew we would have a test before exams because that is what seems to be happening in like each class because everyone wants to try and start new things when we get back from Christmas break in January. Anyway, I hope I do really good on this test and it really brings my grade up.

Friday's Class - 12/5/14

Yesterday in class, we talked more about the world religions that are major. The five major world religions are Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Judaism. We didn't have to take many notes because the powerpoint was quite short and we need to know the information for Wednesday. Our test on Cultural Geography and the World Religions is on Wednesday and I am kind of nervous about it because I think the Slumdog Millionaire part will be pretty easy but the part about Cultural Geography I feel like there is so much information to take in and I wasn't there one day and I really hope I didn't miss much because we have the test so soon. I'm going to get the notes maybe or ask if Mr. Schick could put the Cultural Geography powerpoint up on the Human Geo blog so I could try and study from that. I hope this test is easy and I could get a really good grade and maybe my grade could go from a high B to an A because I know from the past test, my grade did go down which I didn't obviously want it to but it did and I'm hoping it will be fine.

12/4/14

Today in class we listened to the song Mr. Schick made from the song "I wanna be a billionaire." He made a cover of that song using Slumdog Millionaire references. It was pretty good because I bet it took a while to try and come with lyrics. Like there really is a lot to change depending on how much you want to refer to the movie. It was pretty cool how it all turned out and that would be cool to do myself one day. After that was over, we continued to take notes from a powerpoint. I obviously didn't have all the notes because I wasn't there the day before. I'm going to get the notes way before we have a test whenever that will be and get them from Katie. We wrote some notes down today not a lot because in the beginning of class we had a fire drill and that took up like 20 minutes of class which was good. Other than that, we just talked about some of the world's religions and how big they are and how some aren't so big. Like there are like 5 main types of religion in the world and they are the religions that have many people who believe in them. There are also religions that are parody ones such as one we talked about today but I can't remember the name. I was absolutely bizarre. We were just talking about some of the things that go with that parody religion and it seemed really crazy and weird. I don't think we really did anything else but class ended pretty quick so that was it.

Finishing Slumdog Millionaire

On Monday, we finally finished Slumdog Millionaire. I really loved the movie and I really want to watch it again. The whole plot I thought was great and how you were kind of kept guessing until the end to know what happens. The end I felt like really wasn't a twist because Jamal ended up being with Latika and I knew that would happen I mean it had to. They were so cute together and I feel like they fell in love the first time they saw each other. It was kind of confusing at the end because he didn't know the answer and like every question that was given, he did know so I really wasn't expecting that. Then I did realize that when Latika answered the phone when Jamal phoned a friend during the question, he was just so happy that she was safe and okay. So like even if he didn't get the question right and lost all the money, he was just happy he could be with Latika. I really loved that because it was so beautiful. He was just so happy and smiling but like the people who were watching the show didn't know why but he did and he just didn't care if he got the money or not after all that time and stuff that happened. It was so cute and I loved that idea that the writers put into the movie. Overall, the movie was so good and I want to keep watching it over and over again.

Slumdog Millionaire

Today in class, we continued to watch the movie Slumdog Millionaire. This whole movie has honestly been a roller coaster. I think it has been a great movie since the beginning. The story and plot is just incredible and I've always seen the previews for the movie in the past and I kind of just brushed it off and said that it wouldn't be worth watching. I was totally wrong like this movie is really good and I didn't think that I would like it this much and want to watch more. I can't wait to see the end and see what the final question is and see how Jamal gets the money. He has done such a good job so far answering every question right. He was even sabotaged a little bit by the guy who runs the show because he tried to trick him into telling him an answer. Jamal never let his guard down and didn't give in to the answer that the guy tried to give him. The guy tried to do this because he thought Jamal was a threat because he would be richer than him if he won all the money he is lined up to win. We are now at the part of the final question and that will determine if Jamal gets the money he has played for or if he will loose it all in an instant. Next week we will finish the movie and see what happens at the end and hopefully be very shocked.

Differences between Mumbai and Maryland

There are many differences between the city of Mumbai in India and the state of Maryland in the US. The culture is very different and so are the living conditions. One difference is the way people use a public restroom. In Mumbai, there are outhouses and a hole that leads to the sewers for the bathroom. In Maryland, the restrooms are more reserved and the bathrooms are decent most of the time. The police in Mumbai are rude and they don't have a good relationship with the kids or anyone else. They seem like a threat and in Maryland they are protective and keep people safe. The way that people make money is also a big difference. In Mumbai, in the movie, people make money by selling women and use them for prostitution. In Maryland there are no jobs where that is allowed. It is against the law. The way that people live is very different too. The houses in Mumbai are equivalent to like a small room in a normal house in Maryland. The houses in the slums are made like small shacks and there is only room to have a kitchen. It's crazy how some of those people live in these types of toxic and deadly conditions because of how poor the country is.

Movie

Today in class we started a movie that relates to our cultural geography chapter. We are watching Slumdog Millionaire. The movie shows a lot of culture and how people live in Mumbai and it showed their religion. There was a discrimination between Hindus and Muslims. Hindus were not happy that there were Muslims living anywhere near their area. They would come off this train by the slums where some of the Muslims with sticks and anything else they could use as a weapon. They beat the Muslims and set some of them on fire. There would be people going crazy walking around completely set on fire. It was a terrible scene to watch, it was very graphic and upsetting. They didn't stop and just adults, they took children and also beat them. They didn't care, they just judged them because of their religion and killed many people. It is crazy how some people live in some of those slums in India. They seem like some of the worst places to live. They aren't safe at all because they don't have a proper bathroom and they bathe, drink, and cook, with water from a river that is very dark and very contaminated. The expectancy rate for those people is very low even though people in India have many kids and their birth rate is high. It seems crazy and unbelievable. I am excited to watch more of the movie and find out what happens in the end.

11-19-14

Today in class we tried to finish our extra credit assignment. We had a sub and Mr. Schick gave us the assignment and opportunity to finish our extra credit or edit it if we needed to. I edited my extra credit blog because I did feel like I didn't have enough because we were supposed to talk about the anthem of the country we researched and I realized that I didn't really talk about the Canadian anthem at all. I put in a few sentences on my blog about how the anthem sounded to me and what the feel of it was. I felt like it was a fairly easy assignment and I hope I did it correctly so that I can receive extra points to my grade. I didn't do that bad on the last test but I didn't do too well either so I hope this can bring my grade up a little more. Today was a chill class and I needed it because today was also a very tiring and stressful day.

Cultural Geography - new chapter

Today in class, we started a new unit since we are now done with political geography and we are moving on. The new chapter is called cultural geography. Which I think we are going to learn about different religions and ethnic backgrounds. We might even take a look at all of our different heritages and ethnicities. I think that would be a cool thing to discover one class because we could learn a lot of different things about each of our families. We could also get to know each other as a class better. I know since I have a pretty interesting background that when you look at someone, you could've never guessed that they were from that part of the world or that their families came from that particular country. Even religions could be different also like maybe there are people in everyone's family with different religions. I understand that because my dad's family is a totally different religion and it isn't that close to Christianity. My mom is Catholic but my grandfather was Methodist so she had that sort of relation too. My dad's family is much different because he is Muslim and that is very different from being Catholic. Some people say that it really isn't much different, but I honestly don't think that because there are so many differences. I don't know it's just learning about culture, there are so many things you can find out about other people and maybe how their life is different from your life.

Extra Credit

Canada's Anthem :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7Zn6ERmZXM 

I think the Canadian anthem sounds much different from all the other countries anthems. It sounds better in a way because it sounds upbeat and seems happy. I feel like some other countries have anthems where they sound like a military chant. I feel like those kinds of anthems are not unique in any way and they are demanding. The Canadian anthem sounds free and it represents Canada really well and the lyrics are well written and it has rhythm.


Spotify Playlist by: Sophia and Katie

American Dream by: MKTO
Freedom by: Akon
Free by: Zac Brown Band
National Anthem by: Lana Del Rey
Migration by: Jimmy Buffett
Made in the USA by: Demi Lovato

Test

Today we took the third human geo test this year. Most of it was multiple choice which I thought and I liked that idea and I think everyone else did too. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be because I didn't really know what to expect with how this whole test would've gone and how it would be. I really hope I didn't fail it because I did feel like some things I guessed on because I just didn't know the answer. Some of the questions you could think of as common sense. It was like the question had the answer in it. I think that may have helped me a little bit with like one or two questions. There was an essay that wasn't a hard question easier. It just seemed weird when I wrote down my answer to it because it didn't make that much sense as I wished it did, but it still answered the question and hopefully it will get full credit for it or at least most of the credit. I also have to say that it wasn't my favorite test to take at all because I have no idea close to knowing how I did. I think I did okay but not as well as I wished. I wished that I studied harder so I could've got like a 90, but I think that I got like an 80 or I'm hoping that I did and I didn't do worse because this is an important grade but I just know that I have to try harder and do better. I hope I find out my grade sooner or later because I will be worrying about it and I'm just not sure.

Test Tomorrow

Wednesday's test was postponed today to tomorrow. There was a powerpoint study guide that we could study from but some links didn't work so that's why it was cancelled. The problem was fixed and we discussed it in class so everything worked out. We got to study the slides today and have extra time to quiz ourselves and each other. I looked through the slides and tried to study to get a better understanding of what will be on the test. The last quiz we took this unit will also be on the test and we get a second chance on it. I didn't do well on the pop quiz we had like 2 weeks ago and that is what took my grade down so this test is important. Since a test is even more points than a pop quiz, I need to do well on this test to get my grade up and pass. I know that some of it will be multiple choice and that makes it easier to take and not spend so much time on the test. I am not a fast test taker, I've always been someone who likes to check everything before I turn it in and I spend time on an answer if I know it isn't right or I don't know it. I feel like this test isn't going to be that easy so I am hoping that I am wrong and I do very well.

Wednesday's Test

Today in class, we talked about the test we will have on Wednesday. This unit has been about like different countries of the world and its leaders and government. We have been studying 12 different countries this whole time trying to understand how each country works and the differences the other countries have compared to the United States. There are so many similarities and differences involving the type of governments of each country and many things about the leaders. Also things like the terms that each leader serves and how each leader runs the country. All these types of things are going to be on the test and I think that a good part of the test will be multiple choice which everyone prefers because it helps get a better grade and know the information easier. I really hope I do my absolute best on this test because I really need it. I have a B in this class and I actually have for a while know and I really want to get as many A's as possible. It is my goal to get way more than I did for the first quarter. This test is important in showing that grade because we only have tests when we like finish a unit or chapter. We only get graded on the blogs two points a day and the tests and quizzes are important in determining what we have at the end of the quarter. I really hope the test is easy and I do really well.

My Group's Presentation

On Friday, my group had to present our powerpoint project we've been working on for the past week and a half. I was worried because our slides weren't that bad but like we just didn't seem ready. The information for our specific country was hard to find and I feel like we might not have answered the questions we needed to in the best possible way. There were just facts we had that didn't make sense and than you would go to the next slide and it just didn't seem to work. I was also upset about it because the day we presented, Katie was doing the play and wasn't in class. I thought maybe she would've been because I knew she wasn't going to be on Thursday but she wasn't on Friday either. It was just Christina and I who presented the powerpoint and I didn't feel that the presentation flowed together at all really. There were some questions being asked that I just didn't know how to answer. That was annoying because there were other groups who presented and they did a good job and I give them credit. Maybe overall we didn't do that bad, but I really wished we did better and got much more information than we had. Next time I know we will do much better and even better with our research.

Leaving Early

Today I wasn't in human geo class. I had to leave early in algebra because I had a dentist appointment. I left at like 12:00 and it is so boring and stupid. I went to the dentist to get the normal every 6 month check up. They just checked and cleaned and did a normal x-ray for the check up. It wasn't bad at least I got to get lunch afterwards so all is good. I know that in human geo today we probably continued the presentations and I think my group will go tomorrow. We seem like we might be ready but then I'm not so sure. I hope we will be fine and if we don't go tomorrow we will have to present on Monday. The other groups that have already presented did a good job I don't think they did anything wrong really, maybe they just needed a little more information on their slides. Other than that, the presentations so far have been done well. I hope that when we present. our presentation will get an A and we will do well.

Presentation Day 1

Today in class we started presenting our powerpoint that we have been working on this past week. The first group to go was Chris and McKenna and their country was Germany. Germany has a federal republic and the leader of Germany is Angela Merkel. Every five years a new president is elected and every four years a new chancellor is elected. A leader can be impeached in Germany. The second group that presented was Gabi, Skylar, and Suky and their country was France. France has a republic as the form of government even though the country has gone back and forth many times between different forms of the government. Francois Hollande is the leader of France and has been since 2012. He is serving a five year term and when that ends there will be a reelection. France could impeach a leader and it was decided that it was allowed in 2002. There was only one more group that went today and the group was Jonathan and James and they had the United States. The president of the US is Barack Obama. He can only serve 2 terms which is 8 years in total. Andrew Johnson was the only former president of the United States that has been impeached before. The United State's form of government is the federal republic. We elect a new president every 4 years even though presidents are allowed 2 terms if they get reelected. There are still many countries to go and in class we will just keep continuing to present until everyone has presented.