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The Contemporary World History Project Current Event Assignment
< http://www.sonic.net/bantam1/ce10th.html>
click here to download as Word or Works file
Current
Event Schedule
and Student
Work
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The Current Event Project will count as 10% of your semester grade. The presentations will be made throughout the semester. Each student will work with one partner. Your current event will focus on our Global Negotiations nation: Mexico. You will pick from a series of possible themes. A partial list is shown below. Your teacher will provide you with a presentation date schedule.
You will be required to turn a draft in to the teacher 2 weeks in advance of your presentation. This draft will be reviewed and returned to you the next class session. You make any necessary revisions and return it to your teacher at least one week in advance of your presentation. It must include a hard copy of the CE report and a copy of the CE report on a disk. The disk copy must use MS Word. See your teacher for assistance on converting to this, if necessary.
Requirements for Students Presenting and Facilitating the Discussion
Check the schedule to find out when you will present your current event. Begin looking for a current event immediately. Two weeks before you are scheduled to present, be sure to hand in the following:
Tasks for Non-Presenting students
On the day of each presentation, all non-presenting students are required to turn in a 1 - 2 paragraph response for each of the of the five questions prepared by the presenting students. Your notes must demonstrate your preparation and depth of understanding of the issues presented during the discussion. Make references to the main article and the 3 supporting articles prepared by the presenters.
Assignment point distribution:
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Presenter: Current Event paper, Article, and support items/links |
....... 50 points |
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Presenter: The five critical thing questions |
....... 20 points |
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Presenter: Class presentation and discussion of your CE |
....... 30 points |
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Non-presenters: Critical thinking question responses [each presentation set] note: these responses are a part of your regular grade period scores. |
....... 30 points |
Some suggested general topics of Global Significance:
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Human Rights
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Environment
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Economy
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Other
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Class Presentation Schedule:
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Current Event Example of Presenter's Article, Summary and Support URLs
click here to down load as a Word or Works file
Title, Author, Source, Date & URL
[if available online]
Rosset, Peter. Understanding The Chiapas Revolt In Mexico.
Third World Network 228, Macalister Road, 10400 Penang, Malaysia.
http://www.virtualschool.edu/mon/News/ChiapasRevoltMexico.html
Half page summary of article (why you
chose the article, the central and underlying issues, regional
relevance)
Chiapas is a region in Mexico that was divided by racism and
by rich and poor. The Mayan Indians lived here in wood slat and mud
houses with dirt floors. Eight to ten people slept together in one
room on 3 or 4 beds. Most had access to only dirty water from a
nearby stream for cooking, cleaning, and drinking, and for dumping
their own waste. Children died from dehydration, diarrhea,
tuberculoses, or some other curable disease
The arrival of the Spanish ushered in a period of 500 years during which the Mayans were pushed off their land by the Ladinos. The indigenous people of Chiapas were forced to move to the thin, rocky slopes of the highlands, and also to the nearby lower elevation levels. They became the poorest and most desperate people in all of Mexico. President Carlos Salinas had an anti-poverty plan but never reached the Chiapas people in the highlands, which sparked attitudes of rebellion. In the nearby countries there was an economic oil boom that gave the Mayans jobs and had to move down from the highlands. The decrease in farming activity gave the soil time to rebuild itself. When the Mayans returned to the highlands when their jobs were over, they brought back the money they had saved, and a taste for modern technology. The Mayans learned to use chemicals and fertilizers, which they never used before, that contributed greatly to the success of the crop growth in the highlands
After many years, on New Years Eve, 1993 the state of Chiapas was attacked by the Zapatista guerrilla army. They took over that and the 5 neighboring cities of the Chiapas highlands. There army was incredibly strong and was uniquely made up of young adults and teenagers from the ethnic Mayan groups of the highlands.
I chose this article because the conflict of racism and segregation between the lower and upper classes is still a problem that is prevalent today. It also vividly describes the life and cultures that were existing in the past, which can affect the future and how we live our lives today.
The central issue of the article is the conflict between the Mayans and their oppressors. They were forced to leave their homes and adapt to different living environments they weren't used to before.
The underlying issues of this article are the reasons behind the Chiapas rebellion and what events led them to their revolt. Another issue this article talks about is the consequence of the success in crop growth in the Chiapas highlands. This has increased the soil erosion as the heavy rains wash away the earth that is barely protected by annual crops. This degradation of the land and loss of soil fertility lowers the ability of the land, contributing to the tendency toward outward migration.
The region of Chiapas, the surrounding cities, and the countries involved with the economic oil boom are most affected by this. The country of Mexico and it's leaders were the main attributers to the Chiapas revolt
5 Critical Thinking Discussion Questions
Supporting URLs (background info, maps, photos that support the main article)
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Links to News Sources and Maps
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available to students and families from home |
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