[Lizbeth Vazquez-Ruiz]

I have also discussed the importance of voting with my 7th graders. I always encourage them to speak their mind and to fight for not only their own rights but for the rights of others. I tried to emphasize the importance of helping their community and taking seriously national issues. However sometimes I find it difficult to encourage voting and helping others.  Due to having a diverse set of students some of my students have shared that voting goes against their religion. I want to  continue to have a positive environment in my classroom by showing acceptance but I feel conflicted when my students share that your religion prevents them from voting and from learning history.

[Lizbeth Vazquez-Ruiz]

I definitely agree with your statement. Students are able to understand concepts better if they are given visuals such as charts and graphic organizers. Many students are only aware of how the government of the United States functions but they lack knowledge on foreign governments.  It is easy for them to believe that every country and society runs the same way as the United States, they will be surprise when they learn that they don’t. Using a chart to describe China's government will allow students to fully understand it. Design can include pictures and videos displaying different branches of the government.

[Lizbeth Vazquez-Ruiz]

I definitely agree with your ideas. We can use pretty much anything that has a picture  such as stamps, postcards, dollar bills and coins for students to compare. Students can compare and contrast these items with the ones from the United States. They can compare the drawings, historical figures and the colors  that are being used. This would be a great activity  to expose students to different cultures. Exposing students to these visuals will give provide them with a better understanding of how other cultures work.

[Lizbeth Vazquez-Ruiz]

It is very interesting but also very disappointing how there's evidence proving how damaging a society can be. Japan is suffuring from job shortages, low fertility rates and sexism and still sufficient steps towards change are not being made. Companies are still able to discriminate and are not forced to change their employee requirements. Women are still being discriminated like the article said, “Only some 50 of Teijin’s approximately 2,000 managers are women”. This this is not enough, real change has to come. I agree that more women are staying single becuase they much rather have a career than be a housewife.

[Lizbeth Vazquez-Ruiz]

Japan's work customs make it difficult for women to succeed in any career and have a family as well. Women usually quit their jobs in their early thirties once they begin to have children, according to government statistics. Japanese  work customs encourage employees to work from morning to midnight. This schedule can prevent anybody from having both a family and a career. Women are especially affected by this since men are seen as the breadwinners and not as stay-at-home fathers. It leaves no choice for women but to pick to either  have a family or to have a career. Of course when face with this challenge most women will pick their career . These ridiculous working hours are also causing labor shortages.. Employees are also not protected by the law, companies are able to discriminate. Now Japan must begin to make changes  to fix their aging population. 

 

[Lizbeth Vazquez-Ruiz]

I can definitely use the article  “Womenomics in Japan: In Brief" in my English class. Students can participate in 3 reads, they will read the article on their own and then with the class and finally in groups. As students read they can annotate the central idea and the supporting details. Students will be put into groups to discuss one key disparity mentioned in the article. As students are discussing they will identify a cause and effect. One group will discuss “low participation rate of women in the workforce” another group will discuss “A sizable pay gap between men and women” and the last group will discuss “Poor representation of women in high-level positions”. 

 

[Lizbeth Vazquez-Ruiz]

I can use the Cultureal Revolution playing cards in my classroom by having students participate in the Prompts of Depth and Complexity. One of the prompts includes Patterns where students analyze predictable details, cycles, repetition and recurring details. students can observe the cards and take note of any repeating images that continue to appear throughout the cards. Another prompt is Unanswered Questions where students come up with questions about unknown or ambiguous details in the cards. This is where students “wonder” what is happening in the images. Students can also engage in a discussion about Ethics which includes topics about philosophies and controversies. The final prompt that I would include is Big Ideas where students and analyze Universal themes, facts and generalizations. 

 

[Lizbeth Vazquez-Ruiz]

Discussing the rise of machines in the workforce can be an engaging classroom discussion. It has occurred multiple times in history already. Machines are able to work overtime, at a fast rate and produce more products over time for less money. It makes sense to have machines take over certain jobs but what would happen to families that depend on those jobs? Massive unemployment will be the result. During the discussion students can be divided into groups, one group will defend and support the rise of machines and the other will object. Students can use the article “In Japan, the Rise of Machines Solves Labor Shortage” to provide supporting details. Students can also discuss which countries would benefit from this change.

[Lizbeth Vazquez-Ruiz]

Introducing k-pop is a wonderful way to engage students in discussions. I can relate to this in my history class by providing students with the opportunity to apply concepts taught in class by researching a topic they enjoy. Students can write a research paper on different k-pop groups. They can choose from a variety of prompts, which can include concepts such as ethics and beauty standards. Students will explain the relationships among multiple scholarly works representing multiple perspectives, describing the connection to the student’s topic of inquiry.  Students can also include primary and secondary sources to support their argument. 

 

[Lizbeth Vazquez-Ruiz]

I will definitely introduce K-pop related articles to my students, I know for sure they will be highly interested in the topic. I believe this topic will lead students into more serious conversations. I’m currently teaching 7th grade middle schoolers, some of my students have shared how they feel insecure about their sexuality or on how they feel different when they compare themselves to other students of the same gender. Gender standards differ between countries, my students will benefit from discussing these standards.

[Lizbeth Vazquez-Ruiz]

China is known for its nature, my parents in law travel to China a few times a year and spend their time hiking and visiting popular mountains. They've been to  Hongcun Ancient Village, Guangdong and Huangguoshu Waterfall. Everytime I see their videos and pictures, all I see is green, nature and water everywhere. Which is why after reading the article discussing china's environmental crisis, I was flabbergasted. The article discussed how China is the world's largest producer of coal. Coal mining releases emissions that can contribute to acid rain and respiratory illnesses. Coal mining can also affect water quality and contributes to pollution. 

 

[Lizbeth Vazquez-Ruiz]

Asia's demographic crisis refers to its low fertility rate. More women in Asia are wanting to pursue a career and not be forced to choose between having children or a career. All over the world, it seems that only women are caught between having children and having a career, men are never put in such conundrum. Men are not constantly asked how they balanced family and work or if they plan on being a stay at home dad. Based on Europe's history, Asia's demographic crisis can repair itself, overtime men will have more competition and will have to change their ideas of marriage. 

 

[Lizbeth Vazquez-Ruiz]

Reading about VoteWithMe was very interesting. The U.S has the lowest rate of youth voters in the world, which is why using techology to encrouage voting is highly important. Only recently have I seen social media apps ecouraging poeple to vote and even offer registration links. I beleieve these social media apps will impact the direction of history becuase youth voters will be expressing their views and thoughts. 

[Lizbeth Vazquez-Ruiz]

I have never heard of Chinese philosophers.  Kang Youwei was a Chinese philosopher whose  ideas inspired a Reformation movement and the Hundred Days Reform. Even though I took a few philosophy classes in college, all my professors would focus on western figures and not on worldwide figures. It was interesting to read his biography and his philosophical views. An issue that many curriculums have is that they  always focus on European figures and not on worldwide figures. 

 

[Lizbeth Vazquez-Ruiz]

The five themes of geography are Place, Human-Environment Interaction, Movement, Regions. I covered this only a few weeks ago with my 7th graders. An activity that they had was too complete was a graphic organizer with information for each theme. They also created a power point describing the pieces of their culture, in which they described the language,  food, art, clothing and atmosphere surrounding their community. Now that I'm reflecting on this lesson, it occurred to me that students can repeat the same activity but about other countries to get a sense of how life is in other parts of the world.

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