Blue Diamond Assessment 8 requires students to:

 

1. Determine the author's purpose for including particular characters in a scene.
2. Compare experiences between those had by characters in a selection and those held by others.
3. Determining the author's purpose for individual word choice.  Understanding that words are chosen on purpose for a piece.
4. Determining how a particular audience is most likely to react to a particular piece.
5. Determine the main idea of the selection.
6. Determine how other works are interconnected within a particular article.
7. Determine word meanings using context clues.
8. Completing analogies

 

Blue Diamond Assessment 8 BBC NEWS | Scars of Nato bombing still pain Serbs Bombed Belgrade Chernobyl shows insect decline Chavez offers Russia use of base The Good Old Days of the Cold War Eurovision Contest Axes Anti Russian Entry Follow the money to see Hungary's plight Europe still faces gas quandry Former Bosnian Leader to go on trial at the Hague Verdict on ex-Serb president due today East European Worker Influx Slows Poles want EU help for Auschwitz Austrailia remembers brushfire dead

 

BD 8 Archived Current Events

 

 

 

 

 

BBC NEWS | Scars of Nato bombing still pain Serbs

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7960116.stm

 

(Ferriter---March 25)

 

A decade on from the Nato bombing campaign, more than 90,000 Serbs are still in danger from unexploded cluster munitions, according to a recent report funded by the Norwegian foreign ministry.  The report says they face a daily threat and estimates that there are some 2,500 unexploded devices in 15 areas of Serbia.

 

This current event can be used to talk to students about the Balkan conflict and to talk about the after effects of war.  It can also be used to talk about Serbia's current involvement in the world.  They are forbidden from joining the EU until a Bosnian Serb leader responsible for many deaths during the conflict is captured.  This means that the Serbs are going to struggle economically while their neighbors move forward. 

 

Question to use:

 

How would this article help a reader who knew little about life in a war-torn country?

(Reading skill:  Summarize)

 

1. The reader becomes aware of the technical details of a common form of bomb.
2. The reader understands why Serbia has been excluded from the EU.
3. The reader sees first-hand how innocent residents suffer when a country is attacked.
4. The reader learns about an important time period in the lives of the people of the Balkans. 

 

Bombed Belgrade

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7953759.stm

 

(Ferriter---March 23)

 

On 24 March 1999, the Nato military alliance launched an 11-week campaign of air strikes against Yugoslavia to push Serb forces out of Kosovo. The strikes were the largest military operation ever undertaken by Nato, and the first time it had used force against a sovereign state without UN approval. 

 

Maja Sahbaz was 18 at the time and witnessed the bombing of the capital, Belgrade, where she still lives. In this current event, she recalls the assault on the city and tours some of the sites which remain ruins to this day.

 

This current event can be used to teach students about the role that NATO plays in the world and to set up further study of Serbia's role in the Balkan wars.

 

Question to use: 

 

What impact do the air raid sirens at the beginning of this slideshow have on readers?

(Reading skill:  Author's purpose)

 

1. They frighten readers, discouraging them from reading on.
2. They catch the readers' attention by making the attacks seem more "real."  
3. They set a relaxed mood for the reader and encourage further exploration.
4. They provide the reader with factual information that is not included in the captions.   

 

 

 

Chernobyl shows insect decline

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7949314.stm

 

(Ferriter---March 18th)

 

Two decades after the explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, radiation is still causing a reduction in the numbers of insects and spiders.  According to researchers working in the exclusion zone surrounding Chernobyl, there is a "strong signal of decline associated with the contamination"

 

This current event can be used to introduce students to the Chernobyl nuclear power plant disaster.  Teachers should focus on the reasons why the Soviet Union would choose to keep the disaster a secret from the world even though they knew the situation was dangerous.  It can also be used to talk about the advantages and disadvantages of nuclear power as an energy source.

 

Question to use:

 

This video clip is from a series titled, "History in the Making"  Which clip is most likely to appear in the same series?   (Reading skill:  Inference)

 

1. Chernobyl's insects:  Still suffering after 20 years
2. Communism:  An economic system that just doesn't work
3. Down comes the wall:  The day Berlin took a stand.
4. Nuclear power:  An option worth pursuing.

 

 

Chavez offers Russia use of base

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7945845.stm

 

(Ferriter----March 17)

 

Venezuela's President, Hugo Chavez, says he has offered Moscow the use of an airfield off its Caribbean coast for Russian strategic long-range bombers.  But Mr Chavez denied there would be discussions on building any permanent base on the island of La Orchila.

 

This current event can be used to talk about the Cold War, because this is the kind of action that Russia would have taken during that time period.  It can also be used to talk about the US Missile Shield project in Eastern Europe----something that makes Russia feel threatened.

 

Question to use:

 

Based on the information in the selection, which of the following relationships is similar to the relationship below (Reading skill:  Summarize)

 

Venezuela : Russia

 

1. Soviet Union : The Czech Republic
2. The Ukraine : The Soviet Union
3. Kansas : The United States
4. The United States : Western Europe

 

 

The Good Old Days of the Cold War

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/7941630.stm

 

(Ferriter---March 16)

 

Russia's officer corps will soon be decimated in the name of military reform, Tim Whewell discovers as he travels from base to base with a former colonel who had his finger on the button in the glory days of the Soviet nuclear deterrent.  This event can be used to talk about the idea of nuclear weapons as a deterrent during the Cold War.

 

Question to use:

 

What was the purpose of including the following paragraph at the beginning of this article?  (Reading Skill:  Author's Purpose)

 

On rafts down the raging rivers of Kamchatka, I discovered later, hurtle adventurers who need only stretch out their arms to shake paws with the bears that fish for leaping salmon.  And in deep holes under the peninsula's berry-laden wilderness are stashed nuclear missiles that could wipe us all out.

 

1. To provide a picture of the wildlife in Kamchatka
2. To offer a sense of wonder at the beauty of nature.
3. To emphasize the sense of danger and mystery that surrounded Russia in the Cold War.
4. To compare the might and power of the Soviet Union to the might and power of the United States.

 

 

 

Eurovision Contest Axes Anti Russian Entry

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7935865.stm

 

(Ferriter---March 11)

 

Georgia's entry has been ruled unacceptable by organisers of the Eurovision Song Contest in Moscow, because of some of its lyrics.  The disco-funk song, We Don't Wanna Put In, appears to poke fun at Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.

 

This event can be used to teach students about both the Eurovision song contest as a way to build unity in Europe (which explains their rules against political statements in contest entries) and the tension between Russia and many of its neighbors.

 

Question to use:

 

How would this article help a reader who does not know much about the Eurovision song contest?  (Author's Purpose)

 

1. The reader becomes more aware of the conflict between Russia and Georgia.
2. The reader learns of some of the basic rules that govern the Eurovision song contest.
3. The reader is persuaded to watch the Eurovision song contest.
4. The reader understand why Georgians voted for the anti-Putin song. 

 

 

 

Follow the money to see Hungary's plight

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7923685.stm

 

(Ferriter---March 10)

 

This current event documents how European Union countries like Austria have been making huge loans to Eastern European countries like Hungary, but those countries are struggling economically. This means that Austria might lose huge amounts of money and start to collapse if the Hungarians can't pay their loans back. We'll use this current event to talk more about Eastern Europe dragging Western Europe down. We'll only read small sections of the article, though. It's full of content that will be over the heads of students.

 

Question to use:

 

According to this selection, what is the significance of the loans made by Western European countries to Eastern Europe?

 

1. If Eastern European countries fail, Western European countries won't get their loan money back and are likely to struggle economically.
2. If Eastern European countries continue to borrow money, they'll grow stronger than Western European countries.
3. If Eastern European countries continue to borrow money from Western Europe, there will eventually be a war over resources.
4. If Eastern European countries continue to borrow money from Western Europe, they will essentially be controlled by Western Europe and rebel.

 

 

 

Europe still faces gas quandry

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7840094.stm

 

(Ferriter---March 4)

 

The deliberate cutting off of crucial gas supplies for almost two weeks in mid-winter by one of the European Union's most important energy suppliers - Russia.  One EU member state, Slovakia, which depends entirely on Russian gas, declared a state of emergency and threatened to restart an ageing Soviet nuclear reactor to prevent a total power failure across the country.

 

While this event was resolved in January, it is an important one to study because it explains why countries need to work towards energy independence.  The controversy between Russia and the Ukraine has influenced energy supplies in Europe for years. 

 

Questions to Use:

 

Based on this selection, what does the word quandry mean in the following sentence:  Europe still faces gas quandry."   (Reading skill:  Vocabulary)

 

1. An open confrontation.
2. A problem easily solved.
3. A problem that is challenging to solve.
4. An interesting challenge that will be fun to work through.

 

What impact does looking at this map, have on the reader?  (Reading skill:  Author's purpose)

 

1. Readers recognize that the Ukraine is much bigger than most EU countries.
2. Readers recognize that the Ukraine is more powerful than most EU countries.
3. Readers recognize that the Ukraine has better natural resources than most EU countries.
4. Readers recognize that without the Ukraine, natural gas couldn't travel from Russia to the EU.

 

 

 

Former Bosnian Leader to go on trial at the Hague

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7920594.stm

 

(Ferriter--March 3)

 

Former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic is set to appear in court at The Hague to face a new version of his indictment for alleged war crimes.  Prosecutors at the United Nations tribunal have re-drafted the charges and Mr Karadzic now faces two counts of genocide instead of one.

 

This current event can be used to teach students more about the conflict in the former Yugoslavia, as Karadzic was a Bosnian Serb walking in the footsteps and following the plans of Slobodan Milosevic.

 

Question to use:

 

Based on the information from the selection, which of the following relationships is similar to the relationship below:  (Reading Skill:  Summarizing)

 

Karadzic : Muslims

 

1. Bosnia : Serbs
2. Hitler : Germans
3. Hitler : Jews
4. Karadzic : Milosevic

 

 

 

Verdict on ex-Serb president due today

http://www.euronews.net/en/article/26/02/2009/verdict-on-ex-serb-president-due-today/

 

(Ferriter---February 26)

 

The International Criminal Court in the Hague delivers its verdict today on former Serb President, Milan Milutinovic and five other former Yugoslav and Serb officials. It will be the court’s first verdict over alleged war crimes committed against ethnic Albanians in Kosovo.

 

This current event can be used to introduce students to the turmoil in the Balkans since the late 1980s at the hands of Serb leaders.  What makes the Serbian/Kosovo conflict so interesting is that the birthplace of Serbia is Kosovo, so they feel passionate about keeping it----but in recent years, only a small percentage of Serbians actually live in Kosovo.   See this map for a breakdown.

 

Question to use:

 

What impact does looking at the BBC map of the ethnic breakdown in Kosovo have on the reader?

 

1. It convinces the reader that the Serbians have a right to own Kosovo.
2. It convinces the reader that Kosovo is a place of interesting landforms.
3. It convinces the reader that the conflict over Kosovo will never be resolved.
4. It convinces the reader that Serbia's treatment of Albanians in Kosovo was wrong.

 

 

 

East European Worker Influx Slows

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/7906277.stm

 

(Ferriter---Feb. 25)

 

There has been a big fall in the number of East Europeans registering to work in the UK, official figures show.  Some 720,000 National Insurance numbers were issued to foreign workers in the year to September 2008, the Office for National Statistics has said. 

 

This current event can be used to introduce students to the struggle of life in Eastern Europe and to one of the challenges of admitting poor Eastern European countries to the EU.  While the EU wants to see life improve in Eastern Europe, they're not all that excited about the flood of poor and undereducated Eastern Europeans coming to their countries.

 

Question to use:

 

Based on the context of this selection, what does the word influx mean in the following sentence:  "East European Worker Influx Slows."   (Reading Skill:  Vocabulary)

 

1. To rise quickly.
2. To stop completely.
3. To slow down unexpectedly.
4. To be forbidden by law.

 

 

 

 

Poles want EU help for Auschwitz

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7907302.stm

 

(Ferriter---Feb 24)

 

Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski has urged EU governments to contribute to a special fund to maintain the Auschwitz death camp memorial site. The camp, where Nazi Germany murdered more than one million people - most of them Jews - now consists of decaying buildings, mostly in need of repair. Poland wants international support for a 120m-euro (£106m; $154m) foundation to preserve Auschwitz. 

 

This current event can be used to introduce students to the joint partnership aspects of the EU.  Poland is looking for support from partners that they may never have had.

 

Question to use:

 

Which of the following best describes Poland's efforts to get help for maintaining Aushwitz from the EU? 

(Reading Skill:  Summarize)

 

1. An unnecessary attempt to get money during tough economic times.
2. A worthy attempt to preserve an important piece of history.
3. An expensive project that isn't really worth it.
4. An urgent and intelligent action that cannot wait another day. 

 

 

Austrailia remembers brushfire dead

http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_7900000/newsid_7904300/7904374.stm

 

(Ferriter, Feb. 22)

 

Recovering from recent tragedy, Austrailia spent a part of the past weekend remembering the victims of the recent brushfires in their country.  February 7th---the day when the worst of the damage took place---has been declared a national day of mourning.  From this point forward, a minute of silence will be shared on the 7th forever more. 

 

Based on the context of the following sentence, what does the word "tend" mean:  "As a people we weep for the lost, we tend to the injured, we console the suffering, and yet our work has just begun"

 

1. To lead.
2. To think or behave a certain way.
3. To take action.
4. To look after or care for.