Launching a New Business in Russia

During our study of Russia, students learned about the political, economic, and cultural challenges Russian citizens have faced since the fall of communism, and their government's attempt at developing a democracy.  

Students learned about the ways in which Russia's economy is connected with the economies of other countries through international trade, and how economic and political freedoms support each other.  The guiding question throughout our study was: How important is Russia's successful transition to democracy and a free market economy to the rest of world? 

Considering all of their knowledge and understanding of the physical geography of Russia, its resources, political and economic structure and culture, students worked collaboratively in small groups to create a plan for a Russian business under a free market economy.  They were given the freedom to choose any business they wished to create - whether it be a product or service.  Students presented their groups' business plans, explaining how their businesses would meet the needs of Russian consumers, what political and economic institutions their businesses would need to rely on in order to succeed, and the possible political, economic and cultural challenges they might face in starting up their businesses.  Students created some pretty impressive business plans and extended their thinking even further by identifying ways to overcome the challenges they might face in the wake of the new government and economic structures.  Some of these creative business plans included ideas such as:

• BioTech research lab for finding a cure for Tuberculosis (an epidemic in Russia)

• Development of the healthcare industry, including health plans for its citizens

• Insulated and self-heating machines to be used in extracting resources subjected to permafrost

• high-tech farm equipment to replace outdated farming and irrigation equipment that is currently used

• "tundra-proof" underground pipe material for petroleum and natural gas transport

Their plans were as impressive as their presentations.  You're looking at the faces of our future global business leaders!

The Holocaust and the Relevance of History

Our final week of our Holocaust collaborative inquiry unit ended with students being assigned to an identify card of one of the victims of the Holocaust. Most of the victims were Jewish, but some were Jehovah's Witnesses, Roma (gypsies), the mentally ill and the "righteous", among others. Each card included a photograph of the victim, name, date of birth, place of birth and a description of his/her life before Hitler came to power before World War II, as well as after World War II began. 

The idea behind the victim ID cards is to have students assume the identity of their victim during our upcoming novel study of The Boy In the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne (a fictional narrative of the Holocaust), allowing them to become more invested in the text once we begin reading it (the fate of each victim on their ID cards will be revealed at the end of our novel study). While students read their individual identity cards, I heard gasps and shouts of indignation. "Can you believe they allowed children to be born in these ghettos?"; "Oh, no! I've been assigned to a child who was separated from her family when she was taken to a labor camp."; "My victim was a soldier for Hitler's army, and it sounds like he didn't want to be. Does that really make him a victim, too?".  I also witnessed students silently grapple with their thoughts about the suffering that was endured in one of the darkest periods in the history of humanity. Clearly, these stories made an impact on students, and the collaborative nature of the inquiry unit as a whole made for a transformative learning experience for many. The complex issues and questions that arose during our study of the Holocaust encouraged students to think critically about important issues and values not only within the historical context of the Holocaust, but also with respect to inequalities and injustices we see in the world today - racism, war, violence, human rights violations, poverty, global hunger and more.  In what ways are we responsible for other human beings?

At the close of the inquiry unit last week, I brought students together to discuss an important excerpt taken from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have A Dream" speech. It reads: 

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” ~ Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 

Tomorrow, as we celebrate the birthday of Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., I asked students to find a moment in their day to remember the importance of speaking up when we encounter injustices - whether it be within our own social circles, at school, in our town, state, country or globally. The legacy of the Holocaust calls us to create a compassionate and just society that respects all of its citizens.

Planting the seeds to change the world. 

“Our Lives Begin to End the Day We Become Silent about Things That Matter” ~ Martin Luther King, Jr. |, 2012, pattyebenson.org/2012/01/16/our-lives-begin-to-end-the-day-we-become-silent-about-things-that-matter-martin-luther-king-jr/.

“Why Study the Holocaust?” Why Study the Holocaust? | Sarah and Chaim Neuberger - Holocaust Education Centre - UJA Federation of Greater Toronto, holocaustcentre.com/educators-students/why-study-the-holocaust.

Exploring Russia's Culture

Здравствуйте!
Zdravstvujtye! 

(zdrah-stvooy-tee = hello!)

Russia may be a world away from Boxford, MA, but bringing Russia into our classroom this week was about as close to an authentic cultural experience as one could get. 

Students enjoyed participating in a variety of cultural station rotation activities, including:

• Learning how to read, speak and write in Russian

• Discovering different aspects of Russia's exotic and decorative architectural forms and ultimately, creating a building design of their own (yes, including those amazing onion domes and kremlins!)

• Exploring Russian literature and how it is influenced by its geographical northern location

• Enjoying a performance of [Tchaikovsky's] Swan Lake ballet filmed at the Kirov/Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg

• "Boarding" the Trans Siberian Railway for an excursion through Moscow and eastward towards Vladivstok. FUN FACT: Did you know that if you were to travel the entire length of the 6,152 mile rail line, you'd travel through EIGHT time zones?

• Touring Lake Baikal through Google Expeditions (a virtual reality experience) - "way cool", was how it was unanimously characterized.  

Interested in listening to some familiar voices convey personal greetings in Russian?  Click on the links below.  These greetings were recorded using the ever-popular, social learning platform, Flipgrid.

наслаждайтесь (naslazhdaytes' = enjoy yourself)