Classroom Rules:

1.  Be on time

2.  Come prepared to learn

3.  Show respect

4.  Ask for help

5.  Help others

 

On-line resource for parents and students:  regentsprep.org

This is a great website for Regents Exam prep.  Click on Global History for interactive questions, essay prep information, and notes on every topic in both 9th and 10th grade Global.  Students should be visiting and working on this website at least once a week to start seriously preparing for the June exam.  Preparation for the June exam should become systematic and on-going since success on this exam determines whether or not a student earns a high school diploma in New York state.

 

 

 

 

Movie suggestion:  Swing Kids, rated PG-13

The movie follows the lives of several teenagers in Nazi Germany, pressured to join the Hitler Jugend, the Hitler Youth movement, which demands unquestioning loyalty and submission.  Includes some great dance scenes and music of the time period.  Stars Robert Sean Leonard and Christian Bale give great performances. 

 

Recipe suggestion (yes, a recipe for your family to enjoy during the movie):  Chile con Queso (hot cheese dip)

 

1 lb. Velveeta Cheese, cut up

2 tomatoes, cut up

1/2 an onion, diced

1 can, 4 oz., Green Chiles 

generous amount of fresh cilantro, washed and snipped

a few shakes of Goya Adobo seasoning, w/pepper

1 clove garlic, pressed

 

Place all ingredients in the top of a double boiler.  Bring water in the bottom to simmer, stir as cheese melts to blend ingredients.  Serve hot over tortilla chips, fritos, or "scoops."  Bon apetit!

 

 

 

 

Movie Suggestion:  Glory Road, rated PG

The movie tells the true story of college basketball coach Don Haskins and his 1966 team that broke the color barrier in the NCAA collegiate championships.  The grit, humor, humility and hard work it took to win is played out against a backdrop of some great Motown music, personally my favorite music genre.

 

Recipe suggestion:  Triscuits and Cheese

Triscuits

1 pkg. (8 oz) Athenos Feta cheese, in brine, drained and sliced

1/2 sweet Maya, Vidalia, or Texas Sweet onion sliced paper thin

a few shakes of dried oregano

 

Top each Triscuit with the onion on the bottom, then a slice of the Feta, and then dust with the dried oregano.

Goes great with homemade iced tea or lemonade!

 

 

 

 

 Family Social Studies Night: November

 

Movie suggestion:  Stand and Deliver, rated PG

This movie tells the true story of math teacher Jaime Escalante, who was able to inspire and teach children from el barrio to succeed on the AP Calculus exam.  When everyone else had given up on the kids, this teacher took inner-city students all the way to earning college credit for their success.  Edward James Olmos plays Escalante, accompanied by fine performances from Lou Diamond Phillips and Andy Garcia.

 

Recipe Suggestion: Open-faced Croustini Sandwiches

 

1 very long,  narrow baguette French Bread from Tops bakery

olive oil flavored with minced fresh garlic

slices of tomato

fresh mozzarella, slice at home (available at Tops in the fancy cheese dept.)

washed fresh basil leaves (also available at Tops in the produce dept.)

 

Slice the baguette into round slices about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick.

Generously brush on one side with the olive oil and place on a cookie sheet.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for a few minutes until heated through but not dry.

 

Serve as open-faced sandwiches by topping each slice of bread with

a slice of tomato and a slice of mozarella.  Garnish with a whole fresh

basil leaf.  Serve extra flavored olive oil in a small dish on the side in

case anyone wants to drizzle a little more on their "sandwich".

 

 

 

 

Movie Suggestion: The Long Walk Home , rated PG

Starring Whoopi Goldberg and Sissy Spacek, this film explores the relationship between a black maid

and her white employer as the drama of the 1955 Montgomery, Alabama bus boycott unfolds.  Some

racism is portrayed, so parents should preview the movie before allowing small children to see it.  A great

movie for anyone interested in the Civil Rights movement in this country.

 

Recipe suggestion:  Clam Dip

 

1 6 oz. can minced clams, drained, reserving a few tablespoons of the liquid

8 oz. cream cheese, softened to room temperature

8 oz. sour cream

fresh parsley, chopped

1/2 bunch fresh green onions, chopped, both green and white parts

2 cloves fresh garlic, minced

 

Mix all ingredients together in a medium bowl.  Add enough of the reserved clam juice

to make it "dippable."  Refrigerate for 1 hour to allow flavors to blend.  Serve with

pretzels, chips, or a gorgeous raw vegetable platter.-

 

 

Movie Suggestion:  The Man in the Iron Mask, rated PG-13

Based on the novel by Alexandre Dumas, this film depicts the reign of Louis XIV, the legendary "Sun King"

of France, an absolute monarch who wields his power for his own ends.  Of course there's swashbuckling by

the 3 Musketeers, who must save the kingdom from this dictatorial king.  Starring Leonardo DiCaprio and others,

there is some violence with swordplay, and some sexually oriented dialogue and scenery.  Parents are again

cautioned to preview all my movie suggestions before being seen by young children.  A good movie for older teenagers

since Absolutism, that is, government in which the ruler does not have to follow the rule of law or answer to

anybody, is taught in both 9th and 10th grade Global Studies and is always asked about on the Regents Exam.

 

Recipe Suggestion:  My mother's Cheese Spread

 

1  8 oz. package of cream cheese, softened to room temperature

1  8oz. package of sharp cheddar cheese, grated  (My mother says grate it yourself because the pre-grated has lost its moisture)

1  4 or 6 oz block of bleu cheese (again, freshly crumble it yourself, same reason as above)

3/4 cup walnuts, toasted lightly on a cookie sheet in the oven until fragrant, let cool and then coarsely chop 

2 cloves of garlic, pressed thru a garlic press

1/2 finely chopped fresh parsley

 

Use an electric mixer to blend all ingredients.  Use a couple or 3  tablespoons of white grape juice or apple juice to

"thin" to desired s-p-r-e-a-d-a-b-l-e consistency.  This is not a dip...a spread.  Serve with nice crackers and/or use

it to stuff celery.  Most beautifully served, according to her, in a small "crock" or thick earthenware bowl, garnished with a

few of the chopped walnuts.  My mother has been making this recipe for 67 years!! (she's 87) and it is really good!