I hope you all are excited for the holidays and I hope you enjoy this special time of the year with your family and friends. The first four months of school were very enjoyable and it has been great to get to know all of you better. I have some exciting things planned for the 2nd half of the year and can't wait to study about some very interesting topics including industrialization, imperialism, World War I and World War II. In the meantime, have a fantastic holiday!
Extra Credit
An important topic in world news right now is North Korea. North Korea is the last true communist dictatorships. Remember learning about Totalitarianism? Do you remember a man named Joseph Stalin? He controlled every aspect of society from televisions to newspapers to what children learned in kindergarten. North Korea is much like Russia was under the rule of Joseph Stalin, except this is happening 65 years later and as we speak!
The people of North Korea are struggling terribly and suffering from starvation and brain washing. They have one of the largest militaries in the world yet are also one of the poorest countries. How could this happen? For the last 40 years they have been ruled by the same awful family dictatorship and recently their beloved leader, Kim Jong Il, died. The country has told its people that Kim Jong Il is like god and that the United States is the root of everything evil. Visitors are hardly ever allowed in North Korea and cameras are not allowed to film certain parts of the country! If you film certain parts, you can be put in jail. It is almost impossible to really see what is going on in North Korea because the government censors EVERYTHING. This place is crazy and I want you to examine it deeper.
For extra credit you can do a research project on North Korea. This is what I want you to do:
1) Check out this website to get some basic facts on North Korea. Spend some time reading the articles and watch a couple videos about life in North Korea and Kim Jong-Il
2) Watch this video for free. It is about a man and his team of people who actually got into this super secret place and film. There are 3 parts. Watch as much as you like I think it is so interesting how different this place is than anywhere else in the world and the lies the government spreads.
3) After you watch the movie. Answer these questions by researching on the internet about North Korea.
Use the link to the website above and this link below to start:
1) Where is North Korea?
2) What is the population of North Korea?
3) What is the 'Demilitarized Zone' or 'DMZ'?
4) What is North Korea's relationship with South Korea?
5) Who is Kim Il-Sung?
6) Who is Kim Jong Il?
(Watch this Video)
(Watch this Video)
7) Who is Kim Jong-Un?
7) Short Answer:
Prompt: Why do you think the North Korean people love their leader so much?
8) Describe life in North Korea. Is there a way this could be stopped without starting a war? How?
9) If you were a North Korean and knew about other ways of life, would you leave your family and start a new life in a new country?
Enjoy learning about this fascinating place. It is pretty horrible what goes on there but we really don't know that much because it is all so secretive.
PLEASE COMMENT WITH ANY QUESTIONS OR IF YOU NEED HELP!
Enjoy the holidays! See you on January 3rd.
- Mr. Hostetter
