Community+Service+Learning

__Question:__ What is a citizen?

__Answer:__ I think a citizen is a person who is a part of a community and contributes in making the area that they live in, a better place.

During the past week, in class, we talked about mapping our communities.

A.) __Question:__ When you think about your community, how does it make you feel (proud, angry, happy, inspired, etc.)? What about the resources? What about the problems? __Answer:__ My community makes me feel proud and happy because being on the volleyball team is part of what I really love to do.

B.) __Question:__ How can some of the problems be addressed with the resources? __Answer:__ Some of the problems that can be addressed with the resources are when the team players don't cooperate with each other and when the coaches put too much pressure on the team so they get pressures when they play and they don't play as good as they are able to.

C.) __Question:__ What makes something a community? __Answer:__ A community is made up of a large group of people who interacts with each other about doing the same thing as one another.

D.) __Question:__ Did we see similar problems/resources in different communities? __Answer:__ Yes, we saw similar problems or resources in different communities because some people are involved in similar groups.

We also talked about either supporting or opposing the British right to tax the colonies. At the end, we did a debate in class about it and I was on the __**Supporting**__ side of the argument.

__Grade on Self for Debate__

__2 (75%)__ - Participants speak loudly but is not clearly heard by their audience. - Participants' have **very few accurate statements.** - Rebuttal statements show that participants **listened to and understood very little** of the opposing arguments.

__Comments:__ I think I did very poorly during the debate. The main problem was that whenever I had something to say when it was our turn for a response, somebody else would take the turn to do so. Also, the conclusion statement that Tammy and I presented was **__TERRIBLE!__** (Epic Fail!!!) =(

__Question:__ Did your opinion change after argument?

__Answer:__ Yes, my opinion did change after the argument because I became more persuaded to believe that the British didn't have the right to tax the colonies. The reason is because the more I thought about it, it just seems as if the British were being very harsh towards the colonists that they had to pay a specific amount of money for the tax.



__Summary (**Theocracy**)__ Theocracy is a form of government in which all of the citizens on the country believes in God and that he is the ruler of the country. __Strength__ - The citizens of the country don't have to make the laws because they would look toward God for them. __Weakness__ - Theocracy is not really a form of government, it is more like a religion.

Everyone has an equal voice to decide what goes on in the government. __Strength__ - There are many ideas available and everyone has a voice to change something that they feel that needs to be changed. __Weakness__ - It is hard to make one whole decision among so many people.
 * __Direct Democracy__**

When people vote on other people that wants to make the laws of the country. __Strength__ - Different opinions are heard by many other people and can be voted on. __Weakness__ - Not everyone will agree on the law that may be passed by the government.
 * __Representative Democracy__**

It is under a rule of a dictator and their laws help stop other countries from taking their power. __Strength__ - Every person goes under one rule, so that they would be treated fairly. __Weakness__ - No one can elect a person to be their representative.
 * __Single-Party State__**

I think the Representative Democracy is the best because the citizens of the country actually has a say in government, but not so much that they could overthrow them. In addition, the people could elect who they wanted, to be their representative to speak in their name.

- John Adams accepts case of fighting for the British soldiers in court. - They are talking about Chris Misadicks. . . - Sam Adams is in front of the march of the funeral for the five people who died during the Boston Massacre. - Captain Preston is accused of standing behind his soldiers when the first gunshot went off that alarmed the British to open fire. - Richard Palms comes forth to speak during the trial. - Goutter is actually the one who screamed "FIRE!" in an alley behind Captain Preston, so that the soldiers would shoot into the crowd. (everyone thought that it was Captain Preston who yelled for the soldiers to open fire, but it wasn't really him.)
 * __Boston Massacre Video__**

__Answer:__ I believe that the British Court responded to the Boston Massacre in a very smug way. Since they won the trial over the colonists and they didn't have to go to jail, I think that they would probably get all "in their faces" towards the colonists. This might lead to the colonies suffering a lot because the British were all bragging about their victory in the trial, they would go extra hard on enforcing the laws of the British government on them, such as paying more taxes or doing whatever they told them to do. In addition, I believe that the British Court would hang a painting of the Boston Massacre in their court to show people that they are tough guys and to not mess with them. This is how I think the British Court responded to the Boston Massacre.
 * __Homework:__** Make a guess - __How did British Court respond to the Boston Massacre?__

__Answer:__ I think violence can be justified because if somebody was blamed for killing someone, but they actually didn't, there would be some kind of evidence to prove that the person was innocent.
 * __Do Now:__** Can violence ever be justified? Why or why not?

Something that I could do that could have an immediate impact is that I could write an in-depth article to the news station and include all of the issues within the community. In addition, I could also create a club at the school, just for solving problems that we have in the neighborhood and be the //Guardian Angels// of the school.

__**Issues at Malden High**__ (and describe in more detail. . .) - school budget - paying attendance - dropouts - bullying! - teen pregnancy - bad grades - domestic violence - vandalism - violence - ID theft - homework - discrimination - stealing - class disruptions - drugs - student involvement - racism - school activities - joining groups/sports - keeping school clean - clubs - revenue - air pollution

- enforce rules that if a student is caught stealing someone else's belongings, they will have to suffer the consequences, regardless. - everybody would be able to trust each other more and become more of a community. - influence people to take pride in NOT stealing and gradually help persuade others to do the same, and stop stealing.
 * __Stealing__** __(Outcomes)__

__Answer:__ - the act of stealing; //specifically// **:** the felonious taking and removing of personal property with intent to deprive the rightful owner of it. - an unlawful taking (such as by burglary) of property. - to take the property of another wrongfully and especially as a habitual or regular practice. - to take or appropriate without right or leave and with intent to keep or make use of wrongfully. - to take away by force or unjust means. - the wrongful taking and carrying away of the personal goods or property of another. - the dishonest taking of property belonging to another person with the intention of depriving the owner permanently of its possession. - a criminal taking of the property or services of another without consent.
 * __Homework:__** Research about theft and brainstorm ideas about how to prevent students at Malden High from stealing other people's belongings.


 * __Homework:__** Find 7 friends at MHS to take the survey.