Human Rights Council

Human Rights Council

Their homepage - start here !

If you Twitter, twitter with the UN HUMAN RIGHTS Twitter account !
If you like Facebook, they have a Facebook Page.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights - worth a look!
The simplified PDF version of the Declaration is easier to read and understand.

The Wiki page of Human Rights Council.


Respecting Migrants' Rights in the Camps
and
Protecting Minors and Women in Camps and Cities

UN's reaction to the Calais Jungle.

UN's opinion of Migration and Human Rights

I would say that these 2 documents will give you a good starting point.

Remember your focus  is on "migration in Europe". The BBC offers a good starting point, but also think about what you know already.
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Turkey and UN HRC

Turkey
Turkey webpage on the UN HRC website
Human Rights Watch on Turkey - remember you are in favour of Turkey !


Eritrea and UN HRC

Eritrea
Eritrea webpage on the UN HRC website
Eritrea has a complex relationship with migrants... as you will quickly discover. Start here?
Remember, your focus should be on migrants in Europe.

Hungary and UN HRC

Hungary
Hungary website on the UN HRC website
Hungary also has a complex relationship with migrants ... as you will quickly discover. Start here or here?
Remember, your focus should be on migrants in Europe.

Venezuela and UN HRC

Venezuela 
Venezuela webpage on UN HRC website
There are tensions between Venezuela and Columbia which are creating problems and solution, as organisations provide a positive attitude..
Remember, your focus should be on migrants in Europe.

Security Council: US, Russia and Egypt.

Security Council

Three countries are going to be represented by Pontonniers in the Security Council:
The USA
Federation of Russsia
Egypt

Russia - See Wiki page on Russia and Security Council.
The USA - See the US Mission Statement to UN 
Egypt - Consider what  Egypt can bring to UN.

There are 3 topics to be discussed.
Create notes for each topic, and consider the perspective of your own country.
Not sure where to begin? Google your country name + topic (Russia + Syrian Crisis) and see where the journey takes you. Take notes as you go !

1. The Syrian Crisis
The Syrian Crisis presented by the BBC

Syria presented by CIA World Factbook

UN Documents for Syria

CNN article

Aljazeera article and video 

2. Implementing the 1951 Geneva Convention on asylum

A very decent UN document describing the need for the convention.
Honestly, for a one day conference this is all you would need to know.

3. Helping Migrants to Integrate.

Another decent UN document which explains integrating migrants helps reduce security risks.

Note:

UN Security Council Permanent and Non-Permanent Members

The Council is composed of 15 Members:

• five permanent members: China, France, Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, and the United States,
• and ten non-permanent members elected for two-year terms by the General Assembly (with end of term date):
  • Bolivia (2018)
  • Egypt (2017)
  • Ethiopia (2018)
  • Italy (2018)
  • Japan (2017)
  • Kazakhstan (2018)
  • Senegal (2017)
  • Sweden (2018)
  • Ukraine (2017)
  • Uruguay (2017)

Writing a Review

Resources

Was Harper Lee manipulated? Read Newsweek or the New Republic. 

Do you want to read a review of To Kill a Mockingbird? Go to the Guardian. 

Want to read a review of a book about Harper Lee? Read the review on Amazon. 

Want to write a bad review? Visit Salon.com    http://www.salon.com/2012/08/18/how_to_write_a_bad_review/

Want to learn more about writing reviews? Visit this teacher's page.

Writing a Book Review

Book reviews typically evaluate recently-written works. They offer a brief description of the text’s key points and often provide a short appraisal of the strengths and weaknesses of the work. A book review is designed to entice, or not, a reader to buy and read a book. Consequently, whether or not you (the reviewer) enjoyed the reading experience, and provide details on purchasing the book.

Your primary goal is not to describe the plot and the characters.

Aim to create either a one-page or a double-page spread. Fill all white spaces. Aim to write between  250 to 500 words.

Think about the book reviews you might have seen in magazines, newspapers, and online.

Consider  :

Author: Who is the author? What else has s/he written? Has this author won any awards? What is the author’s typical style?

Context  : With Go Set a Watchman, there is room to explore the controversy behind its publication.

Genre: What type of book is this: fiction, nonfiction, romance, poetry, youth fiction, etc.? Who is the intended audience for this work? What is the purpose of the work?

Style  : How would you describe this author’s particular style? Is it accessible to all readers or just some?

Title: Where does the title fit in? How is it applied in the work? Does it adequately encapsulate the message of the text? Is it interesting? Uninteresting?

The Story: Focus on the opening plot lines and the personality traits of each character (without revealing too much of the story). Do you empathize with the characters and appreciate the main storylines?

Themes/Motifs/Style: What themes or motifs stand out? How do they contribute to the work? Are they effective or not? Do the ideas explored make the novel good, different, or groundbreaking?

Quotes: What quotes stand out? How can you demonstrate the author’s talent or the feel of the book through a quote?

Audience  : which publication are you writing for  ?  Remember that your audience has not read the work. Is Go Set a Watchman meant for your intended audience  ? Will some readers be lost or find the text too inaccessible?

Structure of your Review

•         Begin with a short summary or background of the work.

•         The middle portion of your review will detail your opinion of the work.

•         The closing section should provide purchase details. Most book reviews include the publisher and price of the book at the end of the article. Some reviews also include the year published and ISBN.

•         Illustrate

How to Evaluate you Work:

           Choose one or a few points to discuss about the book. What worked well for you? How does this work compare with others by the same author or other books in the same genre? What major themes, motifs, or terms does the book introduce, and how effective are they? Did the book appeal to you on an emotional or logical way?

Remember to Proofread  :

•         Carefully verify the following:

•         Double-check the spelling of the author name(s), character names, special terms, and publisher. Underline publication names.

•         Try to read from the vantage point of your audience. Is there too much/enough summary? Does your argument about the text make sense?

•         Should you include direct quotes from the reading? Do they help support your arguments? Double-check your quotes for accuracy.

•         Does your page look visually attractive  ?

•         Print a 'practice version' and ask friends and family to give first impressions.

•         Can you immediately tell which publication you are writing for  ?

Roald Dahl

Task:

Copy this beginning of an essay into a Word Document and work to improve.

How does Roald Dahl create a sense of foreboding in his short story, « the Landlady » ?

 

 

 

Introduction

 

 

 

Setting

 

In order to increase the sense of foreboding, Dahl uses contrast in his setting. First of off, when Billy is outside the house, a worrying and disturbing atmosphere is created. Indeed, Dahl uses sharp words such as “deadly cold air” and the houses are “crooked and blotchy from neglect.” However, once he is attracted inside the house, the setting is totally different. From this point onwards, the environment feels reassuring.

 

Character

 

Billy Weaver is a young man who is trying to fit into society by acting and dressing like his superiors.

 

Plot

 

The reader feels frustrated as he is reading the text because he is a little head of time compared to Billy. The reader barely knows more than him yet he knows enough to feel frustrated when Billy doesn’t react to his instincts. Billy, for example, “didn’t worry” that the landlady “appeared to be slightly off her rocker”, though he should have done. Furhermore, when the landlady keeps talking about the need to drink tea , we understand that something is up, or why would she insist so? Unfortunately, Billy doesn’t notice anything which maddens us and so makes the story much more interesting. We feel uncomfortable when the narrator notes, “[the landlady] looked up at him out of the corner of her eyes and gave him a nother gentle little smile.” We understand there is nothing “gentle” about this lady and so we feel frustration as we want Billy to get away from her as fast as possible.

 

Use of language

 

The author uses terms that build a creepy atmosphere. For example, the “air was deadly cold” (l.7) which directly reminds us of death. The narrator continues, “the wind was like a flat blade of ice on his cheeks”. Dahl repeats several adverbs such as “suddenly” (l.79), when the notice appears without warning, and “normally” showing the landlady opened the door way too quickly.

 

 

Light

National Poetry Day is a mass celebration, a special day on which all are invited to discover and share the enjoyment of poems. It's a chance to let language off the leash and to relish the sounds that words can make when they are spoken with delight.

Task:


1. Visit the website for National Poetry Day and choose one poem that you particularly like.

 To celebrate National Poetry Day 2015 there are  poems on the theme of light from Deborah Alma, Brian Moses, Chrissie Gittins, Liz Brownlee, Michaela Morgan, Jan Dean, Paul Cookson, Roger Stevens, Joseph Cohelo, Indigo Williams and Sally Crabtree.

2. Be ready to present or read that poem to the class.
3. Look for images/photos of Light that might inspire you.
4. Begin the process of writing your own poem.

Democrat Page https://www.democrats.org/

Who Is Running For the American Presidency... and Why ?

Who Is Running For the American Presidency... and Why ?

What are the values of the Republican Party ? Visit https://gop.com (GOP : Good Old Party) Have a look around . Have a look at https://www.gop.com/history/ Go to the Platform Page This is the pdf document: 'Platform' document. Do NOT download the pdf. Instead list around their key values. What do the republicans have to say about such Democrats as Hilary Clinton ?	Republican Key Values/ Focus Issues.
What are the values of the Democratic Party ? Visit https://gop.com (GOP : Good Old Party) Have a look around . Have a look around History page: https://www.democrats.org/about/our-history Go to the White House page (as Obama is a Democrat) : https://www.whitehouse.gov/issues List the key issues/values What do the Democrats have to say about the Republican candidates ?	Democratic Key Values/ Focus Issues.
Have a look at NY Times article on candidates: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/us/elections/2016-presidential-candidates.html?_r=0 Choose 2 main candidates. Describe them and their values.	Republican Candidate Democratic Candidate
Choose 1 less imposing candidate. Describe him or her, and their values.	Other Candidate