Craig shared a new rap video he was aware of called "This is America" by Childish Gambino. I am glad that he did. He realized that it touched on many social studies topics. It contained 17 seconds of silence in honor of the Parkland shooting. It touched on gun violence in America - the Dylan Roof shooting, Rodney King, Trayvon Martin, Jim Crow - and other issues. It discussed how cellphones are useful tools today. It made a striking impact with contrasting images in the background. Afterwards, we read in The Washington Post about the issues and statements made in the video. We read a Snopes article checking and fact-finding the coincidences that existed (or didn't) between the assassination of Kennedy and Lincoln, because Craig always admires and expresses interest in these comparisons, which are posted in my office. We began making geography vocabulary cards, like flashcards. The first two were "isthmus" and "strait". Finally, we continued reading in the book and learned more about history, foreign diplomacy, and the declaration of War. We commented on the concept of globalization, which we discussed in our last class, and noted it lacking here, waiting two to three months to learn of war or of a newly elected President.