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Email Robert your two favorite photos from Experience America!

robert@piaschools.edu

These photos will be combined with the other classes' photos and used for a short slideshow at our celebration ceremony Thursday. 🎉

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Click here to learn magic: https://padlet.com/tyreer/yt9bqt5du7zp

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All five surveys are due Tuesday morning

If you have a laptop, please plan to bring it to class Tuesday

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Turkeys, chickens, geese, ducks, fowl of all kinds-real and imagined-and their mysterious hold over us.

Things our dads taught us, whether they intended to or not.

What happens when you realize the people in charge don't have the answers.

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Turkeys, chickens, geese, ducks, fowl of all kinds-real and imagined-and their mysterious hold over us.

Things our dads taught us, whether they intended to or not.

What happens when you realize the people in charge don't have the answers.

"When I'm trying to explain our program to someone who doesn't know it, I stammer a bunch of words like 'entertaining,' 'funny,' 'surprising plot twists,' 'true stories but not boring I swear' ... and then I just give them this list." - Ira Glass

View this list

Yes we have videos! Animations, music videos, speeches, our live stage shows, and more.

View this list

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A weekly public radio program and podcast. Each week we choose a theme and put together different kinds of stories on that theme.

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Created by Fred Armisen, Carrie Brownstein and Jonathan Krisel, Portlandia explores the eccentric misfits who embody the foibles of modern culture.

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You can listen to the panel discussion on the page below:

https://padlet.com/tyreer/r52pndbgwpzs

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In July 1980, a group of Salvadoran migrants crossed the border between Mexico and Arizona. They walked over a remote mountain range and halfway across a wide desert valley in the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. There were more than two dozen of them-people who had left behind lives and jobs to come to the United States.

The migrants had hired guides to lead them on their journey through one of the most desolate areas of the Sonoran desert. But the heat proved too deadly and they hadn't anticipated how far they would have to walk. Around a dozen of them died the first day out.

The survivors were eventually found huddled in the sparse shade of some scrub brush. They were delirious and suffering from intense dehydration and heatstroke. U.S. Border Patrol agents brought them to a hospital in Tucson. It was there that a Reverend named John Fife of Southside Presbyterian Church first encountered the migrants and began to learn more about why they had crossed the border.

These migrants had fled from El Salvador's civil war. For decades, the country had been ruled by a series of oligarchs and corrupt military leaders. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, left-wing revolutionaries began to grow in power and influence, and the military responded by trying to crush the resistance. Death squads targeted union leaders, community organizers, and other people they suspected of sympathizing with the guerrillas. Many civilians were caught in the middle of this violence.

Similar conflicts were unfolding in Nicaragua and Guatemala. Hundreds of thousands of Central Americans were trying to get away from these dangerous and bloody civil wars. They were fleeing their countries, making their way up through Mexico, and crossing into the United States.

Rev. Fife and his congregation began to help these Central American migrants. Their efforts would mark the beginning of a new - and controversial - social movement based on the ancient religious concept of "sanctuary," the idea that churches have a duty to shelter people fleeing persecution. There's been a lot of talk about "sanctuary" in the news recently and the modern movement in the U.S can trace its roots back to Fife.

Fife's first inclination had been to work within the rules of the immigration system to help the migrants seek asylum.

Since 1980-when Congress passed The Refugee Act - the U.S. has asked people to meet a number of requirements in order to qualify for political asylum. Applicants must establish that they have a "well-founded fear" of persecution in their home country, based on their race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or social group. They also have to prove their government is actually involved in the persecution or that it can't control the groups that are.

While the standards for asylum are straightforward, establishing one's eligibility can be a challenge. The process relies heavily on a single person's testimony about what they've been through, and there is seldom physical evidence to support the claims.

Despite the challenges of qualifying for asylum, Rev. Fife and his church-with help from some legal aid organizations in Tucson- began arranging legal assistance for the Central American migrants. They started visiting detention centers and helping people fill out the appropriate paperwork. They arranged for lawyers to represent them in court.

But Fife found that, in many cases, even when migrants met the requirements for asylum, they were not getting it. He began to wonder what was behind these decisions to deport people who seemed to be making valid claims about the dangers they faced back in their home countries.

Central Americans hoping for asylum faced significant hurdles. Just as they began turning up at the U.S.-Mexico border in the late-1970s and early-1980s, tens of thousands of refugees from other places - like Cuba and Iran - were also seeking refuge in the United States. The government was overwhelmed with applications.

Most Central Americans had also historically come to the U.S. for jobs-not because they were fleeing political persecution. The government was inclined to view them as economic migrants.

Asylum policy also intersected with foreign policy in complex ways. Ronald Reagan, who served as president from 1981 to 1989, saw Central America as an important front in the Cold War and the fight against communism. He argued the region was so close to the U.S. that the country's national security required it to stop communist movements from flourishing there.

The U.S. had a long history of supporting Central American governments that aligned with its economic and foreign policy interests. Because the U.S. government considered the governments of El Salvador and Guatemala to be political allies in the fight against communism, it was reluctant to acknowledge that these governments were involved in the persecution of their own people.

Under Reagan, almost all Salvadoran and Guatemalan border-crossers were classified not as political refugees but as "economic migrants." Under that designation, many failed to qualify for asylum and were sent back to their home countries. According to statistics from the U.S. Department of Justice, fewer than 3% of Salvadorans and Guatemalans who applied for asylum were approved. In that same period, the approval rate for Iranians was 60%. For Afghans fleeing the Soviet invasion it was 40%.

This political climate put Rev. Fife and his congregants in a tough position. They didn't want to encourage the migrants who were seeking help at their church to report to Immigration when they knew it was almost certain they'd be deported.

This was the quandary Fife was in when a man named Jim Corbett got involved. Corbett was a Quaker, and as the refugee crisis in Tucson continued to grow, his religious faith compelled him to take action, and he wanted Fife and his congregation to get involved.

Corbett pointed to the church's failings in protecting Jewish people fleeing the Holocaust in the 1930s and 40s. Corbett did not want to repeat that mistake. Instead he wanted to emulate the actions of some Christians in the 1840s and 50s, when church people helped move runaway slaves across state lines and through the underground railroad to safety.

Corbett had already done some border runs on his own, picking up Central American migrants in Mexico and helping them cross the border to safety in the United States. But soon Rev. Fife and a handful of others started helping him. At first they used Corbett's property to shelter the migrants, and then they started using the church as temporary housing.

Soon, on any given night, the church would have dozens of people sleeping in the main gathering space. Church members at Southside Presbyterian provided food, clothes, English lessons, medical care, and access to immigration attorneys. The migrants were still undocumented and faced possible deportation. But the church provided access to resources, guidance, and a place to stay.

In deciding to take the refugees into their church, the congregation was drawing on a long history of other houses of worship doing the same. In Greek and Roman history, people who were threatened with persecution could find protection in temples. When the Roman Empire became Christian, churches took on the same function. The concept of "sanctuary" can also be found in medieval canon law and British common law. More recently, churches had sheltered conscientious objectors during the Vietnam War.

Meanwhile, the U.S. government's view was that churches in the sanctuary movement were harboring undocumented immigrants who had crossed into the country illegally. Religious institutions in the U.S. do not have special permission to harbor people who are breaking the law. And, as it turns out, the government was keeping an eye on the sanctuary movement's growing operation.

Despite potential legal ramifications, Fife thought that by going public the church could generate attention and gain support. They invited a few other churches across the country to join them in a public announcement - and in March of 1982, they hung a huge banner on the front of Southside Presbyterian Church that said, in Spanish, "this is a sanctuary of God for the oppressed of Central America." They held a service and publicly welcomed a new family from El Salvador to join the other refugees who were staying at the church. And they staged a press conference to explain exactly what the "sanctuary movement" was and what their goals were.

As word spread, a network of religious sanctuary spaces began to form. By the mid- to late- 80s, hundreds of churches and synagogues across the country had declared themselves sanctuaries. And those religious spaces were in turn connected to a network of churches that extended down into Mexico and Central America.

One of the government's criticisms of the sanctuary movement was that it lacked the expertise and resources to evaluate potential refugees. But Rev. Fife argued that they had a vast network of priests and pastors in Central America who could help them vet potential migrants.

Meanwhile, as the movement grew bigger and more visible, the whole endeavor became more controversial - and riskier for participants in the sanctuary movement.

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Church (Sanctuary, Part 1) - 99% Invisible

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In July 1980, a group of Salvadoran migrants crossed the border between Mexico and Arizona. They walked over a remote mountain range and halfway across a wide desert valley in the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument.

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Survey at least 3 people by Thursday morning

If you have a laptop, please plan to bring it to class Thursday

We will work on your first presentation slides Thursday in the library

We will meet in our class at 10:30 am Wednesday morning

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Complete at least one survey

Finish listening to The Daily Podcast we started in class

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/27/podcasts/the-daily/the-daily-carloss-secret.html

Think about what you need to begin working on to prepare your Cultural Exploration presentation

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Play the Game

Note to viewers: "The Voter Suppression Trail" is the first-ever video game for Op-Docs, and also the final installment of our series of Op-Docs about the 2016 election. We hope you enjoy playing, and let us know what you think in the comments. -The Editors

In the 1800s, Americans made heroic journeys to settle in the West. These journeys inspired the classic computer game "The Oregon Trail," beloved by grade school students across the country in the 1980s and '90s.

On Nov. 8, a new generation of Americans will make their own heroic journeys - to the polls. Some paths will be more intrepid than others, particularly for blacks, Latinos and pretty much anyone who brings the kind of diversity to our polling places that they have historically lacked. Thanks to laws passed by Republicans to fight the nonexistent threat of voter fraud, the perils will be great. Long lines and voter ID laws, not to mention pro-Trump election observers, will try to keep these voters from the polls.

To celebrate these journeys, we've created a video game: "The Voter Suppression Trail." Play as a white programmer from California, a Latina nurse from Texas, or a black salesman from Wisconsin. Experience the thrill of standing in line for hours at your understaffed polling place! Try to surmount voter ID laws! Avoid intimidation by Donald Trump's election observers! Will you fend off the rhetoric of angry election "observers," or heed calls from your boss and get out of line, or will you experience the fulfilling patriotic reward of casting a provisional ballot that will probably never be counted? Find out - play now!

Chris Baker, Brian Moore and Mike Lacher are the creators of GOP Arcade, a series of satirical video games about the 2016 presidential election.

Executive Producer: Kathleen Lingo; Coordinating Producer: Lindsay Crouse; Supervising Editor: Andrew Blackwell; Web Designer: Rodrigo de Benito Sanz. Music: "Thus Spake Zarathustra 8-bit" by Pierce Talbert.

Note to viewers: "The Voter Suppression Trail" is the first-ever video game for Op-Docs, and also the final installment of our series of Op-Docs about the 2016 election. We hope you enjoy playing, and let us know what you think in the comments. -The Editors
In the 1800s, Americans made heroic journeys to settle in the West. These journeys inspired the classic computer game "The Oregon Trail," beloved by grade school students across the country in the 1980s and '90s.

On Nov. 8, a new generation of Americans will make their own heroic journeys - to the polls. Some paths will be more intrepid than others, particularly for blacks, Latinos and pretty much anyone who brings the kind of diversity to our polling places that they have historically lacked. Thanks to laws passed by Republicans to fight the nonexistent threat of voter fraud, the perils will be great. Long lines and voter ID laws, not to mention pro-Trump election observers, will try to keep these voters from the polls.

To celebrate these journeys, we've created a video game: "The Voter Suppression Trail." Play as a white programmer from California, a Latina nurse from Texas, or a black salesman from Wisconsin. Experience the thrill of standing in line for hours at your understaffed polling place! Try to surmount voter ID laws! Avoid intimidation by Donald Trump's election observers! Will you fend off the rhetoric of angry election "observers," or heed calls from your boss and get out of line, or will you experience the fulfilling patriotic reward of casting a provisional ballot that will probably never be counted? Find out - play now!

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Play the Game Note to viewers: "The Voter Suppression Trail" is the first-ever video game for Op-Docs, and also the final installment of our series of Op-Docs about the 2016 election. We hope you enjoy playing, and let us know what you think in the comments.

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Angry crowds at town halls across the US - CNN Video

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Protesters chanted "You work for us" and "Shame on you" at various town halls across the country to protest local representatives and President Trump's agendas. CNN's Kyung Lah reports.

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Portland action project assignments

Read the interview + scavenger hunt assignment

Observe and reflect

To better understand your Cultural Exploration topic, write 5 questions that you can ask a variety of people in the USA

Due Friday

Favorite room

Take a picture of your favorite room at your host family's house and post it here: https://padlet.com/tyreer/2rr2j6c3php8

Due Monday

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Fill out the Meals on Wheels Volunteer Registration Form

Due Wednesday

Host Family Conversation

Due Friday

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Here are additional instructions for the core values exercise we did in class.

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Ask them to write down the ten things in their life that they value the most, one on each post-it, in the form of a value. In other words, rather than the name of a specific person, put down, for example, "friendship," "family" or "honesty" - something they actually value in the relationship with that person.

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Ask them to write down the ten things in their life that they value the most, one on each post-it, in the form of a value. In other words, rather than the name of a specific person, put down, for example, "friendship," "family" or "honesty" - something they actually value in the relationship with that person.

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Complete three vocabulary log entries by Tuesday morning

Sign up for a Tutoring Center appointment to receive feedback on the sentences you wrote for column 3

Discuss these words with the tutor and practice using them in your spoken English

This appointment can take place any time this week Monday–Thursday. 1 student should sign up, but 3 students should share the appointment.

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Nine American citizens describe their struggle to belong in a nation that both embraces and rejects them.

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1. Write your two questions for the Moda Center tour.

2. Read the Portland Art Museum handout

3. Prepare your art work presentation

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SINCE 2008 WE HAVE REDUCED OUR WATER USE PER EVENT DAY AT THE MODA CENTER BY 26% AND USE 3,978,750 GALLONS OF WATER LESS EACH YEAR THAN WE USED IN 2007-08. BY 2025 OUR GOAL IS TO REDUCE OUR WATER USE PER EVENT DAY BY AN ADDITIONAL 10% AND TO CONTINUE TO BALANCE ALL OF THE WATER WE USE

What We're Doing

Our waste reduction efforts come from deep partnerships with various stakeholders in our community and practices dedicated to responsibly managing our supply chain and waste stream.

CHANGE THE COURSE

The Trail Blazers and Wells Fargo believe that together we can make a smaller splash. That's why we are teaming up with Green Sports Alliance, the Bonneville Environmental Foundation, and Change the Course to make a difference right here in Oregon. Every time someone texts Blazers to 77177, we will restore 1,000 gallons of fresh water to rivers in Oregon - for free! This commitment allows us to balance our entire water footprint at the Moda Center for the 2016-17 season.

In the Willamette we are working with nine NGO partners to: Plant 800,000 trees and shrubs along dozens of tributaries to and the main stem portion of the river. These trees will include a diverse number of tree species and environmental benefits include water quality improvement and habitat restoration.

i. In the Deschutes we are offsetting through the Deschutes River Conservancy, which has already restored 488 million gallons of water over 30 miles of river. Learn more here.

IRRIGATION

Investing in smart controlled irrigation and drought resistant plants

TOILETS

Installing efficient fixtures

3507000 Gallons of Water Saved in 2014

3,507,000 gallons of water is equivalent to filling ten 10 feet-deep swimming pools the size of the Blazers court!

HOW YOU CAN HELP

We all rely on clean water to survive, and reducing our water use saves energy, money and protects natural eco-systems. Join us in our efforts to manage this resource by

What We're Doing

We're charging our staff and fans with taking responsible transportation to work and games!

HOW YOU CAN HELP

Impacts on the northwest from greenhouse gas emissions include threatened forests, rivers, oceans, agriculture, salmon and other wildlife habitat. Join us in helping reduce our emissions by:

At the Moda Center: Carpool, bike, or take TriMet to games and events.

We conscientiously source, prepare, serve, and dispose of our food, with 55% of all combined Food and Beverage sourced within 100 mile radius, and 6,900 pounds of food recovered each year after events for kids and families in need.

What We're Doing

Our partnership with Levy Restaurants and local food vendors allows us to prioritize local, organic, hormone free food at Moda Center. Here's what we're working on to reach our goal of having all food in the arena be local, organic, and/or sustainable by 2025:

Menu Design

Sustainable, flexible menu design with a focus on local food and in-season menu options, including vegetarian and vegan items. This includes Plum Tasty, informed by experts at Moda on healthy and tasty items.

Our local vendors include:

Po Shines

Sevens BBQ

Ruby Jewel

Salt and Straw

Sizzle Pie

Killer Burger

Bunk Sandwiches

Cha Cha Cha

Purchasing

Sustainable and local Purchasing from partners such as Beaverton Foods, Don Pancho, Draper Vally Farms, Carlton Farms, and Duck Produce (for organic vegetables and fruit from local farms).

Marine Stewardship Council-certified seafood and cage-free eggs.

All beef pork, and sausage products are from Niman Ranch, which are processed without hormones or antibiotics and come from Stanwood, Washington.

Our local beer partner, Widmer Brothers Brewing, has a satellite brewery steps from Moda Center - the beer is walked by handcart to the arena for games.

PREPARATION

Efficient meal preparation with limited food scraps, which are monitored by the Levy staff who measure their scraps every night using Trim Tracks and brainstorm ways to reduce waste moving forward. They also partner with Republic Services to haul all organic material to a composting facility (which is then used in our landscaping).

SERVICE

We serve food in Stalk Market's 100% compostable service ware so that our fans can compost service ware with any excess food at the Green Drop Stations.

DISPOSAL

We divert waste through composting, recycling and food recovery to local schools and homeless shelters through our partnership with Levy, Papa Murphy's International, and Urban Gleaners.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

We know that prioritizing greener game day food can result in reduced waste and water use, reduced greenhouse gas emissions, more nutritious options for fans, more optimal agricultural land use, local economic support, and more. Help us reach our goals at Moda Center and at home:

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Our waste reduction efforts come from deep partnerships with various stakeholders in our community and practices dedicated to responsibly managing our supply chain and waste stream. CHANGE THE COURSE The Trail Blazers and Wells Fargo believe that together we can make a smaller splash.

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You can sign up for one free 30-minute appointment each week.

This is a great place to get more one-on-one feedback on your English!

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1. Complete your Volunteering Homework

2. Complete Introductions Using Many Verb Tenses

Read Part 1: Robert's Model

Complete Part 2: Interview Another Student

Please find time with your partner outside of class to finish most of your interview questions

We will have a short amount of time Thursday in class to finish your interviews

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1. By Wednesday, complete our Padlet introduction assignment by following the link below

https://padlet.com/tyreer/xu6mei0w1drz

2. By Thursday, complete Introductions Using Many Verb Tenses

Read Part 1: Robert's Model

Complete Part 2: Interview Another Student

Try to get to know your partner a bit more during volunteering—for instance in the van ride 🚐

Ask 1-2 questions from each verb tense

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This is the class website for our Experience America class.

I'll post homework assignments here and make pages where you can add your own posts.