back in the classroom

Wow!  An actual day of school!  Not a Cyber Day, or a virtual day, but a real day (although a two-hour late bell...).

The Greeks: Crucible of Civilization is a film produced by PBS and narrated by Liam Neeson, which we will be using to study ancient Greece.  Today's selection introduces us to the origins of Greece, when it was still an aristocracy.  I have listed the link to the YouTube video, as well as the PBS companion website, for your convenience.

Happy Cyber Day!

Click here to go to the video explaining your Cyber Day assignment for today.

Also, it's at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWe4lcq3670 .

Cyber Day - again!

As we discussed in class Friday, your Cyber Day assignment is to work on your Sparta/Athens Storyboard/Video assignment.  Details are in Fridays's post.  I'm trying to upload a video explaining the assignment, but my computer is balking.  If I can post the video, I will - as soon as I can.

In the meantime, enjoy your family, and hopefully I will see you tomorrow!

The Project.

Storyboards good.  Video better.

Here are the details for the Sparta/Athens Tourism Commercial Project.

You have just been hired as the ad agency in charge of promoting tourism.  Your client will be either Sparta or Athens.  Your main job is to attract as many new people from around the Mediterranean Sea to move to your city-state and not your rival.

You do not have to produce an actual commercial, but producing an incredible video will result in a terrific grade.  At the very least, you will create a storyboard that will explain how you will create and produce your commercial.  The commercial will be a 30-60 second spot that is reminiscent of the Baltimore and Los Angeles tourism examples we watched in class, found here: Baltimore  Los Angeles

The storyboard will show the viewer, step by step, what they will see and hear in each scene.  The commercial must persuade people that they should live in their city-state based on the beliefs, values and culture of the polis.  You may also show why the rival country isn’t the best place to live. 

On the left side of the page you will explain exactly what you are seeing in the shot.  In the middle section will be a picture or drawing of what you are seeing.  (Remember, you don’t need to be a good artist because a description of the visual is directly to the left.)  On the right side, you will write the exact script and everything else we hear (music, voiceover, sound effects, etc.) during the shot.  

There are many different kinds of storyboards.  The basic style described above has a description on the left, an image in the middle and sound cues on the right.  Here is another example, complete with instructions:

Here is the template, should you choose to use it:

There are lots of other templates online; the above example I found at jasonohler.com .

To review:  You will create a commercial that will be approximately 30-60 seconds.  You will need at least 6 scenes to fill up the time.  (If you shoot an actual commercial, you will want a LOT more than 6 scenes, assuming you want to look more like the LA video than the Baltimore one.)  When you are finished, you can either staple the scenes in order or you may attach them on to poster board for a better, more professional appearance.

You need to be creative with your commercial but appropriate and on task.   Make sure you have a full understanding about your city-state.  You must give a proper view of your polis and make sure you use the correct tone and point of view.  You will be graded upon the overall effectiveness, proper information, and the aesthetic value of the project.  

You may work by yourself, in pairs, or in a group of three.  If you team up with otheres, it is expected that everyone will contribute.  Everyone in the group will not automatically receive the same grade, if it is determined that someone did not do their fair share.

This assignment is worth 100 points.  Be prepared to show your boards or your video at the start of class Friday, March 7, 2014.  Let's see what you've got!

section 3's classwork

Sorry that I can't be in class with you again, but I think you are going to actually like the classwork I am leaving for you.  

I'd like you to compare the city-states of Athens and Sparta.  You can do this by making a Google Doc, or a Google presentation (like a PowerPoint), or a Google spreadsheet (like an Excel doc), or some other format of your choosing.  

Where do you find this information?  The textbook is a good place to start, but obviously there is an enormous amount of info on the Web.  Just make sure you are using legit websites, and note what sites you are using as you work.

What aspects should you cover?   Let me give you some concepts and questions that you might choose to answer as you research this assignment:

·  Population and location on map:  Which city-state had a larger population? How do you think location might have affected population?

·  Government: What is the difference between a limited democracy and an oligarchy?

·  Social Structure: How were foreigners incorporated into each city's social structure?

·  Military:  Why do you think Sparta did not have as strong a navy as Athens?

·  Lifestyles and Values: Which city has a more luxurious lifestyle? Does this surprise you based on their location?

·  Role of Women: If you were a Greek woman, where would you want to live and why?

·  Education: How did the type of education reflect the values of each society?

·  Cultural Achievements and Legacy: Who had more diverse cultural achievements? What other aspects that we have discussed influenced this diversity? 

I will check up on you tomorrow.  Thanks for treating the sub well - Mr. Gaudreau is awesome and may even be able to answer questions you might have about Greek art.  See you tomorrow! 

pretty good day!

Today I got a look at what I missed when I was in Washington, DC, with the seniors - my own students taking over my class!  Andrew and Devin did a great job teaching Athens and Sparta, as well as the various forms of government (monarchy, oligarchy, tyranny, and democracy).  Looking forward to Matt and Phil doing the same in our 03 section.

Speaking of Matt... Happy Birthday!

Greece - the early years

Here is a slightly revised version of the PowerPoint we went over in class today.  Enjoy!

Ancient Greece - 2000 - 700 BCE - an introduction

Monday's classwork

While I am in Washington, Sections 1 and 7 will meet for Western Civ.  Here's what you'll do.

The reading assignment will be LO3, p. 51-59.  This is a huge section, and I would like you to concentrate on, and be ready to discuss, the differences and similarities between Athens and Sparta, and also the three types of government (monarchy, oligarchy, and democracy).  

Section 7 will be subbed by Ms. Markel, and the discussion will be moderated by Mr. Darrington.  Section 1 will be subbed by Ms. Ferry, and the discussion will be moderated by Mr. Kappel.

Friday's class, and a preview of Monday's work

Here's my attempt at doing your homework.

But first... want to get a jump on the classwork for Monday?  You'll be reading LO3 - Citizens and Communities: The Greek City-States on p. 51-59.

Now for my look at LO1 - The European Barbarians.  You're welcome.

Notes on p. 45-48

Why the Greeks rocked:

            New ideas

            Incredible art forms

            Democratic government w/ citizen participation

Innovators in warfare

LO1 – The European Barbarians

4000 BC – farming and village life spreads from Sumerian and Egyptian lands across SW Asia and NE Africa, and the European continent

3500 BC – some are organized enough to construct megaliths, massive rough-cut stones used to construct monuments and tombs, such as Stonehenge (finished in England in 2000 BC), consisting of 160 massive boulders weighing up to 50 tons (100,000 pounds) each, stacked and circled and aligned to the movements of sun and moon 

From 2500 BC on – Indo-European nomads migrated from the steppes in eastern Europe

            Their language would evolve into Greek and Latin

            Their lives centered around strength and courage, comradeship and loyalty, contests and battle - the Greek word for this is arête

            Thinner populations than Egypt or Mesopotamia – they formed tribes, social and political unit consisting of communities held together by common interests, traditions, and real or mythical ties of kinship

            Tribes were headed by powerful hereditary chieftains, thought of as kings (or, rarely, queens)

This is how Europe came to be populated by speakers of Indo-European languages who were skilled in farming, metalworking, trade, and warfare

No cities, no written records, no fixed structures of government

They were barbarians (from Greek barbaros – “non-Greek”)

They adopted the way of life of those they encountered, and as they traveled (from 2000 BC to AD 1000), this is how civilization eventually spread throughout Europe

The distinctive civilization the Greeks developed is the first that counts as definitely “Western”

(BTW... what I've done here is consolidate over four full  pages down to around 250 words.  If I can do it, you can do it.  Sure makes it easier to study!)

migrating from Egypt to Greece

Congratulations, Section 3.  As happens every Thursday, you are all caught up.  We can head into Friday ready to start in on ancient Greece - the first place I plan to visit when my Time Machine is perfected.

wrapping up Egypt

Today we reviewed the answers from the test on Prehistory, Mesopotamia, and ancient Egypt. Before we dive head on into ancient Greece, a few reminders:

• email me if you have made up either of the Cyber Day assignments
• if you didn't complete the Pyramid Challenge in class, finish building your pyramid and post a pic of it on your blog (plus email me to tell me it's there)
• don't forget to blog about today's class
• make sure you took good notes on p. 44-49

See you soon!

graded in-class activity

Prepare for the greatest day of your life, as you take the Pyramid Challenge!

Section 1 and 7, if you did not complete the challenge in class, send me a screenshot of the finished pyramid to receive credit.

ancient Greece, soon...

After you finish the test in class, read and take notes on the beginning of Chapter 3 in the text - The First European Civilization: The Greeks.  Focus on the beginning of the chapter, and on LO-1, The European Barbarians, on p. 44-49.  Post your notes to your blog.

We had TWO Cyber Days, you know...

Thursday AND Friday were Cyber Days.  They each had graded assignments for you to do.  You should have been aware of this because:

• I told you in Wednesday's class that this was a possibility
• Mrs. Strawbridge included Cyber Day alerts in both of her recorded announcements
• Both Cyber Days were listed on the John Carroll website
• I listed Cyber Day announcements on my blog for Thursday AND Friday

I'm glad so many of you turned in both assignments on time.  Good work!

All three sections are required to do the essays and the short answers.  Since Sections 1 and 7 didn't meet on Thursday, they had until midnight Friday to turn both assignments, but you all still have to do both assignments.    Details for these assignments are listed on my Thursday and Friday blogs.  As a courtesy to you, I am giving you this reminder so you can turn in the assignments today (Sunday) and only incur a late penalty, and NOT end up with a zero on the assignment.

The Cyber Day concept is a good idea, since it allows us to get work done even if we are not physically at school.  That is such a twenty-first century thing to do, made easy since we all have laptops.  And, we just knocked one of the snow days off our list!  Maybe we won't be going to school in July after all!

I am also reminding you of what I told you in class - that we will take the objective part of the test on the day we return to school.  That means the test will be on Monday for Sections 1 and 7, and on Tuesday for Section 3.  Be ready!

ANOTHER Cyber Day!

Welcome to the second Cyber Day, otherwise known as Even-Though-We're-Not-IN-School-We're-Still-HAVING-School Day.

Here is your assignment for today, Friday, February 14.  It is due at midnight tonight.

Short Answer.  Use at least three informative sentences to answer each of these questions.  This means you write at least three sentences for A, and at least three sentences for B.  Post your answer on your blog.  Five points for each short answer, for a total of ten points.

Short Answer A:  Name and describe three technological innovations or inventions of the ancient Egyptians.

AND

Short Answer B:  Describe three important features of the Egyptian pyramids.

I was very glad to see that only a few dozen people in the Baltimore metro area lost power yesterday.  Lots of snow to deal with, but at least the lights (and computers and modems) are still on.  Make sure you get this assignment turned in on time so you don't incur the 50% late penalty.  Then you can go about the business of enjoying what is left of this four-day weekend, as well as Valentine's Day.  

Thanks for participating in the first-ever Cyber Days, and I'll see you Monday!

Cyber Day 1.0

As I explained in class yesterday, today is a Cyber Day.  Although we are not in class due to the snowstorm, we will still "hold class" and get work done in the field of Western Civilization.  Here is your assignment:

Essay.  Answer both of the following essay questions.  Organize your response into at least three paragraphs each.  Use these paragraphs to give details and provide evidence for your answers.  Post your essays in your blog.  You may use your blog, your notes, or your text as a resource for this assignment.  This assignment is worth 20 points, and will be a part of your grade for your 100-point test on Prehistory, Mesopotamia, and ancient Egypt, which will be given on the day we return to school.  This essay assignment is due by midnight tonight.

ESSAY A:  Describe the social hierarchy of the ancient Egyptians.

AND

ESSAY B: Discuss the importance of the Nile River in the lives of Egyptians.

You should have received the following information in your JC email, but I will reprint it here to clarify any questions you may have about how Cyber Day is intended to work.

·        All teachers are required to post a thirty minute or more assignment for each class scheduled to meet that day by 10 a.m.  Teachers may post the night before, but not after 10:00 a.m. (similar to two hours late)

·        Students will be reminded to take necessary books home the night before a pending storm (whenever possible).

·        Students are required to check each teacher’s site and complete the assignments according to the directions of each assignment, deadline, and grading requirements on that day.

·        All teachers will hold students accountable with a grade for the assignment and students will receive a late grade or zero for assignments turned in late or not at all.

·        Mr. Scholl will make an announcement prior to leaving school the day before a pending storm to notify students of their responsibility and to take books home for possible home assignments.

·        Mrs. Strawbridge will add that students are to follow the “Cyber Day policy” on her school cancellation message.

If widespread power outages are reported in the news, assignments should still be completed when power is restored.  A note/email from a parent to the teachers will be required for late/missing work to be accepted due to a power outage.

Thank you for participating in JC's first-ever Cyber Day.  Good luck, happy writing, and enjoy the snow. (PS - If you feel like posting any photos or videos on your blog, I would be happy to share them on my blog. Have a great day!)

Prezi time!

Monday's class featured more notes on life in ancient Egypt, presented through a neat little format called Prezi.  You can go to Prezi.com next time you are assigned to do a PowerPoint presentation, but want to do something with a little more style.  (PREZentation - PREZi - get it?)

important info on the week ahead

After a week which saw an early dismissal AND  two days off, I feel like we are going to finally see a normal week of school (fingers crossed!).  If we do, here's what it should look like.

Sections 1 and 7 

• Monday and Tuesday - more info on Egypt 
• Wednesday - test on Prehistory, Mesopotamia, and ancient Egypt
• Friday - on to ancient Greece!

Section 3

• Tuesday and Wednesday - more info on Egypt 
• Thursday - test on Prehistory, Mesopotamia, and ancient Egypt
• Friday - on to ancient Greece!

And now, a few corrections and clarifications to the PowerPoint presentation from class:

• anatomically modern humans have existed for around 200,000 years, originating in southwestern Africa; the process of evolving into this Homo Sapiens species took approximately 2.5 million years
• Sumerians did invent the earliest known form of writing, consisting of wedge-shaped impressions in clay tablets, forming pictographs - the correct spelling of this is "cuneiform"
• the Nile River is over 4000 miles long (4258 miles, to be exact), making it the longest river in the world

Feel free to make corrections to your notes and blogs.

icy weather, dicey weather

As we discussed today, the weather looks pretty sketchy for tomorrow (details below).  There's a chance things will change and we will get all rain out of this weather event.  But IF we don't, and IF we have all this sleet and freezing rain, and IF we don't have school tomorrow, PLEASE encourage your friends and family to stay home, and DON'T DRIVE.  Nobody is good at driving in ice, it's actually quite dangerous, and the plows out treating the roads don't need cars in their way.

Please be safe.  Thanks, and we will see you soon!

 

more weather weirdness

February is in stiff competition with December and January in the Ridiculously Wintry Weather Contest somebody seems to have sponsored.  But we tried to have a real school day, didn't we?  Mod 1 we "discussed" prehistory and the Agricultural Revolution, but constantly found our gaze drawn to the window as we watched rain turn to sleet and then snow.  During advisory we learned that we would be dismissed at 10, so Mod 2 was pretty much a wash.  Many of us thought we shouldn't have even been in school in the first place - an opinion shared by enough people that it made the Baltimore news.  Click here to see the story.

And (hopefully) I'll see you tomorrow!