Homework 11/29

Homework for tonight is to read the remainder of the chapter, page 391-400.  The score guide for the COT essay is linked here.  That will be written in class on Thursday.

Homework 11/28

Sorry for the late posting!  For tonight, you are to read pages 383-391.  I recommend notetaking, and/or the completion of the COT system you devised for China.  The COT essay will be written in class on Thursday, and we will review the score guide tomorrow in class.

Homework for November 22

For tonight, read the selections from the Tang poets linked here, and the selections from the Song poets linked here. After you read them, post the following response on your blogs: Do you like the poems? How are they similar/different? Do you think that they reflect the Tang and Song societies well? Can we use poems to understand a society?

The Monkey King

For tonight, read this summary of the story of the first 7 chapters of The Monkey King, one of the first Chinese superheros. He later goes on to help out the monk Xuanzang, who helps to bring Buddhism to China...

We will continue to create the COT organizational systems you started in class today tomorrow while I finish up meeting with all of y'all about the quarter that has just passed. I will be looking at the finished product at the end of class, and it will count for a homework grade.

Homework for the weekend of 11/17

Read pages 375-391 in chapter 15.  We are going back to China...

This is late--blame your parents! :)

For tonight you are to finish reading the chapter on Islam.

For the Thanksgiving assignment, the list of books is linked here, and the description of the book report is linked here.  We'll talk about it again and go over it all next week, but if you want to get a jump on it, that might not be a bad idea...

Homework for November 16--Islam

For tonight, read pages 359-365.

Homework for November 15

Use the picture of the map you took in class to create a map that shows the expansion of Islam from the time of Mohammad through the collapse of the Abbasid dynasty.  You may use whatever methods you like for this (ShowMe, Noterize, color and take a picture), and I'll be checking them in class tomorrow, when we talk about the Dar-al-Islam's formation and impact on the post-Classical world.

Class work for November 14

Periods 1 and 4 are to work in trios to visually articulate the evolution of the monotheistic tradition from the Foundational period through the Post-Classical era. (so they should pull information from Hebrew people through the various forms of Christianity up to and including Chapter 13 in the textbooks). We will be discussing Islam next, so they should leave a space on their representation to add in Islam.

Period 2 will be writing a Document Based Question.  Please give each student two sheets of lined paper to start.  They may write with pen or pencil. They may have 55 minutes to compose the essay, and they may write on the essay question itself.  After they finish the essay, please have them begin the same activity that periods 1 and .

For homework, all sections are to read pages 345-352.

An Update for your parents about conferences

Just to put it on its own, I will not be available for Parent/Teacher conferences on Thursday, November 10th.  My apologies, but though I am no longer in danger of sharing pneumonia with anyone, I'm not healthy enough to be around other people just yet.  I will go through the sign-up list and make contact with parents to make arrangements for a conversation by phone or in person at another time.  I will also, on Thursday the 17th, be staying until 9:00 to hopefully speak with more parents that night. (Students are welcome to come as well that night if they wish). Apologies again for any inconvenience this may cause people!

In class work for November 9th

So, let's try something a little new today. You may want to work with a partner for all the steps, just because two iPads may be better than one...

Step one: Open up your ShowMe app (the whiteboard one we've used with maps) and press the menu button at the top left. That will take you to your library, which will have a button in the top left called "ShowMe community." Press that button, and that will take you to ShowMe.com. Once there, type in the search box "How to write a COT essay." The ShowMe I made should be your first option. Open it up and watch! (The sound quality gets a little dim toward the end--I might have accidentally covered the mic while writing...sorry!) That will step you through the COT essay writing process. You may want to watch it more than once. (Not because it is so cool, fun and interesting, but just to be sure you get it...)

The scoring guide for the essay is linked up here. Take a look at it.

Once you've watched and read, using the Byzantine Empire and the Roman Empire, look for and write down 1 change and 1 continuity in each of the following areas: Politics, Economics, Religion, Technology, Gender Roles, and Social Class.  Then see how many pieces of evidence (not more than 5) you can find to support the change and the continuity, and write them down. (There are not 5 for each, so find as many as you can!) You may work in pairs or singly, and you should make use of the textbooks stacked up in the corner of the room, as well as any internet sources you think would be helpful (but I don't think you'll need them.) For example, you can say that one continuity politically was the presence of the emperor in both, but the change was the role of the emperor. Then find 5 pieces of evidence, split between the two.

For homework over the long weekend, Do a few things:
1) Appreciate that the calendar will read 11/11/11...won't happen again for a long time!
2) Find a veteran and thank him or her for his or her service.
3) Finish reading Chapter 13.  Look up the conversion of Prince Vladimir to get a little more information about this moment in Russian history. On your blog, reflect on his conversion and Constantine's conversion. Are they similar moments in history, or different? Explain your answer!
4) Please tell your parents that I'm sorry, but I won't be able to meet them for conferences on Thursday.

Enjoy the long weekend!

In class on Tuesday, November 8

Ok folks, so the word from the doctor is that I will likely not be back to work this week--The name for my pain is pneumonia, so I gotta do 48 hours in quarantine and then get re-evaluated on Wednesday.  I'll be updating grades on Aspen slowly over the next two days, so you won't see a final grade until after Wednesday night at the earliest.

So, for Tuesday in class, I've put up a presentation with an overview of what's important from chapter 13, so take some time to look that over here at link #1
Note that it is a google based presentation, and it opened fine on my iPad through the link, so you shouldn't have any trouble getting it to load.

Then, when you are done with that, proceed onward to link #2.  It is a compilation of images from different facets of the Byzantine Empire. Poke around the gallery at different images.  Then post on your blog: What trends do you notice about the architecture?  Is it distinctive? Is it designed to be functional or decorative or both? Do you see any influences on American architecture?

Finish reading the chapter for homework, as well as any of the above you didn't finish in class.

Please give your parents a head's up that I may not be able to be at Parent Teacher Conferences on Thursday if the doctor doesn't give me a clean bill of health on Wednesday.  If they've included contact information on the google form I'll be in touch with them when I get back to school and set up something else if Thursday doesn't work out.

For in class, November 7

Hi folks-
Sorry to not be with you today, but you don't want me around you with the version of the flu I have.  So, in class today, you'll need to each get a copy of the yellow Sources book, located in the bookshelf by the door to the mac lab. You are to work with the documents in Chapter 10 that have to do with descriptions of Constantinople, which are #s, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7.  Your overall task is to determine which of the documents is the most credible source of information about Constantinople.  More specifically, determine for each document, you are to try to discern not only who wrote the document, but for whom and why was it created? Write up answers to these questions and post them to your blog.  You may work together to understand the documents, but you each must post your own entry to your own blog.

Period 4, you are to hand in your DBQ re-write and original copies to the sub, who will put them on my desk for me to get as soon as I can get back to school.

For homework, you are to read pages 325-330 in the textbook.  Hopefully I'll see you Tuesday!

Homework for the weekend, 11/4

For this weekend, read about Byzantium, chapter 13, pages 317-325.  Notes are optional.  Read also this document on the modern day Silk Road antiquities issue.

If you are in period 4, don't forget that your DBQ re-writes are due by the start of class on Monday.  I'll need to have your original draft and score sheet along with the re-writes, so even if you send the paper electronically, be sure you bring in the drafts!

Don't forget to tell your parents to sign up for a time to meet with me during parent teacher conferences on Thursday!  You are welcome to attend as well if you like.  The sign up link is below in an earlier post.  Help them out if they need to find it!

Homework for November 2

For tonight, make a venn diagram that shows the similarities and differences between the collapse of the Han Dynasty and collapse of the Roman Empire.
You will need to be able to show this on your iPad, so even if you draw it on paper, take a picture of it and store it in your gallery. Otherwise, you can use Noterize, Write Now, or any other app you choose to create it!

Homework 11/1/11

For tonight, compose a blog entry about the Silk Road project, specifically the mapping portion. In your post, please cover the following:
1) 3 things that went well;
2) 3 things you weren't happy with;
3) What was hard/difficult about this project?
4) Collaboration: was it good/bad/indifferent?
5) What would you do differently if you had to do it again?

Period 4 has the DBQ tomorrow, so be sure to go back into the blog and look over the scoring criteria!

The quiz on chapter 12 will be Friday.  It will be 20 multiple choice questions. It will be your final grade of the first quarter.