Middle Ages - Why did we need castles and knights?

We have begun our study of the Middle Ages. This time period focuses on Europe, between 500 and 1400 CE (formerly AD). Without the raids from the Vikings in the north and the growth of Islam from the south and east, Europe would have developed very differently. After the glory of Rome, and the lack of civilization across what used to be the empire, only the Roman Catholic Church (the only Christian church at the time) provided structure and aid to most people. Feudalism and the manor system helped to organize, govern, and feed the people through what is known as the Dark Ages, but once the threats of Islam and the Vikings were reduced, Western Europe flourished and towns rose up at the crossroads. Chapters 17 and 18 in your World History book need to be read, and feel free to explore the other resources available here.

Rome

We have begun our study of Rome. The students will be doing most of their learning in class, but they have been assigned a 3-D map which will be mostly homework. They have a partner for the map project, which is not due until Wed., March 6th. We will allow some time in class to work together, but the majority of the project will have to be done outside of class. Partners should have exchanged information with each other in order to make contact easier.
Instructions have been linked above, and use the online resources to help as well! All have been updated...

Greeks, Hellenes, and demos of the poleis

Our study of ancient Hellas (Greece, to the Greeks) has begun. The banners in our room look amazing! Students have taken up the identities of ancient Hellenes with name tags and polis groups. They have created binders of information and have personal Greek Academy notebooks.

This is an interactive unit, with simulations in place to help students "live" like Ancient Greeks in order to help them learn the ideas. We will do an Assembly (simulating government), temple-building (don't throw away those toilet paper or paper towel rolls for the next week!), theater, and the Olympics. There will be a short, introductory information quiz (Tuesday) and a longer, more meaningful assessment at the end.

I will update the Resources links soon!

Ancient Egypt - Alligators, Hippopotamuses, & Mummies, Oh My!

I hope you are enjoying learning about Ancient Egypt. By this point, you should have some good background in the subject. Don't forget to count Mummies, Tombs, and Treasure by Lila Perl on your Reading List as a nonfiction (informational) book. You should have read about 1/2 of Chapter 4 (pgs 86-113).

If you need the Egypt Book Instructions, click here.
If you need the Egypt Book Glossary page, click here.
If you need the Egypt Book Pages, click here.
If you need the Egypt Book Rubric, click here.
If you need a copy of the Egypt map, click here.
If you need a copy of the Egyptian hieroglyphics, click here.
If you need pages for the cover or any inside decorations, click here.

I will update the links on the right to help you find Egypt information.

May your life be long and Ma'at judge your heart lighter than a feather...

Meso(between)Potamia(rivers)

We're on to Mesopotamia, also known as the Fertile Crescent! These people would not have called themselves that...it is a Greek word (see ROOTS above) that means "between the rivers". I have updated the links to the right for websites that have interesting or helpful information on the G.R.A.P.E.S. of Mesopotamia...

Thoughts for the new school year...

Geography is how we "understand" our location. There are 2 ways to look at it: 1) absolute - which is precisely where you are, including GPS latitude and longitude, and 2) relative - yep, what it's like or next to, just like your family. How are you like your family members? How does that describe you? Think about Utah...we could say it's bigger than Missouri and smaller than New Mexico. But does that tell you everything you need to know? You might be older than your sister but younger than your brother. We could say it's east of Nevada and west of Colorado...you might live between your two best friends. How do those things define who we are?

Museum...title soon coming

Period 2 is working on our museum. For an example of what your process paper might look like, click here. It's unfinished, but it gives you an idea of what I'm looking for.
Good luck! I think that the Graphics group and the Publicity group need to get together early next week to combine ideas, as do the Floor Design and Logistics groups.