Homework for Over Winter Break

Over break...

Interview two or three family members or friends of the family (not from your generation) about why history matters. Use imovie to record you interview.

You can ask other questions but make sure you ask the following three questions:
1) Is it important we study History? (Why?/Why not?)
2) Does history have value? (How?/Why?)
3) What is history?

Create a blog post titled "Does History Matter- Family interviews". Reflect on the interview and what you heard.

In spring we'll be using these clips, and others we collect, for a video project.

 Reminder: The google earth mapping of the crusades is due by the end of school Friday. If you're running into issues the sooner you talk to me the better.

Load up your google earth and be ready for some hands on instruction on how to put your research into your map.

Remember no quiz this week. You'll get about 30 minutes to put the finishing touches on your projects tomorrow.

Statue of Saladin in Damascus 

The plan today is to finish the video on the crusades (so take out those notes) & work on our projects. Tomorrow you'll get the entire day to work on the project.

Your ticket out of the room today is showing me that you have the project due date, this Thursday (Friday for Core 5), written down either in google task, stickies, or a planner.

*If I didn't check in with you yesterday about your grades and/or the project my goal is to finish that today. If you have pressing questions/issues and want to jump to the head of the line just ask.

Blogosphere

Write this down... the Mapping the Crusades project is due this Thursday (Friday for Core 5). We will be doing something else this week instead of our weekly quiz. 

Two quick to-do items before we start class. First off Create a draft post in blogger labeled, "The Blogosphere". Secondly, download the "Qs a moment in time- Crusades". Today in class we'll spent about 20 minutes looking for inspiration from award winning blogs. Afterwards will watch the first part of a video on the crusades. During that time I'll be checking in with students about their grades and progress on the project.

[links]
Blogs on Media Arts: DesignSponge, Pink Shirts and Car Wrecks,  Carrot Revolution, The Best Part, KissMyBlackAds, JeannieJeannie
Blogs on Music and Movies:Pitchfork, Music Blog, Roger Ebert's Journal,
Blogs on Fashion and photography: The Satorialist, Lens,
Gentle Men Standard. Black Girl Long Hair, & afrobella.
Travel Blogs: World Class
Other Blogs Blogs: Arts Cetera, State of Arts, DivasCanCook, Global Voices
Blogs from News Organizations: Star Tribune Blogs, NY Times Blogs (both have a large selection of blogs including sports blogs)

For you "Blogosphere post" make sure to include the following (rewrite the questions as part of your answers):
-What were the two or three most interesting blogs you found today? (You could take a screen shot of them and use the images in your post.)
-What did you notice about these award winning blogs?
-How can you incorporate what you saw into your own world history blog?

End of the week quiz.

Today we'll be taking our weekly quiz, this week on chapters 9 & 10. If you have a moment before the quizzes are handed out login to school view and check your grades. The final day for makeup work from the first half of this quarter is December 14th. If you are missing anything, make sure you look make a plan for getting it in.

Once we finish with the quiz you'll have time to work on your mapping of the crusades with Google Earth assignment.

Mapping the Middle Ages day 1

First things first turn in your answers to the crusades Star Tribune article to my dropbox. Secondly download the "google earth crusade" file from my dropbox.

Be ready for your quiz tomorrow.

Today we'll start with some announcements & google tasks. Later today you'll be starting a Google Earth assignment on the crusades.

Student Spotlight: A Collection of Great Student Work

*If you are looking for today's directions page down to the other post from December 5th.

About once a week I'll be highlighting some of the great work the students at FAIR School Downtown are doing in our world history class. Normally the post this highlight will focus on one particle student and how they have been contributing to class. 

This week we have a collage of excellent posts on our newly minted student blogs. Many of these posts are from first time bloggers but they all effectually communicate not only what is going on but also the bloggers personality.

Welcome Posts:

Outline why the blog exists, add your personality, and a youtube video and you have a great first post.

Short but sweet the writer's personality come through both through the words and the design of the webpage.

Pretty fun post that makes me want to keep reading more.

It has personality, explains the author, and  what to expect on the blog.

Q2 Goals:

A very honest reflection on school and what needs to be done to be/stay successful.

Feudalism:

Great explanation of feudalism based on our simulation.

I loved the touch of changing font for the keywords.

Very funny I cannot wait to hear how this blogger continues to leave a record for the robots after the humans are dead.

Why the crusades and its legacy still matter today.

Today in class we'll be reading an article from the Star Tribune on how even many centuries later, the word "Crusade" still resonate powerfully in the world. Download the article from my shared folder. We'll be reading the first section together and you are to finish the rest of it. There are questions at the end that mirror the kind of questions the MCA reading test asks (which you'll all be taking this spring). Anything not completed in class is due Wednesday (Thursday for Core 5).

Also as a part of class we'll learn how to stay on-top of our tasks better with google tasks. Lastly, if you skipped the student spotlight page up and look at it now.

Before the quiz you can work on your feudalism blog post and study for the quiz.