Machiavelli vs Castiglione

As we learned yesterday the Renaissance literally means rebirth. In this case it refers to the rebirth of Classic Greek and Roman ideas and ideologies such as: politics, philosophy, sculpture, literature, theatre, education, and architecture. Today we are going to look at the Renaissance of politics and philosophy by reading some excerpts from two writers of this time period.

From my shared folder download "Castiglione reading" & "Machiavelli reading". Once you have them download close your computer and wait for further instructions. 

Don't forget to read chapter 12. 

Semester Two

Good morning FAIR School Downtown High School Students! Hope you had a relaxing weekend, our second semester begins now. Please login to schoolview to see your schedule so that you know what your arts classes are and to make sure that your core classes are the same. They should be but there have been some minor changes for some students.

Also on Tuesday some reporters from the Star Tribune are going to be @ FAIR School Downtown for an article highlighting FAIR. Be the awesome students you normally are for them.

Meanwhile back in world history class... Grades are still NOT 100% updated. Please stay patient. FAIR is planning to mail report card home by the end of the week. We're going to quickly look at Europe, Asia, & the Middle East one last time each before the world starts to truly interact and it becomes impossible to isolate regions of the world from each other.

This week's reading homework is to read Chapter 12. You will have a short quiz this week (Thursday/Friday) and a regular sized one two weeks out (Thursday, Feb. 9th for Core 1 & Friday, Feb. 10th for Core 5).


“The Renaissance is the April of Western civilization.” 

On blank pages document, write a paragraph explaining the meaning of this quote.  You may use resources available to you for help (like your textbook). You only have until 8:47 to write your paragraph.


Guidelines for the use of TodaysMeet. (Any violation of these guidelines will result in the immediately termination of the activity. This means follow the rules... there are no second chances.) TodaysMeet is an alternate way to hold a discussion which allows for different voices to be heard. 
1) Select an appropriate name.
-You can use an alias but your name has to be 100% clean (good enough to use infront of you Grandmother & Ms. Cumming)
-No impersonating others 
2) Comments must stay on task and on topic (anything you type is just like being said aloud with the whole class except there is also a written record of your comment).
3) Comments must be less then 140 characters.
4) Stay engaged in the conversation by having zero distractions open on your computer.


Take the paragraph you wrote and summarize your thoughts into a tweet (140 characters or less) BUT do not weaken your argument. --

Copy and paste http://todaysmeet.com/WHatFAIR into your browser.

Essay question

Essay (30 points)
We’ve studied many topics in the first semester of our world history class. For the essay portion of the final you must choose one of the following three topics to write about: how geography’s effects can be seen in world history, how religions of the world are similar and different, or what makes leaders/civilizations successful vs. why poor leaders/civilizations fail. Regardless of what topic you choose your essay must have an introduction paragraph, a thesis statement (underline it), ten pieces of historical evidence (or examples) to support your thesis, and a conclusion paragraph. You may want to create an outline before you start writing but it will not be graded. You will need to write in complete sentences but you will not be punished for grammatical errors. You will need to use the back of this paper but if you need more space attach another piece of paper.

Final Exam Panic

Save yourself from final exam panic. (Taken from Washington State University.)

Final exams are stressful, but they don't have to be distressful. Because exams require you to produce information and results, not just receive them as in lectures, they are stressful. Your mind and body naturally react to the anticipation of these demands. Getting "psyched up" about finals helps you stay alert, attentive, and focused.

Too much worry, however, may lead to final exam panic, a syndrome known to many students. 

To get the best results this week follow the following tips.


Use "Balanced Time." Preparing for finals requires more time than regular exams. It doesn't mean, though, that every single remaining minute should be devoted only to study. Comprehension suffers when you cram. Arrange for strategic breaks during 1 to 2 hour study periods. Refresh yourself with a stretch, splash cold water on your face, eat some energy food, get fresh air, or have a brief conversation with a study partner. Though you will devote more time to studying, don't deprive yourself of everything.

Design a Realistic Schedule. Plan an hourly schedule of activities for each remaining day before finals. List class time, what you plan to study, employment, recreation, and personal time. Check off tasks when you have finished them. You should know what, where, and when you'll be doing something at all times. Be realistic. You're not going to study 20 hours a day, but you might be able to handle 6 to 8 hours if you pace yourself. Proficiency will be down in your other responsibilities. Some non-academic activities have to wait until after finals.

Prioritize. Decide which courses need more attention. Identify your weak areas within each subject. Review these daily. Subjects in which you're stronger won't require as much time.

Review Previous Quizzes and Exams. Although questions may not be repeated, the underlying concepts may be. Familiarize yourself with the kinds of questions asked.

Be Prepared. Have study sheets or flash cards with you at all times. When you have an extra 5 minutes, review the handy materials. Arrive at the test site ahead of schedule. Avoid mingling with test-anxious classmates just before the exam. Anxiety can be contagious.

Stay in Good Physical Shape. If your mind is to be alert, your body has to be functioning well. Try a few minutes of general calisthenics each day. Eat sensibly. Be mindful of the effects of excessive caffeine and sugar on nervousness. Avoid non-prescription drugs and minimize your alcohol consumption. Get regular, restful sleep at night.

Learn to Relax. Some anxiety is necessary to keep alert, but too much may contribute to panic. When you think of panicky or fearful thoughts, your body reacts accordingly. As soon as you think a negative thought, try breathing slowly and deeply, counting to ten, smiling, stretching or telling yourself, "the answer will come when I think things through calmly."

Solicit Support. Let people close to you know it's finals time. Ask them to help out with family responsibilities. Postpone some activities if they interfere too much. Form study groups with classmates and quiz each other.

Semester I Finals

Many of you have contacted me about updating your late work and blogger grades. Thanks for doing you work but...  between all the assignments being turned in and barely leaving my bed weekend because of the flu... I haven't graded everything yet. Thanks for your patients.

Take Home Exam

For this week's quiz you'll be recording yourself in imovie explaining some parts of African history. To get an A on this quiz I want to see and hear you explaining your answers not just reading answers. Quiz questions:

- What is Great Zimbabwe & What happened to it that was different from many historical places?

- What is Africa's geography like?

- Compare two african civilizations from this time period (Kush, Axum, Ghana, Mali, & Songhai).

- Explain the tradition of African Storytelling and how it was used to pass on information.

- Tell your the oral history story you'd like to pass on to future generations (you wrote it in class)?

The video needs to be in my drop box first thing Monday morning (Share->Export Movie->Medium sized).

*Remember that all late work is due by the end of the day Friday unless you are one of the few that has already worked something else out.

African Storytelling Traditions

Today Mr. Zavitz is going to tell us a traditional African story and we'll find out more about the storytelling traditions of Africa.

Also Mr. Hannan will be checking in with every student to today to tell them where they stand grade wise in world history.

*Remember that all late work is due by the end of the day Friday unless you are one of the few that has already worked something else out.

Study Guide

I am not going to be here today. Please be the excellent FAIR students I know you are for the sub. Sit in your assigned seats.

Your task today is to either start working through the study guide or to read chapter 7. Below is the link to our semester I study guide. There is a lot of information on the study guide but we've covered a lot this semester.


SIX STEPS TO SUCCESS TO USING THE WORLD HISTORY STUDY GUIDE* **
Step 1— Use your memories from the reading or activities done in class to fill out the study guide. Don’t look up anything you don’t know yet.
Step 2— Look over your notes from each section. As you go fill in what you find for the study guide.
Step 3— Skim the chapters, reread the chapters, or read them for the first time. As you go fill in the study guide.
Step 4— Lookup information that is still blank using other resources.
Step 5— Think back to our quizzes (any question asked before is fair game) and look over old assignments. Add anything important you find to the study guide.
Step 6— Look over study guide at least 3 times after it is completed.
* at any time ASK FOR HELP… stay after school to clarify topics/terms you don’t get!
** all class assignments, activities, and readings are fair game for the test.


Go here for the study guide. You can either copy and paste all the information into a pages document or you can make a copy and use google documents to work with other classmates (after your logged in, file->make a copy [or just copy paste it into a google doc], then share the guide a partner to work together.)

Limit Distractions

There are two weeks left in the semester. Now is the time to really limit distractions and finish strong... so in that vain we have a new seating chart.

This week we going to be looking at early African civilizations. Africa has a unique oral history tradition so we are going to be doing less writing/reading this week and more talking.

In class today we are learning about Great Zimbabwe. Normally we might just read from this great source but instead I am going to tell you the story (and your not going to be allowed to take notes... you just have to focus on listening). We're also going to be going over last week's quiz.

This week's reading is Chapter 7 (all the sections) and your quiz will be a take home oral quiz. Due Monday, Jan. 23rd. ALL makeup work is also due MONDAY, JAN 23rd. 

Link for later:  http://www.mesacc.edu/dept/d10/asb/africa/zimbabwe/zimbabwe18.html
-What are some interesting facts about Great Zimbabwe?
-What kind of story is Great Zimbabwe telling us about its culture?
-What assumptions might we be able to make about Africa as a whole based on this story?
-How do you think the worlds history (history of "others" has been damage or is less then 100% truthful due dominate cultures bias?

Finals are (95 minutes long) 1 hours 35 minutes long

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
8:40-9:35 Core 1	8:40-10:15 Quiet Study Time with core 5	8:40-10:15 Core 2 Final	8:40-10:15 Core 4 Final	No School for students
9:38-10:33 Core 2	10 MINUTE	PASSING	TIME
10:36-11:31 Core 3	10:25-12:30 Core 1 Final	10:25-12:30 Core 3 Final	10:25-12:30 Core 5 Final
11:34-12:31 Core 4 [After the game come back to core 1 to study.]	[Arts Block]	[Arts Block]	[Arts Block]

Seven Samurai

Today we'll be playing a board game about the history of Japan. It's homemade not Hasbra or Parker Brothers so it hasn't been refined too much. The board game is called, "Nippon, Land of the Rising Sun". (Nippon means Japan and translates loosely to land of the rising sun.) Please put your computer away as soon as you see this message and pass the word on to your neighbors to do the same. There are four copies of the board game so arrange yourselves into four groups.

You'll have 20 minutes for the quiz at the end of class.

DO NOT TOUCH THE GAME YET!

I am the GREATEST!

Today we'll be looking the one of the greatest leaders (among other things) in history, Genghis Khan. Start by downloading "Genghis Khan Greatest" from my shared folder. While your waiting for class to start you can work yesterday's blog post.

The object that changed the world

Today we'll be having circle. Besides from the normal check-in we are going to be talking about what one object had the biggest effect on your own life. Take 5-7 minutes to silently free-write about the following three ideas:
-What things are going well for you this semester/what are you going to do to ensure a strong finish to the semester?
-What one object has majorly changed you or the course of your life? It could be something a more abstract like a song but the object needs to be based around something something physical. How & why did it have such an effect on you?
-Can you think of any objects that might have changed the course of mankind and the earth?

Save what you write you'll be using it after the discussion.

Back to China

We're going back to China this week to look at the middle dynasties. To start we're going over last week's quiz. Afterwards we'll be reviewing what happend in Chapter 3 (ancient China) and I'll give you a little time to read independently.

To stay on top of the reading I suggest doing the following: tonight read 8.1, tomorrow 8.2, day after tomorrow 8.3, review/study for the quiz on last day of the week. (Skip 8.4 & 8.5)
 Core 1 = Thursday, Jan. 12th
 Core 5 = Friday, Jan. 13th

:Psychology Interruption:

This post is for my core 2 seminar class. World History students please ignore.

Today we'll be having our fishbowl discussion on the first chapter of Malcolm Gladwell's Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking. While we get setup please do the following three things:
1) Log into CoverItLive below
2) Pull out your reading guide questions and answers (while your at it drop them in my dropbox as well)
3) Read one of the following two reviews of the book, http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/16/books/review/16COVERBR.html?pagewanted=1  OR http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2005/feb/06/scienceandnature.society

Finishing up.

Today you'll have 30 minutes to finish your flyer/brochure and 15 minutes for the quiz on the early Americas. Don't forget to go through all seven steps (from the previous post). If you finish early look over your notes and study for the quiz.

For step seven save your project as WH1.Name.Early Americas Brochure

The First Americans

The Incan city of Machu Picchu.

Incase you missed it yesterday or where just missed yesterday... page down to the entry for Monday, Jan. 2 and double check that you have the schedule written down. Both cores of have a quiz during the second half of class tomorrow.

Drop you reading notes from 11.2 & 11.3. Today you'll be using those notes to create a brochure or flyer explaining "the big three" of the ancient Americas (Aztecs, Incans, & Mayans).

Step one: Read and take notes of 11.2 & 11.3.

Two Mayan cups with ink drawings.

Step two: Choose a template from the pages templates that you want to redesign to showcase "the big three"

Step three: Change the text of the template to explain about each of the civilizations Aztecs, Incans, & Mayans...
For each civilization you need to include its location with map, how did it rise/start, what its political structure was, how its society was structured, what about its culture (writing, art, sports, architecture) was interesting or important, and how did it fall/end.
Step four: Replace the stock images with compelling images of the civilizations.

Step five: Add a bibliography of where you got your information AND images from
(Your textbook's citation should be: Spielvogel, Jackson J. Glencoe World History. New York, NY: Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, 2005. Print.)

A sculpture of the Aztec deity Xochipilli. 

Step six: Proofread your document

Step seven: Drop your finished product in my dropbox

End of the Semester Schedule

Welcome back! Make sure you write down the schedule. Also open up the note-taking template of your choice. You'll be using them for a brief lecture and reading. If you get a chance also write a quick comment about the new floor and colors downstairs.

January 3rd-6th
Reading: Chapter 11 Sections 11.2 & 11.3 (skip 11.1)
Quiz: Thursday, Jan. 5th for both classes.

January 9th-13th
Reading: Chapter 8 Sections 8.1, 8.2, & 8.3 (skip 8.4 & 8.5)
Quiz: Core 1 = Thursday, Jan. 12th
Core 5 = Friday, Jan. 13th

January 17th-20th
Reading: Chapter 7 Sections 7.1, 7.2, & 7.3
Quiz: Core 1 = Monday, Jan. 23rd
Core 5 = Friday, Jan. 20th

January 23rd-26th
Cumulative Final (This means everything & anything we've read, studied, or learned all first semester is fair game.)