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.)

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.

Feudalism the Game

If you happened bring your computer out before class put it away. We'll taking the whole hour playing the feudalism simulation.

Below is you 4th blog entire (and homework for tonight). Reflect on the game we played today. You don't have to answer every question but your post should address the majority of them.
-How did the game work/what was the game (since most of your audience was not in our class today)?
-What must you have in feudalism to survive?
-Who has the most to gain when making an agreement, knights or kings?
-Who has more control, knights or kings? Why?
-What were the keys to success in the game? What strategies worked and what didn’t?
-How does a king gain power? Is it guaranteed to work?
-How were the early rounds different from the later rounds?
-What do you think the end result of the game would be if we kept playing?
-How does this game accurately simulate lord-vassal relationships in feudal times? (See Chapter 9 Section 2)
-How is the game inaccurate? What gets missed in this game? Would you change anything? (See Chapter 9 Section 2)

After the Fall

Drop your Mad Libs assignment from yesterday if you completed the corrections. It needs to be in my dropbox by 9:41 or you will not be able to get full credit. Whether you finished it or not open it up. We are going to correct the assignment as a class to start today.

During class today I'll be lecturing about what happened to Europe after Rome fell and setting up for our a class game tomorrow Feudalism the Game. You'll need a notes document labeled Middle Ages.

Thus unit is Chapters 9 & 10. The unit quiz will be Friday, December 9th (Thursday, December 8th for core 1) but there still will be a short 5 question quiz this Friday, December 2nd (Thursday, December 8th for core 1).

You are responsible for reading both chapters for the quiz and you'll need to turn in your notes.

If you have time post your funniest line from the Mad Libs (as long as it is school appropriate).