Dec. 17, 18 and 19

Wednesday, Dec. 17: We watched a short segment of the dvd "Wonders of the African World." Students answered questions as they watched the film. With the remainder of class they worked on completing their Sundiata books.

Thursday, Dec. 18: Classes were shorter today because we had an assembly. We continued the "Wonders" dvd and I collected both the Sundiata book and the second packet of in class assignments from the W. Africa unit.

1	Daily Appetizers	10
2	Niger River	15
3	Geography Practice: Empire of Ghana	5
4	The Growth of Ghana’s Empire	10
5	Wonders of African World: I	5
6	Wonders of Africa : 2	5
7	Wonders of Africa : 3	5

Friday: We watched Kung Fu Panda. No Homework over the break. Happy Holidays.

Monday, Dec. 15, and Tuesday Dec. 16

Monday: I sang a song about Sundiata, legendary king who started the empire of Mali. Students had about 25 minutes to work on their Sundiata "little book." 

Tuesday: We watched a 12 minute video segment about Mali. Students then had about 25 minutes to work on their Sundiata "little book." 

Wednesday, Thursday, Friday Dec. 10,11,12

Wednesday: I sang a song about the Niger river and students worked on writing their narrative of an object floating down the Niger River to its mouth.

Thursday: We watched a short video about the empires of Ghana, Mali and Songhai. We then completed a reading guide in class, as a class titled "The Growth of Ghana's Empire, pp. 159-161."

Friday: I discussed the epic/legend of Sundiata, the king who established the empire of Mali. We read the legend aloud and students began creating a "mini-book" that summarizes and illustrates the story. No homework for the weekend. Stay Dry!

Monday Dec, 8, Tuesday, Dec. 9

Monday:

I collected the packets of work. We reviewed assignment 3 from the packet as a class, and I gave students 15 minutes to finish any work that was not completed in their packet.

Tuesday:

We talked about rivers. I gave students an assignment about the Niger River. It included a map and a writing assignment. The written portion is due on Thursday.

Friday, Dec. 5

Today we watched a short segment of the Planet Earth dvd series that illustrated an African Savannah. Students listed 10 adjectives that can be used to describe the savannah. Over the weekend I'd like students to write a 6 sentence paragraph describing the savannah which includes the adjectives they listed. I also assigned a map of Africa's physical features. The first packet of the Africa unit will be due on Monday. See grid below.

1	Daily Appetizers
2	Zane Academic Vocab. Development
3	West African Culture pp. 151-154
4	Africa GDP map
5	Africa Lesson 1: Physical & Political Characteristics (Extra Credit)
6	Savannah Paragraph
7	Physical Map of Africa

Wed. Dec. 3 and Thursday Dec. 4

Wednesday: Students worked on labeling a map of Africa, or worked on completing the photoshop/powerpoint assignment about W. African culture. 

Thursday: Students color coded the Africa maps based on GDP per capita or finished the powerpoint/photoshop. 

Tuesday, Dec. 2

Today we analyzed which sort of images work well in a photoshop document and then students worked to complete their power-point (complete with photoshop montage) about an element of W. African culture. No  Homework. 

Monday, Dec. 1

Day one of the second trimester. Today we worked on Zane Academic Vocabulary Building by focusing on the word culture. After that student teams worked on reading about a specific element of culture in W. Africa during the years 500-1600, or worked on a photoshop  montage of the same material. No Homework.

Thanksgiving Break

Homework: Eat Turkey! Relax, and get ready for trimester II.

Wed. Nov. 19

Today we played Jeopardy in preparation of tomorrow's test. 

Tuesday, Nov. 18

Today students who had incomplete work in their packets (which I graded, and returned) worked on completing the unfinished work. Other students worked on 2 review crosswords. Test on Thursday! 

Friday, Nov. 14 and Monday Nov. 17

Friday: Students organized their packets and worked on completing assignments that weren't finished. Periods 1 and 2 worked on creating a small cube that illustrated the innovations and accomplishments of the Abbasids. Periods 4B and 5 worked on the Rise of Islam timeline. 

Monday: I collected the packets, distributed the study guides for Thursday's test and gave a brief lecture about the innovations and accomplishments of the Abbasids. 

Assignments collected today: 

1. Appetizers

2. Islam as a way of life

3. Empire of Faith: Awakening I

4. Spread of Islam Map

5. Chapter 3, Lesson 3 pp. 100-103

6. Acrostic Poem

7. Rise of Islam Timeline   

I can't get the study guide to paste into this field, so you'll have to ask your students to see it... they should have it. Please help them review if at all possible. 4 school days until the end of the trimester and the grades become final! 

Thursday, Nov. 13

Periods 1 and 2: Worked on an acrostic poem using the words Islam/Muslim or Roman Empire, and were also assigned a timeline assignment. The timeline assignment is due tomorrow. 

Periods 4B and 5: also worked on the acrostic poem. Their homework is the work on the Islam map 661 AD assignment that Periods 1 and 2 had already done. Map due tomorrow. 

Wednesday, Nov. 12

Periods 1 and 2: Students worked on two assignments which are due tomorrow. One is a map on the spread of Islam, AD 661 the other is titled "Chapter 3: Lesson 2 pp. 100-103." Trimester final is next Thursday!

Period 4B and 5: In these two classes students finished a film that periods 1 and 2 watched on Monday and worked on the "Chapter 3: Lesson 2 pp. 100-103" assignment. It is due tomorrow at the beginning of class.

Friday, Nov. 7, Monday Nov. 10

Friday: Students worked to finish their photoshop montages which illustrated a pillar of the Islamic faith. I also collected Packet 2 from the Rise of Islam unit. 

Monday: We discussed the 5 pillars of Islam and I used the images created by students in a powerpoint. Students watched a short section of  the film Islam: Empire of Faith. I returned the packets. 

Parents: If you are checking powerschool and see that your student has a zero score for any packet it means your student did not turn in anything at the time that packet was due. I will take late work, but students need to come see me on their time to work out any points for late work. 8 class days until the end of Trimester 1! 

Wed. Nov 5 and Thurs. Nov. 6

Wednesday: Periods 1 and 2 began creating a photoshop montage of one of the 5 pillars of the Islamic faith. Periods 4B and 5 watched a dvd on deserts (I had a substitute, my daughter was home sick). 

Thursday: Periods 1 an 2 continued on their montages and periods 4B and 5 began theirs. Packets are due tomorrow. 

Assignments in Packet #2 for the Rise of Islam Unit

1. Daily Appetizers

2. Islam: Empire of Faith III

3. Middle East and Africa Political Map

4. Middle East today grid

5. Chapter 3:2 Islam and Muhammad

6. Mid East today grid analysis and map

7. Deserts (periods 4B and 5 only)

Tuesday, Nov. 4

Today I explained the electoral map of a presidential election. Students re-took the quiz on the rise of Islam and worked on the statistical map of the Middle East. Packets will be due on Friday. 

Monday, Nov. 3

Today I passed back the quiz from last week and told students that they would all have a chance to take the same quiz again tomorrow. We reviewed the map of the Middle East in preparation for the quiz. I gave them a map to color code the Middle East based on religion, and GDP per capita. It will be due tomorrow. Quiz "do-overs" will occur tomorrow as well. 

Friday, Oct. 31

Today students worked to catch up on in class assignments. Assignment 5, the 3:2 reading guide about Muhammad and the 5 pillars of faith is due on Monday. 

Thursday, Oct. 30

Today we viewed a brief video about the death of Muhammad. Students then took a quiz on the rise of Islam. With the time remaining students worked on a reading guide for chapter 3, lesson 2. No Homework. 

Wed. Oct. 29

Today students worked on finishing the map of the Middle East or finishing the grid of statistical information about those countries. Quiz tomorrow. Study guide was passed out today. 

Tuesday, Oct. 28

Today I introduced the idea of GDP per capita.  Half  the class worked to fill out a grid of statistical data on modern Middle Eastern countries while the other half finished Monday's map. Tomorrow we'll flip-flop. Period 5 is a little behind and  they will begin the grids tomorrow. I collected packet 1 of the Islam unit yesterday and have rescheduled the quiz for Thursday so I can return packets and create the study guide. 

Monday, Oct. 27

Today I collected the packet 1 from the "Rise of Islam" unit. We watched more of the PBS documentary and students began a map of the Middle East. 

Homework: Identify and correctly number the countries on the Middle East map. 

Quiz Thursday/Study guide forthcoming. 

Thursday Oct. 23, Friday Oct. 24

Thursday: Students watched a section from the PBS documentary Islam: Empire of Faith and answered questions based on the film's content. Period 1 received a writing assignment on Thursday that the other classes will be getting on Friday. I'd like students to write a 4 day diary account of a trip from Mecca to Medina in the year 570. It will be a first hand account written from the perspective of a camel.

Friday: Students watched another segment of the PBS film and answered questions. Students in periods 2, 4B and 5 were given the camel assignment. Packets are due Monday. See grid below for the list of assignments I'll be collecting. There will be a quiz on Wednesday of next week.

1	Daily Appetizers
2	Reading Guide Chapter 3, Lesson 1 Life on the Arabian Peninsula
3	Student Handout 1.1A Deserts/Oases
4	Student Handout 1.1A Coastal Plains/Mts.
5	Islam: Empire of Faith 1/Montheistic Belief Systems
6	Camel Caravan Diary
7	Islam: Empire of Faith 2

Wed. Oct. 22

Today we continued our look at the Arabian Peninsula. Students learned about the coastal plains and the mountains of the Arabian Peninsula. Period 1 began a video about the origins of Islam. Period 5 (a day behind the other classes) did the lesson from Tuesday. No Homework. 

Tuesday, Oct. 21

Today we began a study of the geography of the Arabian Peninsula. Students worked with the student next to them to answer questions (assignment #3, Student Handout 1.1A, Deserts and Oases) about life in ancient Arabia.  I showed them images of the peninsula etc. via a PowerPoint presentation. 

Monday, Oct. 20

Students finished their spoke diagrams and turned them in.  I only saw periods 4 and 5 today and they have a homework assignment for the night: 

Reading Guide

Chapter 3: Lesson 1, 

Life on the Arabian Peninsula. 

It will be due when class begins tomorrow. 

Thursday, Oct. 16 and Friday, Oct. 17

Thursday: Periods 4B and 5 only. Students had the class period to work on the spoke diagrams. Students will have 30 minutes in their next social studies class period to finish and turn in the diagram. 

Friday: Periods 1 and 2 had 30 minutes to complete and turn in their spoke diagram, they were then given a reading guide about the Arabian Peninsula (Chapter 3, Lesson 1). 

Wednesday, Oct. 15

Students in periods 1 and 2 worked on finishing their spoke diagrams. Students will have approximately 35 minutes to finish the spoke diagram on Friday, but it will be due before they leave for the weekend. All told, students were provided 170 minutes in class as well as time at home to work on completing this assignment.

Tuesday, Oct. 14

Students in periods 4B and 5 began working on the "legacy of ancient Rome" spoke diagram. Quiz re-takes are tomorrow during break. Students in period 4B are working on this assignment alone, students will not have partners. 

Friday Oct. 10 and Monday Oct. 13

Friday: I gave a powerpoint lecture about the legacy of Ancient Rome which focused on the 6 main legacies of Ancient Rome. Students will be creating a spoke diagram that combines written and visual elements to illustrate the legacy of Ancient Rome.

Monday: Students worked on the Legacy of Ancient Rome spoke diagram (see directions below).

Guidelines for Creating an Illustrated Spoke Diagram

You and your partner will create an illustrated spoke diagram that illustrates the Legacy of Ancient Rome. An illustrated spoke diagram is a way of organizing information or ideas around a central idea. At the hub of a spoke diagram is the main idea or central topic, around which are spokes that connect carefully arranged key ideas, symbols, and illustrations on a subtopic to a central topic. The central idea or central topic in this case is the Legacy of Ancient Rome.

1. Gather the information you'll include: your text, Legacy of Rome ppt.

2. Brainstorm ideas to include on the diagram. By examining your illustrated spoke diagram the other groups should be able to read it and understand the Legacy of Ancient Rome.

3. Your diagram must include:

Six spokes that represent the 6 important legacies of Ancient Rome

At least three key details describing each aspect in writing.

At least two visual elements- illustrations, symbols, pictures, drawings - that represent the 6 legacies of Ancient Rome.

4. Create a rough draft of the illustrated spoke diagram. This needs to be approved by Mr. Brooks before the group proceeds on the final version.

5. Create your diagram. Work neatly and carefully to create the final version of your spoke diagram. Use color and other creative touches to make the spoke diagram visually appealing.

Thursday, Oct. 9

Today in class students were given assignment #7 (The Legacy of Rome) while others worked on finishing their digital postcards. Packets are due tomorrow.

1.	Daily Appetizers
2.	Reteaching Activity
3.	Byzantium Empire Map AD 565
4.	R. Guide, Chapter 2, Lesson 3 pp. 61-63
5.	The Schism Illustration
6.	Written Postcard from Constantinople
7.	Legacy of Rome Graphic Organizer

Wednesday, Oct. 8

Today students wrote a postcard from ancient Constantinople and continued working on their digital postcards. Packet 4 will be due on Friday. 

Monday, Oct. 5 and Tues. Oct. 6

Monday: Students took the first quiz. Grades will be in as soon as I can grade them. Period 1 grades are already in. Students worked on assignment 4, as well as completing assignments 2 and 3 in class. By this time assignments 2 and 3 should be done. Assignment 2 is a worksheet from the textbook publishing company titled Reteaching Activity from Chapter 2, Lesson 3. Assignment 3 is a map of the Byzantine Empire that I created. 

Tuesday: Students who had completed Assignment 4 began work on a digital postcard from Constantinople as well as a drawing of the Schism of the Catholic Church (Assignment 5, on the back of assignment 4). 

For students in period 5 : assignments 2,3, and 4 are due tomorrow. 

Friday, Oct. 3

We played review Jeopardy for Monday's quiz. The quiz will have a map, and students should be able to identify the Med. Sea, The Atlantic, Rome, Constantinople, Egypt and the two halves of the Roman empire after it was divided. 

Students should know the accomplishments of Augustus C, Julius C, Constantine, Diocletion and Justinian. Students should be able to explain the reasons that led to the fall of Rome, as well as the origins of Christianity that happened under Roman rule. 

Terms to know: Republic, Empire, Emperor, Clovis, Huns, Byzantium (Byzantine Empire), Justinian Code, Circus Maximus, Roman Slavery, Paterfamilia. 

Enjoy your weekend, rainy though it may be!

Thursday, Oct. 2

Today I passed back the graded packets I collected yesterday. Students worked on the digital pictures from Wednesday and/or 2 new assignments. Assignment one is a re-teaching activity on Chapter 2, Lesson 3 and the second assignment is a map of the Byzantine Empire. 

There will be a quiz on Monday on what we've studied so far; the Roman Republic and Empire. 

Wednesday, Oct. 1

Periods 1,2 and 5: 

Some students worked on erasing the background from a picture they took of themselves using our computers. Next week they'll take their image and put it in a digital postcard from Constantinople. While half the class was on the computers, the other half worked on a reading assignment from the book. 

Period 4B: 

We finished the remaining completed presentations on Rome/Roman Culture and watched the famous chariot race scene from Ben Hur. 

I collected packet 3 in all 4 classes. 

Tuesday, Sept. 30

Today I lectured to the class about the fall of Rome. Students are to write an obituary that explains the accomplishments of the Roman Empire and explain why it fell. Packet #3 is due tomorrow (see grid below).  

Muddy Waters once said (in song) "The blues had a baby and they named it Rock and Roll." For extra credit, what did he mean? 

Period 1 has one additional assignment in their packet 

1.	Daily Appetizers
2.	Chapter 2, lesson 2, pp. 54-56
3.	Roman Power Points: Notes
4.	Chapter 2, lesson 3, pp. 59-60
5.	Rome Viewing Guide Questions
6.	Rome Fill –ins/Obit

Monday, Sept. 29

Today we continued presentations about Rome. I stamped assignment #4 which was due today. Students can always finish the work they did not complete and turn it in when the packet is due. Packet #3 will be due on Wednesday. I'll post the assignment list tomorrow. 

Friday, Sept. 26

Students began giving their presentations on ancient Rome. Chapter 2, lesson 3 reading guide is due on Monday. 

Wednesday, Sept. 23 & Thursday, Sept. 24

Wednesday: Students in periods 1 and 2 finished their powerpoint presentations on elements of Roman culture and turned them in. Students in periods 4 & 5 worked towards completing those presentations. 

Thursday: I stamped the  homework that was due today (reading guide, Chapter 2, lesson 2 Rome Divides, Rome Falls). Periods 1 & 2 began their presentations. Periods 4 & 5 continued working on their presentations, and will have no more class time to complete them.  Periods 4 and 5 did receive a reading guide which covers Chapter 2, lesson 3. It will be due on Monday. Periods 1 & 2 will get it tomorrow. 

Monday, Sept. 22 and Tuesday Sept. 23

Monday: I collected the second packet of work. Students continued working on "passage shrinking," with the goal of using that information in the PowerPoints they're constructing on elements of ancient Roman culture. 

Tuesday: I returned the packets from those students who turned work in. Students have a template that shows them how many slides to include in their presentations and which types of slides to use. Presentations will begin on Thursday. I also assigned a reading guide which will be due on Thursday. I'm still working on attaching the handouts to this blog so students can access them.

Friday, Sept. 19

Today students organized the packet that will be collected on Monday and worked on "passage shrinking." Students are shrinking paragraphs (note-taking/paraphrasing) about different elements of Roman culture that will be used in presentations next week. 

Thursday, Sept. 18

We worked on "passage shrinking," a technique used in Language Arts classes to summarize portions of text. After practicing "passage shrinking" students began researching elements of Roman culture for a presentation they'll construct next week. Packets will be due on Monday. There are currently 6 assignments in the packet (see grid).

1	Daily Appetizers
2	Chapter 2, Lesson 1, pp. 50-51
3	Chapter 2, Lesson 2, pp. 52-54
4	Roman Empire: Social Status Triangle
5	The Roman Empire, AD 117 Map
6	Passage Shrinking

Wednesday, Sept. 17

Today students worked on two assignments. They worked on filling in a graphic organizer about the social classes in Ancient Rome, as well as a map assignment on the Roman Empire (pg. 43 in text). I also checked two assignments for completion. If students did not have it complete today (when it was due) they can still finish it, and turn it in for partial credit when I collect the next assignment "packet."

Tuesday, Sept. 16

Today students worked on creating powerpoints about the best place they went this summer or worked to finish the 2 reading guides that are due tomorrow.  The reading guides cover Chapter 2, Lesson I (pp. 50-51) and Chapter 2, Lesson II (pp. 52-54). I will be checking both for completion tomorrow. 

Friday, Sept. 12 and Monday Sept. 15

Friday: Students worked to finish their maps of the Roman Empire as well as any other assignments that were still incomplete. I collected the first packet of 6 assignments, worth 65 points.

Monday: I returned the graded packets to the students who turned work in. We discussed the early life of Jesus in Judea as our daily appetizer. For the remainder of the class students worked on either creating a basic PowerPoint presentation about a place they visited last summer, or worked on a reading guide about early Christianity.

Thursday, Sept. 11

Today we talked about the rationale behind the Sept. 11 attacks in 2001. Students continued working on the "Mapping an Empire" assignment which will be due tomorrow. I'll also be collecting the first packet of class work tomorrow as well. 

Tuesday, Sept. 9 and Wednesday Sept. 10

Tuesday: Students checked out the textbooks that they will take home. We also began an assignment that will illustrate the growth of the Roman Empire between the years 44 BC and 116 AD. Students are working in pairs to complete this assignment which is called "Mapping An Empire." The Chapter 2 Reading Guide and Book Introduction will be due on Wednesday and the first "packet" will be due on Friday of this week.

Wednesday: Students continued to work on "Mapping an Empire."

Monday, September 8

We began class today discussing what the students already know about Rome/Romans and what they would like to learn. I gave a brief lecture on the innovations of the Romans and students completed a timeline that illustrated the years of the Roman Republic, and the Roman Empire. 

Students then worked on an assignment from their textbook about Rome. That assignment (Chapter 2 and Text Intro) will be due on Wednesday. 

Friday, Sept. 5

Today we reviewed Physical and Political features on maps. I went over the correct answers to assignment #2 (physical features of the world), and gave a new assignment titled: The World: Lesson 2, Physical Characteristics pp. 13-14.

Next Week: The Romans!

Thursday Sept. 4

Today students worked on two things. Students worked to complete a map we began yesterday which identifies the physical features of the world or they downloaded images from the internet of the a physical feature on planet Earth that they felt was impressive.

Tuesday Sept. 2 and Wednesday Sept. 3

Tuesday: I passed out a course description and discussed procedures in my classroom.
Wednesday: Appetizer #1: What is the difference between a physical and political map? I then passed out the lecture/discussion/instruction procedures and reviewed with the class. I passed out and explained the Unit Assignments Grid. Finally, using an atlas, we worked on a physical features of the world map.

No Homework. I should have a signed copy of the course description by now however.