Election 2012

Who will win the Presidential Election?  Tomorrow in class, we will spend at least some time discussing the Electoral College and Voters Rights.  Bring your questions to class!

Back on track

The last two weeks have been rough.  Not only did I miss six days, but we lost two days due to the weather.  That said, we will be back on track for next week.

Quiz:  Students will take a quiz on the countries of the Middle East on Thursday.  Please know that you are responsible for studying.  If you don't study, you will not do well.  Not doing well is NOT AN OPTION.  Therefore, studying is mandatory.

Please ask questions!  Not knowing how to study, or what to study, is NOT an excuse.

The quarter ends tomorrow.  I will not accept any work for the 1st marking period after 2:45 tomorrow.

Fertile Crescent

We are about to shift our focus from Prehistory to the Fertile Crescent.  We will also begin our exploration of both political and physical maps.  In class tomorrow, you will be given a political map of the Middle East on which you will have to identify several countries.  Once completed, you will be given a blank physical map of the region with a specific set of directions.  It is very important that you take your time with these maps and pay close attention to detail.  With regard to the political map, you will be given a quiz to check for understanding.  With regard to the physical map, you will be graded based on your accuracy.


For those of you who actually look at the blog, I am attaching samples of each map that I created.  Using the same resources that you have, and the same supplies, this is what I was able to do.  Your maps should look like mine (although they may be slightly different).  Let me know what you think. 

By the way, if you are reading this, please leave me a comment.

Story Time

Unfortunately, it looks like I will be out a bit longer.  I apologize in advance for my absence, but the doctor will not allow me to return to school until this virus runs its course.  In the meantime, I have decided to share with you a story that I wrote which will serve as a model for your assignment tomorrow.  Let me know what you think!

Joshier and Sabrina were two of the most famous archaeologists to ever explore the vast Sahara Desert; they have been credited with many glorious discoveries.  Although they don’t always see eye-to-eye, their adulation of history has brought them together for their most recent exploration.  They came face-to-face with their most ferocious competitors, and ancient civilization experts, Drs. Tevin and Alivia Boston.  The Bostons have roamed the desert with valor, led by nomadic tribesmen who have guided them with domesticated camels to many remote sites and helped them to make myriad of significant discoveries.

                According to oral tradition, the western part of the desert was once populated with various social classes.  The upper class was made up of the elite leaders who were treated as royalty.  The most famous were King Jake and Queen Phoebe whose sons Sal and Taylor were highly sought-after by the ladies.  The Garls were invigorated leaders and made sure to take care of the lower class as they were passionate about every member of their kingdom.  The middle class was made up of skilled artisans including basket-weavers, potters, and crafters among others.  The poor worked hard as well and contributed to society in other ways. 

                Although the geography was harsh, its citizens were able to survive thanks to a vast network of canals which allowed them to irrigate their land; however the vast desert was no place for a thriving civilization.  Despite their ingenuity, the once thriving civilization perished some time ago when they could no longer compromise.  Their infrastructure was destroyed by rioting citizens, the centralized government was over-thrown when the nobles could no longer keep the people nourished, social classes warred as the elite took control of the valuable resources and camaraderie waned , written language became antiquated as people no longer had time to keep records, and the people lost faith in their organized religion.

                The rivaling archaeological teams raced to make discoveries but each group encountered disaster after disaster.  Wicked winds raged, violent storms flashed all around them, and food became scarce.  It appeared that all hope was lost when a lowly intern noticed an interesting figure in the distance.  Instead of notifying the others, intern Avery rushed off with much jubilation and discovered a group of mummified bodies.  These hominids were very old and helped to shed some light on prehistoric times.  These Stone Age people were previously unknown and their discovery led Avery to great heights among modern-day archeologists.  Today, Avery works hand-in-hand with Zahi Hawass one of the foremost experts in Egyptology and he has no empathy for his former teammates.  Avery and Hawass have filled museums with a surplus of artifacts over the years and rose to great fame as they toured the world.  Unfortunately, the teams of Joshier and Sabrina and Dr. and Dr. Boston were pushed deep into the shadows forever.

Footprints from the Past

For the question of the day, my students took a look at some ancient footprints and told me about all of the information they could learn from them.  For instance:  The height of the person, the weight of the person, the direction they were traveling, the speed at which they were traveling, along with many other things.

Students also began to explore nine new vocabulary terms.  They began to complete graphic organizers in class today and they will continue that tomorrow.  We will also be reading sections 2 and 3 (Chapter 1) in the text beginning tomorrow.

My goal is to have an assessment sometime toward the middle of next week.  I think Wednesday may be the day, but I will keep you posted!

Before, During, and After Reading

Today, students worked on reading the text via a newly introduced strategy.  I will be reviewing their work over the next few days and give them feedback. 

Tomorrow we will be looking a little deeper at the Ice Man.

Reading and Social Studies

QOD:  Look at the photo on pages five and six of your text (cave painting).  What do you think it means or signifies?  (Students are writing at least two complete sentences and will work up to full paragraphs as the year goes on.)

Iceman - Today in class, I introduced the 'Ice Man' as a case study for looking at the jobs of archaeologists and anthropologists.  We spoke about this briefly with the intention of giving the students a bit of background information.  We will watch a video (about 20 minutes) which will tell us more on Thursday; students will then write a summary of the film. 

BDA - I also introduced the Before, During, and After reading strategy to each of my classes.  I gave several examples of how students can become engaged in the text and read with purpose.  It is also an excellent way to take notes when reading a nonfiction text.  This is a strategy that we will employ throughout the year to encourage meaningful reading and accurate note-taking.  Students will be working on this in class tomorrow as they are guided through the process step-by-step.  

Have a great night!

Presidential Election

QOD:  What do you know about the upcoming Presidential election?  If you aren't sure, what would you like to know about the election?

We spent most of the period discussing the upcoming election.  We discussed the role of the Electoral College as well as voting and legislation in American Government.  Today was used to discuss a very important current event and I was amazed at the interest level of the students and their insights.  I hope that we can spend more time discussing the events that are impacting our lives today as the year goes on.

Aside from that, please understand that my own political opinions are never discussed in class.  The students do most of the talking and I merely guide them along.  When asked a question, I give a factual answer free of opinion.

Remember, Fridays are for current events!

Timelines

QOD: What is the difference between a physical and cultural anthropologist?

Some students struggled with this question, but we spent a fair amount of time reviewing the concept and I am confident that students have a solid understanding.

A physical anthropologist will focus on the body of man. They would be interested in examining remains of those deceased as well as studying the way that the body functions. On the other hand, a cultural anthropologist would be more interested in the way that people behave in terms of tradition, religion, family life, and other cultural aspects of mankind.

We ended with a discussion of timelines and that will be further introduced in class tomorrow when students create their own timelines.

Anthropology

QOD:  Why are oral traditions an important part of history?

After discussing the QOD, the students were taught the differences between cultural and physical anthropology.  Students were able to play the part by examining an object and writing/presenting observations (functions, symbols, etc.) and connecting the item to one of the five components of civilization.

Archaeology

QOD: Why is the job of an archeologist so important?

We began class by discussing how the work of an archeologist impacts other fields. For the rest of the period, students worked on their vocabulary sheets and in some classes we began to discuss the newly introduced key terms.

Current events are due tomorrow. I will also be changing my classroom around in an attempt to avoid some of the distractions that have been plaguing my classes.

Vocabulary 1.1

QOD: What did you learn by reading 'The Body Ritual of the Nacirema'?

After another discussion regarding culture, students were introduced to my way of presenting vocabulary terms. They were given a worksheet and instructions for completing the assignment. Some students may not have finished, but they will be given additional time at a later date.

I will only see periods 1, 2, 3, and 4 tomorrow. Enjoy your half day off!

Culture

QOD: What is culture? Describe it...

Today we discussed two important concepts: culture and perspective. After reading the ethnography regarding the Nacirema, students were able to see their own 'culture' through the eyes of an outsider.

Tomorrow students will be introduced to their first set of vocabulary and they will have their first real look at the text.

Oh, and yes, current events are due every Friday unless I specifically state otherwise!

Written Language and Civilization

QOD:  Why is written language an important part of civilization?

After discussing the question of the day, we spent a bit of time refreshing on the five key components.  For the rest of the period, students worked on a graphic organizer which will help me to check for understanding.  A few students did not finish the assignment in class; they were given until the start of class on Friday to turn the assignment in to me.

Tomorrow is current events Friday.  There is a lot to talk about.  I am looking forward to some good discussion in class!

Civilization Defined

QOD:  Why is government an important part of civilization?  For this question, I asked that students write at least two sentences.  We used this question to refresh a previous class and to demonstrate understanding of a key concept.

We spent the period discussing the importance of art, architecture, infrastructure, and written language.  After discussing these concepts, all students should have a similar definition of civilization which is the key to this course.  All students should know that a civilization is more complex than a simple society.  In order for a society to reach the level of a civilization the following must be present:  1. centralized government, 2. organized religion, 3. job specialization / social classes, 4. art, architecture, and infrastructure, and written language.

In class tomorrow, we will complete an assignment which will help me to determine how well the students understand these key concepts.

Social Class / Job Specialization

Today we began by refining our definition of civilization via the question of the day.

We spent the rest of the period discussing the importance of job specialization and social classes to any civilization.

By the end of class tomorrow, students should be able to define civilization and specifically incorporate the five key components.

Don't forget... Current events are due each Friday!!

Civilization

For our question of the day, students were asked to define political science and economics in their composition books.

I introduced civilization as our next major concept and we began to discuss the five components. In most classes we discussed the roles of government and organized religion in civilization.

Tomorrow, we will pick up where we left off and move further toward complete understanding of the very important course concept.

1st Current Event Friday

Thank you to the four people who have completed the extra credit interview.  I am very happy that you have demonstrated a desire to do well in my class.

Today was the first of many current event Fridays.  All types of stories were discussed and related to social studies and/or the five components of civilization.

I would like to remind all students to follow the format and journal their current event in their composition notebooks.  I will be collecting a set of journals every week beginning next week for review.  I will be entering grades this weekend!

Social Studies Web

Today students created 'webs' to demonstrate their understanding of the five components of social studies. Most students finished in class; the others will need to turn it in on Friday.

For the question of the day, students defined the words history and geography.

The first current event assignments are due tomorrow at the start of class and should be recorded in your composition books.

Defining Social Studies Group Activity

Our question of the day was: Which field of social studies interests you most and why?

We worked in small groups to define history, geography, economics, political science, and behavioral science. Students also came up with several examples.

Tomorrow we will continue our studies and begin to explore the concept of civilization.

Remembering September 11, 2001

QOD:  What comes to mind when you think about September 11, 2001?

Various answers were given as we began our discussion regarding 9/11:  Sadness, Heroism, Anger, Shock, Disbelief, and Community were all discussed.

The main points that we focused on were:  1. What happened, 2.  How did it happen, 3.  How did it change the United States, 4.  How does this event compare to other major events in American History, and 5.  How will the future be impacted by this event.

For extra credit...  Interview a family member or family friend about what they were doing on September 11th and how it affected their lives.  Keep it short, one page or less, and turn it in on a piece of notebook paper by Friday of this week (9/14/12).  Shhhhhhh!  I want to see who is checking the blog...

Social Studies

We started class today by talking about social studies in general.  The question of the day was:  What does social studies mean to you?  Students had a variety of answers, but in the end I made it clear that there are five components of social studies:  History, Geography, Economics, Behavioral Science, and Political Science.  We began to discuss those terms; we will continue to work on them for the week.

Reminder:  Current events are due for EVERY Friday!!  Please ask if you have any questions.

Current Events Format

 - Current Events Format -

Step 1- Write the specific source of the information that you have found. For example, 69 News (not just TV) or www.readingeagle.com (not just Internet)


Step 2- Write the name or names of the person or people involved in the story.

Step 3- Write the place where the story occurred.

Step 4- Write the date when the story occurred. (Date should be within the last 7 days)

Step 5- Write a summary of the news item.

Step 6- Write what your reaction was when you read/heard the story.

Current Event Review

Today we discussed the current event format which will be used for each Friday.  We discussed where to find news story, how to decide if it is appropriate, how to write the report, and how they will be graded.  I will be uploading the format to my blog as well.  If there are any questions, please ask them as soon as possible. 

Assignment:  Starting next Friday, and every Friday thereafter (unless noted), students should have a current event report written in their composition books.

Thank You

I would like to thank all of the parents who came out tonight to meet me in my classroom.  I hope that I will have more opportunities to speak with you this school year.  Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.
Thanks again,
John Winand

Text and News

Today we took some time to talk about text organization.  Our textbook is full of resources that are often over-looked simply because students don't know that they are there!  Hopefully, they will all have a better understanding after today.

We also spoke about sources of the news (via our Question of the Day).  In some classes bias in the news was discussed as well as the selection of appropriate topics.  We also discussed the way modern technology could be used to find articles of interest.  I have asked all students to bring in an article for tomorrow so that we can talk about the format of our weekly current event assignment.

Question of the Day

Today we discussed the procedure for entering class as well as that of the Question of the Day.  All students are expected to come to class with a composition book in which to record the date, question, and answer.  This will help us get started in class and set us up for discussions of class concepts.

The Question of the Day for today was:  What is one topic that you want to learn about this year in social studies? Tell me why...

We also began to look at our text and how it is organized (in some classes this will be done tomorrow).

Assignment:  All students will be asked to come to class with a news story this Friday.  They do not have to write anything about it before class.  It can be an article of any kind (print and/or internet source).  Please keep it school appropriate.

Technology!

Today we discussed procedures for accessing course information on-line.  My 'Teacher Page,' which can be accessed from the MSD website, is the source for most information.  Some information requires clicking on a link which will direct students to wikispaces and/or blogger.  Both of these resources contain valuable information and can be used for the purpose of studying at home.  We also discussed how to create a user name and password for the online textbook. 

All students (who are permitted by their parents) are encouraged to locate these sites and set up user names and passwords.  It is best to do this as soon as possible so that I can help if needed.