Philosophy

What qualities or characteristics define a philosopher?  We started today's class by talking about what makes a philosopher a philosopher and listing some of those factors.  Then we talked about three philosophers in particular:  Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle.  Two others came up in our reading:  Democritus and Thales.  Pick one of these philosophers and find some information on the web and post it as a comment.  Feel free to post whatever you want about them along with the website you found it!

Tomorrow we will discuss drama and the arts and apply it to the fourth and final essential question.  On Wednesday we will have a map quiz and Friday will be the first assessment about ancient Greece! 

Ancient Greek Religion, Democracy, and Discussion Question

In class today, we began by discussing some of the qualities that make a democracy function.  We almost all agreed that education is key, because we really want well-informed people to be making the tough decisions.  If we did not educate our people (any citizen of the United States, for instance, is entitled to a free, appropriate, public education), our democracy would be at risk.  This idea led me to post the following discussion question, and I would really like some of your input:  What changes could we make (as a nation) to protect our democratic ideals and help our government function better? 

We also spoke about the third essential questions of this unit, which is:  How was the Greek religion both similar and different from the religion of ancient Egypt?  I suggest that each student begin to create a "T" chart to help them organize their thoughts.  On our assessment, I will be expecting that each group can provide a minimum of three (3) similarities and three (3) differences.  We spoke about many of these in class today and everyone should be able to accomplish this task!

Finally,  It would be wise to begin thinking about the assessment which will take place on Friday of next week.  There will be four essential questions asked and students will be expected to select a few key terms to define from a list of fifteen (possibly 7 or 8).  Students should also be studying for their upcoming map quiz on Europe which will be administered on Wednesday of next week.  It would be a great idea to check out my wiki and begin to review and respond to the terms and questions.

Have a great weekend!

Pericles

Who was Pericles and why was he an important figure in ancient Greek history?

Pericles was a topic of discussion in our class today.  Students should be able to describe him by this point.  Tomorrow, we will continue our exploration of the Golden Age of Athens.  We will talk about some of the most important philosophers, scientists, and mathematicians.

Remember, you may present your extra credit projects ANY DAY.  Please take advantage of the opportunity!

Last, I want to thank the student who made my day today.  It is great to feel appreciated and I am proud to teach all of you! 

6.2 Vocabulary Review

Today we spent much of the period reviewing the vocabulary of chapter 6.2.  If there are any questions regarding those words, feel free to post on the blog and I will try to help you.  I will be collecting the graphic organizer in class tomorrow (02/17).

Be advised that we will be having a map quiz on Wednesday of next week.  All students should be spending ten minutes each night (approximately) reviewing the map and preparing for the quiz. 

Finally, tomorrow we will begin to discuss Pericles and religion in ancient Greece.

Have a good night, and I will see you all tomorrow!

Thucydides and Greek Democracy

Here is a little experiment.  In class today, we discussed an important quote by Thucydides.  Click on the link below to review the quote:

http://www.pearsonsuccessnet.com/ebook/products/0-13-166882-X/wshw_ch006_p0180q.gif

Did it work?  Let me know.  If it didn't work, I will see if I can find a way to reference the online edition of the textbook on the blog.

To sum it up...  Thucydides made it clear that he believed that the city-states of ancient Greece were models of the ideal form of government and that the world would try to copy their concept of democracy.  He believed that their focus on the majority (as opposed to the minority) was the key to forming a 'fair and just' government which also achieved a sense of equality for the poor.  What are your thoughts on this topic?  Please post them here...  

Oh, and what is the difference between majority and minority?  Can someone define it and maybe provide an example to make it clear?

Work Day

Today students were given time to begin working on their newest map (Europe).  Not only that, they were given their next vocabulary sheets (6.2).  While students worked, I took the time to meet with some students individually and discuss their grades. 

Tomorrow, we will begin to discuss some of the new vocabulary and review the map...

The End of an Era in Egypt

As promised, here is a link to a time-line of events which led to to the resignation of President Mubarak in Egypt.  For the first three periods, we discussed this current event and we heard Mubarak's speech in which he vowed to NEVER leave Egypt.  By the time I taught periods 6-8, he had resigned his position.  This was history in action to say the least.  Regardless, feel free to look at the link below and add a comment to ask a question or share a thought...

Click Here for Time-Line Courtesy of CNN

Next, I wanted to post this graphic and ask any of you (or all of you) to try to describe it in the form of a comment...  Again, feel free to post any questions as well. 

Have a great weekend and I will see you all on Monday!  Who knows what will be going on in Egypt by then...