Regional Studies - Russia/China: April 2006 Archives

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April 28, 2006

Q4 - Lesson #15 - The Last Czars

We're continuing with Russia for the next two days as we take it up to the fall on Imperial Russia and the end of the Romanov dynasty.

I'll get grades updated on PowerSchool over the weekend...

Russia VIPs scheduled to appear on Monday: Leo Tolstoy, Nicholas II, Alexandra, Rasputin

Our last major topic for Russia in this unit will be Nicholas II and the end of Imperial Russia. Here's some information to bring us up to the reign of Nicholas II. The Last Czars - note guide

Nicholas and Alexandra is the other film I use in teaching parts of the Russia unit. You will see some clips from this both today and Monday. We will pause at different places to discuss what is happening. Some of the events you will see include:

* Nicholas and Alexandra meet Rasputin
* the discovery of Alexei's hemophilia
* Bloody Sunday and the Revolution of 1905
* early actions of the Bolsheviks (Lenin, Trotsky, and others)
* Russia's involvement in World War I
* the assassination of Rasputin
* the Czar's abdication in the March Revolution of 1917

Monday, we will see what happens with the Romanov family after they are taken into custody.

REMINDER: The "Ancient & Imperial Russia and China" exam will be on Friday. Here are the identification lists reprinted for your convenience... 8 total will appear on the exam, and you may write on any 6 of those 8. There will also be 20-25 multiple choice questions.

Russia Identifications HINT: We'll have done all these by the end of today. You could certainly prepare your notes for this over the weekend. Remember, you can have 10 words for each term.
Primary Chronicle
Cyril
Golden Horde
Ivan III (the "Great")
Time of Troubles
oprichnina
Pugachev
"Bloody Sunday"

China Identifications
Confucius
Taoism
Shi Huang Di
Kublai Khan
Ming Dynasty
Manchus
Taiping Rebellion
Opium War

Posted by mvergin at 08:29 AM | Comments (0)

April 27, 2006

Q4 - Lesson #14 - From Peter to Catherine

VIPs today: Elizabeth and Catherine the Great

ANCIENT AND IMPERIAL CHINA GROUP PRESENTATIONS SCHEDULE

Tuesday, May 2nd
Confucius/Confucianism
Taoism
Buddhism
Military and Mongols

Wednesday, May 3rd
Art and Culture
Science and Technology
Architecture

Impact of Peter the Great- This list is by no means complete, but it shows the timeline of some major events from the time of Peter the Great.

1695-96 capture of Azov
1695 beginning of Russian navy
1697-98 Peter's "Grand Embassy" to the West
1698 Streltsy revolt crushed
1700 suspension of patriarchate, new calendar
1700-21 Great Northern War with Sweden
1709 victory in Battle of Poltava
1713 capital moved to St. Petersburg
1718 Tsarevich Alexis killed
1721 treaty with Sweden- new lands acquired
1722 Table of Ranks established, succession law
1725 death of Peter the Great

How did Peter alter the future of Russia?

* Westernization campaign- "Window to the West"
* modernization of military
* bringing of industry and technology to Russia
* introduction of Russia navy
* ends mestnichestvo- system of precedence
* secularization of Russian state and culture
* spiritual regulation- seizure of lands, suspends the Patriachate
* "Truth of the Monarch's Will"- attempts to end question of succession
* establishment of St. Petersburg

From Peter to Catherine - These notes will help you understand the transition between the two "greats."

Following the VIP presentation, we can take a look at these notes on Catherine the Great.

Posted by mvergin at 08:11 AM | Comments (0)

April 26, 2006

Q4 - Lesson #13 - Peter the Great

In 4th hour, we'll act out the Time of Troubles as a group. No note-taking allowed. Just watch, participate, and see why it is well named... We also need to do those last two China chronology events. Oops.

ANCIENT AND IMPERIAL CHINA GROUP PRESENTATIONS SCHEDULE

Tuesday, May 2nd
Confucius/Confucianism
Taoism
Buddhism
Military and Mongols

Wednesday, February 3rd
Art and Culture
Science and Technology
Architecture

Russia VIP for today: Peter the Great
VIPs for tomorrow: Elizabeth and Catherine the Great.

With Peter the Great, we'll watch some clips today and tomorrow. That should help give you a much better picture of the Russia of the time. We'll continue with the Imperial Period tomorrow.

Impact of Peter the Great- This list is by no means complete, but it shows the timeline of some major events from the time of Peter the Great.

How did Peter alter the future of Russia?

Posted by mvergin at 08:00 AM | Comments (0)

April 25, 2006

Q4 - Lesson #12 - The Early Czars

NOTE: You'll get your last work time for the Ancient and Imperial China Group Presentations today. We'll use the last part of 2nd hour, but the first part of 4th. (We'll start with the VIP after I return to 4th hour.)

Today, we'll be starting with the VIP presentations. I shouldn't need to remind you that I will expect the audience to be on their best behavior during presentations. Remember that there WILL be a 20-point quiz on these VIPs later in the quarter. I will describe each, and you will name them from a word bank you are provided. (You cannot use notes.)

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you: Ivan the Terrible

We're going to do something different today with Ivan the Terrible. Here's a copy of my notes on him... We can talk about some of the specific things from both the presentation and some other things you might find interesting.

Next, we'll act out the Time of Troubles as a group. No note-taking allowed. Just watch, participate, and see why it is well named...

We'll continue with the Imperial Period tomorrow.

VIPs for tomorrow: Peter the Great
VIPs for Thursday: Elizabeth and Catherine the Great
VIPs for Monday: Nicholas II, Alexandra, Leo Tolstoy, Rasputin

Posted by mvergin at 08:43 AM | Comments (0)

April 24, 2006

Q4 - Lesson #11 - Mongol Invasions and Tatar Yoke

I'll take any questions on the Russia VIP project (rubric), Ancient and Imperial China group presentations or the unit test coming up on (note change) Friday, May 5th.

Today, our focus will be on going through the rest of the Kievan Rus and the Mongol Invasion study guide.

Tomorrow, we meet Ivan the Terrible. Peter the Great will now appear on Wednesday. Thursday, it will be Elizabeth and Catherine the Great.

CHANGE IN PLANS: Here's the revised schedule for the presentations. We'll do Russia all of this week, rather than switching over to China. THE ANCIENT AND IMPERIAL CHINA PRESENTATIONS WILL NOW BE ON TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY OF NEXT WEEK. You will get about a half block tomorrow to work, as I have Senior Performances 4th hour. (Specific schedule posted by classtime on Wednesday...) WE'RE GOING TO MOVE THAT TEST BACK TO FRIDAY, MAY 5th AS WELL...

Nicholas II, Alexandra, Rasputin and Leo Tolstoy will remain scheduled for next Monday...

Posted by mvergin at 08:00 AM | Comments (0)

April 21, 2006

Q4 - Lesson #10 - Kievan Russia

Let's clean up a few odds and ends at the top today. We can start with Current Events and finishing the Current History article...

VIP reminders and schedule
Questions on Ancient and Imperial China group presentations - Schedule update
Reading on "The History of Russia to 1917"
Format for Ancient & Imperial Russia and China test on Thursday, May 4th

Test format: You will learn how to write "identifications," as well as continuing with a multiple choice portion. (You will also write an essay again before too long...) It might be early to think about a test that is still two weeks away, but let's take a quick look at the Ancient & Imperial Russia and China Exam.

Identifications: You will write on your choice of 5 of the 8 identifications on the exam chosen from the list below. You may have 10 words of "notes" for each of the 16 possible identification during the exam. You will need to turn in these notes, and I reserve the right to count symbols, acronyms, etc. as one or more words.

Russia Identifications
Primary Chronicle
Cyril
Golden Horde
Ivan III (the "Great")
Time of Troubles
oprichnina
Pugachev
"Bloody Sunday"

China Identifications
Confucius
Taoism
Shi Huang Di
Kublai Khan
Ming Dynasty
Manchus
Taiping Rebellion
Opium War

There will also be 20 to 25 multiple choice questions, and they will be divided evenly between Russia and China. You are not allowed any additional notes for those questions.

Kievan Rus will be our topic for today. You will want a copy of this Kievan Rus/ Mongols note-taking guide.

HOMEWORK: Some of you have Russia VIPs coming up next week, and, of course, you all are doing one of those at some point. In addition, the Ancient and Imperial China presentations are beginning next thursday. We won't be collecting any additional assignments next week from you, but you should have this Russia chapter you received today read by the end of next week. After that, it's back to China for a bit...

Posted by mvergin at 08:48 PM | Comments (0)

April 20, 2006

Q4 - Lesson #9 - China Presentations Work Day

I'll post the schedule here during the course of the day... Remember that you have Current Events due tomorrow. I'd prefer that you print them out for me.

2nd hour presentation schedule

Thursday, April 27th (order this day to be determined...)
Friday, April 28th (order this day to be determined...)

4th hour presentation schedule

Thursday, April 27th (order this day to be determined...)
Friday, April 28th (order this day to be determined...)

Posted by mvergin at 08:00 AM | Comments (0)

April 19, 2006

Q4 - Lesson #8 - Ancient and Imperial China Group Presentations

REMINDER: You have a set of Current Events due Friday.

Ancient and Imperial China Presentations

Wednesday, April 19        Research and preparation time
Thursday, April 20            Research and preparation time

Thursday, April 27            Presentations (order to be determined)
Friday, April 28          Presentations

These are the general topics that you can choose from. We will determine the order of presentation in class. We will do at least 6 of these topics in each class.

Buddhism in China
Art and Culture
Science/ Technology
Taoism (Daoism)
Military and War
Architecture
Confucius/ Confucianism

You may choose your partners within any limitations I prescribe. (No more than 3 per group.) You will have a lot of decisions to make in terms of the exact nature of your presentation. However, each presentation will be evaluated on each of the following elements:

Preparation: You will be expected to make good use of your class time and to be ready to present on your day.

Duration: The total duration of your presentation, including any discussion or questions, will be expected to be between 15 and 20 minutes. You will be penalized for being shorter than that.

Content: You will be evaluated on the relevance and appropriateness of your information. You will have opportunities to discuss your content with me.

Handout: You will be expected to prepare a handout (either paper or electronic- one or two page) for distribution to the rest of the class. You must get it to me by 8:45 AM on the day of your presentation.

Primary Source(s): You will be expected to make use of appropriate primary sources in your presentation. (Photographs or computer images would count for this.)

Question and Answer: Reasonable questions from the audience should be answered by your group. You will not be expected to know everything about your topic.

Assessment: You will need to prepare some sort of quiz, assignment, or similar assessment for the rest of the class. (It could also be based on participation.) You will evaluate their work. Your group, in turn, will be evaluated on how appropriate your choice of assessment is.

Posted by mvergin at 08:00 AM | Comments (0)

April 18, 2006

Q4 - Lesson #7 - Finishing the China Chronology

I love these short blog entries...

First, you take the China geography quiz. It is worth 25 points.

Next, we'll finish up the China chronology activity by looking at events of the 20th century.

If time permits, we will take a look at the next section of the "Global Progress Report, 2006."

REMINDER: You have that batch of Current Events due on Friday. (I'd prefer them printed out this time. Back to back is just find if you go beyond one page...)

Posted by mvergin at 07:59 AM | Comments (0)

April 13, 2006

Q4 - Lesson #6 - China Chronology

REMINDERS: The China Geography Quiz is Tuesday, and Current Events are due on Friday. (I'd prefer to have the Current Events printed out this time, please.)

Let's look at that "Global Economy" section from the "Global Progress Report, 2006" article today. Please read the 4th section for next class.

Today is simple. We'll get as far as we can in the China chronology. They are worth the same 10 points possible as last time. You should have an email from me with a list of all the events that you can use for your notes.

Other than the China geography and your Russia VIP, there is no additional homework. (It might be a good time to get those Current Events done. One story on each of the four regions - follow the format exactly.)

Posted by mvergin at 08:00 AM | Comments (0)

April 12, 2006

Q4 - Lesson #5 - China Introduction

We'll start our look at China today with some introductory activities.

Today, we'll finally look at the second section ("Global Politics") from the Global Progress Report, 2006. We'll finish off those final sections the next periods. Keep doing each of those things from the cover sheet for the sections. Read "Global Economy" for tomorrow.

Next, here's a list of "who's who" for the Russia VIPs. Here's the scoring rubric again as well. (In all cases, I listed 2nd hour first, then 4th.) By the way, the rubric is from my "old" web pages. If you follow those links, you'll get to information from past years. Due dates, etc. should only be trusted on this blog.

Tuesday, April 25th
Ivan the Terrible - Peter, Jacob S.
Peter the Great - Jack, Jake B.

Wednesday, April 26th
Elizabeth - Lucy, McKenzie
Catherine the Great - Annelise, Howie

Monday, May 1st
Leo Tolstoy - Grant, Maddie
Nicholas II - Andrew B., Chad
Alexandra - Lauren, Meghan
Rasputin - Hanna, Carl

Friday, May 5th
Karl Marx - Alison, Nate
Vladimir Lenin - Anna, Annie
Leon Trotsky - Charlie, Mimi

Tuesday, May 9th
Joseph Stalin - Connor B., Connor H.
Sergei Eisenstein - Jaya, Sonia

Thursday, May 11th
Nikita Khrushchev - Matt, Andrew C.
Leonid Brezhnev - Will L. (2nd)
Alexander Solzhenitsyn - Paul, Ryan
Andrei Sakharov - Arielle, Andrea

Wednesday, May 17th
Mikhail Gorbachev - Waleed, Will D.
Mikhail Baryshnikov - Shawn, Jessica

Thursday, May 18th
Boris Yeltsin - Matt (4th)

REMINDER: Your first"Current Events" assignment of four stories is due Friday, April 21st. You follow the template I will email out exactly. Four stories, one related to each of the regions that we study this year... Africa, Middle East, Russia, China.

Back to China... The China - Chronology starts tomorrow, and your China -Geography Quiz is next Tuesday.

Let's try and do three things today. You'll get a handout for each, and we'll make use of the overhead projector. You don't need to take any notes, but feel free to ask questions and make comments.

First, let's look at China "By the Numbers." We can both compare China to other countries and make comparisons over time.

Second, we'll look at five "maps" of China that show different aspects of the country and it's people. You'll interpret these maps for us in small groups.

Third, we're going to look at the results of a survey done to measure Chinese attitudes of the United States. Again, you'll each get a part of the data, and we'll try and draw some conclusions together.

Posted by mvergin at 08:00 AM | Comments (0)

April 11, 2006

Q4 - Lesson #4 - Finishing the Russia Chronology

We'll start today with the Russia geography quiz.

Next, we'll finish up the Russia chronology activity that we began in class yesterday.

If time permits, we'll talk more about the Russia VIP project and the section of the "Global Progress Report, 2006" that you were asked to read for today - "Global Politics." Read "Global Economy" for Wednesday.

Here's a tentative schedule for the Russia VIP appearances. You will not be asked to move "ahead" from this day, but it is possible that we would move you back if needed... Here is the link to the guidelines for evaluating the VIP presentations.

Tuesday, April 25th
Ivan the Terrible
Peter the Great

Wednesday, April 26th
Elizabeth
Catherine the Great

Monday, May 1st
Leo Tolstoy
Nicholas II
Alexandra
Rasputin

Friday, May 5th
Karl Marx
Vladimir Lenin
Leon Trotsky

Tuesday, May 9th
Joseph Stalin
Sergei Eisenstein

Thursday, May 11th
Nikita Khrushchev
Leonid Brezhnev
Alexander Solzhenitsyn
Andrei Sakharov

Wednesday, May 17th
Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Baryshnikov

Thursday, May 18th
Boris Yeltsin

REMINDER: Although we didn't talk about it much in class, I mentioned that you will be doing "Current Events" assignments a couple times in here. I will email you a copy of the template for that. Your first batch of four stories is due Friday, April 21st. Since you don't else due early next week, this might be a good weekend to start on those. You follow the template exactly. Four stories, one related to each of the regions that we study this year... Africa, Middle East, Russia, China.

Posted by mvergin at 08:00 AM | Comments (0)

April 10, 2006

Q4 - Lesson #3 - Russia Chronology

Today's plan is pretty simple. We'll start by looking at the "Global Politics" section from the "Global Progress Report, 2006" article. Then, we'll get as far as we can in the "History of Russia - Chronology" activity.

Your "presentation" of the event is worth up to 10 points. Do your best, and I'll help explain some ideas, provide background information, show maps, etc.

You all will receive an email from me with a copy of all the events in a document. You should use that to take whatever notes that you would like. That is the ONLY thing you should be doing on your computers during class time.

REMINDERS: Your Russia geography quiz will be tomorrow. Read the next section in the "Global Progress Report, 2006" article as well. I'll be giving you more specifics about the "VIP Project" as well.

Although we didn't talk about it in class, the last blog entry mentioned that you will be doing "Current Events" assignments a couple times in here. I will email you a copy of the template for that. Your first batch of four stories is due Friday, April 21st.

Posted by mvergin at 08:57 AM | Comments (0)

April 07, 2006

Q4 - Lesson #2 - Russia Introduction

Today's focus will be on Russia. We'll do a little introductory work together, but you'll also have some work time.

We'll start with looking at the "Global Security" section of the Global Progress Report, 2006 article.

With Russia, you do an independent project that I've called the "VIP" project. (With China, you do something in a group.) Basically, you'll "become" one of Russia's major figures and "appear" in class at the appropriate time. Today, we'll draw for roles, and you'll also get a sense of what the project is about. I'd anticipate that we'll hear from the first group on April 25... Here are the figures from which you will draw.

Ivan the Terrible
Peter the Great
Elizabeth
Catherine the Great
Nicholas II
Alexandra
Rasputin
Karl Marx
Vladimir Lenin
Leon Trotsky
Joseph Stalin
Sergei Eisenstein
Leo Tolstoy
Nikita Khrushchev
Leonid Brezhnev
Alexander Solzhenitsyn
Andrei Sakharov
Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Baryshnikov
Boris Yeltsin

Current Events - Yes, you do get to do a couple batches of these during the second semester of Regional Studies. The format will be simple - one story from each of the four regions: Africa, Middle East, Russia and China. I will email you a copy of the template. The first batch of these will be due Wednesday, April 19th. It is expected that you follow the outline format exactly.

Russia reminders... We start the chronology Monday, and your Russia geography quiz will be Tuesday.

Reading for next class: Do the "Global Politics" section of the Global Progress Report, 2006 article. Remember to do the five things for each section.

Posted by mvergin at 08:00 AM | Comments (0)

April 06, 2006

Q4 - Lesson #1 - Course Introduction

Welcome back to Regional Studies. This quarter, we'll be taking a look at Russia and China. I've taught both of these topics here a number of years, but we'll try things a bit differently this time. Basically, we'll study them "together," alternating our focus from Russia to China and back as we move through both their histories and the quarter.

There will be a blog entry for class every day. I use it as a preview or lesson plan of the day's activities, as well as a place to list homework, make reminders, etc. Going to this each day when you come in for class would be a good idea. (You'll also be able to download certain assignments and handouts directly from this blog.) We will also make use of the comment feature as well, but I'll tell you more about that later.

It might feel like you are getting a lot of handouts today, but that's because you're starting a new quarter with a new teacher. Be sure you keep track of upcoming due dates and assignment guidelines. Most of our first two weeks will be spent on introductory activities, but you'll have a number of assignments and two quizzes during this time as well.

Today, I'd like to go over...

Brainstorming activity - Russia and China

Regional Studies - Policies and Expectations

Russia and China Chronology activities
    Russia chronology - due Monday, April 10
    China chronology - due Thursday, April 13

Russia and China - Geography
    Russia geography quiz - Tuesday, April 11
    China geography quiz - Tuesday, April 18

"Global Progress Report, 2006" - Current History magazine

Posted by mvergin at 08:00 AM | Comments (0)