January 2012 Archives
I suppose that today's blog entry will be the last to have "new"
material for this quarter. Don't forget to get me the two "take-home" quizzes (8:3 and 9:3) if you have yet to do that.
The Americas: A Separate World - Chapter 9
We'll spend some time looking at the earliest civilizations of the
Americas. I asked you to have a significant portion of your
chart/matrix ready to go for today. Let's use that.
You can download another here if you need: Early American Civilizations
Here are the cultures where we will focus our attention:
- Olmec
- Zapotec
- Teotihuacan
- Chavin
- Moche
- Nazca
We'll see what themes and comparisons/contrasts we can draw here. First, let's look at the Mesoamerican civilizations, followed by those of the Andean mountains. Feel free to add detail to your own matrix as you see fit. I'll expect to hear from everyone at least once.
Once we've developed a better understanding of the American civilizations, it's time to compare them to the other areas that we have studied. "Afroeurasia" is a term used to refer to the land mass consisting of Africa, Europe and Asia. Basically, I want us to compare what we know about the Americas with what we know about the rest of the world. Of course, for those of you who like to keep things organized, here's a note guide for the Comparison of Empires and City-States: America and Afroeurasia.
HOMEWORK for tomorrow - Wednesday, January 11th
Your portion of the "Two-Minute Drill" needs to be ready to go Wednesday. (You will have Thursday as a work day. You might want to do your DBQs that day.)
The objective portion of the Unit #2 Exam will be in class on Friday. The essay portion of the Unit #2 Exam is also due on Friday.
As you probably noticed, this is the last week of the quarter. We'll take our Unit #2 Exam on Friday of this week. No homework for the weekend! (See, that's a joke, because the quarter will be over...)
You'll have time to prepare, work on your essay if needed and do your DBQs on Thursday, and we'll
finish up with the objective portion on Friday. (You'll find the essay
choices on the previous blog entry.)
Two-Minute Reviews - We will again spend some
time on Wednesday reviewing for the multiple choice portion of Friday's
Unit #2 Objective Exam.
The Americas: A Separate World - Chapter 9
I'm guessing that much of the material in Section 1 is information
with which you are familiar. We won't spend much time there, but we can
take any questions. Instead, we'll spend some time looking at the
earliest civilizations of the Americas. You will work to gather some
information today, and we'll make comparisons with other areas that we
have studied tomorrow.
Here are the cultures where we will focus our attention:
- Olmec (Mesoamerica - largely in book)
- Zapotec (Mesoamerica - largely in book)
- Teotihuacan (Mesoamerica - not in book)
- Chavin (Andean - somewhat in book)
- Moche (Andean - briefly in book)
- Nazca (Andean - briefly in book)
You are free to use both your textbook and the Internet to find information to complete this Early American Civilizations matrix. You'll also get a blank map of the region on which you can mark important locations, such as where each group lived. You're welcome to work in groups of up to three people on this task. I'll expect that your matrix and map are ready to share at Tuesday's class.
HOMEWORK for tomorrow: Tuesday, January 11th
Please finish your reading (for the quarter) by completing Chapter 9
tonight. We'll have a quiz in class tomorrow on Chapter 9, Section 2. I
will give you a copy of the quiz for Chapter 9, Section 3 that you can
complete at home. Please bring that back tomorrow as well.
Both your map and handout on the Empires and City-States of the Americas (800 BCE - 500 CE) should be ready to go for class tomorrow.
Just a reminder that your "Fakebook" assignment is due today. Be sure I get that ASAP.
Your portion of the "Unit #2 Two-Minute Review" needs to be ready to go by Wednesday.
The objective portion of the Unit #2 Exam will be in class on Friday.
Unit #2 Exam - Format and Essay Questions -
On Friday, January 13th, you'll take the Unit #2 Objective Exam. That will consist
of 60 multiple choice questions and several document-based questions.
Your Unit #2 essay will also be due that day upon your arrival to class. Below
you can find both the questions from which you will choose and the
format for the essay portion on the Unit #2 Exam.
Unit #2 Essay Exam Questions and Format - Below you can
find both the questions from which you will choose and the format for
the essay portion on the Unit #2 Exam.
Format: The actual essay will be written, by hand or word-processed, in class Thursday. You should prepare for a five-paragraph essay. That means that you should include an introduction (with a clear thesis statement), three body paragraphs, and a concluding paragraph. (Note that the questions lend themselves to such a format. That is on purpose.)
There is no specified length requirement, but I would suggest that most essays end up being the equivalent of between 1 1/2 and 2 pages if they are hand-written. Any shorter and you are probably not giving the different portions of the question enough attention and depth. It is tough to go much longer given the limited class time. Remember that the questions are not designed for you to tell us everything you have learned. Focus on what the question is requiring you to do.
Unit #2 Essay Questions: You may choose ONE of the following questions to answer.
A. Edgar Allan Poe once wrote, " ... to the glory that was Greece and the grandeur that was Rome." While both the Greek and Roman Empires experienced great peaks (the Age of Athens and the Pax Romana), which empire has had the most influence on the world? Identify and explain THREE main reasons in support of your choice between Greece or Rome. (Saying that both had an equal influence is NOT an option.) Which of the two empires do you believe could offer the most helpful lessons to the present-day United States? Why?
B. Greco-Roman culture (also known as Classical Greece and Rome) has profoundly influenced American government and politics. Identify and explain the significance of the THREE most important aspects of our government borrowed from one or both of those cultures. (In each case, you should describe both its historical roots and its impact today.) What characteristics or features of either culture SHOULD we add to our system of government? Why?
C. Caesar Augustus is one of the most significant individuals in world history. His impact on Rome, however, is complex. (On one hand, he is credited with helping Rome to develop one of the most powerful empires in history. On the other hand, he is accused of destroying the Roman republic.) In your opinion, should Caesar Augustus be remembered as a hero or a villain? Be sure to provide THREE reasons for your conclusion. More generally, is it appropriate to "judge" historical figures?
D. Throughout this unit, we studied numerous powerful empires (Athenian, Hellenistic, Roman, Mauryan, Gupta, and Han). Using multiple examples from these empires, identify and explain the THREE key reasons that empires collapse. Is the United States in danger of collapse in your lifetime?
Second, we've got some activities to get at many of these ideas in
more depth. Note that we largely dealing with populations that were not
yet literate. That, of course, means we need to consider different types of
evidence to deepen our understanding.
Drawing Conclusions from Evidence: You'll get a chance to look at textual, archaeological and linguistic evidence for the purpose of evaluating conclusions presented to you.
Ironworking in Africa: Here, we'll take a look at the concepts of innovation and diffusion as they relate to iron technologies in Africa. After you complete the map, we'll assess a statement I put up on the overhead.
A Commercial Revolution in Africa: You'll get a handout based on the "Commercial Revolution" that occurred in Africa between 300 BCE and 400 CE. You'll look at the trade based in Jenne (Djenne-Djeno in the textbook) and Rhapta. We'll discuss this after you work thorough it for a few minutes.
Going Bananas: In addition to practicing a new type of graphic organizer (the "foursquare"), we will look at how the introduction and spread of a new crop (bananas) affected life in Africa. Your "foursquare" graphic organizer should contain at least one idea about how the spread of bananas affected each of the four corners AND one idea about how each of the four corners affected the spread of banana cultivation. We can talk about the impacts you identified as well.
The Kingdom of Aksum: The final section of the chapter that you were not asked to read for today deals with the kingdom of Aksum. Here are a couple of links. We'll take a few minutes to browse them, and then I'll ask for comments on things you found surprising, interesting, etc. In addition, see if you can draw any conclusions about life in Aksum from looking at the resources.
Aksum - UNESCO World Heritage Centre This designation means that Aksum is recognized as a site of major cultural and historical importance by the United Nations. (Clicking on the "Gallery" tab will get you some pictures. You can also read about what's happening in terms of archaeological work at the site.)
The Metropolitan Museum of Art:
- African Christianity in Ethiopia - You can click on the images to make them larger.
- The Monumental Stelae of Aksum - This has information and images about the famous obelisks of Aksum.
HOMEWORK for next session: Monday, January 9th
Please read 9.1 ("The Earliest Americans") for Monday's class. There will be a reading quiz.
You received the 8:3 quiz to compete as a take-home assignment. I should get that back from you no later than Monday.
Your "Fakebook" page should be ready for me to view on Monday.
The Unit #2 Exam information is posted on a separate entry. We'll do the Unit #2 Review on Wednesday. Thursday will be a work day. (It'll be a good time to do your DBQs.) On Friday you will both have your essay due and take the multiple choice portion of the exam.
We'll have the Unit #2 Exam information available tomorrow.
This first item is a carry-over from first time I taught this course four years ago, but you might be interested. Basically, as part of Minnesota's 150th anniversary as a state in 2008, the Minnesota Historical Society came up with a list of 150 "things" that have shaped Minnesota: MN150 (It's the alphabetical list of the items that were featured at the Minnesota Historical Society's exhibit.) I'll be honest. I was surprised by how many items were completely new to me...
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We'll wrap up our look at the Conrad-Demarest Model in the "big groups." "India" will have time to
walk us through the model as it pertains to the
Mauryan and Gupta Empires. Following that, "China" will walk us through
the Han Empire. This will be our final look at the material.
With the remaining time, I'll be interested in your feedback and opinions on these questions:
- How well do these empires fit the model established by Conrad and Demarest?
- Given the criteria established by Conrad and Demarest, how effective were these empires?
- Which of the empires do you feel had the greatest accomplishments? Why?
- Does having a model like this help in studying a subject like this? Why or why not?
- What ways, if any, do you believe the model could be changed and/or improved?
- If you were to apply this model to modern America, what conclusions would you draw?
We'll spend the next two days working on a variety of activities related to Africa. Initially, I'm interested in the preconceptions and first impressions you have/had regarding Africa, as well as whether reading in Chapter 8 has changed those thoughts in any way.
Second, I've got several maps so that we can take a look at the geography of Africa. Draw upon what you know and what you read, as well as what you see. We'll look to identify some of the dominant geographical features, as well as make inferences about how they may have affected the development of Africa and the course of its history.
Terms to know: Sahara, Sahel, savanna
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You can use any remaining time to continue working on your "Fakebook" projects. (You can access all the information back on Lesson #28.
HOMEWORK for tomorrow: Friday, January 7th
Continue
your reading in Chapter 8 with Section 2. ("Migration") Tomorrow's quiz
will be fill in the blank. (You'll receive the 8:3 quiz to compete as a
take-home assignment. I'd like it back no later than Monday.)
Remember that your "Fakebook" assignment is due on Monday.
We'll continue our look at the Indian and Chinese empires of Chapter 7 today.
In you need one, you should download a Conrad - Demarest Comparison of Empires matrix. People will be expected to have "their" column finished up today.
(If you want a copy with the notes from Rome filled in, here's a copy of the matrix with Rome.
First, we'll give you about thirty minutes in your groups to make sure you are all familiar with all of the material for "your" area.
Next, we'll have you "teach" each other on a one-to-one basis. Pair up with someone from the "other" group. The "India" person has five minutes to give the "China" person an overview of what they know about the Mauryan and Gupta Empires. Following that, we'll reverse roles for five minutes so our China "expert" can share what they've learned about the Han Empire.
We'll wrap things up in the "big groups." "India" will have ten minutes to walk us through the Conrad - Demarest model as it pertains to the Mauryan and Gupta Empires. Following that, "China" will walk us through the Han Empire.
With the remaining time, I'll be interested in your feedback and opinions on these questions:
- How well do these empires fit the model established by Conrad and Demarest?
- Given the criteria established by Conrad and Demarest, how effective were these empires?
- Which of the empires do you feel had the greatest accomplishments? Why?
- Does having a model like this help in studying a subject like this? Why or why not?
- What ways, if any, do you believe the model could be changed and/or improved?
- If you were to apply this model to modern America, what conclusions would you draw?
HOMEWORK for tomorrow - Thursday, January 5th
Begin reading Chapter 8 with Section 1. Tomorrow's quiz will be multiple choice.
Remember that your "Fakebook" assignments will be due on Monday, Janaury 9th.
We'll use what we've learned about Rome to make some comparisons with the early empires of India and China. To do that, we'll introduce a historical model.
Examining Empires: The Conrad-Demarest Model
Anthropologists Geoffrey Conrad and Arthur Demarest are probably most
well-known for their studies of early American civilizations. In their
work, they have described a model for empires that bears their names.
The Conrad-Demarest Model describes the conditions that the authors
feel are necessary for an empire, as well as the factors that can lead
to its downfall. We're going to look at Rome and the early empires of India and
China to see how well they fit the model. Later, we'll attempt to
determine what we can learn from the model about other empires.
First, let's see how what we know about Rome fits the model. Here is a description of the Conrad-Demarest Model
that you will be using. Work on your own or in small groups to try to match as many of
these specific characteristics and factors with information from our study of Rome. I'll give you a while to do this, and then we'll discuss what we've found.
To record key points from our discussion you should download a Conrad - Demarest Comparison of Empires matrix.
Next, we'll divide into two groups: India and China. Chapter 7 will be very useful for your work today. If you are "India," you'll be looking at the Mauryan and Gupta Empires. "China" will be looking at the Han Empire. (NOTE: The India group can look at both empires: Mauryan and Gupta. Maybe mark information "M" of "G" so you know which empire you are talking about.)
Your job is to find information that fits with the criteria from the model. Jot down relevant notes from the material on "your" empire(s). We'll see where you are at as the hour comes to a close. We'll do more with this information tomorrow in class.
HOMEWORK for tomorrow - Wednesday, January 4th
Remember that you received all three of the Chapter 7 reading quizzes to
take home with you over break. That means you won't have an "in-class" quiz tomorrow either.
