Mike Vergin: May 2012 Archives
Here's another copy of the Unit #4 Review/Study Guide if you are looking for a online version...
We'll wrap up our year of lessons today with a look at the legacy of the voyages of Christopher Columbus and others.
What was it? Your text calls it the "global transfer of foods, plants, and animals during the colonization of the Americas." There's a great graphic on page 572. For those of you without a textbook handy, this chart of the Columbian Exchange might be useful...
The Columbian Exchange: Plants, Animals, and Disease between the Old and New Worlds is a really interesting article posted by the National Humanities Center.
What do you think? These prompts for discussion come from Alfred W. Crosby, Professor Emeritus at the University of Texas at Austin. Pick one and let us know what you think.
- "Wheaties and Cheerios are Old World, wheat and oats having originated in southwest Asia. Corn flakes are New World, Mesoamerican to be precise. Milk is from cows, which are Eurasian. Sugar is southeast Asian, probably from New Guinea."
- What is the significance of the Columbian Exchange demographically? What is the staple of the Bantu of southern Africa? Maize, an American food. What is the staple of Kansas and Argentina? Wheat, an Old World food. The chief crop of the lower Rio Grande river is rice, from Asia. How many of the six [now seven] billion of us are dependent for our nourishment on crops and meat animals that didn't cross the great oceans until after 1492?
- What were the Amerindian societies like with no beasts of burden (or unimpressive ones), and, therefore, no plows, no wagons, no way to move really heavy objects but by human muscle?
- "What must it have been like to be exposed in a rush to a totally alien people, horses, steel, and new and hideous diseases?"
- Most historians are trained in the liberal arts, not in the sciences, and are inclined to think that we control nature, rather than the opposite: they thought Cortez was successful because he was a very great soldier and not, surely, because he was lucky enough to have received a live case of smallpox.
Our last "new" stuff of the year should be to make sure that you understand, at a very basic level, economic terms like capitalism, joint-stock company and mercantilism.
HOMEWORK for next session - Friday, June 1st
I know you are all sad to actually read this, but we're done with reading assignments for the year. I'll try to get your quiz packets put together so you can have them for the weekend.
The Unit #4 "Two-Minute Review" will take place on Monday.
You can access the Unit #4 (Final) Exam Identifications and Essays here. Your essay is due to me no later than at your arrival to the Final Exam on Thursday, June 7th.
Our major topic for today will be the African Slave Trade.
The Atlantic slave trade
Consider these to be guiding questions as we look at the Atlantic slave trade:
- How did the Atlantic slave trade begin?
- How did the slave trade function?
- What was the impact of the slave trade?
Here's are two excerpts from the PBS series, "Africans in America." The first is on The Atlantic Slave Trade and the second is on The Middle Passage.Here, Tom Feelings uses art and text to try to capture the "Middle Passage" and its impact on the Africans who endured it.
Timeline of Slavery This covers some of the major events in the slave trade, particularly those involving the United States.
The Atlantic Slave Trade and Slave Life in the Americas: A Visual Record is a series of more than 1000 images collected by the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities.
The Debate over Reparations
Here's an article that, while getting a little old, helps introduce you to the debate over reparations in the United States:
- "Does nation owe blacks for slavery?"
- Here's a 2006 update on the issue from MSNBC.com: "Advocates quietly push for slavery reparations" Notice that you can "vote" your opinion later in the article.
In order to discuss this as a group, we'll frame the issue in the following resolution. We'll start by assigning you to one side (affirmative or negative), but you'll later be free to express your own opinion.
Resolved: that the United States should pay monetary reparations to African-American descendants of slaves and to African nations whose development was impacted by the Atlantic Slave Trade.Let's hear what you have to say on this topic... If we have time, we can consider the validity of some of these related statements.
- The legacy of slavery continues to impact society today.
- Racism continues to impact American society.
- Governments should be held responsible for their past policies, even if their current policies are very different.
- Money is an appropriate apology for a past wrong.
- Other groups of people deserve reparations more than African Americans.
- The United States can say with confidence that it guarantees equal rights to all of its citizens.
HOMEWORK for tomorrow - Thursday, May 31st
Please finishing your reading for the year with "The Columbian Exchange and Global Trade." It's Section 4 of Chapter 20. Your final reading quiz of the year will be matching.
Today, we'll take a look at the early explorers, conquerors and settlers who come to the Americas. As you've been seeing, we have a good deal more historical information on this group as opposed to explorers and settlers from earlier time periods we have studied.
Tomorrow, we'll look at the creation of the Atlantic Slave Trade, but our focus today will be on peoples and groups that voluntarily came to the Americas.
Parade of Explorers and Settlers
Here's how we'll do this. You'll each represent an individual or group. We'll move in a roughly chronological order through the exploration and settlement of the Americas by Europeans. I'll have maps available for you to use.
Be prepared to tell us a little about yourself, your goals and motivations, your journey, and the significance of your coming to America. We'll give you a few minutes to prepare your very short presentation to us. I'd recommend starting with the textbook and then checking out a website or two.
Act I - Spain Builds an American Empire - Chapter 20:1
- Christopher Columbus (p. 553)
- Treaty of Tordesillas (p. 533)
- Pedro Alvares Cabral (p. 554)
- Amerigo Vespucci (p. 554)
- Vasco Nunez de Balboa (p. 554)
- Juan Ponce de Leon (p. 558)
- Ferdinand Magellan (p. 554)
- Hernando Cortes (p. 554)
- Francisco Pizarro (p. 556)
- Francisco Vasquez de Coronado (p. 558)
- Giovanni da Verrazzano (p. 561)
- Jacques Cartier (p. 561)
- Samuel de Champlain (p. 561)
- Jacques Marquette and Louis Joliet (p. 561)
- Sieur de La Salle (p. 561)
- Jamestown (p. 562)
- Pilgrims (p. 562)
- Puritans (p. 562)
- Henry Hudson (p. 563)
HOMEWORK for tomorrow - Wednesday, May 30th
Please read Section 3 of Chapter 20, "The Atlantic Slave Trade." The quiz will be true/false.
Remember that your choices for the essay and the possible identifications are on a previous blog entry.
Unit #4 Essay Exam - Questions and Format - You'll also write one more essay as part of the Unit #4 Exam. This essay will be turned in NO LATER than your arrival at the final on Thursday, June 7th. Below you can find both the questions from which you will choose and the format for the essay portion on the Unit #4 Exam.
Format: The actual essay will be written, by hand or word-processed. 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.)
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.
1. The pre-Columbian empires of the Americas all made advancements in different areas. In separate body paragraphs, identify and explain the major accomplishments of the Mayan, Aztec and Incan Empires. Which of the three do you consider to have been the most important to the history of the world? Why?
2. YOU MAY CHOOSE EITHER THE RENAISSANCE OR THE REFORMATION FOR THIS QUESTION. DO NOT CHOOSE BOTH OR "MIX AND MATCH."
The Renaissance/ Reformation was a time of profound change for the people of Europe. Identify and explain what you believe to be the three most significant impacts and/or legacies of the Renaissance/ Reformation. What single historical figure do you believe best epitomized the spirit of the Renaissance/ Reformation? Why?
3. Identify and explain what you believe were the three most significant motivations that led to the Age of Exploration in Europe and elsewhere. What historical figure do you believe best symbolizes the spirit of this period? Why?
4. The voyages of Christopher Columbus to the Americas certainly had lasting impacts. Identify and explain what you believe are the three most significant consequences of the voyages of Christopher Columbus. Do you believe he should be remembered as a hero or a villain? Why?
Unit #4 Identifications: On Thursday, June 7th, you will write on your choice of 5 of the 8 identifications that appear on the Unit #4 exam chosen from the list below. You may bring 10 words of "notes" for each of the 15 possible identifications to the exam. (Printed out; not on your computer.) You will need to turn in these notes, and I reserve the right to count symbols, acronyms, etc. as one or more words. Each of the five identifications is worth 5 points. Since we are all in the Nicholson Center, you will write these IDs by hand, not on the computer.
A good identification is typically in the range of 4 to 6 sentences in length. (You do need to write in complete sentences.) You should demonstrate both an understanding of just who / what the ID "is" and place it in the appropriate historical context. In addition, you need to explain the significance of the ID. In other words, answer the "So what?" question.
Quetzalcoatl
Machu Picchu
humanism
Michelangelo
The Prince
Johann Gutenberg
John Calvin
Jesuits
Suleyman the Lawgiver
Akbar
Zheng He
Tokugawa Shogunate
Hernando Cortes
middle passage
Columbian Exchange
Today, we'll discuss/debate the impact of Europeans upon the Americas...
First, we'll go back to the material on China and Japan from the end of last week.
- "History Haiku" - Remember that you are allowed an introductory statement if you want as well.
China
Ming Dynasty
Hongwu
Zheng He
Manchu
Qing Dynasty
KangxiJapan
Oda Nobunaga
Totoyomi Hideyoshi
Tokugawa Ieyasu
Tokugawa Shogunate- Timeline - Chapter 19: I just wanted to give you a chance to share anything interesting or particularly useful you found while doing the timeline.
- Memo to an Emperor / Shogun: On Tuesday, we will find out what some of you had to say given your choice of these two situations.
China: You are adviser to Emperor Qian-long (p. 539), who ruled from 1736 to 1795. It is 1775, and he asks your opinion as to whether or not he should decrease restrictions against Dutch and British traders. At that time, they were required to pay tribute and to "kowtow" before the emperor, and they were allowed access only to special ports. Do you recommend making it easier to trade?
Japan: It is 1615, and you are an advisor to Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu. Trade has brought cannons, goods and Christian missionaries to your shores from Portugal and elsewhere. Some want you to drive the foreigners out, and you actually banned Christianity three years earlier. Should Japan seal its borders (except for the port of Nagasaki, which the shogun controls) and become a "closed country"?
Europe comes to the Americas We'll spend the rest of the class holding a discussion on Spain's empire in the Americas.
These are some resources that you might find useful:
- Howard Zinn's "Columbus and Western Civilization" - Disinformation
- Change Columbus Day to Native Americans Day Petition
- Columbus 'sparked a genoicde' - BBC News article
- The (Alleged) Crimes of Christopher Columbus (& Western Civilization)by Dines D'Zouza
- The Conquistadors - PBS website
Here are some questions to get us started:
- Should history remember Christopher Columbus as a "hero" or a "villain?" Why?
- Should the United States celebrate Columbus Day? Why or why not?
- Is teaching a "Columbus Myth" (whatever that means) to young children necessarily a bad thing? Why or why not?
- Is it unpatriotic to challenge conventional wisdom on a figure like Christopher Columbus?
- Are high school history teachers trying too hard to be "politically correct"? Should they be?
- Does the media try too hard to be "politically correct"? Should they change their ways?
- Are the "conquistadors" guilty of genocide? Crimes against humanity? Others?
Please read Section 2 of Chapter 20, "European Nations Settle North America." This will take some of you back to 6th and 7th Grade US History.
Today, we'll focus more on China and Japan's decisions to turn inward toward isolation during the time period we've referred to as the Age of Exploration.
"History Haiku" - Remember that you are allowed an introductory statement if you want as well. As you've probably guessed, I think these are some of the main ideas and specifics from these two sections as well.
China
Ming Dynasty
Hongwu
Zheng He
Manchu
Qing Dynasty
Kangxi
Japan
Oda Nobunaga
Totoyomi Hideyoshi
Tokugawa Ieyasu
Tokugawa Shogunate
Timeline - Chapter 19: I'm surprised we've gotten to this point in the year without me having you create a timeline. I think they are a great way to see comparisons and contrasts between events and over time. It's not about memorizing the dates, but rather about seeing how the events occur in relation to each other.
You should download a Chapter 19 - Timeline. Depending on how fancy you want to be, you can use shading, borders, "paint" features, etc. in Microsoft Excel. Or, you can simply use it to place the information correctly. Notice that I've given you one example for each of the three cultures or "sections" from the chapter.
Your job is to add additional events, periods, reigns or whatever it is that you find important.
- Europe: I'd expect a minimum of ten additional events from the material in Section 1 of Chapter 19 as well as Section 1 in Chapter 20. (Coincidentally, you're asked to read that as homework for tomorrow.)
- China: Add a minimum of six additional entries from Section 2 in Chapter 19.
- Japan: Add a minimum of six additional entries from Section 3 in Chapter 19.
This timeline should be ready to share/turn-in tomorrow.
Memo to an Emperor / Shogun: You can choose to work with ONE partner on this if you would like. As you know, both China and Japan chose policies of isolation for centuries. You're going to be placed at a key point in the history of one of these two cultures, and you will draft a memo for the ruler as to whether or not you believe that isolation is the best policy. Here are the two scenarios from which you may choose, and the specific instructions are below.
China: You are adviser to Emperor Qian-long (p. 539), who ruled from 1736 to 1795. It is 1775, and he asks your opinion as to whether or not he should decrease restrictions against Dutch and British traders. At that time, they were required to pay tribute and to "kowtow" before the emperor, and they were allowed access only to special ports. Do you recommend making it easier to trade?
Japan: It is 1615, and you are an advisor to Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu. Trade has brought cannons, goods and Christian missionaries to your shores from Portugal and elsewhere. Some want you to drive the foreigners out, and you actually banned Christianity three years earlier. Should Japan seal its borders (except for the port of Nagasaki, which the shogun controls) and become a "closed country"?
Instructions for the "memo": Once you have chosen your scenario and decided on your position, you need to draft your memo. First, it should have an appropriate greeting for your emperor/ shogun. Your memo needs to consist of three major arguments (or "bullet points" if you like memo-speak) in support of your position. Each argument should be explained in a minimum of three good sentences.
These memos should be ready to share on Monday. (If you work with a partner, be sure both names get on the post.)
HOMEWORK for next session: Friday, May 25th
Please read Section 1 of Chapter 20, "Spain Builds an American Empire." It will be your final multiple choice quiz of the year.
Today's lesson will be a continuation of what we started yesterday. Tomorrow, we'll focus more on China and Japan's decisions to turn inward toward isolation at this time period. This Age of Exploration (and its consequences) is basically our topic for the rest of the way.
Here's where we left off... I'll give you a few minutes to meet with the others who had the same voyage(s), and then we'll hear from all the groups.
Conquest of the Oceans:
- Treasure fleets of Zheng He
- Prince Henry sends ships along the African shore
- First voyage of Cristobal Colon (aka Christopher Columbus)
- de Gama's sea voyage to India
- Magellan circumnavigates the world
Using both the notes and the sources, try to figure out answers to these questions:
- Who ordered or authorized the voyage?
- What reasons were given for making the voyage?
- How was the voyage paid for?
- What were the attitudes of the voyagers towards the people they met?
- What problems were encountered with people they met?
- Who benefited from the voyage? How?
"Routes to Empire" - This will sort of work like a "Readers' Theater" presentation. We'll give you each a primary source, and you'll be divided into two groups. One group will look at Portugal's new empire in Asia, and the other will consider Spain's empire in the Americas.
Your job is this. You'll have 20 minutes to prepare. The "big question" that you need to answer is below. You can take it in a number of various ways, but that's the general topic. I want to hear support, evidence, or proof from EACH of the primary sources that you have. You can read a line or a paragraph or whatever, but someone in your group should be reading a section from every document you have to support your answer. It might work to sort of have a narrator or moderator, but I'll leave that up to you.
Portugal: How, and with what success, did Portugal shift from finding sea routes to controlling them, and to building a maritime empire in Asia?
Spain: How did Spain shift from finding a continent to controlling it and to building a land empire in the Americas?
With the time remaining, we'll shift our focus toward two civilizations that chose not to participate in the Age of Exploration, China and Japan. To get you started, we'll do a little poetry...
"History Haiku" - As you'll be reading tonight, the haiku is a Japanese three-line verse where the syllables per line follow a five-seven-five pattern. I can't think of a better way to have you all introduce a specific person or idea from the China and Japan sections tomorrow. You'll each claim one of the following, and we'll double up on a couple. (Each of you does your own in that case.) You are also allowed a sentence of introduction before you read your story. That way, you can give us the long name, important years or other information that doesn't fit in your haiku... Yes, you get five points for giving this a good try. HAVE YOURS READY TO SHARE IN CLASS TOMORROW.
China
Ming Dynasty
Hongwu
Zheng He
Manchu
Qing Dynasty
Kangxi
Japan
Oda Nobunaga
Totoyomi Hideyoshi
Tokugawa Ieyasu
Tokugawa Shogunate
HOMEWORK for tomorrow - Thursday, May 24th
Please read Section 3 of Chapter 19, "Japan Returns to Isolation." The quiz will be matching.
Your "History Haiku" should be ready to share at the appropriate time tomorrow.
Today's lesson will probably carry over a bit into tomorrow's class, but we'll see how far we get today. We'll begin with a look back at the Muslim "Gunpowder" Empires you worked on yesterday. Then, the Age of Exploration (and its consequences) is basically our topic for the rest of the way.
Here's the completed version of Muslim "Gunpowder Empires" matrix.
The Age of Exploration: We'll do a number of things to try to understand how and why the Europeans (particularly the Spanish and Portuguese in the beginning) began to venture further from home, forever changing the course of history.
For those of you thinking about the reading and the Unit #4 Objective Exam, I'd be sure I could define the following terms and answer the following questions:
Defining terms: "God, Gold and Glory," Prince Henry the Navigator, Bartolomeu Dias, Vasco da Gama, Treaty of Tordesillas, Dutch East India Company
- What motivated the Age of Exploration?
- What scientific and technical advancements made the Age of Exploration possible?
- What were the early claims of the Portuguese? The Spanish? Others?
"Seeing" the World: This first activity will help us see just how differently people saw the world of five hundred years ago as opposed to the GoogleEarth outlook of today. You will get a copy of a map to show us on the overhead. (If you want a better look at the little writing on your map, go to the original source at A World History for Us All and scroll down to pages 22-30.)
Preparing for the Voyage: First, let's make sure we've "packed" what we need in terms of new technologies and knowledge...
Discussion question #1: If you were planning a long-distance sea voyage during the second half of the 15th century to little-known destinations along unknown routes, what problems with the physical environment would you expect to have to deal with during the voyage? What problems of human-to-human relations would you expect to have to deal with on board and on arrival at your destination? What might you do to minimize or deal with these problems?
Discussion question #2: What personality traits do you think would have been helpful to the long-distance mariners of the 15th and 16th centuries? How would they have been helpful? Who, if anyone, in modern society is called upon to possess a similar set of qualities?
Discussion question #3: How accurate is this statement? "It was adopting and adapting the ideas and technologies of earlier times and other peoples, rather than anything they came up with on their own, that made possible the long distance voyages of the Iberian mariners in the 15th and early 16th centuries."
Discussion question #4: How would you rank the following in terms of importance to voyages such as (#1) da Gama's reaching India and returning and (#2) Columbus' crossing the Atlantic and returning? Explain why.
- Technological changes in European ship design after about 1400
- Existence of reasonably reliable east-west and west-east wind systems
- Changes in the representation of the world on European maps after about 1400
- Europeans learning to use the stars/ planets to establish their latitude and distance from the equator
- Having guns available on shipboard
- Personal characteristics of those undertaking the voyages
Conquest of the Oceans: We'll make you all "specialists" in one of five voyages from the Age of Exploration.
- Treasure fleets of Zheng He
- Prince Henry sends ships along the African shore
- First voyage of Cristobal Colon (aka Christopher Columbus)
- de Gama's sea voyage to India
- Magellan circumnavigates the world
Using both the notes and the sources, try to figure out answers to these questions:
- Who ordered or authorized the voyage?
- What reasons were given for making the voyage?
- How was the voyage paid for?
- What were the attitudes of the voyagers towards the people they met?
- What problems were encountered with people they met?
- Who benefited from the voyage? How?
HOMEWORK for tomorrow - Wednesday, May 23rd
Please read Section 2 of Chapter 19, "China Limits European Contacts." The quiz will be true/false.
Be sure the "Conquest of the Ocean" primary source you received is ready to go tomorrow, assuming that we don't get there today.
Today, we'll turn our attention to the empires of the Muslim world found in Chapter 18. There's a perception that, after the Middle Ages, the rise of European power and military might meant that they modernized while the Islamic world was left behind. However, when measured by size, population or military power, the so-called "gunpowder empires" of the Ottomans, Safavids, and the Mughal rivaled or exceeded in power any of the states of Europe. As the age of warfare by well-trained men on horseback gave way to the cannons and guns of a new time, these Muslim empires reached the peak of their power.
Our plan for today will be simple. You'll work on one of the three empires today in class. Tomorrow, we'll look for comparisons across and contrasts among the three. You should download a copy of The Muslim "Gunpowder" Empires to help you in your work. The information in your text should be sufficient to answer virtually all of the questions, but you are free to look online as well for additional help.
You and your group need to create a thorough chart for your empire. The information should be well-organized, clear, and comprehensive. Once you group
has put this together, EMAIL me a copy of it. This needs to be done by
the end of class today. That way, I can compile a "master" chart for your use in class tomorrow.
HOMEWORK for tomorrow - Tuesday, May 22nd
It's simple. Read Section 1 of Chapter 19, "Europeans Explore the East." The quiz should be fill-in-the-blank.
Remember that you should return the 18:2 reading quiz to me if you have not yet already done so.
Be sure that you are keeping up with your Current Events assignment as well. This will be week #3.
Welcome to the Fourth (Almost) Annual MPA Renaissance and Reformation Round Table. This will be a graded discussion. You'll find your seat at your name tag. Remember that, in our initial round of introductions, you'll need to provide the following at a minimum:
- Who are you?
- What was your significance during this time?
- At least one statement of opinion/perspective (For example, "The Renaissance was great for women because...")
In most cases, I'd expect this to be between 30 seconds and a minute. Be sure to TALK to us, not just read something at us.
I may group folks differently, but here is our cast of characters. (You're obviously not all represented in this smaller class...)
Baldassare Castiglione
Desiderius Erasmus
Francesco Petrarch
Giovanni Boccaccio
Girolamo Savonarola
Isabella d'Este
Johann Gutenberg
Leonardo da Vinci
Lorenzo de Medici
Michelangelo Buonarroti
Niccolo Machiavelli
Raphael Sanzio
Thomas More
Vittoria Colonna
William Shakespeare
Elizabeth I
Henry VIII
HRE Charles V
Ignatius of Loyola
John Calvin
Martin Luther
Pope Leo X
John Knox
We can begin with questions like the following:
- What conditions were necessary for the Renaissance and Reformation to have occurred?
- How did the Renaissance impact you? What were its greatest strengths? What were its biggest drawbacks?
- Was the Renaissance really a "new" time, or was it simply a continuation of the Middle Ages?
- How did the Church influence the Renaissance? How was it influenced by the Renaissance?
- Did the Renaissance really affect life for the "average" person? Why or why not?
- Who should be considered the epitome of the Renaissance Man (Woman)? Would it be possible for someone today to match his/her achievements? Explain.
- What work of art or literature best epitomizes the Renaissance?
- In what ways was the the Reformation foreshadowed by Renaissance thinking?
- Was the Reformation necessary? Why or why not?
- Was the Reformation a positive or negative development? Why?
- How should history judge Martin Luther?
- Did the Reformation really affect life for the "average" person? Why or why not?
- Where should blame be placed for the blood that was spilled in the name of religion during the Reformation?
- Which event has proven to be more historically significant, the Renaissance or the Reformation? Why?
- Is America undergoing either a Renaissance or Reformation today? Should America undergo one or both of these movements today? Why?
HOMEWORK for tomorrow: Friday, May 21st
You should read Chapter 18, Section 3 ("The Mughal Empire in India") for class time Monday. The quiz will be multiple choice.
You should turn in the take-home quiz for Chapter 18, Section 2 ("Cultural Blending") no later than your arrival at class on Monday.
DISCLAIMERS: I'm simply listing films that I believe are appropriate choices. I am not paying attention to the ratings or content. While I have seen some of the films on the list, I have certainly not seen them all. There may be content in some that you find objectionable. Since this isn't a required assignment, I'm not bothering with permission slips or anything. I trust that you can do a quick Google search to figure out if the film is both interesting and appropriate for you and your family. I'd also recommend consulting The Internet Movie Database for more information/reviews, etc.
I am trusting that you will select a film you haven't seen and that you will actually watch it in its entirety. You are welcome to get together with others to watch a film. (Everyone needs to do their individual review, however.)
DUE DATE: I want these reviews emailed to me no later than the end of the evening on Thursday, June 7th. After that, you get no credit.
QUESTIONS TO ANSWER:
- What film did you watch?
- What elements of "World History" was touched on by the film?
- How did the film reinforce and/or change your understanding of that history?
- What did you think of the film? (Comment on whatever you would like.)
FILM LIST: I will certainly add more titles to the list as they come to me. (I will consider suggestions as well.) I might also add some brief descriptions if/when I get a chance. For now, here is a start of films that I consider choices for the assignment.
- Mohammed, Messenger of God (1977 - PG)
- Alexander Nevsky (1938 - Not Rated) This is an OLD Russian film. It's considered a classic, but it's not a modern "Hollywood" film at all.
- Alfred the Great (1969 - M)
- The Lion in Winter (1968 - It's called perhaps the "greatest" of the classic medieval films.)
- Henry V (1989 - version of Shakespeare's play)
- A Man for All Seasons (1966 - life of Thomas More)
- Elizabeth (1988 - R)
- Braveheart (1995 - R)
- Luther (1974 - NR)
- Ran (1985 - R) Japanese film version of King Lear
- Kingdom of Heaven (2005 - R)
- 1492: Conquest of Paradise (1992 - PG13)
- The Mission (1986 - PG)
We're going to hear from the Incans today, and we'll use the rest of the hour to get through some odds and ends, mostly related to the Reformation.
Maya, Aztec and Inca - Early American Empires
Friday, May 18th: Incan Empire
The Impact of the Reformation
We'll lead off with the set of performances that we set up yesterday...
Henry VIII and the Anglican Church (p. 492)
Elizabeth restores Protestantism (p. 494)
Calvin spreads the Reformation (p. 495)
Ignatius and the Jesuits (p. 498)
Reforming Popes (p. 499)
Question: What are the implications of using the term Catholic Reformation and opposed to Counter Reformation? Which do you prefer? Why?
Christian Denominations - Now that we've had both of the major splits that will occur in the Christian faith, we'll take a few minutes to look at two graphic representations of the various branches of the religion.
HOMEWORK for next session: Friday, May 18th
You should be reading Chapter 18, Section 1, "The Ottomans Build a Vast Empire," for Friday's class. The quiz will be true/false.
Tomorrow, we'll have our Renaissance and Reformation Round Table discussions. I want to add one more requirement to the "Renaissance and Reformation Round Table." We'll do a quick round of "introductions" at the beginning. Basically, you'll need to provide the following at a minimum:
- Who are you?
- What was your significance during this time?
- At least one statement of opinion/perspective (For example, "The Renaissance was great for women because...")
In most cases, I'd expect this to be between 30 seconds and a minute. Be sure to TALK to us, not just read something at us.
It's the Aztecs today, and then back to the Reformation... (Remind me to finish up the Luther material that we may have missed yesterday.)
Maya, Aztec and Inca - Early American Empires
Wednesday, May 16th: Aztec Empire
Thursday, May 17th: Inca Empire
Let's make sure all the Luther material we were supposed to go over yesterday makes sense to people...
More events from the Reformation:
Some of you will like this, but it might drive others of you crazy. You're going to be assigned an event from the Reformation. Your group will have your choice of the following ways to transmit to us the "big picture" of what happened.
- Dramatic skit
- Opera scene
- Pantomime
- Rap song
- Straight-forward "lecture"
- Henry VIII and the Anglican Church (p. 492) - 3
- Elizabeth restores Protestantism (p. 494) - 3
- Calvin continues and spreads the Reformation (p. 495-496) - 3
- Ignatius and the Jesuits (p. 498) - 2
- Reforming Popes (p. 499) - 2
I'll help make sure you all get the "facts" you need for each of these events, but this should help you with the "big picture."
Question: What are the implications of using the term Catholic Reformation as opposed to Counter Reformation? Which do you prefer? Why?
HOMEWORK for tomorrow - Thursday, May 17th
Please finish your reading in Chapter 16 with Section 4, "The Inca Create a Mountain Empire."
Obviously, you need to be ready for your group's presentation if you are an Inca.
Do a little thinking for the Renaissance and Reformation Round Table scheduled for Friday. Remember that you should think a little about what your figure might say to these types of questions. (Not all apply to everyone.)
- How did the Renaissance impact you? What were its greatest strengths? What were its biggest drawbacks?
- Was the Renaissance really a "new" time, or was it simply a continuation of the Middle Ages?
- How did the Church influence the Renaissance? How was it influenced by the Renaissance?
- Did the Renaissance really affect life for the "average" person? Why or why not?
- Was the Reformation necessary? Why or why not?
- Was the Reformation a positive or negative development? Why?
- Did the Reformation really affect life for the "average" person? Why or why not?
- What conditions were necessary for the Renaissance and Reformation to have occurred?
- Is America undergoing either a Renaissance or Reformation today? Should America undergo one or both of these movements today? Why?
We'll begin our "Early American Empires" presentations today with the Mayans, as well as starting our look at the Reformation. (We'll also take a look at the final art works from the Renaissance Art Festival.)
Maya, Aztec and Inca - Early American Empires
Tuesday, May 15th: Mayan Empire presentation (+ Reformation)Your group will have about 15-20 minutes of class time on your date. (Presentations shorter than 10 minutes or longer than 25 may be penalized.) Your "presentation" is expected to include the following elements.
Wednesday, May 16th: Aztec Empire presentation (+ Reformation)
Thursday, May 17th: Incan Empire presentation (+ Reformation)
- an outline of the material in your section (1 page maximum) for a class handout
- at least 10 visual images to project in class
- a 3 - 5 minute "introduction" to your empire
- a 3 - 5 minute "focus" on a topic of particular interest
- a brief discussion among group members on the question: "Were the ____ civilized? Why or why not?" (You can disagree with each other.)
- anything else relevant that you would like to include
Figure that each of the 5 components are worth 5 points maximum. You get another potential of 10 for your use of class time in preparation and your attentiveness as an audience member. There are another five points you can earn for the "anything else" or overall impression, etc. That's a total of 40, but we'll decrease that (probably in half) for the grade book. So, it's probably going to be worth 20 points.
Introduction to the Reformation
We'll look at Martin Luther today, saving Henry VIII and the rest for tomorrow's class. By the time we are finished, you should be sure that you understand the following terms.
Defining terms: Martin Luther, indulgences, Friar Tetzel, Wittenberg, 95 Theses (1517), Reformation, Pope Leo X, papal bull (1520), HRE Charles V, Diet of Worms (1521), Edict of Worms (1521), Prince Frederick the Wise, Peasants' Revolt, Protestant, Peace of Augsburg (1555)
These are the questions we'll work to answer:
- What were the underlying social, political, economic and religious causes of the Reformation?
- How did Luther challenge the Church? What ideas were at the base of his teachings?
- How did the Catholic Church react to Luther's challenge?
-
What was the impact of Luther and his actions?
- Martin Luther - site from PBS Empires
- Martin Luther's 95 Theses - October 31, 1517
- Exurge Domine - Condemning the Errors of Martin Luther - Pope Leo X - 1520
- Martin Luther - excerpts from speech at Diet of Worms - 1521
- Martin Luther - "The Jews and Their Lies" - 1543 NOTE: One thing that is often overlooked in Martin Luther's career is a strong degree of Anti-Semitism in his writings. These excerpts have been posted at a site called the Jewish Virtual Library, and they are linked here not to shock, but rather to get you to think about how these type of writings influence your opinion of Luther.
Renaissance and Reformation Round Table
Remember that we'll be doing this review activity on Friday. All of you should have selected a figure from this time period. You'll be asked to speak from "their" perspective, answering questions and commenting in a way consistent with what they might have done. You don't need to do anything written for your person, but you should certainly know what made them important, how they were affected by the times, etc.
The discussion may go a number of ways, but here are some questions to get you thinking.
- How did the Renaissance impact you? What were its greatest strengths? What were its biggest drawbacks?
- Was the Renaissance really a "new" time, or was it simply a continuation of the Middle Ages?
- How did the Church influence the Renaissance? How was it influenced by the Renaissance?
- Did the Renaissance really affect life for the "average" person? Why or why not?
- Was the Reformation necessary? Why or why not?
- Was the Reformation a positive or negative development? Why?
- Did the Reformation really affect life for the "average" person? Why or why not?
- What conditions were necessary for the Renaissance and Reformation to have occurred?
- Is America undergoing either a Renaissance or Reformation today? Should America undergo one or both of these movements today? Why?
HOMEWORK for tomorrow: Wednesday, May 16th
Please read Section 16.3 on the Aztecs for tomorrow's class. The quiz will be back to multiple choice.
Obviously, you need to be ready for your group's presentation if that hasn't yet happened.
We'll have the Renaissance and Reformation Round Table Discussion on Friday, May 18th.
Renaissance Art Festival - Welcome to our annual Renaissance Art and Architecture Festival. You've got a couple minutes to come up and tell us about your work of art/architecture. These are worth 10 points, and I will feel free to penalize poor audience behavior.
Your presentation might consider items like these, as they apply:
- Name of the work
- Name of the artist
- Date of the work (location of creation)
- Description of the work and its creation
- Interesting information about the process of its creation
- Interesting information about materials, style, approach, etc.
- What makes this a "Renaissance" work of art/architecture?
- What Renaissance values, ideas and/or themes does the work depict?
- What is the significance of this work?
- What was its impact during the time when it was created?
- What has been the subsequent impact of the work?
- Where, if anywhere, can the work be seen today?
- What is your reaction to the work? What do you think of it?
Renaissance Art and Architecture
Masaccio - The Expulsion of Adam and Eve (Brancacci Chapel - 1425)
Brunelleschi - Duomo (Florence: 1420 - 1436)
Donatello - David (1430)
Jan van Eyck - Arnolfini Wedding (1434)
Paolo Uccello - The Battle of San Romano (1438-1440)
Leonardo da Vinci - The Annunciation - (1472 - 1475)
Perugino - Christ Giving the Keys to St. Peter (1480 - 1482)
Botticelli - The Birth of Venus (after 1482)
Leonardo da Vinci - Vitruvian Man (c. 1485 - 1492)
Leonardo da Vinci - The Last Supper (1495 - 1497)
Michelangelo - Pieta (1500)
Leonardo da Vinci - Mona Lisa (1502)
Hieronymus Bosch - The Garden of Earthly Delights (1503 - 1504)
Michelangelo - David (1504)
Michelangelo - Holy Family (1506)
Michelangelo - Creation of Man (Sistine Chapel - 1510)
Raphael - School of Athens (1510)
Raphael - Sistine Madonna (1512 - 1514)
Michelangelo - Moses (1515)
Raphael - Transfiguration (1520)
Michelangelo - The Last Judgment (Sistine Chapel: 1534 - 1541)
Bramante, Michelangelo, others - St. Peter's Basilica (Rome: 1506 - 1626)
Connection to Today: We've talked a little about the role of patronage in the art of the Renaissance. We have also talked about its significance in the "civic life" of Florence and other cities. Today, while patronage takes many forms, one that has generated a spirited debate is that of governmental funding for the arts. Let's talk about that a bit as time permits...
Here's the homepage for the National Endowment for the Arts. The site features a list of "Exemplary projects funded since 1965" that you might find interesting.
It is currently estimated that each American taxpayer ends up "contributing" less than $1 of their taxes to the NEA.
In the late 1980s, an artist named Andres Serrano generated much controversy for art produced after he received a $15,000 NEA grant. I've linked you to a page of Senate testimony used in a college philosophy course lesson on this topic.
- Should the US government use public money to fund the arts? Why or why not?
- Should there be limits imposed on what types of art will be funded? If so, how?
- What should be government's role, if any, with respect to art?
We're back to reading in Chapter 16 for the next few days. Please read Chapter 16, Section 2, "Mayan Kings and Cities" for tomorrow's quiz. We'll be doing a matching quiz.
Here's a reminder of the remaining schedule for the week. (You can find the requirements for the Americas presentations on yesterday's blog entry.)
Tuesday, May 15th: Mayan Empire presentation (+ Reformation)We'll have the Renaissance and Reformation Round Table Discussion on Friday, May 18th.
Wednesday, May 16th: Aztec Empire presentation (+ Reformation)
Thursday, May 17th: Incan Empire presentation (+ Reformation)
Today, our focus will be on the Renaissance as it played out in literature, writing and ideas. Monday, we'll have our Renaissance Art Festival and look more at the visual side.
Five Authors of the Renaissance (and One More) to Remember:
This is, of course, a completely arbitrary list made by me. However, I think most would agree that these are definitely some of the key figures of the literature of the Renaissance.
Dante is generally regarded as the link from the Middle Ages. His most famous work was The Divine Comedy, and he wrote in the vernacular (Italian). More on him next year...
- Petrarch - "father of humanism," famous for sonnets, Laura was his muse (ideal)
- Boccaccio - wrote The Decameron - stories of young Florentines fleeing the plague
- Erasmus - Christian humanist from Holland, wrote The Praise of Folly
- Thomas More - English friend of Erasmus, wrote Utopia
- William Shakespeare - Elizabethan Age, greatest playwright of all to many
Words of the Renaissance - I've got a series of short excerpts from Renaissance authors. We'll have some dramatic readings (with explanations). Here are the selections:
- The Discourses - Niccolo Machiavelli
- On the Dignity of Man - Giovannia Pico della Mirandola
- Self-Portrait of a Universal Man - Leon Battista Alberti
- Murder in the Streets - Benvenuto Cellini
- The Courtier - Baldassare Castiglione
- Rules of Etiquette - Giovanni della Casa
- Sonnet - Petrarch
- To Boccaccio - Petrarch
- A Carnival Song - Lorenzo de Medici
- Body and Soul - Michelangelo
- Journey to the Moon - Lodovico Ariosto
- Advent Sermon - Girolamo Savonarola
You will take one of these. You have ten minutes to figure out what you've got. As we go through them, two things should happen. You will introduce the work and tell us why it is a good example of Renaissance literature. (Refer to specific values and ideas if you can.) Then, you will read us part of the selection. (Since they vary in length, I'd suggest aiming for something around a dozen lines. Use your judgment. In some cases, a summary of the narrative may seem more appropriate.)
Johann Gutenberg and the printing press - Don't underestimate the significance of this advancement in Germany around 1440. Although the Chinese had invented movable type centuries earlier, Gutenberg combined a number of advancements to make a printing press capable of making large numbers of books quickly and cheaply. Like the Internet in our time, it revolutionized the way knowledge was made available and spread.
* #1 Event of the Millennium - Gutenberg Prints the Bible - Life magazine ranked the top 100 events of the millennium between 1000 and 2000 CE. Here's the whole list.
* Project Gutenberg - This is an online library of more than 17000 books available for free download.
* The Gutenberg Bible (1455) - Here's information on a copy of the bible at the University of Texas.
Machiavelli's The Prince - As you read, Niccolo Machiavelli wrote The Prince as a sort of "guide" to political leaders of his time. He is remembered today for his rather pessimistic view of human nature. Download these words of advice from Machiavelli. Pair up with someone and look through them, evaluating their relevance for today's world. We'll discuss what you think.
- Do you agree with Machiavelli that it is primarily the character or skill of an individual leader that determines the success of a state?
- In politics, to what degree does the end justify the means? Why?
HOMEWORK for next session - Monday, May 14th
You should be reading Chapter 17, Section 4 ("Luther Leads the Reformation") for our next class. The quiz will be true/false. (We'll be reading Chapter 16, Sections 2 - 4 for the remainder of the week.)
Remember that your group presents next week. Starting with Tuesday, it goes Mayan, Aztec, and Inca.
Your contribution to the "Renaissance Art Festival" needs to be ready to go for Monday. Lesson #27 has more specific information, and you should be planning on your presentation being somewhere in the neighborhood of three to five minutes. I'll have the projector set up, so your work will be displayed for us all to see.
Following our reading quiz, you've got the period to work with your group to get ready for the presentation early next week. I'll expect to be amazed with how cooperative you are and how well you use your time...
Maya, Aztec and Inca - Early American Empires:
Here is the schedule. Each group is responsible for being ready on the correct day.
Thursday, May 10th: Work day for this and/or Renaissance Art FestivalYour group will have about 15-20 minutes of class time on your date. (Presentations shorter than 10 minutes or longer than 25 may be penalized.) Your "presentation" is expected to include the following elements.
Tuesday, May 15th: Mayan Empire presentation
Wednesday, May 16th: Aztec Empire presentation
Thursday, May 17th: Incan Empire presentation
- an outline of the material in your section (1 page maximum) for a class handout
- at least 10 visual images to project in class
- a 3 - 5 minute "introduction" to your empire
- a 3 - 5 minute "focus" on a topic of particular interest
- a brief discussion among group members on the question: "Were the ____ civilized? Why or why not?" (You can disagree with each other.)
- anything else relevant that you would like to include
Figure that each of the 5 components are worth 5 points maximum. You get another potential of 10 for your use of class time in preparation and your attentiveness as an audience member. There are another five points you can earn for the "anything else" or overall impression, etc. That's a total of 40, but we'll make it half that for the grade book. So, it's worth 20 points.
Obviously, I want you to use today's class time wisely. If you finish early, you should do your reading, finish preparing for Monday's Renaissance Art Festival or do a little research on your figure for the "Renaissance and Reformation Round Table" discussion.
HOMEWORK for tomorrow - Friday, May 11th
You should be reading Chapter 17, Section 3 ("Luther Leads the Reformation") for our next class. The quiz will be fill-in-the-blank.
Remember that your group presents later this week. Starting with Tuesday, it goes Mayan, Aztec, and Inca.
Your contribution to the "Renaissance Art Festival" needs to be ready to go for Monday. Lesson #27 has more specific information, and you should be planning on your presentation being somewhere in the neighborhood of three minutes. I'll have the projector set up, so your work will be displayed for us all to see.
Maya, Aztec and Inca - Early American Empires: Here is the schedule. Each group is responsible for being ready on the correct day.
Thursday, May 10th: Work day for this and/or Renaissance Art FestivalYour group will have about 15-20 minutes of class time on your date. (Presentations shorter than 10 minutes or longer than 25 may be penalized.) Your "presentation" is expected to include the following elements.
Tuesday, May 15th: Mayan Empire presentation
Wednesday, May 16th: Aztec Empire presentation
Thursday, May 17th: Incan Empire presentation
- an outline of the material in your section (1 page maximum) for a class handout
- at least 10 visual images to project in class
- a 3 - 5 minute "introduction" to your empire
- a 3 - 5 minute "focus" on a topic of particular interest
- a brief discussion among group members on the question: "Were the ____ civilized? Why or why not?" (You can disagree with each other.)
- anything else relevant that you would like to include
Introduction to the Renaissance Most of what we do with the Renaissance will be with written and visual sources. However, we'll spend a few minutes together going over the basics.
- What was the Renaissance?
- When did the Renaissance occur?
- Why was the early Renaissance concentrated in Italy?
- What new values and ideas were expressed in the Renaissance?
- How did the forms and techniques of art change in the Renaissance?
A couple of quick side trips: Medieval painting: I think it is easier to appreciate the art of the Renaissance if we have something to compare it to. Here are some medieval art works. (Remember there is also a rich tradition in architecture and other forms of expression. These mainly show a contrast in painting styles and subject matter.)
Here's a 13th-century painting of the popular "Madonna with Child" style.
Here's a work by Giotto, generally considered the first (or fore-runner) of Renaissance artists.
The Baptistery (Florence): a case study: The Baptistery is believed to be the oldest building in Florence. Keeping with the Renaissance spirit, a competition was announced to design the decorative bronze panels for the new North Doors in 1401. Seven sculptors completed, but Lorenzo Ghiberti and Filippo Brunelleschi were the finalists for their interpretations of the Old Testament story of Abraham and Isaac. Ghiberti was judged the winner, Brunelleschi left for Rome in anger, and Ghiberti spent the next 21 years creating what Michelangelo called, "The Gates of Paradise." Typical of the spirit of the time, Ghiberti carved his image above the doors, modestly calling them "the most singular work that I have ever made." The original doors now can be found in the Bargello Museum of Florence, as copies are now on the North Doors of the Baptistery itself.
Renaissance Art Festival - Monday, May 14th You'll select a work of art or architecture from the list below. You'll be asked to introduce and explain your work. Figure about 4 minutes per work.
Your presentation should consider items like these, as they apply:
- Name of the work
- Name of the artist
- Date of the work (location of creation)
- Description of the work and its creation
- Interesting information about the process of its creation
- Interesting information about materials, style, approach, etc.
- What makes this a "Renaissance" work of art/architecture?
- What Renaissance values, ideas and/or themes does the work depict?
- What is the significance of this work?
- What was its impact during the time when it was created?
- What has been the subsequent impact of the work?
- Where, if anywhere, can the work be seen today?
- What is your reaction to the work? What do you think of it?
Renaissance Art and Architecture
Masaccio - The Expulsion of Adam and Eve (Brancacci Chapel - 1425)
Brunelleschi - Duomo (Florence: 1420 - 1436)
Donatello - David (1430)
Jan van Eyck - Arnolfini Wedding (1434)
Paolo Uccello - The Battle of San Romano (1438-1440)
Leonardo da Vinci - The Annunciation - (1472 - 1475)
Perugino - Christ Giving the Keys to St. Peter (1480 - 1482)
Botticelli - The Birth of Venus (after 1482)
Leonardo da Vinci - Vitruvian Man (c. 1485 - 1492)
Leonardo da Vinci - The Last Supper (1495 - 1497)
Michelangelo - Pieta (1500)
Leonardo da Vinci - Mona Lisa (1502)
Hieronymus Bosch - The Garden of Earthly Delights (1503 - 1504)
Michelangelo - David (1504)
Michelangelo - Holy Family (1506)
Michelangelo - Creation of Man (Sistine Chapel - 1510)
Raphael - School of Athens (1510)
Raphael - Sistine Madonna (1512 - 1514)
Michelangelo - Moses (1515)
Raphael - Transfiguration (1520)
Michelangelo - The Last Judgment (Sistine Chapel: 1534 - 1541)
Bramante, Michelangelo, others - St. Peter's Basilica (Rome: 1506 - 1626)
NOTE: I used Wikipedia for the images to provide some consistency and because they do a good job of crediting their sources and/or showing that the image is in the "public domain."
Renaissance and Reformation Round Table - Friday, May 18th A week from Friday (5/18), we'll spend part of class summarizing the Renaissance and Reformation. You'll be asked to represent one of the major figures from the time during this discussion. You'll be provided with more guidelines as to specific topics. For now, work on figuring out "who" you are, your views on the "big issues" of the times, and your historical legacy.
Renaissance Figures
Baldassare Castiglione
Desiderius Erasmus
Francesco Petrarch
Giovanni Boccaccio
Girolamo Savonarola
Isabella d'Este
Johann Gutenberg
Leonardo da Vinci
Lorenzo de Medici
Michelangelo Buonarroti
Niccolo Machiavelli
Raphael Sanzio
Thomas More
Vittoria Colonna
William Shakespeare
Reformation Figures
Elizabeth I
Henry VIII
HRE Charles V
Ignatius of Loyola
John Calvin
Martin Luther
Pope Leo X
John Knox
HOMEWORK for tomorrow - Thursday, May 10th
Please read Section 17.2, "The Northern Renaissance," for tomorrow. We'll be back to multiple choice for the quiz.
If you haven't yet read "your" section from Chapter 16 (Maya, Aztec or Inca), you could also take care of that.
Your "entry" into the Renaissance Art Festival needs to be ready to go for Monday's class.
Remember that your group's early American empire presentation will be the middle.
We can take a quick look at the multiple choice questions from the Unit #3 Exam.
Here's a Unit #4 Review/Study Guide in digital form if you prefer.
It is also time to start your second Current Events Log. This will run for this week and the three that follow.
Chapter 16 takes a look at some of the "People and Empires in the Americas, 500 - 1500." This fourth (and final for the year) unit is called "Connecting Hemispheres," so you probably have some idea of where we are headed. This chapter, however, will focus only on events in the Americas that precede the arrival of Columbus and others.
We're going to do things a little bit differently here. After an introduction to the chapter today, we're going to sort of set it aside for almost a week. You'll all be part of a group focusing on one of the three "big" empires of the Americas: Maya, Aztec and Inca. We'll turn to Chapter 17, "European Renaissance and Reformation," but we'll come back to these American empires after that. Make sense? It should as we get going...
We'll do a couple of quick activities to kick things off here.
Spheres of Interaction: First, one of the common misconceptions about the early Americas is that small pockets of people were living in isolation with no contact among them until the Europeans come along. We'll take a look at some evidence that may lead you to rethink that conclusion.
You'll get a handout on trade goods found in one of three areas: Eastern North America, Mesoamerica and the Andes. Work with people with the same group to sort the items into three categories: food, raw materials, manufactured items. We'll get these listed on the board.
Consider these questions: Which items are most likely to be locally produced and which have come from some distance? What considerations influence your predictions?
Next, we'll give you a couple minutes to think about geography. For your region, make a list of both advantages and obstacles geography provides for your region in terms of trading.
Finally, what evidence or hypotheses do we have to suggest that these spheres actually did interact?
North American Societies - Chapter 16.1
As I said, we won't do much with this. However, there's some interesting information on the Internet that can help supplement what your textbook has for information.
Spend a few minutes browsing the links provided for some of the groups mentioned in the section.
* Hohokam (Arizona) - click on the photos to tour a Hohokam "pithouse" in 3D
* Anasazi (Four Corners region) - take a tour of the "great kiva"
* Mississippian Mound Builders (woodlands east of the Mississippi) - browse the artifact collections
* Hopewell (Ohio) - sort of an odd mix of information about the Great Serpent Mound
Choosing an Empire - As I mentioned, we'll be embarking on a project on the three great empires of Mesoamerica and South America in the pre-Columbian period. To help you refresh your understanding of the Maya, Aztecs and Inca, I have a quick document-based activity for you to work through.
After we discuss these items, we'll get you assigned to three groups. The rest of the time is yours to look at the information in your section and/or check out the book and reviews below.
1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus is a relatively recent (and controversial) book written by Charles Mann. I'm linking a couple of reviews below. We'll talk a bit about what these critics have to say if we get time.
- 1491: The Truth About the Americas Before Columbus from Upside Down World
- '1491' Explores the Americas Before Columbus - National Public Radio
- Reviews of Books - a site offering multiple reviews from different sources
HOMEWORK for tomorrow - Wednesday, May 9th
Please read 17.1, "Italy: Birthplace of the Renaissance," for tomorrow. There will be a reading quiz. (We will take this one the "traditional" way
Remember that you need to get me your Unit #3 Essay by Friday. (That's the original due date, but I did say I won't count late any that I receive on Monday.)
It is a pretty straight-forward plan for today. You'll take the objective portion of the Unit #3 Exam. It has 60 multiple choice questions. (I should have the multiple choice portions graded by tomorrow.)
HOMEWORK for tomorrow: Tuesday, May 8th
I know, only a real meanie assigns reading the night of the exam. However, to keep us on schedule, I'd like you to read Section 16.1 for tomorrow. There will be a quiz. (After that, we're going to do something a little different with the order of readings, so I'll explain that on Tuesday.)
Remember that you should turn in your Unit #3 Essay no later than Friday upon your arrival to class. Please have them printed out. (Double-sided is just fine...)
Here's a copy of the Unit #3 "Two Minute" Review template you might want to use to take notes. (NOTE: I've typed in information for the sections no one selected.)
Here's another copy of the Unit #3 Review/Study Guide if you need it.
We'll tackle the "Two-Minute Drill" to aid you in preparing for the Unit #3 Exam. Remember, you each have a chance to contribute to our overall understanding of the material that we have studied so far this year. (These are worth 5 points each.) Here's a list of the sections in the order that we'll cover them:
WORLD HISTORY: PATTERNS OF INTERACTION
UNIT 3: An Age of Exchange and Encounter (500 - 1500)
Chapter 10: The Muslim World (600 - 1250)
1 The Rise of Islam
2 Islam Expands
3 Muslim Culture
Chapter 11: Byzantines, Russians, and Turks Interact (500 - 1500)
1 The Byzantine Empire
2 The Russian Empire
3 Turkish Empires Rise in Anatolia
Chapter 12: Empires in East Asia (600 - 1350)
1 Tang and Song China
2 The Mongol Conquests
3 The Mongol Empire
4 Feudal Powers in Japan
5 Kingdoms of Southeast Asia and Korea
Chapter 13: European Middle Ages (500 - 1200)
1 Charlemagne Unites Germanic Kingdoms
2 Feudalism in Europe
3 The Age of Chivalry
4 The Power of the Church
Chapter 14: The Formation of Western Europe (800 - 1500)
1 Church Reform and the Crusades
2 Changes in Medieval Society
3 England and France Develop
4 The Hundred Years' War and the Plague
Chapter 15: Societies and Empires of Africa (800 -1500)
1 North and Central African Societies
2 West African Civilizations
3 Eastern City-States and Southern Empires
You're free to ask me questions and do whatever sort of review that you think would be helpful with any remaining time.
HOMEWORK for next session - Monday, May 7th
We've got the Unit #3 Multiple Choice Exam coming up on Monday.
Please finish up and return your Unit #7 DBQs if you have yet to do so.
Your Unit #3 Essay is due no later than the end of the day on Friday, May 11th.
The DBQs are available and ready for you to get started on those. You are NOT required to finish them completely by the end of the hour.
HOMEWORK for tomorrow - Friday, May 4th
We will do the Unit #3 "Two-Minute" Reviews tomorrow. Be sure you are ready with your section.
Reminder that Monday is the Objective Exam - Multiple Choice.
Your essay is due no later than at your arrival to class on Friday, May 11th.
Here's another copy of the Unit #3 Review/Study Guide if you need it. We'll also draw for the Unit #3 "Two-Minute" reviews that will take place on Friday.
We'll finish our look at the trading kingdoms of West Africa today. We'll discuss the two tasks you were asked to work on yesterday. After that, you'll have some time to begin reviewing for the Unit #3 Exam.
Trading Kingdom Top Tens: Our three groups were responsible for creating a "Top Ten" list on one of three important West African trading kingdoms: Ghana, Mali, or Songhai. Today, each group will share its list with the groups representing the other two kingdoms. The BBC website, The Story of Africa: West African Kingdoms might be useful. You can download a template for the West African Trading Kingdom Top Tens if you still need one.
Trading Kingdoms Study Guide: The Trading Kingdoms study guide was designed to get you looking at a few primary source documents on Africa.We'll talk about what you found.
Cool Site of the Day: As you read, Great Zimbabwe was an important city in southern Africa. Here's a pretty interesting slide show on Great Zimbabwe that also contains useful information.
HOMEWORK for tomorrow - Thursday, May 3rd
You have two days, but be sure to prepare your part for our review activity that will take place on Friday.
The Identification portion of the Unit #3 Exam will take place tomorrow. (Remember that you are allowed to bring in 10 words of notes for each item.)
The multiple choice portion of the Unit #3 Exam will take place on Monday, May 7th.
Your Unit #3 Essay will be due to me no later than the end of the day on Friday, May 11th.
