Today we took our Renaissance test. Our homework section this week covers the Counter-Reformation. This was the Catholic Churches answer to the Protestant Reformation. Next up, The Tudors--where we'll dive a bit deeper into Henry VIII.
Today we had a room escape to help us review for our upcoming test next week. Here is a study guide to help review the concepts. Here is a Jeopardy Game to review as well!
Today we learned about significant people of the Renaissance, starting with Michelanglo. We then played a history related word game.
Today we discussed the Ronconquista and how similar that was to the Crusades that we have seen before. We also discussed whether it was religiously or politically motivated, with students arguing both sides. Finally, we worked on reviewing "good annotations" and what those look like throughout out reading. For homework this week, students will be learning about one of the effects of the Reconquista---The Spanish Inquisition! They have to complete three puzzles to learn more about the time period. Some of the passages are fictionalized accounts, so I told students to learn from it, but not to take it all literally.
Today we started learning all about the Black Plague. We started with a simulation of how the plague spread. It was very fun and informative. We also learned about some of the truly crazy ideas that the people during that time thought would prevent the plague (like not eating meat!).
Today we played a review game to prep for our test. We'll be taking a test over the first semester content next week. We'll also be having pajama day, so students can be comfy when they take their test!
Today, we learned about West African griots and how they were transmitters or culture through storytelling. We also (almost) completed a lengthy study guide for our upcoming test. This test will be 12/9. We will also have pajama day on 12/9, so wear your pjs to be comfortable for the test.
Next week, we'll have one last game review, so make sure you are present!
Don't forget to sign up for spring semester!!
This week, we did a Graphic Organizer review of the Mongols and Marco Polo. This will be a great study guide to use with the test we will have at the end of the semester. Homework for this week focuses on Marco Polo and the Silk Road.
Today we did a review game (of sorts) to review the people we have studied thus far. I asked students to make sure they had the correct answers so that they could study this for their test. I also told them that I would give them at least a week's notice before the test. After that, we spent a bit of time discussing Ghengis Kahn and the Mongols, which is what they will be working on this week. Please watch the video about Ghengis Khan as well this week.
Today we took our research of our historical event and wrote it into complete paragraph form. Next week, we'll add an illustration and create a living timeline of our spooky historial events. After that, we played Jeopardy to review our topics from our most recent passages.
Today, we learned about some weird and creepy events in history, specifically in the Middle Ages. We practiced some math skills to determine the year and then we made a timeline with the date. In addition to the students packet this week, everyone will be researching their "weird" history event. Students need to complete a circle map (we drew these in class) and use at least three reputable sources (not "Bob's History Website" please). Students should color code their facts according to the source. I went over how to do all of that in class. Here are some good sources to use:
https://www.history.com/
https://www.npr.org/
https://www.loc.gov/
https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/
We also discussed why Wikipedia is not a reputable source, but is a good starting point for researching. Please bring color coded circle maps to class next week. For this week, we are also learning a bit more about the Song Dynasty and we are also learning about the Battle of Hastings (a very cool battle!).
Today we worked on making timeline and using some critical thinking skills. I gave students one beginning date and then "clues" to figure out how many years after or before that event had taken place. This was a pretty big challenge for almost everyone. Once they were finished with my example, they worked with a partner to develop a history puzzle on their own. We will continue to work on this skill. I'm especially excited to work on this during spooky season--I have some truly spooky events in world history for us to order! For HW this week, we're going to start a bit of a focus on Europe. So far, we have been all around the world and we'll continue to do so, but we will focus a bit more on European history, simply because this is where most of the Americans have immigrated from, so a lot of US history is steeped in European history. We also discussed how history does not take place in a vacuum and other events were still taking place during that time. For homework, students will be learning about King Charlemange, the Pope and King debate, and fuedalism.
Today we played Deal or No Deal with all the history content we have learned thus far. We reviewed The Byzantine Empire, Shinto cultures in Japan, and Activity in Africa. This was a very fun way to review and they kids have already asked to play again. This week, we'll be learning about the Sui and Tang culture. Students need to watch the science Crash Course #8 about these cultures. While this seems unusual in a history class, this Crash Course give a lot of information about the contributions of the group.
Today we took a test on the Byzantine Empire. It was a creative, one pager test, so it was a bit of a different format from what everyone was expecting. I like to keep things different, so we may do a number of different types of quizzes and test. For HW this week, students are learning about cultural and religious diffusion in Africa.
Today we returned to the Byzantine Empire to learn about two more rulers--Justinian and Leo. We learned about words like iconoclasm, inconclast, and iconophile. Next week, we will have a test over the Byzantine Empire and then we will move on to Activity in Africa. Please make sure you have colored pencils for class next week.
Today we had a walking quiz about the Byzantine Empire. Everyone did pretty well on these. We also learned some new writing structures we will use in the class to write about the Byzantines. This week, we'll be moving to Middle Ages Japan to learn about the Shinto culture, but not to worry, we'll be returning back to the Byzantine era next week to learn about the most important Emperor after Constantine I.
For the homework this week, students should annotate the text and take notes on the Crash Course video (heads up--he speaks REALLY quickly, so you may have to watch it more than once!). They also need to complete the "Respond" on their history calendars for this week.
Today we started with our deep dive into the middle ages time period. We start immediately after the fall of Rome, with the Byzantine Empire. This week's focus is to understand how to annotate a text. Learning how to annotate will greatly improve retention of content. In addtition, you can annotate across all subject matter! We are focusing on to Stop and Jots (annotations) this week-- Doodles & Big Ideas. Students will apply these two to two sections of content about the Byzantine & Constaintine.
Today we discussed why we even needed to study history at all! Students gave excellent examples and reasons to support why it is a good idea to study history! Because the time period we will be focusing on is the middle ages, I wanted to do a brief overview of the ancient cultures before we got started. It's important that students understand that history doesn't happen in a vacuum and that the world is always changing. For that reason, we have to position where we will begin our study with a brief overview of what has lead us to that point. A mneumonic I like to use for history is the word GRAPES--this stands for geography, religion, achievements, politics, economy, and social structures. We will be using this mneumonic all year long. We will also be learning how to annotate history texts as well. One important thing I want to students to understand in this class as well, is we will be sharing our opinions. Everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion and it is not wrong or bad or incorrect to have an opinion. There may be a fair amount of debate to attempt to change opinions, but everyone will be respectful and courteous in our discussions. Additionally, history is full of people and cultures with which you may or may not agree. The same is true. We will be studying history from a factual perspective, so while we will discuss hard topics (religion, outdated practices, etc), we will do so with respect!
For HW this week, students need to complete the graphic organizer and response questions sent home. Students are encouraged to use research materials (the internet is fantastic as long as it is a credible source) to fill in the blanks on the organizer. Additionally, students should complete the history room escape on my homepage.
As always, if you have questions, please don't hesitate to email!