I’m baaaaack!

Please Do Now:

1. Watch the video clip and journal a response.  How does this video relate to how you learn in History class, especially in light of the recent test?

Today, students will:

1. Review Friday’s test.
2. Learn the history of the ancient Hebrews (Hebrews PowerPoint)

Tonight’s homework is:

1. Read the section of the book that discusses the Hebrews.

Test Results

Just thought I’d update everyone on the test results.  You can find your individual grade on the student or parent portal.  Here was the breakdown:

A: X

B: XXXXXXXX

C: XXXXX

D: XXXXX

F: XXXXXX

As you can see, the mode grade was a B and the median was a C.  There were 10 A’s and B’s, and 11 D’s and F’s.  This is approximately the distribution one would naturally expect, and in fact many college professors automatically ‘curve’ their grades to fit a distribution similar to this one. 

That said, I would have liked to have seen more A’s.  This distribution also approximately matches the number of hands that went up when I asked who had studied, “Not at all,” “A Little,” “Medium,” and “A Lot.”  Let’s chalk it up to this being the first exam and you guys getting used to the format, but remember that the tests won’t be getting any easier.  If you want your grade to improve, you will have to put in the effort.

I will allow students to retake this test and average their two grades together.  Retakes must be completed by the end of the week in my office during lunch.  I will not be in school on Tuesday and I have a lunch meeting on Wednesday, so be advised that your only options are today, Thursday or Friday.  Please make your arrangements accordingly.

Best Regards,

Mr. Weiss 

Test Review Day

Please Do Now:

1. On a blank piece of paper, invent 5 questions that you think I might ask on Friday’s test.  Make two easy short answer questions, two medium short answer questions, and one hard essay question.  I will collect these when you are finished. 

Today, students will:

1. Divide into your peer editing groups..  These are your teams for today’s game.  Take 3 minutes to come up with a team name (suggestion: be like Alexander the Great and name them after yourselves).
2. Here is a list of some (not all) of the terms that I think will be helpful for Friday’s test (Test 1 Review List).    You will also be responsible for bigger why and how questions (How did civilizations develop?  Why did agriculture start in only a few places?  How does material culture spread?)
3. The game works like charades.  A representative from each team draws terms from a box, and acts them out while their teammates try to guess the terms.  The team that guesses the most terms wins.
4. The rules are as follows: In round 1, people who are acting out the terms can talk while their teammates are guessing, but cannot say the word or anything that sounds like it or rhymes with it.  In round 2, people can act out the terms but can only say two words.  In round 3, people can only act out the terms but cannot say anything.  Teams that are not performing for a round must silently pay attention so they can learn good words and motions to use in later rounds.
5. Teams go in turns and have one minute to act out as many terms as possible.  The round conitnues until all terms are guessed.  Each term is worth one point.  If you mess up and break the rules, your team loses one point.   

Tonight’s homework is:

1. Study for the test!

The Last of the Egyptians

Please Do Now:

1.  In 1200 BC the Middle East entered the Iron Age.  What effect do you predict this had on Egypt and why?

Today students will:

1. Learn the history of Late Kingdom Egypt (SS.A.2.4). Egypt PowerPoint 3
2. Understand the factors that led to the decline of Ancient Egypt (SS.B.2.4).

Tonight’s homework is:

1. Invent your own city name (Alexander -> Alexandria).
2. Study for Friday’s test.

More Egyptians

Please Do Now:

1. Why do you think the Egyptians spent so much time building pyramids?  What do the pyramids tell us about the Egyptians?

Today, students will:

1. Learn about the cultural advancements of Middle and New Kingdom Egypt. (Egypt 2 PowerPoint) (SS.A.2.4)
2. Understand ancient Egyptian concepts of the afterlife. (SS.A.1.4)
3. View a short movie about ancient Egyptian life and culture.

Tonight’s homework is:

1. Read pages 20-29.
2. Answer question #5 as a post to your blog.

Egyptians

Please Do Now:

1. Why was the Nile River so important to ancient Egypt?  Compare and contrast the Fertile Crescent and the Nile River.

Today, students will:

1. Understand cultural diffusion from the Fertile Crescent to Egypt.
2. Learn the cultural advancements of predynastic and Old Kingdom Egypt. (Egypt Powerpoint 1)

Tonight’s homework is:

1. Review the comments your peers have made on your essay. 
2. Revise your essay and post the FINAL DRAFT on you blog by Wednesday.

Sumerians

Please Do Now:

1. Imagine you are stuck on an island with no supermarket food.  What kinds of plants will you select to eat and how will you choose?

Today, students will:

1. Understand how people first became farmers (SS.B.2.4).
2. Learn the cultural advancements of the Sumerians (SS.A.2.4).
3. Answer questions on a Sumerians PowerPoint (LA.A.1.4.2, LA.A.2.4.2).

Tonight’s homework is:

1. Now that the peer editing list and comment form is online, use them to comment on your groupmates’ essays.

Power Outage Lesson

Today students did:

1. Introduction to Sumerian civilization
2. Read the Sumerian epic Gilgamesh

Tonight’s homework was:

1. Form peer editing groups.
2. Comment on each other’s essays using the comment form.