Today in Humanities we continued our study of the Scientific Revolution. We did some new reading about many of the thinkers in the revolution and their ideas, and created a chart to judge their impact on science for the world. Homework is to continue working on the project which is due May 1.

Today in Humanities the students presented country projects  (the late ones) and handed in their vocabulary dictionaries. We had one final reading packet to finish our study of Latin America and will start a new unit next week.

Today we introduced our Scientific Revolution unit and upcoming project. It is due on May 1.

The project is as follows:

The Scientific Revolutionaries
The Scientific Revolution in early modern European history brought about a dramatic shift in the way that scientists described the universe and the place of the earth within it. Discoveries in astronomy, mathematics and physics contributed to this shift in worldview and led to conflicts with long-held beliefs, both scientific and religious.
Five of the most prominent participants in the Scientific Revolution were:

• Nicolaus Copernicus
• Galileo Galilei
• Tycho Brahe
• Johann Kepler
• Isaac Newton

You will begin a project that will illuminate the lives, discoveries, and controversies of these five famous Revolutionaries.

Components: Oral Presentation, Tri-Board, 3D Model

You will read through their biographies, plot their location(s) on a map, answer a set of guiding questions, and give an oral presentation with both a tri-board and 3D model of something relevant to your assigned scientist.

Guiding Questions:
The following questions will help focus your research:
• What biographical details are available on the scientist, i.e., dates and places of birth/death, family life, religious background, etc.?
• What kind of educational training did each scientist have?
• How did this compare with the access to education of most of the European population? What types of patronage did each scientist have?
• What does this tell you about the relationship between knowledge and power in early modern Europe?
• What are some reasons why monarchs and nobles would fund these types of scientific research?
• What was the driving force behind their interest?
• How was it connected to the expansion of trade and increased government support for trade and exploration?

To obtain basic biographical information including education and patronage, use the search engine at: http://es.rice.edu/ES/humsoc/Galileo/Catalog/catalog.html

Requirements:
Items Required for Tri-Board:
• Picture/illustration/depiction of Scientist
• Map with important locations pinned or marked
• Other visuals that display education and patronage (for example, a picture of the university they attended, portrait of their main patron, etc.)
• Some type of visual or written component that illustrates their major discovery

Specifications for 3-D Model:
Must be representative of something relevant to the understanding of the Revolutionary as a scholar, scientist, and/or controversial figure. For example, a clay bust or sculpture, a diorama or architectural rendering of a university, a mobile or model of their planetary vision, etc.

Oral Presentation:
Should take between 5 to 10 minutes. Note cards should be used during presentation to guide you and will need to be turned in by the specified date for review, along with a list of sources used. However, no other written component will be required for this part of the project.
 

Today we read the short story The Scarlet Ibis and worked on an activity to follow up on the story. We will continue this tomorrow in class.

If you were absent you can find a link to the story here:

http://209.184.141.5/westwood/academ/depts/dpteng/l-coker/virtualenglish/englsih%20i/english%20ia/scarlet_ibis.htm

The story is short and easy to read. You will be given a paper copy in class when you return.

A reminder that the country project is due tomorrow and the dictionary project is due on Thursday.

Homwork tonight is to finish the rough draft of your Literary Naturalism story due tomorrow. Reminder- this is just a rough draft and does not necessarily need to be typed.

Homework is to read through page 89 in The Count of Monte Cristo by Monday, April 16.

Today we presented our Renaissance Photojournals. If you were absent today you must turn this in when you return.

We are beginning our study of The Scientific Revolution, and we ended class reading chapter 17 in the green world history textbook.

Today we did several readings on Latin America through the early 1900s. If you were not here you will need to get them from me. A reminder that you will need laptops in class tomorrow as we will be working on our individual country projects (due April18) and vocab dictionaries (due date will be determined tomorrow). In addition, you will have a quiz on chapter 27 of the green world history text on Monday, April 16.

A reminder that the photojournals are due tomorrow!

Today in class we started reading about the Reformation. We had a small in-class project. A reminder that if you were absent you will need to get the green World History text and read the sections on the Reformation- pgs 338-345.

I look forward to seeing the photojournals tomorrow!

Today in class we covered Latin America post Revolution-era and the Monroe Doctrine (pages 607-615 in the green World History text). We worked on an in-class project- the Latin America Dictionary. Students will have time to work on this as well as their country project in class on Thursday, April 12- they CAN bring their laptops that day.

A reminder that the Country Project is due on April 18.

Read through page 75 in Count of Monte Cristo by Tuesday. Have a great long weekend!

Today the students handed in their second drafts of their Open Boat essays. We will do one final activity with these on Wednesday. We started reading The Veldt by Ray Bradbury and the homework is to brainstorm ideas about how the themes of alienation, consumerism, abandonment, revenge, illusion vs reality work in the story. This should be done on paper- saying it is in my head is not enough- and is due in class on Wednesday, April 4.

Today the students took their map quiz on Latin America. We did some reading about the geography of Latin America. Homework is to begin researching the colonial and contemporary history of one of the countries in the region. The assignments are as follows:

Ian- Costa Rica

Jose- Mexico

Georgie- Colombia

Robbie- Brazil

Adam- Argentina

The students are encouraged to consult the country timeline feature on bbc.co.uk.

Today the students took their quiz over the reading from The Count of Monte Cristo. These were in general very poor and it is clear that most students are rushing through their reading, not reading for detail, content, comprehension, etc. We encountered this last term with the Lord of the Flies and many of the quiz grades brought down overall grade averages. Students need to be reading thoroughly. The reading assignments are very short and students have adequate time to prepare. Once again I am grading this first quiz far more leniently than normal, but this will not occur for the next one. We spent much of class time going through the text. Students are to read through chapter 7- page 30- and are encouraged to take notes, make lists of characters, themes, descriptive details, etc. to help with their reading for comprehension strategies. They should read these 15 pages by Thursday, and they had ample time to get much of it done today in class.

Today we turned in our first drafts of the Open Boat essays. The students made their first attempt at writing in the Literary Naturalism style.

Homework is: Students should create a second draft of their essay after reviewing my feedback given in class today. This should be at least 1 1/2 pages. The first draft should be stapled to the second draft. This will be due on Monday.
 

Today the students continued to work on their narrative essays and began reading the Count of Monte Cristo. They should read through chapter 4 by Monday. (The chapters are short- this only up until page 15.)

Today we worked on a map of Europe and continued work on the Italian Renaissance. Students will have a map quiz on Europe on Monday, April 2.

Students read The Open Boat by Stephen Crane today and have the following homework for it:

Students should analyze how Stephen Crane views nature. The essay should be rough, (handwritten is fine) with a proper intro, body and conclusion and approximately 1 1/2- 2 pages. We will be working with this and reviewing the writing process during the next week. This version does not need to be perfect but there should be thought put into it.
 

On our first day back we worked in our new student atlases and began our first area of study- Europe and the Renaissance. Our first assignment is to answer the following in the green World History text:

pg 329 #1 and 2

334- #1

338- #1

341- #1 and 2

345 #1 and 2.

We will have time to work on this tomorrow as well before it is due on Thursday. Several students were absent today and they need to be working on this diligently when they return.

Today we began our study of Latin America. We will focus first on the geography and then move into the history. We worked with our new atlases and will continue this tomorrow in class.

Hi All,

To wrap up our 2011-2012 school year our 7th and 8th grade students will discover how artists of the Renaissance period gave their inquisitive nature audience, thus abandoning the restrictive tendencies of the Byzantine philosophy and approach to life and society.  Our studies will help us understand how this newly embraced freedom gave way to intellectual enlightenment. Through observations and studies artists began to understand more fully the design and workings of the human form, architectural perspectives, as well as all things natural.

Students will again have a portfolio compiled of a variety of drawings reflecting the various techniques practiced by our favorite Renaissance artists.  To round out our studies students will also be assigned an oral presentation and a written research paper on their choice of Renaissance artists as well as quizzes, a new forum of discussion called the "Cunae Cafe", and the ever dreaded FINAL.

We've got such a great group of students!  I look as forward to the fabulous works yet to be created as I do the fun shared in the process of creating. 

If you have any questions or comments, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Mrs. Abby

Students will need their laptops (if they have them) next Wednesday, February 29 for their Oral Communications final project/exam.

Humanities 7/8 Exam Review Sheet
Below are the areas you should be reviewing for the exam. The exam will be a mixture of multiple choice, map skills questions, short answer and essay. To prepare you will need to review the concepts below and make sure you can adequately explain them.

Multiple Choice:
Review pages 190- 202 and 220-232 in the purple text

Map Section:
World Map- shade the countries of India, China and North Korea
India (and surrounding area) map- Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Calcutta, New Delhi, Ganges river, Narmada river, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal
China map- Beijing, Shanghai, Wuhan, Guangzhou, Yangze river, Yellow river, Yellow Sea, North China Plain

Short answer:
Topics will include China’s 1 child policy, Chinese philosophers, Hinduism, Geography dictionary words, terms and concepts, and North Korea. Year 7s will expected 2 answer 2 with one paragraph each, and year 8s will be expected to answer 3 with one paragraph each.

Essay:
The essay will cover son preference and gendercide. You will have flexibility in not only your choice of essay but also how to answer it. Remember to use examples from DVDs, readings, etc., that we have covered in class. A possible essay choice could be: Describe 3 tenets of China’s One Child policy and explain how this has not only led to son preference over time, but also the “gendercide” we see happening in much of Asia today. Year 7s should write 3 paragraphs and Year 8s should write 4 paragraphs.

Language Arts 7/8-

Review the definitions of plot, setting, and theme and think of examples for each in the short stories we have read in class.

Section 1- Vocabulary-
Be able to define these words which we have studied this term in class:
belligerent, sagacity, ubiquitous, ardent, squalid, volition, guile, vehement, heresy, magnanimous, fervent, deride, diffidence, assiduously, tentative, fervor, oblivion, benevolent, manifest, reverence

Section 2- Short answer
Year 7s should answer both questions with 2 paragraphs each. Year 8s should answer both with 3 paragraphs.
Compare and contrast the literary devices and themes of 2 of the following short stories- The Lottery, The Third Wave, The Scarlet Ibis, The Possibility of Evil

Compare and contrast a main character from 2 of the following short stories- The Lottery, The Third Wave, The Scarlet Ibis, The Possibility of Evil while considering personality, setting, character development and if he/she changed during the story

Section 3- Multiple Choice-
You will be given several multiple questions about the content of Lord of the Flies

Section 4- Essay
You will be given one long essay question on the Lord of the Flies. Year 7s should write 3 paragraphs and Year 8s should write 4 paragraphs. The question will focus on symbolism in the novel.

Humanities 9/10 Exam Review sheet

Below are the areas you should be reviewing for the exam. The exam will be a mixture of multiple choice, map skills questions, short answer and essay. To prepare you will need to review the concepts below and make sure you can adequately explain them. If textbook pages are mentioned you will need to focus on the material on those pages for the multiple choice section.

Map section:
World map- shadow the continent of Africa and the region of SE Asia
Africa map- shadow the region of North Africa according to the green geo text on page 522- (this includes Western Sahara, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Egypt), label Sudan, Uganda, Nigeria, South Africa, Angola and Egypt and their capitols, the Nile river, the Niger river, Mt Kilimanjaro, and the Red Sea
SE Asia map- Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Cambodia and their capitols, South China Sea

Multiple Choice:
pgs 593- 597 and 789- 793 in the green world history text, pgs 522- 580 in the green world geography text

Short answer:
Topics will focus on the Killing Fields, the Vietnam war, biomes, biodiversity, the fuelwood crisis, the current situation of HIV in Africa, genocide, North Korea. Year 9s will be expected to answer 2 questions with 2 paragraphs each, and Year 10s will be expected to answer 3 questions with 2 paragraphs each. You will be given a choice on which ones to answer.

Essay:
The essay will cover an African and/or SE Asian genocide. You will be given a choice of what to answer and will have flexibility in your choices. The essay should be at least 3 paragraphs and specific examples from the various readings and DVDs we have watched this term should be included. A sample essay could be: Compare the aftermath of the genocide in Cambodia to the one in Sudan. Provide geographic information, the approximate years they took place, the effects on the people and land, and the state of the region and its people today. Note- we have viewed DVDs on each of these genocides so you can use examples from these in your essay.

Language Arts 9/10-

Section 1- Vocabulary-
Be able to define the following words shich we have studied this term-
emanated, retribution, impartial, aesthetic, moiety, epithalamic, fervent, deride, diffidence, assiduously, tentative, fervor, oblivion, benevolent, manifest, reverence, fervor, deride, diffidence, assiduously, tentative, oblivion, benevolent, manifest, reverence

Section 2- Short answer- Year 9s will be expected to write 3 full paragraphs for each. Year 10s will be expected to write 3 paragraphs as well but with more analysis and detail.

Compare contrast the literary devices and themes of 2 of the following short stories- The Story of an Hour, The Necklace, The Lady or The Tiger, The Most Dangerous Game, Love is a Fallacy

Compare and contrast a main character from 2 of the short stories listed above while considering personality, setting, character development and if he/she changed during the story

Section 3- Long essay-
Year 9s should aim for 4 complete paragraphs and include one concrete quote/citation from the text. Year 10s should write 4 paragraphs and use 2 specific quotes/citations/examples from the text.

This question will appear exactly as it is on the exam:

Consider the following quote from Ted Conover. Do you think he was successful in telling “the story” in this book? Why/why not?

“… The INS, I was surprised to discover, often knows where they are and how they move, even if they don’t always act  on the information. What La Migra does not know- what it perhaps cannot afford to know- is the human side of the men and women it arrests, the drama of their lives. That’s what this book is about. It is not a policy book, but a story. It relates to policy only insofar as I hope through it to flesh out a missing perspective in the immigration debate: the perspective of those whom the whole thing is about. My belief is that few of the authors of the many books and articles written on immigration would recognize an ‘illegal alien’ if he came up and offered to shine their shoes- much less share a word or two. That is a problem, the main reason, I think, that the terms of the debate have tended to dehumanize the Mexicans, turning them from people into ‘illegal aliens.’”

Today we began a project on the geographic and economic challenges which face certain African countries. The students have been assigned a country and will need their laptops for research tomorrow, Wed Feb 22. The assignments are as follows:

Ethiopia- Ian

Congo- Robbie

Mali- Adam

Somalia- Gwyneth

Chad- Georgie

Eritrea- Jose

Just a reminder that we will have PE on Tuesday and Thursday this week and we will be running/brisk walking. Students are encouraged to bring not only suitable shoes but music (iPod, etc.) as well. During these next 3 weeks we will be devoting more time to longer runs (brisk walks for those with injuries)  to prepare for our upcoming PE day on March 9.

In addition, review sheets will be handed out this week for the Humanities and English exams. They will be posted to thinkwave as well. As mentioned in the Term 1 conferences the exams will be more rigorous than before. We will go over everything the students need to know in class and discuss study skills and techniques, and this provides an excellent opportunity for students to challenge themselves and work toward a goal. We have been able to make good use of our class time each day this term and I know the students can do a great job on these exams!

Today the students worked on their "Day in the Life" in-class project.  A REMINDER THAT THE STUDENTS MUST BRING THEIR CAMERA, A CORD/DEVICE TO GET THEIR PICTURES OFF THEIR CAMERA, AND ONE PERSON IN THE GROUP MUST BRING A LAPTOP ON MONDAY, FEB 20. It will not be acceptable to say "I forgot"- we will need to do this work in class or it will be homework. I anticipate these projects to look great!

We began our debates yesterday in Oral Communication. Half of the students debated the topic- Should the sale of alcohol be restricted or banned? and the other half got the topic- Should pharmaceutical companies sell HIV/AIDS drugs cheaper to poorer countries, such as the ones in Sub Saharan Africa? We began the work but will continue this next Wed, Feb 22 in class. Homework is to research the effects of alcohol on health and societal well being and also the profitability of pharmaceutical companies, depending on which group the students are assigned, and to use statistics, case studies, etc. to help their argument.

A reminder that the Geography dictionary project words quiz will be on Monday, Feb 20.

The words are as follows (they have been posted earlier as well!):
infrastructure
renewable resources
nonrenewable resources
inexhaustible resources
Communism/Command Economy
Socialism, Traditional Economy
Free Enterprise
cottage industries
globalization
culture
pandemic
trade deficit
indigenous
innovation
customs
dialect
pop culture
ethnic group
convergence
divergence
social mobility
multicultural
precipitation
biome
core
mantle
crust