"I am Spartacus!"

We started Spartacus today and will finish it by Friday, with some interruptions along the way.  Some of you will miss a day due to the PLAN test.  I hope you were focusing on my bits about the "Blacklist" during the Red Scare of the 1950's in the USA and the lack of technological development in societies dependent upon slave labor.  There is much more to this movie than what you see and hear.  I mentioned this to one class - when you become more mature and culturally aware, your brains will start to revert to its pre-adolescent stage when you had questions and soaked up knowledge.  Some movies (and books, and music, and plays, etc.) have more to them than, "I like when truck go boom."  Think about what you see, hear, and make connections to what you know.  Ciao...

ZZZZ - Huh, What?

We watched a video about Rome.  Yeah, I usually never do such a thing on a Monday, but it fit well with the 2-day week.  We'll have a quiz on it tomorrow, so I hope you stayed awake.  Your timeline is due tomorrow.  Make sure you attach the chronology with the rubric and your name somewhere on the actual timeline itself.  After the video quiz, we'll score the timelines.  You get to enjoy your 5-day break...unless you haven't been keeping up in class.  You may want to review chapter 6.

All Roads Lead to...

Romo.  Oops.  I meant Rome.  We corrected the Rome packet (Ch. 6) today.  The answer key is available on the moodle.  There are still some people who do not understand due dates.  When something is corrected as a class, you cannot turn it in late for any credit.  That is why I always give an "oops' day for anyone who may have forgotten or lost their homework.  There was also a case of students coming to me at the end of class with their "completed" and scored work that had not been turned in and/or shown to me prior to our going over the work.  This is cheating, since it was obvious that they simply wrote down the answers as we went over them. 

Regarding cheating, many of you still do not understand the difference between WORKING WITH and COPYING FROM.  I encourage students to work together to find and figure out answers.  That is part of the learning process.  But when you simply copy the work, you may be getting the credit or better score/grade, but you're not learning.  I respect the student who EARNED 50% more than the student who copied his/her way to 60%.  Because, in the end, you will be beaten by the test, discussion, or other assessment.  Getting a good grade in your class means nothing without having learned something.  You will be amazed to find out what you do not know when applying for or starting a new job, only to be fired because you haven't learned what was expected of you as a graduate. 

Never be ashamed of not knowing something.  Do your best.  Learn what you can.  Ask for help.  Get clarification.  Learn.  Study.  Know. 

Timelines due Tuesday.  Start with Etruscan settlements (900 BCE).  And please remember to keep the integrity of the dates on the line.  Do not place an event from 88 BCE next to an event from 70 BCE and use the same distance to then place an event from 60 BCE.  There should be twice as much space between the first two dates as there is between the last two.  Understand?  If not, google timelines and figure it out.  Time is running out.  It's due Tuesday!  No extensions!!!

Stab Stab Stab!

We watched an episode of Conquest: Roman Weapons today.  After learning about what the Romans used and how they fought, we moved on to Pliny's account of Vesuvius.  There was a little interruption to the video when I talked about sewers, plumbing, and "toilet paper."  I hope you enjoyed the lesson.  We'll correct Ch. 6 work tomorrow, and I'll answer last-minute questions about the timeline which is absolutely, positively due by Tuesday.

Email

I taught you how to forward your MPS email to your personal email.  I was a little disappointed in some of you not knowing your passwords - you had been warned/reminded numerous times.  I think there may be a correlation between being prepared and passing the class.  Check the portal to see if that's true.  grades will be completely updated by tomorrow eve.  You need to turn in the Rome Packet (Ch. 6) so we can correct it in class.  There may be a test of some sort next Tuesday.  PREPARE!!!

Rome, Day 1

You picked up two maps (one sheet, back-to-back).  I projected both for you to copy.  If you did not finish, lost yours, or were not here, you can get the GDoc here.  I also showed you the first 3-4 minutes of the HBO series "Rome" which depicted the organizational structure of a Roman legion in combat.  A soldier was one of a group, rarely fighting as an individual.  We'll be in the computer lab (E118) on Wednesday.  I'll show you how to forward your MPS email, check the calendar, and you'll also complete a chart comparing the Republic with the Empire.  

From now on, I will copy&paste the daily instructions to the blog.

Pick up Map Handout       

        You will need 1color          

    Grade sheets - bring back a signed note from parents for EC            

    Homework:       

        Ch. 6 Packet  (Due Thursday, Nov 18th)   

        Rome Timeline (Due Tuesday Nov. 23rd)   

    Test Results are on the portal

    Open your notebooks to a blank page (Name and Date)       

        Title:  Rome   

            List as much as you can think of regarding Ancient Rome

Veterans

After yesterday's Greece Test, we take a step aside to watch some video segments about Veterans.  Nov. 11 is used to commemorate all of those people who have, are, or planning to serve in the United States military in order to protect the liberties we cherish every day. 

Understand that as we move forward in history, you should become more aware of "the state" as the benefactor of human service.  Citizens and non-citizens alike are often put into positions to fight for, defend, and die for a nation/country.

We will begin the unit on Rome tomorrow.  Read Chapter 6!!!

Plato, Troy, and Sacrifice

The Plato essay was due yesterday, but I allowed students to turn it in today with no penalty.  Unfortunately, many students believed an excuse would allow for extra time.  An assignment is due in hard copy format (printed out) by the beginning of class.  Students are able to print out their work in the media center before or after school, or during lunch.  I will still accept printed essays through Wednesday for partial credit.

We watched an episode of The Simpsons today:  Lemon of Troy (6.24).  It is a cultural reference to the Trojan War.

We also discussed four questions.  For those of you not in class today (including ALL of you from 2nd hour), the four questions are shown below in invisotext (just click and drag over to read).  Take out a note card (you should have bought them last quarter) and answer the four questions in order...WITHOUT jumping ahead.  Part of the fun is answering each question before you know what the next one asks.  When you answer yes or no, follow with a brief explanation (1-2 written lines).  After answering all four, summarize what you thought about.  It's all part of my hope to have a frank and honest discussion on Veterans Day about serving your country.

1.  Would you DIE for your family?
2.  Would you KILL for your family?
3.  Would you KILL for your country?
4.  Would you DIE for your country?

On the back, answer this:  What is a valid reason to commit US soldiers to combat?  Defend?  Attack?  Basically, what would justify (make it OK) to send US sodliers to their death?

There is a test tomorrow on chapters 4 & 5.  For students who still do not have a textbook, I no longer wonder why you are struggling in class.

Who's Who

We reconnected after a 4-day break today. I distributed grade sheets to students who did not have parents visit with me at conferences.  As noted, there will be a project for students earning less than a C at Winter Break who may want to pass the class.

There was a group task to think of people/groups we have learned about in class so far and indicate which civilization to which each belonged and the importance/relevance of each as well.  These are the people:  Achilles, Alexander, Athenians, Buddha, Hammurabi, Hatshepsut, Hindus, Lucy, Moses, Persians (Xerxes), Phillip II, Phoenicians, Plato., Socrates, Spartans (Leonides), Tut

I collected the Greece Maps (Mediterranean World, Greece, Alexander's Empire) as well, after going over the questions on the back of the Alexander map.

Do not forget about the Plato essay due tomorrow.  A hard copy must be in my possession at the start of class.

Conferences

Regarding conferences, I wanted to let everyone know that I will be available in room E5 (East Building - Lower Level) during the following times:

Weds, 11/3  From 4:00 to 9:00 (staying 1 hour later) Thurs. 11/4  From 7:00 to 2:00 (starting 2 hrs earlier, but ending 3 hours earlier)

If you cannot meet me during those times, please contact me with questions or another request and we can figure out what to do.  Know that there are still over two months left until the end of the semester and EVERY student can dramatically improve his/her grade. 

There is an essay due next week about whether or not "you" (the student) agree with Plato's belief that only the wise should make decisions and rule. 

5 Pargraph Essay Model, 250-500 words, Typed, 12-pt font (normal font), double-spaced. 

Due Mon (but I'll take it Tues). 

Also keep up to date with classroom activities through my blog:  romoglobe.blogspot.com and know that ALL handouts and notes are available through the Moodle (students should know about this).

Thank you, and know that if you ever have any questions or concerns, email is the best way to reach me!

Greece Test

The list of terms on the test (Probably Tues or Weds next week) is below:

Achilles   Deities    Leonidas    Philip II
Acropolis    Democracy    Macedonia    Philosphers
Agora   Elements    Marathon    Plato
Alexander the Great    Euclid    Mercenary    Polis
Amphora    Euripides    Minoan    Rhetoric
Archimedes    Foreigner    Mount Olympus    Sanctuary
Aristarchus    Geometry    Mycenaeans    Scholars
Aristocrat    Greece: Ages of (highs and lows)    Odyssey    Slave
Aristotle    Oedipus Rex    Socrates
Asia Minor    Hellenism    Oligarchy    Solon
Athens    herodotus    Oresteia    Sophocles
Bards    Hippocrates    Peistratus    Sparta
Citizen    History of the Persian Wars    Peloponnesian War    Stoicism
Cleisthenes    Persia    The Republic
Colonization    Homer    Perspective    Thermopylae
Crete    Iliad    Phalanx    Tyrant
Cyprus    Knossos    Pheidippides    Xerxes

Plato, Alexander, and Rome

So, I fooled many of you yesterday in class.  If you lost your notes and/or didn't take any.  They are below.  remember that your essay is due Monday - but I'll take it Tuesday.   You must have a hard copy to me by then.  The turnitin version will be done in two weeks as well.  In class today, we watched a 25-minute video about Alexander the Great.  Remember that "the Great" is granted to him by Europeans.  I hope you actually learned something.  There will be NO TEST TOMORROW!  Instead, you'll complete another map on Alexander's conquests and I'll go over some topics of the Greece Exam, which will be next Tuesday or Wednesday.  We're moving on to Rome on Monday.

Plato:                               
    Educated from birth to highest level possible for abilities and interests.                           
    3 Classes of People, all sharing Virtue of Justice:                           
        Ruling Class:  Virtue of Wisdom, minority group                       
        Military Class: Virtue of Courage                       
        Merchant Class: Virtue of Temperance                       
    People are controlled by mind, will, and appetite                           
        wants & needs                       
    "the especially wise people should make the decisions"                           
        Do you agree or disagree?                       
    Jefferson Disagrees - inform the people so they can make wise decisions                           
                               
                               
    5-Paragraph Model 
    (estimate 5-8 sentences per paragraph)
    Typed                     
    Double-Spaced                           
    12 Point Font                           
    Normal Font                            
    250-500 Words                           
    Hard Copy DUE Monday (I'll take it Tuesday)                           
                               
    Absolutely NO "I" Statements       

Alexander's Empire

So, you'll have to use the two maps below to complete your map excercise of Alexander the Great's Empire.

Below is the Persian Empire for Comparison: