Essay Portion of Exam

Today we had a really short class due to the senior awards assembly this morning. We only had like a 30 minute class to write our essays. Thankfully, Mr. Schick only made us do two essays and not three. I'm really glad because there is no way I would have been able to finish three good essays in that amount of time. I think my essays are pretty good for having written them in only like 25 minutes so hopefully I do well on them.

Rome Test

Today in class we took the test on Ancient Rome. Thankfully, I think I did really well. After everyone finished their tests, we got on Mr. Schick's blog and went over the essay questions for the essay portion of the exam we will take tomorrow. Mr. Schick had all of our tests graded by the end of class so we all got to know our grades. We also got to choose whether we wanted to keep our projects or get rid of them.

Review

Today for the entire class we reviewed for the Rome test. I'm very thankful we did that because it showed me exactly what I need to study and what I don't know. I made a really helpful study guide in class while we reviewed and took some more notes. We obviously don't have school on Monday and Tuesday is the test so today was our last day to review. Then, we have the first part of our exam on Wednesday–the essay portion.

More Group Presentations

Today my group presented and I think we did pretty well. We did pretty well answering questions and showing our model of the baths. Then Ryan, Luke and Pierce presented their crucification project. They did a really good job making that cross and did a pretty good job presenting.

Project Presenting

Today in class we watched three groups present. First, we watched Kacey and Meridith present their Libum and pottery. They presented their tri-fold and then passed out grape juice and Libum. They did a great job! Then we watched Avery's PowerPoint and saw her painting. The painting she made illustrated the old paintings they would place over mummy's heads. She was inspired by a certain painting and she did a really good job re-illustrating it. Great artist! Last but not least, Hunter and Stevie presented their aqueduct. It was somewhat different from the ancient aqueducts but it still worked really well and looked great! Everyone did a good job and deserves good grades. Tomorrow my group presents first then other groups will follow.

Project

Today Mr. Schick let us work on our projects for the entire class which was really helpful. My group started hot gluing our project, now all we have left is to finish typing our paper. I'm hoping everything goes well with our project. We are the first group to present on Tuesday morning.

Pop Quiz and Project

Today we started off class with a pop quiz. I did pretty well. Then, we thankfully had time to work on our group projects. The project is due Monday so I'm glad we had time to work on it!

Substitute Teachers

Today in class we had some substitutes...AKA Jude and I. I thought we were doing pretty well and were funny but apparently not good enough. So then Peev and Steve took over and taught us for the rest of the class. I don't think Mr. Schick was too impressed with our teaching skills but it definitely made for a fun class.

Today I was late to class so I obviously missed what happened in the beginning of class. When I walked in, the movie we have been watching was playing so I sat down and watched. We watched the rest of the video and then spent the rest of class talking about it.

Project

Today we had a substitute because Mr. Schick was not here. We got into our groups and worked on our projects "seriously and quietly". My group started the PowerPoint we are working on. We were unable to start building today because Mr. Gaudreu had a class. Since today is probably the last day we will be able to work on our projects in class, we will start staying after school to work.

Rome Notes and Video

Today we took some more notes on Rome. Mr. Schick preceded the notes by using Ryan and I as an example– a  married couple living on a farm...not cute. Then we started watching a movie until class ended.

Government of Ancient Rome and the US

Today I was late to class so I was a little behind on the notes, but we talked about Rome and the US's 3 branches of government. 1. executive 2. legislative 3. judicial.

Rome (SPQR) : Executive

• Two consuls 
• One year terms 
• Each has veto power
• Controls military
• Could appoint a dictator in a crisis for a six-month term 

US: Executive 

• President and VP
• 4 year terms 
• Can veto proposed laws
• Commander- in- Chief 

SPQR: legislative 

• Senate 300 people, aristocrats 
• assemblies 
• ALL members for LIFE 

US: Legislative 

• Senate, 100 senators, two from each state
• 6 year terms 
• House of Representatives, 435 members 

SPQR: Judicial 

• prators 
• chosen by the Centuriate Assembly
• 1 year terms 

US: Judicial 

• Supreme Court 
• 9 members 
• Appointed by the President, confirmed by the senate
• Lifetime terms 

Tons and Tons of Notes

Today we took four and a half pages of notes. We talked about consuls and their jobs, patrician dominance in the 5th century BCE, plebians, the SPQR, respublica, democracy, aristocracy, monarchy, Roman Legion, the three punic wars, Marcus Port Cato and so much more. It is hard to summarize the notes we took today because we took so many but those are the topics we covered. Today we went over a lot of things but I understood everything so I feel pretty good about it.

Beginning notes of Rome and Quite a Story!

Latins (came first)
-descendants of Indo-Europeans
-settled on banks of the Tiber River
-situated so that trading ships could navigate as far as Rome, no further. (not war fleets)
-commercial port- not susceptible to attack
-built on seven hills, especially Palatine

Etruscans
-Came from the North
-metalworkers, architects, and artists
-foundation myths: Virgil's Aeneid (similar to the Odyssey)and Remus and Romulus

Greeks
-had colonies all over the Mediterranean Sea
-Romans borrowed ideas from them such as: their alphabet, religion, art, military techniques and weaponry

They drained a swamp...
-many streams flowed into the Tiber
-marshy area called the Forum between the Palatine and Capitoline Hills
-Tarquin the Proud's grandfather built the Cloaca Maxima (largest ancient drain) which channeled water into the Tiber
-Urban Legend- DC was built was on a swamp...only 2% was actually swampland

Lucius Tarquinias Superbus
-7th and final king of Rome
-known was Tarquin the Proud/Tarquin the Arrogant
-true tyrant
-The people's shock at his behavior and this horrible family made them NEVER want to be subject to the rule of kings EVER again- this was an attitude that lasted centuries

Fire Drill

 Today in class we had a fire drill basically as soon as class started. Once we got back, we got into our groups and brainstormed more on our projects. Mr. Schick asked everyone who was in their groups and what they were doing for their projects. Even though we did not start building, it was nice to start putting ideas together.

Absent

Today I was not in class because I was not in school.

Facts

Coliseum

• Titus opened the coliseum 
• It was officially known as the Flavian Amphitheater
• Was the largest amphitheater in the Roman world
• Inside, contained seating for more than 50,000 spectators
• Has over 80 entrances 
• The last gladiatorial fights took place in 435 AD
• Festivals/games could last up to 100 days in the coliseum
• Took 9 years to build 
• Built in 72 AD

Circus Maximus

• Was a chariot racetrack first constructed in the 6th century BCE
• Located in the valley between the Palatine and Aventine hills
• Oldest and largest public space in Rome 
• The track was originally covered in sand
• Also used for other public events such as the Roman Games and gladiator fights
• Principal function was as a chariot racetrack and host of the Roman Games which honored Jupiter. 
• The track had 12 starting gates and a decorated barrier that ran down the center of the track

Roman Forum

• The Roman Forum was an open space in the center of a Roman City (open place or market place)
• Forums might be surrounded by temples, shops, and basilicas.
• The Roman Senate was housed in a building inside the Roman Forum 
• Imperial Fora: group of forums built by emperors 
• Forum was originally a market place but was also used for funerals and festivals
• The Roman Forum was built by Romulus 

Aqueducts

• The Roman Aqueducts were used for indoor sewer systems that carried water away from the city
• They obviously also provided drinking water 
• Built of stone, brick and pozzuolana (special volcanic cement)
• Of the approx. 260 mi. of the aqueduct system, only 30 miles consisted of visible arched structures
• First aqueduct was built in 312 BC
• Water in aqueducts ran through concrete channels
• Advanced Roman plumbing 
• Also brought water to public fountains
• Took 500 years to build Rome's massive system 

Rome Projects

Today in class Mr. Schick posted project ideas to his blog and we all began thinking about our projects. We got into our groups and discussed ideas, my group basically already knows what we are doing and what materials we are going to use. My group is hopefully going to end up doing something different from everyone else. Mr. Schick will put a rubric on his blog soon. We have 3 weeks to get our projects done which seems like a good amount of time so I'm excited to see how everything will turn out.

Chi Cago

Today we started off by reviewing the notes we had had a special guest appearance from the very own, Chi Cago. Mr. Schick rapped livin in Rome today which he wrote and recorded himself. I wish I wouldn't have known about it before hand because it would've been funnier but it was still awesome. Mr. Schick definitely knows how to make class more fun and is definitely the coolest and best teacher!

Leaving School Early

Today I was not in class because I had to leave early at 1:45 for a softball game at Spalding.

Salve, Rome!

Today we started class out by getting our papers back and talking about corrections. We went over writing skills too. Then, we started going over the Rome PowerPoint. We talked about Indo-European tribes, the Etruscan people from the east, Romans, plebeians, patricians and others. We talked about their  government, values of gods, and their settlements. Today gave me more ideas on what I could do for my Rome project and hopefully the more we learn, I'll think of even more ideas.

Rome Projects

Today we started brain storming about our projects for Ancient Rome. Next week we will start learning about Rome so it will be easier to pick something to do a project on. Mr. Schick told us that it is best to do something like a sculpture/structure instead of PowerPoint or paper. I'm actually excited to start these projects, even though it will be tough, we will be able to use some creativity. Project based learning is cool so it should be fun.

Perspective

Today in class we finished watching the video. I think a lot of people were sort of confused when we were done watching it because we didn't understand what to get out of it. So then Mr. Schick asked us our opinions on gay marriage to help explain the idea. It took a while, but we shared our opinions which led to the point of the video. Basically everything we know is from what we are taught. The entire point is to question what we hear. This way, you form your own opinions and do not base yours off of what your parents, teachers, or friends think. Maybe sometimes we think one way because that's all we know, but once we know something different, we begin to start thinking that way. It's important to question other's on why they believe what they believe because that way we can know why they think that and we can form our own opinions. To examine life is to live life.

Mr. Schick's Life

Today in class we talked about Mr. Schick's old job as a movie director. For some reason, everybody had a hard time believing him when he first started talking about it. I had obviously known he was telling the truth because he told me last semester. He showed us his profile on the IMDB website and talked about the movies he was in. He told a few really cool stories about the actors he knew and the sets that he worked on. It's pretty awesome to have a job like that, being able to meet lots of celebrities. Then, in the last five minutes of class, we started a video. We will finish and discuss it tomorrow.

Absent

Today was the first day back from break but I was not in class because I had a doctors appointment. 

Welcome back Mr. Schick!

Mr. Schick is back!!!  As soon as we walked in, Mr. Schick handed us the classical Greece test, as promised. I think I did ok on it but not as good as I could've. We also handed in our 1,000 word group essay. Today is our last day of school because of spring break. We obviously do not have to blog over break so this is my last blog until we come back. 

Last Day with a Substitute

Today we put finishing touches on our paper. I added the works cited and we are finally finished our paper. Tomorrow is the test on Ancient Greece and we have to turn in our papers. Tomorrow is also our last day of school before Easter break.

Group Paper Writing

Today in class, we obviously had a substitute since Mr. Schick is not here. We got into our groups and worked on our papers. My group is basically almost done, we just have a few more things to add and check over. I was absent on Friday but thankfully my group had gotten some of the paper done already. Today I put a lot of work into the paper as well as everyone else in my group.

Vaarwel Mr.Schick!

Today we finally finished the Ancient Greece PowerPoint. We took more notes and discussed Ancient Greece. Mr. Schick is leaving today for the Netherlands... so jealous, and we will have a sub until next Wednesday. We will be working on our group papers, watching the video on his blog, and studying for the test we will be having next week. Have a great trip Mr. Schick! 

Greek Gods and Goddesses

Today we took more notes, almost finishing the entire PowerPoint. We started off talking about Isagoras and Cleisthenes engaging in a power struggle. Isagoras won but Cleisthenes and his supporters revolted and banished Isagoras. This marked 508 BCE as the birth of democracy. Cleisthenes was a rich, crafty politician of the elites. He saw the value of middle class citizens, besides women. We then began talk on gods and goddesses. Something important was the unique relationship Greek's had with gods; gods interacted with humans. For example, Poseidon (God of the Sea) interfered with Odysseus. That is the most common example. We talked a lot about Zeus, the ruler of heaven and earth; father of Athena, god of the sky, weather, thunder, lightning, law, order, and justice. He had a temper and was known for hurling bolts of thunder. Athena was the goddess of skill, warfare, peace, intelligence, battle strategy, and handicrafts. She was born of Zeus' head in full form with armor. She is known as the patron of heroes and patron of Athens. Athens was clearly named after Athena.

Cleisthenes

More Group Presentations

Today three more groups presented, now everyone has finished. Before we started our projects, Mr. Schick's computer wasn't working so we had some interesting small talk for a little bit. Then Mr. Schick talked to us a little bit about our papers and what is planned for the rest of the week.

Group Presentations on a Snowy First Day of Spring

Today in class some groups presented their projects and they were all pretty good. We took some notes on each presentation and discussed some of them. Unfortunately, not everyone got to present today so the remaining groups will present first mod on Monday...including my group!

Academic Team Smart People

Today we started off by talking about the academic team and their unfortunate loss to Calvert Hall...only by two points though. Then we all wanted to see what it's like to be on the team so Mr. Schick asked us some of the questions. The majority of them were super hard but there were a couple that I could actually answer. Then we took more notes on Ancient Greece and finished up class by answering more academic team questions.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Sammiches

Today is Pierce and I's birthday so we made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and had cookies and mini donuts. It was a really interesting class. I really wish Mr. Schick could've been here to celebrate with us! Throughout the class we worked on our group projects and some people took notes on the Ancient Greece PowerPoint.

Group Project

Today for first mod, we spent the entire class time in our groups working on our projects. My group has worked really hard and we're basically already finished! It's nice to have it done so early so we don't have to worry about it. We have a pretty good PowerPoint to show with some good pictures. Everyone has been working together and done an equal amount of work. Next, we will start working on the essay together.

Group Project Work and Handing Back of Pop Quizzes

Today we got our pop quizzes back, our class had an average of 90.5% which is awesome. After he handed them back, we began working on our group presentations which are due a week from today. My group is already making some good progress for having just started the project.

Pop Quiz

Today we started class off with a review and then we had a pop quiz and I did really well. Then after everyone finished, he talked about our projects a little bit and how he would write the rubric and everything later. Mr. Schick told us numerous stories about Gumby from his childhood. Today was a really funny class!

Group Project

Today we were assigned into our groups for the project.

My group is:

Ariana Conits

Dimitra Conits

Kelsey 

Our topic is: Warfare on the land 

Olives, and Grapes, and Grains, Oh My!

Today in the beginning of class we took more notes on ancient Greece. Then, Mr. Schick read some of the Odyssey to us.

• Greece is a mountainous peninsula, mountains cover over 3/4 of Greece.
• 1400 islands in the Adriatic, Ionian, and Aegean Seas. 
• This combination shaped Greece's culture, they had many skilled shipbuilders and sailors. 
• They had poor/limited natural resources 
• It was difficult to unite the ancient Greeks because of the terrain. 
• They mostly had olives, grapes, and grains. 
• Only 20% of the land was arable meaning good farming land. 
• Lack of resources most likely led to Greek colonization 
• Back then, the temperatures usually ranged from mid 40s in the winter to low 80s in the summer (sometimes hotter). Fairly nice weather year round. 

Some early peoples- first, Mycenaeans 

-their influence around 2000 BCE

-Mycenae is located on a rocky ridge and protected by a 20-foot thick wall. 

-Mycenaean kings dominated Greece for 400 years

-They controlled trade in the region 

-1400 BCE: Mycenaeans invaded Crete and absorbed Minoan culture and language. 

Then, "sea people" and Dorians

-around 1200 BCE the mysterious sea people began to invade Mycenae, and burnt palace after palace so, the Dorians moved into this war-torn region. 

-Dorians were far less advanced 

-the trade-based economy collapsed 

-writing disappeared for 400 years

Homer- the story teller 

Greek oral tradition- stories passed on by word of mouth, not written. 

Homer lived at the end of the "Greek Dark Ages" 

He composed stories of the Trojan War

The Iliad and the Odyssey are two of his stories. 

The Odyssey was 12,110 lines of dactylic hexameter. 

Did Homer actually exist? 

- The "Homeric question": Homer may have been a mythical creation himself. 

-a blind wandering minstrel; a heroic figure. 

-Iliad and the Odyssey may be the culmination of many generations of storytelling. 

-or...Homer actually existed and was awesome. 

Aristotle 384 BC- 322 BC

Aristotle was a Greek philosopher and scientist born in 384 BC. He was born in the northern periphery of Classic Greece in a city known as Stagira. When he was eighteen, he joined Plato's academy in Athens where he stayed for nineteen years. After Plato died, Aristotle tutored Alexander the Great which gave him many opportunities. Aristotle's writings mainly discuss the subjects of physics, biology, zoology, logic, ethics, and much more. Aristotle was known as the "father field of logic" and was the first to develop a formalized system of reasoning. In his lifetime, he wrote as many as 200 treatises but only 31 survive. Some of his works include: The Athenian Constitution, On Dreams, On the Heavens, Physics, and many more. He died at the age of 62, in 322 BC, in Euboea, Greece. Aristotle is important today because he is the father of Western science giving us the first books in biology, physics, astronomy, and psychology. He is also considered to be the godfather of the internet, entrepreneurial start ups, and e-commerce. 

"We are what we repeatedly do; excellence, then, is not an act but a habit."
- Aristotle 

    

Mr. Schick or Phil of the Future?

Well...today in class we began by talking about the incoming bad weather we're supposed to have which somehow led to talking about the future and chips in our heads. It was actually really fun talking about possible future inventions that'll be made up by the time we're grown ups. Mr. Schick seemed to have some pretty cool ideas and assumptions on future inventions including chips in our heads, being able to look someone in the eyes and they'll know what you're saying, and so much more. Somehow the head chip led us to the argument of people always knowing where we are...some agreed to that being a good idea where others thought the opposite. It was a quick, but fun day in class. Now it's time for some snow!

Kick Start to Ancient Greece

The world's greatest civilizations have something in common, they were all located on rivers. Mesopotamia (Tigris and Euphrates Rivers), Egypt (Nile River), India (Indus River), and China (Huang He River). Greece is very mountainous. Since city-states were separated by a lot of mountains, they often hated each other...even though they spoke the same language, dressed the same, and lived in the same climate basically...seems a little strange. Greece is a peninsula on the Mediterranean Sea surrounded by islands all over the place.

Interesting Fact about the Mediterranean Sea: "terra"- means earth and the entire word "mediterranean" means "middle of the earth". 

Cyber Day Assignment - Greece is the Word!

The world's greatest civilizations were all located on rivers...

• Mesopotamia- Tigris and Euphrates Rivers 
• Egypt- Nile River 
• India- Indus River 
• China- Huang He River 

Question 1: Greece is very mountainous in almost every part but there are plains in eastern parts of Greece and in central Macedonia. Western Greece contains lakes and wetlands.
Greece is surrounded by large amounts of water but they also have mountains and plains. So basically they have the best of both worlds and have the advantage of all three of those things. Accompanying this is considerable climatic variation which is also helpful for crops and stuff like that. In Ancient Greece, I'm sure the amount of water was very helpful and still is, for transportation.  

Question 2 : The Adriatic Sea and the Aegean Sea surround Greece. 

Question 3: Crete is the large island to the south/southeast of Greece. 

Question 4: Sparta is located on the right bank of the Eurotas River somewhat close to Sparta but Athens is located higher up than Sparta. They are both very close to bodies of water.  

Ancient Egypt Test

Today we took the test on Ancient Egypt. Mr. Schick said the class before us that took it averaged in the 70s so I was worried before I took it especially because I wish I would've studied more. Thankfully, we got time to study before we took the test and I think I did ok. Everyone finished pretty quickly so maybe it wasn't that difficult.

Not in School

I am not in school today because I am sick and feel pretty awful so I'm not sure what will be happening in class. I will probably be back tomorrow.

The extremely aggrivating pyramid game

Today in class Mr. Schick thought it would be funny to make us want to scratch our eyes out while competing with each other in this game. We had to play over and over and over and over again until we finally completed the game.The first two people got As and the next pair got Bs. Alayna and I finished 5 seconds after the second pair, so Mr. Schick let us get As too. I'm really glad I finished it in class because now I won't have to go home and finish it.

Ancient Egypt Videos

Pyramid Quest Video:
- On the side of the pyramid of Cheops, there is a stone that can be moved, leading you to the inside where the grave is. 
-The stubborn royal ordered to hack a tunnel into the pyramid. 
-The inside was empty.
-Today, the interior of the great pyramid has been explored in great detail.
-Many rooms have been discovered. 
-The grotto is the least explored area of the pyramid of Cheops.

This video was clearly about the exploration of the inside of the pyramid of Cheops. It talks about the history of the pyramid and the people that have explored it. 



Mummification Video:
-Developed by the ancient Egyptians to prepare for the afterlife 
-Typically all internal organs were removed before mummification with the exception of the heart
-In the case of this young man, the heart was taken but the lungs were left in tact. 
-After internal organs are removed the body is covered in salt for 40 days until all moisture is removed 
-Perfumed oils and plant resins were then rubbed on the body 
-Thick layers of resin were applied to glue the layers of linen wrapped around the body 
-Then the mummy was placed on a wooden board with more linen layers
-A pouch with possible religious meaning was placed on the chest 
-A mummified bird was placed on the abdomen of this young man 
-A portrait panel was placed over this mans face 
-The mummy was colored red which was very rare
-His name was written in Greek at the feet

This entire video was about the process of mummification. I thought it was really interesting because I never knew the entire process. It's amazing how a body that is that old, is still preserved to this day. I found this video the easiest to understand. 


John Green Video:
- The Nile shaped Ancient Egyptian Culture
- The Nile was the safest and richest agriculture of the world 
- Egyptian communities centered only around the Nile
- Basin Irrigation - farmer's used flood waters for irrigation
- Cats had devine power
- They had 2 types of writing: Hieroglyphics for sacred writing, and demotic script for contracts and agreements) 
-Ancient Egypt lasted 1,000 years longer than Christianity has been around. 


I think it was somewhat hard to follow along because he talked so fast. I thought he was hilarious though and had some pretty clever jokes. He had a lot of information in the video that he covered in a short period of time. He did a really good job relating things that happened back then, to stuff that happens today. He talked about a lot of the gods from Ancient Egypt. He also talked about the Old, Middle, and New Kingdoms as well as the pyramids. 

Ancient Egyptian Breakthroughs - Cyber Day Assignment

1. Sun Clocks- Four sided monuments, called obelisks, moving shadows formed somewhat of a sundial. This provided a day split in two parts for the Egyptians. These also showed the shortest and longest days of the year. Sun clocks were very important because it allowed them to have a set schedule and be able to know the time of day. 

2. the Calendar- This was important because this could tell the Egyptians when the Nile River would flood. The Ancient Egyptians didn't use the lunar calendar system. They were able to establish the calendar with help of the solar system. This helped with the founding of the Leap Year.  

4.Ox Drawn Plow- This made it more efficient to plow land. It helped with crops and they could plant and produce food faster and easier. They attached the plows to the back of their animals and they animals would pull the plows around the fields. 

3. Papyrus Paper- They learned how to make this paper material from a plant called papyrus. They wrote important documents and religious text on them. Luckily, they were able to preserve the sheets due to the dry climate. 

5. Black Ink- One of the types of dye/ink the ancient Egyptians invented. They were able to write on the papyrus paper with their hieroglyphs and in hieratic. 

Back to Class

Today we went over the Guns, Germs, and Steel test. Mr. Schick lost his bell and improvised with a pen and his cup. I did well but got 3 points taken off for not writing the honor code on my test. Then we almost finished going over the Ancient Egypt Prezi. We got out of class somewhat early for the Ash Wednesday mass and then had advisory.

Snow Day? No, Cyber Day :(

Today we were off due to snow so we had a cyber day. Our assignment was to finish the Ancient Egypt Prezi and take notes on our blog. Below are my notes:

Daily Life

• Slaves/servants helped the wealthy with household & child raising duties 
• farmers raised wheat, barley, lentils, onions - benefitted from irrigation of the Nile
• Artisans would carve statues & reliefs showing military battles & scenes in the after life. 
• Money/ barter system was used - merchants might accept bags of grain for payment - later coinage came about. 
• Scribes kept records, told stories, wrote poetry described anatomy & medical treatments 
• They wrote in hieroglyphs & in hieratic 
• Soldiers used wooden weapons (bows, arrows, and spears) with bronze tips & might ride chariots
• Upper class known as the "white kilt class" - priests, physicians engineers. 

Pharaohs 

• the political & religious  leader of the Egyptian people, holding the titles "Lord of the Two Lands" and "High priest of Every Temple" 
• As the "Lord of the Two Lands" the pharaoh was the ruler of Upper & Lower Egypt 
• He owned all land, made laws, collected taxes, defended Egypt against foreigners 
• Hatshepsut was a women who served as pharaoh
• Cleopatra VII also served as pharaoh, but much later (51 - 30 B.C) more on her when we study Greece 

Goddesses & Gods

• over 2,000 Gods & Goddesses
• they "controlled" the lives of humans 

Back to School After the Snow Day

Today we finally started talking about Ancient Egypt. We started off by talking about the geography of Ancient Egypt. Egyptian life is centered around the longest river in the world, the Nile River. There are three different branches of the Nile converging into one. They used the Nile for drinking water, irrigating, bathing, and transportation. Ancient Egyptians were the first people to invent the sail boat. At the end of the Nile, there is a delta (a broad, marshy, triangular are of fertile silt) which is very helpful to the Egyptians. Every July, the river floods and every October it leaves behind rich soil. Managing the river required technological breakthroughs in irrigation. We then talked about their pyramids and the Great Sphinx of Giza (a recumbent lion with the head of a human, built 2555-2532 BC). This is the oldest monumental statue in the world (4,547 years old). After that we talked about their daily life. Their lives basically went off of their rank. The pharaoh was #1. After that came government official/nobles/priests, soldiers, scribes, merchants, artisans, farmers, and then slaves and servants. Tomorrow we do not have class and we are off Friday and Monday. Tuesday we should learn more about Ancient Egypt.

Guns, Germs, and Steel Test

Today we took the test on Guns, Germs, and Steel. It was thankfully pretty easy, only 25 multiple choice questions that were straight to the point. I think I did really well and am glad we got time at the beginning of class to study. After the test, we reviewed the last test we took and went over answers. I did well on that test and I think I did even better on this one. After that, we had extra time to write our blogs for today. Tomorrow we will be starting to study ancient Egypt.

Finishing the Video

Today we finally finished the video. We learned that wheat is not native to the Americas. We also learned that they did not develop like we did because they did not have the same raw materials. Jared Diamond thinks that geography is the answer to the question. After the video was over we discussed questions that might be on the test and had somewhat of a review of the video. We will be having a test on this material on Monday and I feel really confident about it.

Drill and more of the video

Today we had a lockdown and shelter drill. All lights were turned out, the blind on the door was pulled down and the door was locked. We sat in silence on the floor until the drill was over and then we watched more of the video. In the video, we learned that after a while, the Fertile Crescent became overused and eventually dried up so civilizations had to move to a new place. They travelled east to west but not necessarily on purpose. They also learned how to control fires leading them to the discovery of plaster due to melted limestone. They used plaster on their homes to keep wind and bugs out. This was a great new discovery because a lot can be done if you know how to control your fires. Such as the making of bronze and plaster. Civilizations moving along the lines of latitude caused explosion of certain civilizations in their new discoveries.

More Germs, Guns, and Steele

Today we took a ton of notes on the video. We learned about Jared Diamond's theory on basically "the luck of the draw". We have a huge advantage because we have nutritional, plentiful, and well growing crops. In Papua New Guinea, they cannot grow things like we can. Everything they can grow lacks in protein, vitamins, and minerals. In China, they grew rice. In the America's, we grew corn, squash, and beans which is all healthy and can easily be stored, dried, etc. In Africa, they grew sorghum and millet, which are grains so they are easy to grow. They also had yams. In Papua New Guinea, they will eat large spiders for a supply of protein. We learned that domesticating animals was popular back then because it gave them meat, milk, and clothes made from the hair and skins of the animals. There are 14 species of animals,weighing over 100lbs, that have been domesticated. Goats and sheep were the first to be domesticated. There was one animal species in South America that was domesticated and that was the llama. The other 13 were from Asia, Europe, and North Africa. The theory of why these New Guinean's are living as if it were 10,000 years ago, is because they have been stuck wasting their time trying to survive, raise food, and not starve to death. If you had the most productive crops, you were the most productive farmer. Unfortunately, they did not have good luck with their crops due to their location.

Guns, Germs, and Steel

Today we watched the video Guns, Germs, and Steel. The video was based off of a book written by Jared Diamond. We also took notes on the video while watching it. The video talks about people living in Papua New Guinea and how they are basically living life like they're in the Stone Age. It is a remote, isolated part of an island. It has not advanced very far at all. The question is "Why do you white men have so much cargo, and we New Guineans have so litte?" Why is that? Years ago, white visitors said they were genetically superior and they came to show off their "cargo" (guns and record players). They tried to say white people were just better. Jared Diamond is working on proving that that is false. White people are no smarter or better than the New Guineans. He is just trying to figure out while they are still stuck in the "Stone Age".  In the video we learned that all great civilizations had 3 things in common: advanced technology, large population, and a well-organized work force.  The important food source in Papua New Guinea is "sago". We also learned about Draa. Draa is in the Middle East and it is known as the first permanent settlement that we know of. Eleven-thousand years ago Draa was established. We think this is where the world's first granary was located. A granary is a self-storage place for grain. It is also believed that the first farmers in the world were here at Draa.

After the test

Today we took the test. It was really nice because we were allowed to use our blogs, even though I wish I would have made my blogs a little more informational. Thankfully, I did some studying and I think I did really well. Hopefully this will boost my grade and get me off to a good start for semester 2.

More Review

Today we stared out by going over Mr. Schick's pet peeves. It was actually pretty funny and gave us a lot of new inside jokes for class. Then we went over the PowerPoint on Mesopotamia. He told us all the very important things that we should know for the test and told some stories which helped us remember certain topics. It was a nice review. For those of us taking the test on Friday, we have tonight and tomorrow to study for the test so hopefully everyone does well!

Individual Review

Today we had a sub in class because Mr. Schick had to go with the academic team. We spent class time reviewing for our test, which will be on Friday. I was absent last Friday so I did not know how much we covered. Thankfully, I have taken notes on the PowerPoint and reviewed Mr. Schick's blog which will hopefully get me ready for the test. We have to be able to find Mesopotamia, the Fertile Crescent, Sumer, the Mediterranean Sea, Asia Minor, the Tigris River, and the Euphrates River on a map. We also have to be able to define 7 terms as well as other questions. It's a lot to know but the PowerPoint gives us all the information we have to know.

New Start

Today was the first class of Western Civ. and we had a lot of new people join the class. Mr. Schick went over all of the policies of his class and explained everything about our blogs. Unfortunately, barely anyone on the class could set their blogs up in class because the system is bad. He also told everyone they need to get a composition notebook for note taking. It's nice to not have to stress about all of this because it is all stuff I already knew considering I have already taken Human Geo with Mr. Schick. It's nice to get a fresh start with grades and an entirely new topic and class.