India Newspaper Articles

Ancient India Review in Google Drive
Task:
1. Create a document about ancient India by explaining/describing the items from the list below. For your article, write about what's important about it and information about it. Use your India Work Packet to help you with the information.  LENGTH: Half a page or whenever the instructor says to "share."

2. Share your document with your partner for peer review and for them to add to it. Make comments on the article for them to look at. (Detailed instruction in class) 

Topics to cover in your document:

Changes made in Mohenjo-Daro
Geography physical features you would see
Who are the Aryans?
Who Asoka is and how he made a difference
Explain Hinduism

Partner List

A Few Ancient India Review Games

Your ancient India in-class, open note, activity will focus on: geography of India, Aryans, Hinduism, early civilizations, Mauryan Empire, and Persian empire. Use the link below to access some review games.

Click for Ancient India Review Games

The Buddha

Some help for your India Mastery Packet

Last week we started our India Mastery Packet through Google Drive. Right now, we are in the thick of it. I want to offer you some help as we reach the mid-way point in this project. 
So here you go:
Some tasks are harder than others. Maybe you should focus on the hard tasks first and get them done with. Some tasks take longer than others, so focus on those tasks and work on them a little bit each day perhaps. When you take the Hinduism Vs. Buddhism quiz, make sure you use the power point AND actually read through it. All the help you need is located within that power point. You just need to use it. Don't expect to take the quiz in 5 minutes. It takes some time. Having trouble with the plate tectonics sections? Well, for the last part, the picture shows you three types of movements. Those movements cause earthquakes, bodies of water, and mountains, but which is which? And finally, some help on the ABC's of India. Like I have mentioned, it doesn't have to be an ancient India word, it can be a regular word that we use all the time, but you just have to connect it to India somehow. Read the passage below to get some help on some of the more difficult letters...

Please! I'm begging you! Help me with my ABC List!

Ancient Quest: I Build Mohenjo-Daro

Johnny Rawten is on the quest of a lifetime as he tries to navigate his way through the ancient world, completing tasks and staying alive. He discovered fire for the neanderthals, invented farming for the starving Mesopotamians, and mummified the Pharaoh Khufu. Now, he enters ancient India, a mysterious place where little is known. The people and city are in disarray. Can Johnny help them get organized and become more efficient? Will he even be able to figure out what his task is? Or will he miss it and get stuck in the ancient world forever? Time to join Johnny and see what this place is all about...

Read Online: "I Build Mohenjo-Daro"
Listen Online:

India Mastery Packet

Today, we launch our India Mastery Packet, which will take you through a variety of ancient India topics and activities. This India Mastery Packet will be completed through your Google Drive account. You can access your Google Drive account by clicking on the Google Drive Logo on the right side of this website. Your username and password is your email address and email password. This India Mastery Packet will be frozen at 11:59 pm on December 20th, 2013. With such a long time to work on this, I expect completion by all. Use time management and work on a little bit each day. Do NOT wait to the last minute to work on it because you will be frozen out! Read the directions carefully on the India Mastery Packet. Work at your own pace. Discovery India.

Ancient India Overview

Use this ancient India PowerPoint to help you see what is important in each topic.

Map of India

The Indian Subcontinent contains India, along with five other countries: Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, and Sri Lanka. In addition to these countries, we also labeled some physical features, such as: Indus river, Ganges river, Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal, Indian Ocean, Deccan Plateau, Himalayan Mts, Mt. Everest, and the Ganges Plain. The goal was to make these maps look as nice as possible. Our best effort in hand-writing and coloring was needed to make this activity successful. Unlike the previous maps we did, we are going to have a contest to see who can make the nicest looking map. In each class, there will be a boy winner and a girl winner, so work hard!

Do you think your map has what it takes to win the contest and make it to Water for Sixth Grade? Stay tuned to see what maps win. 

White Shirt Production: "Look Like an Egyptian"

Look Like an Egyptian 2010 from Dan Klumper on Vimeo.

Want to know what an ancient Egyptian would look like? Check out this video as I transform Crazzy Izzy into an ancient Egyptian.

WSG Live! Ancient Egypt

We have reached the end of our Ancient Egypt Unit, which means another round of WSG Live! This is the second WSG Live! event of the school year and I hope you check it out tonight! You have the unique ability to study with your teacher the night before the test. If you did this last time, I think you discovered that it is a very fun, fast paced, action packed 30 minutes. If you haven't done this yet, I encourage you to check it out and see what it's all about. Come for all of it, or just part of it. We will cover many questions and topics that will be on the test Wednesday, November 27th. Get your fingers ready to go, because when WSG Live! begins, it's time to type like you've never typed before!

WSG Live! Ancient Egypt: 7:30-8:00

Ancient Egypt Study Guide 2013

We have covered many topics and information throughout the last four weeks in the ancient Egypt unit. On Wednesday, November 27th, you will be tested on that knowledge. Access the Ancient Egypt Study Guide by clicking the link. Use the tools. Study. Get Prepared. Put work in outside of just the class time. Good Luck. 

Ancient Egypt Study Guide

Mummification In-Depth

Explore a Mummy on Prezi

Mummification is a fascinating (and gross) ritual of the ancient Egyptians. Ancient Egypt wasn't the only civilization to mummify their dead, but the process in which they did it was very elaborate. Mummification was a very important aspect to their religion and belief of the afterlife. Without preserving the body, their soul would not be able to travel to the Afterlife and gain eternity. Where did these mummies go? In the pyramids. The pyramids were not worship centers or just cool monuments, they were tombs for the mummy and all the other items buried with it. In class, we talked about the steps of mummification but with this prezi, we are going to extend our mummification learning a little further by going in-depth. This mummification prezi will teach you about a few other details about mummification. 

JFK. 50 Years. Remember.

50 years ago, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dealey Plaza in Dallas, TX.  He decided to venture into the hostile territory of Texas on a fence mending trip, in hopes of winning the state in the 1964 election. In fact, on the way to Texas, Kennedy quipped "We're heading into nut country," an eriely prophetic statement. President Kennedy, along with Jackie, sporting a pink outfit, landed at Love Field, outside of Dallas. Their motorcade wound through Dallas, as Kennedy waved to the throngs of people. To be more accessible to the public, Kennedy insisted on having the top down on his Lincoln limo. Kennedy's motorcade turned left on Elm Street and headed straight to the history books. First, a shot through the back, exiting out his throat. Had JFK not been wearing his back brace, he may have fallen into the seat, protected from what came next. As confusion began to rise, the fatal shot rang out, ending the young presidents life. When that bullet hit Kennedy's head, the lively, energetic, enthusiastic, hopeful vibe in American came crashing down. Walter Cronkite made the teary eyed announcement, an image forever sketch in the tablets of history.  I think too often the focus is on the fact that the US president was killed. When I think about the assassination of JFK, I think about that fact that on November 22nd 1963, a wife lost her life partner. A little boy and little girl had to face the reality their dad will never come home. A mother having to bury her son. It was and still is a tragedy in the truest sense of the word. JFK spoke about working hard for your country and being hopeful of making the world better. Remember JFK.

Milestone: 400,000 hits on Water for Sixth Grade

Water for Sixth Grade has reached over 400,000 hits! Hopefully it will continue to be a valuable resource for students 

Floating Down the Nile

What would it be like to float down the Nile River in Ancient Egypt? Well, we are going to use our imagination and take a little trip down the Nile, floating all the way to the end of it. There is no possible way we could ever float down the Nile in ancient Egypt for real, but with our imagination, anything is possible. Using Google Drive, we are going to describe what it would be like to float down the Nile River in ancient Egypt. What would you see? What would be happening? What would you experience? This task will give us a great glimpse into the world of the Nile and what it would have been like in the ancient days. You will be floating down a raft, not a speed boat, so lay back, relax and enjoy the ride. (Watch out of hungry crocodiles, though)
TASK: Enter Google Drive and go to the "shared with me" folder. Locate the template for "Float Down the Nile." Read the instructions on the template and use the resources to begin your exploration down the Nile. 

DUE: Wednesday, November 27th 2013. 11:59 pm.  At this time, your project will "freeze" and will no longer be able to work on it. For this project, you do NOT have to share it with me. That happened automatically this time.  

Points: 30

(Back Up plan)

Pyramids of Egypt

There are few things that fascinate the world like the Pyramids of Egypt. Their sheer size alone mystifies all and when the time period of these pyramids is taken into consideration, it’s truly unbelievable. No machines or huge cranes to place each block. No modern day technology. It was the ancient world that produced these wonders and the fascination has remained. This article on the pyramids of Egypt contains some very helpful information in understanding the world of Egyptian pyramids. 

Pyramids of Ancient Egypt 

 (Why they were built, how they were built, who built them, and the tomb robbers)

Animal Mummies!

Thank you to my good friend Kristin Pollema for creating this Prezi about animal mummies in Ancient Egypt.

Mummification

Here is a powerpoint on Mummification for you to review with. Focus on WHY the Egyptians used mummification and what the steps were.

Ancient Quest: "I Perform Mummification"

Johnny entered the Stone Age and discovered how to control fire for the neanderthals. Then, he entered Mesopotamia and figured out how to irrigate the fields so the Mesopotamians could grow crops in the desert. In Johnny's first two worlds, he was successful, gaining his first two golden coins. However, Johnny has a lot of work to do because he still needs to earn six more. For his third task, Johnny will enter ancient Egypt, a land of incredible intrigue and fascination. As Johnny works to figure out his task, it might not be what it seems. Can Johnny figure out what to do and accomplish his task? One thing is certain: his ancient Egypt task will push him to the limits, and then some...

Read Ancient Quest Chapter 5 "I Perform Mummification"

Experience artifacts from Ancient Egypt

A few years ago, the King Tut museum was stationed in Watertown, SD. We had the opportunity to take some kids to visit this museum and see some amazing artifacts. The artifacts in this video are exact replicas of the real artifacts. The real artifacts are WAY too valuable to take on the road. However, at the end of this video, you will see a REAL artifact. What is this REAL artifact? I guess you will have to watch to find out...

Ancient Egypt Meets Google Drive Project

Meet Google Drive. Google Drive is a powerhouse tool that we are going to start using in social studies. Google Drive is a cloud. It is your cloud. Your cloud follows you around wherever you go. There is no such thing as forgetting your "paper" at home because whereever there is Internet, you have what you need. Google Drive allows you to always be able to access your work. It allows you to publish work to the internet, share documents, and work collaboratively on projects. Today, Ancient Egypt meets Google Drive. Learning how to use Google Drive is just as important as learning about ancient Egypt. Google Drive is a tool that can serve you in your life, in many ways. We are going to use Google Drive to compare/contrast Ancient Egypt with Mesopotamia.
 
Task: Click the link to access the task list. 

Ancient Egypt Meets Google Drive Project

Conquering Ancient Egypt Together

Egypt is a place of many different topics. It is a place where intrigue and mystique reach an all-time high, especially compared to our two previous units: Stone Age and Mesopotamia. True, those places were important for the development of mankind, but Ancient Egypt fascinates people to this day. It is a place where the seemingly impossible occurred. Its where the pyramids were built, where mummification was performed, where the Nile was used. It is a place that we need to conquer, and to do that, we are going to work together. Your task for this blog post is to help your social studies class "piece" together ancient Egypt. To try to conquer ancient Egypt by yourself would be too daunting, but together, we can achieve our goal. At the conclusion of this activity, we will have produced a great document of ancient Egypt knowledge. You will be able to read other comments to learn more about the other topics.

You will be given a number in class. Use that number to figure out what topic you are responsible for with the "assignments link."

Research: In your notebook, research your topic. Use the websites we have gathered to help you find the information you need. Write down information in your notes, then post concise  well-written comment on the blog.
Resources: Use the two websites in the "Egypt Unit Resources" to help you learn about your topic.

Details: Your comment needs to be 1 paragraph (5 sentences). Your comment needs to start out with this: "My topic is ..............." Then you proceed by telling us stuff about it.

Egypt Pre-Test Results

We took a pre-test on Ancient Egypt to see what our prior knowledge is before we tackle this unit for the next four weeks. Ancient Egypt is interesting in that some of the information about this place is quite common, such as pyramids, mummification, the Nile river, etc. However, have we just heard about them? Or do we know about them? There is a difference. The Pre-Test accomplished its goal of shining a light on our prior knowledge of ancient Egypt. Here are some results:
Overall average: 46%
Top student individual score: 87% (very good!)
Number of questions that less than 50% of the students answered correctly: 25 (38 total questions)
Percentage of students who knew what mummification is: 94%
Topics of difficulty: specific steps of mummification, gods/goddesses of ancient Egypt, pharaohs, and the effect of Nile River.

Creating an experience: Wax Museum 2014

There are many reasons why we do the Wax Museum. Through this project, we can work on research skills, reading, writing, speaking, listening, and learning. Those are all wonderful things to work on but the number 1 reason we

do the Wax Museum is to make a difference. It is the experience of affecting someone's life that drives this project and what drives me. Through the Wax Museum, we have the opportunity to do something really good for someone else. We do not work just for a letter grade, we work to make an impact, like in Pedro's life. Through last year's Wax Museum, we were able to help make Pedro's wish come true. He flew to New York to watch a New York Giants football game. Something really cool for a kid who deserves it. This year, we have a chance to continue the legacy of the Wax Museum and continue doing good things in the lives of others. It will be an experience you will not forget.  

Ancient Egypt: Let's Gather some Info Together!

Welcome to Ancient Egypt. It is a land of mystery and fascination. As we begin our 3rd ancient world of the school year, we will be headed to the computer lab to gather some information. Below, you will find helpful ancient Egypt Links that will provide many resources and pieces of information. Also, you will find a "document" in which you will share what you discover about various topics of ancient Egypt. 

Resources

Ancient Egypt-Mr. Donn

Ancient Egypt-British Museum

Task: Post a comment with at least ONE fact from each of the 6 categories:
Daily Life
Nile River
Mummification
Religion
Geography
Pyramids

MAKE SURE YOU WRITE IN YOUR OWN WORDS!!!

A World Without......

Mesopotamia was the first civilization of the world. Because of this, they had the opportunity to invent or start many important things, things that we use all the time in our world. Many of the inventions or discoveries are things we use everyday and don't even realize that those things came from Mesopotamia. For this blog assignment, I want you to think about a world without Mesopotamia inventions. To help you get started, I will give you some of the main inventions from Mesopotamia that are most commonly used in our world. Think about a world without these things. What would it be like? In order to get all 15 extra credit points, you need to thoroughly describe the world without these 6 items. How would things be different? What would be different? How would we make up for not having these things?
Laws
Writing
Wheel
Money
books
bricks

DUE: Friday, November 1st, 2013. 11:59 p.m.
Points: 15 extra credit points

Blueman Teaches the Class

A Map to Help you Study

WSG Live! Mesopotamia

I want to help you. I want to do whatever I can to help you prepare for your Mesopotamia Test. "WSG Live" is a new feature that allows me to help you study without actually being with you. With this post, we will be able to review, discuss, and practice together. I will ask you some questions, you can ask each other questions, or ask me. I will be sitting at my computer helping you review. I will be taking off comment moderation which will allow your comments to go right to the blog, so we can see them and have a smooth discussion. You will not have to wait for your comments to be approved. You simply have to refresh your screen (press F5) and continue messaging. Remember, to publish a comment, click "Name/URL" and type: 3Dan K. (Class period, first name, last initial).

The time window for this new feature is:

7:30-8:00.

"F5" refreshes comments

Mesopotamia Study Guide

Mesopotamia Study Guide

Mesopotamia Test: Friday, October 25th, 2013. 

Use this study guide to help you prepare for the test.

Online Flashcards are included in the Study Guide.  

I encourage you to work on your Mesopotamia Tackk websites!

Focus on the content. 

Tackk: Student Website creator

Students, today is a big day because for the first time in the history of this middle school, all students have their own email address. Congratulations on being the first group of kids to do this. These email addresses are going to open up a lot of possibilities for us in learning about the ancient world. Today, we are going to take our email address and create an account with Tackk.com so we can make a permanent website. With our own account, you will be able to work on your website anywhere that has internet. We have practiced with Tackk in the Stone Age, now let's take it a step further and make a dynamic Mesopotamia website.
Click HERE to make a Tackk Website

Tackk Checklist:
_____ Title of website
_____ Your name
_____ Text (words)
_____ Picture with captions
_____ Video with captions
_____ Button linking to another Mesopotamia site
_____ Map of Mesopotamia

Tackk Content Checklist:
_____ Vocab Words
_____ Irrigation
_____ Cuneiform
_____ Bricks
_____ Code of Hammurabi
_____ Money
_____ Geography (describing the Map)
_____ Ziggurat
_____ Wheel
_____ Epic of Gilgamesh
_____ Difference between Farming and Hunting
_____ "I Invent Farming" story
_____ gods and goddesses (link below)

Tackk Resources
YouTube Video Playlist (videos about Mesopotamia you can use)
The Blueman
Events Document
Mesopotamia Artifacts
Build a Ziggurat Game (Might not work in school)
Online Flashcards
gods and goddesses

Submit Website: Currently OPEN

2013 Mesopotamia Events Tournament Results

Check out all the results from this year's Mesopotamia Events tournament. I have provided for you the results from this year and last year, so you can compare them. Good job debating in the tournament! 

2013 Mesopotamia Events Tournament Results

2012 Mesopotamia Events Tournament Results

Probably the Coolest T-shirt in the world

It started out with me complaining I had to go to Wal-Mart 8:30 at night to shop for Hallween costumes and it turned out to be the best Wal-Mart Trip of my life as I found probably the coolest tshirt ever made. It only cost $7. I would have paid $700. It is the perfect shirt to go with our book, "Ancient Quest." Tiger. Hear me roar. Rooooaaaar.

The Giant Book of Mesopotamia

Welcome to the "Giant Book" project. We have covered many important topics of Mesopotamia. Yet, there are a few that we still haven't covered. The Giant Book will allow us to bring everything we have learned together, yet still learn a few new things. Now, the Giant Book is not something that one can tackle alone. This must be done in a group because the Giant Book is far too vast for one individual. You will use this blog post for direction in completing your Giant Book. 

The Giant Book Details

Links that will help you with your Giant Book:
People of Mesopotamia PPT
Epic of Gilgamesh PowerPoint
Religion Prezi (gods/goddesses)
I Invent Farming story
Map of Mesopotamia
Events of Mesopotamia overview
Irrigation sketch
Stone Age Review 

Timeline:Wednesday: Begin Giant Book
Thursday: Continue to work on Giant Book
Friday: Finish Giant Book

Students, this weekend I was emailed this article about our good friend Otzi the Iceman. It appears that Otzi has relatives still walking the Earth. Blood samples taken from people living in Austria confirm that there are people living in the world today that are related to Otzi. I have attached the article for you to read. It's quite interesting. The article also sheds some light on the mystery of his death. Definitely worth your time to read. 

Living relatives of Otzi found

Events of Mesopotamia (Assignment)

In preparation for the monumental "Events of Mesopotamia" tournament coming up in a couple of weeks, we are going to continue familiarizing ourselves with these events. The more we know about each event, the better we will be at arguing/debating why certain events are better than others. You will be assigned one event to argue why it's the most important, but you need to know about more than just the one you are assigned. You need to know about all of them to make your case air tight. For this online assignment, you will be covering some of the Major Events of Mesopotamia. 
Task: Use this link, "Mesopotamia Events" to learn about what these events are and why they are important. For your assignment, you must choose FIVE different events. Using complete sentences, tell me what the event is and why it's important. For each event, you need to use at least 3 sentences. You can NOT do the Hanging Gardens. 
Example: "Hanging Gardens: The hanging gardens were built by King Nebuchadnezzar for his wife, the queen, so she would have a lovely garden to look at. These Hanging Gardens were extremely big and magnificent to help the homesick queen not feel so sad. The Hanging Gardens are very important because it helped the queen not be homesick, which allowed the King to be able to concentrate on doing a good job ruling the people." 

DUE DATE: Sunday, October 13th, 11:59 pm. 
Points: 25 (5 points per event)

Ancient Quest Chapter 3: I Invent Farming

We have reached chapter 3 of the book Ancient Quest. Chapter 3 is titled "I Invent Farming" and we once again join Johnny on his ancient quest, back to the ancient worlds, to accomplish tasks. Johnny has to complete one task in each of the 8 ancient worlds he will visit. So far, he has only gained one golden coin. He did that in the Stone Age by helping the people there discover and improve fire. Now, Johnny has arrived in Mesopotamia, where he will struggle to survive and to accomplish his task. The desert of Mesopotamia is a scorching, white-hot section of earth that will push Johnny to the limits. Will Johnny figure out what his task is and succeed? Let's go...
Read: Chapter 3: I Invent Farming

World #2: Mesopotamia

The Stone Age is over, which means we are now headed to our second ancient world: Mesopotamia. This is a place with a funny name but loaded with important "stuff." Many "firsts" happened during Mesopotamia: first writing, first money, first law, first government, etc. Many things that began during Mesopotamia are still around today and things we depend on. Imagine life without writing or money? Imagine life without laws? It would be totally chaotic. Mesopotamia is the first civilization of the world. It is located in the middle east (present day Iraq). It's location is a desert so they had to be creative in how they farmed. Since it doesn't rain that much, they had to use the two major rivers to irrigate the fields. We will learn more about irrigation and the two major rivers throughout the unit.  So, without further delay, Welcome to Mesopotamia. 

What is "Mesopotamia" ? A pre-test for you...

Otzi's Death: 4 Possible Theories!

Okay, before you all think I'm a total dork, let me explain the video. I am taking a class for my master's right now and one of the assignments was to make an instructional video about something I teach. It is due tonight at 11:59 p.m. (due date ring any bells for you?) so I kind of waited to the last minute to do my homework (not what you should do). Anyway, I thought Otzi would be a fun topic for my homework assignment. I also thought I might as well put it on WSG so you could all laugh, I mean, learn/review Otzi's death theories.

Introducing the one and only "Blueman"

I would like you to meet the Blueman. He is an awkward, crabby, not so smart friend of mine. He has a lot of problems with his "Frenemy" (friend/enemy) Mustache. These two guys always seem to be arguing about something. Blueman, though he doesn't know it, helps us learn about a variety of things when it comes to the ancient world. Can you pick out the Stone Age information from this comic? Enjoy getting to know the Blueman, but be careful, don't get on his bad side!

Stone Age Test 2013: The Essay

Stone Age Test 2013 Essay:

Summarize the story “I Discover Fire.” 

For your essay, you need to summarize the story "I Discover Fire." Your summary should be between 5-6 sentences. Be sure to cover the main idea by discussing what Johnny's task is, how he figures out how to accomplish it and why it is helpful for the tribe. 

A Stone Age "Tackk"

Today in class we will be creating a website about the Stone Age. We will be doing this to show what we know and then be able to share that knowledge with our classmates (and the world!). So why a stone age website? Because creating a website/working with the internet is a life skill that we all need to be able to do. The world is not slowing down and the internet is not going away. We need to be confident working on the Internet and creating. Also, creating a website, as opposed to a poster, gives us many more options to truly show what we know and create a dynamic sharing creation. Who can draw a picture of Otzi? Not very many of us. But we can show Otzi by uploading a picture of him so we can actually see what he looks like, not try to decipher some below average drawing. We can add links to further our learning of the Stone Age. We can post interactive games, flashcards, videos. We can share these websites with each other and look at them anywhere, on any device, as long as there's internet (which is basically everywhere). 
Why a website? Because it's dynamic learning.

Task: Create a website about the Stone Age using the web tool Tackk.  
On your website, include the following:
-title
-your first name and period number
-Topics: Show as many topics as you have time for. For each topic you show, include the topic name, information about the topic and perhaps a picture. We are starting with the basics for this project. (Topics to think about: Otzi, I Discover Fire, Neanderthals, Cro-Magnon, Cave Art, vocabulary words, hunting, information article)
Share: After you have completed your website, you will share the "link" by posting it to the class spreadsheet. Click here to Share Your Website.

In-Class activity. Preparing for the future when we have our own account. 

Question of the Day: What does the Fox say?

Just because it's a funny video. Do you know what the fox says? I don't either....

Cave Art of the Stone Age

Virtual Tour of the Cave of Lascaux

Archaeologists have discovered some amazing artwork done by the prehistoric people. This art has been found in caves throughout Europe. This "Cave Art" is a major piece of evidence in trying to figure out what things were like in the Stone Age. From the artwork, we can see what was important to the people. In most of the drawings, animals are the major focus. By seeing so much focus on animals, we can conclude that animals were a major part of their life. Meat to eat, bones for tools, and hide for clothing, the animal was extremely important for the Stone Age people. Also, in many of the pieces of art, it appears the people are hunting. The Cave art of the Stone Age showed what's important to the people of the Stone Age. What would your Cave Art show? What's important to you?

Deadliest Warrior: Cro-Magnon vs. Neanderthal (Extra Credit)

During the Stone Age time period, neanderthals and cro-magnon co-existed for many years. Eventually, the Neanderthal's died out and the Cro-Magnon (human beings) took over and controlled the world. So we have these two types of human species. How do they compare with each other? Just because the neanderthals died out and became extinct, doesn't mean that the neanderthals had no positive characteristics. Just because the Cro-Magnon took over the world, doesn't mean the cro-magnon doesn't have any negative characteristics. Let's take a look at these two types of species and compare them. 
The Powerpoint above will take you through some of the characteristics of the Neanderthal and the Cro-Magnon. You will also be given a list of "scenarios" for you to figure out. Based on the characteristics you have learned, what would happen in each scenario? 
EXTRA CREDIT OPPORTUNITY
In Social Studies, extra credit is a very rare thing, so when the opportunity comes up, be sure to take advantage of it. For this blog post, in order to receive 10 points extra credit, post your own scenario of the neanderthal's vs. cro-magnon. Do NOT say who would win. Let us figure it out on our own. In order to receive the extra credit, the scenario must be written in complete sentences and can be figured out based on the characteristics we learned about. 

The Mysterious Death of Otzi the Iceman

Otzi the Iceman frozen in ice

Otzi the Iceman has taught us a lot about certain things from 5,500 years ago. From Otzi and the fact that he was preserved in the ice, we can learn what people during that time period wore, ate, lived, and did. Otzi was 5'2" and about 45 years old. He had worn down teeth from eating tough grain and bread. He was wearing all homemade clothing designed to keep him warm. One aspect of the Otzi story is his death. How exactly did he die? It may seem like "no big deal," that he just died. But certain clues on Otzi's body suggest that there might be a mystery here. Based on clues archaeologists have uncovered, there are four possible theories on how Otzi died. 
Mysteries of Otzi PowerPoint from class
The Four Theories:
1. Suffered Hypothermia
2. Was robbed
3. Assassinated
4. Died in battle

Task: Read through each Theory and tell me what you think happened. It could not have been all four, only one of them happened, but which one? The debate rages on...
Example Comment: 
Opinion: I think it was......(state which theory you think it was and support your opinion with 3 supporting details.

DUE: Sunday, September 22nd at 11:59 p.m.
Points: 20

Ancient Quest Chapter 2: I Discover Fire

Johnny has accepted his ancient quest and is now ready to begin. He finds himself in the Stone Age for his first task, but as Johnny enters this dangerous and uncivilized place, he has no idea what his task actually is. Last time he was here, he saw some weird looking animals and some strange looking people, but as far as actually doing something here, Johnny has no idea. Can Johnny figure out what his task is and actually complete it? Or will this ancient quest end in the first world? Johnny is in the Stone Age. He's ready. Are you? 

Read: Ancient Quest Chapter 2: I Discover Fire

The Discovery of Otzi

It is time to search for Otzi. Today, you will be joining me as I enter the Alps in search for Otzi the Iceman. Otzi, who happens to be the oldest body ever found, is an extremely important "artifact" because he can teach us so much about what life was like when he roamed the Earth. We can study his weapons, tools, and clothing. We can also study his bones to get an idea of what people looked like. Otzi is truely an amazing discovery. However, today, you will watch as I search for Otzi and discover all the artifacts that were found with his body. The story of Otzi doesn't end there, however, because Otzi the Iceman did not die of natural causes. Was he murdered? Did he die in battle? Was he sick? You will read the evidence and try to solve the oldest mystery in the world.

Task #1: Using the Otzi PowerPoint, fill out your guided notes in your Otzi Packet. This will be done together, but you can follow along on your own screen.

Task #2: Watch the Video "Discoverying Otzi" and watch as the body and artifacts are discovered. In your Otzi packet, record all the artifacts found and why they are important.

Task #3: Sketch a scene of the area in which Otzi was discovered in. Try to place the items in the correct spot based on where they were found.

Infographic: Otzi the Iceman

easel.ly
An infographic is just that: information and graphics. An infographic allows us to learn some information with words and pictures. Here is an infographic of Otzi that I made to help us discuss what he was possibly wearing and doing at the time of his death. Use the infographic to answer the following questions.
Character Profile: Otzi the Iceman
1. What type of climate do you think he was in at the time of his death? Why do you think that? 
2. What did he carry in his birch canister? 
3. If someone was going to rob Otzi, what do you think they would go after? 
4. How do we know Otzi was not prepared for a fight or battle? 
5. What did Otzi mainly use to make his clothing? 

Surviving the Stone Age

The Stone Age is an uncivilized place. It is a place of wild beasts, neanderthals  and danger. Today we will be time traveling back to the Stone Age with one goal: to survive. In order to survive the Stone Age, you must make decisions, good decisions. As you experience living in the Stone Age, you will be faced with decisions that you must make. Each decision will have consequences, either good or bad. Each good decision will earn you points. Each bad decision will take points away. It is your goal to make it to the end of your Stone Age experience with a positive amount of points. If you do this, you have survived and conquered the Stone Age. If you end the game with negative points, well, then the Stone Age was too tough. 
Good luck to you as you experience your first time traveling adventure!
Task: Play the game Stone Age: You Are There. Keep track of your progress on your score sheet. You must track decisions made, consequences, and your points. You MUST use COMPLETE SENTENCES.
Answer these Questions in a Comment Box:
1. List 3 animals from this game.
2. What is found in caves that helps us learn about the Stone Age?
3. What is the best method of hunting the Irish Elk?
4. What tool is most effective in cutting through rough animal hide?
5. Describe a neanderthal. (3 things).
To answer these questions, you may have to go back through the game and find the information. 

When did these Ancient Worlds Happen? (Crazy Izzy)

Watch this video to see when these ancient worlds happened. Be sure to check out the "deleted Scenes" at the end to see how crazy Izzy truly is.

Our Ancient Quest Begins...

It is time to begin our Ancient Quest. Three years ago, I wanted to find a novel that my students could read that would be entertaining, exciting, but yet still teach them about the ancient worlds we study. I could not find such book, so I decided to write my own. I created Johnny Rawten, who is the main character in my books. In book 1, called "Johnny Rawten," he is a 6th grader who discovers that he has the ability to time travel to the ancient world. Throughout 6th grade, he has amazing adventures. At the end of 6th grade, he is faced with a choice: time travel again or go to the spring dance with his girlfriend. He chooses the dance, which he regrets immediately for he lost he chance at another adventure. Johnny spends the next 5 years desperately searching for another time warp portal. No matter how hard he tries, he can not find another time warp portal to go back to the ancient world, that is, however, until he is presented with, the Ancient Quest....
Accept the Quest and enter the Ancient Quest Official Website

Prologue: Johnny Rawten Returns
Chapter 1: I am Challenged

Entering the Ancient World

Our mini-geography unit is over so now it is time to enter the Ancient World. This week, we will be getting an introduction to the 8 ancient civilizations we will be studying by looking at a brief summary of each. We will also begin reading the book Ancient Quest, so we know what is going on with that story. Ancient Quest is a book that will help us learn and visualize the ancient world more so than a textbook. Once you enter the Ancient World, your life will never be the same...
Task: Using the Ancient World Link, read about each ancient civilization we will be studying. Post a COMMENT telling me ONE thing about EACH ancient world. You must use COMPLETE sentences. You can post a comment or write your assignment on a piece of paper. 
DUE: Sunday, September 8th, 2013. 11:59 p.m.
Points: 20. (2 points for each ancient world (16) and 4 points for getting it done on time.)

An Ancient Recipe

We study 8 ancient civilizations in 6th grade social studies. This week, we are getting a little bit of an overview of these ancient worlds. One thing that I want to do is to help you get to know the names of all these places. So, I decided to put together a video that will help you remember some of these names in a different way. It is a cooking show. I am going to make my favorite type of hamburger and in the process, introduce you to all 8 names of the ancient world. So, watch the video, see the most delicious hamburger ever created and begin to learn these names!

Planning a Route

During our mini-geography unit, I want to do something applicable to the real world. There will be a point in your life when you will need to plan a trip, so why not start practicing? To learn about some physical features, cities, countries, continents, directions, and maps, we are going to plan out a route throughout a continent. You will be assigned a continent and must choose your starting location, what vehicle you will drive and where you will make stops along the way. You must travel at least 2,000 miles, so you have plenty of distance to cover. To help you with this, you will use the travel log I have made for you, along with the Internet (google maps, bing maps, mapquest, etc.) 

Designing a Route: Learning geography through real world application

Resources:
Google Maps
Bing Maps
Mapquest
Build a Route

On the Geo Hunt

Before we enter the world of ancient civilization, we are going to spend some time getting familiar with the world we live in. We are going to go on a Geo Hunt, searching for various things around the globe. Before we learn about the Stone Age, Mesopotamia, Egypt, China, India, Greece, Rome and the Medieval Times, we need to get an understanding of where things are at in the world, most importantly the Continents. I also want you to be familiar with finding things on a map, which will be a key skill moving forward. This week we are going to make a brief stop at "geography" before heading into the Ancient World. 
Task: Complete the Geo Hunt activity with your iPad and the resources below. 
DUE Date: Friday, August 30th. 

Resources: 

World Atlas
Maps of the World

Welcome to the Ancient World

In 6th grade social studies, we learn about the Ancient World. The ancient world is a fascinating place that I think you will find very interesting to learn about. It is a place of excitement, danger, mystery and intrigue. To wrap up our first week of middle school, we are going to get introduced to the ancient world. Let's see what we already know and what we can figure out. 
We focus on eight ancient worlds. 
Answer WORD BANK
Stone Age
Mesopotamia
Egypt
China
India
Greece
Rome 
Medieval Times (Europe, England)

Task: Using the internet, figure out which ancient world each term on the list is from. The 8 ancient worlds I listed above is your word bank. Each ancient world will be used many times. 
In-class activity. NOT homework. 

My Summer Blog Post

As they always do, summer went by fast in 2013. Summer is very fun, but I am also excited for summer to be over because that means I get to meet 130 new 6th graders. The start of the school year is exciting, with maybe a little nervousness entering the middle school. Before we get totally into the school year, let's take a moment to reflect on the summer. 

My summer was both good and bad. It was good because I got to spend a lot of quality time with my family. We took a trip to the Black Hills and stayed in a cabin. It was a fun vacation. I worked a lot this summer as well. I shingle houses for Sandia Roofing. We shingled 90 houses in Sioux Falls so we stayed very busy. The weather was pretty good for working outside this summer. Way better than last year's horrendously hot  temperatures. I also spent my time studying because I am currently working on my Masters in Technology. 

Unfortunately, my summer had some bad things happen as well. My dad got in a motorcycle accident on June 25th and has been in the hospital ever since. It was a very tough thing to go through and made the summer not as fun. He is still fighting to get better and perhaps I will tell you more about my dad and his accident in the future.

Task #1: How was the summer for you? In this practice blog post, I want you to tell me about your summer. Try to give me specifics as far as what you did, places you went, things you experienced, etc. Do not just type "My summer was good." I want to hear about your summer!
Task #2: Tell me about elementary school. What do you remember? Who was your favorite teacher? 

Ancient World Highlights

Learning how to use Water for Sixth Grade

Taking a look back..

Video Premier: Wax Museum 2013

Here is the 2013 Wax Museum video. Watch the video and remember the night, remember the experience, remember how you felt when the doors opened, the people flooded in, and you gave your first speech. Remember how it felt to donate the money to Make-A-Wish. Remember the ability that you have to make a difference. Remember that you are important and valued as a person. Remember that people care about you and want to help you. Remember this night and never forget it. 

The Wax Museum donation has been made

The Wax Museum has made its donation to the Make-A-Wish foundation and I couldn't be more proud. I want to thank you for all the hard work you did to make the Wax Museum of 2013 a success and an experience nobody will soon forget. Through your hard work, we are able to help Pedro, a 14 year old boy with Crones disease, fly to New Jersey this fall to watch a New York Giants football game and meet his hero Eli Manning. I think that is so cool. You should be proud of your accomplishment.  

6th Grade: A Reflection (Extra Credit)

Can you believe the school year is only 4 days away from being done?!?! Wow, time goes fast. It seems just yesterday you all arrived at the middle school as frightened, anxious 6th graders :)  Now, you are leaving 6th grade as confident, focused 6th graders. We have gone from struggling to open our lockers, to donating almost $4,000 to the Make-A-Wish. We have accomplished a lot in social studies this year. You have accomplished a lot as a person as well. You have worked hard on social studies and did a great job blogging. So, with our final week of 6th grade before us, we have one more blog post opportunity. This is a rare extra credit opportunity for you in my class. If you choose to complete this blog post, you will earn 15 points extra credit for your social studies grade in the 4th quarter. I hope you seriously consider doing this post because I would love to hear what you have to say. 
Extra Credit Task: Post a comment to this blog post reflecting on your 6th grade school year. In your reflection, you could talk about what you learned in social studies, english, math, science, reading, or any other class you had. You can talk about how you felt at the beginning of the year compared to know, talk about certain things that happened to you this school year either at school or outside of school. Basically, I want you to reflect on the school year we are just completing and share those thoughts with me. The length of your reflection does not matter, the quality of your reflection is what I'm looking for... So, Good Luck!

Johnny Fights for the Tiger

Here is a picture of the Tiger Johnny fights for in the book Ancient Quest. 

Ancient Quest Comes to an End...

Throughout the school year, we have been reading a book called "Ancient Quest." We read this book in a fairly odd way, as we only read 1 chapter per month. The reason we do this is because each chapter coincides with the units we study. Each chapter is designed to help us focus on one or two big ideas from that ancient world. Johnny, who is on this quest to conquer the ancient world and save a tiger he killed in 6th grade, has visited and succeeded in the Stone Age, Mesopotamia, ancient Egypt, ancient China, ancient India, ancient Greece, ancient Rome, and the Medieval Times. Now, it all comes to an end as we find out if Johnny will succeed, fail, or die. The question everyone wants to know whenever they read a book is: "What happens at the end?"  Well, let's find out....
(There will be no audio option for the end of the book).

Chapter 10: I Face the End

Epilogue: Johnny fights for the Tiger

Secrets at the Copy Machine: another cheesy comic

Secrets at the Copy Machine by Dan Klumper on GoAnimate

Blueman gets a new neighbor