Mansa Musa and the West African Empires: Presentation Guidelines

You presentation on Tuesday must be between three and five minutes total.  Your group should divide this time between all group members.

Your presentation may follow this format:

• Begin with introductions.  You may have a group/company name.
• Review your topic
• State the question your group focused on. 
• Discuss what your found out about the topic.  Use your notes.  This should be the longest part of your presentation.
• Discuss the essay questions.  Say a little about each of the three questions to encourage the government of Mali to purchase your product.
• Final statement.  This should encourage the government of Mali to select your product.  You might include a slogan.  Make it clear that your presentation is over and say "Thank you."

Review the rubric your group was given in class on Friday.  

For complete directions, scroll down to the next post.

Commemorating Mansa Musa and the West African Empires

The situation: The government of Mali would like to encourage tourists to visit their capital city, Timbuktu. To this end, they are planning a campaign to promote the history of West Africa and to commemorate Mansa Musa who ruled Mali when it was one of the most impressive empires on earth. As part of their overall plan they are developing products to sell in gift shops located near historical and cultural sites in Mali. 

Your assignment: Design an item commemorating Mansa Musa for sale in Mali's gift shops. Mali is looking for items meeting these criteria: Reflect the achievements of Mansa Musa in a positive light. Educate tourists about the history of West Africa and Islam. Are something tourists will want to purchase.

Suggested items: commemorative maps, posters, mugs, t-shirts, mouse pads, books, artwork, games, trading cards, or guide books. The current government of Mali hates board games, so do not design a board game. You are not limited to the suggested items.

Each product proposal must come with a 150 word written explanation that answers these three questions:

1.  How does the item encourage people to think postively about Mansa Musa, Islam and/or West Africa? 
2. What does the item(s) tell tourists about the history of West Africa? 
3. Why would tourists want to buy the item?

You will have the chance to present your product to representatives of the government of Mali in a three minute presentation. Your presentation should convince the government of Mali that your poduct will educate visitors about the history of West Africa and be something they will want to buy. Your presentation should include a visuals PowerPoint or Prezi or Google Slides.  

Keep the following questions in mind as you work on your project. :

1.  How did West African communities change from small family groups to large empires? (Chapter 12) 
2. How did trade in the West African empires of Ghana, Mali and Songhai change over time? (Chapter 13) 
3. What is Islam  (Chapter 9) and what changes did the arrival of Islam bring to West Africa? (Chapter 14) 
4. How have Islamic and  West African culture contributed to the world's culture, in particular to the culture of the United States? (Chapters 10 and 15)   

Schedule:

Nov., 30: Introduce topic.  Student input for groups
Dec. 2: Groups meet. Brainstorm ideas for projects and topics
Dec. 6: Project time. Groups meet. Determine jobs. Begin research
Dec. 8: Project time. Research. Determine product.
Dec 12: Project time. Present proposed project to class for evaluation
Dec. 14: Project time. Project status check.
Dec. 16: Assemble projects and slide shows. Practice presentations
Dec. 19: Practice presentaions
Dec. 20: Presentations.  All projects due.  There will be no late or make-up presentations.

This is a 70% project with a single group grade based on the presentation, the final product and the advertising display. Grades will be based on the historical information presented, the overall quality of the presentation and the overall quality of the slides.

Study Hints for Tomorrow's History Test

These terms must be used on your test tomorrow:

Black plague
Byzantine Empire
Feudalism
Hundred Years War
Magna Carta
Medieval Town
Roman Catholic Church

These are some terms you might want to include:

Charlemagne,
crime and punishment
Eastern Orthodox Church
excommunication
Joan of Arc
Justinian I
Latin
lords
pilgrimage
sacraments
Thomas Aquinas
vassals
Vikings
William I/William the Conqueror

The test will ask you to show us what you have learned.  You will have two periods to work on it.  You may include anything you have learned in history so far.

History Test This Thursday!!!

Here are a couple of music videos to help you study for the test.




How did the Black Death contribute to the decline of Feudalism?  Think about how it reduced the number of peasants, freemen and serfs.  How could the peasants who survived improve their lives afterwards?






What is the connection between Joan of Arc and nationalism?  What is nationalism?  How did the rise of nationalism and changes to the military help bring about the decline of feudalism?





Why is Thomas Aquinas considered important? How is he connected to the development of universities? How were universities connected to the Roman Catholic Church?





 What is the connection between the Viking attacks and the development of feudalism?

History Unit 1 Common Core Task

Question: Why did the Black Plague kill so many people?

 Read and examine the following resources before you begin the task.

 Video 

 "Plague Song" by Horrible Histories.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CVDIHrIQjo 


 Articles 

 "Study Shows Black Death Did not Kill Indiscriminately"

http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-plague-europe-idUKN2846871520080128 

"The Black Death of 1348-1350"

 http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/medieval-england/the-black-death-of-1348-to-1350/ 


 Text 

 History Alive! Section 5.3: The Bubonic Plague

 Images 

Map of trade routes and bubonic plague's progress 

http://plaza.ufl.edu/wlclapp/The%20Spread%20of%20Black%20Death_files/image001.jpg 

 Task:  After reading the articles and text and examining the map above, write a long paragraph that addresses the question and analyzes the reasons why the Black Plague killed so many people providing examples to clarify your analysis.  What conclusions or implications can you draw? Be sure to support your position with evidence from the resources.  Write a one page response to the question.  Make sure you cite the above resources to support your answer.  L2 In your discussion, address the credibility and origin of sources in view of your research topic.

On this day in 1066

William the Conqueror defeated the Saxon armies at the Battle of Hastings.




 We decided to celebrate, since this is th 950th anniversary, with a cake.

The Clock Store

Here is the cartoon we watched in class today.  It's by Disney Studios; made in 1931 which makes it almost 80 years old.

This is the cartoon Hugo saw when he went to the movies with Isabelle in The Invention of Hugo Cabret.  

If you're interested, there are many more "Silly Symphony" cartoons like this one on YouTube.

Automaton One-Pager Assignment (for English only)

Create a one-pager on Maillardet's automaton using text and images to creatively highlight the most important information. Be sure to include the following:

• The definition of automaton (the plural is automata)
• A description of the automaton's history, including its creation and creator; how it was damaged; and the roles Charles Penninman, Bryan Selznick, and Andy Baron played in restoring the device; and its influence on the novel, The Invention of Hugo Cabret.
• A description of how Maillardet's automaton works and its capabilities

You can use these links to complete the one-pager assignment about Maillardet's automaton.

CBS Sunday Morning video The Lost Art of Automata Lives Again

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7oSFNKIlaM

The Maillardet automaton in action

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfeNC28vpYo

Read Andrew Baron’s essay

http://www.theinventionofhugocabret.com/andrew_hugo_auto.htm

We watched the last part of Safety Last starring Harold Lloyd today.  Here's the full movie if you're interested in watching it.  The wall climbing scene starts 53 minutes in.



Earn stamps on your Scorpion Card if you can tell Mr. Chester how they made it look like he was so high up in the air.

Annotated Castle Projects

Directions:

Your project:

• Castle drawing
• Motte & Bailey or a later type of castle.
• Can be an arial view of the castle.
• You can draw all or just part of the castle
• Use the book "Castle" by David Macaulay or another image or imagine your own. You may also use castles you find in other sources as an inspiration
• Must be realistic/historically accurate

Projects must be annotated.

• 10 annotations total.  (An annotation is a label with a sentence or two that adds information or a definition.)
• Six of the annotations must be features of the castle.
• Four of the annotations must be about people in the castle: peasants, lords/noblemen, knights/vassals, and the monarch.

Projects are due on Thursday.

Martin Luther King of the Metaphor - Visual Metaphor Project

This project is due on Thursday, September 29.  This project is for English classes only.

Students are to take one of the metaphors in Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech and turn it into a visual metaphor.  We began this assignment in class today.

Artwork should follow these rules:

1. cover the entire paper with other paper.
2. use the book page.
3. include the metaphor in writing.

Here are two samples from other classes.

Here is the video of the speech we watched in class today, just in case you'd like to watch it again.

Charlemagne! Today's History Video

"Zebra" Recycled Sculpture Projects - Extra Credit for English

Shortly before noon, John Wilson laid out on his desk the contents of the plastic bags: a clutter of junked broken objects, including the doll and the umbrella.

Using strips of cloth, some lengths of string, crumpled newspaper, his pen, and his one hand, he swiftly transformed the battered doll into a red-nosed, umbrella-carrying clown, with baggy pants, a tattered coat, a derby hat, and a somber smile. Turning over the battered frying pan, he made it into a pedestal, on which he placed the clown.

"That's sculpture," John Wilson said, with his shy smile. "Garbage into people."

- "Zebra" by Chaim Potok

To earn extra credit for English (up to 20 points) create a piece of art using only recycled materials.  You may use new glue and new paint.

You may create anything you like, but you must use only materials taken from "recycling" bins or trash bins.  Be sure to clean them first.

Bring your completed project to class by Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2016 for extra credit in English.  (This will count in the 30% category.)

A Video About Theodora for Tomorrow

Basic MLA Format

To set your paper up in MLA format using Google.docs follow these steps:

1. Open a document. 
2. Leave the font size, the font choice and the margins as they are.
3. Set the spacing to "double space"
4. Your heading should be in MLA format and will be double spaced.
5. Hit return twice after your heading.
6. Center the title.  Just center it. No boldface, no italics, no font change, no underlining.
7. Indent each paragraph using the tab key.
8. Do not put extra space between paragraphs
9. When you finish set up the header.
1. Insert header
2. Put your last name in the top right of the header
3. After your last name put one space and then insert page number

Print at home or in the school library.

If you have any questions, please see me in person before or after class.  

Ancient Rome in Your Home

Find three examples of Roman cultural influences in your community or home.  For example, you might see a building with a dome, a mosaic or a sign containing a word derived (that comes from) Latin.

Take a photograph or sketch each example.  Then write a caption (written explanation) for each one. In the caption, describe the example, state where it is located in your community or home, and explain the Roman cultural influences it contains.

Your examples should include three of the four categories discussed in the first chapter of the history book: art; architecture and engineering; language and writing; philosophy, law and citizenship.  Please review chapter one if you need ideas of what to look for.

It is possible to do this assignment without leaving your home.  You may use internet sources, but all examples must be things found in Novato.

Make sure all three pictures and their captions fit on one side of one piece of paper.  You will be cutting these out to create a mini-theatre flip book on Friday.

For this assignment you may type or write, in black or blue ink.  Be sure to print your pictures before Friday morning.  If you do not have a camera or a camera function on your phone, you may draw your pictures but photographs are preferred.

This is a 30% assignment.

How much can you read in a semester?

This is homework for my English classes.  Due for the next Reading Race on Friday, August 20 

How many books can you read this semester if you read for 20 minutes a day every school day?

Hint: there are 78 days left between today, August 23, 2016, and the end of the semester on December 22.

To figure out the answer you'll need to start by determining your words per minute reading rate.  To do that go to this website sponsored by Staples.  Take the reading test there.     Once you do the timed reading and pass the test, Staples will tell you your reading speed. Be honest with this test. We just want to see what your score is; you don't get a higher grade for having a higher score.

Write your speed down in your English journal on the last page.  Then do these calculations to see how many books you could read by December 22 if you read 20 minutes a night.

Multiply your reading speed by 20.  This shows how many words you can read in 20 minutes.  Write this number down.

Multiply how many words you read in 20 minutes (the amount above) by 78 days.  Write this amount down.

Divide this amount by forty thousand (40,000).  The average middle school level book has about 40,000 words in it.  Write this number down to the first decimal point. This is how many books you can read in 78 days if you read 20 minutes a night.

These are Mr. Chester's results:

• 305 Words per minute
• 6100 words in 20 minutes  (305 x 20 = 6100)
• 475,800 words in 78 days  (6100 x 94 = 475,800)
• 11.9 books in 78 days.  (475,800 / 40,000 = 11.8)

After you finish the calculations, write a short paragraph in your English journal about your results. Write on the same page you used for your calculations if there is room. Were you surprised by any of them?  How does this compare to what you actually read each semester?  Do you think you could spend more time reading?  Set a reading goal for this semester.  My goal is 15 books.

How Can Reading Help You Live Longer?

A recent study by the Yale University School of Public Health has found that people who read live longer lives than people who do not read.

How can reading help you live a longer?

Read the articles listed below to find out.

Article 1
Article 2
Article 3

After you read each article take some notes on it in your English journal or on binder paper if you do not have a journal yet.  Be sure that your notes include the following information:

1. Article title and author (if given)
2. Name of the website.  
3. Important words that you need to know.
4. Important information from the article that helps you answer the question "How can reading help you live longer?"

After reading the three articles, what do you think?  Which article does the best job answering the question?  What makes it the best article?  How would you answer the question?

Illustrate your answer. 

All of your work for this assignment should fit onto one side of one piece of paper.  You do not have to stay between the lines. 

This assignment is due on Wednesday, August 24. It is a 30% assignment.

English: Poetry Books

Your poetry book should include these items

• Dedication and introduction. Both on the first page.
• Black out poem.  Probably on your cover.
• Animal poems written for William Blake's "The Tyger"
• 13 Ways of Looking poem.
• Where I'm From Poem with illustrations.
• Word Collage
• Collage Poem
• Collage Poem illustration.
• Group Painting Artwork with artist statement
• Poem Analysis paper
• Copy of the poem you analyzed.
• Do Now! writing with illustration
• Harris Burdick drawing
• Harris Burdick story, just the final version.

It's possible to put more than one item on a single page.  

Leave your Book Bingo card as visible as possible.

Books are due no later than Monday, June 6. 

This is a 70% project.

Age of Exploration: Explorer's Maps Project

The Majestic Map Company has asked you to design a souvenir map to be sold in the gift shop at the birthplace museum of an explorer.  Sometimes the place where an important or famous person is born is preserved as a museum for tourist to visit.  A birthplace museum typically includes rooms with historical furniture, often what was in the house when the famous person was born, along with exhibits about the life of the famous person.

Your map must appeal to tourist who are visiting the birthplace museum.  It must fit onto one side of an 11 x 14 piece of paper. (Ledger paper).  It must be colorful and attractive to appeal to tourist who will buy it as an informational reference and/or to display on their wall at home or in the office or classroom.

You map must include these things:

• The explorers name.
• A map of the routes they travelled on their voyages
• At least two illustrations from this list:
• a portrait of the explorer
• a diagram of one of their ships
• a scene showing what happened on their voyage
• A paragraph about their life including why they are important. Use the information in the history book for this.
• Information (either visual or in writing) about the impact of exploration including.  
• A product or other thing they may have brought back to Europe
• Something they brought to the Americas

Due to copyright issues, and a very low budget, the company must insist on original work.  No part of the project my be copied/printed from the internet or other sources.

Your may choose any of the following explorers:

• Vasco da Gama
• Juan Cabral
• Christopher Columbus
• Ferdinand Magellan
• Hernan Cortez
• Francisco Pizarro
• John Cabot
• Giovanni Da Verrazano
• Henry Hudson

Be sure to tell Mr. Chester whom you have chosen. No more than two groups per person.

Buzzfeed's Top Ten Renaissance People Projects.

First read all of chapter 30 and take notes using the packet. Do not do the bottom part about the pedestals. We're not doing this.

Follow these steps to create your Top Ten Renaissance People projects.

1. Cut one large piece of paper (11 x 14) in half making to long strips of paper.
2. Fold both pieces of paper in half twice to make four equal "squares".
3. Glue one square to another to make one long strip.  This strip will have seven squares.  
1. Fold this long strip into an accordion booklet.
4. Cut out your notes and attach them to the booklet.
1. Create a cover page on the front.
2. Rank the people #1-10.
3. Glue one person to each page in order.  (You'll need to use the backs.  
4. Number each person by their rank.
5. Write a reason for each person's rank.
6. Create a list of "Runners Up." write this list on the last page.
5. Glue your book into your journal.

This project is due on Tuesday.

Renaissance Action Figure Project

The Ed-U-Fun Group is designing a line of Renaissance action figures to sell to history teachers and students.  They already have a William Shakespeare doll test figure designed.

You have been hired to design an action figure and the packaging that it will come in.


Select one Renaissance figure (person) from the list below.  Research the life of that person.  The Ed-U-Fun Group wants you to design and present the following items:

• An action figure.  The figure must include two items it can hold, one in each hand. These must be detachable.  
• An accessory that will come with the figure.  This must be displayed in the package.  This is one thing the Shakespeare figure does not currently have. 
• A 200 word biography of the figure that will go on the back of the packaging.  This biography should include these things:
• A brief passage about the overall life of the figure-- childhood, major events in their life, achievements.  This should be appropriate for 11 to 14-year-old students. Keep it interesting.
• An explanation of the two items and the accessory. This may not be a bullet list, but should be written in an interesting way.
• A summary of why the figure is important in history and how he or she contributed to the Renaissance.

Begin your project by selecting a figure from the list below.  Let Mr. Chester know whom you have selected.  The Ed-U-Group wants to see as many Renaissance figure designs as possible.

You will have Friday, April 22 and Tuesday April 26 to research and prepare your presentation. Presentations are scheduled for Tuesday, May 2. You will turn in a typed copy of your speech in MLA format.  Speeches must be memorized this time.  Your action figure and the accessories will be your visual aid.

Possible Renaissance figures:

List A

• Leonardo da Vinci        
• Michelangelo             
• Galileo Galilei              
• Nicolaus Copernicus           
• Isabella I of Spain             
• Elizabeth I of England       
• Christopher Columbus         
• Martin Luther               
• King Henry VIII           
• Vasco da Gama           
• Ferdinand Magellan         
• Hernan Cortes              
• Isaac Newton            

List B

• Catherine de Medici                                
• Dante Alighieri         
• Filippo Brunelleschi      
• Sandro Boticelli
• Machiavelli               
• Titian                 
• Andreas Vesalius    
• Sir Walter Raliegh     
• Miguel Cervantes    
• Desiderius Erasmus
• Pope Leo X            
• John Calvin               
• Anne Bolyn               
• Francisco Pizarro
• Henry Hudson         
• Hans Kepler
• Johannes Gutenberg      
• Marco Polo           

List C

• Francisco Petrarch    
• Donatello             
• Girolamo Cardano
• Lorenzo de Medici
• Albrecht Durer
• Galen                 
• Pope Clement V        
• Pope Gregory XI       
• John Wycliffe           
• Jan Hus
• Catherine of Siena    
• Huldrych Zwingli
• William Tyndale
• Queen Mary of England      
• Ignatius Loyola
• Prince Henry the Navigator        
• Pedro Cabral                              
• John Cabot          
• Giovanni da Verrazano        
• Francis Bacon      
• Antoine van Leeuwenhoek         
• Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit       
• Artemesia Gentellischi     
• Isabella d'Este        
• Lucretia Borgia                 
• Ben Johnson     Manuel *1

List D

• Other people you can suggest

Open House it This Thursday, April 6.

Hope to see you.

Here Are Some Pictures That May Be On The Test Thursday.

Some of these pictures will be on the China/Japan test Thursday.

There may be other pictures on the test as well.

Edo Period Artwork

Here are the slides from our lesson on art during Japan's Edo period. Click on the picture to see a larger version.

Four Japanese Demons

Daimyo Procession, 

Insect Procession

Otsu-e Yakko - Standard Carrier

Otsu-e Goblin in Prayer

Otsu-e Storefront

View of Matsushima

Mt. Fuji from Miho-no-Matsubara

Rice Paddies and Fuji after Taiga

Basho with a Deer

Basho and Two Haiku

Read-In Day Reading

What did you read for today's Read-in?

Let us know in a comment.

Tell us what you read and what you thought about it?  Tell us what your book was about but avoid long plot summaries.  Why you liked or didn't like a book is much more interesting than a plot summary.

Two or three sentences is all you need.

Ch. 20 - Cultural Diffusion in Japan Assignment (Updated)

Complete this assignment on the back of your handout or on other paper that you attach to it.

Finish the Processing 20 handout before you do this assignment.  

Assignment:  Select one of the eight topics on the handout: government, city design, religion, writing, literature, sculpture, architecture or music.  Design a full page advertisement for that topic as it is in Japan.  Be sure to mention what ideas Japanese culture took from India, China or Japan and how they improved upon them or changed them.

Your advertisement should include a title, a slogan, a picture and a brief description of  how Japan changed or improved upon the ideas they acquired through cultural diffusion.

For instance, your advertisement might say that Japanese cities are the best.  It would include a map of a Japanese city and an explanation of how the Japanese took ideas from China and adapted them for use in Japan.

How did the Archipelago of Japan Come to Be UPDATED!

Do some research into the Archipelago of Japan.  Find out how it came to be according to Shinto mythology and according to science (geology).   Write a 50 cent summary to answer each of the questions below.  Remember, in a 50 cent summary you have 50 cents to spend, each word costs one cent and the words 'a', 'an' and 'the' are free.

Questions:

1.  According to Shinto mythology, who created the islands of Japan and how did they do it.?

2.  According to science (geology), how did the islands of Japan come to be?

Answer each question in a well written 50 cent paragraph.

Do this on binder paper or typed it up and print it out.  Do not write your final answer in your journal

Due: Thursday, Feb. 25, 1016.

Papers turned in late will not be counted for progress reports and may receive a reduced grade.

The Outsiders Extension Activity

 

For this activity you will research one of the elements S. E. Hinton incorporated into her novel, The Outsiders. 

Your project must include visuals and multiple paragraphs.  The number of paragraphs is dependent on the topic you choose. 

You may present your findings in any format, such as an essay, brochure, presentation, model, or display.  You are only limited by your own creativity. 

Be sure to include a brief introduction discussing how the element you chose to research is featured in the novel and a brief conclusion summing up your research and giving your final thoughts.

Choose a research topic from the following:

• Tuff cars of the mid-60’s: Corvairs, Mustangs, T-Birds, and Corvette
• Greaser icons: James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause and Marlon Brando in The Wild One
• Music: Elvis, the Beatles, and Hank Williams
•  Rodeo Events
• Books: Great Expectations by Charles Dickens and Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
• Drive-in culture:  Movie genres and representative examples from the golden age of the drive-in, the late 50’s to the mid-60’s
• Other topics with teacher approval 

Be ready to present your project to the class on February 10.  

Chinese Painting Homework

Take a look at the painting below titled "Fisherman."  Use the Beginning/Middle/End strategy that we used in class during the fall to write a story about this painting.  Use the painting as an illustration of either the beginning, the middle or the end of your story.  

Start by cutting out the copy of the painting you received in class today and gluing it into your history journal.  Use a blank page.  they write your story around, above and below the painting.  Your story should be one page long.  You can make your story about China or about anything else as long as the painting illustrates either the beginning the middle  or the end of the story.  

Stories are due on Wednesday, Jan 13.

"Fisherman" by Wu Zhen, Yuan Dynasty, 1350 ink on handscroll

How many books can you read this semester?

This is homework for my English classes.  Due for the next Reading Race on Friday, Jan. 8

How many books can you read this semester if you read for 20 minutes a day every school day?

Hint: there are 94 days left between today, Jan. 6, 2016, and the Book Bingo deadline on June 3.

To figure out the answer you'll need to start by determining your words per minute reading rate.  To do that go to this website sponsored by Staples.  Take the reading test there.     Once you do the timed reading and pass the test, Staples will tell you your reading speed. Be honest with this test. We just want to see what your score is; you don't get a higher grade for having a higher score.

Write your speed down in your English journal near your Book Bingo card.  Then do these calculations to see how many books you could read by Jan. 3 if you read 20 minutes a night.

Multiply your reading speed by 20.  This shows how many words you can read in 20 minutes.  Write this number down.

Multiply how many words you read in 20 minutes (the amount above) by 94 days.  Write this amount down.

Divide this amount by forty thousand (40,000).  The average middle school level book has about 40,000 words in it.  Write this number down to the first decimal point. This is how many books you can read in 94 days if you read 20 minutes a night.

These are Mr. Chester's results:

• 305 Words per minute
• 6100 words in 20 minutes  (305 x 20 = 6100)
• 567,300 words in 94 days  (6100 x 94 = 567.300)
• 14.2 books in 94 days.  (567,300 / 40,000 = 14.2

That's not enough for a blackout, but it is enough for three or four bingos if I read the right books.

After you finish the calculations, write a short paragraph about your results.  Were you surprised by any of them?  How does this compare to what you actually read each semester?  Do you think you could spend more time reading?  Set a reading goal for this semester.  My goal is 40 books which is more than enough for a blackout.