Congratulations!

Ladies! Congratulations on a year of hard work! I wish you all a wonderful and safe summer. Read lots. And keep up with reading on my Summer Reading Blog!
http://brooklynsummerreaders.blogspot.com/

Here are a few pics from the end of the year. Just for you! http://www.flickr.com/photos/uaiheather/

American History Topics of Import

We discovered that there are some ultimately important topics in American history that we need to review. They are as follows:

• Native Americans
• The 13 colonies
• American Revolution
• The Constitution & the Bill of Rights
• American Slavery
  
• The Civil War
• World War I
• World War II - The Pacific
• World War II - Europe
• The Great Depression
• The Cold War

Reviewing American History

Now that we've identified some important topics in American history, let's do a little research. Here are some recommended and reliable resources! PAH-LEEEZ! Roam around these sites. They won't give you easy answers right away. However they do have great information if you are willing to do the research. Have fun!

Due Thursday, June 3 for Group H.
Due Friday, June 4 for Groups G & I.

REMEMBER: The 8th grade social studies test is on Monday, June 14 & Tuesday, June 15.

Multnomah County Public Library

Library of Congress

U.S. History.org

The American Experience by PBS

The White House Presidents page

African-American History

American History for Kids

History Channel (They also have some awesome videos if you prefer visuals!)

Greek Extra Credit

Greek Gods & Goddesses

Fast Forward

Did you ever wonder what the ancient Greek gods and goddesses would be like in our times? In 21^st century New York City? Here’s your chance to transplant them through time and space!

Due no later than Monday, June 14th. Either in your group's basket or in my mailbox. Make it happen, ladies! Summer is at your door!

1. Choose a god or goddess (or a few) whose personality, purpose, and habits you understand well. Go to one of the websites below for information:

• http://www.ancientgreece.co.uk/
• http://www.carlos.emory.edu/ODYSSEY/GREECE/home.html
• http://greece.mrdonn.org/myths.html

2. Think of a setting for that god or goddess. Would he or she live in New York City? Which borough? Neighborhood? Would he or she live in the country? On a farm? In a small town?

3. Brainstorm an accurate and contemporary character for the god or goddess on the “Character Notes” sheet. REMEMBER: The more notes you have, the better your characterization will be! Be specific! Be imaginative! Be creative! Be wacky! These gods and goddesses were quite unusual!

4. Write a story for “A Day in the Life of __________”. Use the story outline (on the back of your “Character Notes”). The story should be clearly written on paper or typed.

The Great American Map Off

How well do you know your country? We shall see when Ms. Kiri & Ms. Kelly come to judge our Great American Map Off competition! You group was challenged with the puzzle of our country's geography. The maps will be judged based on the following criteria.

• accurate state and country shape
• comprehensive information about our country's geography and history

Stay tuned. More to come.

Review for American History

Use the following link to remind your brain about American History.

http://www.teacheroz.com/states.htm#all%20fifty

Required Formatting for All Writing

Each page should contain ONE topic and ONE paragraph. That means you will have one page for Geography only. One page for Agriculture only. And so on.

All your typed writing must have the formatting described below.

1. 1" Margins: File -> Page Setup -> Margins All margins should be 1". The gutter should be 0".
   
2. Double Spacing: Format -> Paragraph -> Double
3. 12 point font! No script!

If you need help with this, please see me. If you hand in a paper that does not meet these requirements, I will hand it back without reading it. So please ask!

Why do we need Superheroes?

Homework DUE MONDAY, May 3!

After reading X-Men, Spidergirl, Bleach, and Wonder Woman in class, write a paragraph about their purpose for us.

Paragraph Writing (Homework)

In a full paragraph, explain what purpose you think superheroes have in our culture. Why are we so interested in them? Why are they so popular in movies and in books? How are our beliefs and values connected to them? You should use at least one superhero as evidence for your opinion.

FInal Reading Projects DUE MAY 3rd!

Just a friendly reminder from your friendly Humanities teacher that you have a BIG reading project due on Monday, May 3rd. Final drafts, PLEASE!!! That means . . .

• If you can type it, DO.
• If you can color it, DO.
• If you can perform it, DO. And have a final script (typed?) to hand in.
• And please . . . No grammar, spelling, punctuation mistakes.

Remember, doing the minimum will only get you a 65. If you expect excellent grades, you must excel. Do more than you have to. Wow me. Please. I'm dying to be wowed. Please.

City State Title Page

Your Ancient Greece City State portfolio must have a title page with a (VERY) short introduction paragraph. Here is the format you should use.

(centered) City state name
(centered) by Name

Welcome to . . .
In this Ancient Greek city state we found an amazing/complex/advanced civilization.
(Then highlight 5 awesome things about your city-state, preferably one thing from each paragraph.)

That's it! Add some snazzy, persuasive, appealing voice and you're done!

Government (City-State Station #3)

Here is the link for the bust images for Station #3. http://www.flickr.com/photos/uaiheather/

In case you forgot, here are the instructions for viewing them.

Learning Target: I can identify & show the leadership values & beliefs through a person’s expression.

1. Take one of the pictures of the busts in the basket.
2. Observations: What do you see in the image of the bust? No inferences! Just describe it.
3. Meaning: What attitude, value, or belief does each obersvation show?
4. Review your Government paragraph. Think about its beliefs & values.
5. Meaning: What attitude, values, beliefs does your city-state government have?
6. Description: What would a bust of your leader look like based on those qualities?
7. Draw it.
   

Some Ancient Greece Resources

If you need more information for the creation of your magnificent city-state, here are some suggestions.

http://www.ancientgreece.co.uk/

http://www.carlos.emory.edu/ODYSSEY/GREECE/home.html

http://greece.mrdonn.org/index.html

Revising Your City-State Paragraphs

Now that you have 5 big paragraphs describing the Ancient Greek city-state, you can revise them! There are THREE revisions you need to make in your 5 paragraphs.

1. Self or Peer Review your paragraphs for Ideas, Support, & Organization. Get the yellow and purple review sheets from Heather. This should make your draft all colorful with pink, green, and blue.
   
2. Change all your verbs in the simple past. Reference the table in your Humanities notebook. Remember your city-state was in the past, in Ancient Greece! All you need to do is cross off the old verbs and write in the past tenses. DO NOT REWRITE YOUR FIRST DRAFT!
   
3. Change all first person sentences into third person sentences. For example, "I decided to have . . . " into "The government/city-state decided to . . . " OR "My city-state is located in . . . " to "The city-state of Heatheropolis is located in . . ."

At this point, your first draft should look like a big mess. That means you're ready to start typing! Remember your USB drive!

Log & Say What?

Reading Log #5 and Say What? Journal Response #5 are due today. They should show your reading for April 5 - 11. Make sure they are in your Independent Reading folder IN the classroom.

*REMINDERS*

Reading Log #6 and Say What? #6 are due on Monday, April 19.

Thinking Reader #3 is due on Wednesday, April 21. You can get those sheets in the IR bucket.

Finishing Your Ciy-State

After reading about the differences between ancient Athens and Sparta in chapter 27, use the notes to help you create a system of education and economy in your own Ancient Greek city-state.

DUE on Monday, April 12, 2010

Paragraph 4: Economy & Trade (1 full paragraph)

• Will your city-state trade? Why or why not?
• What goods will you produce and trade?
• With whom will your city-state trade these goods?
• What do you predict you might need from other city-states? Think about what you lack. Talk to others in class to see if there is anything they produce or grow that you may need or want.
• What kind of money does your city-state have? What does it look like? What do your citizens use it for?

Paragraph 5: Education (1 full paragraph)

• What does your school look like?
• Who attends the schools? (Think gender, age, etc.)
• How long are your citizens required to attend school?
• What do they learn there? How does their learning benefit your city-state community?

Reading Daily Grind

Welcome back from spring break! Remember that big reading project we are working on? Make sure you hand in the following assignments by Friday, April 9, 2010.

• Reading Log #4
• Say What?#4
• Thinking Reader #2
• Reading Project Commitment #2

Remember! You must choose a different reading project than the project you completed last marking period! Read the project description carefully so that you complete it correctly. It is worth 100 points!

Your Very Own Ancient Greek City-State!

Urban Planning: Design Your Own Ancient Greek City-State

You will begin a portfolio of an Ancient Greek city-state based on the notes we have been taking in class. You may choose the characteristics of your city-state, but it must be recognizable as an Ancient Greek city-state. Write one paragraph per page. That means you will have three pages with one paragraph on each. This is a first draft.

DUE on Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Materials

• Your brain
• A pen
• Three sheets of loose leaf paper
• Your Ancient Greece folder (with ALL the notes)
• The internet

PARAGRAPH 1: GEOGRAPHY (1 FULL PARAGRAPH)

• Where in Ancient Greece is your city-state located? What are its physical characteristics and topography? Use your vocab terms!
• Why did you choose that location? What advantages do you think it has? Disadvantages?
• Draw a map of the location and boundries of your Greek city-state.

PARAGRAPH 2: AGRICULTURE (1 FULL PARAGRAPH)

• What crops will your city-state grow? Where?
• What animals will your city-state raise for food? Where?
• How does the geography of your city-state’s location influence how you grow your crops and raise you animals?

PARAGRAPH 3: GOVERNMENT (1 FULL PARAGRAPH)

• Identify and describe the type of government your city-state has.
• Why did you choose this type of government?
• What role do leaders have in the government? What role do citizens have in the government?
• What advantages and disadvantages does it have? Whom does it benefit? Why? Who suffers? Why?

Second Reading Project Starts!

Yup, you get to create another reading project! Make sure you have a book of your choice suitable for your second reading project by Monday, March 22. We will fill out book commitment forms in class.

The following assignments are due on Monday, March 22, 2010.

• Book Commitment #2
• Reading Log #3
• Say What? #3

Remember, the Say What? Response is simply a journal freewrite about your week's reading. You can write anything that comes to your mind.

Trip to See Sarcophagi & Throw Frisbees

Group H visited the Brooklyn Museum's exhibit To Live Forever: Art of the Egyptian Afterlife. We found many interesting objects including sarcophagi, mummies, canopic jars, amulets, Roman-Egyptian busts, and pieces from the Ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead.

Check out a cool CT scan of a mummy here. What really IS inside all that linen wrapping? There are also some videos from the curators of the exhibit. Check it!

Luckily the day was so beautiful. We picnicked on the steps of the museum and ended our visit with some Frisbee in Prospect Park. Did you know Rabab is a wicked, elegant Frisbee player? She helped teach everyone else how to throw. Now all we need is a little more practice . . .

Check out the PICS!

Ancient Greece: THE Place to Be!

This week we are beginning our study of Ancient Greece, the birthplace of democracy. We will be working in three stations gathering the basics: Mapping Ancient Greece, Collecting Words, Understanding Geography & People (chapter 25 in History Alive!). Each station has one sheet to gather as much information as possible.

The three worksheets should be completed by Wednesday, March 24.