Tonight's homework.

Today in class we read about and discussed the Gupta Empire (in what is now India). Students were given an article, "The Hephthalites" to read for homework. They should also write a paragraph or two comparing the fall of the Gupta Empire to the fall of the other empires we studied (particularly Rome and Han Empires).
Here is the link to the information we read in class http://india.mrdonn.org/gupta.html students should have a copy of it in their notebooks.

The Fall of Rome Projects

This week we have been working on projects in class.  Students should list 5 reasons for the fall of Rome, 2 facts for each reason, and a picture that represents each reason.  Students may present their information in whatever medium they choose.  It may be digital (powerpoint, web page, glogster) or a poster.  In addition, students must turn in their original research of 10 reasons (with two facts for each reason).

This week

This week in social studies we have been exploring the movement of ideas about agriculture and herding in sub-Saharan Africa. The years between 1000 BCE and 200 CE were marked by great technological innovation and demographic change in Africa south of the Sahara. Iron working techniques were developed and later diffused from Central Africa. This innovation occurred independently of the famous, earlier development we studied earlier in the week of iron working in Anatolia (Turkey).  New farming techniques, developed in earlier eras, spread with human migrations into territories previously  inhabited only by hunter-gatherers. Agriculture in this era, however, added new crops and livestock. Some of these items, for example the chicken, were introduced to Africa by Indonesian migrants and traders.

On Thursday and Friday, we used class time to do an activity.


Task
Tell the story of how your people came to be farmers, so the young people and future generations will know their history. Make your story interesting. Don’t hesitate to be creative. But as you are
being creative, use Student Handouts 3.2 and 3.3 to find out concrete details about your community, the people from whom you learned about farming and herding, and the crops and animals that now provide you with most of your sustenance.

There is a set of questions to be used as a guide and a rubric in the handout  given to students.  This assignment is due Monday 2/25.

This Week in Social Studies

This week in social studies, we have been studying Roman art. We have been looking at it not only as art, but also as propaganda.  The emperors often would use the art, not just as something lovely to look at, but also as a form of promotion of the empire and themselves.

We started off on Monday and Tuesday with just a general overview of art in Ancient Rome. This involved a short reading that included identifying influences from other cultures, the Romans' use of art and architecture as propaganda, Roman contributions, and some modern influences.  This reading and discussion questions were started as a class, then students finished the rest as homework. The next day we discussed the rest of the reading as well as answered questions students had.

Wednesday and Thursday students were assigned specific area (glassware, mosaics, coinage, the Colosseum, and others) of Roman art to learn in groups of 2 or 3. Thursday afternoon, students presented what they had learned to the rest of the class. Some who were done before others created powerpoint slides for their information.

Here is the powerpoint presentation from the creators of World History For Us All, which is where this lesson came from.  Although it does not include the exact information the students presented with, it does include the basic information.

History For Us All roman art and architecture from cbarcroft

Tomorrow, we will go to the computer lab for students to analyze art by taking a virtual tour of a gallery, selecting a piece of art, and writing a response to the art using some guided questions.  Students who finish early will be permitted to create a digital presentation. Students will also be able to finish this project over the weekend should they wish to complete a digital presentation, but do not have time in class.