Day 39: Putting the Polish on the Portfolios (4/8/11)

Aim: The historians of 2016 will make sure their history portfolio is complete and all the items posted are done to the best of their ability.

Task 1: Submit your homework here. If you complete the homework online already, you do not have to submit it again.

Task 2: As a class we will create two questions in Google Moderator that we want our teammates to answer. We will use this Google Document to come up with ideas.

Task 3: Make sure the following items are posted to your history portfolios.

1. Two paragraphs writing from the perspective on a person living in Mayan Society.
2. A presentation, blog post, or story board describing the expansion and fall of the Incan Empire.
3. Rise of the Inca Empire comic strip.
4. Aztec Quiz
5. Fall of the Aztecs blog post and city design of Los Angeles.
6. Aztec slaves and prison labor in the United Sates.
7. Aztec society vs. Modern Society double bubble.
8. Mesoamerica geography assignment.
9. Map of Tenochtitlan
10. Japanese Samurai (or Feudal Japan) Presentation
11. Japanese Geography Art
12. Move to China Poster

Homework: New current event for Monday. You must write it as a script that can be read by a newscaster.

Day 38: 2012 The End of the World? (4/7/11)

Aim: The historians will critic the end of the world Mayan Calendar debate citing evidence and personal opinion.

Task 1: Submit your homework. If you already completed your homework last night, you do not have to submit it again.

Task 2 Quick Question: Some people believe that the world will end in the year 2012 based on an interpretation of a Mesoamerican calendar. Is this a reasonable idea or do you think that is a crazy idea?

Task 3: Track Mr. Sanders as he explains the Mayan calendar system.

Task 4: Spend some time looking at different websites that talk about the end of the world and its relationship with the Mayan calendar.

• National Geographic News Article
• A Personal Website (I would be wary on the credibility of this one)
• An article put out by NASA
• Info-graphic Looking at Both Sides

Task 5: After doing some research, do you think it is fair to believe that the world will end in 2012? Why or why not?

Homework: Read about the religious beliefs and practices of the Mayan peoples and complete the workbook page.

Day 37: Mayan Society (4/6/11)

Aim: The historians of 2016 will write a two paragraph historical fiction narrative from the perspective of a Mayan citizen.

Task 1: Submit your homework. If you submitted your homework online, you do not have to submit it again.

Task 2 Quick Question: If you were there... You live in a village in the lowlands of Mesoamerica. Your family members have always been weavers, and now your aunts are teaching you to weave cloth from cotton grown by nearby farmers. Traders from other areas often pass through your village. They tell wonderful stories about strange animals and sights they see in their travels. After talking to the traders who buy your cloth, you begin to think about becoming a trader too. Why might you become a trader?

Task 3: Open the presentation on life in the Mayan empire and following along as we go through it.

Task 4: Write a two paragraph historical fiction narrative from the perspective of a person living in the Mayan Empire. You can write it as if you were a farmer, peasant, or nobel person (not the ruler). You may want to look at tonight's homework to get more ideas on what life was like in the Mayan Empire.

Task 5: Add the Mayan social structure to your social pyramids presentation. If you are working in a group on this, you need to collaborate (work together) on one slide.

Homework: Read about family life in the Mayan empire and complete the workbook questions.

Day 36: Geography of the Mayans (4/5/11)

Aim: The historians of 2016 will be able to describe the geography where the Mayans established their civilization.

Task 1: Submit your homework.

Task 2: Spend 10 minutes reading through and voting on your teammates responses to yesterday's quick question. Also, you write a response to four or more of your teammates posts.

Task 3: FSA 9 Results. Go back to the FSA and see which questions you got incorrect. We will have a reflection discussion after you complete the FSA review.

Task 4: Track the video on the introduction to the Mayans.

Task 5: After the video, describe the geography and physical features where the Mayans built their great civilization. You may go back and look at the video footage again if you need. to.

Homework: Read about class structure in the Mayan Empire and complete the workbook page on the Temple of the Jaguar.

Day 35: The Fall of the Incas (4/4/11)

Aim: The historians of 2016 will be able to accurately list the major causes of the collapse of the Inca empire. They will demonstrate this by creating a comic strip, flow chart, or a two-paragraph summary.

Task 1: Submit your homework

Task 2 Quick Question: If you could be a member of an empire or civilization that existed in the middle ages, which role in that society would you like to have? For example, I would like to be a trader in the Aztec empire because you get to travel on behalf of the ruler in search of special items and bring them back to the ruler. If you were a good trader you would be handsomely rewarded.

Task 3: Follow along as Mr. Sanders goes through his presentation on the expansion and fall of the Inca empire.

Task 4: For task four you have three options

• Option 1: Create a six box comic strip showing the expansion and fall of the Inca empire. Post your comic to your portfolio.
• Option 2: Create a six box storyboard in Google Docs showing the expansion and fall of the Inca empire. Make sure you use images and descriptions. Post your storyboard to your portfolio.
• Option 3: Write a two paragraph blog post describing the expansion and fall of the Inca empire. Make sure you add a picture to your post.

Homework: Complete the Venn Diagram where you compare and contrast the Inca Civilization with your own society (PAPER ONLY).