Day 41: Cortes the Killer? (4/13/11)

AIM: The historians of 2016 will track the video of Henan Cortes and decide if this is a fair portrayal of his conquest over the Aztecs.

Step 1: Read these directions out loud. Today you are going to watch the video on Hernan Cortes and his conquest of the Aztecs. While watching the video I want you to think about two important ideas the video brings up. Why does the video portray Cortes the way it does, do you believe that Cortes was not sure about wanting to kill the Aztecs like the video shows?

The people in the film only speak English because the video was made for an English speaking audience. Cortes spoke Spanish and Moctezuma only spoke his Aztec native language. Dona Maria was the only one who could speak both languages.

Step 2: Watch the video on Hernan Cortes. There is six parts to is. When one part ends, make sure to play the next part.

Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YzZaLPxsig
Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opqP8o_uGR0&feature=related
Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ghWuFdgkHI&feature=related
Part 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQpWUnVCv18&feature=related
Part 5: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2r1RbCS5jpg&feature=related
Part 6: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DhGRS4oWoWw&feature=related

Step 3: Turn in your question answers to the guest teacher.

Homework: The guest teacher will pass out the homework for you. For you homework tonight you're going to be creating new symbols for different concepts.

Day 41: Animating History (4/12/11)

Aim: The historians of 2016 will create a historical fiction illustrated story from the perspective of a person living in Mesoamerica during the middle ages.

Task 1: Have the lesson open as you go over the agenda for the day with Ms. Morales. Is she has any trouble with anything she'll send me a text and we can figure out a solution on Thursday.

Task 2: Submit your homework from last night. Everyone needs to submit it.

Task 3: Quick Question: Next week we start quarter four. Which activities from quarter three would you like to do again in quarter 4? Which activities would you like to not have happen again in quarter 4?

Task 4 Project: Today you are going to start an animated historical fiction essay from the perspective of someone living in mesoamerica. You can write pretending to be a person living in or near the Incas, Aztecs, or Mayans. You story can be written as a journal or a narrative. It needs to have three complete paragraphs.

When you finish your story you can begin to build you characters using Go animation. Make sure you log in using your Google account. You can start creating your characters for you story.

Task 5: Make sure all missing work is submitted and your portfolio is 100% up to date. Today is the last day that you'll be able to use the computers in class. All work needs to be completed before Wednesday night at 10:00PM. You can go back to this page to see the list of stuff that needs to be posted to your portfolio.

Task 6: If you finish early, the only things you can do it work on an extra credit project for Social Studies, watch the History with Sanders YouTube channel, or work on your history essay for ELA.

Homework: Tonight you need to finish writing your story and coming up with ideas for you animation. Your finished products will be due the Tuesday after break. I will be back on Thursday to help you with your animations.

Day 40: Achievements of the Mesoamerican Peoples (4/11/11)

Aim: The historians of 2016 will describe five or more of the world contributions from the Mesoamerican tribes in a Google presentation.

Task 1: Submit your homework. If you already posted your story online, you do not have to

Task 2 Quick Question: What are some of the greatest contributions from people living in the United States? Why?

Task 3: Open the presentation and follow along as we look at the different contributions of the Mesoamerican peoples.

Task 4: Open the virtual mind map space here. In order to become a member of the shared space, first try to chat in the box, then it should ask you to log in and you've joined the shared space.

Task 5: Create a Google Presentation describing four or more achievements of the mesoamerican people.

Homework: Read about the agricultural techniques in the Mayan Empire and complete the workbook page. You must complete the workbook page on paper tonight. You'll be submitting it online tomorrow.

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.