Exams are coming...

Semester Exams begin two weeks from tomorrow. Here is the schedule:

Wednesday, 6/5/19

• 8 AM – Religion
• 10 AM – Social Studies

Thursday, 6/6/19

• 8 AM – English
• 10 AM – Science

Friday, 6/7/19

• 8 AM – Math
• 10 AM – World Language

The Honors Section will take their West Civ test in Room 114, Section 201 in Room 124, and Section 202 in Room 223.

The Semester Exam Review has been posted. It can be found here, and under Useful Links on the righthand side of this page (the doc is cleverly titled "Semester Exam Review").

Please make good use of it.

test on Rome - new date

The test on Rome, originally scheduled for Tuesday, May 14, has been rescheduled.

Section 201 and the Honors section will now take the test on Wednesday, May 15.

Section 202 will take the test on Thursday, May 16.

Don't forget about "Chi Cago's Guide to Ancient Rome" - you can find it under Useful Links on my blog, and it serves as a good review for this test.

with projects completed, we move on

Now that the student group project presentations have been (almost) completed, it is time to move on. There are three sections in the textbook that we will cover over the next couple weeks, before testing on them on Friday, April 12. The sections are:

• Section 3: Democracy and Greece's Golden Age (page 134-139)
• Section 4: Alexander's Empire (p. 142-145)
• Section 5: The Spread of Hellenistic Culture (p. 146-149)

If you are not going to be in school on April 12, it is in your best interest to take the test beforehand. Let me know soon, so we can work out a time for you to the take the test. If you don't take the test before Easter break, you will take it the day we return to school after vacation (Tuesday April 23).

the project on life in Ancient Greece

In reply to your questions, here is some helpful information about your project:

Objectives:
Explore an aspect of life in ancient Greece that is of personal interest to you.
Present the information to an audience of your peers.
Teach your classmates something significant about ancient Greece.

Instructions:

Find information about life in ancient Greece that is of historical interest.  Use at least two legitimate sources (other than Wikipedia). Your project (worth 100 points) should relate in some tangible way to the people, events, geography, architecture, economy, or other aspects of Greek life.

Write a one-page paper (worth 50 points) describing how you researched your project, and how you carried out the actual process of making your project. Include the sources you used (Works Cited), listing them at the end of your paper. Use Times New Roman font, size 12, double-spaced, regular margins. Give your paper a title, and include the names of everyone who worked on your project.

Give a presentation (worth 50 points) to the class describing your project. This presentation should be at least 5 minutes long, but no more than 10 minutes long. Include research methods, sources, how you actually put your project together, and how this project related to life in ancient Greece. A key element of your presentation should be educating the class through your project. All members of the group are expected to participate in the presentation.

Be prepared to assess and critique your classmates’ projects in class.

Grading Criteria:

25% of your grade (up to 50 points) will cover your paper, including Works Cited, methodology, relevance, originality, appropriateness of sources, plus spelling and grammar.

25% of your grade (up to 50 points) will cover your class presentation.  Take a focused, interesting, relevant approach to your presentation.  It is important that you teach the class something about life in ancient Greece.

50% of your grade (up to 100 points) will cover the creative element and the educational aspect of your entire project and its presentation.  A run-of-the-mill project, or a lackluster presentation, will not result in a good grade.  An imaginative, creative project, presented with enthusiasm and knowledge of the material, will fare much better.  Make sure that a special effort is made to inform and educate your classmates, including the use of relevant background information about how your project relates to actual life in ancient Greece.

Here is the rubric for this project.

more on the Greek project

In the sidebar to the right, and here, I have linked the rubric I will be using for your project on Ancient Greece. You should look it over and get familiar with it.

Why?

• It is what I will be using to grade your project, so it is a good idea to know what is expected of you.
• It is what YOU will be using to assess your classmates, so you need to be knowledgable about this particular method of grading. 

You will begin presenting your projects in class on Wednesday, March 27. If your group wants to present on that day, let me know, and I will put you at the front of the line. If no one volunteers to lead off, I will choose groups at random. Therefore, everyone should plan to be ready to present on March 27.

You will have two class periods to work on this project; all other work will be done as homework, on your own time, as you wish to schedule it. 

If you are not ready to present on the day you are scheduled, you will receive a penalty of one letter grade. This is NOT how you want to begin the fourth quarter. Much better to get INTO this project, put in the hard work it deserves, and give a terrific presentation on the due date.

Have fun, do good work, and let me know if you have questions.

today's classwork for Sections 201 and 202

Since I will not be in class with you today, here is your classwork.

Click on The Odyssey (Crash Course/John Green video). (The link is also in the sidebar on my blog.)

Based on your viewing of John Green's video, answer the following questions in your blog.

1.     How long did it take Odysseus to return home from the Trojan War?

2.     According to Google Maps, how long should this trip have taken?

3.     According to archeological evidence, when did the Trojan War occur?

4.     When did Homer compose The Odyssey?

5.     What is the definition of “epic poem”?

6.     Who is Odysseus’ wife?

7.     Who is Odysseus’ son?

8.     What happens in the cave of the Cyclops?

9.     Is Odysseus a hero? Why or why not?

10.  What is considered one of the most beautiful lines in all of Homer?

You should be able to finish this in class; if you don't, finish it for homework.

Of course, this counts as your blog for today.