Mediterranean Food Festival and Pompeii

Today, students brought a sampling of Mediterranean food to try.  Students were able to taste hummus, baklava, olives, pitas, honey, pomegranate, raisins, and dates.  While enjoying their snacks, we started watching a movie about Pompeii and the famous eruption of Mt. Vesuvius.  This is the BBC version of the story, not the new version.  Some students are still finishing their tests and grades are be updated as we speak.

Medieval Europe will begin next week with a pretest (not graded)


Update: The Mediterranean Food Festival was a success! Thank you to parents for support the event with food.  The students were able to sample food from Italy and Greece.  Most of the treats were healthy and students expanded their horizons by trying something new.

Test retakes and Pompeii

All student will have a chance to fix mistakes on their test after they are graded.  After the second turn in grades will be final.  Students will have a homework assignment to prepare them for the Pompeii movie on Friday.

Reminders: Mediterranean Food Fest tomorrow

Test Day

Upon entering the classroom student started their Ancient Greece and Rome tests.  Most students did not complete the test in the allotted time and will finish tomorrow in class.  

Reminder:
Mediterranean Food Festival is Friday! 

Greece and Rome Debate - Test tomorrow

Review:
Why Athens beat the Persians at the battle of Marathon?

- better weapons and armor
- more training
- Phalanx
- battle tactics
- famous run of Pheidippides

Today, students will review Rome by looking over the PowerPoint presentation. Students put together their packets yesterday that they will use on the test.  All classes will compete in a debate between Greece and Rome. 

Reminders:
Test tomorrow - Wednesday, Jan. 28

Packet Set-up and Kahoot

Review:

Athens	Sparta
Military service is optional Democracy Education for boys and girls Strong navy Arts and sciences	Military society Oligarchy Education for boys only Slaves Trained vigorously

Today, we put the packets together that we will use for the test.  The test will be Wednesday, Jan. 28. After the packet, we review Greece and Rome through a Kahoot game.  Tomorrow students will debate which civilization is better.

Reminders:

A Day in the Life of a Roman was due on Friday

Test day - Wednesday, Jan. 28

The Fall of Rome

Review: Punic Wars
- Fought by Rome and Carthage
- Carthage is a city in Northern Africa
- Romans won all three wars over 120 yrs.
- Carthage was led by Hannibal and fought with war elephants

Today, student examined the economic, political, social and military reasons for the collapse of the Roman Empire in 476 C.E.  Students also participated in review activities to prepare the the test next Wednesday.

Reminders:
Ancient Greece and Rome test on Wednesday, Jan. 28

Rome Project is due on Friday, Jan. 23 by 12 am.

Mediterranean Food Festival on Friday, Jan. 30
*Ask you son/daughter about this!!!!!!

Famous Romans

Review:

Consul - highest ranking elected officials in the Roman Republic, each year two consuls were elected.  

Today, students work with Emily Degroot the substitute teacher to complete an assignment called "Famous Romans". This assignment will be part of the packet.  

Reminders: Roman paper due tomorrow 

Test day is Wednesday, Jan. 28.

Last "A Day in the Life of a Roman" workday and Entrance ticket

Review:
Two groups of citizens in Rome

Patricians - rich and powerful (Generals, Senators, Consuls)

Plebeians - all other people, 90% of the population (Farmers and craftsmen)

Today, students had one last day to work on their writing assignment in class.  This assignment will be due this Friday by the end of the day.  It can be printed or shared through Google Docs.  Students should continue to study and prepare for the Ancient Greece and Rome Test next Wednesday.  

Entrance ticket -
 Write MCCXXXI in numbers (1231)
 Write 559 in roman numerals (DLIX)
Write the July 4, 1776 in Roman Numerals. (VII/IV/MDCCLXXVI)

Review (Ancient Greece and Rome) and Day in the Life of a Roman

Review: What are the major legacies of Greece and Rome?

Greece:
Theatre
Democracy
Marathon
columns
Pentathlon
Olympics
mythology

Rome:
Aqueducts
Colosseum
Republic
concrete
bound books
roads and highways
arches

Today, students will spend the first 10-15 minutes for question of the day and reviewing Rome.  After the review, students will work on their writing project for Ancient Rome, "A Day in the Life of a Roman".  This project will be due on Friday of this week.  Students will only have work time on Tuesday and Wednesday.  


Question of the Day:
1. Translate today's date into Roman numerals

2. Translate MMMDXXIV into numerals

3. Translate and solve
XLV x XIII = ?

New Blog Format

Blog Format

1. Review questions from the current unit

ex: Where did nuns live in Medieval Europe?

2. Highlights from that day or weeks lesson

- Catholic church was selling indulgences (pa

yment for time out of purgatory)

3. Question of the day

3. Further explanation of ideas brought up during class 

and student question answers

ex: How much did the U.S. purchase Alaska for? 7.2 mil.

5. Discussion of current events and personal opinions

Roman Numerals and A Day in the Life of a Roman

Today, students converted numbers to Roman numerals and learned how to write dates in Roman numerals.

For example, 

1=I

5=V

10=X

50=L

100=C

500=D

1000=M

17 = XVII

72 = LXXII

354 = CCCLIV

2380 = MMCCCLXXX

Students had the rest of the class time to work on their writing project.  It is due on Thursday by the end of the day,  All students will get a study guide for the Ancient Greece and Rome test on Tuesday.  

Greece/Rome Time Trial and A Day in the Life of a Roman

Today, students began class by competing with the other classes to see how fast we could identify information about either Ancient Greece or Rome.  Mod 1 was the winner with a time of 1.59 and will receive a prize.  This will help students review and prepare for the test on the 27th.  

Students started their "A Day in the Life of a Roman" writing project.  This project will be due on Thursday, Jan. 22 by the end of the day.  I will post the directions on this blog.  Students will have the computers for about four days of work time.  

Pre-packet check and Day in the Life of a Roman

Student searched through their materials today to make sure that they had everything completed for Greece and Rome.  All of the assignment students organized today will be used for the packet and test.  Students can begin studying the assignments to prepare for the test.

Students also learned about a project that we will be starting tomorrow.  They will be creating a story or journal entries about a fictional character from Ancient Rome using articles to help them understand life in Rome. 

Boko Haram and Finishing Ancient Rome ppt

We started class by talking about Boko Haram and the massacre in Nigeria.  Students provided other news event from the past week.  We did a quick review of Greece and Rome to help remind students of the legacies.  We finished the Ancient Rome PowerPoint, but we will need to go back over this week.  Students need to bring all materials for Greece and Rome tomorrow.  

Boko Haram Video 

Ancient Rome ppt

Today, students studied Rome through a PowerPoint. It requires that students follow along and take notes. I will be back tomorrow. 

Geo Bee and Rome

Today, we will decide the winners of the Geography Bee.  The winners will go on to compete against the rest of the school on Wednesday, Jan. 14.  Students will also study Rome through a PowerPoint.

Geography bee

All students will take part in a geography bee today. One student will be selected from each class to participate against the other grades to find a school wide champion. Good luck!

Tuesday Jan. 6 - Late arrival

Today, students wrote New Year's resolution for Social Studies class.  Students will check their Rome sweet Rome and evil emperors assignments. 

Thursday - each class will compete to send one student to the Excelsior Middle school Geography Bee.

Welcome back!

I will be gone until Tuesday, Jan. 13, spending some quality time with my newborn son.  I will try to provide an update of class based on sub plans and notes.  Thanks for your understanding and support. Stay warm.

Bennett Michael Hajek