Thursday, November 4, 2010

Modern World History - When Worlds Collide Performance Assesment

On Wednesday the Unit II Performance Assessment was introduced in class. We began watching the Conquest Chapter of Guns, Germs, and Steel and will complete viewing on Friday. Students will begin drafting written portion of project for teacher and peer editing. Over the weekend students should complete picture portion of the project. Completed postcard will be due by the end of class on Tuesday Nov. 9th.

Some additional resources on the clash at Cajamarca:
http://incas.mrdonn.org/spanisharrival.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_conquest_of_the_Inca_Empire#Capture_of_Atahualpa

Thursday, October 28, 2010

End of the Quarter

This is a reminder that the last day to turn in any work for a grade is Monday November 1st. All final grades will be entered that evening. Any student who was working on an extra credit project must have it completed by Friday Oct. 29th.

World Geography Exams

4th period will be testing Thursday and 7th period Friday. Be sure to bring a number 2 pencil with you and a completed study guide. Only a few students showed for the review session so I hope everyone else is feeling confident with the material.

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

World History Exams

Tomorrow is the big day for World History students. The first quarter exam will cover world religions, characteristics of civilizations, and empires around 1500 AD. Make sure to complete your study guide as they will be collected before the test tomorrow. Please be on time and have a number 2 pencil with you.

Sunday, October 24, 2010


EdTec 440 information

Name: Steven Brown
Topic: Class information for High School Social Studies courses that I teach.
Audience: 9th - 11th graders at Washington-Lee High School in Arlington, VA.
Descriptive paragraph: Please see first post as well as first podcast.

Quarter Exams

Hard to believe but we are approaching the end of the first quarter. Our next full class will be spent reviewing for the first quarter exam. The exam schedule for each class is below:
Modern World History classes will test on Wednesday October 27th.
4th period World Geography will test on Thursday October 28th.
7th Period World Geography will test on Friday October 29th.

I will be available as usual for Zero Period review in room 3017 from 7:15 until 8:05 and also lunch. If you are planning on coming in for lunch help please give me advance notice, I will in one of the following rooms depending on the day: W day lunch review will be in room 3015 and L day lunch review will be in room 3006.

I will also be staying late on Monday for World History students and Wednesday for World Geography students. Both days review will  be held in room 3006.

Monday, October 18, 2010

Welcome

For the first blog of the new school year, I would like to welcome all students and parents to the first of our weekly blogs. As we look back at the first 5 weeks of the school year and realize how much information we have covered yet we have so much more that lies ahead.
In Modern World History we began the year by analyzing the five major world religions; their beliefs and their locations around the world. We discussed the rise of civilizations and what characteristics helped define a civilization. We are now in the middle of Unit II: When Worlds Collide and have been taking a closer look at empires around the world in the 1500s, trade routes that developed during this time and how these new routes led to conquests and interactions between different groups all over the world.
In World Geography we began the year looking at the basics of geography. We discussed the tools of geographers and many of the topics that we will cover over the course of the year. Students should continue to practice locating places based on their absolute location (longitude and latitude) as many had difficulty with this when first covered. We are currently examining the world's physical geography and take a closer look at physical features and landforms. Students are working in groups to create landforms using their bodies and clay as well as completing a landform poster project. I look forward to seeing everyone's final product.