Mr. Keatley's World History Blog

The New York Times wants YOU!

2008-05-07T06:27:00.000-07:00

Since you are Time's Person of The Year for 2006 the NYT has come to you for help.

Help Us Report on the Cyclone in Myanmar

By Robert Mackey

With reports that nearly 4,000 people may have died in Myanmar as a result of the cyclone that struck the country over the weekend, NYTimes.com is asking readers inside Myanmar to help us report on the disaster by sending in photographs, video or written accounts of the storm and its aftermath.

To submit a photograph, please send it by e-mail to the following address: world.nyt@gmail.com — and let us know when and where the photograph was taken and what it depicts. Please also include your name, but if you would prefer not to be identified, let us know that as well.

Simulations with a Purpose

2008-05-06T07:04:00.000-07:00

I remember the days when I would spend hours playing SIMCity on the computer. Trying to build the perfect city while keeping crime low, output high, and population even higher. It was fun and in the end I unleashed Godzilla to destroy it all.

The simulation games I have been finding as of late have been much grimmer and much more related to the events of the current world. The game I have been playing this morning is 3rd World Farmer.

This is a game where you start with a family of 4, a farm, and a dream. You go through turns planting crops and living the 3rd world dream. You get to send your kids to school, deal with the World Bank (not directly), and endure corrupt officials.

The game is fun and can teach interesting lessons about farming in poor countries.

Happy Cinco de Mayo

2008-05-05T07:28:00.001-07:00

Some people think today is Mexican Independence day, well you're wrong. The holiday commemorates an initial victory of Mexican forces led by General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguín over French forces in the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. The date is observed in the United States and other locations around the world as a celebration of Mexican heritage and pride.

According to a paper published by the UCLA Center for the Study of Latino Health and Culture, about the origin of the observance of Cinco de Mayo in the United States, the modern American focus on that day first started in California in the 1860s in response to the resistance to French rule in Mexico. The paper notes that "The holiday, which has been celebrated in California continuously since 1863, is virtually ignored in Mexico."

Enjoy the holiday and stay off the roads!!

Study Scarmble Pt. II

2008-05-03T06:21:00.000-07:00

Just some more study tools. This presentations is Unit I (which is 22% of the exam this year) in pictures. This is nice because it exposes you to the art and architecture of the time, which, I'm sorry to say, sometimes gets lost in the race to cover all the material.

I used this presentation about a year ago and many students said that it was very helpful. If you do not know any of the terms, places, or people that would be something great to review in your textbook.

| View | Upload your own

How to PowerPoint

2008-05-03T06:16:00.000-07:00

I enjoy using PowerPoint and many assignments I create involve my students using such a tool to teach the other studnets about whatever topic it may be. Far too often the slides are very boring and jam packed with information to the point where they are impossible to read.

The slide show below is a great example of how to revamp your slideshows. My favorite point that the author makes is that is costs ZERO to make a new slide...so use it early and often.

| View | Upload your own

Study Scramble

2008-04-30T21:35:00.000-07:00

It is about that time where APWH students are looking for anything to help them study for the exam. I had my students (last year) create reviews using Google maps. One of my students saved his and, whereas it's not complete (or the best) it is a really good example of how to visualize and connect the information.

This is for Unit 4 and contains some of the bigger events of the time period. Enjoy!!

Interactive Current Events

2008-04-30T09:31:00.000-07:00

I love current events in the classroom and far too often it is simply, "cut out an article and summarize it." This game adds an interactive dimension to the current events and the video is very current.

The games are both global and US so, it should be good for all.

AP World History -- Locating world history in the environment and time

2007-08-27T04:18:00.000-07:00

This sideshow explores the first of the new APWH items that students should know. The sideshow is short and the information mostly deals with periodization. This portion of the material will be less than 5% of the AP exam and therefore do not warrant a large amount of time.

The Death of Reading?

2007-07-14T10:34:00.000-07:00

Boing Boing recently directed me towards this NEAreport on the decline of reading in America. It's a depressing but informative read. According to the report, 10 percent less of the adult population read literature now than twenty years ago, dropping the total amount of adult literature readers to less than half the population.

Reading at Risk is not a report that the National Endowment for the Arts is happy to issue. This comprehensive survey of American literary reading presents a detailed but bleak assessment of the decline of reading’s role in the nation’s culture. For the first time in modern history, less than half of the adult population now reads literature, and these trends reflect a larger decline in other sorts of reading. Anyone who loves literature or values the cultural, intellectual, and political importance of active and engaged literacy in American society will respond to this report with grave concern.

This leads me to ask the question, "what has replaced reading?" A couple of ideas comes to mind. First, adults might be working more now than, well, anytime since the start of "modern history". But I think that answer is lame. I believe it has been replaced by, bet you guessed it, Television. But, I don't know if that is such a bad thing. Watching shows like LOST can force people to critically think as well as engage in cultural, intellectual and political activities.

People see these statistics and freak-out and to some degree I understand. But, we can now put books on tape/CD or watch TV or movies and get an amazing amount of information. The new media should not be feared, it should be embraced.

Getting ready for the next academic year...

2007-07-14T09:54:00.000-07:00

This is a really handy little document created by A. Bourne at THS. I know that is not the proper citation but I have long since lost the first name of the creator and what THS is (other than a high school), but I digress.

This is a list of objectives that synchronize with the 2007-2008 APWH Outline. The objectives are not perfect and you may want to use an alternative level of Bloom's Taxonomy to tailor the objectives to your class. Also, these learning objectives are missing the conditions under which students will perform the task and the criteria for evaluating student performance. If you would like to turn these into really great learning objectives use this article by Raoul A. Arreola, Ph.D from the University of Tennessee at Memphis.

AP World History Objectives

Time Period I (c. 8000 BCE/BC – 600 CE/AD) – 29 Objectives

1. 1.1 – Explain the interaction of geography and climate with the development of human society.
2. 1.2 – Discuss major population changes resulting from human and environmental factors.
3. 1.3 – Discuss periodization in early human history.
4. 1.4 – Analyze the nature and causes of changes associated with the time span.
5. 1.5 – Analyze the continuities and breaks within the time span, especially the transition from river valley civilizations to classical civilizations.
6. 1.6 – Explain the issues involved in using “civilization” as an organizing principle in world history.
7. 1.7 – Assess the most common source of change: connection or diffusion versus independent invention.
8. 1.8 – Analyze the effect of the Neolithic Revolution on gender relations.
9. 1.9 – Identify the agricultural, pastoral, and foraging societies, and their demographic characteristics, including Africa, the Americas, Europe, and Asia.
10. 1.10 – Explain the emergence of agriculture and technological change.
11. 1.11 –Discuss the nature of village settlements.
12. 1.12 – Explain the impact of agriculture on the environment.
13. 1.13 – Identify the key stages of metal use.
14. 1.14 – Outline the basic features of early civilizations in different environments – culture, state, and social structure: (GRAPES) Mesopotamia, Egypt, Indus Valley or Harappan civilization, Shang or Huang He (Yellow River) Valley civilization, and Mesoamerica and Andean South America.
15. 1.15 – Outline the major political developments, social and gender structures, arts, and sciences, in the classical civilizations: (GRAPES) China (Zhou, Qin, and Han), India, the Mediterranean, and Mesoamerica.
16. 1.16 – Describe the major trading patterns within and among classical civilizations, including contacts with adjacent regions.
17. 1.17 – Outline the basic features and locations of major world belief systems prior to 600 CE/AD, including Polytheisms, Hinduism, Judaism, Confucianism, Daoism, Buddhism, and Christianity.
18. 1.18 – Analyze the collapse of the empires/states of the late classical period (200 – 600 CE/AD), including Han China, the western portion of the Roman Empire, and Gupta India.
19. 1.19 – Discuss the movements of peoples in the late classical period (200 – 600 CE/AD), including the Bantu, Huns, Germans, and Polynesians.
20. 1.20 – Describe interregional networks by 600 CE/AD, including trade and the spread of religions.
21. 1.21 – Compare major religious and philosophical systems including some underlying similarities in cementing a social hierarchy, for example, Hinduism contrasted with Confucianism.
22. 1.22 – Compare the role of women in different belief systems – Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism, and Hinduism.
23. 1.23 – Understand how and why the collapse of empire was more severe in Western Europe than it was in the Eastern Mediterranean or in China.
24. 1.24 – Compare the caste system to other systems of social inequality devised by early and classical civilizations, including slavery.
25. 1.25 – Compare societies that include cities with pastoral and nomadic societies.
26. 1.26 – Compare the development of traditions and institutions in major civilizations, for example, Indian, Chinese, and Greek/Roman.
27. 1.27 – Describe interregional trading systems, for example, the Silk Roads.
28. 1.28 – Compare the political and social structures of two early civilizations: Mesopotamia, Egypt, Indus Valley, Shang, and Mesoamerica and Andean South America.
29. 1.29 – Analyze the role of technologies in the growth of large state structures.
AP World History Objectives

Time Period II (600 – 1450) – 28 Objectives

1. 2.1 – Explain the nature and causes of changes in the world history framework leading up to 600 – 1450 CE/AD as a period.
2. 2.2 – Describe the emergence of new empires and political systems: (GRAPES) Umayyad Caliphate, Abbasid Caliphate, Byzantine Empire, Russia, Sudanic States (Mali, Ghana, and Songhay), Swahili Coast, Tang China, Song China, Ming China, Delhi Sultanate, Vietnam, Mongol Empires, Turkish Empires, Aztec, and Inca.
3. 2.3 – Explain the continuities and breaks within the period, especially the effects of the Mongols on international contacts and on specific societies.
4. 2.4 – Outline the basic features and locations of major world belief systems, specifically Islam.
5. 2.5 – Analyze the rise and role of Dar al-Islam as a unifying cultural and economic force in Eurasia and Africa.
6. 2.6 – Explain the development of, and shifts in, interregional trade, technology, and cultural exchange, especially Trans-Sahara trade, Indian Ocean trade, and the Silk Roads.
7. 2.7 – Explain the development of, and shifts in, economic innovations, especially Tang China, Song China, Early Ming China, Swahili Coast trade, and economic systems in the Americas.
8. 2.8 – Assess the missionary outreach of major religions and the contacts between major religions, especially Islam and Buddhism, and Christianity and Islam.
9. 2.9 – Analyze the impact of the Mongol Empires.
10. 2.10 – Discuss China’s expansion and Chinese influence on surrounding areas (Japan, Vietnam, and Korea) and its limits.
11. 2.11 – Analyze the changes and continuities in Confucianism.
12. 2.12 – Describe the apex and decline of the Maya, the rise of the Aztec, and the rise of the Inca.
13. 2.13 – Explain the restructuring of Europe, including decentralization (medieval society), the division of Christianity, and the revival of cities.
14. 2.14 – Identify the impact of migrations on Afro-Eurasia and the Americas, especially Aztecs, Mongols, Turks, Vikings, and Arabs.
15. 2.15 – Outline the consequences of plague pandemics in the 14th century.
16. 2.16 – Evaluate the growth and role of cities, especially the expansion of urban commercial centers in Song China and administrative centers in Africa and the Americas.
17. 2.17 – Explain the issues involved in using cultural areas rather than states as units of analysis.
18. 2.18 – Assess the sources of change: nomadic migrations versus urban growth.
19. 2.19 – Assess the existence of a world economic network in this period.
20. 2.20 – Assess the common patterns in the new opportunities available to and constraints placed on elite women in this period.
21. 2.21 – Analyze the extent to which Dar al-Islam was a unified cultural and/or political entity.
22. 2.22 – Compare the role and function of cities in major societies.
23. 2.23 – Analyze gender systems and changes, such as the effects of Islam.
24. 2.24 – Analyze the interactions between Jews, Christians, and Muslims.
25. 2.25 – Compare developments in political and social institutions in both Eastern and Western Europe.
26. 2.26 – Compare Japanese and European feudalism.
27. 2.27 – Compare European and sub-Saharan African contacts with the Islamic world.
28. 2.28 – Analyze the Chinese civil service exam system and the rise of meritocracy.

AP World History Objectives

Time Period III (1450 – 1750) – 18 Objectives

1. 3.1 – Explain the continuities and causes of changes from the previous period and within this period.
2. 3.2 – Identify and describe changes in trade, technology, and global interactions, especially the Columbian Exchange, the impact of guns, and changes in shipbuilding and navigational devices.
3. 3.3 – Outline the characteristics (GRAPES) of the major empires, political units, and social systems, including the role of women in households and in politics – Aztec, Inca, Ottoman, China, Portugal, Spain, Russia, France, Britain, Tokugawa, and Mughal.
4. 3.4 – Outline the basic characteristics (GRAPES) of African kingdoms in general, but knowing one (Kongo, Benin, Oyo, Dahomey, Ashanti, or Songhay) as illustrative.
5. 3.5 – Analyze slave systems and slave trade.
6. 3.6 – Explain demographic and environmental changes, especially diseases, animals, new crops, and comparative population trends.
7. 3.7 – Analyze the causes and effects of cultural and intellectual developments, especially the Scientific Revolution, and the Enlightenment.
8. 3.8 – Discuss comparative global causes and impacts of cultural change, especially African contributions to cultures in the Americas.
9. 3.9 – Describe major developments and exchanges in the arts, especially in the Mughal Empire and in the Americas.
10. 3.10 – Outline the basic features and the creation of new religions, specifically Vodun, Zen, Sikhism, and Protestantism.
11. 3.11 – Explain the debates about the timing and extent of European predominance in the world economy.
12. 3.12 – Compare the world economic system of this period with the patterns of interregional trade in the previous period.
13. 3.13 – Compare colonial administrations.
14. 3.14 – Compare coercive labor systems: slavery and other coercive labor systems in the Americas.
15. 3.15 – Analyze the development of empire, specifically general empire building in Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas.
16. 3.16 – Analyze imperial systems, specifically a European seaborne empire compared with a land-based Asian empire.
17. 3.17 – Compare Russia's interaction with the two of the following: Ottoman Empire, China, Western Europe, and/or Eastern Europe.
18. 3.18 – Compare Mesoamerican and Andean systems of economic exchange.

AP World History Objectives

Time Period IV (1750 – 1914) – 22 Objectives

1. 4.1 – Explain the continuities and causes of changes from the previous period and within this period.
2. 4.2 – Outline changes in global commerce, communications, and technology.
3. 4.3 – Regarding the Industrial Revolution, explain the transformative effects on and differential timing in different societies; mutual relation of industrial and scientific developments; and commonalities.
4. 4.4 – Outline changes in patterns of world trade.
5. 4.5 – Discuss demographic and environmental changes, especially migrations, the end of the Atlantic slave trade, new birthrate patterns, the food supply, and medicine.
6. 4.6 – Describe changes in social and gender structure, especially the Industrial Revolution, commercial and demographic developments, emancipation of serfs and slaves, tension between work patterns and ideas about gender, new forms of labor systems.
7. 4.7 – Describe political revolutions and independence movements in the United States and Latin America.
8. 4.8 – Describe revolutions in France, Haiti, Mexico, and China.
9. 4.9 – Explain the rise of nationalism, nation-states, and movements of political reform.
10. 4.10 – Explain the rise of democracy and its limitations, especially reform, women, and racism.
11. 4.11 – Outline the rise of Western dominance (economic, military, political, social, cultural, and artistic), including patterns of expansion, imperialism, colonialism, and neocolonialism.
12. 4.12 – Describe different cultural and political reactions to the rise of Western dominance (dissent, reform, resistance, rebellion, racism, and nationalism), including the impact of changing European ideologies on colonial administrations.
13. 4.13 – Analyze patterns of cultural and artistic interactions among societies in different parts of the world, especially African and Asian influences on European art, and the cultural policies of Meiji Japan.
14. 4.14 – Discuss are the debates about the causes and effects of serf and slave emancipation in this period, and explain how these debates fit into broader comparisons of labor systems.
15. 4.15 – Discuss the debates over the nature of women’s roles in this period. Explain how these debates apply to industrialized areas, and how they apply in colonial societies.
16. 4.16 – Discuss the debates over the causes of European/British technological innovation versus development in Asia/China.
17. 4.17 – Compare the causes and early phases of the Industrial Revolution in Western Europe and Japan.
18. 4.18 – Compare the Haitian and French Revolutions.
19. 4.19 – Compare reaction to foreign interference in the Ottoman Empire, China, India, Southeast Asia, and Japan.
20. 4.20 – Compare nationalism in the following pairs: China and Japan, Egypt and Italy, Pan Africanism and the Indian Congress Movement.
21. 4.21 – Explain forms of Western intervention in Latin America, Africa, and Southeast Asia.
22. 4.22 – Compare the roles and conditions of elite women in Latin America with those in Western Europe before 1850.

AP World History Objectives

Time Period V (1914 – Present) – 23 Objectives

1. 5.1 – Explain the continuities and causes of changes from the previous period and within this period.
2. 5.2 – Discuss war and peace in a global context, especially World War I, World War II, the Holocaust, the Cold War, nuclear weaponry, and international organizations and their effects on the global framework, especially globalization of diplomacy and conflict, global balance of power, reduction of European influence, the League of Nations, the United Nations, and the Non-Aligned Nations.
3. 5.3 – Discuss new patterns of nationalism, including Fascism, decolonization, racism, genocide, and the breakup of the Soviet Union.
4. 5.4 – Outline and explain the effects of major economic developments, including the Great Depression in Latin America, technology, the Pacific Rim, and multinational corporations.
5. 5.5 – Identify new forces of revolution and other sources of political innovations.
6. 5.6 – Analyze the issues and instances of social reform and social revolution, especially changing gender roles, family structures, the rise of feminism, peasant protest, international Marxism, and religious fundamentalism.
7. 5.7 – Discuss the globalization of science, technology, and culture.
8. 5.8 – Analyze the developments in global cultures and regional reactions, including science and consumer culture.
9. 5.9 – Evaluate the interactions between elite and popular culture and art.
10. 5.10 – Assess patterns of resistance to globalization, including religious responses.
11. 5.11 – Explain demographic and environmental changes, including migrations, changes in birthrates and death rates, new forms of urbanization, deforestation, green/environmental movements, and rural to urban shifts.
12. 5.12 – Evaluate cultural convergence and diversity to determine which is the best model for understanding increased intercultural contact in the modern world.
13. 5.13 – Explain the advantages and disadvantages of using units of analysis for the modern world, such as the nation, the world, the West, and the developing world.
14. 5.14 – Compare patterns and results of decolonization in Africa and India.
15. 5.15 – Pick two revolutions (Russian, Chinese, Cuban, and/or Iranian) and compare their effects on the roles of women.
16. 5.16 – Compare the effects of the World Wars on areas outside of Europe.
17. 5.17 – Compare legacies of colonialism and patterns of economic development in two of three areas (Africa, Asia, and/or Latin America).
18. 5.18 – Analyze nationalist ideologies and movements in contrasting European and colonial environments.
19. 5.19 – Compare the different types of independence struggles.
20. 5.20 – Examine global interactions in cultural arenas, for example reggae, art, and sports.
21. 5.21 – Analyze the global effects of the Western consumer society.
22. 5.22 – Compare major forms of 20th century warfare.
23. 5.23 – Assess different proposals (or models) for economic growth in the developing world and the social and political consequences.

International Organizations and the 20th Century

2007-04-17T06:15:00.000-07:00

I made this PowerPoint and thought it might (finally) be of current use to those teaching AP classes. At my school, we are on the 4x4 block, which means that we teach one-year worth of material in one semester. In the PowerPoint, we look at international organizations (Congress of Vienna, Concert of Europe, League of Nations, UN, NATO/Warsaw Pact, OPEC, and Arab League) in terms of keeping stability in the world.

It uses Ken Waltz's Neo-realism theory, that international structures act as a constraint on state behavior, and how the IO's help to create global peace, even if they let a couple little wars slip past.

Globalization, advertising and Nuffnang

2007-04-16T05:11:00.000-07:00

Nuffnang is an Asian advertising company that is using Web 2.0 to distribute ads via personal weblogs. This is an amazing development in the globalization of the world because it is making a great deal of money.

The world is coming closer and closer together because people are no longer defining themself by their nation-state; they are being defined by their interests. The capitalists around the world is picking up on the changing way people are communicating and (as always) are jumping on board.

The boarders of states are quickly vanishing and the use of the internet as both a social and work tool may destroy the nation-state all together. But what could/would take its place? Here in the United States we have a very large government (state and national) that provides a great deal of services to its people. Will we be left behind in the advancement of globalization? It is my belief that the destruction of the nation will happen in the places that have the most to gain from this change--South America, Southeast Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa. Will we be able to compete?

Re-publica

2007-04-13T06:45:00.000-07:00

The German blogosphere is gathering in Berlin, with today being their last day of meeting. It is reported that there are about 600 people at the conference which is organized by netzpolitik.org, a leading politics/free culture blog and spreeblick.com, one of Germany's most popular blogs.

I find it funny that people are "meeting". Don't get me wrong I love a good conference just as much as the next teacher; however, with SecondLife and all the instant communication available on Web 2.0, it does seem ironic to me.

Aside from my own feelings on the format of the conference I do like, as a world history teacher, some of the topics addressed. Most notably, globalization. With the internet, it is becoming more feasible for people to involve themselves in world politics, as well as world commerce. It is now possible for leaders to take the temperature of the people they represent. An article on my hometown newspaper, the Sun Sentinal, is accompanied by many comments from the people. Imagine town hall meetings where everyone can vote, in the building or not. Economically, the web helps ideas, service and money become easily transferable. Thus, it is no longer people that have to migrate to be a part of a business, bringing wealth to parts of the world that may not have a market for the product being sold.

There are some great papers there and the website is worth the read. I hope there are quite a few reviews of the conference available, upon its conclusion, in English

Friday: Day of the Living the Assessment

2007-04-13T04:56:00.000-07:00

Friday the 13th is a day when many people run for cover and decide to stay in bed. There are some people that even suffer from triskaidekaphobia, fear of the number 13. Or more specifically, paraskavedekatriaphobia, fear of Friday the 13th. There are many legends on why 13 is such a bad and scary number from 13 being prime to Judas being the 13th person to sit at the table for the last supper. Nevertheless, all of the fear and superstition seems to be rubbish, to me at lest; which is one of the reasons that I assign the Unit 4 (1750-1914) exam for today. (The main reason may be because it fell on the right day, but who knows.)

This exam is different from the examinations I have given previously, first, this is a take home exam. I have not given a take-home exam...well...ever. At this point in the semester, four weeks until the APWH Exam, I believe it is better to have the students review the material a couple more times then to rake them over the coals to find they do not know a great deal of information. Another change to my examination is the length, since this is a take-home exam and the goal is to learn I have made the examination one-hundred and fifty questions. This is more than double the standard length test and the questions to get a bit specific, but as I said above I would prefer the students read their text and review materials two or three more time to get the correct answers than not know it at all.

(To see a copy of the test please go to my AP World History Homepage.)

It is my hopes that the studnets will take the little pieces of information from this most important unit and internalize them, first from the class lectures and activities and second from the repetition that the exam provides.

If anyone out there (does any one read this stuff??) thinks this is good or bad please let me know. I do enjoy the ideas of other educators.

Duke lacrosse and Don Imus

2007-04-12T09:22:00.000-07:00

The players from the Duke lacrosse team that were arrested for rape have been cleared and Don Imus has been booted from the visual side of MSNBC. For some reason people seem to be connecting these two events because they involve black women.

Before I continue I must say that I do not condone what Don Imus says and, to be honest, do not listen to the man unless there are commercials on every other radio station I have preset. However, I do know that he has a track record of saying silly things and this one got caught by the national media. Now, Mr. Imus is being taken across the coals for his comments. Oh well, he is a public figure on a public radio station that said things that a large amount of the public does not like. As a private institution, MSNBC, can do as they please with this man.

The Duke lacrosse thing is very different and as sad as the entire situation is, it shows how good our judicial system can be. The students should have been arrested, there was enough evidence to do so. After the arrest there was an investigation and the students were released. This is what the judicial system is all about. Not withstanding, I do feel the pain of the students whom endured months of agony; however, they have learned to not be in places like this and do things like they did. I hope that the young lady who falsely reported gets punished and that the students can go on living their lives.

Racism is alive and well in the United States and around the world. No, it is not as bad as it was 10, 20, or 30 years ago; however, racism still exists. We can still feel the sting of imperialism and colonialism. To this day we still determine who we are by who we are not; a line of thinking that is only 200 years old. When we stop defining ourselves this way then we will start to close the divide between races in the United States and the world.

Viva La France

2007-04-12T09:04:00.000-07:00

We're to that point in World History where we discuss the French Revolution. This is one of the most important moments in Western History and deserves to be covered more in depth that I have time for in class. I start off the class with a very, very quick video (created by an AP European History class in the North East) on the causes and immediate effects of the Revolution.

The students also get to explore a little themselves. They complete the webquest on my homepage (http://mrkeatley.wik.is) which helps them to achieve an understanding of how the different groups of people viewed and participated in the revolution. It combines the information they just learned on the Enlightenment and lets them utilize the information. Eventually, we will combine the Enlightenment, Greek thought, the French Revolution and the Haitian revolt as the catalyst for British expansion and the eventual Industrial Revolution, which will change/influence the entire world.

The studnents are not as excited as I am about the prospect of finally getting to world history and not glorified regional history. I will post links, video and pictures as soon as I can.

Free schooling?

2007-04-01T09:30:00.000-07:00

This is my second activist post in a row. I guess Spring Break is giving my mind the opportunity to expand beyond my work for a little while. My gripe, I call it that because I think I'm just complaining and will not really DO anything to remedy the problem, is the lack of education opportunities for those in the middle.

I applaud Harvard University and other school like them that are offering free undergraduate education for those families that make less than $60,000 per year. I do believe that programs, such as this, are good and will help a small amount of college bound students to receive the best education possible; especially here in the south. However, these schools are missing out on having the largest impact possible.

There is a huge middle in society, families that make more than $60,000 and less than $100,000. These students get very little, if any support from universities. Maybe a small grant that will take care of books but these students must take loans and pray for scholarships to make tuition, room and board, and other college expenses. This lack of funding for people in the middle is even more pronounced in Graduate school. There is almost no financial help for people in the middle trying to get an advanced degree.

Sigh, I know college is a business (even public schools) but is there any solution? How can we get more financial assistance to those in the middle and those wishing to get advanced degrees?

Somalia is burning and we care about Mexican Abortions

2007-03-31T07:46:00.000-07:00

You cannot find any news about the Ethiopian siege of Mogadishu, the capital city of Somalia, on any of the main-stream U.S. media outlets. The New York times is leading it's international section with a story on the legalization of abortion in Mexico. CNN is leading with the story of a letter being sent to Iran from London with stories on South Park and Sanjaya Malakar from American Idol.

I am, once again, disgusted by the choices our media outlets deem as worthy of publishing. Noam Chomsky, in his book Manufacturing Consent, illustrates how the American media only publishes stories that are in the countries best interest. This can be clearly seen with the current events in Somalia.

For those readers that are not aware, there have been many skirmishes between Somalia and Ethiopia in the past 20 years. However, fro most of that 20 years, the United States made a firm stand to support the Somalians because Ethiopia was backed by the U.S.S.R. Fast-forward to today and we see an Islamic political party in Somalia that has been denied its right to rule and looks to take the power that is rightfully theirs with force. The Ethiopians, backed by the non-Muslim word, are using this Somalian affair to justify invading.

Where is the outrage? Where are the protesters? We have just allowed a country to invade another sovereign nation. In the West we do not care about this story; this is true orientalism at work. The Africans (Muslim Africans) have become the "other" that orientalism speaks of; they seem strange and we fear the terrorists that may be harbored in the countryside so we let this happen. No reports, no video, no embedded reporters.

I ask myself this question when I see events, such as this, unfolding with no coverage in the United States: Would the world care if this was happening in the US? With out a doubt, yes! Then why don't we care?

Below is video taken from Mogadishu. It is clear that there is fighting going on in and around the city.

Industrialization and Nationalism Document Based Question

2007-03-18T11:50:00.000-07:00

DIRECTIONS: The following question is based on the listed documents, available on the corresponding links. Some of the documents have been edited or excerpted. You will be graded based upon the Advanced Placement World History standards for document based questions (DBQs). DBQs are designed to test the habit of the mind listed in the Advanced Placement World History course description:

Using documents and other primary data: developing the skills necessary to analyze point of view and context and to understand and interpret information.

PART A: Answer the questions that pertain to each document. The questions are designed to help build your understanding of the documents and develop your ability to analyze documents. The Advanced Placement examination will not contain these questions.

PART B: The Advanced Placement examination will require you to write an essay based on a series of documents. You will see the following instructions on the examination:

Write an essay that:
• Has a relevant thesis and supports that thesis with evidence from the documents.
• Uses all or all but one of the documents.
• Analyzes the documents by grouping them in as many appropriate ways as possible.
• Does not simply summarize the documents individually.
• Takes into account both the sources of the documents and the authors’ points of view.

QUESTION: Using the documents and illustrations, analyze the rise of nationalism in Europe and Latin America during the nineteenth century. What factors contributed to the growing sense of nationalism? What forms did this nationalism take? What kinds of additional materials would you need to analyze the rise of nationalism in Europe and Latin America during the nineteenth century?

BACKGROUND: After the fall of Napoleon in 1812, the Congress of Vienna (1815) attempted to reestablish the old order. A new spirit of nationalism, however, swept Europe and the European Latin American colonies with mixed results. Though largely unsuccessful, a series of European revolutions in 1848 inaugurated a spirit of liberal nationalism that swept Europe. Latin American colonists declared their freedom from Europe. By the end of the century, Italy and Germany were unified. Nationalism became an important political force in Europe and gradually spread to other regions throughout the world.

Part A Questions

A. Map 18.2: Europe After the Congress of Vienna
• How did Europe’s major powers manipulate territory to decrease the probability that France could again threaten the Continent’s stability?
• What were the other goals of the Congress of Vienna?
• How successful was the Congress of Vienna?

B. Document: Revolutionary Excitement: Carl Shurz and the Revolution of 1848 in Germany
• What event sparked this author’s account?
• What is the author’s goal?
• What steps to this goal does he identify?
• What does the author believe will obstruct this goal?
• In what ways was this cause eventually co-opted by the Prussian King?

C. Map 18.3: Latin America in the First Half of the Nineteenth Century
• In what ways did the French Revolution contribute to nineteenth century Latin American revolutions?
• What were some of the difficulties in building new nations in Latin America?

D. Document: A Radical Critique of the Land Problem in Mexico
• What serious problems were engendered by ownership of large estates in Latin American politics?
• How did such holdings determine the structure of Latin American societies?
• Based on this selection, how revolutionary were these Latin American revolutions?

E. Document: Garibaldi and Romantic Nationalism
• How do people react to Garibaldi in this account?
• What destruction has occurred in these neighborhoods? Which forces are the cause of this destruction?
• How does the journalist characterize Garibaldi and his struggle?
• What do we know about the author? Does he seem sympathetic to Garibaldi and his cause?
• In what ways was this cause eventually co-opted by the Piedmontese King?

F. Map: The Unification of Italy
• What obstacles did Italy face in its unification?
• Of the countries displayed on this map, which would likely, taking geographical and population-size factors into account, pose the greatest military threat to the new Italian state?

G. Map: The Unification of Germany
• What role did the formation of the North German Confederation play in German unification?
• What role did the absorption of the South German Confederation play in German unification?

H. Document: Emancipation: Serfs and Slaves
• What were some of the ideological and economic reasons that Tsar Alexander II freed the serfs?
• How do these motivations compare to Lincoln’s?
• What changes did this emancipation initiate in Russia?

I. Illustrations: Caspar David Friedrich, Man and Woman Gazing at the Moon and Eugene Delacroix, Women of Algiers
• What genre of painting do these works represent?
• What themes are present in these works?
• How do these works reflect nationalism?

Scoring Guide for the Document Based Question Essay

BASIC CORE
Points 0-7
1) Has acceptable thesis. 1 point
2) Uses all of the documents. 1 point
3) Supports thesis with appropriate evidence from documents. 1 point
4) Understands the basic meaning of documents cited in the 1 point
essay. (May misinterpret one document.)
5) Analyzes point of view in at least two or three documents 1 point
6) Analyzes documents by grouping them in two or three ways 1 point
7) Identifies and explains the need for another document/source 1 point

EXPANDED CORE
Points 0-2
Expands beyond basic core of 7 points. A student must earn 7 points in the basic core area before earning points in the expanded core area.

Examples:

* Has a clear, analytical, and comprehensive thesis.
* Uses all or almost all documents.
* Uses documents persuasively as evidence.
* Shows careful and insightful analysis of the documents.
* Analyzes bias or point of view in at least four documents cited in the essay.
* Analyzes documents in additional ways — additional groupings or other.
* Brings in relevant "outside" historical content.

Homework on the Run

2007-03-08T10:12:00.000-08:00

Students beware, we are finally figuring out a way to get educational mileage out of your cellular phone. If students in my classes send the message MrKeatley to 41411 they will receive, in a matter of moments, the homework for the evening or any message I want them to receive.

The website, TextMarks allow anyone to set up a system such as the one stated above. Here is a picture of what the students see after sending the text message.

It is my hope that this will be one more tool for the students to use so that they are never ever behind and can always get assignments.

Japan in Pictures

2007-02-27T10:40:00.000-08:00

Japan, the Land of the Rising Sun. One of the most beautiful places in the world. Enjoy a sampling of pictures that feature Japan and some of its people.

Onward to Europe

2007-02-20T07:40:00.000-08:00

Listen to this PodCast

This is the most popular section of World History for the students (I prefer ancient Persia) and I cannot imagine why. The Early and High Middle Ages do not contain ground shaking material. There are no huge innovations in politics or society; no large intellectual achievements; really nothing. The case can be made for the revolution of economic systems (manorialism) but even the Europeans abandoned this. In addition, vestiges of the manorial system can be seen centuries earlier under the Roman System, still nothing special.

Nonetheless, Europe must be covered and this section does lay the foundation for Europe in the future. Below are the notes for the section on Early Europe to the High Middle Ages; below the SlideShow are some questions for reflection and review.

If you read the blog and find it useful, let me know and I will continue to put assignments (optional assignments).

Here are some questions to ask yourself after reading the SlideShow:
1)What is the significance of Clovis's conversion to Christianity?
2) Who were the Vikings? What were the motivations behind their behavior? What were their accomplishments? How did they disrupt European society?
3) What was the significance of the invention of the heavy plow for European economy?
4) How did monasticism develop in early medieval Europe?
5) What was the significance of the monasteries to the European society and economy?

The Document Based Massacre

2007-02-12T08:58:00.000-08:00

Listen to this PodCast

Well, not really. The essays for this DBQ were much better then my class last semester at this point. Which, makes me feel like I'm presenting it better.

The current assignment in class is to become the AP Reader and grade DBQ's. We used the 2006 DBQ and wrote our own. We get calibrated with a few of the samples from the collegeboard's website; just to make certain we know what we're looking for (I don't think I can post those). To grade we use the following sheet:
I believe this is the same sheet the AP Graders used over the summer, so this should be pretty accurate.

It took about three for us to be on the same page with the level of specificity desired. It' is amazing to see how harsh the students are with other students work; far nastier than I would be. Here are a few samples:
Essay 1
This essay ended up scoring an 8. We believed it had an acceptable thesis (not the best though), addressed all the documents and only misunderstood one (document 8), used 7 of the 8 documents as defense for the thesis, had two instances of POV, used more than 2 groups, and had additional documents. We felt that the essay could have had a better thesis and the POV was a little weak so it did not merit a 9.

Essay 2

This essay ended up scoring a 5. We believed it had an acceptable thesis, only addressed 7 of the documents and did not show an understanding of but 4, used 6 of the 8 documents as defense for the thesis, had two instances of POV, used more than 2 groups, and had additional documents. We felt that the essay could have had a better thesis, needed to be more clear on why the documents are important and the handwriting should have been better.

Most of the students did well with the structure I had them use. The structure is located in this blog slideshow thing. Hopefully the next time around the students will have no problem with the essay and can start to grow outside of the outline.

Mongol Eurasia and Its Aftermath: Webquest

2007-02-11T12:06:00.000-08:00

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Introduction

The Mongols had the second largest empire in the history of the world. Only the British Empire can compare with the expansiveness of the Mongol Empire. The tremendous extent of the Mongol Empire promoted the movement of people and ideas from one end of Eurasia to the other. Specialized skills that developed in one location was quickly transmitted to all parts of the Empire.

During the Mongols period of domination, lasting from 1218 to about 1350 in western Eurasia and to 1368 in China, the Mongols focused on specific economic and strategic interests and usually permitted local cultures to survive and continue to develop.

Societies in regions as widely separated as Russia, Iran, China, Korea, and Japan benefited from the Mongol stimulation of economic and cultural exchange and also found in their opposition to the Mongols new bases for political consolidation and affirmation of cultural difference.

The Task

If you're like most American high school students, you don't know much about the Mongol Empire. The Mongols are very removed from the United States in both time and space. This is simply a travesty that must be fixed as soon as possible. This webquest will encourage you to create a presentation for Mrs. Smith's 6th grade World History class. To excel at this project you must be knowledgeable in the history of the Mongols as well as have a sense of the congnative abilities sixth grade students.

Through this webquest you will accomplish the following:

Research websites on six different areas of the Mongol Empire
Synthesize the information into a PowerPoint presentation for a class of 6th grade students.
Present another students PowerPoint to the class.
Create a 15 question multiple choice quiz for the 6th graders

Process

EXPERT RESEARCH

You will become a context area expert. You will be assigned to one of the six areas. You will read, look at, listen to, and consider all the websites in your area of expertise. You will determine the most important and interesting ideas in your area, and then you will take notes on those ideas. Each student needs to gather enough information for a 3 to 5-minute presentation (20 to 30 minutes). TIP: Keep this window open and open another window to do research.

Topics to Include:

I. The Rise of the Mongols, 1200–1260
A. Nomadism in Central and Inner Asia
1. Nomadic groups depended on scarce water and pasture resources;
2. Mongol groups were a strongly hierarchical organization
3. The various Mongol groups formed complex federations
4. The seasonal movements of the Mongol tribes brought them into contact with Manicheanism, Judaism, Christianity, Buddhism, and Islam
5. Nomads strove for economic self-sufficiency, but they always relied on trade
B. The Mongol Conquests, 1215–1283
1. Between 1206 and 1234, under the leadership of Genghis Khan and his successors
2. Khubilai declared himself Great Khan in 1265 the other Mongol khans refused to accept him
3. Khubilai founded the Yuan Empire with its capital at Beijing in 1271; in 1279 he conquered the Southern Song
4. Factors that may have contributed to the Mongols’ ability to conquer such vast territories.
C. Overland Trade and the Plague
1. The Mongol conquests opened overland trade routes and brought about an unprecedented commercial integration of Eurasia
2. Diseases including the bubonic plague

II. Mongols and Islam, 1260–1500
A. Mongol Rivalry
1. Il-khan Mongol Empire and their Muslim subjects
2. Golden Horde, led by Genghis Khan’s grandson Batu, who had converted to Islam
3. During this conflict European leaders attempted to make an alliance with the Il-khans to drive the Muslims out of Syria, Lebanon, and Palestine
B. Islam and the State
1. collect as much tax revenue as possible, which it did through a tax farming system
2. In the short term, the tax farming system was able to deliver large amounts of grain, cash and silk. In the long term, over-taxation led to increases in the price of grain, a shrinking tax base, and, by 1295, a severe economic crisis.
3. Attempts to end the economic crisis through tax reduction programs c
4. As the Il-khan Empire and the Golden Horde declined in the fourteenth century, Timur, the last Central Asian conqueror
C. Culture and Science in Islamic Eurasia
1. In literature, the historian Juvaini
2. Muslims under Mongol rulership also made great strides in astronomy, calendar-making, and the prediction of eclipses
3. In mathematics, Muslim scholars adapted the Indian numerical system

III. Regional Responses in Western Eurasia
A. Russia and Rule from Afar
1. After they defeated the Kievan Rus, the Mongols of the Golden Horde made their capital at the mouth of the Volga
2. Because Prince Alexander of Novgorod and Moscow emerging as the new center of the Russian civilization.
3. Ivan III, the prince of Moscow
B. New States in Eastern Europe and Anatolia
1. Europe was divided between the political forces of the papacy and those of the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II
2. The Mongol armies that attacked Europe were actually an international force
3. After the Mongol withdrawal, Europeans initiated a variety of diplomatic and trade overtures toward the Mongols
4. The Ottomans,

IV. Mongol Domination in China, 1271–1368
A. The Yuan Empire, 1279–1368
1. Khubilai Khan
2. When the Mongols came to China
3. The Mongols also made some innovations in government.
4. Under Mongol rule China’s cities and ports prospered, trade recovered, and merchants flourished. Merchants organized corporations in order to pool money and share risks.
5. In the rural areas, cotton growing, spinning, and weaving were introduced to mainland China from Hainan Island, and the Mongols encouraged the construction of irrigation systems. In general, however, farmers in the Yuan were overtaxed and brutalized while dams and dikes were neglected.
6. During the Yuan period China’s population declined by perhaps as much as 40 percent
B. Cultural and Scientific Exchange
1. Exchange of scientific, technological, and mathematical knowledge was especially common between Iran and China
2. During this period Iranian astronomical knowledge, algebra, and trigonometry, and Islamic and Persian medical texts, seeds, and formulas were brought to China.
C. The Fall of the Yuan Empire
1. In 1368 the Chinese leader Zhu Yuanzhang brought an end to years of chaos and rebellion when he overthrew the Mongols and established the Ming Empire

V. The Early Ming Empire, 1368–1500
A. Ming China on a Mongol Foundation
1. Former monk, soldier, and bandit Zhu Yuanzhang established the Ming Empire in 1368.
2. At a deeper level, the Ming actually continued many institutions and practices that had been introduced during the Yuan
3. Between 1405 and 1433 the Ming dispatched a series of expeditions to Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean under the Muslim eunuch admiral Zheng He
4. Why the voyages ceased
B. Technology and Population
1. The Ming saw less technological innovation than the Song. Reasons for the slowdown?
C. The Ming Achievement
1. The Ming was a period of great wealth, consumerism, and cultural brilliance.
2. One aspect of Ming popular culture was the development of vernacular novels like Water Margin and Romance of the Three Kingdoms

VI. Centralization and Militarism in East Asia, 1200–1500
A. Korea from the Mongols to the Yi, 1231–1500
1. Korea’s leaders initially resisted the Mongol invasions but gave up in 1258 when the king of Koryo surrendered and joined his family to the Mongols by marriage.
2. Koryo collapsed shortly after the fall of the Yuan and was replaced by the Yi dynasty
3. Technological innovations of the Yi period
B. Political Transformation in Japan, 1274–1500
1. The first (unsuccessful) Mongol invasion of Japan in 1274
2. The second Mongol invasion (1281)
3. The Kamakura shogunate
4. After the Onin war of 1477

Resources

Rise of the Mongols Context Expert:
- World History Timeline: The Mongols
- Great Steppe Empires of Asia
- Expansion of the Mongol Empire
- The Mongol Conquests
- Genghis Khan
- Ogodei Khan
- Khubilai Khan
- Overland Trade
- Black Death in Asia
- Black Death

Interaction of the Mongols and Islam Context Expert:
- The Islamic World to 1600
- Islamic History in Arabia and Middle East
- Religious Tolerance
- Mongols and Gutenberg
- The Mongols into Iran

Regional Responses in Western Eurasia Context Expert:
- Khanate of the Golden Horde
- The Golden Horde
- Alexander Nevsky: Prince of Novgorod
- The Pax Mongolica
- Frederick II and the Papal Conflict
- Mongols Invade Europe
- Interaction between Europe and Mongol lands
- Rise of the Turks and the Ottomans

Mongol Domination in China Context Expert:
- Ancient China: The Yuan Empire
- Yuan Dynasty
- The Mongols in World History
- Mongol Support of Art

Early Ming Empire Context Expert:
- Ming Dynasty
- Ming
- Ming the Commercial Revolution
- Chinese Mariner Zheng He
- Russia, Central Eurasia, China, Japan, 1500-1700
- Decline of the Ming

Centralization and Militarism in East Asia Context Expert:
- Korean History
- Korea's Joseon Dynasty
- Mongol invasions of Japan
- Japanese Invasion
- Kamakura
- Warring States Japan

Evaluation (10 points each)

Including all topics
Written at proper level
Bibliography
Knowledge of Presenters
Visual Images
Primary Source
Multiple Choice Quiz
Proper Use of Sources

The New York Times have done me proud

2007-02-11T07:42:00.000-08:00

Listen to this PodCast

On my live-bookmarking thing in my FireFox browser I have the international section of the New York Times (NYT). For the past 6 months I have been increasingly disappointed with the material they deem worth of publishing. Out of the six or seven articles 90% of them were about the war in Iraq. Granted, this is large international news, but it is almost always written from Washington, thus the NYT International section is an extension of the Nation/Politics page.

However, today the lead article was not about Iraq and did not mention the United States. The article entitled, "In Niger, Trees and Crops Turn Back the Desert" is a very interesting look at how least developing countries (LDC) can solve their own problems. In fact, it wasn't even the Nigerian government who solved the problem but the local farmers.

The NYT does a great job reporting this one; multimedia, sideshows and great pictures make for an informative and entertaining article.

Beating the document-based question into submission

2007-02-11T07:18:00.000-08:00

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With the document-based question (DBQ) counting for 1/3rd of 50% or 16.7 percent of the final score it is imperative that the students know how to get the highest score possible.

The beauty of the DBQ is that there is little background knowledge needed to excel. This essay tests your ability to analyze and think abstractly about historical questions. Therefore, by learning the skills anyone can get a 7, 8 or 9 on this portion of the exam, which will take a lot of pressure off of more knowledge based facets of the examination.

For a transcript of the PowerPoint Below goto my SlideShare page and look just below the pictures.

The Rise and Fall of Civilizations

2007-02-02T10:50:00.000-08:00

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I love my technology savvy students. JW from my 3rd period honors World History class built this Video for her project on the rise and fall of civilizations. The project was to make a museum exhibit and have several artifacts that represent why the civilizations rose and fell.

Combine this video with the artifacts and needless to say it was pretty impressive.

Indians? We don't need no stinkin' Indians...

2007-01-31T11:48:00.000-08:00

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Indians? We don't need no stinkin' Indians... This is what I get when I speak of teaching non-AP students about India. They tell me about the lack of global importance of the Indians when I say, "but the Indus or but the Gupta". I just simply have to disagree with them. I know India is not sexy; not sexy in the way Rome or Greece can directly relate to our culture. We've seen white (British sounding) Romans and Greeks since forever. The idea of the intellectual and important Indian is something that was never conveyed to me by teachers or the media.

Well, I'm bringing India back. Starting now I'm on a campaign around my school to keep classical/golden age India in the classroom. My reasoning for this are the pictures below.

How can you argue with the importance of classical India when they are THE center for trade in the world. In addition, how can you not respect the cultural achievements; look at medicine, astronomy, and literature. Indian literature will influence European and African literature for centuries to come and their medical advances have only recently been topped.

Go India!

World Mapper in the classroom

2007-01-22T11:20:00.000-08:00

I came across a post from Weblogs in Higher Education and could not help but to post the link to this WorldMapper tool on my blog. There are over 100 maps that are adjusted to reflect the numbers. It really makes you alter your perspective.

This tool has tons of possibilities from all grade levels. I like comparison above. Can you guess what the maps are showing?

Classical Civilizations

2007-01-19T06:58:00.000-08:00

FINAL UPDATE 1/29/2007

The final part of the Foundations Unit is the classical civilizations: China, India, Greece, Rome, and Persia. Here is a slideshow presentation on those topics. The slideshow will evolve as the topics are covered in class.

Currently , you will be able to find Persian civilization and classical Chinese civilization.

Early East Asian Civilization

2007-01-17T07:15:00.001-08:00

A nifty little slide show from my most recent lecture on Early China. The original PowerPoint can be found at my homepage.

The River Valley Civilizations

2007-01-16T14:30:00.000-08:00

This slide show was created by my 2nd and 3rd period World History Honors students. The slide show is not perfect but the students did a great job finding the material and preparing it for publishing.

Please comment on the slide show; the students love to know that people are reading their stuff.

APWH Reading Quiz Review

2007-01-16T07:20:00.000-08:00

The slide show below is a summary of the information that will be on the first quiz 1/17/2007. The original PowerPoint is available at Mr. Keatley's Homepage.

Please focus on interactions and comparisons for these early civilizations.

The First Comparison Essay

2007-01-12T04:51:00.001-08:00

Today my students are writing their first comparison essay for the Advanced Placement World History class. The prompt is:

Compare and contrast the religious and social aspects of TWO of the following Primary Phase Civilizations:

Shang & Zhou China
Mesopotamia
Egypt
Olmecs
Indus/Harappans

The students have about 45 minutes to complete the essay and may use their book for this one. Prior to this writing assignment we went over what it takes to get a 9 point APWH COMP essay. Using the generic rubric provided by the collegeboard we created this:

(Click on the picture to see the notes and a clearer view)

Comparison Essay Outline, originally uploaded by mrkeatley.

I will post some samples of their writing and the overall result later.

Evolution of World Religions

2007-01-09T20:07:00.000-08:00

This is a picture that I really want to play around with in Flickr. It is a wonderful flow chart of world religions and would be amazing with an explanation of each box, plus a link to an outside source.

Maybe I'll do it or maybe have the students create one themselves. But none-the-less I felt this picture really set up how related all religions are--showing that history is not linear but it is really a twisted incestuous family tree of people, events, and ideas.

Bloom and his Activities

2007-01-09T19:54:00.000-08:00

I've been a huge fan of Bloom's Taxonomy since I first found out about it in college. I've found that changing a few words in a question can make it an exercise in learning and not just in regurgitation.

Below is one of the best things I've seen in a few years, it links Bloom's with activities and assignments. This fits in very well with Web 2.0 given the ability to create and publish as well as get feedback from around the world and even gain inspiration. The chart is well worth the look.

Cognitive Bloom's Taxonomy Circle

Cognitive Taxonomy Circle

Examples of activities and assignments (products) that demonstrate Bloom's levels of cognitive skills.

Based on: Clark, B. (2002). Growing up gifted:
Developing the potential of children at home and at school.
Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill Prentice Hall.
from: http://www.apa.org/ed/new_blooms.html

Bronze of Sargon

2007-01-04T12:05:00.001-08:00

Bronze of Sargon, originally uploaded by mrkeatley.

Bronze of Sargon

About Sargon I

Sargon of Akkad, also known as Sargon the Great, reigned from 2334 BC - 2279 BC. He is the founder of the Dynasty of Akkad and is sometimes he is referred to Sargon I.

He is only the third king in recorded history to have created an empire, after the Sumerians Lugal-anne-mundu and Lugal-zage-si.

He is the first to use it to try to conquer the known world; Alexander (the Great) III of Macedon followed Sargon's example two thousand years later.

Sargon's vast empire is known to have extended from Elam (southwest Iran) to the Mediterranean sea, including Mesopotamia and possibly parts of Anatolia (Turkey).

He ruled from a new capital, Akkad (Agade), situated on the left bank of the Euphrates, possibly between Sippar and Kish (Iraq).

Links to More on Sargon the Great and other Mesopotamian Art
Sargon I of Akkad
Did Sargon Exist
The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Before History SlideShare

2007-01-03T22:10:00.000-08:00

A nifty little slide show from the first lecture on pre-history. The original PowerPoint can be found at my homepage. And if I'm really bored I might record the lecture and combine both the audio and slide show; however, isn't listening to me once enough??

Introduction to Flickr

2007-01-03T20:49:00.000-08:00

Mr. Alan Levine has set up a wonderful tutorial on how to use Flickr. I would suggest that you go there and view the videos to become familiar with the utility before class. For those that are unaware, Flickr is a web-based photo sharing community that has become very popular as both a host for pictures and a platform for displaying them.

The feature that we will be playing with in class is the "note" feature. This allows the person whom created the image to add information as well as links. Throughout the class we will be taking pictures and adding notes to them to explain about the cultures we are studying. The photos will become a mini study guide which will include links for more information.

Please review the information on Mr. Levine's site to get an understanding of how to use this really neat technology.