the final dings

I have finished grading the objective portion of your semester exams.  Here are the people who received As, and the DINGs you so richly deserve.

Chris Cerra - DING!
Gabi Spilker - DING!
Luke Strappelli - DING!

Josh Andrychowski - DING!

Ariana Contis - DING!

Dimitra Contis - DING!

Steve Lutche - DING!

Delaney Samons - DING!

Pierce Sanders - DING!

Kyle Wedemeyer - DING!

Chesca Basilio - DING! DING!  (That's right - a perfect score!)

Jess Bauer - DING!

Kendall Boone - DING!

Megan Cleary - DING!

Veronica Ewing - DING!

Zaire Johnson - DING!

Dylan Karr - DING!

Karson Langrehr - DING!

Jeremiah Rosser - DING!
Caitlyn Trent - DING!
Evan Tridone - DING!
Rory van der Steur - DING!
Alex Yuan - DING!

Still working on essays.  Thanks for your patience.

Good luck tomorrow.  Refer to yesterday's Shia post as necessary.

and now, a few words from Shia LaBeouf

Exams have begun.

In case you were wondering whether it's worthwhile to put in the extra effort, to really study for your tests, to truly give it your best shot...

Listen to Shia.

last day of 4Q... plus an update on the exam

Monday is the last day of regular classes for the year. In Monday's class, Section 3 and Section 6 will go over their test on Rome, then review for the semester exam. Section 4 does not meet on Monday. If anyone from Section 4 wants a copy of the Rome test for studying purposes, stop by my room or flag me down in the hall.

You do not have to write a blog about Monday's class.

On Wednesday, June 6, all sections take the objective (Scantron) portion of the semester exam. In order to make the test more representative, it has been expanded to 150 questions, broken down as follows:

Questions 1-25: Guns, Germs, and Steel
26-58: Prehistory, Mesopotamia, Egypt
59-108: ancient Greece
109-150: ancient Rome

Finally, if you want your project back, please come and get it out of the TV Studio after school Monday. After Monday, it will be disposed of.

See me if you have any questions.  Good luck this week!

tick, tock, tick, tock...

End of the year is fast approaching.  Here's hoping for a strong finish in Social Studies!

Thursday, May 28

• Section 3 takes the essay portion of the semester exam
• Section 4 takes the essay portion of the semester exam
• Section 6 does not meet

Friday, May 29

• no school!

Monday, June 1

• Section 3 reviews for exam
• Section 4 does not meet
• Section 6 reviews for exam 

Wednesday, June 3

• all sections take objective (Scantron) portion of semester exam

crunch time

Wednesday, May 27 (tomorrow)

• Section 3 takes the unit test on Rome
• Section 4 reviews for the semester exam
• Section 6 takes the essay portion of the semester exam

Thursday, May 28

• Section 3 takes the essay portion of the semester exam
• Section 4 takes the essay portion of the semester exam
• Section 6 does not meet

Friday, May 29

• no school!

Monday, June 1

• Section 3 reviews for exam
• Section 4 does not meet
• Section 6 reviews for exam 

Wednesday, June 3

• all sections take objective (Scantron) portion of semester exam

Finish strong, people!

the test, test, test, test on Rome, Rome, Rome, Rome

The test on Rome is ready for you.  Are you ready?

Sections 4 and 6 are due to take the unit test on Rome tomorrow.  Section 3 will take theirs on Wednesday.  There are 40 questions, all multiple choice.  To prepare, study my PowerPoint, listen to the song a few times, and review your notes.

Semester Exam schedule; exam essay questions

Here is your schedule for semester exams:

• Tuesday, June 2
• Math
• World Language
• Wednesday, June 3
• Religion
• Social Studies (10am - 11:30am)
• Thursday, June 4
• English 
• Science

Section 3 takes my test in Room 315 with Ms. Ferry proctoring.

Section 4 takes my test in Room 318 with me proctoring.

Section 6 takes my test in Room 223 with Mr. Fabriziani proctoring.

Reminder:  You will only take the objective (Scantron) portion of the exam on June 3.  The essay portion of the exam will be given in class on Wednesday, May 27 for Section 6, and on Thursday, May 28 to Sections 3 and 4.

In the essay portion of the exam, you will be asked to write on three of the following subjects: 

• A.  Consider Jared Diamond's theory of "geographic luck," and describe how it applies to the civilizations of ancient Egypt, ancient Greece, and ancient Rome.
• B.  Detail the development of culture, entertainment, and the arts from ancient Greece and Rome.
• C.  Compare the social hierarchy of Ancient Egypt with that of ancient Rome.  Among other things, you may wish to describe the differences between middle class life in these two societies.
• D.  Compare and contrast the government of ancient Rome with the government of the United States in the year 2015.
• E.  Give a thoughtful analysis of the following statement:  "The unexamined life is not worth living."  You may wish to compare it to the experiences of your freshman year at John Carroll.  (Note: if you use the phrase "live life to the fullest" in your answer, you will receive a zero.  That is not what Socrates was about.  Do some research into the actual philosophy of Socrates, or choose another essay to write.)

slight change in the schedule

We are due to wrap up the Roman project presentations tomorrow, but you won't be taking the unit test on Rome until next Tuesday (or Wednesday for Section 3).  This will give us a chance to review the old material, and squeeze in a little new material, on Friday.

The good news is that those of you going to Ocean City for your three four day weekend will no longer be racked with guilt at not being able to take the test with your classmates.

More good news:  the essay portion of your semester exam will be given next Thursday in class (or next Wednesday for Section 6).  Be sure to watch my blog to learn what the actual questions will be ahead of time.  You will still take the objective (Scantron) portion of the semester exam on Wednesday, June 3.

Check in with me in class if you have any questions.

project progress

I really like where these projects are going.  Hard work is paying off.

Here is a little dance music to reward you for all your effort:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrdTcp_yVzQ&feature=youtu.be

project schedule

I have updated the schedule for next week's projects.  Check it out here to see what day you will give your presentation, and if you are going first, second, or third that day.

50% penalty if you are not ready to go at your assigned time.

In class tomorrow I will be happy to answer any questions.

grading criteria for project on Rome

I have posted helpful info for you regarding your project on Rome.

Here is a description of the objectives, instructions, and grading criteria.  This is also in my Links sidebar.

And here is the actual rubric for the oral presentation of your project.  This is also linked under Linkage.

See me with questions, either in or out of class.

Tiberius' friend Octavius explains his theory of the concentration of wealth.

This seemed to be a great time to be a rich aristocrat.  But was it a good time to be a member of the Roman middle class?

(a gift for Section 4) http://share.gifyoutube.com/Kk7z0d.gif

revolution

The death mask of Big Daddy Gracchus

So now you get the picture

All the rich are getting richer

And they’re livin’ on the latifundia

Farmers can’t cope

They’re low on hope

They moved to Rome, Rome, Rome, Rome...

I can hear the brothers Gracchus

Sayin, “Rich, please don’t attack us,

“We got a feeling that the senators will whack us!”

They hit the floor

Next thing you know

It’s civil war, war, war...


The video only concentrated on one of the two Gracchus brothers, and the Roman Republic is too often described as a democracy.  Otherwise, this is a pretty accurate depiction of the events that saw Rome transition from a Republic to an Empire.  I hope you're enjoying it!

in class work for today

Sorry I won't be with you in class today.  You will use class time to work on your Ancient Rome projects.  The subs all know I expect you to work seriously and quietly, since the due date for the project is coming up soon.  It is likely that this will be the last class period where you can work on this project.  You also have this weekend, next week, and the following weekend, before presentations begin on Monday, May 18.

Make good use of the time, and I will see you all next Monday. Thanks!

a break from the Big PowerPoint is coming

This PPt is just filled with information, and I know you are excited at the prospect of viewing even more slides and hearing all my words of wisdom.  But there is a great video series done by the BBC all about ancient Rome.  We will watch some of that in class to take a break from my lectures.  The video is also linked on this blog.

roamin' with the Romans

Our studies of Rome continue, the Big PowerPoint of Rome expands, and we compare Rome with the USA.  

Today we considered post-monarchy Roman government, and the Punic Wars.

more Rome

Three different experiences for my three sections today.  One group got to compare life in Ancient Rome with life in America in the 1920s.  One section caught up with the others and heard about the harrowing, horrible behavior of Tarquin the Proud and his nasty wife Tullia.  And the third class worked on Ancient Roman projects.

Have a good weekend, and we'll see you next week!

projects - coming soon!

Today I gathered information from you regarding your projects.  You can find that info by clicking here.  Please let me know if you don't see your name, if you a listed in the wrong group, or if I don't the right information about your project.

See you tomorrow!

project guidelines

Some of you have already gotten off to a good start with your projects, but many of you seem unsure about where to begin.  Here are some suggestions for you to consider.  Some of them are ideas I heard you discuss in class; some are actual projects that students turned in to me in previous years; some are concepts that just sound interesting to me.  

Also, this is a reminder that you have three weeks to complete your project.  Class presentations will begin on Monday, May 18.  You will be expected to turn in a one-page (or longer if necessary) paper describing and explaining your project - how you did it, what it means, how it relates to life in ancient Rome, etc.).  I will post a rubric soon for this 200-point project.

Possible ideas for projects:

• construct the Coliseum (or the Circus Maximus, or the Roman Forum, or Roman Aqueducts, or any other famous Roman landmark)
• you can use wood, or styrofoam, or clay, or cardboard, or the material of your choice
• recreate a piece of Roman sculpture
• clay is an excellent choice for sculpture, and Mr. Gaudreau can give you expert help if you need it - including advice on how to sculpt genuine Roman pottery or sculpture, plus help with painting, glazing, and baking your piece in a kiln -  he even has a Clay Club every Friday after school, which is pretty fun
• shoot video of key historical events
• the assassination of Julius Caesar
• the trial of Jesus Christ
• tape a newscast of historical events (the ones that might be too hard to re-create)
• the burning of Rome under Nero
• major battles
• the crimes of Tarquin the Proud's son
• the Punic Wars
• conduct interviews with historical figures
• Julius Caesar
• any of the other emperors
• Caesar Augustus
• Livy, Tacitus, Pliny (historians)
• write a song or a rap about Rome or key Roman historical events
• hey, if I can do it, you can too!
• cook some authentic Roman food
• be sure to make it historically accurate - don't just whip up some spaghetti
• describe who would have eaten this dish (rich patricians?  or plebeians?)
• shoot a commercial for ancient Rome
• "Come visit ancient Rome!  It's the perfect vacation site!  Here's why!"
• make some Roman weapons (but safely)
• describe what it was like to be a soldier (or a general) in the Roman Legion
• write a diary
• describe everyday life for a patrician's wife, or for a common plebeian
• compare the decline of the Roman Empire with the (possible) decline of America as a superpower
• discuss whether the US is making some of the same mistakes that ancient Rome did
• construct a 3D (topographical) map
• you can make a map of Rome, or the Italian peninsula, or the whole Mediterranean world
• analyze Roman construction methods
• you're a Roman engineer - describe how these incredible buildings were actually built (materials, work force, funding, methods)
• be the Director of Event Scheduling for the Coliseum
• what goes into the gladiator fights
• Christians (prisoners, slaves, foreigners, POWs) vs. wild animals
• naval battle re-creations
• chariot races
• build a catapult or a trebuchet
• scale model, of course, but the type that the ancient Romans would have used

See me or email me with any questions, or to get approval for your project.  DO NOT do anything risky or dangerous if you decide to do a battle scene.  DO NOT bring a "weapon" to school that would violate JC's rules.  If I see things on video that violate these rules, you will receive a failing grade on the project, and Mr. Ireton and your parents will be notified.

Have fun, do good work, but use your head! 

classroom visitor

Chi Cago wanted to thank you for letting him visit your class.  I want to thank you for putting up with my lunacy.  (Hey, if you can't have a little fun learning about history, what's the point?)

I've posted the lyrics to "Rome" in my Links section, as well as a "video" of the song.  (It's not really a video - just one picture - but at least you can hear the song there.)

I guarantee you will get a better grade on the Rome test if you spend a little time with Chi Cago's masterpiece.  Hopefully you'll be studying with a smile on your face.

Peace out