optional viewing for ambitious students

So, you have our big GoogleSlides presentation, and our trusty textbook. If you are interested, here is another source of information about the ancient Greeks. This video (narrated by the amazing Liam Neeson) is called The Greeks: Crucible of Civilization, and you might be surprised at how closely it follows what we have been covering in class. Check it out if you want to be super prepared for the test this Friday!

i have a cool job

writing your own textbook

Both sections have had a couple class sessions to collaborate on this project. Since the final result is due on Tuesday at the start of class, that means that you still have tonight (Monday night) to make any last minute additions or revisions. Ultimately, your goal is to produce material that could be a part of a chapter on Ancient Greece, just like you would find in a good high school Western Civilization textbook. As you can see on Veracross, the project is worth 100 points, and as you can see in the adjoining "Land of Linkin'" sidebar, I have posted a rubric for this assignment. This rubric will clarify exactly how your grade will be determined. Please let me know if you have any questions. Have fun, and do good work!

taking notes by hand

Yesterday's discussion was a good opportunity to review our class note-taking/blogging policy, and the theory behind this policy (the method to my madness, you might say).

First, here is an article that explains why I insist that you take notes by hand. In short, the author says "...students learn less when they use computers or tablets during lectures. They also tend to earn worse grades." Since I want you guys to learn, and to succeed, I feel this approach is justified. Here is the article, titled "Laptops Are Great. But Not During a Lecture or a Meeting."

Transcribing your notes to your blog means you are "revisiting" the information you learned in that day's class. Hopefully, you remember certain things about that information, other than what was written on a particular slide (a story I told about ancient Greece, or a question asked by a student, for example).

Plus, you get points for doing the blog, and doing it well! We will have over seventy class periods this semester, meaning nearly 150 points worth of blogs. You have the ability to get an exceptionally high score on a significantly large portion of your grade, simply by blogging daily. Of course, you maximize your learning by revising your notes (rewording, adding a map, telling your own anecdote, or even putting in your own opinion).