Friday 8, 2013

Today we came in 2 hours late! In class we took a test and I think I did a pretty good job. At first I didn't think I was going to finish in time because the class was shorter then usual but I did and I'm happy with what I turned in.

I want my mummy

Today in class we reviewed some of the things we have learned and what we need to know for the TEST TOMORROW. We went over things like the Nile and the "Two Lands" and how upper Egypt was a 500 mile long strip of fertile land along the Nile, Lower Egypt was wide land of the Nile delta emptying into the Mediterranean Sea. Around 3100 BC the two lands united. We also reviewed their government and how they worshiped a Godlike king (Pharaohs). Most pharaohs had multiple wives, some married their sisters. Egyptians relied on the harmony and balance of the universe which they called "maat". There was also a very important fact on women and their rights. Women could inherit money and land and divorce their husbands through only a tiny few ever wielded real political power.

Fun Facts-

• The Temple of Amon at Karnak is the largest religious building in the world.
• While mummifying a body all internal organs are removed except the heart.
• Egyptians preformed mummification's to preserve the body for after-life. 

The Pyramid Challenge

Today in class Mr. Schick asked us to partner up and do the pyramid challenge. The pyramid challenge is pretty much a "game" that requires you to build a pyramid as quick as you can. You also have to manage the amount of slaves, craftsmen, farmers, and official that work for you and how you treat them. After choosing what your pyramid will look like, what it is made of, how many workers you have, and how you treat them you must sail your workers and supplies to the location you are building you pyramid. If you do not get to the location on time, the king does not approve, or the different kinds of workers and the amount is not right you must start over. This was very annoying to me because even if you only had to change one little thing you still had to do the whole thing over again. After like 15 tries I finally built my groups pyramid right at the bell. I was so happy to be finished; I never want to do that challenge again, ever.

Thursday 31, 2013

Today in class we went through a power point that reviewed what we took notes on for homework the night before. We were able to go over Geography, Pyramids, and Daily Life on the power point. We took many notes for each.

Geography

- Egyptian life is centered around the Nile.
- The Nile flows from South to North
-The Nile's water is used for drinking, irrigation, bathing, and transportation.

Pyramids

- The Great Sphinx of Giza was build from 2555-2532 B.C
- Is a recumbent lion with a human's head.
- The oldest monumental statue in the world.

Daily Life

- The top of the list is the most powerful and the bottom is the least powerful.

• Pharaoh
• Gov. Officials - Nobles, Priests
• Soldiers
• Scribes
• Merchants
• Artisans
• Farmers
• Slaves and servants

- Slaves/servants helped the wealthy
- Farmers raised wheat, barley, lentils, and onions. This benefited from irrigation from the Nile.

 We also took a pop quiz. My grade came out as a 60.

Thursday 24, 2013

To start off class today we got assigned seats. I like my seat, even though I'm in the front, again. But I know that will help me pay better attention and learn more. After we got our seats we watched a video about civilization. It pretty much summed up everything we learned about Jared Diamond and his theory on geographic luck. I enjoyed the video, I thought it was entertaining and it helped me better understand what we were learning.

Geographic Luck

I believe that Jared Diamond's theory on geographic luck is very accurate and understanding. Many other people believe that the answer to why some civilizations are stronger and more advanced than other can't be that simple, there must be more to the answer. Geographic luck is when a civilization has all the right climate and land to grow crops. The civilization is also lucky to have the right kinds of animals to help fertilize crops, make milk, clothing and food. These civilizations also need the right surroundings such as bodies of water. I do understand why many people don't believe his theory. I am still questioning why every other civilization could trade and spread their ideas with others when New Guinea has stayed almost the same for years. Animals from Africa were moved to America, why can't they get moved to New Guinea too? Crops from America we traded to Africa, why can't they be traded to New Guinea?

Taking Notes

Today in class we went over the "art" of taking notes in class out of books and during lectures. We talked about how you should always write down what is in bold, color, or in a different text. Things being repeated should be written also because it means that it is very important. Highlighting and underlining is also another quick and easy way to take notes because you don't have to write as much (you should still write side tips or notes next to the passage). In my notes I had the definition of prehistory, the basic features of a human existence, when the first civilization was established, and how long human civilization has been around.