Thursday, December 20th

Today we did an essay response to the question: "One of Napoleon's greatest achievements was his Civil Code. Assess its importance to Western Civilization." This wraps up our unit on the French Revolution and Napoleon.

No homework tonight,
Mrs. T.

Wednesday, December 19

Today we examined the differences between civil code and common law. They are considerable. It is important to think about the implications for countries using either of these. Tomorrow we will do a written response exercise (for marks) wherein students will express reasoned opinions about the two systems. A question will be posed for you to answer in essay format.

Take a look at your notes on the Napoleonic Code and related materials.

Mrs. T.

Monday, December 17th

Today we looked at the Code Napoleon. We learned about the reasons why the code was created and about its content.
Then, we engaged in a simulation game wherein members of the class divided into groups and became judges. Using modern day scenarios, groups acted as judges and used the Code Napoleon to decide cases. It was interesting to see how groups sometimes decided cases differently.

No homework tonight,
Mrs. T

Week of December 10th

On Monday, we continued our review of the Scientific Revolution.
On Tuesday, we wrote the test. It turned out that we did really well on these concepts!
From Wednesday to Friday, we examined the French Revolution and started to learn about Napoleon.

Time is flying by as we approach the holiday!
Mrs. T.

Friday, December 7th

Today, we took up the crossword on the Scientific Revolution. After reviewing it briefly, each student was given another crossword and we had a race to see who could finish it first - with the most accuracy. Mark won the contest. Way to go, Mark!

We began playing Jeopardy but ran out of time at the end of the class.

Don't forget to study this weekend,
Mrs. T.

Thursday, December 6th

It's been quite some time since I blogged, but the last week has been a busy one - especially since I was away at a conference in San Diego. Just imagine 4000 Social Studies teachers at the SD convention centre. Wow! I learned alot! Mr. Arnason did a great job filling in and now we're rolling again!

Tonight you should be finishing your crosswords. I will review those tomorrow. Get ready for another Jeopardy game! Study your scientific revolution materials and get ready for a big competition! Brayden will be officiating so there should be lots of excitement!

Lauren, be sure to study your favourite subject ... that's a hint.

Remember that the test for this unit will be held on Tuesday.

Mrs. T.

Thursday, November 22

Today we started class by looking at some key concepts related to "divine right" and the "social contract." It is important to understand these as you research your absolutist monarch. We then went to the library to continue our research in preparation for Monday's presentations.

Mrs. T.

Wednesday, November 22nd

Today we had a guest speaker - Scott. He explained to the class how Renaissance art has influenced the current advertising campaign for Renaissance Hotels. As our resident Botticelli expert, Scott did an excellent job of critiquing the advertisement. Thank you Scott.

We spent the period in the library researching our absolutist monarchs. There sure were some nasty rulers in this time period!

Remember, your assignment is due on Monday.

Mrs. T.

Tuesday, November 20th

Today we wrote the Reformation Test. At the end of the period, we divided into teams of two for an upcoming activity on absolutist monarchs. We then held a draw and each team received the name of an absolutist monarch - Henry VIII, Louis XIV, Ivan the Terrible ... and so on. By Monday, each team will devise a presentation (dramatic) to educate the class about their monarch. Props are permitted. Remember that in this time period (1500-1700) monarchs felt free to rule as they chose. They did not have to answer to the people. Indeed, they maintained that their power came directly from God.

Looking forward to Scott and Mark who will assume the role of Catherine the Great!

Mrs. T.

Monday, November 19th

Last day of review for The Reformation. We did a crossword puzzle that covered many of the main concepts for this unit.
The test tomorrow will consist of a matching section (15), a short answer section (20) and essay question (10).

Be sure to study hard tonight. This has been a relatively short unit so this is your chance to garner some great marks!

Mrs. T.

Friday, November 14th

We took up the last assignment on the Reformation. Then we played "Reformation Jeopardy." Kudos to Brayden our scoremaster and rule enforcer!

Study hard this weekend,
Mrs. T.

Thursday, November 15th

Today we viewed a DVD about Martin Luther. The assignment about the Catholic Reformation is due for tomorrow. There will be a homework check. Then we will do a review exercise (game) for The Reformation. Remember the test for this unit is on Tuesday. Be sure your notes are complete and thorough.

Mrs. T.

Wednesday, November 14th

More about Luther ... today we did a simulation and pretended to be the Pope and his advisors. We role-played what might have happened when the church officials responded to the challenges posed by Martin Luther. Interesting, interesting ... once we got past the notion of assassinating Luther, groups came up with very effective strategies to deal with the Protestant challenge. Good job!

I distributed the final assignment on the Reformation which will be due for Friday's class. This assignment will show how the church actually responded to Luther ... the Catholic Reformation or "counter-Reformation."

Mrs. T.

Tuesday, November 13th

This morning we took up the first assignment about the Reformation. We watched a clip from a movie about Martin Luther. We continued on with the next assignment - which is due for tomorrow. Remember, we'll be meeting in Room 208 for tomorrow's class only.

Mrs. T.

Monday, November 12th

Today we began the Reformation. Students began working on the assignments for this unit. The first assignment is due for tomorrow and there will be a homework check.

Tests from the Middle Ages unit were handed back as were the marking sheets on the presentations for the Renaissance.

Anyone who did not hand in their Renaissance project today should do so tomorrow - unless they have made provisions with Mrs. T. to hand them in at another time.

Mrs. T.

Friday, November 9th

We took up the 2nd assignment on the Renaissance. For those students who did not finish this assignment, please take the time to catch up and ensure that you have a complete set of notes. Part way through the period, we were called to the gymnasium for the Remembrance Day service.

The student council is to be commended for the service that was held. It was informative and treated the topic of remembrance with great dignity. Well done.

The Renaissance projects are due on Monday. Please work hard this weekend and if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to email me.

Mrs. T

Thursday, November 8th

Today we went to the library. Students were able to either work on Renaissance Assignment #2 or to work on their Renaissance projects.

I will do a homework check tomorrow on the Renaissance assignment and we will take it up in class. Our class will be cut short by the Remembrance Day assembly.



Mrs. T.
(Image from Veterans Affairs Canada)

Wednesday, November 7th

It was a pretty quiet class today. Tomorrow we're going to work on the 2nd assignment for The Renaissance so please bring your text to class. If the assignment is done, you're welcome to work on the Renaissance project.
Remember to bring your texts to class tomorrow,
Mrs. T.

Tuesday, November 6th

Today we took up the first assignment on the Renaissance. We reviewed the ideas/concepts that are key to the Renaissance. In addition, we viewed sections of the DVD on the Renaissance in order to better understand these key aspects of Renaissance art - perspective, classicism and humanism.

Be sure to keep working on the second assignment.

Mrs. T.

Monday, November 5th

Today we viewed the "Introduction" of a DVD about the Renaissance. It provided an overview of art of the Renaissance period. Then we went to the library where we began research on the papers that were assigned last week. It is important that students understand the values and ideas associated with the Renaissance - in order to analyze their subject's work.
We'll be taking up Assignment #1 tomorrow in class.

Mrs. T.

Friday, November 2

We wrote the Middle Ages Test today. I handed out the Renaissance research topics as well. We'll begin research on Monday, but feel free to start reading this weekend.

Mrs. T.

Thursday, November 1st

I was away yesterday and while I was gone Mr. Arnason assigned the first Renaissance assignment to the class. Well done!
Today, we reviewed major concepts from the Middle Ages unit. We did a crossword puzzle and took it up. (I emailed the students who missed this class and sent them the crossword puzzle and answer key.)
Tomorrow is the test.

Study hard,
Mrs. T.

Monday, October 29th

We continued on with presentations today. Just a few remaining for tomorrow. We'll talk about the test for this unit as well. Students should be reading over the handouts from this unit in preparation for studying.

Mrs. T.

Friday, October 26th

Presentations continued after a discusson about the Black Death. If you haven't already read the article, you need to do this. Be sure that you understand the consequences of this event on European society.

Test tentatively moved to Wednesday.

Presentations continue on Monday!
Mrs. T

October 25, 2007

Today we started doing presentations on the Middle Ages topics. Acksana led the way with her presentation about Charlemagne. She has set the bar high ... awesome job! Tomorrow we continue on with the presentations.
Good job Lauren on the drawing of a castle!

Mrs. T.

Wednesday, October 24

Today I did a demonstration of an oral presentation and a visual presentation. I provided a set of class notes as well. This was done to provide you with an example of the what we will be doing in class tomorrow. The rest of the class was time for people to work on their respective projects. Tomorrow, we begin the presentations!

Mrs. T.

Tuesday, October 23rd

Today was a work period. Groups have their topics and people have their tasks - oral presentation, visual presentation or class notes. I distributed and discussed a rubric for the oral presentations. Remember that on Thursday you need to be ready to present your information.

Mrs. T.

Monday, October 22, 2007

Today we began the unit on the Middle Ages. We read chapters 11 and 12 - students were responsible for creating a set of brief notes (5 W's) on this topic. We divided into groups and held a draw. Groups selected topics for research. Each group will be responsible for an oral presentation, a visual presentation and a set of class notes on their topic. This will be due on Thursday.

Mrs. T.

Friday, October 19th

Today we wrote the Rome Test. The papers are already marked and it looks like everyone did pretty well! 3 perfect papers!!!! Relax this weekend. On Monday we start the Middle Ages!

Mrs. T.

Thursday, October 18th

Students submitted their Article Reviews today.
I spent some time discussing the test question for tomorrow's test. We discussed the question and possible strategies for answering the question: which was the greater civilization, Greece or Rome?
Remember that you can argue either one successfully but be careful to set the parameters for your discussion. For instance, you might want to talk about which was the greater civiliztion over time. Or, alternatively, you might want to talk about which was the greater civilization back in the ancient world.
Please draft an outline tonight to consolidate your thoughts for tomorrow.

(Oh yes, we did the bus evacuation drill today. Lauren now knows how to open the door on the school bus. The high point of her day!!!) :-)


Study hard,
Mrs. T.

Wednesday, October 17th

Today we took up the questions on the Rome assignments. Just a reminder that the Article Review assignment is due tomorrow at the beginning of class.

Mrs. T.

Tuesday, October 16th

Today we went to the library in order to the use the computers to access the recommended Internet sites on the topic of the fire of Rome. It is important to read these since they will help you to understand the strengths/weaknesses of the article you have been given.

Tonight you should be starting to write your article review. This is due at the beginning of class on Thursday.

Tomorrow we will be taking up the assignments on Rome.

Mrs. T.

Monday, October 15th

Today was a work period for students to either start working on their article review assignment (due Thursday) or to complete their Rome assignments (due Wednesday.) This Friday there will be a test on Rome. The question is: Which was the greater civilization, Greece or Rome?

Tomorrow will be a work period for students to delve into the fire of Rome article and related sites. Access to the computer lab in the library has been booked.

Mrs. T.

Tuesday, October 9th

Today, we started Rome. After some initial technical difficulties, we began viewing a film on Rome. We will have to finish this on Thursday's class. We took film notes as we viewed the film.

I distributed the assignment sheets for the next few days' work. Mr. Arnason will be here on Thursday and Friday. Assignments 1-3 are due for next Monday, October 15th. A homework check will be done.

Be sure to get working on this over the next couple of days.

Mrs. T.

Friday, October 5th

Today we wrote the Greek History test. On Monday, we start R O M E.

Enjoy your weekend!

Mrs. T

Thursday, October 4

Today we reviewed the Greek history unit. Congrat's to Kelsey's team who won the competition - narrowly ... We finished off the review by doing a xword puzzle on Ancient Greek history. Most did well on this though many discovered that they needed to work on precision with their spelling of the terms, names, etc.

Study hard tonight!
Mrs. T.

Wednesday, October 3rd

Today we completed our Think-Pair-Share activity taking a look at the lives of Ancient Greek women and slaves. Tomorrow we'll do a review of the unit in preparation for Friday's test.

Mrs. T.

Tuesday, October 2nd

Today we took up assignment #3 on Greece. Then we divided into pairs and began an exercise that will become a Think-Pair-Share. Half of the class is reading an article about Greek slaves and the other half is reading an article about the lives of Greek women.

Mrs. T.

Monday, October 1st

Today we watched a video about ancient Greece. It focused upon the accomplishments of the Golden Age of Greece - also known as the Age of Pericles. Tomorrow we will take up assignment #3 so be sure that it's done for class tomorrow.

Mrs. T.

Friday, September 28th

We began Chapter 4, Assignment #3. This is due for Tuesday. On Monday we will be watching a video about Ancient Greece so don't forget to do this work.

There will be a test on Greece on Friday, October 5th.

Mrs. T.

Tuesday to Thursday

We worked on assignments on Ancient Greece. These were taken up in class. We also looked at some online games related to the history of Sparta and Athens.

Mrs. T.

Monday, September 24th

Today we began Ancient Greece. I did a ppt overview - talking about images and ideas we associate with this civilization. Textbooks were distributed and the first assignment was given.

Mrs. T.

Wednesday and Thursday, September 19th and 20th

I was away on these two days and Mr. Arnason filled in for me. On Wednesday, the class did a review of the historiography unit. This included an outline and a crossword puzzle.

On Thursday, the class wrote the test. In addition, an article on Napoleon's Death mask was read and there was an assignment that accompanied it.

Mrs. T.

(Friday is an inservice day ...)

Tuesday, September 18th

I returned the essays to the class. I spent some time going over the qualities of effective introductions and conclusions. I also reviewed techniques for the proper use of quotations in a research paper.
We finished taking notes on the 6 themes for the course. Then we brainstormed the qualities of a "civilization." This will lay the groundwork for the upcoming unit on Greece and Rome.
Tomorrow we'll do some review for the test on Thursday. A crossword puzzle review was posted at:

http://www.armoredpenguin.com/crossword/bin/crossword.cgi?cmd=showlist

Mrs. T.

Monday, September 17th

This morning we reviewed the timeline for Western Civilization again. This time we tried doing it with just the visual images. This was quite a bit harder!

We then did a a group exercise where we tried to decide the ten most important events/dates in world history. Not an easy feat! This certainly exposed our own biases and beliefs about what constitutes history.

Toward the end of class, we examined the 6 themes in this course: individualism, skepticism, humanism, religion, secularism and individualism. As we study "Plato to NATO" we will examine the relative importance of these themese within individual time periods.

We will be having a historiography/timeline quiz on Thursday so please go over your notes.

Mrs. T.

Friday, September 14th

The essays were due today and most students submitted them. Way to go!

Today we examined the controversy that has surrounded the exhibit for World War Two at Canada's War Museum. We discussed the function of a museum and then wondered about whether it was right for a museum to respond to the pressures of criticism of a group whose interpretation of history varies from their own. Interesting discussion.

We started to view "Shooters" - a film depicting Canada's photography unit in World War Two. We ran out of time, however.

Have a great weekend,
Mrs. T

Thursday, September 13th

Today was a work period. Students had the opportunity to work on their papers either in class or in the library where they could use the computers.

Don't forget that you need to self-assess by using the rubric. This should be stapled to the front of your paper.

Tomorrow, I'm going to pose some tough scenarios and press you to think about history and the role of the historian. Look out!

Mrs. T.

Wednesday, September 12th

This morning, we reviewed how to do the bibliography for the Historiography Paper. A couple of tips were given on how to quickly sort your bibliography (Table - Sort - Paragraphs - A - Z). Also I demonstrated how to do a "hanging indent" - Format - paragraph - hanging.

Students were able to work on their papers in class today. Tomorrow, if students would like to do word-processing, they will be able to use the computers in the Library.

Remember, the Historiography Paper is due on Friday!

Please let me know if you have any questions, etc. Contact me at btaylor@retsd.mb.ca

Mrs. T.

Tuesday, September 11

Today we took up the assignment "What is History" by Peter Stearns. Following that, I did an overview of how to do bibliography and footnotes. A handout with examples was distributed. Students had time to work on their historiography project that is due for Friday.

Mrs. T.

Monday, Sept. 10th

How good a witness are you? We did two exercises to test our powers of observation. The first was a questionnaire involving common, everyday items. We discovered that even within our class there was a great difference in people's abilities to remember details. The second exercise involved witnessing a crime - an online test that assesses people's abilities to watch a scene taking place and then answer questions. Again, some of us did well; others, not. These exercises served to illustrate that witnesses to history may be accurate or faulty and that we need to be cognizant of this as we write history.

Students were given an opportunity to complete the assignment that is due for tomorrow (there will be a homework check). Some students who had finished this on the weekend worked on the research paper that is due Friday.

Mrs. T.

Friday, September 7th

Today, we took a look at the craft of history. We used an imaginary scenario to illustrate the use of primary and secondary sources. We also discussed the qualities needed for reliable witnesses to history. We will follow this up with an exercise on Monday.

Today we started an assignment with a reading from Peter Stearns. This is due on Tuesday.

In addition, I handed out an essay assignment that will be due next Friday. Students were able to get the readings for this paper so that they can start their research this weekend.

On Monday, we will talk about reliable sources for history. Then you will have the period to either finish the Stearns assignment or to work on your essay.

Have a great weekend everyone,
Mrs. T.

Thursday, Sept. 6th - First day of classes!

It was a shortened period so we reviewed the course outline, filled out information sheets and did a little timeline exercise about Western Civilization. Well done, everyone!
For tomorrow's class, you need to bring a reading book. Take a look at this website. When you come to class tomorrow bring your favourite historical quotation for a prize!

Here's one of my favourites: “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.. I hold that, the more helpless a creature, the more entitled it is to protection by man from the cruelty of man"-- Mahatma Gandhi (1869 - 1948)

Mrs. T.

Welcome to Western Civ 40S

I'm looking forward to a terrific semester. I hope that you'll take every opportunity to imagine what times in the past were like. Step into the shoes of the people that we study. This course will help you to make sense of so many things in everyday life - from books to movies to current events. I hope that you enjoy the course and that you leave with a desire to travel and to learn more about the past. (Remember ... the Romans invented cheesecake ... how cool is that!)