Mr. Dorrough’s History Class

This will be our last week studying the civilizations of Mesoamerica.

Today we worked on the Preview activity for chapter 27.  What are the most influential inventions of the past 50 years?  Do you think people will be using them in 500 years from now?   How about 700 years from Now?

In class today we compleeted preview 27 for warm up.

We then focused on the key terms for chapter 27.

For homework I assigned essential questions 1, 2, and 3.

Don’t forget that your post card project is due on Thursday, and we have a test on Friday.

Downloads for today:

Chapter 27 Standards Guide: Achievements of The Maya, Aztecs, and Incas

Budget Vocabulary Matrix

Picture Dictionary

Our unit 6 project is to create postcards depicting daily life in Tenochitilan.

You can extend this to life in Mesoamerica during the time we have been studying.

A postcard has two parts, and your postcards will also have two parts. A picture or graphic, and witting.

Follow this link to the criteria guide and rubric for the Aztec Postcard project

In class today we did the Preview activity for chapter 26 as a warm up.

We them did the Pre-Reading questions for chapter 26.

For Home Work i assigned essential questions 2 and 3.

Pre-Reading Questions

Remember, I am offering 24 points of extra credit for anyone who attends Patent/Teacher Conference on Thursday 24 April 2008.  24 points is the equivalent of 6 assignments!

This week we are going to study one more Mesoamerican civilization, The Inca.

In class today we read 26.1 and 26.2 as a warm up.

We Then worked on the key terms for chapter 26.

Fr Home Work i assigned essential question #1.

Downloads for class today.
Chapter Twenty Six Standards Guide: The Incas

Picture Dictionary

Budget Vocabulary Matrix

We are only a few weeks away from testing.  You should not feel too much pressure, but you should take the tests seriously.   The tests will determine which classes you get to take next year.  You should use this time to practice and get ready for bigger and more important tests.  In a couple of years you will be taking the CAHSEE, or Exit Exam.  You will need to pass this class in order to get a High School diploma.  With out a High School diploma it will be very difficult to get a decent job, and impossible to go to college.

Here are some web sites to help you get ready for testing

Test Taking Tips 

Survival Strategies for Taking Tests

Tips on Taking Multiple-Choice Tests

Week ten grades are done and ready to be submitted. Congratulations to Second Period for the most “As” ever!!! One student had an A+++ with out even trying.

It is now time to “Buckle Down” and prepare for testing.

Parent/Teacher conferences are coming up net Thursday.  I am offering 24 points, the equivalent of 6 4 point assignments, or 3 8 point assignments if you AND your parent/guardian attend.  I don’t give much extra credit so this is a great chance to get a boost if you need it.

Test day!

We are taking a test on the Aztec today.   All work is due today.

For warm up we wrote 4 “On the surface” questions about 25.2.

In class we did the preview for chapter 25 and took some notes based on chapter 25.

For homework you were to draw pictures to represent the six different topics we discussed in class

As amazing as it may sound, the Aztecs built a city in the middle of a lake. This city was called Tenochtitlan. Over time they developed a complex city with floating farms and causeways connecting the city to the main land.

The story of the founding of Tenochtitlan has has significant meaning to Mexico today. The Aztecs were a divided group of wandering tribes in the mid fourteenth century. They believed that the god Huitzilopochtli commanded that the tribes would wander without a home until they saw an eagle eating a snake while perched on a cactus. When they saw this sign they were to build a great city. The Aztecs saw the egal on a small island in lake Texcoco.

The city itself was founded in 1325. At first it wasn’t very impressive, but by 1428 the Aztec empire had become powerful, and Tenochtitlan was the most important city in all of Mesoamerica. During the reign of the Aztecs, Tenochtitlan was one of the largest cities in the world, with over 200,000 inhabitants. It was bigger than most cities in Europe.

When the Spanish come to Mexico they were surprised by the magnificence of Tenochtitlan. Unlike the cities of Europe, it was clean and “fresh.” The Aztecs washed and swept the streets daily. They used an aqueduct to bring in fresh water from the mountains so that they would not have to use the lake water for drinking. One account gives us a an insight into what Europeans thought about the city.

“And when we saw all those towns and villages built in the water, and other great towns on dry land, and that straight and level causeway leading to Mexico, we were astounded. These great towns . . . and buildings rising from the water, all made of stone, seemed like an enchanted vision. . . . Indeed some of our soldiers asked whether it was not all a dream . . . It was all so wonderful that I do not know how to describe this first glimpse of things never heard of, seen, or dreamed of before.”

—Written by Bernal Díaz del Castillo in The Conquest of New Spain

In class today we reviewed the Standard guide for chapter 25.

We completed the Pre Reading questions for Chapter 25 as classwork.

For homework I assigned essential question #1.

Downloads for class today:

Chapter Twenty Five Standards Guide: Daily Life in Tenochtitlan

Vocabulary Map

Picture Dictionary

Budget Vocabulary Matrix

Reading, for reading’s sake is great, but in class we ofted have a different reason. Like all schools in the United States, we are required to give tests to see how our students are doing. One way of understanding the things that are on a test is to make a test.

In class today we used the problem solving tree to answer a specific question. Then we made 4 multiple choice questions relating to the reading we have been doing this week.

Downloads for today’s class:

Multiple Choice Question Maker

Problem Solving Tree