religion chart assignment

Class was all about religion today -- we listed several ways to compare religions. Task: create a chart comparing at least 10 aspects of the 5 major world religions. A-B range needs 1 -2 minor religions also, as well as 15+ aspects compared. Due date: 6/11.

Writing assignment to follow.

Religion

Today in class we:

• Shared good news
• Answered questions on timeline
• Answered questions on Save the World
• Started investigating world religions

Students started "getting their feet wet" with information about the 5 major world relgions (Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Judaism, Christianity). Students were to collect a few notes about religions they didn't really know about. Tomorrow we discuss what religion is/does, and how we can compare/contrast them.

Wed

I entertained q's on Save the World Project and the Timeline. I helped classes review for quiz tomorrow.

Tomorrow: Quiz on population/neolithic revolution

Mon and Tues

I was out at professional development. Students read 2 articles re: environmental concerns. They answered qs: What is problem identified? What is cause (how does it relate to impact of population growth of humans)? What are implied or stated solutions of the article (and do you think they are valid ideas)?

Friday

Big activity. Lots of work. I can fill you in if you were absent. I'm out Monday and Tuesday. Monday: In class readings on environmental concerns arising due to human population growth and impact. Tuesday: discuss readings an d review for quiz. Wed: chance to ask questions of me based on your review work Tuesday; discuss environmental impact some more. Thursday is quiz.

Thursday --- Enough for Everyone? hmmm

Aside from some pressing issues with some classes that needed to be dealt with (how to handle a tough, uncomfortable situation), all classes played the "Enough for Everyone" game. But none of you ended up with enough for everyone. What happened? Stay tuned....er, come to class, and you'll find out!

Tomorrow, another activity....ouch, more learning!

some of the vocab

birth rate
death rate
literacy rate
carrying capacity
deforestation
fresh water
population pyramid
demographer
ethnographer
archaeology
developed country
less developed country
indigenous
ZPG

I'll add the rest tomorrow. This will get you started.

Fertility Rates and Population predictions

We analyzed more graphs (sorry Katrina!), including those that address past, present, and predicted future fertility rates.

Quiz will be next Tuesday, not this Friday.

You need to be able to identify and use the following terms:

(I'll post them later.)

Still on Population Pyramids....

Yellow and Red have moved on to discussing other graphs and charts, looking at population growth over time. Green and Blue will do so tomorrow.
Here are a couple of the pictures we looked at. If you were out today, look them over and ask questions during class tomorrow.






(You can click on the pic and it will open in new page to make it bigger for you.)

Quiz likely on Friday, but could be early next week. Not many of you have been taking notes in class, so I suggest going back through the Blogs for the past few weeks, starting with foundations of civilizations, and reviewing those as well as the articles with additional information. Feel free to start asking each other (and me) review questions in the comments area!

Monday update

Red, Green, and Blue had an audio/visual presentation by Specialist Cromer. All pyramids are due tomorrow. Reading for those classes will be due on Wed.

Population Pyramid Discussion

We discussed the pyramids you created in small group and full class conversations. Assignment is to read the article posted on Friday. Take notes on it! Come in prepared to discuss it.

Pyramids and paragraphs are due Tuesday.

Friday!

I promised you a link for a reading assignment: http://www.populationconnection.org/About_Us/history.html

Today in Yellow and Red students worked on their population pyramids. Green and Blue had a surprise guest. Army Specialist Bob Cromer, recently returned from Afghanistan where he has served for the last 13 months. He shared some stories, and has said he'll come back next week to share some movies from the war there. This should be a great, real-world learning experience.

Thursday

Students who had class (all except yellow) worked on their population pyramids. We'll be discussing them in class on Friday, so have them finished!

Population Pyramid Analysis

Today we continued talking about population pyramids, looking at the rapid growth pyramid of the Congo and the negative growth pyramid of Germany. Information related to our discussion can be found here:

http://www.prb.org/Educators/TeachersGuides/HumanPopulation/Change.aspx?p=1

Further information can be found here:

http://www.answers.com/topic/population-pyramid

Reading these will help you in understanding this at a deeper level. Check out at least the PRB site.

It's only Tuesday??

It felt like a really long day....

We started talking about popuplation pyramids, starting with the U.S. The "pyramid" for the U.S. is a slow growth pyramid. In a country with slow population growth, the birth rate and the death rate are both relatively low, but the birth rate is a little higher than the death rate. This is shown by looking at the bottom rows of the graph (birth rate) as compared to the top rows (death rate). The following information is from: http://www.mepa.org.mt/Census/Pyr%20Archive/popdesc.htm#slow

"Slow Growth
In the United States, the population is growing at a rate of about 1.7 percent annually. This growth rate is reflected in the more square-like structure of the pyramid. Note the lump in the pyramid between the ages of about 35 to 50. This large segment of the population is the post-World War II "baby boom." As this population ages and climbs up the pyramid, there will be a much greater demand for medical and other geriatric services. An animated population pyramid from 1950 to 2050 shows the aging of the boomers."

Tomorrow we will discuss rapid growth and negative growth pyramids.

Timeline

Today I gave out the official copy of the Timeline assignment and rubric to all classes and gave students an opportunity to ask clarifying questions. Students also had some time to work on this in class today.

Tomorrow we will be looking at population changes over time.

Friday, Friday.....

Today all classes except yellow got caught up on the beginnings of civilization and delineating those aspects that developed once mankind figured out how to domesticate plants and animals. If you have not done so yet, the paragraph assigned on Wed is due for all classes except yellow.

Yellow talked about the problems related to the assembly yesterday and wrote letters to M.A.D.D. and the administration.

Don't forget your timeline assignment!

Funky Schedule Day

I only had the opportunity to meet with Yellow today. THey were very yellow -- all kinds of spring energy flowing. We continued with our discussion of the neolithic revolution. No new assignment.

Enjoy the weather!

Civilized?

Today and tomorrow we are talking about the beginnings of "civilization." The question we are considering is how did the agricultural, or neolithic, revolution change the way people lived? What was this revolution about? What was it's impact?

Assignment: Read about the topic. Here are a couple of links: http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A2054675

http://www.answers.com/topic/neolithic-revolution


Write 1 -2 well developed paragraphs in which you answer the above questions. Be sure to explain all terms you use in the process.

Finals? Already?!

I can't believe May is here, and now we can say summer vacation starts next month. May marks the time for beginning to reflect back upon the school year, and all you've learned. I do it every year, as I learn new things every year too (about history, people, teen agers, myself, etc.). I hope that I improve at least a little bit every year in at least a few ways, and maybe a lot-a-bit in other ways. I try, and that counts for something!

Okay, some of you want me to stop rambling and get to the point: what'd we miss in class. Oh, I know you sort, many of you who are in NYC waiting for the arrival time of your big debut at Carnegie Hall. Some of you are actually wondering how much work did you miss and how you are going to get caught up. I'm hoping that your parents tell you to not bother checking the blog when you get home and convincing you it can actually wait until tomorrow, at least for those of you who "just have to know." What? I'm rambling again? Fine....here's the summary for today:

Okay...in class today I introduced ONE PIECE of your final: the TIMELINE. It's really not that scary. It's really not that much work. I'll have a copy of the actual assignment for you on Thursday, but if you are desparate, you can check the S: drive. (I'm putting it in there right now...well....right after I post this, so don't check for at least a few minutes after the posting time.)

I'm looking forward to hearing all of your stories about Carnegie Hall! If you are one who was out for another reason, please don't feel neglected, I'll listen to your stories too. :)