Today in World History we studied the geography, economy, people and religious beliefs of the Arabian peninsula. Student groups worked together to find information for a graphic organizer using notes and the text. There is no homework for tonight. On Monday we will continue our study of Islam, discussing how Muslims live and act, and the history of Muhammad and his followers.

Tomorrow is Halloween - it is also a minimum day; students will be released from school at 12:12pm. Please remember that tomorrow is not a free dress day - if you are not in a costume, you must still be in uniform! Also, no costumes with full masks will be permitted. Students must be recognizable in their costumes. In class tomorrow, we will go over a brief history of Halloween, and then we will play a quiz game with prizes for correct answers. Have a safe and happy All Hallows Eve!!

Today in World History the class watched an introductory video on the history and practices of Islam. Students answered questions while watching. The questions were:

- Where was Muhammad born?
- What are the five pillars of Islam?
- What is the Hadith?
- What is the Ka'bah?
- What does an Imam do?
- What are the two sects of Muslims?
- What do Muslims do during Ramadan?

Tomorrow students will work in groups to learn about the terrain and culture of the Arabian peninsula - the place where Muhammad was born and Islam began.
There is no homework for tonight.

Today in World History we discussed what we knew about Islam. We then went over general information of the prophet Muhammad and the origins of Islam. The class then defined vocabulary for the unit - as usual students were to alphabetize, define, and include an illustration with at least 4 colors for each word. The words for this section are:

- Islam
- Muslim
- Qur'an
- Sunnah
- Mosque
- Allah
- Arabia
- Mecca
- Hijrah

Arabia and Mecca are not in the textbook - you will get the definitions in class tomorrow during a short video presentation.

Oct. 27th - Oct. 31st

This week in World History we will begin to study the rise of Islam. Tomorrow is Tuesday and we will be following the shorter schedule. Parent conferences will take place tomorrow as well, during two different time periods - 1:30pm - 3:30pm and 5:00 to 7:00. I look forward to meeting with as many of you as possible. Today in World History we came to the end of our unit on Rome. Student groups presented posters depicting one of four legacies of Rome, discussing the lasting effects of the Romans on our modern world. Tomorrow we will begin our unit on the rise of Islam. There is no homework for tonight.

Today in World History students finished up notes on the introduction to the Byzantine Empire. Students then worked in groups to complete a Venn diagram on the similarities and differences between the Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox religions. Tomorrow we will finish our study of Rome by focusing on the lasting legacy of the Roman culture. Monday we will have a short quiz and then we will begin our lesson on the rise of Islam.

For the classes that did not finish the Venn diagram, it must be completed for homework tonight and is due when you enter class tomorrow. Use your notes and pages 60-63 to help you answer.

One final reminder - our weekly homework is due tomorrow - a current event report on a newsworthy event that is at least 300 words in length and includes the country in which the story takes place, countries that border the country where the story takes place, and the date of the story. The report should summarize the story in the student's own words and include why they found the story newsworthy and why the world should care.

Today in World History we finished our "History Frames" organizers on the fall of Rome. We then took notes on a PowerPoint presentation on the early Byzantine empire and began work on a Venn diagram comparing the religion of the western and eastern empires. Remember that this week's homework is a current event report of approximately 300 words that is due Friday the 24th. If you have any questions on what must be included in the report - please see Mr. Sheridan or refer to the weekly post on this site. Tomorrow and Friday we will continue with the Byzantine empire and the lasting legacy of Rome. Next week we will begin our study of Islam.

Oct. 20th - Oct. 24th

This week in History we will conclude our study of the Roman empire. Today students finished up taking notes on a PowerPoint presentation on the decline of the empire and answered two questions.
1. How did moving the capital from Rome to Constantinople weaken the western part of the empire?
2 Which of Rome's internal problems do you think hurt it the most? Why?

Tomorrow students will work on a history story frame on the fall of Rome and will be introduced to the Byzantine empire.

This week's homework, due on Friday the 24th, is a current event report. Students will choose a newsworthy event from any printed news source (newspaper, magazine, printed page from a website). Students will include the following information in their report:

-Name of the country in which the story takes place
-Names of two countries that border the country in which the story takes place
-Date of the story

In the report students will summarize the story in their own words and explain why it is important to their lives and to the world. The report should be at least one paragraph of approximately 300 words.

Today in World History we continued our work on a graphic organizer dealing with the internal problems that existed during the decline of the Roman empire. Groups were asked to determine problems in the areas of Economics, the Military, and Politics. We then practiced our note taking on a PowerPoint presentation that summarized the information covered. On Monday, we will finish our discussion on the decline of the empire and begin discussing the Byzantine empire. By the end of the week we will conclude our unit on Rome and begin our unit on the Rise of Islam. Have a safe weekend - see you on Monday.

Today in World History we created a journal entry on the importance of an educated society. As a class, we discussed the importance of having an educated citizenry, especially as it pertains to civic responsibility and voting. As the Roman empire began its decline, education became more difficult to acquire and as a result people were less informed and less involved in the government. The class then worked in groups to organize some of the internal factors for the fall of Rome including Social and Political, Military, and Economic issues. Finally, students took notes on a summarizing PowerPoint. There is no homework for tonight. Tommorrow we will discuss the Eastern Roman empire, known as the Byzantine Empire, and how it differed from the west.

Today in World History we reviewed answers to our quiz on the rise of the Roman empire. During class students were asked to alphabetize, define, and draw a corresponding picture for their vocabulary words of this unit. The vocabulary for this section is:

- Clovis
- Constantine
- Byzantine Empire
- Justinian I
- Justinian Code
- Schism
- Roman Catholic
- Orthodox

Classes who did not finish this work in class were asked to complete it for homework tonight. Tomorrow we will work in groups to determine the internal causes of the collapse of the empire.

Fire Day!

My apologies to all for not being able to make it in to school today. I travel from the Santa Clarita Valley and all freeways and side streets were closed due to fires this morning. Tomorrow we will get back on track with our study of the decline of Roman empire.

Oct. 13th - 17th

This week in World History we will be studying the decline and fall of the Roman Empire and the formation of the eastern and western capitals of the empire. Today, Monday, students took a quiz on the information and subjects dealing with the rise and expansion of Rome. There is no homework tonight. One quick note - with the wildfires burning in the area, please stay indoors as much as possible and avoid any long periods of activity outside where the air quality is so poor.

Today in World History we reviewed for our quiz with a short video summary of the information we learned this week, and a team quiz competition. The quiz on the rise and expansion of Rome will be on Monday the 13th. Students are to complete their study guides and turn them in prior to taking the quiz. The study guide and actually studying for the quiz are the only homework over the weekend. Be safe and we will see you on Monday.

Oct. 6th - Oct. 10th

This week in World History we continue our study of Rome. This week we focus on the expansion of Rome as it moved from a republic to an empire. Today we took Cornell style notes on a PowerPoint presentation of Rome's governmental history and then discussed and answered questions in small groups. This week's homework assignment is to design a bumper sticker, using at least 4 colors, that makes a statement that is either for or against Christians in early Rome. We will be learning about the beginnings of Christianity during the Roman era tomorrow. We hope to finish this lesson on the early Roman empire by Friday. If possible, we will have a review game on Friday to prepare for our quiz on this material early next week. The class with the highest overall score average on the quiz will win the "Donut Challenge". Two quick reminders - there is no school this Thursday the 9th and expect students 5 week progress reports in the next week.

Today in World History we reviewed our quiz answers on the Tools of History and continued our reading on the rise of Rome. Students answered questions and learned new vocabulary - tomorrow, Friday the 3rd, our weekly homework is due. This week's homework is an illustrated time-line of early Roman development (from 510 b.c. to 14 a.d.). Students are to document 4 specific events, with the year they occurred and a picture depicting the event. Vocabulary for today was:

-republic
- Augustus
- empire
- emperor
- Christianity

Tomorrow we will discuss the way that Rome turned from kings into a republic.

Today in World History we had a short quiz on the Tools of History from chapter one. Students then began to read chapter 2 on the rise of Rome. While reading students were asked to answer the following questions: What advantages did Rome have geographically? What made the early citizens of Rome change from a kingship to a republic? Who began the end of the republic? Classes who did not finish these questions in class were asked to finish them by tomorrow. Homework for this week is an illustrated time line dating from 510 b.c. to 14 a.d. with four events including a drawing for each. These events will come from the reading. Tomorrow we will continue our discussion of the rise of Rome, including the end of the republic and beginning of the empire. And one final reminder - 5 week progress reports will be submitted by next week. Keep an eye out for them.