Day 9 - I can see the long weekend from here!

Thursday Recap
I am glad that we have our first real quiz behind us.  I expect that many of you found it really difficult.  Don't worry!  You will get better at this; and as you do, tests and quizzes will become more manageable.

We will spend some time reviewing this first quiz, and you will have an opportunity to improve your grade.

Tonight!!
Lincoln Trojans Football - Game 1 - Tonight!  I hope that some of you are able to make it out to tonight's football game.  Our reading load for tonight is relatively light, so take advantage by going out to support our team, cheerleaders, and band.

Whatever you decide to do tonight, please come to class prepared to discuss Hammurabi's Code.  Pay attention to the Questions for Analysis, they will drive our discussion.  The document is in the same PDF as Gilgamesh.

Your reading assignment for this weekend is Chapter 2 in the textbook, Pages 38-50.  You can find the PDF on Edmodo.

Enjoy your Thursday evening!

Day 8 - The eve of our first test (quiz).

Wednesday Recap
I really enjoyed our discussion  today on the Epic of Gilgamesh. I hope that you found it as stimulating as I did.  As I pointed out at near the end of our discussion, as historians we need to did below the surface and beyond the good story to determine the document's significance in our study of the period.

Document analysis is a key part of this course and we will have lots of opportunities to practice.

Quiz Tomorrow
We will take our first chapter length quiz.  I just put the finishing touches on it this afternoon.  It will consist of 50 multiple choice questions. No free response tomorrow! I must tell you that I think you will find it challenging. Study hard and get a good night's rest.

Day 7 - All about primary sources!

Tuesday Recap
Doing history is about digging into and through the record left behind and the artifacts the remain as evidence of events of the past.  This is where history comes alive.  I hope that this year you gain an appreciation for  and an interest in history by doing history.

Today in class, we read a portion of the Prologue from our class document reader - The Human Record.  The two most important things to take away from class today is an understanding of point of view (POV) and the six Ws - What, Who, Whom, Why, Where, and When.  These are the tools we need to effectively analyze primary sources.

Tuesday Evening with Gilgamesh
This evening, I want you to dig into the challenging Epic of Gilgamesh.  Rather than go into any detail here, I want you to explore the resources provided for you and come to class tomorrow prepared to discuss what you've learned.

Before tackling the document, I want you to go the Gilgamesh website by clicking here. While there are lots of interesting things to explore at this site, I want you to focus on the video. 

After watching the video, download the PDF containing the document and carefully read/analyze it.  Don't forget the Six Ws.  Stop when you get to document two, The Judgements of Hammurabi.  The document can be downloaded by clicking here.

Reminder:  Our chapter one quiz has been moved to Thursday.

Day 6 - Monday Writing Workshop

Monday Recap
Today was the first of what I hope will be a weekly Writing Workshop Monday. The idea is to have one day to focus on writing skills, sometime in general but usually targeted to one of the three essays that you will write as part of the AP exam in May.

Today we went over the composition of the AP exam, and it became clear how important those three essays will be to your overall success in this course.

We then settled in to write a very basic compare and contrast essay on the three river valley civilizations covered in chapter one of our textbook.  These will be graded but not as a major essay grade. Instead, they will be calculated as a classwork assignment.

Today, you also heard one of the "slogans" that I will continue to shout throughout this school year:

If you Plan More, you can Write Less.

What should I do tonight for APWH?
I'm giving you a bit of a break on reading tonight, but I certainly hope that you do not take the night off completely.  Remember, we are having our first Chapter Quiz on Wednesday.  At the very least, you should spend time cleaning up and reviewing your notes.

Many of you have found the Crash Course videos helpful in pulling together everything that you've read on the Agricultural Revolution and the River valley Civilizations.  I won't be assigning the episodes covering the Indus River Valley and Nile River Civilizations.  I am, however, embedding them below in case you would like to use them tonight or in the future to review what you've learned.  This would be a very good idea.

Episode #2 Indus Valley Civilization


Episode #4 Ancient Egypt

The end of a good first week.

Well, we made through the first week.  Everyone looked a little tired today, so make sure you are getting enough rest.  The weekend is a great time to catch-up with our sleep.  It also a great time for those that have a busy weekly schedule to get ahead with our reading.  I don't have any specific assignments to give you right now (I'll be doing that this weekend), but I can tell you that we'll get deep into chapter 2 of the textbook next week.

Recap
We had our first quick quiz today, and I know that it was scary for some of you.  I hope that you use these quick quizzes to inform the way that you approach reading and note taking.

We made it through the first two-thirds of Chapter One - hunter-gatherers, the agricultural revolution, and Mesopotamia.  How well did you do?  Do you feel that you've done a good job reading and taking notes?  If so, GREAT!  If not, use this weekend wisely.

This Weekend in APWH

• First, finish reading Chapter One in the textbook.  This will take us through Egypt and the Indus Valley Civilization.  As you near the end of the chapter, pay attention to the Comparative Perspectives on page 34 and chapter summary.  You may also want to make sure that you have all of the Key Terms covered in your notes.
• You will also need to watch Crash Course in World History - Ancient Mesopotamia.  I have embedded the video below, or follow the link if that works better for you.
• You need to access the viewing guide by clicking here.
• I recommend that you watch the episode through once before taking any notes or completing the viewing guide.  Then watch it a second time, pausing when needed to take notes and answer the questions.
• Enjoy! This is great stuff.

Day 4 - Talking History

Day 4 Recap
I was so happy to get down to talking history today.  There is so much that goes on during this opening week that it is refreshing to finally get started with our course.

What is a civilization?  That was the big question that we touched on in class today.  Our text provides a handy list of eight characteristics that civilizations exhibit.

This is a good place to remind you that we will not cover in class all of the material from your reading.  You are, however, responsible for EVERYTHING.

Each of you should have gotten off to a good start with labeling the map.  Let's keep those maps in our notebooks for now, as I think that we will need to refer to them again soon.

If you didn't get a chance to finish it in class, make sure that your complete your short essay addressing the following question.  Why do you believe peoples settled where they did?

Be ready for class tomorrow.
In addition to those items mentioned above, make sure that you complete tonight's reading - pages 14-22.

We will begin class tomorrow with a short video on the Agricultural Revolution that I think you will enjoy.

Remember:  Successful people take great notes.

Day 3 - Getting down to business

Recap of Today
I was so nice to finally get down today to the business of our history class.  While it may have seemed more like geography than a history class, history works hand in hand with geography. As I said in class, you can't fully appreciate or understand historical events or periods without having a grasp of the relevant geography.

We will continue with the geography theme tomorrow and try to tie it in with tonight's reading.

To Do Tonight
If you have not already done so, please get your student profile done and set up your Edmodo account.

Tonight's reading assignment is pages 2-14 in our textbook.  Please be mindful of the required note taking strategy. While it may take some getting used to, I think that it will help you build the habit and skill of taking notes.

For those that have not yet received a book, the PDF file is on Edmodo.  Let me know immediately if you have difficulty accessing it.

Allow me to reiterate the importance of keeping current with your reading.  Do not fall behind!

Now, lets go out and expand those mental maps!

Day 2 - Done!

I hope everyone is beginning to feel a little more comfortable moving around campus.

We were given lots of good information at today's 9th grade assembly, and I hope you take what was said to heart. I don't expect that you guys will run into many disciplinary problems, but many will have to quickly adjust to the high school workload. I also want to encourage you each to get involved with something extracurricular. There are many clubs that will begin to hold meetings in the coming weeks. Join something!

Today's Recap

• Today we walked through the sign-up process for Edmodo.  This is going to be an important tool this year.
•  You learned about my expectations with regard to note taking.  We will use a modified Cornell notes format.  Look under the Tools 4 Students link at my website for the presentation used in class today.

 Stuff To Do Tonight

•  Make sure that you go to Edmodo.com tonight and setup you account with the group code provided in class.
• If you have not yet turned in a syllabus confirmation sheet, please do so tomorrow. If you have not yet completed the online student profile, do that now.
• We will get moving with the meat of this course beginning tomorrow.  Get some rest!

Don't forget about Remind 101 texting service.  Text  @mrveliz to (860) 899-1370.

And we're off!

Well, we're off and running for the 2013-14 school year.  I hope everyone enjoyed their first day, for most their first day at Lincoln High School.  It's amazing how even with nearly 2300 students moving around campus, everything went pretty well today.

As mentioned in class today, this will be the place to visit each day to keep yourself moving in the right direction.

What did we do today?
Today, through our review of the course syllabus, we covered most of the class expectations and course requirements.  We had a quick overview of the technological tools that are at your disposal, including the course website and this blog.  We will continue to expand on all of this as we move forward.

What do we need to do tonight?

• If you received a paper syllabus today, please review it with a parent/guardian and return the signed confirmation sheet tomorrow.
• You also need to complete the online Student Profile.

I look forward to seeing each of you tomorrow.

Back to School

Allow me to be among the first to welcome you to Lincoln High School. As many of you know, I am also new to Lincoln - having spent the past six years teaching preAP U.S. History at Swift Creek MS.

As you will read in the course syllabus, we will be using a "flipped-classroom" this year in AP World History. This means that most of the history content that you need to learn - people, places, dates, etc. - will be done through your homework assignments. We will take what you've learned and apply it to our in-class activities. These activities will take a number of forms - essays, class discussions, small group discussions and much more.

Because we will not be covering in class all of what you need to know, it is imperative that you not allow yourself to fall behind. This blog will serve as a daily diary of what we have done in class and what you are expected to do at home. You should get in the habit of visiting this space as soon as you sit down to begin your history homework.

Don't worry! I will remind you often about what you need to do to succeed in your first AP course.

I hope that you are as excited about this school year as I am. I can't wait to see you all Monday morning.