India and Southeast Asia - Chapter Quiz Tomorrow!

The end is near! The end of the 1st nine weeks that is.

I'll keep this blog post brief so that you can get back to studying for tomorrow's quiz.  This is your opportunity to finish on a high note.  Don't miss it.

I have put together a pretty detailed review sheet for this chapter. You can find it by clicking here.  As I suggested in class today, use the sheet as a checklist to identify things that you need to go back and review.

I'm also embedding the video that we watched a part of today.  In addition to providing a lot of information about the development of Buddhism in India, it also (in the final 25 minutes or so) tells the story of Ashoka's reign.

The Mauryan Empire, Ashoka, and Buddhism

We've spend the last two days discussing the development of empire in early India. Remember, what we cover in class is a portion of the required content. You must get into the textbook and do the reading. I really enjoyed today's discussion about the founding of the Mauryan Empire. As the first unification of the subcontinent - at least most of it - it is central to any understanding of India's origins. Digging into Ashoka's Rock and Pillar Edicts provides us with insight into how the early empire was governed. As I mentioned in closing today, we must view primary sources with a cautious eye. Was Ashoka's battlefield conversion as advertised, or was it political expediency? This an important question to ask when studying the Edicts, and one that we can only leads us only to speculation.

I am always happy when I have an opportunity to share to one of John Green's Crash Course videos.  I believe that the episode on Buddha and Ashoka provides a great overview of what we have covered  over the past two days.





 Tonight's homework is to finish the reading in the current chapter. However, feel free to take the weekend to complete the reading. We will be in the media center tomorrow talking history fair.

Related Links:

PBS: The Story of India
The Edicts of King Ashoka

Chapter 5 Quiz Tomorrow!

How much of this week's reading have you completed?  How well has your note taking gone? We'll get answers to those questions tomorrow.

Here is the list that I posted on Edmodo this afternoon.  While not a comprehensive list of everything covered on the quiz, it does cover quite a bit of ground.

If you have the time, you may want to relax while watching the Crash Course episode on China.

 

"The Word and the Sword" - Andrew Marr's History of the World

If today's Knowledge Check quiz is an accurate picture of how well you all are retaining the readings, we are making big steps in the right direction.  Remember, there is no substitute for close reading and detailed notes.

After our quiz, we watched about 40 minutes Andrew Marr's History of the World (Episode 3): The Word and the Sword.  It covers some really important themes from our class, including the intersection of religion and politics during the Age of Empires.  It begins with India, which we will get to in chapter 6.  Most importantly, at least this week, is its coverage of Han China and Rome.

If you did not get a chance to see it or if you would like to watch the full episode, follow the link or watch it right here.

BBC.Andrew.Marr.s.History.of.the.World.3of8.The.Word.and.the.Sword.PDTV.XviD.MVGroup.org from daniela marão on Vimeo.

Tonight and Beyond
 Tonight's reading assignment will take us to page 151, and the end of the sections on Rome.

If you have a chance to get ahead, I'll be assigning the remainder of the chapter tomorrow.  Remember, a big part of our focus in this chapter is the comparison of the Roman Empire and the Han Empire.

Our chapter quiz this time will take two days, one for the multiple choice and one for the essay.  Begin preparing now!