Western+Civ

Welcome to Western Civ!


 * 9/9/14:**

Today, you will begin a mini-research project examining the scope and impact of empires in history. The guidelines and requirements for this assignment are attached below.



You can use the following websites as starting points for your research:

Greece: [|Ancient Greece]

Rome: [|Ancient Rome]

Britain: [|British Empire]

If you're unsure about the validity of other sources, please check with me. You may also use the World History textbooks located on the shelves along the window side of the room.


 * 9/15/14:**

Check out the following website. It describes many of the most important aspects of medieval life. Use the tabs on the right-hand side of the page to navigate to each section and read about everything from feudal life to town life.

As you read, fill in the table on the accompanying handout.

[|Feudal Life]

 * 9/22/14 **

Let's track the path of the Black Plague to see where it started and how it traveled along its deadly path.

Click the link below and use the interactive map to guide you through the accompanying worksheet.

Directions: (1) Fill in the map and trace the path of the Black Death. (2) Describe each phase of the disease in the timeline below. (3) Answer the critical thinking questions on the back of the page.

[|Path of the Plague]


 * 9/23/14 **

Let's hear about the Black Death from a scholarly source -- this is a secondary source (from a historian), rather than a primary source (from someone who lived through the Black Death). With a partner, divide and conquer this reading assignment! Distribute the pages among yourselves and work together to answer the questions on the accompanying handout.
 * Part I: **



Effects of the Black Death Guided Reading Questions:



Take a look at the medieval artwork below. What does it express about the collective mindset of Europeans during the Middle Ages?
 * Part II: **






 * 9/26/14**

To finish up the Black Death, you have a choice between two assignments that will show me what you know about the causes and effects of the plague on medieval Europe and will give you an opportunity to be creative in the process!

Your choices:

A journal:



A drawing:




 * 10/1/14**

We will have a brief quiz on the Middle Ages on Friday, October 3! Download and complete the study guide below. You will have time in class to work on the study guide, and you may print it if you prefer a hard copy.



10/7/14



Continuing along on our journey through European history, we must ask ourselves an important question: how can these guys tell us anything about the period after the Middle Ages? Let's find out.

You're responsible for learning about one of the four "Renaissance Men" on your accompanying handout. We'll try to understand how that label means much more than merely identifying the era during which these individuals lived. Use the worksheet provided to fill in the information you find. Links to help your information-gathering are provided below. Good luck!

[|Leonardo]

[|Michelangelo]

[|Raphael]

[|Donatello]


 * 10/8/14 **

Today, we're going to explore the contributions of Renaissance men and women //outside// of the visual arts (unlike the namesakes of our Turtle-shell heroes). We'll learn about political leaders, theorists, bankers, patrons, writers, and more! Follow the links below to learn about each of the Renaissance men and women on the "Who's Who?" guide you received earlier. When you're finished figuring out "Who's Who," read the excerpts provided from Machiavelli's The Prince and explain, in your own words, what message about leadership and government he was trying to get across.

[|The Medici Family]

[|Castiglione]

[|Petrarch]

[|Elizabeth I]

[|Machiavelli]


 * 10/20/14: **



Please download and read the attached journal article on Renaissance-era scientists, Copernicus and Galileo. Note that the article is only slightly longer than two pages. The remaining pages are citations, and you do not have to read those:) As you read, answer the guided questions in the Word document provided.

Article:



Guided Reading Questions:



Follow the Leader: Exploring Other Reformers of the Renaissance Era
 * 10/22/14:**

Today you're going to embark on a journey to learn about the reformers of the 15th and 16th centuries who found themselves breaking away from the Catholic Church for a variety of reasons (some for slightly selfish reasons, others for the benefit of the "greater good"). Your job over the next couple of days is to determine how the following individuals contributed to the Reformation and left their mark on the Renaissance.

Your task:

(1) Research any two of the following individuals using information compiled from the links provided:

[|John Calvin -- Link 1] [|John Calvin -- Link 2]

[|Ulrich (Huldrych) Zwingli -- Link 1] [|Ulrich (Huldrych) Zwingli -- Link 2]

[|Henry VIII -- Link 1] [|Henry VIII -- Link 2]

(2) Create a presentation (using the format/application of your choice) that includes: (a) a brief background of your chosen reformers (b) a geographic reference point (i.e. where did they have the greatest impact) (c) a description of their motivations to reform Christianity (i.e. why did each person choose to reform?) (d) a description of their efforts to reform (i.e. how did they contribute/what did they do?) (e) any other relevant/interesting information you wish to include

You will have two days of in-class time to work on your mini-project. Good luck, and enjoy!


 * 10/24/14 **

For your "Protestant Leaders" activity, here's a map of the religious situation in Europe in 1560.




 * 10/27/14**

Download and read the following stories about two men who were tried by the Roman Inquisition. Use the templates provided to answer the accompanying guided reading questions.






 * 10/30/14**

There will be a quiz on the ** Renaissance and Reformation ** on ** Wednesday, November 5 **. The study guide below is mandatory and will be collected for credit. Good luck!




 * 11/6/14**

We're going to embark on a journey westward -- from Europe to North America! On this journey, we'll discover which European explorers "discovered" various regions of North America, the countries that claimed these findings as their own, and how the "East meets West" scenario that played out changed the face of the world and shaped the course of history over the past several hundred years.

First, let's get a sense of who's who. Use the following resource to complete the activity handed out earlier. Remember that your first job is to illustrate the map, and your second job is to make sense of what each of the explorers accomplished. This site will get you started off in the right direction.

[|Explorers]


 * 11/10/14 **

Read the following secondary source about the Age of Discovery and Exploration and answer the guided reading questions that follow.




 * 11/11/14**

Happy Veterans Day, or as our western European counterparts call it, Remembrance Day (honoring all those who died during the First World War, which ended at 11:11 on November 11, 1918).



You've just received word that your request for patronage has been approved! You'll be sponsored by the monarchy to go on a voyage to the New World. The monarchs have high expectations of you, as they've invested a lot of their resources in your journey. With a partner, you'll prepare an Explorer's Notebook that you will submit to the monarchy upon your return home (assuming you make it back!). Download and save the following document to find out what that notebook must include.



You may complete your notebooks in digital applications on your MacBook or you may hand-draw, write, and bind all of your contents. Either format is acceptable. Good luck!

To help get your research started, here are a few useful links:

An example from Columbus' notebook: [|Columbus Travel Journal]

Indexed guide to explorers: [|Explorer Hub]


 * 11/14/14 **



How did Cortes' expedition turn into a conquest? Read his story at the website below to complete the accompanying activity. Note the narrative panel on the lefthand side of the page. There are nine symbols -- start by clicking the first one in the upper lefthand corner and proceed across each row to follow the story chronologically.

[|Cortes and the Aztecs]


 * 11/24/14 **

You will have a short quiz on Wednesday, 11/26, on the Age of Discovery and Exploration. Please complete the study guide below.




 * 12/8/14**

Biography is a very important component of history. We can learn a surprising amount about a given era by studying the individuals who held power over the institutions of their time. It's a skewed history, for sure, but it's still very telling. The absolute monarchs account for a very large piece of the puzzle of European history. How did they get all of their power? How did they lose their power? Why does it matter?

Today you're responsible for researching an absolute monarchy and conveying the following information in any format you choose (i.e PowerPoint, Keynote, OmniGraffle, etc.), and please notice that there are examples listed below each requirement, describing what you should include:

(1) a brief biographical summary (**FOR EXAMPLE: birth date(s), death date(s), family structure, years during which monarchy reigned, military service if applicable, any other pertinent information you wish to share, etc.**)

(2) problems this monarchy faced while ruling (**FOR EXAMPLE: Were there wars? Famine? Economic problems? Revolts?**)

(3) methods through which this monarchy tried to correct the problems faced (**FOR EXAMPLE: Taxes, programs to educate children, food and shelter given to the poor, wars carried out, people persecuted, etc.**)

(4) degree of success (**FOR EXAMPLE: Was the monarchy you researched considered to be successful? Was it a failure? Can it be considered to be both?**)

__// Please include photos, maps, or other images related to the monarch of your choice. You may illustrate this information in the format of your choice. //__

Choices (and links to starting points for your research) are as follows:

[|Louis XIV]

[|Charles I]

[|Ivan the Terrible]

[|(Ivan the Terrible's Biography)]

[|Isabella]

[|Ferdinand II]

[|(Problems During Ferdinand and Isabella's Reign)]


 * 12/12/14 **

Download and complete the following activity on Frederick II -- the King of Prussia -- and then turn in your completed responses through the hand-in robot.


 * 12/15/14**

There will be a short quiz on The Age of Absolutism on Wednesday, 12/17. The study guide below is mandatory and will be due on 12/17 before the start of the quiz. Good luck!




 * 1/5/15**

Happy New Year, Western Civ!

It's biography time! Individually choose one of the following Enlightened thinkers:

John Locke

Thomas Hobbes

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Baron de Montesquieu

Voltaire

Adam Smith

Using sources such as [|Age of the Sage] and [|Hobbes' Luminarium], compile background information on the thinker of your choice. Be sure to include the following:

(1) Lifespan (i.e. birth and death dates)

(2) Educational background

(3) Personal Influences and family lifestyle

(4) Major ideas regarding government/society

(5) Popular reaction to ideas (i.e. how did society react to the ideas put forth by your thinker? Was he celebrated? Persecuted? Both?)

(6) Incorporate at least one quote from your philosopher and explain its meaning and relevance to his life's work.

(7) An image of your thinker or one that reflects his way of thinking.

(8) A descriptive explanation of how your philosopher challenged the existing norms and power structures of European society.

You may use any Mac application you wish. Your finished product is due by the end of class on Wednesday, 1/7.


 * 1/13/15 **

Today, we're going to delve deeper into the world of Enlightenment philosophy. Below, you'll find three different primary sources -- literary works from Denis Diderot, Voltaire, and Mary Shelley.







These writers left behind an important legacy of thought, criticism, and commentary on life. As you read each source, answer the guided reading questions in the document below. Our goal is to use these resources to understand how Enlightenment-era thinkers were looking at the world and what conclusions they came to upon reflection.




 * 1/16/15**

Today, we're going to delve into the legacy of the Enlightenment philosophers. Your first task is to scour the web for a current events article pertaining to a national political or social issue. Your second task is to connect the philosophies of the Enlightenment thinkers to the political or social issue you choose. Complete the current events document first, and then complete the diagram.






 * 1/21/15**

Use the following website for the English Civil War activity below.

[|English Civil War]




 * 1/29/15**
 * You will have a quiz on the Age of Enlightenment on Monday, February 2. ** The study guide below is required and will be collected for credit. Using your notes, work together and complete the entire guide below. You may outline (rather than fully write out) your answers to the potential essay questions. Good luck! Be sure to ask questions about anything with which you're unfamiliar.




 * 2/4/15**

==== Today, you'll be using the template provided in class and the websites below to find and record the information necessary to help us understand the "myth of revolution." What kinds of misconceptions do we have about revolutions like what took place in France and America in the late eighteenth century? Why do these misconceptions persist? Let's use the websites below to find out! ====

[|What is revolution?]

[|America and France]


 * 2/6/15**

Today, we'll look at the special role of women in the French Revolution.

If you've been given source A, go to the following page and read the primary source entitled, "Petition of Women of the Third Estate to the King" and complete the activity provided.

[|Petition of Women]

If you've been given source B, go to the following page and read the primary source entitled, "A Woman's Cahier" and complete the activity provided.

[|A Woman's Cahier]

When you've finished, pair up with someone who read the other source and discuss. Complete the discussion questions before turning in your work.


 * 2/9/15 **

Take a close look at the political and social climate of France prior to the revolution of 1789 by reading the excerpt below:



As you read the source above, fill out **Part I** in the chart below. Identify **eight** injustices (or realities of French life that were oppressive).



After you've completed that section, click the link below to read about the reforms made by the National Assembly as a result of their victorious revolt against the French monarchical system:

[|Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen]

As you read through that document, return to the chart and complete **Part II** by noting where each abuse of power you identified in Part I is addressed by the reforms. For example, if you listed "society was in layers" as an injustice, you can write "1" in the column labeled "article" because the first article of the Declaration addresses that injustice. In the column labeled "explanation," you should describe how the article you've identified addresses the abuse with which you've matched it. For example, you might say something like, "the first article declares that all men are equal so there is no need for social distinctions."

Good luck!


 * 2/17/15**

Use the following website on Napoleon's military campaigns to fill in the template timeline provided.

[|Napoleon's Military Campaigns]


 * 2/24/15 **

Use the interactive map linked below to illustrate each of the specified regions listed on your map of Europe in 1812. Check each of the boxes on the left-hand side of the page to illustrate the regions you're looking for. Label and color-code your maps accordingly. Finally, be sure to answer the question about Napoleon's ill-fated march to Russia.

[|Napoleon's Europe]


 * 2/27/15**

Notes on Napoleon for those who missed a few days this week at DECA:




 * 3/3/15**


 * You will have a quiz on the French Revolution and Napoleon on Friday, March 6. ** The study guide below is required and will be collected for credit. Using your notes, work together and complete the entire guide below. You may outline (rather than fully write out) your answers to the potential essay questions. Good luck! Be sure to ask questions about anything with which you're unfamiliar.




 * 3/11/15**

Download the sources below on city life during the Industrial Revolution.



Study and read each source carefully. As you make sense of the sources provided, answer the guided questions that were distributed in class.


 * 3/12/15 **

(1) Read the poems below, both of which were written by a British poet, William Blake, during the early Industrial Revolution.

[|London]

[|The Chimney Sweeper]

[|The Chimney Sweeper (2nd try)]

(2) Then, choose one of the following writers:

[|William Wordsworth]

[|Lord Byron]

[|Percy Shelley]

[|Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley]

Each of the links above will start to give you an idea about your poet, but you may need to look further on your subject. You also need to find examples of his/her work. Use the document above to record your findings.




 * 3/17/15**

Here's a little help for the difficult vocabulary you encounter in today's primary source readings on the Industrial Revolution:

//**The Communist Manifesto:**// [|Vicissitudes]

[|Proletarians]

[|Appendage]

[|Monotonous]

[|Patriarchal]

[|Precarious]

[|Bourgeois]

//**The Wealth of Nations:**// [|Dispose]

[|Accumulated]

[|Recompence (spelling is British English here and American English on the website)]

[|Procure]

[|Flourishing]

[|Equity]


 * 3/19/15**

Download and complete the following activity on socialism, capitalism, and the consequences of industrialization in Britain.




 * 3/23/15**

Today, your task is to assume the identity of a mid-nineteenth century British newspaper journalist. You've been hearing rumors of horrible child labor practices in the city's factories, and you decide to put your investigative journalism skills to the test. Your instructions were distributed to you in class, but I've attached it here as well in case you misplace your copy.



To help you delve into the past, use the following websites as resources:

[|British National Archives]



[|Child Workers and Industrial Health]


 * 3/26/15 **

You must respond to the primary source-based prompt in the document below.




 * 3/30/15**

You will have a quiz on ** Unit VII: The Industrial Revolution on Wednesday **! The study guide below is a mandatory and will be due before we take the quiz. Good luck!




 * 4/2/15**

Today, we're going to move into Central Europe and turn our focus toward Germany -- a hugely important emerging nation-state in the 19th century. Germany's leader -- Otto von Bismarck -- was a very influential military leader and savvy politician. Using the sources below, complete the activity provided.




 * 4/7/15**

Today, we'll look into the European competition for resources abroad by exploring the "Scramble for Africa" that took place in the late 19th century. Download and complete the followup activity below.




 * 4/8/15**


 * Let's take a look at a few of the central figures of Imperial Europe! Choose any one of the following European leaders: **

[|**Otto von Bismarck**] [|**Giuseppe Mazzini**] [|**Alexander II**] [|**Queen Victoria of England**]

Each of the links above will start to give you an idea about your leader, but you'll need to look further to gather biographical information about your subject.

Choose any creative application you wish to use (e.g. ComicLife, Pages, OmniGraffle, etc.) to present the following information about your Imperial leader:


 * (1) ** **Nation he or she represented**
 * (2) ** **Brief biographical summary**
 * (3) Noteworthy achievements **
 * (4) Legacy (why do we remember this person?) **


 * 4/13/15 **

Today, we're going to explore the broader impact of imperialism. Why did Europeans, by and large, believe that imperial efforts were worth their time? Why did many of them believe it was the proper course of action? Let's take a look at a poem by Rudyard Kipling (author of //The Jungle Book//) and other sources from the era to find out.




 * 4/14/15**

Under each of the "Views on Imperialism" readings at the bottom of yesterday's activity, please copy and paste the following questions. Then, answer each question and submit your completed assignment.

(1) What is the basis for the argument in favor of imperialism, according to the first author? (2) Look closely at the author's name -- which country does he represent? (3) Based on what you learned about the Berlin Conference, what imperial interests does this country have? (4) What is the basis for the argument in favor of imperialism, according to the second author? (5) Why does this author emphasize the need for global dominance?


 * 4/15/15**



As a followup to our discussion of British colonialism in India, download and complete the following activity.




 * 4/21/15**

Complete the activity on Social Darwinism below.




 * 4/22/15**


 * We will have a quiz on the Age of Imperialism on Friday, April 24 **. The study guide below is a required assignment and will be due on Friday before we begin the quiz. You may work with one another, but please let me know if you need help!




 * 4/27/15**

To begin our exploration of Europe in the twentieth century, take a look at the map linked at the website below and label the map provided to you.

[|Europe in 1914]

Once you've completed your map, download and complete the following activity. Read each of the background summaries and then answer the accompanying questions.




 * 4/28/15**

Take a look at the following interactive PBS guide on the Great War (World War I) and complete the activity below.

[|The Great War]




 * 4/30/15**

Check out the following interactive guide on the Great War and complete the activity on the opposite side of your note template.

[|Stalemate]

When you're finished, download and complete the following primary documents activity.




 * 5/4/15**



Use the links below to complete the activity on women and the impact of total war at home:

[|Women at the Front: Been There, Done That]

[|The Home Front: Suffrage and Work]


 * 5/6/15**

Take a look at the Total War and Slaughter sections at the PBS Great War website. Download and complete the accompanying activity.

[|Total War and Slaughter]




 * 5/12/15**

We will have a quiz on World War I on Friday, May 15. The study guide below is mandatory and will be due, as always, on Friday before the quiz. Good luck!




 * 5/19/15**

Click on the link below -- you'll find that it takes you to a very useful website on Joseph Stalin that will help you discover how he created the Soviet experiment. Many historians (not to mention survivors of Stalin's repression) consider the Soviet Union that he created to be one of the greatest tragedies of the modern age. Let's see what you think!

When you get there, use the tabs at the top of the page (labeled "Life & Policies," "Everyday Life," etc.,) and the hyperlinked text on the right-hand side of each page to navigate your way through the wealth of information provided. You are responsible for answering all of the following (use a Word document or Notebook template and please do/not cut and paste your responses):

__ Life & Policies: __

(1) How was Stalin responsible for the famine of 1931-1933? (2) Describe the "Great Terror." Was it a singular event or a series of events? When did it occur? What was its purpose? (3) What were the "show trials" that followed the "Great Terror?" What made them "show" rather than "real" trials? Why did Stalin employ this method of maintaining order?

__ Everyday Life: __

(4) What was education like for students in Stalinist Russia? Were some subjects focused on more than others? Which ones and why? (5) Describe "Socialist Realism." Is it ironic that this artwork supposedly portrayed a "realistic" Russia? Why or why not?

__ Gulag: __

(6) What was the Gulag? How was it organized? (7) How does the physical environment of the Gulag symbolize life in Soviet Russia (even for those who were not imprisoned)?

__ Legacy: __

(8) How does history regard Stalin? Do Russians tend to remember him differently? If so, why?


 * 6/3/15**

The following study guide is for your final exam -- it is the LAST assignment of the year! You can turn in your study guide on **Wednesday, June 10**, before the final exam. Good luck!