Hinduism and Buddhism Film Festival

Hinduism and Buddhism Film Festival  Today is the world premiere of Mr. McGinty's Social Studies students' Hinduism and Buddhism videos. Please make sure your video is published and in your Social Studies folder and ready for showtime. While you are watching each video, please provide the video's creator with positive and constructive feedback using the form here.  

Welcome to Ancient China

 Today's Learning Objective   Analyze the geographic, political, economic, religious, and social structures of the early civilizations of China.

Video Warm-Up  Welcome to Ancient China! Watch the China introductory video below and make observations about the geography and culture of China. Share your observations here.  

                          

Ancient China Webquest  Get oriented with some of the things you'll be learning about during our unit on ancient China by starting to explore the Ancient China Webquest, which you can find in your Social Studies folders. Follow the links, research the questions, and record your answers using the document. We will work on this throughout the next week.  

Hinduism and Buddhism Film Festival Tomorrow  Don't forget that your Hinduism and Buddhism video projects are due and must be published before the start of class tomorrow. If you need help publishing, see me at lunch, after school, or before school. I can't wait to see each of your videos as part of our world film premiere tomorrow! 

Last Day of Buddhism and Emperor Ashoka

My son Owen channels his inner Buddha and meditates. 

 Today's Learning Objectives  * Describe the political and moral achievements of the emperor Ashoka. * Know the life and teachings of the Buddha. 

Emperor Ashoka's Rule of Tolerance  As our unit on ancient India comes to a close, I would like you know about one of ancient India's most famous rulers, Emperor Ashoka. First, read independently about Ashoka here and then be prepared to share what you learned with the class. Next, read along with Mr. McGinty as he reads from an example of a primary source document - an excerpt of the speech that Ashoka delivered after the Battle of Kalinga. You can find the speech here and here. Guiding questions: How did Buddha's teachings change Ashoka as a leader? What modern day leaders does Ashoka remind you of? Would you recommend that all leaders study the teachings of Buddhism? Why or why not? 

Buddhism Quiz  Our time learning about Buddhism and ancient India is just about over. Show me some of what you've learned by taking the quiz here. 

The End May Just Be a Beginning  Just because our class time devoted to the study of Buddhism is over, that doesn't mean that you have to stop learning and exploring independently. Remember that many of Buddha's teachings and ideas can be embraced by people of all faiths and backgrounds. Meditation, especially, is a tool that you can use throughout your life. Below is a guided meditation that you may want to check out. 

Homework  Remember you must complete your Hinduism and Buddhism WeVideo project by Friday, February 27, at which time we will be holding a film festival and premiering each of our videos. 

Last Day for Filmmaking and Emperor Ashoka

Emperor Ashoka

 Today's Learning Objectives  * Describe the political and moral achievements of the emperor Ashoka. * Know the life and teachings of the Buddha. * Explain the major beliefs and practice of the religion of Hinduism. * Include multimedia components (e.g., graphics, images, music, sound) and visual displays in presentations to clarify information. 

Last Class Day to Work on Hinduism and Buddhism Video Today is the last day to work on your Hinduism and Buddhism WeVideo project in class. Your video must be completed by Friday, at which time we will be hosting a Hinduism and Buddhism Film Festival and premiering each of your videos.   

Emperor Ashoka's Rule of Tolerance  As our unit on ancient India comes to a close, I would like you know about one of ancient India's most famous rulers, Emperor Ashoka. First, read independently about Asoka here and then be prepared to share what you learned with the class. Next, read along with Mr. McGinty as he reads from an example of a primary source document - an excerpt of the speech that Asoka delivered after the Battle of Kalinga. You can find the speech here and here. Guiding questions: How did Buddha's teachings change Ashoka as a leader? What modern day leaders does Ashoka remind you of? Would you recommend that all leaders study the teachings of Buddhism? Why or why not?   

Homework  Complete your Hinduism and Buddhism WeVideo project, which is due this Friday, February 27. 

Two Projects

 Today's Learning Objectives  * Know the life and teachings of the Buddha. * Explain the major beliefs and practice of the religion of Hinduism. * Include multimedia components (e.g., graphics, images, music, sound) and visual displays in presentations to clarify information. 

How Do I Know You're Learning?  As many of you know, teachers are required to teach and students are supposed to learn certain standards or learning objectives. Two standards that we've recently covered, and which you often see displayed prominently on our Blog (like today), relate to the religions of Hinduism and Buddhism, which we have been studying for nearly over a month now. How do I know if you learned what you were supposed to have learned? Well, I can assess you in a variety of different ways, including multiple choice exams, short answer responses, and written essays. However, for these two learning objectives, it was decided that you would demonstrate what you learned through the completion of two projects. Let's briefly review them.  

The Buddha Comic Strip  In order to demonstrate that you clearly understood the life of Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha, as required by our Social Studies standards, you were tasked with designing a digital comic strip that chronologically tells the story of the central events in his life.

To begin, we studied the life of Buddha using a variety of source materials. You synthesized what you learned form these multiple sources by taking notes using the document Important Events in the Life of Siddhartha Gautama (The Buddha). Next, you mapped out your plan for your comic by completing a Buddha Comic Strip Story Board. Finally, once you had your story board complete you were ready to digitally design your comic using the online program ToonDoo.

Meanwhile, you were provided with the Life of Buddha Comic Strip Rubric, which explains the various criteria you are supposed to meet in order for your comic to be considered of 'Proficient' quality and to help me assess your level of understanding of the learning objective.

If you have not yet completed this project, I would like you to make finishing it your priority today. 

The Hinduism and Buddhism Video  For our most recent project, you have been using a program called WeVideo to combine images, text, and music together to produce a video that demonstrates both your understanding of the religions of Hinduism and Buddhism. This project serves as the final assessment for our unit on ancient India.

Before your movie got “green-lighted,” you needed to produce a script or screenplay (Hinduism and Buddhism - WeVideo Script) which served as your plan for the ideas and concepts you wanted to focus on in your film. In writing your script, you relied on a multitude of sources, including the work you did on your  Hinduism Study Guide (A Central Idea and Its Parts), Buddhism Study Guide (A Central Idea and Its Parts), and Buddhism and Hinduism - Venn diagram, as well as previous Social Studies Blog posts, and your Ancient Civilizations textbook.   

The Hinduism and Buddhism Video Rubric, featured below, makes it clear the criteria that need to be met in order to demonstrate Proficiency.

If you have already completed your Buddha Comic Strip, please make working on the Hinduism and Buddhism Video project your major focus today. 

Project Showcase  Towards the end of class today, I would like to dedicate time to showcasing some of the extraordinary work that many of you have been doing on both of these two projects. As our unit on ancient India comes to a close, it's time to reflect on all we've learned together and to celebrate your success.

Hinduism and Buddhism Video Project: Moviemaking

Hinduism and Buddhism Video Project  Before you can start making your video you need to finish your script about Hinduism and Buddhism and find and download the accompanying images. If you need help, please ask. Once you've completed these tasks, you're ready to start making your movie. Today I would like to give a brief tutorial on how to link WeVideo to your Google Drive, how to upload images into WeVideo and add them to your storyboard, how to add text, how to edit the length of your segments, and how to change the background music and video theme. If you already understand how to put your video together, you are welcome to sit at the back table and continue creating movie magic. To repeat: If you need help, you've got to ask! There is no reason to sit and suffer in silence. I'm here to support you!

Hinduism and Buddhism Video Project Rubric

Hinduism and Buddhism Video Project: Next Steps

Finding Images to Accompany Your Text  Once you get 'script approval,' you get to move on to the next step: Finding images or pictures to accompany the written text for each of your slides. First, create a folder in your Google Drive to host your images, preferably named "Hinduism and Buddhism Pictures." Then, search for images related to each of your statements about Hinduism and Buddhism using Bing. (Why Bing and not Google? Bing does not seem to be as impacted by our school district's search filters, which means you have more images to choose from.) When you locate an image you like, make sure you open the highest quality version of it and then save it (using alt click) and then 'save as,' select Google Drive, and choose your designated folder. Do not save in your computer's 'Downloads' folder. Next, name the pic (e.g., reincarnation.jpg). Finally, go to your Drive and, if need be, organize your images by moving them into your 'Hinduism and Buddhism Pictures' folder.     

Getting Started with WeVideo  Before you get to start making your WeVideo, you need to finish your script of written statements about Hinduism and Buddhism and find and download the accompanying images. Once you've completed these tasks, you're ready to start making your movie.  Watch a brief overview of WeVideo below to get oriented.  

            

Next, check out this short tutorial on how to add photos in WeVideo. 

           

Next steps: make sure WeVideo is connected to your Google Drive, create a new video project, upload your images, add your text, choose a theme and music, and you are on your way. Please ask if you need help. I can't wait to see your creations!  Be creative and have fun! 

Hinduism and Buddhism: The Final Project

Hinduism and Buddhism Video: Project Overview  Imagine that Lakeview Middle School is hosting a ‘Religions of the World’ night to educate families, fellow students, staff, and community members about the diverse religious beliefs of people around the globe. Considering you are now an expert on the origins, beliefs, and practices of Hinduism and Buddhism, you have been tasked with making a short informative video about these two religions which will be showcased at this community event. 

You will be using a program called WeVideo to combine images, text, and music together to produce a video that demonstrates both your understanding of the religions of Hinduism and Buddhism and serves to educate others. This project will serve as the final assessment for this unit.  

Mr. McGinty has made a short sample video below to show you what WeVideo is capable of and what I expect in your own videos, in terms of using images and text together to show understanding of an idea or concept. 

           

However, before you get to start making your own video, you must first produce a script.

Scripting Your Hinduism and Buddhism Movie  Before your movie gets “green-lighted,” you need to produce a script or screenplay. You need to develop a plan for what ideas and concepts you will focus on in your film, how they are ordered, and what the text for each will say. How will you condense and synthesize all that you have learned over the past few months down to what is most important and essential? You should start with reviewing your multitude of sources, which include: Hinduism Study Guide (A Central Idea and Its Parts), Buddhism Study Guide (A Central Idea and Its Parts), Buddhism and Hinduism - Venn diagram, previous Social Studies Blog posts, and your Ancient Civilizations textbook.   

Your ‘Hinduism and Buddhism’ WeVideo should contain, in addition to the ‘Title Screen,’ between 14 to 20 ‘slides’ (7-10 for each religion). Ideally, you should have just one well-written sentence, and no more than two, per slide. Try your best to be concise and use your own words, to split your focus evenly between Hinduism and Buddhism, and to carefully check your spelling, capitalization, grammar, and punctuation. Once you get script approval, you can start making your movie. You can start planning your script using the document Hinduism and Buddhism - WeVideo Script, which can be found in your Social Studies folders. 


Homework  (1.) Complete your Buddhism Study Guide (A Central Idea and Its Parts), which is due tomorrow, Thursday, February 12. (2.) If you have not yet turned in your Life of Buddha Comic Strip, it is now overdue and must be completed and turned in as soon as possible or risk a 'missing' or 'incomplete' assessment grade becoming permanent. (3.) Continue working on your Hinduism and Buddhism - WeVideo Script.  

Buddhism: Odds & Ends

 Today's Learning Objective  (1.) Know the life and teachings of the Buddha. (2.) Determine a central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details. 

The Eightfold Path - Continued  Today we are going to finish examining the different steps that make up the Eightfold Path. Continue to paraphrase, give examples, and create a personalized understanding using your Buddhism Study Guide (A Central Idea and Its Parts). 

The Buddha's Teachings: Nirvana  A final goal for a person who follows the Eightfold Path is to achieve nirvana. Read about this concept from an excerpt from your Ancient Civilizations textbook below and take notes using your Buddhism Study Guide (A Central Idea and Its Parts). How is the idea of nirvana both similar and different to Hindu belief in moksha?   

Buddhist Practice: Meditation  Meditation is an essential part of Buddhist practice, for Buddhist monks and ordinary people alike, but how exactly does it work? Read about it here and watch the video below. 

Determining the Central Idea of the Buddhism Unit  Over the course of the last several weeks as we have studied Buddhism, you have utilized the document Buddhism Study Guide (A Central Idea and Its Parts). You have taken notes on the parts, the details, and the various elements of Buddhism, while the leaving the 'Central Idea' section blank. What I want you to do today is to review your notes about the various elements of Buddhism in order to determine what is the larger, more central idea about Buddhism they work together to convey. Write a central idea statement about the religion of Buddhism based on the notes you have taken.  

Homework  (1.) Complete your Buddhism Study Guide (A Central Idea and Its Parts), which is officially due Thursday, February 12. (2.) If you have not yet turned in your Life of Buddha Comic Strip, it is now overdue and must be completed and turned in as soon as possible or risk a 'missing' or 'incomplete' assessment grade becoming permanent.    

The Beliefs of Buddhism: The Four Noble Truths and The Eightfold Path

Following the Eightfold Path is at the center of the practice of Buddhism. 

 Today's Learning Objective  Know the life and teachings of the Buddha.

The Four Noble Truths and The Eightfold Path  As we near the end of our unit on Buddhism, we are going to continue to examine Buddha's 'Four Noble Truths' and their relationship to 'The Eightfold Path.' We will begin by watching the video "The Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path to Enlightenment" produced by Education Portal. Continue to take notes using your Buddhism Study Guide (A Central Idea and Its Parts). 

            

Now we are going to focus on 'The Eightfold Path' by reading an excerpt from our Social Studies textbook Ancient Civilizations. Continue to credit your sources in your notes. Additionally, make sure that as you take notes on each step that you're not merely copying what the text says directly, but rather paraphrasing and providing examples that are applicable to you. Work to develop a personal understanding of these concepts that makes sense to you.  

Homework  Continue working on your Buddhism Study Guide (A Central Idea and Its Parts).  

The Four Noble Truths and Life of Buddha Comic

 Today's Learning Objective  Know the life and teachings of the Buddha.

The Teachings of Buddha: The Four Noble Truths  Today we are going to continue to examine the teachings of Buddha, specifically the idea of the 'Four Noble Truths.' We will read a short excerpt from our Ancient Civilizations workbook, as well as watch a short video about Buddhism produced by Crash Course. Your task is to continue to take notes using your Buddhism Study Guide (A Central Idea and Its Parts).

            

Life of Buddha Comic Strip  Today is the absolute last day to work on your 'Life of Buddha Comic Strip' in class, as it is due on Monday, February 9.  

Remember, you have a choice of whether to create a comic strip digitally using ToonDoo or drawing and designing one in the classic style using paper and colored pencils and markers. Regardless, of the style you use to create your comic, the criteria used to assess your work will be the same. (See rubric below.)

  
However, if you are creating a comic with ToonDoo, you need to decide how you are going to "turn in" your work to me on Monday. One option is to e-mail me your work (matthew_mcginty@pvusd.net) directly from ToonDoo. The preferred option, I believe, is to take screen shots of your various panels and submit them together to me as a Google Doc or post them on Kidblog. 

How do you take a screen shot using a Chromebook? Taking a 'partial screenshot' will allow you to crop your image to your specifications. Just press the control, shift, and the 'window shifter' keys at the same time. Size your screenshot and then release. Your image should then be saved directly to your Chromebook. 

Once you have taking screenshots of the various parts of your comic, and in turn saved them as images onto your computer, you can upload them. You could insert them into the document Life of Buddha Comic Strip (which I've placed in each of your Social Studies folders). 

Another option is to make a new post to your Social Studies Kidblog (Period 4 and Period 6) and 'upload/insert' your screenshots there. 

Homework  Complete your Life of Buddha Comic Strip, which is due on Monday, February 9.   

The Beliefs of Buddhism

Buddha teaches the ascetics in Deer Park. 

 Today's Learning Objective  Know the life and teachings of the Buddha.

Compare and Contrast: Buddhism and Hinduism  When you compare, you look for the ways in which things are similar. When you contrast, you look for differences between things. Let's think about what we already know about the religions of Buddhism and Hinduism, as well as examine the text and graphic below, and identify some similarities and differences. Begin to fill out the Buddhism and Hinduism - Venn Diagram, which we will add to as our unit continues. 

The Buddha's Teachings: The Middle Way and The Four Noble Truths  Today we are going to focus on understanding two of Buddha's teachings: 'The Middle Way' and 'The Four Noble Truths.' As we read excerpts together from your Social Studies textbook, Ancient Civilizations, record your essential understandings of these teachings using the document Buddhism Study Guide (A Central Idea and Its Parts). 

Homework  (1.) Continue working on your Buddhism and Hinduism - Venn Diagram  and Buddhism Study Guide (A Central Idea and Its Parts). (2.) Complete your Life of Buddha Comic Strip, which is due on Monday, February 9.  

The Life of Buddha Comic Strip Project

Mr. McGinty's first attempt at creating a digital comic strip panel using ToonDoo.

Today's Learning Objective  Know the life and moral teachings of the Buddha. 

The Life Buddha Comic Strip Project  Today you will continue working on creating a comic strip of focused on the Buddha, as a way of demonstrating what you have learned so far about his life and teachings. Before you can begin working on your comic strip, however, you must complete your Buddha Comic Strip Story Board. Once you have your comic planned out, you have a choice of whether to create a comic strip digitally using ToonDoo or drawing and designing one in the classic style using paper and colored pencils and markers. 

Whether you creating your comic digitally or classically with paper, you still must follow the same basic guidelines. The Life of Buddha Comic Strip Rubric (which can also be found in your Social Studies folders) explains the various criteria you must meet in order for your comic to be considered 'Proficient' work. 

Below you can find an example panel of a student who chose to make his comic by hand.

An example of a hand-drawn comic strip panel.

Whether you are doing your comic by hand or digitally, please let me know how I can support you. A completed 'Life of Buddha Comic Strip' will be due on Monday, February 9.