What's So Great About Alexander?

 Today's Learning Objective  * Trace the rise of Alexander the Great and the spread of Greek culture. 

Warm-Up  Today we will be learning about one of the most famous and powerful figures in world history: Alexander the Great. Read a short description of Alexander's life and achievements at Ducksters and then be prepared to share something you learned about with the class.

Alexander the Great Video Hour  Let's continue to learn about Alexander the Great through a series of videos. The first comes from history teacher Mr. Corwin; the second from WatchMojo; and finally the third from the team at Crash Course. What sort of portrait is being painted of Alexander? Does he come across as 'great' in your mind?

Group Discussion: Is Alexander Great or Not So Great? Today you and the members of your team are going to discuss Alexander the Great's achievements and whether they indicate greatness or something else entirely. Check out these guidelines for "Scholarly Discourse." Feel free to use them to help guide your conversation with your classmates. Make a point to express your ideas using academic language, build upon each other's ideas, ask clarifying questions, and even disagree with each other in a scholarly manner.  

CNN Students and Athens and Sparta Paragraph Writing

CNN Student News  As we watch CNN Student News today, identify one or two news stories that you can pinpoint geographically and place on the Current Event layer of your Social Studies World Map via Google Maps. 

Fiery Cross Reef (600 miles off the coast of China); Hiroshima, Japan; Pyongyang, North Korea; Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada; and Milton, Massachusetts were all featured in today's segment. After pinning at least one of these places on your map, consider the most important question: What happened here? You should include a title for the event, the date(s) the event took place, a brief summary of what happened, and include an appropriate photo or video. If you need to refer to a transcript of today's broadcast you can find it here.

Athens and Sparta: Writing a Comparison/Contrast Paragraph  Today you will continue working on your Athens and Sparta - Comparison/Contrast Paragraph, which is due this Friday, May 13. Take a look at the rubric so you're clear about how you'll be assessed. 

Athens and Sparta: Writing a Comparison/Contrast Paragraph

 Today's Learning Objective  * Compare and contrast life in Athens and Sparta.

Warm-Up Flocabulary Video: Compare and Contrast  Learn how to compare and contrast from Flocabuary. 



Athens and Sparta: Writing a Comparison/Contrast Paragraph Today we will take the information we gathered about the differences and similarities between Athens and Sparta and transform them into a well-written comparison/contrast paragraph. Before we do, however, let's take a look at a sample paragraph.
  

Notice that comparison-contrast paragraph includes a clear topic sentence that names two things and identifies whether they are alike, different or both, contains details that illustrate the similarities and/or differences, and uses signal words to emphasize these similarities and differences. You can see the steps to writing a good comparison-contrast paragraph below.

Now it's time for you to write your own your own comparison-contrast paragraph on Athens and Sparta. The assignment Athens and Sparta - Comparison/Contrast Paragraph, which includes a list of signal words and an assignment checklist, can be found in your Social Studies Google Classroom. This assignment will be due Friday, May 13.

Comparing and Contrasting Sparta and Athens (Day 2)

 Today's Learning Objective  * Compare and contrast life in Athens and Sparta.

Video Analysis: Sparta and Athens  Today we will continue use our Athens and Sparta - Venn diagram to explore the similarities and differences between Ancient Greece's two most famous city-states, Sparta and Athens. First, we will watch a compilation of scenes from the movie 300, which illustrates the values, emphasis on war, and harsh lifestyle of the Spartans. Continue to use your Venn Diagram from yesterday to take notes and similarities and differences. 

Next, we will watch a BrainPop video on life in Athens. I will play the video for you on the Big Screen, but you may also access the video using the BrainPop app in your Google Drive. 
  

Types of Government: Sparta and Athens  Now we will read about the different types of government in Ancient Greece, particularly in Sparta and Athens. Open the document Government in Ancient Greece (Sparta and Athens) and let's process it together. Continue to add new details to your Athens and Sparta - Venn diagram. Tomorrow we will use the similarities and differences about Athens and Sparta that we have gathered to write compare/contrast paragraphs.    

Homework  Complete your Athens and Sparta - Venn diagram. 

Current Event Friday

CNN Student News  As we watch CNN Student News today, identify one or two news stories that you can pinpoint geographically and place on the Current Event layer of your Social Studies World Map via Google Maps. 

Russia (bordering the Black Sea) and the South China Sea were both featured in today's segment. After pinning at least one of these places on your map, consider the most important question: What happened here? You should include a title for the event, the date(s) the event took place, a brief summary of what happened, and include an appropriate photo or video. If you need to refer to a transcript of today's broadcast you can find it here.

Flocabulary's 18 Years in Rap  Listen along as our friends at Flocabulary rap about the most important news stories of the last 18 years. Which events are you familiar with? Which events would you like to research and learn more about?

Ancient Greece: Athens and Sparta

 Today's Learning Objective  * Compare and contrast life in Athens and Sparta.

Video Warm-Up In order to continue to familiarize ourselves with the legacy of the ancient Greeks check out this video. 

 
Compare and Contrast: Athens vs. Sparta (Overview) Today we will discuss the similarities and differences between the two most famous groups of ancient Geeks: the Athenians and the Spartans. You will find a Athens and Sparta - Venn diagram in your Social Studies Google Classroom that you will use to compare and contrast these two city-states. Learn about what a city-state is, as well as the similarities and differences between Athens and Sparta as you fill out your venn diagram and watch the videos below.

Compare and Contrast: Athens and Sparta (Family and the Role of Women) Continue to compare and contrast Athens and Sparta using your venn diagram while watching this very humorous take on Ancient Greek families and the role of women from Horrible Histories below. 

 

Who Were the Ancient Greeks?

Video Warm-Up  The Ancient Greeks were known for their revolutionary politics and groundbreaking ways of thinking, and are called the fathers of Western civilization. But how much about them do you actually know? Watch the video below for a brief introduction. 

Who Were the Ancient Greeks?: Web Exploration  What's the story of early Greek history? How was ancient Greece ruled? What was it like living in ancient Greece? What did a typical ancient Greek family look like? What were Greek homes like? What food did people typically eat and drink? How did they dress? How did children play? You will discover the answers to these questions and many more during today's web exploration activity.  

Today you will be exploring BBC's Primary History Ancient Greeks website. You will focus on two areas: Who Were the Ancient Greeks? and What was it like to live in an ancient Greek Family?. Explore both sections and use the assignment BBC Primary History: The Ancient Greeks Website Exploration, which can be found in your Social Studies Google Classroom, to record what you learn.