Postcard Prep Work

This postcard shows images from the islands
off the coast of Greece.

Finish the work from the previous post before you look at this one!

When you're finished with the annotated bibliography, it's time to start working on your postcard. You will use a template I created in PowerPoint to complete this section of the assignment. First, take a look at these documents:

• The project rubric
• You can find the template for the postcard in my folder on the Y: drive. SAVE THIS to the "Postcard" folder in your class file. Save it as "Your last name -- Greece Postcard". If you don't save it, you can't edit it.

The rubric tells you exactly what your postcard must include and how you will be graded. Here are the highlights:

• The postcard is a 50 point project grade
• It must have a front and a back
• The front must contain at least two photos, a caption for each, and a postcard-style greeting (i.e., "Greetings from Ancient Athens!")
• The back must contain a 200-300 word letter to a family member or friend (you can change the font size to make it fit the template) comparing and contrasting your ancient and modern topics using the information you got from your sources
• The back must also contain the address for your friend/family member
• The back must also contain an image where the stamp would go. Think -- what would an ancient stamp look like if one existed? Get creative here!

First, save the template in the "Y:\Ramin World Geography" folder. Find your class, then save it in the "Greece Postcards" folder. Save the file as "Your Last Name - Postcard."

We're ready to move on! But first...

A Note on Plagiarism: NEVER copy and paste ANYTHING from a website. This is plagiarism, and it is incredibly easy for me to discover. When in doubt, make sure your writing sounds like it was written by you. If your text does not sound like your writing, I will type a  phrase into the Google search engine. This will show me exactly which sites you may have copied from.

Postcards Project: The Annotated Bibliography

An example of a modern postcard from Athens, Greece

The first project grade you will receive for your Postcards From the Ancient World project is for you Annotated Bibliography. An annotated bibliography lists the sources that you plan to use in a project. It is different than a simple works cited page because it also includes a summary and an evaluation of the source.

A rough draft of this annotated bibliography is due at the end of this class period. 15 points, based on half the rubric's score.

Don't forget -- you have a quiz tomorrow over your notes on Ancient Greece and the 30 European countries I listed earlier on this blog. Play the map game tonight!

The purpose of an Annotated Bibliography is to help you figure out whether or not you are using the best sources available for your project. You will use this method at PSM, at college, and even in the real world.

You can find the rubric for your annotated bibliography here. It is a 30 point project grade.

We will use MLA format for our Annotated Bibliography. You can find more information on how exactly to cite sources from the Purdue University OWL website. We will use MLA style to cite your sources.

An example of how each entry in your annotated bibliography should look is below:

Citation: Aristotle. Poetics. Trans. S. H. Butcher. The Internet Classics Archive. Web Atomic and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 13 Sept. 2007. Web. 4 Nov. 2008. ‹http://classics.mit.edu/›.

Summary: This reading from Aristotle summarizes the Greek philosopher's ideas on poetry. It is a primary source. Aristotle tells the reader what purpose poetry serves, why it is important to the world, and why he enjoys it personally. The author's goal is to make sure that his readers understand the true worth of poets and poetry. The reading also gives an excellent example of Greek thought in the era around Alexander the Great's conquest of Asia. 

Evaluation: Because it is a primary source, this document is very useful to me. I am able to use it to explain the way some Greeks looked at the world, and can compare this to the modern world. I would recommend that other people writing papers on Greek philosophy use this source because Aristotle is very easy to understand.

Getting Started

Remember -- your goal for this project is to do one of the following:

• Compare and contrast one topic from Ancient Greece with the same topic in the modern world (i.e., Ancient Greek and Modern Chicago architecture)
• Explain the influence of one topic from Ancient Greece on the same topic in the modern world (i.e., Ancient Greek food's influence on food in Modern Chicago)

You have to cite two research sources for your project -- one for Ancient Greece, one for the Modern World. You already found one source -- the information from the British Museum you looked at on Tuesday! Follow the steps below to cite the source. In addition to your project grade, you will receive a 10 point homework grade for following the steps below correctly:

Basically, the citation should look like this:

Editor, author, or compiler name (if available). Name of Site. Name of institution/organization affiliated with the site (sponsor or publisher), date of resource creation (if available). Medium of publication. Date of access. Link.Let's break it down:

1. Create a new Word document. Save it in the Y:\Ramin World Geography folder. Find your correct period and save the document in the "Annotated Bibliography" folder. Save the document as "Your Last Name - AB" (1 point)
2. Put your heading in the document. The name of the assignment is "Ancient Greece Annotated Bibliography" (1 point)
3. Begin citing your first source. First, record the author's name. For a website, unless an article has a specific author listed, use the name of the organization who produced the site. (1 point)
4. Record the name of the page you are citing in italics. (1 point)
5. Record the name of the institution/organization that sponsors the site. (1 point)
6. Record the date of publication, if available. (1 point)
7. Record the medium of the publication -- for a website, put Web. If the source were print, you would put Print. (1 point)
8. Record the date you accessed the publication. (1 point)
9. Record the link for your website (1 point).
10. Check to make sure that you followed the format shown above correctly! (1 point)

Summary

Now it's time to summarize your first source. The summary should be approximately 3-4 good sentences in length. Use the questions below to help create your summary. Ask yourself: 

1. What was the main point/main idea/central theme of the source?
2. What important information did you get from the source?
3. What did you learn from the source?
4. How will I use this source in my project?

Evaluation

Finally, you must evaluate your source. This should be approximately 3-4 good sentences in length. Use the questions below to help create your evaluation. Ask yourself:

1. Why is this a good source?
2. Why should I trust the author? What are his/her/its qualifications?
3. Is this source as good as, better than, or worse than other sources I've used?
4. Would I recommend this source to other people?

Congratulations! You've completed the first entry on your annotated bibliography. You've got your ancient Greek source ready to go. Now it's time to find a modern source.

Remember -- you must find a source about a similar topic in the modern world. If you researched Greek art, you must find an example of modern art!

Here are some sources you could use:

• Lonely Planet, a travel guide website
• CultureGrams
• National Geographic
• The City of Chicago website
• The official Chicago Tourism website
• Chicago Magazine
• The Official U.S. Army website
• The Official U.S. Army recruiting website
• A site on Religion from CultureGrams

If you have a topic in mind that is not covered by these sites, talk to me! I can always help you find something new.

Once you've found your source, complete the same steps you followed for your ancient source to include it in your annotated bibliography.

Postcards from the Ancient World Project

A Greek vase.

Introduction: Ancient Greece is seen by many as one of the most influential civilizations the world has ever seen. Nearly everywhere you go in the world today you will see, hear, taste or participate in something that first developed in the Greek world.

Objective: In this project, you will:

• Examine the cultural characteristics of Ancient Greece
• Compare these cultural characteristics with the modern world (especially Chicago and the U.S.)
• Practice writing a thesis
• Practice visual and written communication methods

Ultimately, you will create a postcard to explain your journey to the class and to compare the modern world with the past.

Tasks: Each student will:

• Research a specific aspect of Greek civilization
• Compare this ancient information with the same topic in modern life
• Create a post card (following the example provided) with at least two images on the front and text description on the back. This could be created using a computer program or using the handout provided.

Products:

• Research Evidence: 2-source annotated bibliographies (one ancient, one modern) (30 point project) (Introduced Thursday)
• Synthesis of Evidence: Post card containing images and text which explain the influence of Ancient Greece on modern life OR compare life in Greece to modern life (following the example format) (50 point project)

Part 1: The Time Machine

Each student will take a virtual trip back in time to Ancient Greece. In order to take this “trip,” we will use the The British Museum's online database.

On the museum's site, you'll find a list of topics on the left hand side of the page. These include:

• Two cities (Athens and Sparta)
• One downtown area (The Acropolis in Athens)
• Daily Life
• Festivals & Games
• Religion
• War

Choose one topic. You will use this topic to complete today's research session. The assignment is worth 30 points -- make sure you keep a close eye on where you are earning points!

1. Create a new Word document. Save the document under the appropriate period for in the Y:\Ramin World Geography folder. Save your document as "Your Last Name - Your Topic Name." (2 points)
2. Put your heading at the top of your page. Title the assignment "Ancient Greece Research." (1 point)
3. Record your topic. Summarize the information on the introductory page for your topic (3 points).
4. Click on the Story link on your page. What is the main idea of this page? (2 points)
5. Go through the Story page. Record 5 specific facts about your topic (5 points).
6. Click on the Explore link. What is the main idea of this page? (2 points)
7. Go through the Explore page. Record at least 5 specific facts about your topic (5 points).
8. Click on the Challenge page. Describe what is required of you in the challenge (2 points).
9. Play through the challenge. Summarize what you learned from this activity (5 points).
10. OPTIONAL: Look through the rest of the site. If you have time, explore the different links. Choose at least one other topic which interests you and explain your response.

AP PARTS Homework

For homework tonight, complete the AP PARTS outline we began in class today. Do this on loose leaf paper. It is due at the start of tomorrow's class period, and is worth 10 points.

Remember: follow these steps to complete your outline:

1. AUTHOR
   Who created the source? What do you know about the author?
   What is the author’s point of view? 
2. PLACE AND TIME
   Where and when was the source produced? How might this affect the meaning of the source? 
3. PRIOR KNOWLEDGE
   Beyond information about the author and the context of its creation, what do you know that would help you further understand the primary source? For example, do you recognize any symbols and recall what they represent? 
4. AUDIENCE
   For whom was the source created and how might this affect the reliability of the source? 
5. REASON
   Why was this source created at the time it was produced? 
6. THE MAIN IDEA
   What point is the source trying to convey? 
7. SIGNIFICANCE
   Why is this source important? What inferences can you draw from this document? Ask yourself, “So what?” in relation to the question asked.

The Countries of Europe

Denmark, just one of the 30 countries in Europe you must
know for your European map test.

Here is the list of countries you must know for your map of Europe. The countries in bold are the ones you will be tested on for Friday. If you want to play the map game to study for the quiz, you can find it here.

1. Portugal
2. Spain
3. France
4. Belgium
5. The Netherlands
6. Germany
7. Switzerland
8. Italy
9. Poland
10. Czech Republic
11. Slovakia
12. Austria
13. Hungary
14. Slovenia
15. Croatia
16. Bosnia & Herzegovina
17. Denmark
18. Albania
19. Macedonia
20. Greece
21. Bulgaria
22. Romania
23. Ukraine
24. Russia
25. Turkey
26. Norway
27. Sweden
28. Finland
29. United Kingdom
30. Ireland

Below are the landforms of Europe we will focus on during this unit:

1. Pyrenees
2. Apennines
3. Ural Mountains
4. The Alps
5. The Danube River
6. The Rhine River
7. The Atlantic Ocean
8. The North Sea
9. The Baltic Sea
10. The Mediterranean Sea
11. The Black Sea
12. The Northern European Plain

Ocean Currents and Europe

Today we will examine the impact of ocean currents on the lives of Europeans and other people around the world. In order to do this, we will use resources provided by the U.S. National Ocean Service.

You will complete all of today's work on a piece of loose leaf paper. Title the assignment "Ocean Currents and Europe."

While you work, keep your notes from last night on your desk. You will need them to complete today's assignment. I will also walk around and grade them during this class period.

Label each section on your piece of loose leaf paper exactly as I have it labeled on this blog post.

Answer in complete sentences -- that means you must re-state the question.

Answer in your own words -- that means you CANNOT simply copy down exactly what is written on the website/in your book.

Part I: Background

1. Look back to your notes on Chapter 12.2. In what ways do winds affect Europe? Give at least 3 specific examples.
2. Now you will start looking at the Internet resources we will use today. First, examine the "About" page for the National Ocean Service. Use it to answer the following:
1. What is the National Ocean Service?
2. What are its goals?
3. What is its mission?

Part II: Currents Introduction

1. Look in your notes or on p. 278 of your book. What current is important to Europe's climate?
2. Now, examine the NOS site about currents. What is a current? What are two different examples of currents you might be familiar with?
3. What three factors drive ocean currents? You can either use the information written on the page or listen to the first 5 minutes of this NOS podcast.

Part III: Surface Ocean Currents

We will focus on surface ocean currents today. Use this page from the NOS to answer the following:

1. What is the difference between coastal currents and surface ocean currents?
2. What is the Coriolis Effect? How does it affect the circulation of air across the planet?
3. What are Trade Winds? Why are they called this? How could these winds affect the weather in Europe and other places in the world?
4. Click on the tab marked Boundary Currents. What is a gyre? What causes gyres to form?
5. According to the caption below the central image, what flanks each gyre?
6. What powerful boundary current affects Europe? Record its two names, then explain its impact.

Part IV: Synthesis

Use the information you've learned today, the map below, and the political maps in your textbook's Atlas, answer the questions that follow.

1. Which location would you expect to have a warmer average temperature: Minneapolis, Minnesota or London, England? Explain.
2. Which location would you expect to have a warmer average temperature: Chicago, Illinois or Rome, Italy? Explain.
3. Think back to our discussion of the Columbian Exchange. Using the information you learned in class today, explain why the Columbian Exchange moved in the direction it did, and not the other way.

Back to the Columbian Exchange
The Columbian Exchange, as we learned, did not only affect the United States. It affected all of the continents involved -- Africa, Europe, and North America.

The European country most associated with the slave trade in the United States is Great Britain. In this document, titled Five Readings about the Columbian Exchange, you will hear from an enslaved individual, an accountant, and a slave ship captain. Use the readings to complete the following.

1. What can we learn about the slave trade from Equiano's account?
2. What can we learn about it from the Captain Roberts' balance sheet?
3. What can we learn from Captain Newton's diary?
4. What effects did the Columbian Exchange have on the three men in these documents?

European Political Map Practice

We're studying Europe during our current unit. You can find a game that will help you learn Europe's political boundaries here.