Egypt

          The first thing we did in class was get our pop quizzes back. Unfortunately I didn’t get an A, but I only got one wrong which isn't too bad. Today we also started a new unit on Egypt. Mr. Schick had a presentation ready for us to take notes about. We learned a lot about their way of living. We learned interesting things like how pyramids were designed and the order of importance of people back in that time. We also learned how the Egyptian’s life basically revolved around the Nile River. They used it for bathing, drinking, and for transportation. I also learned that every July it floods, enabling the production of perfect soil in the fall. There, they can grow all kinds of crops to provide for the people. I also learned new things about slaves. I thought that all slaves were treated poorly, but apparently they weren't abused in Egypt. Also, I learned that people now are thinking that slaves didn't build the pyramids. We are now learning that it was most likely willing workers to build these fascinating structures. 

Pop quiz

Today was the first class we've had since last Thursday so it’s been a little while. After a few minutes we all settled down into our seats. Mr. Schick started off the class by announcing a pop quiz on prehistory. However, since he had to go to yearbook club pictures, we got about fifteen minutes to study. Our class was actually pretty much under control. When Mr. Schick returned, we took the five question pop quiz. He had the questions up on the projector and we recorded them on the scan tron  It was pretty simple, but I did get stuck on a few. I think I did well for the most part though. 

John Green Video

                Today in class, we watched a video presented by John Green. The video was entertaining, yet informing. His way of teaching and explaining was very helpful in my opinion. It kept everybody interested and attentive. After we watched the video one time, we went back to watch it again, this time pausing every few minutes or so to discuss what we just heard. We talked about how human's health has changed. Back then, they had a diet free of artificial ingredients, and they were constantly doing physical activity. We also discussed the food making process nowadays. I actually didn't know that they kept the animals locked up and eating special foods to make them bigger and meatier. I also didn't know that there is an acceptable amount of rat hair in fast foods... After hearing that, it definitely made me never want to eat McDonald's again. Also we found out that there's a chocolate bar  possibly containing human flesh..but that's debatable. We also discussed how most successful cities were always on water, except for Indianapolis. I've learned a lot from the video so far and I hope that we can watch things like this more often. 

Class Notes on LO 1 pages

                 The first thing that we did today in class was getting assigned seats. I got moved to the front of the room which i didn't mind especially since i cant see too well. After that, we took notes on some of the main points of the pages that we were supposed to read over the weekend. We discussed how the pages in the book related back to Jared Diamond's theory. One example is that the people were hunter/gatherers and had to live off of what was around them. They had to rely on having useful resources and domesticated animals. If they didn't have geographic luck, they wouldn't be able to survive and prosper as a country. We also looked at the Agricultural Revolution a little bit. We took a few notes on how it changed the way people lived. For example, they advanced in the "technology" of the day. It gave them more improved weapons and tools. Mr. Schick also mentioned the way people's looks have changed. For example, people used to be more slumped over with longer arms, probably due to gathering and searching for food all day.  

How LO. 1 Relates to Jared Diamond's Theory

            The facts stated throughout ‘Learning Objective One’ coincide with Jared Diamond’s theory presented in Guns Germs and Steel. Diamond’s famous theory of geographic luck basically means that you have a good location and useful resources in order to become wealthy and prosper as a country. Many examples of the importance of geographic luck are scattered throughout the passage. One good illustration of this is that the people living in the Paleolithic age had to be hunters and gatherers to survive. They lived off of what was around them such as fruits, vegetables, animals and resources to make tools & weapons. If they didn't have these resources around them, not only would their country starve and thirst, but they wouldn't have anything good to trade or sell, therefore becoming poverty-stricken. Also, the passage mentioned that the men and women had equally pivotal roles. The men hunted, while women gathered crops and took care of the children.

            Something else tracing back to Diamond’s theory is the fact that the people back in that era were very nomadic. They were constantly moving around to try to find the best places that provide for themselves. It wasn't until the Agricultural Revolution that people began to settle down together to form small communities (most likely in geographically lucky areas).

The Agricultural Revolution happened many times in the course of our history. Besides the new found agricultural ideas, it gave us even more innovative ways of living. For example, it gave us more powerful and upgraded weaponry, many new food items, bricks for building, and clothing, just to name a few. This relates back to Diamond’s theory of the three elements that make up a powerful country: advanced technology, organized work force, and large population. The advanced technology back in that time meant having more improved weaponry. As for the work force, with all of these new discoveries and ways of living, many jobs were needed to provide them. An example would be a person who makes and tests these weapons. Having advancement in technology, and a good, stable work force, the country will look like a great place to live, attracting more people. Eventually the population will grow to be very large.

            With all of these facts, I would most definitely say that Jared Diamond was on track with his theory. 

Note taking practice

            Today in class we went over homework and practiced taking notes. We talked about a blogging assignment due on Wednesday where we have to read pages from our textbook and associate it with Guns, Germs and Steel. For note taking practice, Mr. Schick read us paragraphs from the textbook and we had to write down any important points that we heard. I also got to learn a few things that he read in the paragraphs. I got to see what we will be focusing on a lot in this semester, and it seems pretty interesting.

First Day

Today was the very first day of Western Civilization. It was definitely very new and different to me after being in Mr. Powell’s class for a whole semester. First we took role, got our new textbooks, and then talked about blogging, which is definitely new to me. I have only had to blog for English class because for Human Geography we always used Edmodo. Something else that is different is that we have to write all of our notes in a copybook instead of on our computers. Although it might take a little bit of getting used to, I can already tell that I’ll have fun and be learning a lot in this semester.