Congratulations Students on a successful year of World Geography at Cornerstone Academy.
This site serves as a guide to students, parents, and educators for titles or assignments. The World of Social Studies provides stories, links, and posts for the students of Oakland Charter High School. -Mr. Amaye-Obu
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Sixth Grade: Plus 5
Dear Sixth & Seventh Grade Students (& Parents):
This has been a successful school year in World Geography. We have studied the Earth, timelines, the government of Canada, North Africa and Southwest Asia, Southern Asia, Southeast Asia, Latin America, and the first phase of European History. All of these topics, represent learning at the finest level of education. To reward your progress, you may now offer an educated response to the ignorant and the base. And I, Mr. Amaye-Obu, will offer you this final reward, five extra points on your final grade.
Final exams will commence in the final week of the 2010-2011 school year. Period 1, 2, & 6, will have the privilege to celebrate with the movie, Willow produced by George Lucas (rated G). 7th Grade will view the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles produced by Steven Barron or The Mighty Ducks written by Steven Brill. Any parents, who will not like their child to watch the above films, please send the student with advance notice and I will remove the student with a separate assignment.
Finally, education and school is about learning the social, intellectual, political, and economic standards of the surrounding society. Our society, the United States (Florida) will educate our children to the best standards. And I, Mr. Amaye-Obu expect excellence and when nothing else can be given, I will say, "good job." Enjoy your summer vacation. And remember, "to think without study is futile. To study without learning is dangerous -Confucious 551 BCE."
Sincerely,
Mr. Amaye-Obu
This has been a successful school year in World Geography. We have studied the Earth, timelines, the government of Canada, North Africa and Southwest Asia, Southern Asia, Southeast Asia, Latin America, and the first phase of European History. All of these topics, represent learning at the finest level of education. To reward your progress, you may now offer an educated response to the ignorant and the base. And I, Mr. Amaye-Obu, will offer you this final reward, five extra points on your final grade.
Final exams will commence in the final week of the 2010-2011 school year. Period 1, 2, & 6, will have the privilege to celebrate with the movie, Willow produced by George Lucas (rated G). 7th Grade will view the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles produced by Steven Barron or The Mighty Ducks written by Steven Brill. Any parents, who will not like their child to watch the above films, please send the student with advance notice and I will remove the student with a separate assignment.
Finally, education and school is about learning the social, intellectual, political, and economic standards of the surrounding society. Our society, the United States (Florida) will educate our children to the best standards. And I, Mr. Amaye-Obu expect excellence and when nothing else can be given, I will say, "good job." Enjoy your summer vacation. And remember, "to think without study is futile. To study without learning is dangerous -Confucious 551 BCE."
Sincerely,
Mr. Amaye-Obu
Cornerstone Final Exam Schedule
Friday, June 3
Regular day 7th Period EXAM during during 7th Period
Monday, June 6
3rd period class - 7:30 – 8:30
5th period EXAM - 8:34 – 10:14
4th period class - 10:18 – 11:58
6th period EXAM - same as 6th period times, lunch by 6th period
Lunches: A lunch – Middle School Building
B lunch – High School Villages
Tuesday, June 7
1st period class - 7:30 – 8:30
3rd period EXAM - 8:34 – 10:14
2nd period class - 10:18 – 11:58
4th period EXAM - same as 7th period times, lunch by 4th period
Lunches: A lunch – Middle School Building
B lunch – High School Villages
Wednesday, June 8
1st period EXAM - 7:30 – 9:48
2nd Period EXAM - 9:48 – 1:30, lunch by 2nd period
Lunches: A lunch – Middle School Building
B lunch – High School Villages
Monday, May 30, 2011
Sixth Grade: Final Study Guide
Geography
Western European Countries & Capitals:
1. London, United Kingdom
2. Dublin, Ireland
3. Reykjavik, Iceland
4.Oslo, Norway
5. Stockholm, Sweden
6. Copenhagen, Denmark
7. Berlin, Germany
8. Amsterdam Netherlands
9. Brussels, Belgium
10. Paris, France
11. Bern, Switzerland
12. Vienna, Austria
13. Rome, Italy
14. Holy See (Vatican City)
15. Madrid, Spain
16. Lisbon, Portugal
17. Andorra La Vella, Andorra
18. San Marino, San Marino
19. Luxembourg, Luxembourg
20. Monaco, Monaco
Peninsulas: Iberian, Italian, Balkan, Scandinavian, Jutland
Mountains: Pyrenees, Alps, Ural, Caucasus, Carpathian, Apennines
Straits: Strait of Gibraltar, Strait of Dover, English Channel, Bosporus Strait
Seas: North Sea, Norwegiain Sea, Mediterranean Sea, Bay of Biscay
Rivers: Rhine,Loire, Seine
Key Terms: Mediterranean Sea, peninsula, fjord, Ural Mountains, plain, city-state
polis, Aegean Sea, oligarchy, Athens, philosopher, Aristotle, Alexander the Great,
(Possibly- republic, Senate, patrician, plebeian, Julius Caesar, empire, Augustus, Constantine)
Research the following: Reading of Antigone/Classical Greece Notes
Myth, Polytheism, Monotheism, Epic Poem, Pantheon, post and lintel, prehistory
Calendar, Chronology, time, history, circa, decade, century, millennium.
Pope Gregory XIII
Julius Caesar
Gregorian Calendar- 2/24/1582
Julian Calendar 45 BCE- 1582
3. The World At Your Fingertips: Citizen, Economics, Government, Five Themes of Geography, Scarcity, Five Fields of Social Studies, history, culture.
7th Grade: Final Study Guide
Capitals & Countries:
Central America
1. Mexico City, Mexico
2. Guatemala City, Guatemala
3. San Salvador, El Salvador
4. Belmopan, Belize
5. Tegucigalpa, Honduras
6. Managua, Nicaragua
7. San Jose, Costa Rica
8. Panama City, Panama
Caribbean Islands (Greater Antilles)
9. Havana, Cuba
10. Kingston, Jamaica
11. Port-Au Prince, Haiti
12. Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
13. San Juan, Puerto Rico (US)
14. Trinidad & Tobago
South America
15. Caracas, Venezuela
16. Georgetown, Guyana
17. Paramaribo, Suriname
18. Cayenne, French Guiana (Fr.)
19. Bogota, Colombia
20. Quito, Ecuador
21. Lima, Peru
22. La Paz & Sucre, Bolivia
23. Asuncion, Paraguay
24. Brasilia, Brazil
25. Montevideo, Uruguay
26. Buenos Aires, Argentina
27. Santiago, Chile
Bodies of Water: Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean Sea, Atlantic Ocean,
Pacific Ocean, Strait of Magellan, Amazon River, Lake Titicaca, Drake Passage
Mountains: Andes, Mt. Aconcagua, Sierra Madre Oriental, Sierra Madre Occidental
Special Interests: Galapagos Islands (Ecuador), Easter Island (Chile), Baja California
Lesser Antilles, Yucatan Peninsula
Key Terms: tributary, deforestation, Tropical Zone, El Niño, hieroglyph
chinampa, Machu Picchu, Hernán Cortés, Montezuma II, Francisco Pizarro
Atahualpa, Columbian Exchange, peninsular, criollo, mestizo, encomienda
Father Miguel Hidalgo, Treaty of Guadalupe, Hidalgo, Gadsden Purchase
West Indies, dependency, mulatto
Calendar, Chronology, time, history, circa, decade, century, millennium.
Pope Gregory XIII
Julius Caesar
Gregorian Calendar- 2/24/1582
Julian Calendar 45 BCE- 1582
3. The World At Your Fingertips: Citizen, Economics, Government, Five Themes of Geography, Scarcity, Five Fields of Social Studies, history, culture.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
6th Grade Table of Contents: 4th Quarter update
16. Establishing Modern Japan
17. History & Government: Australia/New Zealand
18. Zoomers 5/2-5/6
19. Current Event: Australia
20. Economies & Culture: Australia/New Zealand
21. Zoomer 5/9-5/13
22. Europe Map
23. European Foldable
24. Antarctica
25. Ancient Asia & Asia Today
26. A Land of Varied Riches
27. Current Event: Europe
28. Ancient Greece
17. History & Government: Australia/New Zealand
18. Zoomers 5/2-5/6
19. Current Event: Australia
20. Economies & Culture: Australia/New Zealand
21. Zoomer 5/9-5/13
22. Europe Map
23. European Foldable
24. Antarctica
25. Ancient Asia & Asia Today
26. A Land of Varied Riches
27. Current Event: Europe
28. Ancient Greece
Monday, May 23, 2011
7th Grade Study Guide: World War I & II, The Soviet Union, & Eastern Europe
nationalism, colonialism, Austria-Hungary, dual monarchy, World War I, alliance
Adolf Hitler, fascism, Holocaust, World War II, NATO, Iron Curtain, puppet government , one-party system, Joseph Stalin, collective farm, Warsaw Pact, the Soviet Union, Cold War, propaganda, private propertyrights, Nikita Khrushchev, deposed, détente, Mikhail Gorbachev, parliamentary, republic, coalition government, ethnic cleansing, Duma, Treaty of Versailles
Additional terms: Bay of Pigs, Sputnik, Benito Mussolini,
Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower,
John F. Kennedy, Kosovo, S. Milosevic, Emperor Hirohito , J. Robert Oppenheimer
Friday, May 6, 2011
Sixth Grade: Ancient Asia & East Asia Today Test Guide: Update
East Asia Geography:
Australia, China, Fiji, Japan, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Mongolia, Nauru,
New Zealand, North Korea, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, South Korea, Taiwan,
Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu
Bodies of Water:
Coral Sea, Tasman Sea, Philippine Sea, Luzon Strait, East China Sea, Yellow Sea, Sea of Japan, South China Sea, Pacific Ocean, Huang He (Yellow River) Chang Jiang River
Islands of Japan: Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu
Landforms:
Plateau of China, Gobi Desert, Mt. Everest, Mt. Fuji, The Outback, Great Barrier Reef
Landforms:
Plateau of China, Gobi Desert, Mt. Everest, Mt. Fuji, The Outback, Great Barrier Reef
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Current Event: Russia & Australia
Dear Students:
As announced, Current Events will be mandatory this week. Visit one of the following links and select a story of your choice. The story must relate to the five fields of social studies- history, government, economics, geography, or culture. There are two new additional sites for diversity of reliable sources and most current event stories will be accepted. You may also follow this week's goal to study our two different geographical regions.
7th Grade- Find a current event that took place in Russia.
6th Grade- Find a current event that took place in Australia.
(And...) Do not forget to write a two paragraph summary of the article in your own words (copy & pasting is not acceptable).
Be sure to include your source of information and a summary of the article. Any questions?
Signing Out- Mr. A
International/US/ United Kingdom
Russia
Australia
Local
UK/International
Seventh Grade Table of Contents: 4th Quarter
1.Traders, Colonist, and Explorers
2. The Age of Revolution
3. Zoomers 4/4- 4/8
4. How To Write An Essay Notes
5. The Hitch Hiker's Guide To the Galaxy (The Movie)
6. United Nations HW & Review
7. The Russian Empire
8. Current Events: Eastern Europe
9. Zoomer 4/18- 4/22
10. Growth of Ideas Test
11. Zoomers 4/25 -4/29
2. The Age of Revolution
3. Zoomers 4/4- 4/8
4. How To Write An Essay Notes
5. The Hitch Hiker's Guide To the Galaxy (The Movie)
6. United Nations HW & Review
7. The Russian Empire
8. Current Events: Eastern Europe
9. Zoomer 4/18- 4/22
10. Growth of Ideas Test
11. Zoomers 4/25 -4/29
Sixth Grade Table of Contents: 4th Quarter
1. Physical Geography (East Asia & Oceania)
2. Zoomers 4/4- 4/8
3. How To Write An Essay Notes
4. Map of East Asia & Oceania (Drawn)
5. Ancient China
6. The Hitch Hiker's Guide To The Galaxy (The Movie)
7. Ancient China Notes
8. Establishing Modern China
9. Zoomers 4/18- 4/22
10. Current Event: East Asia
11. Government of East Asia
12. Zoomers 4/25-4/29
13. 15 Product Made in Asia (Homework)
14. Economics of East Asia
15. Ancient Japan
2. Zoomers 4/4- 4/8
3. How To Write An Essay Notes
4. Map of East Asia & Oceania (Drawn)
5. Ancient China
6. The Hitch Hiker's Guide To The Galaxy (The Movie)
7. Ancient China Notes
8. Establishing Modern China
9. Zoomers 4/18- 4/22
10. Current Event: East Asia
11. Government of East Asia
12. Zoomers 4/25-4/29
13. 15 Product Made in Asia (Homework)
14. Economics of East Asia
15. Ancient Japan
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Extra Credit: NASA Endeavor Lift-off
1. Visit the NASA Website at the link below:
http://www.nasa.gov/externalflash/134_flash/
2. Write a small report on the 15 day mission of the Space Shuttle Endeavor identifying the Astronauts (Crew), the mission (Mission Timeline), and reflecting on how the shuttle lift off, inspires your imagination on Space Exploration.
3. Watch the Space Shuttle Endeavor takeoff on NASA TV , Friday, April 29th at 3:47 pm.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
7th Grade Study Guide
Map Study: Bulgaria, Russia, Greece, Moldova, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Yugoslavia, Macedonia, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan
Chapter Terms
Middle Ages, Feudalism, manorialism Visigoths, Magna Carta, Charlemagne, The Renaissance, Crusades, Martin Luther, Reformation, Leonardo De Vinci, Medici Family, Florence, Johann Gutenburg, Protestant, Prince Henry the Navigator, Christopher Columbus & the Santa Maria-Pinta-Nina, Cape of Good Hope, Bartolomeu Dias, Vasco da Gama, Ferninand Magellan, circumnavigate, imperialism, slavery-Atlantic slave trade, Scientific Revolution, Industrial Revolution, capitalism, French Revolution, King Louis XVI, Napoleon Bonaparte, Galileo Galilei, Carolus Linnaeus, Czar, Ivan the Terrible, Peter the Great, Catherine the Great, Russian Revolution, Karl Marx
How To Write A Bibliography (Guide)
Bibliography
(Book)
Amaye-Obu, Cowan F. The World of Social Studies. Orlando: Cornerstone Publishers, 2011.
(Book)
Shakespeare, William. Romeo and Juilet. London: English Publishers, 1877.
(Magazine)
Amaye-Obu, Cowan F. “The World of Social Studies.” Cornerstone Publishers. 6 April 2011, Vol. 6: Pg. 11.
(Encyclopedia)
“Spain.” Encyclopedia Britannica. 1999.
(Internet with Author/Editor/Webmaster)
Amaye-Obu, Cowan. "Spain." Wikipedia. 12 December 2010. Wikipedia Foundation Inc. 1 April 2011. <http://home.howstuffworks.com/battery.htm>.
(Internet without Author)
"Spain" The World Factbook. 12 December 2010. Central Intelligence Agency. 1 April 2011.
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/sp.html>.
(Book)
Amaye-Obu, Cowan F. The World of Social Studies. Orlando: Cornerstone Publishers, 2011.
(Book)
Shakespeare, William. Romeo and Juilet. London: English Publishers, 1877.
(Magazine)
Amaye-Obu, Cowan F. “The World of Social Studies.” Cornerstone Publishers. 6 April 2011, Vol. 6: Pg. 11.
(Encyclopedia)
“Spain.” Encyclopedia Britannica. 1999.
(Internet with Author/Editor/Webmaster)
Amaye-Obu, Cowan. "Spain." Wikipedia. 12 December 2010. Wikipedia Foundation Inc. 1 April 2011. <http://home.howstuffworks.com/battery.htm>.
(Internet without Author)
"Spain" The World Factbook. 12 December 2010. Central Intelligence Agency. 1 April 2011.
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/sp.html>.
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
6th Grade: Fourth Quarter Calendar 2011
4th Quarter Calendar 2011
April 4-8, 2011
1 & 2. Map of Southeast Asia (Drawn/Table)& Physical Geography p.675-680, How to Write an Essay & Bibliography, Ancient China Lecture/ China p.681-688, Establishing Modern China p. 701-706.
April 11-15, 2011
1 & 2. The Governments of East Asia pg. 708-711, The Economies of East Asia pg. 712-715
April 18-22, 2011
1 & 2. Planned Movie Event
April 25-29, 2011
1 & 2. Cultural Presentations Project due 1st-7th Period; The Culture of East Asia p. 716-721; Ancient Asia/Asia Today I Quiz
May 2-6, 2011
1 & 2. Ancient Japan p. 690-695; Establishing Modern Japan p. 722-727
May 9- 13, 2011
History & Government p. 733-736, Economics & Cultures p. 737-741, Antarctica p. 742-746
Project: The World Digital Story
May 16-20, 2011
Antarctica p. 742-746; Asia Today/Geography Test, Map of Western Europe
May 23-27, 2011
Ancient Greece Notes, Lecture, & Video; Ancient Greece p. 278-283;
May 30- June 3, 2011
Ancient Rome Notes, Lecture & Video; Ancient Rome p. 284-289; Student/Teacher Holiday,
June 6-8, 2011
Ancient Greece/Rome Final; Digital Stories Due; End of the 4th Nine Weeks & School Year
April 4-8, 2011
1 & 2. Map of Southeast Asia (Drawn/Table)& Physical Geography p.675-680, How to Write an Essay & Bibliography, Ancient China Lecture/ China p.681-688, Establishing Modern China p. 701-706.
April 11-15, 2011
1 & 2. The Governments of East Asia pg. 708-711, The Economies of East Asia pg. 712-715
April 18-22, 2011
1 & 2. Planned Movie Event
April 25-29, 2011
1 & 2. Cultural Presentations Project due 1st-7th Period; The Culture of East Asia p. 716-721; Ancient Asia/Asia Today I Quiz
May 2-6, 2011
1 & 2. Ancient Japan p. 690-695; Establishing Modern Japan p. 722-727
May 9- 13, 2011
History & Government p. 733-736, Economics & Cultures p. 737-741, Antarctica p. 742-746
Project: The World Digital Story
May 16-20, 2011
Antarctica p. 742-746; Asia Today/Geography Test, Map of Western Europe
May 23-27, 2011
Ancient Greece Notes, Lecture, & Video; Ancient Greece p. 278-283;
May 30- June 3, 2011
Ancient Rome Notes, Lecture & Video; Ancient Rome p. 284-289; Student/Teacher Holiday,
June 6-8, 2011
Ancient Greece/Rome Final; Digital Stories Due; End of the 4th Nine Weeks & School Year
7th Grade: Fourth Quarter Calendar 2011
April 4-8, 2011
Map of Eastern Europe; The Age of Revolution p. 313-317; The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Civics); Study Guide
April 11-15, 2011
United Nations Studies- General Assembly & Economic & Social Council; Middle Ages- Renaissance- Exploration- Age of Revolution Quiz; The Russian Empire p.318-323;
April 18-22, 2011
Planned Movie Week
April 25-29, 2011
European Empires p.329-332; Cultural Presentation Projects due 27-28th
May 2-6, 2011
Europe at War 333-341; The Soviet Union p. 342- 349; Eastern Europe Under Communism p. 353-359; United Nations Test
May 9-13, 2011Eastern Europe and Russia 360-366; Test Review; Eastern Europe Test; Map of Latin America
Project: The World Digital Story
May 16-20, 2011
Latin America Physical Geography p. 150-153; Ancient America p. 160-167; The Roots of Modern Mexico p. 173-178
May 23-30, 2011
Government in Mexico p.179-184, Mexico’s Changing Economy p. 185-189, Mexico’s Culture Today p. 190-196
May 30- June 3, 2011
Establishing Independence p.203-207; Economies & Culture 208-213; Cuba Today; Guatemala Today; Establishing Independence p. 231-235; Brazil Today
June 6-8, 2011
The World Digital Story due 6th & 7th; Movie Event
Map of Eastern Europe; The Age of Revolution p. 313-317; The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Civics); Study Guide
April 11-15, 2011
United Nations Studies- General Assembly & Economic & Social Council; Middle Ages- Renaissance- Exploration- Age of Revolution Quiz; The Russian Empire p.318-323;
April 18-22, 2011
Planned Movie Week
April 25-29, 2011
European Empires p.329-332; Cultural Presentation Projects due 27-28th
May 2-6, 2011
Europe at War 333-341; The Soviet Union p. 342- 349; Eastern Europe Under Communism p. 353-359; United Nations Test
May 9-13, 2011Eastern Europe and Russia 360-366; Test Review; Eastern Europe Test; Map of Latin America
Project: The World Digital Story
May 16-20, 2011
Latin America Physical Geography p. 150-153; Ancient America p. 160-167; The Roots of Modern Mexico p. 173-178
May 23-30, 2011
Government in Mexico p.179-184, Mexico’s Changing Economy p. 185-189, Mexico’s Culture Today p. 190-196
May 30- June 3, 2011
Establishing Independence p.203-207; Economies & Culture 208-213; Cuba Today; Guatemala Today; Establishing Independence p. 231-235; Brazil Today
June 6-8, 2011
The World Digital Story due 6th & 7th; Movie Event
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Cultural Presentation Project due dates
1st Period- Monday/Tuesday, April 25-26, 2011
4th Period- Wednesday/Thursday, April 27-28, 2011
5th Period- Wednesday/Friday, April 27 & 29, 2011
6th Period- Thursday, April 28, 2011
7th Period- Tuesday/Wednesday, April 26-27, 2011
Seventh Grade (Europe)
2nd Period- Wednesday/Thursday, April 27-28, 2011
Monday, March 21, 2011
Sixth Grade Study Guide : Southern Asia
Geography: Countries- Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Indonesia, East Timor
Bodies of Water- Bay of Bengal, South China Sea, Indian Ocean, Pacific Ocean
Vocabulary: Buddhism, Siddhartha Gautama, Four Noble Truths, Khmer, Angkor Wat, Caste System, Mughal Empire, East India Company, Queen Elizabeth I, Muslim League, Mohandas Gandhi, Taliban, jute, information technology, Green Revolution, Taj Mahal, Mahabharata, dialect, Indo-Aryan, Dravidian, dowry.
Updated Topics: Karma, Reincarnation, Chandragupta Maurya, Mauryan Empire, Gupta Empire, Harappa, Mohenjo-Daro, Hinduism, Aryan, Sanskrit, Vedas, Punjabi, Sindhi, Urdu
Updated Topics: Karma, Reincarnation, Chandragupta Maurya, Mauryan Empire, Gupta Empire, Harappa, Mohenjo-Daro, Hinduism, Aryan, Sanskrit, Vedas, Punjabi, Sindhi, Urdu
Friday, March 18, 2011
Extra Credit Update (6th Grade only): Asia
1. The life of Mohandas Gandhi- write a brief summary of the life and death of the Father of India. Be sure to feature his achievements and downfall. This assignment will be worth 15 extra credit points or 1 pt on the final grade.
2. Eating Asian: Visit a restaurant featuring food from one of our study countries: India, Thailand or Vietnamese. To prove your visit, please feature a menu, and write a brief summary of your experience. This summary is worth 15 pts or 1 pt on your final grade. Enjoy!
3. Watching Asia: Select a film produced in one of our Asian study countries (India). The movie director, production company, and main characters must be listed. Write a summary of the movie plot and explain how you learned new details about Asian culture. The only western produced movies allowed in this assignment are Bend It Like Beckham 2002 or Slumdog Millionaire 2008. This summary is worth 15 pts or 1 pt on your final grade. Enjoy! (Due to the graphic portrayal of human poverty, Slumdog Millionaire is not a class approved film. Viewers parental discretion is advised.)
4. The Green Revolution is a hotly debated issue in many of our Asian study countries. Using the films of Food Inc. and Supersize Me, discuss how the food production and food industry of the West, can impact the agricultural societies of many Asian countries. This summary is worth 15 pts or 1 pt on your final grade. Enjoy!
The World Factbook: Asia (6th Grade Adv.)
The World Factbook Countries:
Bhutan, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Maldives, India, Afghanistan
1. Population (People)
2. Ethnic Groups (People)
3. Religions (People)
4. Life Expectancy (People)
5. Literacy Rate (People)
6. Head of Government ( Government)
7. Political Pressure Group (Government)
8. GDP-PPP (Economic)
9. Agriculture (Economic)
10. Industry (Economic)
11. Government Type (Government)
Saturday, March 12, 2011
E-Ancient Civilizations Notes- 7th Grade
Ancient Rome, Phoenicians, Alexander the Great & Ancient China Notes
Rome
Rome’s origins can be found among the Iron Age tribe called Latins, who invaded the Italian Peninsula at the beginning of the 1st millennium BCE (1000 BCE). The Latins founded the city of Rome in the lower valley of Tiber River in 753 BCE, due to the convenient access to Mediterranean Sea. The two founding legends are Romulus & Remus and The Aeneid. Central Italy received continuous infusions of eastern Mediterranean people influencing Latin culture: Etruscans, (northern Italy) who were experts in the arts of Metallurgy, town building, and city planning. The Greeks, (southern Italian Peninsula & Sicily) who were masters of arts and philosophy; The Phoenicians, who brought their alphabet, commercial and maritime skills. The Romans borrowed urban planning, chariot racing, the toga, bronze and gold crafting and the most ingenious structural principle of Mesopotamia architecture, the arch. From the Greeks, the Romans borrowed a pantheon of gods and goddesses, linguistic and literary principles and the classical style.
Etruscan Kings ruled the Latin population for three centuries, but in 509 BCE, the Latins overthrew the Etruscans. Over the next two hundred years, monarchy will give way to a government “of the people (res publica).” The agricultural population of ancient Rome consisted of a powerful class of large landowners, the patricians, life members of the Roman Senate. A more populous class of small farmers called plebeians, who headed the Popular Assembly, gave civil & military authority to the Imperium, two elected magistrates called consuls. The Roman Senate controlled the lawmaking process. Plebeians, using their service as soldiers leverage in the Roman Army, and their power to veto laws by the Senate, through their leaders called Tribunes, made their voices heard. By 287 BCE, Plebeians will gain the right to make laws and intermarry with patricians. However, no sooner had Rome become a Republic than it adopted an expansionist course that would erode these democratic achievements.
Phoenicians
Classical Greek writer Herodotus attributed the invention of the alphabet to a sea faring civilization along the fertile strip of land between the eastern Mediterranean and the mountains of modern Lebanon. The Bronze Age of this group were the Canaanites who developed the small but aggressive city-states of Sidon, Tyre, & Byblos and became skilled sailors. Ruled by a King and a Council of Elders, the Canaanites worshiped Astarte (Earth Mother), Baal and various other gods in a Hamitic-Semitic Origin. The name Phoenician related to the word “phoenix,” is known in the Greek texts of the 8th Century as meaning “purple-red,” which refers to one of the major Phoenician industries, textile dyeing (royality). By 1000 BCE, the Phoenicians established trading posts on the southern coasts of Cyprus, Sicily, Sardinia, modern day Spain (exporting gold & silver), and built temples in Knommos, Crete.
Alexander the Great (Continued from Europe Notes)
Ancient China
Ancient Chinese civilization emerged in the fertile valleys of two great waterways: the Yellow and Yangzi Rivers. By 3500 BCE, the Neolithic Villages of China were producing silk, a commodity that would bring wealth and fame to Chinese culture. Urban cities, metallurgy, and writing will develop by the 2nd millennium. By 1750 BCE, the Chinese had developed a script of 4500 characters, the basis for writing throughout East Asia today. The Bronze Age coincides with the rise of a warring tribe known as the Shang (1520-1027 BCE).
Shang rulers were hereditary kings, who were regarded as intermediaries between the people and the spirit world. They were only limited by the councils of China’s land owning nobility claiming authority from the Lord on High (Shang-ti). Royal authority was symbolized by the dragon representing strength, fertility, and life giving water. Occupants of the Dragon’s Throne, China’s early Kings defended their position by way of bureaucracy and huge armies of archer-warriors recruited from the surrounding provinces. Soldiers were usually peasants, who farmed during peacetime.
The sacred right to rule was known in China as the Mandate of Heaven. This concept was defined when the rebel Zhou tribe justified their assault on the Shang by claiming that the Shang Kings had failed to rule virtuously; hence heaven withdrew its mandate. The King is charged with maintaining the will of heaven on Earth, the King’s political authority required obedience to pre-established moral law, which in turn reflected the natural order.
Government Civil Service
According to the Chinese, the natural order, determined human intelligence and ability, as well as a person’s place in society. Within the natural hierarchy, those with greater intellectual abilities should govern and those with lesser abilities should fulfill the physical needs of the state. The Zhou dynasty used these principles to establish civilized China’s political and social hierarchy, selecting local authorities from aristocrats of their choosing. By the 2nd Century BCE, the Chinese put into practice the world’s 1st system whereby individuals were selected for government service on the basis of merit, education, and examinations.
Yin/Yang- The ancient Chinese perception that the natural order dominated all aspects of China’s long history, lies in its oldest texts called The Book of Changes. The Book of Changes originates in the Shang era but is not recorded until the 6th Century BCE. It is based on the balance of the four seasons, five elements (wood, fire, earth, metal, and water) and the five powers of creation (cold, heat, dryness, moisture, and wind). The mythology describes the cosmic marriage of Heaven and Earth, signifying the order of nature represented by yin and yang. Yang, the male principle represents light, hardness, brightness, warmth, and the sun. Yin, the female principle represents darkness, softness, moisture, coolness and the moon. Both describe the creative energy of the universe.
Daoism - associated with the name Lao Zi “The Old One” existed as early as 1000 BCE, but was not written in the Dao de Jing (The Way and Its Power) until the 6th Century BCE. Dao or the “Way” is based on the natural principle to manifest the harmony of all things. It is understood only by those who live in total simplicity and in harmony with nature. Daoist practice meditation and breath control and illustrate the complementary/harmonious function of positive and negative elements in ordinary things.
Rome
Rome’s origins can be found among the Iron Age tribe called Latins, who invaded the Italian Peninsula at the beginning of the 1st millennium BCE (1000 BCE). The Latins founded the city of Rome in the lower valley of Tiber River in 753 BCE, due to the convenient access to Mediterranean Sea. The two founding legends are Romulus & Remus and The Aeneid. Central Italy received continuous infusions of eastern Mediterranean people influencing Latin culture: Etruscans, (northern Italy) who were experts in the arts of Metallurgy, town building, and city planning. The Greeks, (southern Italian Peninsula & Sicily) who were masters of arts and philosophy; The Phoenicians, who brought their alphabet, commercial and maritime skills. The Romans borrowed urban planning, chariot racing, the toga, bronze and gold crafting and the most ingenious structural principle of Mesopotamia architecture, the arch. From the Greeks, the Romans borrowed a pantheon of gods and goddesses, linguistic and literary principles and the classical style.
Etruscan Kings ruled the Latin population for three centuries, but in 509 BCE, the Latins overthrew the Etruscans. Over the next two hundred years, monarchy will give way to a government “of the people (res publica).” The agricultural population of ancient Rome consisted of a powerful class of large landowners, the patricians, life members of the Roman Senate. A more populous class of small farmers called plebeians, who headed the Popular Assembly, gave civil & military authority to the Imperium, two elected magistrates called consuls. The Roman Senate controlled the lawmaking process. Plebeians, using their service as soldiers leverage in the Roman Army, and their power to veto laws by the Senate, through their leaders called Tribunes, made their voices heard. By 287 BCE, Plebeians will gain the right to make laws and intermarry with patricians. However, no sooner had Rome become a Republic than it adopted an expansionist course that would erode these democratic achievements.
Obedience to the Roman state and service in its powerful army were essential to the life of the early Republic. After expelling the last of the Etruscan kings, Rome extended its controll over all parts of the Italian peninsula. By the middle of the third Century BCE (350 BCE), having united all of Italy by Force or negotiation, Rome positioned itself to rule the Mediterranean Sea. A long standing rivalry with the Phoenicians and the city of Carthage, stronghold in northeastern Africa will led into the the Punic Wars (three wars from 264-146 BCE). After the defeat/destruction of Carthage, Rome assumed naval and commercial leadership in the Mediterranean Sea. Rome demanded from conquered territory provincial taxes, soldiers to serve in the Roman Army, tribute, and slaves. Roman governors were selected by the Senate from among the higher ranks of military to rule conquered territory. Usually, local customs of religion and customs will continue unmodified. The Romans will introduce the latin language, law, built aqueducts, bridges, paved roads and eventually granted people in conquered territory Roman citizenship.
Military: The army consisted of citizens who served for two years. By the 1st Century, the military had become a profession where men could serve 25 or more years. Non-Citizens could earn Roman citizenship by service in the military for 25 years. Josephus (37-100 CE), a Jewish Historian describes the superiority of the Roman military machine, which he estimated at 300,000 armed men.
Fall of the Republic- The disappearence of the small farmer signaled the decline of the Republic. Roman imperialism controlled by the Senate, wealthy entrepreneurs called equestrians, changed the republic. The army also became very powerful due to its control over provinces. Precious metals, booty and slaves from foreign conquest brought enormous wealth to army generals and influential patricians. Captives of war, were shipped to Rome and auctioned off to the highest bidders, usually patricians, whose farms became large plantations (latifundia) worked by slaves. The increased agricultural productivity of large landowners drove lesser landowers to sell their land and eventually drove them out of business. Many small farmers were forced to sell their land to neighboring patricians, and moving to the cities to join the growing unemployed population.
In 46 BCE, an army general named Gaius Julius Ceasar triumphantly entered Rome and established a dictatorship. Ceasar, who spent 9 years conquering Gaul (present-day France and Belgium), described his campaigns in Commentaries on the Gallic War. His brief, but successful campaigns in Syria, Asia Minor, and Egypt, where his union with Egyptian Queen Cleopatra (69-30 BCE) produced the famous boast: “Veni, Vidi, Vici (“I came, I saw, I conquered”) Caesar will codify laws, regulate taxation, reduced debts, sent large numbers of unemployed to overseas colonies, inaugurated public works projects, granted citizenship to non Italians, and reformed the Western Calendar to comprise 365 days and twelve months (of which July is named after himself). Threatened by Caesar’s popular reforms and his contempt for republican institutions, a group of senators led by Marcus Brutus assassinated him in 44 BCE. Despite his inglorious death, the name Caesar would be used as a honorary title by imperial successors.
Following the assassination of Caesar, a struggle for power will ensue between Caesar’s first lieutenant, Mark Anthony (80-30 BCE) and his grandnephew/adopted son Octavian (63-14 BCE). Octavian’s army defeated the combined forces of Mark Anthony and Cleopatra in 31 BCE. In 43 BCE, Octavian will gain approval of the Senate to rule for life and be given the title, Augustus (the revered one).
Phoenicians
Classical Greek writer Herodotus attributed the invention of the alphabet to a sea faring civilization along the fertile strip of land between the eastern Mediterranean and the mountains of modern Lebanon. The Bronze Age of this group were the Canaanites who developed the small but aggressive city-states of Sidon, Tyre, & Byblos and became skilled sailors. Ruled by a King and a Council of Elders, the Canaanites worshiped Astarte (Earth Mother), Baal and various other gods in a Hamitic-Semitic Origin. The name Phoenician related to the word “phoenix,” is known in the Greek texts of the 8th Century as meaning “purple-red,” which refers to one of the major Phoenician industries, textile dyeing (royality). By 1000 BCE, the Phoenicians established trading posts on the southern coasts of Cyprus, Sicily, Sardinia, modern day Spain (exporting gold & silver), and built temples in Knommos, Crete.
The Phoenician economy made for trade of cedar trees (wood), fine ivory, copper, jewelry, bronze tools, glass, and bronze tools including weapons. These goods were highly prized and widely distributed throughout the ancient world. Due to rivalry with the Greeks in Sicily and Italy, the Phoenicians created the colonies of Carthage ( meaning ‘New Town’ - 8th Century BCE) and Uticia to give control of the narrow strait between Sicily and North Africa. These colonies would also protect the Phoenician trade route west, where explorers sailed down the Atlantic Coast and possibly as far north as Britain.
Alexander the Great (Continued from Europe Notes)
Ironically, the failure of the Greek city-states to live in peace would lead to the spread of Hellenic culture throughout the civilized world. Manipulating the shifting confederacies to his advantage, Philip of Macedonia eventually would defeat the Greeks in 338 BCE. When he was assassinated two years later, his twenty year old son, Alexander (356-323 BCE) assumed the Macedonian throne. A student of Aristotle, Alexander brought to this role as ruler the same far reaching ambition and imagination that his teacher exercised in the intellectual realm. Alexander was a military genius. Within 12 years, he created an empire that stretched from Greece to the borders of modern India. With the help of 35,000 Greeks and Macedonians equipped with catapults and battering rams, Alexander will conquer the walls of the best defended cities of Asia Minor, Egypt, Syria, and Persia. Finally, in Northwest India, facing the formidable army of the King of the Ganges (believed to be Chandragupta) and his force of 5000 elephants, Alexanders troops refused to go any further. Shortly thereafter, the thirty-two year old general died (probably of malaria), and his empire was split into three segments: Egypt was governed by the Ptolemy dynasty, Persia under the leadership of the Seleucid rulers (Seleucus Nicator), and Macedonia-Greece governed by the family of Antigonus the One Eyed.
The era that followed called the Hellenistic (Greek like) lasted from 323-30 BCE. The Hellenistic Age blended Greek, African and Asian cultures and carried the Greek language/culture (art & literature) across the ancient world, especially to cities named after Alexander. Alexandria of Egypt would replace Athens as the cultural center, boasting a population of more than a million people and a library of half a million books (the collection was destroyed by fire when Julius Caesar besieged the city in 47 BCE.)
Ancient China
Ancient Chinese civilization emerged in the fertile valleys of two great waterways: the Yellow and Yangzi Rivers. By 3500 BCE, the Neolithic Villages of China were producing silk, a commodity that would bring wealth and fame to Chinese culture. Urban cities, metallurgy, and writing will develop by the 2nd millennium. By 1750 BCE, the Chinese had developed a script of 4500 characters, the basis for writing throughout East Asia today. The Bronze Age coincides with the rise of a warring tribe known as the Shang (1520-1027 BCE).
Shang rulers were hereditary kings, who were regarded as intermediaries between the people and the spirit world. They were only limited by the councils of China’s land owning nobility claiming authority from the Lord on High (Shang-ti). Royal authority was symbolized by the dragon representing strength, fertility, and life giving water. Occupants of the Dragon’s Throne, China’s early Kings defended their position by way of bureaucracy and huge armies of archer-warriors recruited from the surrounding provinces. Soldiers were usually peasants, who farmed during peacetime.
The sacred right to rule was known in China as the Mandate of Heaven. This concept was defined when the rebel Zhou tribe justified their assault on the Shang by claiming that the Shang Kings had failed to rule virtuously; hence heaven withdrew its mandate. The King is charged with maintaining the will of heaven on Earth, the King’s political authority required obedience to pre-established moral law, which in turn reflected the natural order.
Government Civil Service
According to the Chinese, the natural order, determined human intelligence and ability, as well as a person’s place in society. Within the natural hierarchy, those with greater intellectual abilities should govern and those with lesser abilities should fulfill the physical needs of the state. The Zhou dynasty used these principles to establish civilized China’s political and social hierarchy, selecting local authorities from aristocrats of their choosing. By the 2nd Century BCE, the Chinese put into practice the world’s 1st system whereby individuals were selected for government service on the basis of merit, education, and examinations.
Yin/Yang- The ancient Chinese perception that the natural order dominated all aspects of China’s long history, lies in its oldest texts called The Book of Changes. The Book of Changes originates in the Shang era but is not recorded until the 6th Century BCE. It is based on the balance of the four seasons, five elements (wood, fire, earth, metal, and water) and the five powers of creation (cold, heat, dryness, moisture, and wind). The mythology describes the cosmic marriage of Heaven and Earth, signifying the order of nature represented by yin and yang. Yang, the male principle represents light, hardness, brightness, warmth, and the sun. Yin, the female principle represents darkness, softness, moisture, coolness and the moon. Both describe the creative energy of the universe.
Daoism - associated with the name Lao Zi “The Old One” existed as early as 1000 BCE, but was not written in the Dao de Jing (The Way and Its Power) until the 6th Century BCE. Dao or the “Way” is based on the natural principle to manifest the harmony of all things. It is understood only by those who live in total simplicity and in harmony with nature. Daoist practice meditation and breath control and illustrate the complementary/harmonious function of positive and negative elements in ordinary things.
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