World Religions Essay

Many of you have been asking me about world religions for the essay. Here are some resources from the internet. Regents Prep Belief Systems

Belief Systems Chart

Course Notes Major Belief Systems

Notes from Tuesday January 9, 2012

Hi everyone here is the religion review notes that you took in class today. http://www.digitalschools.org/notes

IPAD Assignment Tuesday November 1st, 2011

About Homer and Ancient Greek Life Directions: Use the links provided to find the answers to the questions. Write the answer on your answer sheet. Use the Back button of your browser to return to this hunt page. If a link is broken, use your online research skills to find information that will help you develop an answer. Getting back tips. Imagine you awaken on an island beach in ancient times. You look down and see you are wearing a sheet and have sandals on your feet! A ship appears on the horizon. When it lands, you meet the captain. His name is Ulysses. He explains that he is on his way home after a big battle with a city called Troy. He insists you accompany him. He says he knows what it is like to be castaway. Knowing the answers to these question could help you survive the experience. 1. What did the Greeks learn from the Phoenicians that was important to Homer?     2. Here is a model of the world as Homer knew it. How accurate is it compared to what we know today? Explain.     3. Was this work a story of the time of Homer, a reflection of life before Homer lived, or his tale of the future?     4. Ancient Greeks relied on reciprocity. What is this? Give a real life example.     Did Ulysses practice reciprocity? Give an example.       Do you? Give an example.   5. Read what daily life in ancient Greece was like: for a man, for a woman, and for a child. Which would you prefer to be and why?     6. Read the myth of Persephone. What genuine natural occurrence does it seek to explain?     Use your online skills to find the answer. 7. What is the Parthenon?     Where would you go to see it in person?     8. What is a strigil?     Why did Greek athletes use it?     9. Compare the federal form of government with the government of the ancient Greeks.       10. Describe Greek society during the time of Homer.       11. Take the picture tour of Ancient Olympia. Answer the following questions. How were olives important to ancient Greeks?     What is a megaron?     How many centuries ago was the Temple of Zeus completed?     What was the Olympic Truce?     Why was it important to the Olympic games?       12. Describe the climate of Greece.     Use a table to compare this with the climate where you live.   13. What impact did the geography of Greece have on the people's lives?     14. What did the Greeks call people who were not Greek?     15. Name a famous Greek scientist and a mathematician. What was their focus in their work?     16. How do archeologists identify the gods when they look at a vase or other object? If an artist were to include you on a vase, how would you be shown? TAI (think about it) At one time Greece played a prominent role in the civilized world. What is the nation's status today?

Neolithic revolution video

Global Spanish US Spanish

http://www.digitalschools.org/digitalschools/es_Global

http://www.digitalschools.org/digitalschools/es_US

Global History Videos

Do you learn better by watching history. These videos will help increase your understanding of Global history in the four weeks we have left before the Regents.



¿Se aprende mejor viendo la historia. Estos videos le ayudará a aumentar su comprensión de la historia de Global en las cuatro semanas que nos quedan antes de los Regentes.

http://www.learner.org/resources/series197.html

US History Through Videos

Do you learn better by watching history.  These videos will help increase your understanding of United States history in the four weeks we have left before the Regents.

¿Se aprende mejor viendo la historia. Estos videos le ayudará a aumentar su comprensión de la historia de Estados Unidos en las cuatro semanas que nos quedan antes de los Regentes.

http://www.learner.org/resources/series208.html

Regents Essys and Next Five Weeks

The Regents for 12 Grade means Graduation or no Graduation!

WE WIL BE OBESERVING REGENTS TEST CONDITIONS
THERFORE:

1. NO INTERNET
2. NO FOOD OF ANY KIND
3. NO TALKING
4. AND NO LATENESS FOR ANY REASON

For the next five weeks we are working on essays in Global and United States History

If you do not have one of these exams bring a book and be prepared to be silent.

Class W bring work from Whiting or Cedeno, or Marinez!

If you come late do not knock on the door.

You will Receive a grade of 0 For the Day

We are observing testing conditions and you will not be admitted.

Los regentes de 12 grado medio o de graduación de la graduación que no!

QUE SE REALIZA EL CONSEJO RECTOR OBESERVING CONDICIONES DE PRUEBA

Los antecedentes demuestran:

1. SIN INTERNET

2. NO LOS ALIMENTOS DE CUALQUIER TIPO

3. NO HABLAR

4. Y NO POR CUALQUIER MOTIVO retraso



Para las próximas cinco semanas estamos trabajando en ensayos en Global y Historia de Estados Unidos




Si usted no tiene uno de estos exámenes traer un libro y estar preparado para estar en silencio.

Clase W llevar el trabajo de Whiting, o Cedeño, o Marinez!







Si llegan tarde no llamar a la puerta.
Usted recibirá una calificación de 0 para el Día

Estamos observando las condiciones de prueba y no se admitirán.

The push for regents is on. . .

US and Global people this week begins the regents review push. Get ready for tests every Friday and fun with US and Global.

The senior trip is just after Spring Break on May 27th, 28th, and 29th.

I am so proud of you guys!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ainsley

Dear Classes

Mr. Pecunia had to go to the hospital with his daughter on Friday as she developed pneumonia despite our best efforts with home and doctor care.

She looks ok but her oxygen level was way too low. She was rushed to the hospital via abulance from the doctors office on Friday, last night, and is expected to be here through Monday at the earliest.

Her oxygen level is up while she is in the plastic tank getting oxyegen and ventillation but falls when she comes out. If she can keep her oxygen up we will be able to take her home. Thanks to everyone for all of their messages and well wishes.

If you need anything for class please email me.

Mr. Pecunia

Good Luck on The English Regents on Tuesday Everyone

Have a big glass of water and a bannana when you have breakfast. You're going to do great!

The Russian Revolution Global

The Russian Revolution

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Geography of Russia

1/6th earth's land surface.
Understand difference between "Russia" and "Soviet Union" or "USSR"
Russian Culture:

Slavic language
Russian Orthodox Church
Byzantine Background

Tsarist Russia

Society:

Tsar/Czar (= Caesar or Emperor)
Government is an autocracy
Most people are peasants. Most peasants were serfs until 1861.
Notable Rulers

Ivan the Terrible 1533-1584
Peter the Great 1688-1725 - builds new capital city - St. Petersburg
Catherine the Great 1762-1796
Alexander I 1802-1825
Nicholas I 1825-1855 - begins policy of Official Nationality - slogan "Orthodoxy, Autocracy and Nationalism".
Russia under Alexander II 1855-81 (the Liberator)

Abolition of serfdom 1861
Peasants were forced to live in Mirs: a communal landholding system.
Population Growth from 1860: 50 to 100 Million 1860 - 1900
Alexander III 1881-1894

Very rapid Industrialization under Sergei Witte

The Lead-Up to Revolution

Opposition: The Intellegensia

Organization - "Land and Freedom" - Populists/Narodniks
"The People's Will", a terrorist group, kill Tsar in March 1881.
New Political Parties

Social Revolutionaries 1901
Constitutional Democrats (Cadets) 1903
Social Democrats 1898
George Plekhanov 1857-1918 Founder of Social Democrats

Vladmir Illich Ulyanov "Lenin" 1870-1923

Theories in What is to be Done? 1902
"Vanguard of the Revolution", "democratic centralism"
"Strategy" - long term goal, not to be altered/ "Tactics" - day to day flexibility

Origins of Bolshevism

London Conference 1903
Mensheviks (=minority) split from Bolsheviks (=majority)

The 1905 Revolution

Father Gapon - March on Winter Palace Jan 22 1905.
"Soviets" (Worker's Councils) set up.
Tsar Nicholas II responds with The October Manifesto
-Grants a Duma (Parliament) and some civil liberties.

Government 1907-1914

Peter Stolypin 1862-1911 - Prime Minister 1906-1911
Nicholas I 1894 -1917 and Alexandra.
The Tsarvitch and Hemophilia.
Grigory Efimovich Rasputin (1871?-1916)

The 1917 Revolutions

First World War 1914-1918

Russia battle preparedness - boots, guns,

February Revolution 1917 (March 1917 New Calendar)

Long-standing causes - peasants anger about land,
Population explosion 1860-1914, Workers' discontent
Workers Revolt - Feb 23 1917
Petrograd Soviet of Workers and Soldiers set up
A Provisional Government set up by the Duma
Problems: Continuation of the War, Return of Lenin and other Bolsheviks, Continuing Unrest in the cities.
Alexander Kerensky (1881-1970) - chief minister from July 1917. Kornilov Plot shows his weakness.

October Revolution 1917

Bolshevik Slogans: "Peace, Bread and Land", "All power to the Soviets"
Attack on Winter Palace October 1917 (November 6-7-8 new Calendar)

Bolsheviks Actions in Power

Aim is to secure power
-Constituent Assembly dissolved December 1918
-Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, March 3 1918 ends war with Germany
-Nationalization of all factories - June 1918
-Execution of the Tsar and his Family 1918

Civil War 1917-1921

Red Army, led by Trotsky, vs. the "Whites".
War Communism - a collection of emergency measures:-
-The Cheka - secret police from December 1917
-Communist Party control of the State
-Nationalization of production
-Opposition suppressed Kronstadt Rebellion March 1921

The Third International (Cominintern)

1919 split European socialists into "Communists" and "Social Democrats".

New Economic Policy March 1921

Aim - increased food production. Incentives were allowed.
Peasants allowed to farm for profit and small businesses with up to 12 workers allowed.
Economy recovered by 1927.
Kulaks - rich peasants become important.

Stalin Takes Over

Struggle between Leon Trotsky, who wanted rapid industrialization, and Nicolai Bukharin, the editor of Pravda, who was pro-peasant.
Josef Djugushvili "Stalin" (1879-1953). An ally of Bukharin. By 1912 on Central Committee. Succeeds by controlling party organization.

Stalin in power

A revolution from above - Doctrine of "socialism in one country"
Agriculture - collectivization of land: perhaps 10 Million people died in forced collectivization.
Rapid Industrialization:
Five Year Plans Began in 1928
1928-1940, 400% increase in production
Purges and Personality Cult: Show Trials 1936-38

World War I Regents Brief

A Brief Outline of the First World War
Defining World War I
Those who fought in WWI believed they were fighting for noble reasons: for defense against aggression, for the love of one’s country and for glory. Coming into the war they were fueled by the ideals of nationalism, liberalism, democracy and religious freedom.

After the Armistice of November 11th 1918, WWI came to be defined by our need to find the meaning for such losses. Exactly what was the significance of the First World War?

Was this not the same message John McCrae had given expression to, three and a half years before Armistice in his poem IN FLANDERS FIELDS?

John McCrae struggled to make some sense out of a senseless war. His plea “If ye break faith with us who die…we shall not sleep” was made on behalf of the fallen soldiers but it is one that has been embraced by the generations that followed. In this 90th year since the end of WWI (and since the death of John McCrae) the struggle to find some justification for the loss of so many still remains… not just in the “War to End All Wars” but in every major conflict since WWI.

WWI – An Accidental War
World War I shaped the 20th century. It launched the United States as a world super power and helped commonwealth countries like Canada, Australia and New Zealand find a sense of National Identity. WWI fueled the Russian Revolution and her ascent as the world’s first communist state. The First World War helped occupied countries like Poland, Yugoslavia and Hungary to gain their independence but it also set the stage for World War II only a couple decades later. Yet, WWI began almost by accident.

The Serbian & Austro-Hungarian Conflict
There were three great European powers at the start of the 20th century; The Austro-Hungarian, the Russians and the Ottoman Empire.

On June 28th, 1914 in Sarajevo, Serbian Gavrilo Princip, in an act of terrorism, assassinated the heir apparent of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Archduke Franz Ferdinand.

The Austro-Hungarian Empire contained up to ten different nationalities and kept the peace on the western borders. It was ruled by Franz Ferdinand’s uncle, Franz Joseph who had been in power for 66 years.

Serbia had set itself up as an independent state by 1914 and viewed Franz Joseph and the Austro-Hungarian Empire, as the oppressive, undemocratic enemy. Serbia hoped to somehow break up the Austro-Hungarian Empire and opposed any kind of friendship.

Unlike his uncle, Franz Ferdinand believed in political reform. As the Emperor-in-waiting, his ideas were radical. He believed that after decades of oppressive ruling, the existing political system was one that simply could not last. He wanted to avoid war with Serbia and felt that minorities within the empire would look to other countries for help if they didn’t have the power to govern themselves within the empire. His vision was to create a new empire called the “United States of Great Austria,” in hopes of developing a peaceful co-existence with Serbia.

However, Archduke Franz Ferdinand’s decision to visit Sarajevo on June 28th 1914 was ill-conceived in that this was Serbian National Day. Austria-Hungary viewed the assassination as Serbia’s declaration of war against Austria-Hungary, achieving the exact opposite of what Franz Ferdinand had hoped for.

WWI Alliances
Serbia’s great ally was Russia. The Austro-Hungarian ally was Germany. In its decision to back Austria-Hungary, Germany failed to consider the consequences and neglected to find out exactly what Austria-Hungary was planning. Germany felt that Russian would stay out of the conflict in order to avoid internal revolution. The German Kaiser was so confident that Russia would not want to go to war that he immediately left for vacation.

Declarations of War
The powers of Europe were divided into two main divisions with Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy comprising one camp and France and Russian making up the other. If Germany backed Austria-Hungary against Serbia and the Russians backed Serbia, then Germany would be forced to go to war against Russia and Russia’s ally, France. This is exactly what happened.

Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia on July 28th 1914
Germany declared war on Russia on August 1st
Germany declared war on France on August 3rd (since France was an ally of Russia)
Britain declared war on Germany on August 4th (after Germany invaded neutral Belgium)
Britain had initially been asked by Russia to back Russia and France however Britain’s decision to enter the war was more out of protecting Britain’s global trade and security interests. Britain’s empire also extended into colonies in South Africa and India but Britain was not powerful enough to defend her vast empire without the help of France and Russia.

In Europe the neutral countries of Belgium, Poland, Ukraine, Lithuania and Croatia were caught in the middle. In Belgium alone over 11,000,000 people lived under German occupation.
U.S. Enters the War

Throughout the first three years of the war the United States remained neutral even though German submarines had sunk the civilian cruise liner, the Lusitania on May 7th 1915 and bombed the munitions storage docks in New York harbor shortly thereafter.

Throughout the war the United States was supplying munitions and supplies to both the Allies and the Central Powers. In essence, the war was excellent for the American economy. The U.S. joined the Allies on April 6th 1917 only after discovering from British Intelligence that Germany had been secretly encouraging Mexico to declare war on the United States.

A Defensive War
Other than Austria-Hungary’s offence against Serbia, the other countries involved in World War One were not fighting an offensive war. Most were convinced that they were fighting a defensive war, one that was forced on them by someone else.

Logistics of a Global War
WWI was a global war that reached beyond the countries of Europe into the Balkans and South Africa. This was a war fought in trenches, in deserts, in mountains, at sea and by air. The vast distances and in many cases the difficult terrain created great challenges to both sides in terms of effective communication, transporting supplies and troops and simply protecting their interests. On the Western Front in France and Belgium, both sides created a series of primitive tunnels that extended for miles underground. Tunnels were used for communications, headquarters, intelligence, dressing posts, etc.

The Christmas Truce – Dec 1914
In December of 1914 soldiers from both sides put down their weapons and met peacefully between the trenches in “no man’s land,” in a Christmas truce. German and Allied soldiers buried their dead, then shared cigarettes, stories and photos of loved ones. They played soccer, sang Christmas songs and even exchanged gifts until they were forced to return to their trenches by commanding officers.

IN FLANDERS FIELDS – May 1915
The poem IN FLANDERS FIELDS was composed at the battlefront on May 3, 1915 during the second battle of Ypres by Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, a field surgeon with the Canadian Army Medical Corps. Within months of its first publication in Punch Magazine (December of 1915) IN FLANDERS FIELDS became the most popular poem of the First World War. It is credited as the inspiration behind adopting the red poppy as a symbol of Remembrance and passages were used to further the war efforts, assisting in the sale of over $400,000,000 in war bonds.

Cultures of War
In all there were over 50 different cultures involved in the war. Britain and France deployed troops from every continent and mobilized their colonial empires for the war efforts. The French deployed African soldiers from West and North Africa. Britain mobilized South African troops and soldiers from their colonies in India. The Canadian army included Eskimo and Aboriginal soldiers and New Zealand’s army included the indigenous people of the Maori. There were also soldiers from Australia, Pakistan, Spain, Algiers, Scotland and Ireland. Behind the war was an unprecedented workforce of numerous ethnic origins including people from Egypt, Fiji, Vietnam, China and Madagascar. The largest ethnic group, the Chinese Labour Corps, remained in France and Belgium as late as 1919 to help bury the dead and clean up the battlefields.

A New Kind of War – Military Firsts
WWI was the first major war in over 40 years. Both sides had amassed new weapons and technology that had never been used before in actual combat. This was a new kind of war where soldiers were still learning their weapons. It was a war with many “firsts” including the first use of:

Tanks & Trucks
Airships & Planes
Submarines
Wireless Communication (telegraph)
Machine Guns
Long Range Artillery
Exploding Shells (designed to do as much damage as possible with flying shrapnel)
Flame Throwers
Poisonous Gas
WWI Stalemate
Within the first few months of battle in Europe, both sides met with equal opposition, causing both sides to “dig in”, creating a series of trenches that ran nearly 450 miles from the coast of Northern Belgium through Northern France to the border of Switzerland. For the next four years WWI on the Western Front (as this area was named) remained at a virtual stalemate, where very little ground was gained by either side. Parallel trenches ran the full length of the battlefront, separated by only a few hundred yards called “no man’s land”, which was fortified with rolls of barbed wire and heavily shelled throughout the conflict. This was a war without precedent. WWI was the first man-made catastrophe of the 20th century that devastated both sides. There were almost 40 million casualties in total, including nearly ten million military deaths, nearly nine million civilian deaths and just fewer than twenty million military wounded.

WWl Cemeteries and Memorials
Britain’s empire was vast and included colonies around the globe including South Africa, India, Australia, New Zealand and Canada. The policy of the British was to bury their war dead where they fell, in the land where they had given their lives to defend. Today the area of the Western Front in France and Belgium contains the graves of hundreds of thousands of WWI soldiers from practically every country involved in the war. Memorials commemorate over 100,000 who went missing in action or could not be identified. One can chart WWI’s progress of devastation and sacrifice simply through the hundreds of cemeteries and memorials that remain. The largest commonwealth cemetery is Tyne Cot Cemetery, which contains nearly 12,000 graves (more than 8000 of those are unidentified) plus a memorial for over 35,000 missing in action. On the memorial headstones of the unknown is the inscription “A SOLDIER OF THE GREAT WAR, KNOWN UNTO GOD”. The largest memorial for the missing is Menin Gate in Ypres, Belgium, commemorating 54,896 WWI soldiers with no known graves.

Sinking Morale
At the outbreak of WWI in August of 1914 many thought it would be a short war, and over by Christmas. Fearing they would “miss out” on teaching the Kaiser a lesson, the majority was eager to enlist. There was widespread enthusiasm in anticipation of the new adventures that lay ahead in Europe.

Within a few short months this enthusiasm gave way to the realities of war. Soldiers witnessed the senseless slaughter of hundreds of thousands of their comrades all the while fighting in the most appalling conditions. As the war wore on, the morale of soldiers on both sides deteriorated irrevocably.

WWI – 1918 The Final Year
In the latter stage of the war the biggest threat for both sides came not from their enemies but from their civilians and their alliances. Each side remained in a desperate race between winning the war and collapse on the home front.

Alliances Crumble
By the spring of 1918, there was much dissention within the alliances. Austria-Hungary was bankrupt and experiencing widespread famine. Emperor Franz Joseph had died in 1916 and the new ruler, Kaiser Karl opened secret peace negotiations with France in 1917, leaving Germany feeling betrayed. Germany’s other ally was the Ottoman-Turkey, but that empire had been in a string of conflicts for more than seven years. The empire was impoverished, crumbling and desperate, which hindered its ability to remain in the war.

By 1918 Russia had all but withdrawn from the war as well, due to the Russian Revolution and eventual civil war. The Russian economy was in ruin and there were great shortages of food and supplies. Russia’s military losses were quite heavy totaling nearly 5,000,000 men. By then, most civilians opposed Russia’s involvement in the war. Soldiers were ill equipped, morale was at its lowest and many soldiers defected or mutinied.

Germany’s Days Are Numbered
The lack of food, morale, supplies and munitions also plagued the Central Powers. This had been a long war with little gains for either side and by 1918 everyone was war-weary. The defeatist attitude of the soldiers and civilians only increased, as did the growing opposition to the war as news of Russia’s revolution reached the Western Front. Strikes and rumors of rebellion were not uncommon. Domestic production of munitions and supplies could barely keep up with the demand as raw materials were becoming increasingly difficult to find. Civilians and soldiers wanted change and a return to peace.

The Central Powers were running short on military supplies, and running out of men. Human losses were unprecedented and many new recruits were scarcely trained before being called up for active duty. When Russia pulled out of the war it freed up half a million German soldiers, which temporarily boosted Germany’s confidence in its bid to win the war before the Americans arrived.

Germany failed to achieve a decisive victory against the Allies before Americans entered the war. As the Central powers were falling apart the Allies were becoming stronger. The Allies reorganized their command structure and the presence of the Americans gave the Allied troops a huge morale boost. While Germany’s numbers were dwindling, America was adding troops to the Allied forces at a rate of 250,000 a month.

The Loss of Bulgaria
By the end of summer in 1918 Germany’s troops were fed up, over exhausted and hungry. Since March of that year Germany had lost almost a million men. Those that remained felt they hadn’t been given adequate supplies or leadership. The final blow came in September of 1918 with the loss of Bulgaria to the Allies. Bulgaria was Germany’s stronghold for the Balkan Front.

Germany Requests Armistice
In early October Germany approached U.S. President Woodrow Wilson requesting that America arbitrate an Armistice between the Central Powers and the Allies. Unfortunately, the war raged on for another six weeks as the politicians argued a peace treaty. The Allies wanted nothing less than to force Germany to surrender unconditionally. Admitting total defeat would make Germany responsible for paying for the costs of war. The closer to Armistice the harder it was to bear the losses, yet some of the fiercest fighting of WWI took place in the last few weeks of the war.

The Kaiser Abdicates
While the Armistice conditions were being handed over to the German officials 45 miles outside of Paris, the people of Germany were rebelling against the Kaiser and screaming for democracy. The Kaiser ordered the military to fire on the civilians and when the military refused the Kaiser was forced to abdicate his power and exiled to Holland shortly thereafter.

Armistice
The ceasefire of the First World War took effect on the 11th hour, of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918. The war was over. Peace and safety was new and a difficult concept for many to grasp.

Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28th, 1919, precisely 5 years to the day after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. The Treaty was meant to end the war, bring peace and to hold Germany responsible for paying for the war. British Foreign Secretary, Lord Curzon felt the the terms fo the Treaty of Versailles were unreasonable and would only set the stage for a Second World War. He declared “this is no peace; this is only a truce for twenty years.” His prediction proved correct to within 45 days!

Briefing a Legal Case

Legal Case Analysis

• Name of Case:

• When and where did it take place?

• Issue: (point of argument)

• Facts of the case: (be clear and concise)

• Outcome: (give each court decision prior to the Supreme Court decision)

• Supreme Court Decision – (include the name of the Justice that wrote the majority decision)

• Your opinion:

The Korean War

The Korean War

Cold War and Korea

Iron Curtain Class X & Y

IRON CURTAIN ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS

After viewing Iron Curtain and engaging in the corresponding discussion questions and activities, students will be able to answer the following:
• What was the Iron Curtain?
• How did experiences during WWII influence U.S. and Soviet postwar foreign policy?
• Why did the relationship between the wartime allies deteriorate so quickly?
• How does Iron Curtain shed light on the broad themes of the Cold War?

The Cold War was a conflict between the capitalist and communist nations of the world that lasted from the end of World War II into the 1990's.
Supporting Information at RegentsPrep.org
http://www.regentsprep.org/Regents/global/themes/conflict/coldwar.cfm
Supporting Video Clip “The Iron Curtain”: To be Delivered Via Smart Board in Class

We will be answering these questions in Class! 

College Essay Writing with Class V and W

Writing the Successful College Application Essay

This friday we will be looking at how to write the College essay in both Class W and Class V. Your first draft of your college essay is due on Monday and will be returned to you the Monday after Thanksgiving for redrafting and review. Remeber it is a ok to email it to me at drewpecunia@gmail.com.

Happy Writing!

Classes X, V, & W 11/4/2010

We will be watching a movie on King Tut in order to get ready for our class field trip to the King Tut Exhibit

Class Y World History Thursday 11/4/2010

Greece - Rome - Silk Road

Ancient Greece was the birthplace of democracy - which means that everyone in the society gets an equal vote.

It was also famous for the great battles between Athens (which was a democracy) and Sparta (which was a military dictatorship).

Athens experienced a "golden age" of culture because they excelled in government (the first democracy), sports (the first Olympics), Architecture (those building with the pillars), and the arts (sculpture, theater, literature, philosophy).

Rome was the largest civilization in the world.

At its peak there were 70 million people in the Roman empire, 1 million lived in the city of Rome.

There are often Regents questions which ask about Roman roads.

The Romans had a great system of roads to transport goods, information, and soldiers around the empire.

There are often Regents questions about Roman law, which was a very advanced system of law that greatly influenced the US legal system.

The Silk Road was a road that connected China to the middle east and to Europe.

The Chinese were the only people in the world who knew how to make silk.

Silk was traded on the Silk Road but it also spread ideas and culture between China and the Middle East.



Sample Regents Questions:



1) Which ancient civilization established the basis of western democracy?



1. Phoenician

2. Egyptian

3. Sumerian

4. Greek

2) The Ancient Romans’ most significant contribution to Europe has been in the area of



1. economics

2. poetry

3. drama

4. law







3) The Silk Road was important because it allowed for the

(1) exploration of China by the Roman Army

(2) development of agriculture by the nomadic people of Central Asia

(3) movement of Chinese armies through Southeast Asia

(4) exchange of goods between Asia and the Middle East



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We will now look at a series of PDF Files on Greece together.

As we read ask questions and pay particular attention to vocabulary words you do not know.

Greece Part 1

Greece Part 2

Greece Part 3

Greece Part 4

Greece Part 5

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At the end we will be answering questions directly from the Regents Prep.org web site that relate directly to this topic


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Regents Prep Questions:

Greece (#'s 1-4-7-9-10-11-13-22-24)