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We will have a vocabulary quiz on Thursday, May 13 that will draw words from our entire China unit. Use the flashcards to study for the quiz. The entire word list is included below the flashcards.
Word List
- Confucius – ancient Chinese philosopher who taught “do not treat people the way you would not like to be treated”.
- Ghengis Khan – brutal leader of the Mongols who created a vast empire.
- Marco Polo – explorer who travelled from Venice to China in 1272 and wrote a journal to describe his experience.
- Moa Zedong – leader of the 1949 Communist Revolution who ruled China for 27 years.
- Qin Shihuangdi- the first emperor of China, he began building the Great Wall.
- Changjiang – long river flowing through the fertile basin in Southeast China.
- Huang He – river named after the yellow silt it carries through northern China.
- Taklamakan – deadly desert in western China.
- Tiananmen Square – site where protesters gathered on June 5, 1989 and were attacked by the army.
- Tibet Qinghai Plateau – a remote, large area with a high elevation that borders the Himalayas.
- Bronze – a mixture of copper and tin and allowed the Shang Dynasty to become powerful.
- Little Red Book - given to students during the Cultural Revolution in the 1960′s to teach them to be good communists.
- logographs – symbol that represents a thing or idea.
- Oracle bones – were used by Shang emperors to help them predict the future.
- Opium – a highly addictive drug that the British sold in the China during the 1800′s that caused a war.
On Friday students reviewed important vocabulary words from our units on Hinduism and Buddhism to prepare for a quiz next Tuesday/Wednesday (April 13/14). Students should set up a three-column chart to help them study each of the words below.
| Word |
Meaning |
How to Remember |
| latitude |
The horizontal lines that run east and west on a map. |
latitude lines are flat |
Vocabulary Words
Links go to Wikipedia articles
On Tuesday/Wednesday this week, we will have a quiz on Islam vocabulary words. I’m experimenting with a flashcards widget from Study Stack to help students review for the quiz. If the flashcards don’t work on your computer, try going directly to my page on the Study Stack web site. Scroll below the flashcards to see the terms that may appear on the quiz. Click on “Flip”/”Next Card” to move through the cards.
Quiz Terms
- Allah = Muslim name for God.
- Alms = A donation made to the poor. Muslims give money as part of Zakat, the 3rd pillar of Islam.
- Bedouin = A person who lives in the desert and moves his livestock between grazing areas, similar to a nomad.
- Caliph = A Muslim religious and political leader.
- Fast = Going without food or water. Muslims do this during the month of Ramadan.
- Hajj = The trip to Mecca that Muslims must make at least once in their lives.
- Hijrah = Muhammad’s journey from Mecca to Medina. It also marks the beginning of the Islamic calendar.
- Kaaba = Building in Mecca that is the most sacred site for Muslims. It holds the Black Stone.
- Mecca = City in Arabia where Muhammad was born and the holiest city for Muslims.
- Minaret = A tall tower attached to a Mosque from which the Call to Prayer is made.
- Mosque = A Muslim house of worship.
- Muhammad = The founder of Islam who is considered by Muslims to be the last and greatest prophet.
- Oasis = Part of a desert with a source of water so plants can grow.
- Pillar = a duty for Muslims to follow. There are Five Pillars for Sunni Muslims.
- Shahada = Statement of faith that “There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is his Prophet”. This is the first pillar.
- Shia = Muslims that followed the leadership of Ali after the death of Muhammad.
- Sufism = Muslims that practice meditation, long fasts, and write poetry to show their personal relationship with God.
- Sunni = Muslims that followed the leadership of Abu-Bakr after the death of Muhammad. They make up 85% of all Muslims world wide.
This Tuesday/Wednesday, we will take a short quiz about our short units on Judaism and Christianity. Here are some of the key people, places, and concepts we covered.
People
- Abraham – a central person in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. He made an agreement to believe in God and led the Hebrews to Canaan.
- Moses – he led the Hebrews out of slavery in Egypt and received the 10 Commandments from God on Mt. Sinai.
- The Babylonians – powerful empire from Mesopotamia that invaded Jerusalem in 586 B.C.E. and captured the Hebrews.
- The Romans – powerful empire from Italy that conquered Jerusalem in 63 B.C.E. Rome became a Christian empire in 392 C.E.
- Jesus – believed by Christians to be the son of God, who had 12 followers that began a new religion. He was Jewish, which helps explain why Judaism and Christianity are closely related.
Places
- Canaan – located between the Mediterranean Sea and the Dead Sea that was promised to Abraham.
- Egypt – country to the southwest of Israel where the ancient Hebrews were held as slaves.
- Israel – the modern day country that occupies the ancient homeland of the Hebrews.
- Mesopotamia – the land between the Tigris and Euphrates River. Abraham was born in Ur, which was in Mesopotamia.
Concepts
- Covenant – the agreement that Abraham and his followers would get a “Promised Land” in exchange for worshiping God.
- Diaspora – the “scattering” of the Jews around the world after Jerusalem was conquered.
- Monotheism - belief that there is only one true god.
- Persecution – the mistreatment and/or killing of a group of people because of their religious beliefs, culture, or race. For example, the Romans fed Christians to the lions.
- Polytheism - belief that there are many gods. The ancient Greeks were a good example of polytheism because they believed in Zeus, Hera, Aphrodite, Ares, Hermes, and many more gods.
This week’s quiz will be about how the early Mesopotamians were able to farm successfully in a dry climate. Here are some notes from last week’s activities to help students prepare for the quiz.
irrigation – the process of supplying water to crops where there is not an adequate source of water. An irrigation system typically has four parts:
- dam – a wall built across a river to block or redirect the flow of water.
 A modern day dam in Iran
- levee – a wall built along a riverbank to prevent a river from flooding.
 Levee along the Mississippi River
- canal – a trench dug to allow water to flow from a river toward fields of crops.
 Thal Canal in Pakistan
- reservoir – an artificial lake used to save extra water from a flood or rain.
 Satellite photo of the Maple Leaf Reservoir
silt – a fine soil carried by a river that is rich in nutrients. It is beneficial when a flood deposits silt in a field because it will help the plants grow. However, silt is harmful when it builds up behind a dam because it can clog up the irrigation system.
fertile – land that good for growing crops because it is rich in minerals and nutrients. This is the root word for fertilizer.
The Fertile Crescent – the semi-circle shaped region in the Middle East that provided good farmland. The modern day countries found in this region are Kuwait, Iraq, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, and Israel.
The Cradle of Civilization – another name for the Fertile Crescent because the first advanced human societies were born where farming was possible.
Mesopotamia – Greek word meaning “the land between the rivers”, referring to the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. This is the central region of modern day Iraq, near Baghdad.
Sumer – the area in southern Mesopotamia where the first cities appeared. Some examples are Ur, Uruk, and Akkad.
This week’s quiz will be about the ages of human history. We have been learning about the transition from the paleolithic, or “old stone” age, to the neolithic, or “new stone” age. We’ve looked at how this was a major milestone in the development of civilization, and in the process we looked at a few other giant leaps for humankind.
Study Notes:
- The Paleolithic Age: paleo means “old” and lithic means “stone”. Humans mainly used stone weapons and tools (though they also used bones and wood). During this time, most humans were nomadic, meaning they were constantly on the move search of food. This time period began over 2 million years ago when homo habilis began using stone tools.
- The Neolithic Age: over 10,000 years ago, the “new” stone age began. Humans continued to use stone tools, but they become more advanced. One of the most important human inventions was developed during this time: agriculture. This included farming and the domestication of animals (taming and raising animals for human use).
- The Copper Age: around 5,000 years, humans began using the first metal tools. This is probably the time period during which Otzi the Iceman lived.
- The Bronze Age: shortly after humans developed copper tools, they added tin to copper to create bronze, which is an alloy of two metals. These tools were much stronger and weapons became more deadly.
- The Iron Age: around 3,000 years ago, humans learned to make tools and weapons out of iron. These were considerably stronger, and an army using iron weapons had a major advantage over an army using bronze, copper, or stone tools. Some early examples of Iron Age civilizations include the Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans.
- The Industrial Age: around 200 years ago, humans created machines to help with manual labor. This gave rise to factories and mass production. This was a major milestone; whereas before, many humans worked in fields farming, now many people worked in factories. Other important inventions that followed from industrialization include trains, automobiles, and planes.
- The Space Age: during the 20th century, humans developed rockets that could escape Earth’s gravity. A couple important accomplishments include the launch of Sputnik in 1957 and the Apollo 11 mission that landed on the moon on July 20, 1969 (“that’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind”). Also during this time, humans developed nuclear weapons, so this age overlaps with the Atomic Age.
- The Information Age: we are currently in the Information Age. The first computer networks were developed in the 1960′s. In 1989, Time Berners-Lee designed the core components of the World Wide Web. In 1998, Google reported that there were over 1 trillion unique web pages on the Internet.
Update (November 1, 2009): Common Mistakes from the Quiz Last Week
Here are notes about common mistakes made on the quiz. Remember, students can retake a quiz during homeroom on Tuesday or Wednesday mornings.
- The last Ice Age ended around 30,000 years ago. This would have put it during the Paleolithic Age, which ended around 10,000 years ago.
- Many students selected that Otzi had a bronze ax. However, the video very clearly stated there was “no tin within” the ax, so it was made of copper.
- Much of the video we watched examined when Otzi the Iceman lived. Since he had a copper ax, this means he lived during the copper age.
- Nomads were very common during the Paleolithic Age. This was a time when humans moved constantly in search of food. During the Neolithic Age, many humans settled in permanent villages, so they were no longer nomadic.
- A lot of students were the confused by the syntax of the some of the questions. Take a look at these statements:
- The Iron Age followed the Bronze Age (meaning that the Bronze Age came first).
- The Space Age was followed by the Information Age (meaning that the Space Age came first).
Project
Students are currently working in groups to create a poster about one of our early human ancestors. The project will be due on Tuesday/Wednesday, and each group will do a short presentation about the poster. Each student has been given these handouts:
Quiz Review Notes
During the presentations on Tuesday/Wednesday, students will takes notes about the other topics. Later in the week, students will take a quiz about what was covered during the presentations. Here are some notes that students may study for the quiz.
Australopithecus Afarensis (southern ape from the Afar Triangle of Ethiopia) – lived in east Africa 3-4 million years ago. Once thought to be our earliest human-like ancestor (now believed to Ardipithecus Ramidus). A. Afarensis was a biped, meaning they walked on two feet, so they could carry objects with both arms. A famous example is Lucy, who was discovered in 1974.
Homo Habilis (handy man) – lived throughout Africa 1.5 – 2 million years ago. Used simple tools such as digging sticks and sharpened stones for cutting and scraping. Brains were twice the size of A. Afarensis.
Homo Erectus (upright man) – lived from 1.8 million years ago until 200,000 years ago. First hominid to migrate out of Africa and remains have been found in Europe and Asia, and most famously on the island of Java. They were able to control fire, and probably used it to cook meat. They could also build small huts for shelter.
Homo Sapiens Neanderthalensis (Neanderthal man, wise man of the Neander Valley, Germany) – lived from 230,000 – 30,000 years ago throughout Europe and parts of Asia. Had much larger brains than previous hominids and could make a wide range of tools. They lived and hunted together in communities and had funeral rituals when someone passed away. They possibly co-existed with early modern humans. It is not known why they died out, but it is possible they couldn’t compete for resources against the early modern humans who had bigger brains and better technology.
Home Sapiens Sapiens (Doubly-wise man) – early modern humans date back to 35,000 years ago. They began in Africa and eventually spread throughout the entire world. They created much more complex tools and shelters. They were the first hominids to create art and were responsible for the cave art we have been studying in class. They developed language, which probably played an important role in the development of their complex tools and art.
On Tuesday/Wednesday (October 6/7), we will have a quiz on the major climates and physical features of the world. Each of these factors have had a major impact on the development of human civilizations.
Climate Zones
The tropical zone extends from the Tropic of Cancer at 22.5° north latitude to 22.5° south latitude. The weather tends to be warm year around and typically has a lot of rainfall. The tropics do not have distinct seasons. Farming is possible, but deforestation can lead to soil erosion, making farming more difficult.
Related, dry climates can appear in these latitudes when there is little rainfall. Farming can be difficult or even impossible. A great example is the Sahara Desert that covers much of North Africa.
The temperate zones extend from the Tropic of Cancer to the Arctic Circle at 66° north latitude and from the Tropic of Capricorn to the Antarctic Circle at 66° south latitude. Temperatures are usually moderate and are ideal for farming. Most of the ancient civilizations we will study were located in a temperate climate.
The polar regions extend from the Arctic and Antarctic Circles to the North and South Poles. Temperatures remain cold even during the long summer days. Farming is impossible so people survive by fishing or hunting.
More information is available on this Wikipedia article (which is also the source of the above images).
Physical Features
Mountains have high elevations and steeply sloped sides. They are difficult areas for farming or building structures (though some cultures have developed solutions such as terraced farming and cliff-dwelling structures).
Rivers provide water and nutrients that are valuable for farming. Most of the world’s great ancient civilizations began near a river, such as the Nile River in Egypt.
Plains are flat areas of land that are usually great for farming and building cities.
Plateaus are also flat, but they tend to have higher elevations, rugged landscape, and rocky soil, which makes them less suitable for farming.
We have been learning about the system of latitude and longitude that geographers use to describe the exact location of human and geographic features on a globe. During the block periods on Tuesday and Wednesday (September 29/30), we will be having a quiz in which students will be plotting locations using latitude and longitude.
Here are definitions of the two key terms:
- Latitude: the horizontal, parallel lines that run east and west on the map. A fun way to remember this is to say “latitude, flatitude”. Addresses are expressed as a number of degrees north or south of the Equator. Numbers range form 0 degrees (the Equator) to 90 degrees (the poles).
- Longitude: the vertical lines the run north and south on the map. Unlike latitude, these lines are not parallel and they all converge at the North and South Poles. Addresses are expressed as a number of degrees east or west of the Prime Meridian. Numbers range from 0 degrees (the Prime Meridian) to 180 degrees east or 180 degrees west (the antimeridian, also the location of the International Date Line).
 The map to the left shows some of the most important lines of latitude and longitude (click for larger version). Try to identify the Equator, the Prime Meridian, the Tropic of Cancer, the Tropic of Capricorn, the Arctic Circle, and the Antarctic Circle.
If you would like further practice using latitude and longitude, find an atlas or US map (CIA World Factbook pdf link) and visit the Education World: Where in the World are We Vacationing? activity or try the Enchanted Learning activity. Lastly, here are many more great resources and activities.
During the Tuesday & Wednesday block classes, we will take a quiz of geographic terms. It will be a matching quiz so students should be familiar with the definitions for each of the following terms:
- cardinal directions
- Equator
- hemisphere
- International Date Line
- latitude
- location
- longitude
- physical map
- place
- political map
- Prime Meridian
The following words might also appear on the test for period 4 Spectrum:
- inset
- Interrupted projection
- scale
- Mercator projection
- product map
- resource map
- Robinson projection
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