Tuesday, January 8th
Thursday, August 8th Bell-Ringer: Please pick up a daily handout sheet from the front table and find your assigned seat. Take out your Code of Conduct and independently begin working on the Code of Conduct Quiz for the first 10 minutes of classDaily Agenda:Bell-Ringer: Code of Conduct QuizDiscussion: Document AnalysisVocab Development: Study Stack.comDiscussion: When does history begin? (Creation Myths)Introduction to Cornell Notes (Big History)
Essential Question:What is the evidence that explains the earliest history or humans and the planet? What are the theories to interpret this evidence? How did the earliest hominids evolve? What impact did the development of agriculture have on human society?Homework: Finish Cornell Notes on Chapter 1, and return signed Student Info. Sheets.Introducing SOAPSHistorians work to reach valid, logical, and reliable conclusions about the past.History cannot be proven, only supported.What ends up in textbooks is not 100% true, but rather generally accepted truths based on supporting evidence.To find the most accurate and consistent truth, historians must look at all their evidence and consider who created it, why it was created, who it was created for, and what they can derive from it.A simple acronym for this process is SOAPS: Speaker, Occasion, Audience, Purpose, and So What?Lets Give It A Try:Each member of your group will select a different letter to focus on SOAP.Take two minutes to analyze the document with regard to that topic. After each person shares their findings, as a group discuss the historical value of the document. Ask yourself: Now that I know what it says, how can I as a historian use it? How can it help me? What does it really reveal?
SpeakerWho do you think created or published this document?Serial Number, National Crest, Hammer and Sickle, etc. What bias might they have about the topic of this document? Happy farmers, lots of technology, serene backdrops, etc.
OccasionWhen was the document written, printed, or published? Automobiles, power lines, machine gun, etc. Under what circumstance was the document created?Size, material, writing in two languages, etc.
AudienceFor whom was the document created?Persuasive imagery, second language, etc.
PurposeWhy was the document created?Medium of Exchange, method of propaganda, etc.
SignificanceWhat does it mean?Illustrates govt.s desired view of their country, seek economic interaction, etc. How would it be received?Persuasive depiction of cultural values, political views, etc. How could it be useful?Illustrates presence of communism, importance of modernization, influence of Buddhism, connections with the West, etc.
Significance: The Piltdown Man
The Piltdown Man was a hoax in which bone fragments were presented as the fossilized remains of a previously unknown early human. These fragments consisted of parts of a skull and jawbone, said to have been collected in 1912 from a gravel pit at Piltdown, East Sussex, England. The significance of the specimen remained the subject of controversy until it was exposed in 1953 as a forgery, consisting of the lower jawbone of an orangutan deliberately combined with the skull of a fully developed modern human.
A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift (1729)It is a melancholy object to those who walk through this great town or travel in the country, when they see the streets, the roads, and cabin doors, crowded with beggars of the female sex, followed by three, four, or six children, all in rags and importuning every passenger for an almstherefore, whoever could find out a fair, cheap, and easy method of making these children sound, useful members of the commonwealth, would deserve so well of the public as to have his statue set up to recognize him as the savior of the nationI have been assured by a very knowing American of my acquaintance in London, that a young healthy child well nursed is at a year old a most delicious, nourishing, and wholesome food, whether stewed, roasted, baked, or boiled ... A child will make two dishes at an entertainment for friends; and when the family dines alone, the fore or hind quarter will make a reasonable dish, and seasoned with a little pepper or salt will be very good boiled on the fourth day, especially in winterThose who are more thrifty (as I must confess the times require) may flay the carcass; the skin of which artificially dressed will make admirable gloves for ladies, and summer boots for fine gentlemenThe poorer tenants will have something valuable of their own, which may help them to pay their landlord's rent, their corn and cattle being already seized, and money a thing unknownI can think of no one objection, that will possibly be raised against this proposal, unless it should be urged, that the number of people will be thereby much lessened in the kingdom.
Textbook DistributionPlease make sure you have filled out all sections of the textbook obligation card. When it is complete, please bring the card to Mr. Naruta.Vocabulary DevelopmentPlease log on to your computer and visit the following website:Studystack.comSo, where do we start?When (and how) does human history begin?Silently read the slip of paper to yourself. The paper explains the beginnings of human history. On your daily handout sheet, take a few minutes to write (in complete sentences) a response to the questions listed.Be prepared to share and explain your response.Directions:Creation MythsWhat is the purpose of a creation myth?Defines the moral principles of a societyGuides their dealings with nature and the supernaturalExplains human social systems and daily lifeWhat can creation myths tell us about the people who created them?Creation MythsIf creation myths must be taken on faith, then what happens when science begins providing physical evidence that challenges the basis of those myths?The Tough Questions
So if we cant answer the question of how human life began beyond a doubt, maybe we should simply start with what a human is?Is this a human?Hominid primate family; appeared about 7 myaAll hominids are warm-blooded, furry, four limbed mammalsShare 98% of DNA with apes
Hominids vs. PrimatesUnlike other primates all hominids:Are BipedalAre capable of abstract thought, profound emotions, and fine motor movementsHave a larynx capable of speech
How did Hominids become Humans?During the Pleistocene Epoch (Ice Age), certain genetic changes in hominids enhanced survivalSkin color, for example, would darken in some environments to lessen sun damage, or became more pale to allow more Vitamin D absorptionMost changes were behavioral rather than physical (I.e., manipulating fire, making better weapons, changing diet, etc.)Putting it all in contextWhen looking at a timeline of human history, we are reminded of the need to view history from a Big History perspective.
Cornell Notes were founded by a professor from Cornell University when he observed the struggles of even top students in his course. He concluded that even the smart students did not understand how to study. The notes have a specific format featuring 4 main components: an Essential Question, detailed notes, reflective commentary, and a summary.More important than the format is the fact that the notes represent a PROCESS of note-taking. Each section should be done sequentially to ensure long-term understanding.Cornell Note-Taking:Homework:Read Chapter 1 of and begin taking Cornell Notes. Tonight you are responsible for the Right-Column notes and summaries.
