Welcome back from our long weekend! Today is a half day, so time will fly!

1/21 Quick Write:

Today we will mostly review the Shang Dynasty. We will also look at why the dynasty ended and introduce a new concept: the Mandate of Heaven.

Basically, the Mandate of Heaven was the idea that the rulers of China were given the right to rule by god– they had “divine right” to rule. However, new clans kept overthrowing old rulers, which would start a new dynasty, or era. The Chinese explained this turnover through the Mandate of Heaven (see notes and chart below).

We will discuss the next clan to take power, the Zhou, and how the Mandate of Heaven was used to justify why the Zhou should overthrow the Shang.

Have a good short day, and remember we also have a short week! Cheers!

Welcome to our half day! Even though we have limited time together, get ready to work!

1/17 Quick Write:

Today we are wrapping up our notes on the Shang Dynasty. You will hopefully be able to make connections between the Shang civilization and other civilizations we have covered (Sumer and Egypt).

After writing down a few more notes on social class and why the dynasty fell, we will discuss any questions.

Then there will be a short, summative quiz that will hopefully demonstrate to me that you understand life for the early Chinese.

The quiz is open notes, so come prepared 🙂

Happy End of Card marking 2 and Friday!

Yay Thursday! We are continuing the NWEA Reading test today! Prepare for the altered schedule.

1/16 Quick Write:

With our shortened time together, we will add a few notes to our Artifact Station handout from Tuesday, specifically focusing on the Shang’s government and religion. See notes below.

Then we will wrap up the Ch. 19 & Ch 20 Vocab handout that we’ve been working on since last week.

Reminder: Make sure to keep all of your Shang Dynasty notes because tomorrow we will have another (summative) quiz!

Cheers, have a great day!

Working towards the halfway point… remember, the NWEA Reading test starts today… with all that brain power in the morning, I know we’ll feel drained throughout the rest of the day– just stay focused and keep going.

1/15 Quick Write:

Today we will review the Artifact Stations we examined yesterday.

I know some classes did not make it to every station, and some stations you might have not had time to hypothesize about the artifacts. Fear not! We will discuss all of these artifacts today.

Do well on your tests and I’ll see you soon!

Happy Tuesday!! Remember, we have Targeted Tuesday today– you will go to the same teacher as last week.

1/14 Quick Write:

Today we are continuing our work with the Shang Dynasty. In order to understand their culture and civilization, we will take a look at the items that they left behind.

You will rotate to seven different stations around the room. Each station relates to one or more of the civilization characteristics. At each station there are pictures of artifacts from the Shang Dynasty that you will need to make hypotheses about. See the instructions and the handout you will be filling in below.

After you go to all of the stations, we will review our hypotheses with the time remaining.

Have a lovely and productive day!

Welcome back! As a reminder, we have NWEA testing (Reading) on Wednesday and Thursday. Then Friday is a half day!

1/13 Quick Write:

Today we are wrapping up our work with China’s geography, and continuing to learn about the first dynasty to rule China: the Shang.

First we will review the Exit Ticket from Friday and discuss why the Shang settled in the North China Plains. Then we will take a quick (summative) quiz so you can show me that you understand the effects of geography on settlement.

After the quiz, we shift our focus to the Shang as a civilization by watching a short video and answering three questions on the Chapter 19 & 20 Vocab handout from last week.

This brief discussion will set us up for our continued examination of one of China’s oldest civilizations.

Have a great Monday!

Happy Friday!!

1/10 Quick Write: Please make sure you have completed 5 quick writes this week, and have your NAME on top.

After we finish our Quick Write, we will proceed with a gallery walk of everyone’s posters, taking notes on the graphic organizer below.

After your notes on the other regions of China are completed, you will decide whether you would want to live in each region and why. Using these preferences and some physical maps, you will complete the Exit Ticket below.

Have a great and safe weekend! 🙂

Happy Thursday! I know we are feeling tired from NWEA testing, but remember… shortened classes and the weekend is almost here!

1/9 Quick Write:

Today you need to bring your notes from yesterday, because you and your partner will be using those notes to create a poster on a specific region of China. See the regions and instructions below.

This poster must be completed by the end of class, as we are using them for our gallery walk tomorrow!

See you soon!

Already over a week into the new year… 😮

Reminder, we have shortened classes today because we are starting our NWEA testing.

1/8 Quick Write:

Today we will wrap up any notes that were left over from yesterday. Then you will be assigned a geographical region of China. You and a partner will read through the section and both take notes on the key points throughout the text.

Have a smooth Wednesday… the weekend is coming up!

Happy Tuesday! We will slowly adapt back into our routine.

1/7 Quick Write:

Now that we are familiar with some useful vocab, we are going to take a look at the diverse geographical regions of China, and analyze how these regions effected people’s settlement.

First things first… notes!!! (I can hear your cheering from here). Below you can find the slides of the notes you will take in your notebook or binder. Keep these notes safe, since you will be adding on to them throughout the week.

After notes, we will discuss how the regional differences affect various stereotypes in China.

Have a great day… stay awake and focused!