An Introduction to Leonardo's Notebook

Which group of ancient people do you think lived in these mysterious caves?

WELCOME TO 6TH GRADE HISTORY!

I am very excited to get to know each of you. I think we are going to have an excellent year, learning about the world and its fascinating history.

Do you know who this is?

Our class blog is called Leonardo's Notebook.

The blog is named in honor of Leonardo da Vinci, who was immensely curious about the world. Throughout his life, he kept a series of notebooks in which he wrote down the questions that arose in his mind.

Leonardo believed that keeping these notebooks, as a record of his questions and ideas, would enable him to think creatively about possible answers. He also believed that the process of asking questions brings meaning to a person's life.

This blog will serve as a 21st century, digital version of Leonardo's Notebook -- for our class!

OK MR. RICHMOND, BUT WHAT ARE THE SPECIFIC WAYS THAT OUR CLASS WILL USE THE BLOG?

First: I love photographs. I love maps. And I really love art. I will post photos, maps, and artwork from class on the blog. Some of this beautiful visual material will be created by you.

Second: I will post class materials on the blog, including the weekly history videos.

Third: Our class will focus on the following five themes:
  • The importance of asking questions 
  • The influence of technology on human life (for better and for worse) 
  • The central role of religion and belief in history 
  • Questions related to leadership, with a focus on different styles and methods of being a leader
  • The centrality of art, music, and architecture to the human experience 
On the blog, we will be able to keep track of the ways in which these five themes are interwoven through different periods of history.

Fourth: Most importantly, the blog will feature your questions and your ideas. In the same way that Leonardo da Vinci wrote down his thoughts and questions so that he could reflect on them later, we will use the blog as a way of thinking more deeply about your questions.

This painting shows a group of ancient hunter gatherers.
Study the painting carefully. What do you notice about the people and their surroundings? 

Irrigation ditches were an important ancient technology. 
How could ditches have made people's lives easier?

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Quiz Review

Image
For tonight's homework, please answer the following questions on a sheet of looseleaf paper: 1. Which vocabulary word refers to " the spiritual or non-physical part of a human being or animal, often regarded as immortal "? 2. Which vocabulary word refers to " a religious journey, usually to visit a sacred place "? 3. What is a ritual ? 4. What is a religion ? 5. What is the difference between an atheist and an agnostic ? a Hindu temple 6. In addition to often being arranged by the parents and lasting for up to 12 days, what is another detail about Hindu weddings ? [ if you are uncertain, re-read page 19 in the textbook ] 7. What do Hindus believe happens to a person after he/she dies? 8. According to Judaism, how should people behave? 9. According to Judaism, who created the universe? 10. What is a specific way that Hinduism and Judaism are similar to each other?  [ try to come up with an original, interesting answer, based on your notes or the textbook ] Here...
Read more

History Video #11: Breaking News // Comparative Paragraph Highlights

Image
I am beginning to read your paragraphs comparing two of the world religions. Here are several highlights I have come across, so far: Brynne pointed out that Jesus was considered special and sacred from the moment of his birth, when many people immediately believed he was the messiah or son of God. She said that Buddha, on the other hand, became an important leader later in his life -- not until he was an adult (and after he saw the "four sights").  In her paragraphs, Cadigan observed that the Bible stories about Jesus were not written down until many years after his death. The stories in the Qur'an, however, are believed to have been given directly from Allah to Muhammad. She then wrote " That would lead some people to believe that the Qur’an is more accurate to Muhammad's vision of what god wanted than the Bible, because it wasn’t actually written by Jesus. " Wow . Brynne's and Cadigan's explanations are original, deep, and sophisticated. Meanwhil...
Read more

Johann Gutenberg: Did He Tweet, Too?!

Image
Tonight I'm sharing an imagined tweet written by a German social media company that is promoting Gutenberg's amazing invention. I love the way this tweet shows the connection between the printing press and the ability of Martin Luther to spread his ideas, even after Pope Leo ordered that all copies his writings be burned: Changing a wine press into a printing press -- what an invention! Gutenberg's printing press was good for everyone, creating books (and theses) for all. So much for that strategy of burning a few copies of something you disagree with!                                                     ( By Liam B., Marin and Brynne )
Read more