STAB 2019

This week we have begun learning about the religion of Hinduism .  Hindus believe in a hard-to-define concept called  Brahman .  Brahman is frequently described as the "universal soul", inside of which we all live.  It can be difficult for people not raised within the Hindu tradition to understand the idea of Brahman, because many non-Hindus are more familiar with the idea of " God " or " gods ."  ** Brahman is not the equivalent of God. OK, so what is it? Here are some helpful descriptions of Brahman that were written by a couple of my previous students: Brahman is not a person but an invisible force that is everywhere. Brahman is something everyone wants to be part of. Not a God, but a  force . Brahman is the universal soul. It is neither a person or a god. It is the unchanging reality behind the physical illusions of life. ------------------- Hindus do, however, believe that there are many (thousands!) of gods and goddesses within Brahman. Three of the ...

I think you'll agree that this ancient Egyptian re-mix of " Meant to Be " has several great lyrics. I think my personal favorite is: "Cause I’m tired of the attacks, please let us relax // Tut let us believe." And wow ...  Carter   and   Cadigan   have some   serious   rhythm!

During today's class, we talked about the way that religion can sometimes be a difficult topic because it deals with questions and ideas for which there is no scientific evidence. I asked the students whether they believe there are things in our world that are real  -- that definitely exist -- but that cannot be observed or measured by science . Alejandra, Colby and Jack M. each provided a wonderful answer to my question. Their answers were profound and meaningful. Alejandra started by saying that, even if you are not religious, you have to admit that  our personalities are real, though they cannot be seen. Colby followed by saying that our feelings are real, though we cannot measure them by science. And  Jack M. capped off this series of impressive philosophical insights by pointing out that LOVE is real, although you can neither see, hear or touch it. Some of you may study the Greek philosopher Plato when you get a bit older. Your classmates A , C   and ...

Chloe, Alejandra, Trey  and  Adam  re-wrote Camila Cabello's hit song Havana, with lyrics describing the pharaohs and gods of ancient Egypt! Their creative new rendition of this song is a musical treat.

Sofia wrote an excellent script for a newscast about life in ancient Egypt. She included specific historical details to demonstrate what she learned while researching the civilization. She also showed a lot of creativity : in this script, the news is not presented by humans, but instead by Egyptian gods and goddesses ! Later, Brynne and Courtney joined with Sofia to film the script. They really worked as a team, encouraging and helping each other to do their best.

When writing about history, one of the challenges for middle school students is finding their own, original voice. It can be tempting to simply change a few words from another person's writing, rather than taking the time to express ideas and information in a new, unique way. While working on her informative poster about China, Cabria rose to the challenge. She thought deeply about the material and then used her own words -- her own, authentic voice -- to present the information in an engaging way. Here is a sample: Being the only leader of the Qin Dynasty, Qin Shi Huangdi was a smart one. In this dynasty they created paper, kites, seismographs, and so many more things you use today! Shi Huangdi was not as “scary” or “powerful” as you might think. He lived in fear everyday because several attacks were made on him during his lifetime. He never trusted anybody, and even after death he was still doubtful about trusting his advisors. Courtney used a software program called Tinkercad...

Sophia, Chloe P.B., Landon  and  Anna put together an extremely clever "re-make" of Yankee Doodle which incorporates great details about ancient Egypt. Their song is informative and FUN. They also collaborated really well to perform and film the song. I hope that you will enjoy it!!  

Egyptians believed that after a person's death, the jackal-headed god Anubis used a scale to weigh his heart against the Ma'at ("truth"). The Ma'at was often represented by an ostrich feather. If a person's heart weighed less than the feather, then his ka would ascend to a happy, peaceful afterlife. For our Battle of the Ancient Civilizations project, Alejandra built a stunning replica of the Scales of Anubis. I am so impressed with her artistry and precise construction . Alejandra's model looks like it could be placed in a museum!! Here's a photograph: Meanwhile: Malcolm, Sean, Ryan  and  Jamez have been busy writing a terrific rap about the reasons that ancient China was superior to ancient Egypt. Here's a short excerpt of their lyrical craftsmanship:

Many historians think the ancient Egyptians were some of humankind's most brilliant engineers. The Egyptians' ability to construct the massive pyramids of Giza -- without wheels, cranes, electricity, or gasoline engines -- is awe-inspiring . They also came up with several important mathematical concepts, including a decimal system . Berra and her teammates used their poster to focus on an ingenious mathematical breakthrough: a measuring system based on the cubit , which is equal to the length of a typical man's arm. Using cubits, the Egyptians were able to balance the dimensions of the pyramids, which is part of the reason they have endured for so many centuries. Reese  and her teammates have also been learning about the amazing technologies of the Egyptians. In addition to the famous shaduf, Reese focused on two inventions that are sometimes overlooked: the water clock and the loom . Water clocks never really caught on in other societies, but looms did become popular (a...

How about these beautiful maps by Willow and Griffin?! As the students learn about ancient Egypt and China, we have been discussing the geography of each place. The early civilizations that arose in Egypt and China were located next to major rivers: the Nile , the Yellow , and the Yangzi . These rivers provided a dependable water supply, which enabled the people to grow a surplus of food and then expand into other jobs (potters, traders, scribes, and priests, to name a few). In addition, Egypt and China both had the advantage of natural barriers that protected the people from foreign invasion: the cataracts, the desert, the Mediterranean and Red Seas (for Egypt); the Gobi Desert and enormous mountain ranges (for China). Several students are mapping the ancient civilizations, exemplified by Willow's and Griffin's work shown above. Tucker  is using a combination of artistry and engineering skills to build models of the Egyptian pyramids. His technical skills and precision ...

Dylan and his teammates worked diligently during today's class, and I wanted to share the excellent beginning of his rap about ancient Egypt.

Congratulations to our Spelling Bee champions: Xavier Will Griffin Sammy Malcolm Some educators argue that spelling is no longer important, because a new technology (there's that word again!) -- spell-check -- is more efficient than the human brain. I disagree. I think that learning how to spell correctly trains a person's mind to think in an organized, disciplined way. Even when students are challenged by spelling, I encourage them to use an old-fashioned dictionary -- and to practice , by writing a lot!

I hope you are ready for tomorrow's skirmish, because  Carson C. has informed me that he will be armed with LOTS of great details about ancient Egypt ... and he intends to wear an iron helmet during class!!

The deep questions about Egypt and China are starting to percolate -- and they are fascinating!! Here was an especially good question from today: Greer, Tucker, Willow  and  Burke asked whether the ancient Egyptian pyramids should be considered a technology, since they weren't actually that helpful to most people (Willow even pointed out that some Egyptians may have died while trying to build the pyramids). This is a spectacular question, because it causes us to think about whether an object or invention needs to be "good" in order to be considered a technology .

This week, we are taking notes while we research ancient China and Egypt. Note-taking is a skill that requires practice (it's a bit like dribbling, for soccer players). It's not easy to learn  how to take notes, so here are some of my suggestions for taking notes while reading (taking notes while listening to a teacher is similar in some ways, but different in other ways): 1. Try not to copy the precise wording from the book/website. You are taking notes, so it's not an honor offense to copy the exact words (the honor offense would arise if you used someone else's words for an actual writing assignment, without giving the other person credit). However , if you force yourself to put information in your own words, it causes you to think more actively about what you are reading. Thinking more actively makes the process of reading -- and the process of taking notes -- more meaningful and more memorable. 2. You can't possibly write down everything (and doing so would n...