Hey guys!
There was a lot of great critical thinking happening in class today--great stuff! =)
As discussed today, your first project will consist of two parts, an Evaluative Timeline and Analytical Blog Post, both of which tackle the same EQ in different ways.
This requires you to apply two inter-related Historical Thinking Skills, determining Historical Significance and evaluating from different Historical Perspectives. We examined the former in class today and will discuss the latter in more detail soon.
We have already established criteria for Historical Significance and brainstormed all the significant events we examined during the Middle Ages following the fall of the Western Roman Empire. We then determined the ten most important, and placed them in chronological order.
Next, we decided to evaluate the "lightness" (how good they were) and the "darkness" (how bad they were) of the events from the perspective of a Christian monk living in the Holy Roman Empire near the end of Middle Ages. We ranked events on a +5 (light/good) to -5 (dark/bad) scale based on their relative "lightness" and "darkness." From this monk's perspective, the Dark Ages were not merely dark! We identified a couple events he would have seen as "light," which then forces us to think differently about how we evaluate the Middle Ages overall.
Here is what we came up with as a reminder of what the timeline will look like (the rough one only--the final will be beautiful!). Note that Clovis did not, in fact, unite Frank! You can ask him yourself! ;)
There was a lot of great critical thinking happening in class today--great stuff! =)
As discussed today, your first project will consist of two parts, an Evaluative Timeline and Analytical Blog Post, both of which tackle the same EQ in different ways.
- Essential Question: How Dark Were the Dark Ages?
This requires you to apply two inter-related Historical Thinking Skills, determining Historical Significance and evaluating from different Historical Perspectives. We examined the former in class today and will discuss the latter in more detail soon.
We have already established criteria for Historical Significance and brainstormed all the significant events we examined during the Middle Ages following the fall of the Western Roman Empire. We then determined the ten most important, and placed them in chronological order.
Next, we decided to evaluate the "lightness" (how good they were) and the "darkness" (how bad they were) of the events from the perspective of a Christian monk living in the Holy Roman Empire near the end of Middle Ages. We ranked events on a +5 (light/good) to -5 (dark/bad) scale based on their relative "lightness" and "darkness." From this monk's perspective, the Dark Ages were not merely dark! We identified a couple events he would have seen as "light," which then forces us to think differently about how we evaluate the Middle Ages overall.
Here is what we came up with as a reminder of what the timeline will look like (the rough one only--the final will be beautiful!). Note that Clovis did not, in fact, unite Frank! You can ask him yourself! ;)
For next Wednesday after we get back from camp, you must have
We will collaborate to compare, critique, and revise our Evaluative Timelines in class. We will also discuss what characteristics excellent ones will have in terms of thinking and visual presentation and co-construct a rubric. Finally, we will discuss the requirements for the Analytical Blog Post and determine appropriate due dates for both.
In order to be ready for class on Wednesday, I strongly recommend you complete your rough draft before going to camp on Sunday! You might be exhausted and covered in paintball bruises Tuesday night!
- Chosen a person's historical perspective to think from. Either someone who primarily "worked, fought, or prayed."
- Chosen the 10-15 most historically significant events in the Middle Ages from that individual's perspective
- Created a rough draft of the Evaluative Timeline that includes the ranked events, their date, and a brief explanation (to justify your ranking decision).
We will collaborate to compare, critique, and revise our Evaluative Timelines in class. We will also discuss what characteristics excellent ones will have in terms of thinking and visual presentation and co-construct a rubric. Finally, we will discuss the requirements for the Analytical Blog Post and determine appropriate due dates for both.
In order to be ready for class on Wednesday, I strongly recommend you complete your rough draft before going to camp on Sunday! You might be exhausted and covered in paintball bruises Tuesday night!