Medieval Middle East - Islam - Muhammad

Muhammad by Demi

Discussion:
Life up to age 40
Call to prophecy - life as prophet and leader
Battles in the Arabian peninsula - unification
Hajj, Farewell Sermon and death

Activity:
History journal
Map study: major cities and sites in Muhammad's life - blank map

Earth Science - Geologic Time - Stratigraphy

Shaping the Earth by DH Patent and William Munoz
Geology by Barbara Murck

Vocabulary Added:
stratigraphy: studying rock layers
uncomformity: gap in rock strata

Discussion:
Sedimentary rock distribution and formation
Why strata reveal how the Earth moves and changes; relative dating of rock strata
Time gaps in stratigraphy

Activity:
Build layer upon layer of "rock" with quick-hardening materials or foods, like frosting or chocolate shell

Earth Science - Geologic Time - Formation of the Earth

Shaping the Earth by DH Patent and William Munoz
Geology by Barbara Murck

Vocabulary Added:
uniformitarianism: the theory that geologic processes remain the same over time

Discussion:
How the Earth formed
How solid rock, water, and land formed

Activity:
Draw a cartoon strip showing the slow formation of the Earth

Medieval Middle East - Bedouin

Islam by Neil Morris, "Origins of Islam"
Cooking Up World History by Patricia C. Marden and Suzanne I. Barchers

Discussion:
Geography
Lifestyle - nomadic, desert-dwelling, herding flocks
Culture (story-telling) and religious beliefs, foods
Qaysis - descendants of Ishmael

Activity:
History journal
Map study: Arabian peninsula
Pretend to be a nomad - put up a tent, try cooking outside (think about what you could find to eat in the desert), think about the clothes you would want in the heat and cold

Earth Science - Earthquakes - Tsunamis

Sweeping Tsunamis by Louise and Richard Spilsbury
Tsunamis by Margaret W. Carruthers
Naked Science: 10 THINGS YOU DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT TSUNAMIS (Part 2)

Discussion:
Difference between normal waves and tsunamis
Causes of tsunamis (earthquakes, meteors, volcanoes)

Activity:
Tsunami in a bathtub.  Make islands out of floating toys.  Make "earthquakes" and waves.

Medieval Middle East - Byzantine-Sassanid Conflicts

The Byzantine Empire: A Society That Shaped the World by Kelly Rogers
A Brief Political and Geographic History of the Middle East by John Davenport

Discussion:
Locations and periods of major conflict
Prolonged war - consequences

Activity:

History journal

Map study: locate areas of major conflicts and where land changed sides - blank map 

Earth Science - Earthquakes - Famous Earthquakes

Earthquakes and Volcanoes by Lin Sutherland and Thomas Wright
How the Earth Works by Michelle O'Brien-Palmer
Earthquakes by Ker Than
Things You Didn't Know About Earthquakes

Discussion:
After-effects of earthquakes (mudslides, building structural flaws, fires, avalanche, etc)
Things learned from big quakes

Activity:
Shake-A-Quake activity (jello jigglers, marshmallows, toothpicks) from How the Earth Works

Medieval World - Attila the Hun

Priscus at the court of Attila 

Discussion:
Expanding the Hunnic Empire
Major battles and campaigns
Manner and style of Hun warriors

Activity:
History journal
2'x3' Map of Europe/Asia - re-enact Attila's campaigns with Playmobil people

Medieval World - Hun Invasion

Discussion:
Origin(s) - where did the Huns come from?
Base near the Caspian Sea
Attacks on the borders of established empires (Roman, Byzantine, Sassanid)

Activity:
History journal
Map activity: possible routes of the Huns, locations over time - blank map

Earth Science - Earthquakes - Measuring Earthquakes

Danger! Earthquakes by Seymour Simon
Geology Rocks! by Cindy Blobaum
Earthquakes and Volcanoes by Lin Sutherland and Thomas Wright
Geology by Barbara Murck

Vocabulary Added:
hypocenter: location of the earthquake within the Earth
epicenter point on the Earth's surface directly above the hypocenter

Discussion:
Using triangulation to find the epicenter
How seismographs work, generation of seismograms
The Richter scale

Activity:
Scan through I Felt That (app on iPhone), observing types of earthquakes recently recorded, and locations
Make a seismograph - from Geology Rocks!

Earth Science - Earthquakes - Causes

Earthquakes and Volcanoes by Lin Sutherland and Thomas Wright

Vocabulary Added:
elastic rebound theory: idea that the removal of stress allows rocks to snap back to their original size and shape

Discussion:
Plate convergence
Plate movement along faults
Direction of plate movement (horizontal or vertical)

Activity:
Rubber band snapping - demonstrate elasticity and stored energy

Medieval Middle East - Sassanid Empire - Religions

Ancient Iran by Massoume Price
Ancient Persia by Don Nardo
A Brief Political and Geographic History of the Middle East by John Davenport

Discussion:
Multiple religions - Christianity, Judaism, Zorastrianism
Administration of religion
Review of differences in beliefs

Activity:
History journal
Picture study: religious artifacts from different parts of the Sassanid Empire

Medieval Middle East - Sassanid Empire - Geography and History

Ancient Iran by Massoume Price
Ancient Persia by Don Nardo
A Brief Political and Geographic History of the Middle East by John Davenport

Discussion:
Persia - Location of Sassanids - proximity to Byzantine Empire
General overview of history from wars with Rome (Parthians) to tetrarchy
Government structure - bureaucracy and kingship

Activity:
History journal
Map study - location of the Sassanid Empire
Picture study - Sassanid artifacts

Earth Science - Volcanoes - Geysers and Hot Springs

Geysers by Claire Llewellyn

Discussion:
Where and how geysers form
Uses of geysers
Hot springs - differences/similarities to geysers

Activity:
Geyser Riser activity

Medieval Europe - Byzantine Empire - Eastern Orthodox Christianity

The Byzantine Empire: A Society That Shaped the World by Kelly Rogers
Art of Constantinople: An Introduction to Byzantine Art 330-1453 by John Beckwith

Discussion:
Structure of Eastern Orthodox church
Icons, art, and church architecture
Worship
Missionary activity - founding of national Eastern churches (Greek, Russian, Albanian, etc), effect on relationship with Western Church

Activity:
History journal
Picture study - Eastern Orthodox iconography, particularly Eastern saints

Earth Science - Volcanoes - Famous Eruptions

Raging Planet: Volcanoes on Netflix
Earthquakes and Volcanoes by Lin Sutherland and Thomas Wright
Shaping the Earth by Dorothy Hinshaw Patent and William Munoz

Discussion:
Noteworthy eruptions: Thera, Vesuvius, Mt. St. Helens, Pinatubo, Krakatau and others

Activity:
Picture study of famous eruptions and artifacts from them

Earth Science - Volcanoes - Types of Volcanoes

Geology by Barbara Murck
Earthquakes and Volcanoes by Lin Sutherland and Thomas Wright
Volcanoes: Journey to the Crater's Edge by Phillipe Bourseiller
Volcanoes by Elaine Landau

Vocabulary Added:
Volcano types:

• shield volcano
• plateau basalt
• cinder-cone volcano
• stratovolcano
• black smoker

pyroclastic flow: deadly mix of hot material and gas rushing down from a volcano
fissure: long fracture in the earth's crust
Plinian column: very tall pyroclastic eruptions
lateral blast: when a volcano erupts from its side
caldera: circular basin in the center-top of a volcano
crater: funnel-shaped depression in the center-top of a volcano
fumarole: vent for volcanic gas (such as water vapor or sulfur)

Discussion:
Why volcanoes form into different shapes
How each volcano erupts

Activity:
Draw a picture of each type of volcano
Explode a volcano!

Medieval Europe - Byzantine Empire - Art and Architecture

Art of Constantinople: An Introduction to Byzantine Art 330-1453 by John Beckwith

Discussion:
Themes and materials in Byzantine art
Greek Christian iconography
Buildings - structure, purpose, decoration

Activity:
History journal
Picture study

Medieval Europe - Byzantine Empire - From Latin to Greek Traditions

The Byzantine Empire: A Society That Shaped the World by Kelly Rogers

Discussion:
Change of capital: from West (Rome) to East (Byzantium)
Change of language: Latin to Greek
Change of religion: From Greco-Roman gods to Greek Christianity
Why did the Byzantine Empire survive while the West fragmented?

Activity:
History journal
Make a chart comparing the (Eastern Roman) Byzantine Empire to the (Western) Roman Empire

Earth Science - Volcanoes - Volcanic Rocks

The Magic School Bus Inside the Earth by Joanna Cole and Bruce Degan
Earthquakes and Volcanoes by Lin Sutherland and Thomas Wright
Rocks and Minerals by Tracy Staedter and Carolyn Rebbert
Firefly Guide to Minearls, Rocks, & Fossils by Bishop, Woolley, and Hamilton
Geology by Barbara Murck

Vocabulary Added:
magmatic differentiation:  how a single magma can produce a variety of rocks
fractional crystallization: when crystals and liquids are separated from one another

Discussion:
Types of rocks vary due to composition, partial melting, cooling rate, fractional crystallization
Familiar types of volcanic rocks (pumice, obsidian, granite, basalt)

Activity:
Identifying igneous rocks - around the house, garden, in buildings, in stores.  Collect samples if possible.

Earth Science - Volcanoes - Magma/Lava

Danger! Volcanoes by Seymour Simon
Earthquakes and Volcanoes by Lin Sutherland and Thomas Wright
Geology by Barbara Murck

Vocabulary Added:
magma: melted rock inside the Earth
lava: magma that rises to the Earth's surface

Discussion:
Types of magma - difference in silica content
Types of lava flow (aa, pahoehoe)

Activity:
Fun with baking and icing: viscosity adjustment - recreating lava with runny or thick icing

Medieval Europe - Byzantine Empire - Government

The Byzantine Empire: A Society That Shaped the World by Kelly Rodgers

Discussion:
Government structure
The emperor - imperial infighting
Conquering, losing, reconquering

Activity:
History journal
Chart - Byzatine governmental structures, offices, etc

Medieval Europe - Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire - Geography and History Review

The Byzantine Empire: A Society That Shaped the World by Kelly Rodgers

Discussion:
Diocletian and the tetrarchy
Extent of the Eastern and Western Roman Empires
Constantine moves the capital to Byzantium (Constantinople)

Activity:
History journal
Mapping the Eastern Roman Empire (ie, the Byzantine Empire) - blank map

Earth Science - Volcanoes - Temperature, Pressure, Gas

Earthquakes and Volcanoes by Lin Sutherland and Thomas Wright
Geology by Barbara Murck

Vocabulary Added:
geothermal gradient: the rate the temperature increases with depth in the Earth
decompression melting: how the melting point changes as the pressure changes

Discussion:
why rocks melt
why the mantle is mostly solid and not melted rock

Activity:
Salt and ice experiment
Recording the boiling point of different liquids

Earth Science - Earth Structure - Microcontinents

The Earth Through Time by H. Levin

Vocabulary Added:
allochthonous: sediment that formed at a location other than its present one

Discussion:
Small bits of continental crust - ability to move vast distances
Methods of movement

Activity:
Use graham crackers and crumbs floating on honey to show how little bits can end up next to or inside of bigger bits

Medieval Europe - Religious Beliefs - Christian Missionaries

Across a Dark and Wild Sea by Don Brown and Deborah Nadel
Picture study: Sts. Cyril and Methodius
Socrates Scholasticus, Ecclesiastical History, Book 4, Chapter 33, Conversion of the Goths

Discussion:
Dangers of missionary work
Conversion through incentives

Activity:
History journal
Think of reasons people today might be persuaded to change religions

Earth Science - Earth Structure - Hot Spots

Shaping the Earth by DW Patent and William Munoz
The Earth Through Time by H. Levin

Discussion:
Movement of the plates and lava hot spots
Example of Hawaii

Medieval Europe - Social Structures - Monks, Hermits, Nuns

Benedict, The Holy Rule of St. Benedict, Chapter 1 and Chapter 6

Discussion:
Styles of religious life

Vocabulary:
monastery, cloister, abbey, abbot, abbess, nun, monk, hermit, novice, postulant

Activity:
History journal
Attempt taking a vow of silence for an hour.
Field trip: St. Anselm's Abbey

Earth Science - Earth Structure - Plate Tectonics

How the Earth Works by Michelle O'Brien-Palmer
Shaping the Earth by DW Patent and William Munoz
The Earth Through Time by H. Levin

Vocabulary Added:
convergence: continents pushing together
subduction: one plate slipping under another

Discussion:
Earthquake activity reveals location of plates
Example of India

Activity:
"Make a Model - Earth's Crust" from How the Earth Works

Ancient Rome and Medieval Europe - Religious Beliefs - Augustine and Jerome

Augustine, Confessions, Book II, Chapter 4
Jerome, Letter 38, To Marcella

Discussion:
Augustine's view of sin - innate to man, need for grace
Jerome's views on women

Activity:
History journal
Propositional Debate: Teacher asks questions, students answers in the mode of Augustine or Jerome

Earth Science - Earth Structure - Sea-floor Spreading

Shaping the Earth by DW Patent and William Munoz
The Earth Through Time by H. Levin

Vocabulary Added:
divergence: continents pushing apart

Discussion:
How upwelling sea-floor lava pushes plates apart, expanding the distance between continents

Activity:
Pour honey between two graham crackers.  Watch them push apart.

Ancient Rome - Religious Beliefs - Christian Disagreements

Athanasius, On the Incarnation of the Word, Chapter 2, 7-8
Ambrose, Exposition of the Christian Faith, Book I, Chapter 19

Discussion:
Who and what is Jesus Christ?
Arian point of view
Council of Nicea

Activity:
History journal
Propositional Debate: Teacher asks student questions about nature of Christ - student answers first as an Arian, then according to the Nicene Creed

Ancient Rome - Religious Beliefs - Christian Martyrdom

Perpetua, Martyrdom of Perpetua and Felicity
Tertullian, Apologetic, Apology, Chapter 10, (Accusations against Christians)
Saint Valentine by Ann Tompert and Kestutis Kasparavicius

Discussion:
Roman charges against Christians
Types of martyrdoms
Why Christians embraced martyrdom

Activity:
History journal
Narration - Perpetua's martyrdom

Earth Science - Earth Structure - Magnetism

Geology: A Self-Teaching Guide by Barbara Murck
The Earth Through Time by Harold L. Levin

Vocabulary:
paleomagnetism: magnetism of ancient rocks, showing continents' previous alignment
apparent polar wandering curves: lines on a map showing how a continent moved

Discussion:
How magnetism reveals where the poles are
How paleomagnetism reveals where the poles were relative to the position of the shifting continents

Activity:
Make a compass

Earth Science - Earth Structure - Continental Drift

Shaping the Earth by Dorothy Hinshaw Patent and William Munoz

The Earth Through Time by Harold Levin (textbook)

Discussion: 

How continents move on the lithosphere
Fossil record - how we can tell continents used to be joined together

Activity:
Draw Pangaea on a paper plate.  Cut into Laurasia and Gondwanaland.  Cut into present-day continents. Show how continents moved to present location.

Ancient Rome - Religious Beliefs - Early Christian Practices

Justin Martyr, First Apology, Chapter 67, "Weekly Worship of the Christians"
Justine Martyr, First Apology, Chapter 61, "Christian Baptism"

Discussion:
Religious practices of early Christians

Activity:
History journal
Compare present-day Christian worship services to Justin's description
Compare present-day baptismal practices to Justin's description

Earth Science - Earth Structure - The Crust

Shaping the Earth by Dorothy Hinshaw Patent and William Munoz

The Earth Through Time by Harold Levin (textbook)

Vocabulary Added:
lithosphere: rock-ring; crust plus the top of the mantle

Moho: Mohorovicic discontinuity; boundary between crust and mantle

Discussion: 

Thinness of the crust relative to the rest of the innersphere
Continental crust and oceanic crust

Faults and folds

Activity:
Use blocks and origami paper to show how faults and folds form
Finish Earth's structure drawing

Ancient Rome - Religious Beliefs - Diaspora Judaism

Bar Mitzvah: A Jewish Boy's Coming of Age by Eric A. Kimmel
What You Will See Inside a Synagogue by Rabbi Lawrence A. Hoffman and Dr. Ron Wolfson and Bill Aron
Babylonian Talmud, Book 8, "A stubborn and rebellious son"

Discussion:
From Mishnah (oral tradition) to Talmud (writing)
Talmud - preserving rabbinic teachings outside of Jerusalem
Study and learning as culture

Activity:
History journal
Visit a synagogue

Earth Science - Earth Structure - The Mantle

Shaping the Earth by Dorothy Hinshaw Patent and William Munoz

The Earth Through Time by Harold Levin (textbook)

Vocabulary Added:
asthenosphere: weak-ring; uppermost part of the mantle
mesosphere: middle-ring; rest of the mantle

Discussion: 

Composition of the mantle, production of magma
Segments of the mantle
Wave behavior in the mantle

Activity:
Continue drawing of Earth's structure

Ancient Rome - Religious Beliefs - Destruction of the Temple

The Story of Shabbat by Molly Cone and Emily Lisker
Josephus, Wars of the Jews, Book 6, Chapter 4, 5-8

Discussion:
Review of Jewish return to Jerusalem after Babylonian exile
Jewish wars against Rome
Destruction of the Second Temple - exile throughout the Mediterranean

Activity:
History journal
Map study of Jerusalem during the second temple period
Bake Challah

Earth Science - Earth Structure - Inner Core

Shaping the Earth by Dorothy Hinshaw Patent and William Munoz

The Earth Through Time by Harold Levin (textbook)

Vocabulary Added:
seismic waves: waves of energy that travel through the Earth's layers
primary waves: seismic waves that vibrate in the direction they are traveling; they arrive first and can pass through liquid; not harmful
secondary waves: seismic waves that vibrate transversely to the direction they are traveling; arrive later, cannot pass liquid, cause damage

Discussion: 

Seismic waves and primary waves reveal the composition of the core

Iron and nickel - high density material

Pressure on the core - liquid to solid

Activity:
Make secondary waves with a slinky 

Refraction experiment - pencil in water, see how the pencil appears to be bent

Ancient Rome - Religious Beliefs - Jesus and the Apostles

The Twelve Apostles by Marianna Mayer
Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, Book 18, Chapter 1, Chapter 3

Discussion:
Review of first 5 Roman Emperors, Roman religion, structure of Roman Empire
Political context of Jesus Christ in Jerusalem and Roman Empire - Pontius Pilate
The Apostles' message and early travels

Activity:
History journal - three sentences
Map activity - trace routes of Apostles' journeys

Ancient Rome - Religious Beliefs - Judaism at 0 CE

Pirkei Avot, Chapter One, Hillel and Shammai et al.
Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 3, John the Baptist
Dead Sea Scroll 1QS, Manual of Discipline, "Of loving and hating fellow men; and of duty to God"

Discussion:
Sects of Judaism (Essenes, Sadducees, Pharisees, Zealots, and others such as John the Baptist, Jesus Christ)
Public debates about Mosaic law
Schools and their followers - oral traditions
Relationships to Roman authorities

Activity:
History journal
Proposition and debate: teacher gives student a question; student attempts to answer the question in the manner of each sect discussed (ie, who is my neighbor? or, on the Resurrection)