Happy Holidays-See You Next Year

Pompeii Day is behind us, and I’m happy to report the survival of all participants. What a fun day filled with togas, multiple takes and out-takes, scripting, acting, filming, and laughing. Well done to all.

When we return on January 10th, we will wrap up our study of Rome by looking at the fall of Rome. How could the mighty Roman Empire ever collapse? You will be working on your Pompeii Day iMovie. Think of it as digital storytelling. Use all the video footage and the tools on your laptop to re-create a believable and entertaining story of that fateful day in 79A.D. We’ll also get back into our Vocabulary routine, and some journaling. Coming up soon after the fall of Rome will be our in-depth study of the Middle Ages in Europe. The Dark Ages loom.

Happy Holidays to you all. Safe travels and come back to school refreshed and inspired.

King Cole signing off.

Pompeii Days

Pompeii Days are here. Each class will re-create a mini-drama newscast of the events of the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79AD.  There will be a humanities, math and science component.

How can you make each of these interesting in a video?  Highly dramatic? Entertaining, but not silly? How can you show, not tell?

Three-Column-Planning-Table

Pompeii – Final Take Sheet

Pompeii Day Requirements

A List of Roman Names

Go to the SAS portal to watch examples from previous years.

Rome Presentations – Mon./Tues.

All students will present the main information from their Compare and Contrast essays to the class on Monday or Tuesday. You will NOT read your essay. You WILL create an engaging visual presentation and share it in an engaging way using the PIPES.

This presentation is made up of two parts, a slide show and a speech. Make sure you devote time to both.

SLIDESHOW
Remember, keep your slide show simple. Do not overload slides with text. You’ll be speaking, so there’s no need to have tons of words in your slideshow.

Here’s the useful slideshow from class:

[HTML1]

This slideshow might be useful, too.

You can find pictures at FlickrStorm, Tag Galaxy, Search-Cube, etc.

SPEECH
When you’re speaking, remember PIPES:

Projection – Talk loud enough for the person in the back to hear you.
Inflection – You’re not a robot, but you’re not on stage either.
Pacing – Speak slower than you think you need to.
Eye Contact – Look everyone in the eye at least once.
Stance – Stand naturally; don’t move around. (The podium will help.)

RUBRIC
I’ll be using this scoring sheet as you give your presentation. Be familiar with it, and design your presentation slideshow with the rubric in mind.

Transitions for your essay

Using Transitions in your Compare and Contrast Essay

Transitions can be used to connect one sentence to another or one paragraph to another. The lists below show some transitions that you could use within your Compare and Contrast essay.

Words that can be used to compare two things:

-likewise

-like

-as

-also

-in the same way

-similarly

-one way

-both

Words that can be used to contrast things (show differences)

-but

-however

-still

-yet

-although

-otherwise

-on the other hand

-even though

-nevertheless

Click here for a link to more transitions.

LOGICAL RELATIONSHIP	TRANSITIONAL EXPRESSION
Similarity	also, in the same way, just as … so too, likewise, similarly
Exception/Contrast	but, however, in spite of, on the one hand … on the other hand, nevertheless, nonetheless, notwithstanding, in contrast, on the contrary, still, yet
Sequence/Order	first, second, third, … next, then, finally
Time	after, afterward, at last, before, currently, during, earlier, immediately, later, meanwhile, now, recently, simultaneously, subsequently, then
Example	for example, for instance, namely, specifically, to illustrate
Emphasis	even, indeed, in fact, of course, truly
Place/Position	above, adjacent, below, beyond, here, in front, in back, nearby, there
Cause and Effect	accordingly, consequently, hence, so, therefore, thus
Additional Support or Evidence	additionally, again, also, and, as well, besides, equally important, further, furthermore, in addition, moreover, then
Conclusion/Summary	finally, in a word, in brief, in conclusion, in the end, in the final analysis, on the whole, thus, to conclude, to summarize, in sum, in summary

Compare and Contrast Essay

Compare and Contrast Essay – Due Friday, December 10th

This is a five paragraph expository essay where you will compare some aspect of Rome to something similar today. You need to describe three ways they are similar, and also include ways they are different. Below is a rough outline you can follow.

INTRODUCTION: hook, background information, mention your three body topics, thesis (The [insert topic here] of today is both alike and different from the [insert topic here] of Ancient Rome.)

BODY 1 : topic sentence, how is [insert sub-topic #1] in Rome similar to modern times?, how is it different from modern times?

BODY 2 : topic sentence that includes a transition from body 1, how is [insert sub-topic #2] in Rome similar to modern times?, how is it different from modern times?

BODY 3: topic sentence that includes a transition from body 2, how is [insert sub-topic #3] in Rome similar to modern times?, how is it different from modern times?

CONCLUSION: restate thesis, mention all three things again, something memorable

Click HERE for another example.