Watch several of the short video clips on Out of Eden Learn and Out of Eden Walk. Think about:
Who is Paul Salopek?
What is the purpose of his journey?
What is slow journalism?
What is Out of Eden Learn?
What do you think will make Out of Eden Learn interesting?
What questions do you have about Out of Eden Learn?
Share your ideas in the comment section! Due date: Friday, September 25th (G/H) and Saturday, September 26th (B/D). All comments will be moderated and published by Saturday night at 8:00pm.
We are currently learning about Sumer, the first civilization, in southern Mesopotamia. Sumer was made up of several city-states, including Kish, Nippur, and Ur. Our current lesson also focuses on the traits of a civilization.
Screenshot of Euphrates River from Google Maps. You can see how fertile (green) the land is near the river (vs. the desert).
Screenshot of Tigris River in Iraq from Google Maps.
Mesopotamia is a name for the area of the Tigris–Euphrates river system, corresponding to modern-day Iraq, Kuwait, the northeastern section of Syria, as well as parts of southeastern Turkey and of southwestern Iran.
The official UN International Peace Day is September 21, but AISC will celebrate it on Friday, September 18. The UN created this day to strengthen the ideals of peace. This year’s theme for the day is “Partnerships for Peace – Dignity for All.” There will be a Graffiti Wall on the outside of the High School CIC facing the fountain courtyard. Students, parents, faculty – all community members – can share their thoughts, images, examples of what “Dignity for All” means to them. This wall will be up and ready starting on Tuesday, September 15. Envision a world of peace – what would it look like? How can we work toward achieving this?
The timing of the end of our early humans unit coincides with the news of the discovery of ancient skeletons in Africa. This story is all over the news and social media. I have included some videos from the news and some articles with images. Scientists have discovered a new human-like species in a burial chamber deep in a cave system in South Africa. The discovery of 15 partial skeletons is the largest single discovery of its type in Africa. The researchers claim that the discovery will change ideas about our human ancestors.
Image source: OCTOBER 2015 ISSUE OF NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE. Photo by Mark Thiessen/National Geographic
Image source: National Geographic
Please comment and write about anything interesting you read or heard and/or one wondering or question you might have about this discovery. Here are some articles with further stories and images:
Many students have asked me to share the Otzi documentary we watched in class. Here is the playlist. The documentary is the third video. If you find Otzi, hunter-gatherer, early farming, or other related early human websites or videos, please share the link with me. I am always looking for new resources. Thanks!
Image from The True Size Of… (screenshot by Mr. Martin)
Check out a new interactive map project, The True Size Of….It lets you visualize how big countries really are, rather than how big they appear when distorted on a map. Created by James Talmage and Damon Maneice, the site uses Google Maps to show the actual size of different countries and landmasses. You can drag countries around the map, and they’ll dynamically shift to show how big they are relative to each other. For example, look how the United States, China, and India would all almost fit into Africa. It’s an interesting site. Take a look at it and compare India and your country to other regions of the world.
In our early human unit, you learned about the agricultural revolution, the name given to the shift or move from food gathering to food raising/growing. Early humans learned how to domesticate plants for food and animals that gave them food and clothing. People made harpoons, needles, and other tools from animal bones. New tools and methods of farming led to the invention of new tools like hoes to loosen soil, sticks to dig holes, and sickles to harvest grain. New communities and villages developed near fresh water sources, like rivers, where people built irrigation canals to move water from rivers to fields.
"My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style."
- Maya Angelou
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