The Scientific Revolution and the Truth of Emotions

     As the Scientific Revolution unfolded, man's understanding of the world changed. During this time, people began to feel that the church was not the only authority in life and that science could explain things better. Philosophers of that time believed that they were living in a time of unprecedented knowledge and discovery. They were enthusiastic about promoting these discoveries and becoming "lovers of wisdom". Most of the scientists were believers in God and did not work to undermine the church, but there were some who used their new knowledge to stand against the church. Religion became viewed as an opinion rather then truth. How is this different then today?
    As we discussed in class, some believe that emotions are the only "truth" they can rely on. How many people feel that way? If there is no real "truth" then do we only have our emotions to rely on? To go further, if there is no God, then what is our purpose here? Galileo felt that his purpose was to educate people about the universe. He published books and gave lectures on his findings, but he always gave credit to God for being so kind as to reveal his hidden treasures. However, the Catholic clergy did not agree with his teachings. He was ordered to stop teaching and his books were banned before he was finally placed on house arrest, where he completed his final days. It wasn't until 1992 that the Vatican admitted the mistake made in prohibiting his teachings and returned a verdict of not guilty. It only took 359 years!

   

     This week we are moving into the Age of Revolution. You will be examining the changes that took place in Europe, France, and America. These revolutions changed their countries forever. Your teams have the exciting task of presenting a broadcast next week on one of the revolutions. Team one will be presenting the French Revolution, Team two will be presenting the American Revolution, and Team three will be presenting the Battle of Culloden. The Battle of Culloden is not covered in the book, ahem, so you will need to research that battle. I feel that it should have been included since it completely changed the Scottish way of life and their position in Britain, and it preceded the French and American Revolution. Many of the Scots were banished to the American colonies after Culloden and fought in the American Revolution. It is an important part of history.

Homework:
1. Read Unit 20
2. Research your teams revolution. Be prepared to give a broadcast with the dates, locations ( maps are good), people, and outcomes of the revolution. You may choose to pick one important event from the battle to focus on, but we need the background information about the battle. I expect each team member to participate in the broadcast, so no one is sitting this one out! Feel free to bring props, costumes, or anything else you want to make your broadcast stand out. You can interview "eye witnesses", act out events, demonstrate "live" on the scene footage, etc... Be creative! Make sure to communicate with your team this week and have  plan.

The Age of Exploration

The Age of Exploration affected the culture, religion, science, government, and food of different nations. The explorers brought back items that were previously foreign to their country and introduced a new way of life. For centuries, most people stayed within the boundaries of their country and had little knowledge of the rest of the world. They were unaware of the mysteries that lay outside their boundaries. That all changed when the first explorers ventured overseas. Crews boarded ships that were headed to new lands. They would be faced with the challenges of sea life, such as, limited fresh foods, disease, poor hygiene, death, and fear of the unknown. They would also discover new lands, new foods that delighted their taste buds, tobacco, religion, chocolate!!!, and beautiful scenery. They would also stumble upon tribes that were confused by their arrival. It was an exiting and dangerous time. The Age of Exploration opened the door to many new things and a new land.

This week you will start to read about the new things they discovered and how it changed their world.  The world was changing rapidly, and while some of it was exciting, some of it was threatening. You will read about the advancements in science, philosophy, clothing, and the value of life.

Homework:
1. Read Unit 19
2. Choose a country to research for their clothing style. Create your own outfit based on the style of that country. The era can be from biblical times through the 17th century. You can create an outfit to wear to class, create a poster carefully showing the clothing style with swatches (you can draw this) and/or printed pictures, or bring in an outfit to show us. We will be judging the best outfit in class. You can choose any country listed in Unit 19, lesson 94.
3. Study for test next week! Don't forget to use Quizlet!

Here are some ideas:

European clothing

Medieval clothing

Scottish clothing

Clothing from Chile

Don't Lose Your Head

     Divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived. These are the lives and deaths of the six wives of King Henry VIII. Being brought into the King's court was a risky affair. While the food was scrumptious, the music delightful, and the decor lavish, your very life could be in jeopardy if you caught the eye of the King. Henry VIII was a talented and educated man who famously married six wives in search of political alliances and a male heir to the throne. His first marriage to Catherine of Aragon was annulled without papal approval when she was unable to bear a living son. This annulment led to the creation of a separate Church of England. Henry crowned himself "Head of the Church" and joined the protestant reformation. Of his six marriages, two ended in annulment, two in natural deaths, and two wives' beheaded for treason and adultery. These six marriages produced three children: Edward VI, Mary I, and Elizabeth I. Each would take their turn as England's monarchy. The most loved and respected queen was Elizabeth, his daughter with his second wife, Anne Boleyn. 

     Henry helped promote the reformation throughout England, but for purely selfish reasons. His attachment to the reformation allowed him to marry and cast out as many wives as he wanted. During his reign, bibles were made available to the people of England, churches were established, and the country thrived. 

While England did briefly return to its catholic roots during Mary's reign, Elizabeth brought England back to her father's religious reforms. Elizabeth was the longest-reigning monarch from the Tudor family and the most loved. After the Tudor family, the Stuarts took over the throne in England. 

Of Henry's six wives, Jane Seymour is considered his favorite. She produced the only male heir, and is the only Queen to have a proper Queen's funeral. She is laid to rest next to Henry. 

Henry's palace, Hampton Court, was beautiful. No expense was spared in creating this lavish residence.  Hampton Court entertained many guests over the years, feeding up to 600 people at each meal, included its own church, and had over 1,000 rooms. Being part of Henry's court offered many advantages, but it also came with risk. One false move and it was off with your head! This sprawling estate can be visited today outside of London. You might even see a ghost!

This week you will be reading about the Age of Exploration, which occurred concurrently with the Reformation. New worlds are discovered, battles are won, and colonies are established. You will also learn about the homes and furnishings of that time. 

Homework:

1. Read Unit 18

2. There is no official homework to turn in, BUT your teams will be competing in a game about the explorers, so you should do a little research about them. Make notes of things you think might be important. Your team is counting on you. This is for points! You have more soldiers and weapons to buy, right? 

The Age of New Creations

     The Renaissance period ushered in a new and creative time in art, music, science, and literature. The art told stories through beauty and elegance. They did tend to showcase unclothed bodies, but they did so tastefully. The music was soothing, beautiful, and creative. You could imagine yourself sitting in a pew listening to a choir as the music floats through the air. The science of the time brought us a telescope, the scientific method, advances in medicine and astronomy, glasses, and more. You can think of Frances Bacon the next time you do an experiment in Biology or Chemistry:)
Literature brought us fantastic plays and interesting stories. The first "Utopian" society idea was presented during this time by Thomas More and has since been recreated many times by other authors. Unfortunately, Thomas's life was cut short by Henry VIII. Shakespeare gave us humorous and dramatic themed plays, which are still being performed today, and of course Dante gave us interesting stories that high school students still study today.

Daily life was changing as the printing press was introduced and allowed people to obtain books for the first time. It really did change everything.

Music was changing and bringing people together as composers and listeners.

Science was discovering new things and bringing more knowledge to people. The complexities of the human body and stars were being understood more and more. People were learning new things on a daily basis and benefiting from it. Some people used interesting methods to discover new things, but whatever they method they used, added to what we know now.

This week we will be moving on to an interesting period in time. It is a time filled with egotistical kings, gruesome executions, and an end to the catholic church as England knew it. Are you ready?

Homework:
1. Read Unit 17
2. Research King Henry VIII. Find out when he became king, who his 6 wives were, which wives produced heirs, how they died and why, and which of his people he had executed and why. You can make a poster displaying his wives and facts about them, write a paper, or create a booklet containing all of the information.

Have a great week!

Richard, William, and Robert

     Long ago in a far way land there lived three men who fought fiercely for their kingdoms. They were warriors who changed history and endured hardships. King Richard I ( the Lion heart) was crowned the king of England in 1189 at Westminster Abbey. He was a rebellious young man who became a noble warrior fighting in the Crusades. During his reign of 9 years, he spent only 6 months of them in England. Instead of running the country, he was off fighting.
     In another land near by but years later, there lived a warrior named William Wallace. He was a warrior in the Scottish highlands who wanted to win back Scotland's freedom from the British. His reputation was known throughout the land after he killed the English Sheriff of Lanark for killing is sweetheart. A price was put on his head, so he made a bold decision and raised a Scottish army. At Stirling Bridge in 1297, he had an amazing defeat against the English, but that win was short-lived. He lost his next battle and became a fugitive for 7 years. When a "friend" betrayed him to the English, he was tried for treason and was the first man to be hung, drawn, and quartered. As a message to the Scots, his head was placed on the London Bridge, and the fragments of his body were sent to several Scottish cities as reminders on the consequences of revolting against the English.
     Lastly we have Robert the Bruce. Robert picked up where William Wallace left off and fought to gain freedom for the Scots. He changed his allegiance with King Edward I in order to lead the Scots to freedom. After murdering a possible rival for the Scottish throne, he was crowned King of Scotland. While King, he fought in several battles, losing the first two and becoming a fugitive, but later winning at the battle in Bannockburn. Robert remained King until 1329.

Katie, this picture is for you:)

History is an amazing thing. We can look back and learn from those who went before us, and see how their actions affected our world. Every decision they made, battle they fought in, and lives they touched have shaped our world. History is not merely a list of boring facts about people from long ago. It is a collection of stories about the people who changed our world. It is about our ancestors and their bold decisions. It is also God's story and the part they played. My hope is that as we enter into an exciting time in history you will find something that intrigues you and research it for yourself. Find out why things happened the way they did and learn from it. Become an expert!
This week you will get started with that by researching the Renaissance period.

Homework:
1. Read Unit 16
2. Research a famous person from the Renaissance period in either Music, Literature, Art, or Science. Find out what they contributed to their field, where they lived, how it influenced others, and the lasting impact it had. If you choose art, you can paint or draw something from the artist you choose, or create your own art using their techniques. If you choose science, you can recreate a replica of what they invented, or find our more about their contribution to science. With Literature you can read us your favorite passage next week and write about it's impact on the world, and with Music you can bring in a sample of a piece of music from the artist you chose. You do need to have background information on the person you choose. Where are they from, what did they create, what impact did it have, and any information about their life.

Have a great week!

Vikings Ships Have Invaded Our Class!

 Viking Ships invaded our class today! Wow! I can't even express how impressed I was by the creativity of these ships. You all blew me away!

We all voted and declared 2 winners for the best Viking ship, but truly every ship was awesome!

Here is one of the winners-ship by Alexis

Here is the other winner created by the Steele Twins

We had so many awesome ships today!

What a wonderful time playing a Christmas trivia game, eating food, and opening gifts! You were all so thoughtful!

You are now officially on Christmas Break!!! Hooray! I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and enjoy the break from school work. You do need to read Unit 15, but no other homework is assigned for the break. Once we get back from break, we will be heading into my favorite part of history! I am so excited! Since this book is very incomplete in my opinion, there will be additional things to read and research, but I promise I won't go nuts! So enjoy this break before we are back to work.

The Fall of Rome

"The Holy Roman Empire is neither Holy, nor Roman, nor an Empire."-Voltaire

The Roman empire was defeated for many reasons. They were in financial ruins from previous battles and an expensive army, they were attacked repeatedly, and they had division between the east and west to name a few. The barbarians and other invaders could not be stopped by the Romans as they descended upon the land. While the Romans had a large military, it came at the cost of the citizens. Taxes were high to sustain such an army and people could not afford to pay. Instead they died of starvation or had to sell their loved ones into slavery. The plague became a problem too. People were dying at the rate of 5,000 per day. That left very few to join the military. Rome was doomed. Other countries started attacking them and the rest is history.

What can we learn from the Romans? Does history repeat itself?


This last week before the Christmas break you will be learning about the Vikings. They were known as invaders, predators, and barbarians. The Vikings are often portrayed merely as one-dimensional warriors whose achievements include little more than plundering and raiding. But is that really the whole story? You will soon find out. You will also re-create a Viking ship. I can't wait to see what you come up with!

Homework:
1. Read Unit 14
2. Study for test on Units 10-14
3. Build or make your Viking ship (we will be judging it next week)
4. Don't forget your secret pal gift!

*next week we will have a little party so if there is a special food you want to bring, please do so. We will play a game too, so bring your game face! Feel free to dress festive too. Hats, ugly Christmas sweaters, whatever you can think of. I might have a prize for the most festive outfit too.