Mrs. Zana’s Class

a place to read and write together

Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’


Roman Map Assignment

Permission granted to reproduce for classroom use only. © 2001 Social Studies School Service. (800) 421-4246 socialstudies.com
Directions:

Spend a minute looking at a modern world map to review your knowledge of the world’s continents and bodies of water.

Look at each of these Roman maps. As you look at them, notice how different they look from modern maps.

Orbis Terrarum According to Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa (20 CE)
http://www.henry-davis.com/MAPS/AncientWebPages/118.html

World Map According to Pomponius Mela (c. 40 CE)
http://www.henry-davis.com/MAPS/AncientWebPages/116.html

World Map According to Dionysius (124 CE)
http://www.henry-davis.com/MAPS/AncientWebPages/117.html

Use your browser’s Back and Forward buttons to go back and forth between the maps
you’ve just seen. Answer these questions about the maps:

1. What lands existed on the outer edges of the known world in these maps? Provide at least four examples.

2. According to these maps, did the Romans know about these places?

a. the Nile River

b. the British Isles

c. India

d. Japan

e. North America

For questions 3-8 Compare the Orbis Terrarum (the first map) with one of the other maps.

3. Write the name of the second map you’ve chosen here.

4. Where are Rome and the Italian peninsula located (center, left, right, top, etc.):

on the Orbis Terrarum?

on the other map?

5. Why do you think the Italian Peninsula is located in this position on each map?

6. Which map is more detailed, with more place names?

7. Which of the two ancient maps is more accurate in terms of the shape of landforms and bodies of water? (compare the maps to a modern map)

8. Which parts of the maps are the most accurate: the parts closest to Rome or the parts farther from Rome? Why?

9. Our world map today looks very similar to the world map 100 years ago, but the
Roman maps you’ve seen look rather different from each other even though only 104
years passed between the making of the earliest and the latest maps. Why do you
think this difference exists? Why would the Romans have created world maps that
looked this different from each other within such a relatively short time span?

2nd semester elective

Which of these ideas do you like for our 2nd semester elective and why?

I Video Games (computer)
A. Must be educational
B. Needs to be Mac compatible
C. Students need to research and give me suggestions

II Economics:
A. Zoo Tycoon
B. selling stuff game
C. managing your own money
D. stock market game

III Study Skills
A. Do homework
B. Learn how to be organized
C. Chill
D. Grades???

IV Horticulture (gardening)

V Current Events
A. presidential race
B. other news stories
C. Debates
D. Oral Reports
E. Use the newspaper
F. Internet, TV, radio news
G. Videos on issues

VI Arts & Crafts (probably need a room with water)

VII Cooking (needs a room with water)
A. Recipe book of family recipes
B. Recipe book of what we make in class

Chew On This

What have you learned from this book?

How have your opinions changed?

How have your actions changed?

Winter Break Chat

Keep in touch with your classmates and teachers over vacation. Let everyone know what fun things you’re doing, what you get for Christmas, or even what you’re reading!

christmas bear

Yesterday’s Field Trip: Sepulveda Basin

overviewWe were here! The nature walk group walked down the side of the pond, and everyone else played in the grassy area to the north. BTW, that’s the L.A. River to the left of the picture. One the nature walk we saw pelicans just like the ones pictured below. We counted 27 of them. As we quietly watched, they began flying overhead and swimming towards us. What an amazing sight!

pelicans2 Yesterdays Field Trip: Sepulveda Basin
What did you enjoy at the park?

Yesterday’s Field Trip: The Film

 Yesterdays Field Trip: The FilmWhat did you think about the movie we saw, “Please Vote For Me?” You can answer with any comments you wish, or you can respond to someone else’s comments. You may choose to answer some or all of these questions, but don’t let my questions limit you.
Who would you have voted for, and why? Why wouldn’t you have voted for the other candidates? What surprised you about life in China today? What did you think about how the parents acted? What about the teacher - do you think she let things get out of control on purpose? How about how the kids behaved towards their parents? What message about democracy did this film have? What message do you think the people in the film got?

I’ll save my comments after I read what some of you have to say!

Keep in Touch During October

Use this post to say hi to your friends and to ask any questions you have about school. PLEASE, this is not a live chat. Don’t expect people to answer you immediately. Don’t keep asking if people are online. Say something interesting and SOMEONE will answer you. Tell us a funny joke or story, describe a great movie you’ve seen. Let us know if you’ve done something fun over the weekend. Don’t be boring!

Shout Outs for Gayane

Let Gayane know what’s happening in school and send her your best wishes for a SPEEDY recovery. I’ll be first: We miss you Gayane! Get well soon!

Maui update

big_990330-mexico-pdc-snorkling4 Maui update Yesterday afternoon we went snorkeling. It was AMAZING. We walked through a tropical forest for a couple minutes. Then we were at a beautiful bay. No sand; just rocks. Not a single wave. The water was warm. I swam out about a yard from the shore and started seeing fish. You feel like you’re in a different world. There was live coral; yellow, lavendar, and white. I felt like I could reach out and touch the fish. Some people saw a four foot long eel and a sea turtle, but I didn’t, so I’ll have to go back today.

In the morning I learned lots of cool stuff. One presenter showed us a project that got me really excited, cause I think it would be fun for you guys to do when I get back. You can get a preview if you go to this link: http://edcommunity.apple.com/ali/story.php?itemID=193

For 7th graders only!

Where have all my students from last year gone? Is Jocelyn right: is it strange to see all the new students here? Have they taken over YOUR blog? Don’t worry - we can all share :) I’d love to have you correspond with them, but if you’d like a spot of your own, here it is. This is the OFFICIAL summer chat spot for SAS students entering 7th grade in the fall. Remember - as I said on the last day of school - you aren’t my class anymore, but you’ll always be my students.