Carnarvon Castle, Wales

Feb 27

Today, we will watch Dr. Reeves' lecture on Charlemagne. I have a take-home quiz, which you can hand in tomorrow.

Feb 28 Prepare with your partner(s)

I will post some questions early in the break week to help you focus for the test on what we have covered so far.

Today, we'll do the fun facts contest after you complete the following:

1. Spend 5 minutes individually and look at some of the topics and resources like ppoints on this website:

https://medievaleurope.mrdonn.org/lessonplans/knights.html

2. Put your names at the top of the page. List in order of preference the 3 topics you think are most interesting. 5 minutes. 

I have more books and puzzles etc coming, so you will have more to choose from next week. We will focus classes next week on your projects so you don't need to work with the team during the break. 

By next Friday, each of you will hand in a rough draft of a half hour lesson. Hand it in to me. This will be part of your overall grade. I'll give feedback via the class blog during the break.

Realize that 30 minutes is a very short time, so don't try to do too many things. Keep it simple. You should each plan on leading the class for about 5 minutes....not more or we will run out of time. In groups of 3, maybe 3 to 4 minutes is a better target.

• Topic:
• What is your goal: what do you want the 4's to know? How will you evaluate your success?
• What part will you lead?
• What activity will your team have?
• Will you have handouts or prizes for a contest?
• Do you have an idea of how the rest of the class can assist while you are presenting?
• Try to have at least 3 specifics:
• Maybe an object, like a knight's glove
• Maybe a few powerpoint slides; 
• maybe an activity--20 minutes max 
• or a contest

This is a first draft. We will spend some time in the first two weeks after the break during class to develop your lessons. 

Then, we will be going one day each week to the North Campus to present. It will probably be every Friday from mid April to May. One week, we might have to go twice depending, so it could end up being Wednesday and Friday followed by one more session in the next week.

The Crusades

Feb 26 Homework

I've received all your 'fun facts'. I'll post them on Friday and you can vote by secret ballot :) in class. You have only one vote and it can't be for yourself. Your name will be on each ballot. 

We will have to delay a possible debate until after the break....sorry.

I will change my plan for today a little. I told you to watch Professor Reeve's lecture on the Merovingians and I would quiz you in class. I will give you the quiz questions and you may take notes as you watch. Hopefully, this is the second time you have seen the whole lecture and the quiz will be fairly easy. Some questions require a few sentence answers such as number 1. You may hand in the quiz tomorrow if it is not finished in class today.

Today, I had planned to play Professor Daileader's lecture, having made all the questions for it. I'm not sure if I will use it yet because as I study more about the topics, it seems to me that he doesn't deal fully with the Islamic attacks on Europe. When dealing with the Crusades, he presents the crusaders as mainly greedy and violent. There is nothing about the centuries of Muslim terror that preceded the crusades. Daileader seems to follow the mainstream "Christians bad, muslims good" interpretation. So, tomorrow, I will present Professor Reeves' lecture on the Carolingians. I hope to have the questions ready tomorrow, but possibly not til Friday.

The class will be divided into the following 3 teams. Each team will present one half hour topic to the Grade 4's starting in mid-April, one per week. 

One of our books, Medieval Projects, has a 'how to make' set of instructions at the end of each chapter.

Here are the teams:
Jed and Judah
Josh, Noah, and Alana
Anna, Kaelyn, and Daniel

Think about topics now. Some possibilities are 

• Knights and Jousting,
• Lords and ladies,
• Monks and monasteries,
• Castles and battles,
• Weapons of war
• Feasts
• Vikings

I may post a few more. Tomorrow, each team will give me in order from 1 to 3, your preferred topics.

More materials are on the way. You will have books and lesson plans to choose from. Also, you might use a short video clip on the smartboard, or an online website with a photo of a knight, castle etc. Next week, the ROM will give me a Medieval Europe kit with authentic objects and some lesson plans. We can spend time in class dividing things up. Each team will need to do some coordinating during the March break. I will be checking on progress.

Homework due Wednesday

3 things for Wednesday:

• Email fun facts to ktopalian@innovaacademy.ca
• Hand in fill in the blanks based on Clovis 10 minute video--I will post the outline here this afternoon. Print it out and hand it to me on Wednesday.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMNOVlq29Vg&feature=youtu.be
• I'll quiz you on Dr Reeve's Merovingian video. Watch it at home.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXaN2vXEgwg&feature=youtu.be&t=1

Link to outline

https://innovaacademy-my.sharepoint.com/:w:/g/personal/ktopalian_innovaacademy_ca/EWqlLBl4yy1Kr7ZbU5IYWpsBZ1TYUyIHb3Vv-031wng8Fw?e=Nsl4he

Feb 24 From Merovingians to Carolingians -- 400 years of history in one week

You need to read carefully everything I post on the blog. Check each day to see if there is something new. I don't have time to go over it all in class, but I will expect you are accountable for anything written here.

Wednesday fun facts due. Email to me. Friday vote for winner.

I am going to attempt the impossible this week:

Today, we are going to begin with a short video about the rise and significance of Clovis, 466 to 511, the 1st Merovingian king of the Franks, and in a sense, the first king of France, though the Franks at that time were a germanic tribe. 
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMNOVlq29Vg&feature=youtu.be  

One major fact about him is that through his wife, Clothilde, he was converted from paganism to the Catholic belief in the trinity. Almost all the barbarian tribes at the time were Arians--they did not believe that Jesus is God. With Clovis great success as a warrior in uniting the Frankish tribes, other tribes began to adopt Catholic Christianity, which shaped the European culture for a thousand years.  I have a fill in the blanks transcript of the video which you will hand in on Wednesday.

Then, I want to show you two short videos about the Muslims in Spain leading up to and including their attempt to conquer France. 

The Muslim conquest of Spain: Al Andalus
https://youtu.be/4m11g0437lQ?t=122

The Battle of Poitier--Muslims meet Charles "the Hammer" Martel
https://youtu.be/Hge-eh-PrpA

Before Wednesday, watch the 1/2 hour video by Professor Reeves about the Merovingians. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXaN2vXEgwg&feature=youtu.be&t=1 I will quiz you on that. 

In class on Wednesday, we will watch Professor Reeve's 1/2 hour lecture on Charlemagne. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yfhG547two

Then, on Thursday, we'll listen to Professor Daileader's lecture on Charlemagne. I have a fill-in-the-blanks outline for Daileader, but not for Reeves. However, I will have some questions for you about both lectures, due on the weekend.

I find it interesting to see how Daileader has quite a different view of Charlemagne than Professor Reeves. I'm not sure whether that is because one is a Christian lecturer and the other is not, or if it is simply because different people draw different lessons from their studies. After all, any person's life is complex and at the distance of 1200 years, it is not easy to say in a half hour lecture "this is the truth about _____".

Next week, we are going to leap forward into the High Middle Ages, the time of chivalry and knights to begin thinking about that era since we will teach a couple or a few lessons to the Grade 4's soon after the break. We will spend at least two weeks working on plans for teaching the little one. 

After that, we will come back and look at a few more elements of the early middle ages like the Carolingian Renaissance and the attacks of the Vikings in May. Then we'll move quickly into the High Middle Ages again--1000 to 1300--probably focusing more on English history. 

From there, we will hit a few highlights of the late middle ages from 1300 to 1500.

We need to make full use of the time in class because there is a lot to cover.

Feb 21: Homework: due tonight

Please distinguish between peaceful, moderate Muslims and islamists. If we just use the word "Muslims" we are broadbrushing all Muslims, which we definitely do not want to do. The Muslim leader in Mississauga who tells us about the Saudi influence and the online jihad talk is the kind of friendly Muslim we need to respect.

Your thoughts about today's videos re islamists. 10 or more sentences.

Feb 21 Teaching the Grade 4's

When I was planning projects I didn't realize we have a two week spring break, so time is a little tight.

If anyone would like to do a different project than presenting to the grade 4's let me know asap. If so, you won't be a main presenter, but you will still be involved in helping prepare and do activities.

My plan as of now is to do either two or three classes with the fours. The first one would be in the last week of April on either a Wednesday or a Friday. Then, we would do two more in May.

I have ordered some things like a six foot tall knight in armour and 3d models of a castle, and cut outs of a medieval village. Also, I have a kit from the ROM that has real items from the middle ages, like a knight's glove. It includes lesson plans. As I look it over during the break, I'll decide whether we can use these plans for your presentations. I might have you all doing somethings in each week, like helping with crafts or activities. But there will be two different team leaders per week who will be the main presenters.

I have linked to a chapter about knights on this blog. It gives interesting background and drawings that we could use in presenting. Each chapter ends with a craft, eg. how to make a knight's shield. It's designed for grade 4. Also, I have ordered a book with links to the internet. We could show things like the jousting video on the smartboard.

We can use your artistic and music skills of course. For example, maybe one of you could teach the kids how to draw a knight. You could use your talents to present a medieval tune. There are a lot of things we can do. I'd like you to start coming up with ideas and posting them on the blog.

On Monday, March 3rd, I'll quiz you on the vocabulary in this chapter "Knights" that is under "Grade 4 Project". The highest score wins a prize.

Feb 20th History

Next Week:

Monday debate? We sin because we are sinners vs We are sinners because we sin.

Monday Kahoot? Islam:

Next Friday: weirdest funniest fact about any topic so far; send to ktopalian@innovaacademy.ca by Wednesday

Today:

• Return outlines

• Next 2 segments of Obsession

• Homework: may be able to work on in class; due tonight

• Timelines: save on onedrive email me the link on Saturday

Feb 20 Lectures

I will give you fill-in-the blanks outlines as per usual. You may choose to just listen to the lecture in class and complete the outline for homework, or you may complete it in class and check your work later against the transcript.

Feb 20 Homework due tonight, Thursday 10 or more sentences

What do you think about the 2006 plot by 18 young muslims to blow up downtown Toronto and to behead the Prime Minister? About the fact that 7 of them attended the Saladdin Mosque, where Ali Hindy is the spiritual leader? This is from the film "Islam vs the Islamists.  The PBS network, which paid a million dollars to the producers to film this, refused to show it because of complaints from "moderate" Muslims. It has never been shown on national television. 

What are your impressions of the parts we watched today from "Obsession--Radical Islam's War against the West"?

Do you think the public should see documentaries like these?

Feb 19

Answers up to and including Justinian are posted under "Lecture answers".

Instead of posting single lectures, I have included the entire set of lectures under "Lecture transcripts". 

It may be easier for you to print out individual lectures and keep them in your notes as we go along. This is a little tricky. When you download the whole book, you need to have Adobe Reader, the free app on your computer.

Then, to print a chapter you can look at the table of contents and scroll down to the right page. Lectures are almost all 11 or 12 pages.

It is tricky for two reasons: first, when you choose 'print' the page numbers will probably be different. So, if you see a lecture from page 100 to 110 on your screen, it may actually print as a different range, like say, 92 to 102. Second, there should be an option on your printer that is something like "fit to page" or "fit". If you don't choose this, by default it will print in very small print and narrow columns.

Feb 13th: Questions you may have so far

Please post your questions here. I will reply to them on the blog this weekend. This will cut down on the time I have to spend answering them in class.

Feb 12 and 13 Revised...read carefully--Homework and due dates

Trip to ROM on Wednesday March 4th with grade 3/4. Test 1 will be rescheduled after the Spring break.

I hope you read the handout, Islam and the Crusades. I will have a few questions for you when we begin to discuss the Crusades.

Today, I want to quickly focus on what's coming up. Don't ask questions now, but read this carefully and ask me next Wednesday.

Timeline: Diocletian; Constantine; Augustine; Barbarians at the Gates; Franks and Goths; Justinian; Rise of Islam—if necessary, redo and submit by next Saturday Feb. 22^nd at the latest. Save on onedrive and email me the link:  ktopalian@innovaacademy.ca

Some have completed all 17 units. You may need to add a few details or you may be fine. You might want to change the format of your timeline to make it more clear—up to you. If you haven’t already, you may want to work ahead during March break because I will expect that the topics from 9 to 17 are complete and submitted by Saturday, March 28^th. 

Today:

• Obsession—the dangerous radicals, referred to as ‘islamists’
• Islam vs islamists—Toronto—a moderate (peaceful) Muslim versus an islamist
• 1^st part of Islam lecture—today, take notes on what seems important

               I’m going to post the transcript of the whole lecture. It might help you to read it tonight before we listen to the second part.

I’m going to try something different for at least a couple of lectures:

·        First, we will listen and you will take general notes about whatever seems important in your notebook.

·        Next, I’ll give you a fill in the blanks outline for homework—after the lecture tomorrow.

·        Third, I will post the whole lecture transcript and you will use that to complete your outline.

·        Fourth, you will hand in the completed outline to me the following class.

You will each get up to 10 marks if complete. I won’t mark each and every answer, but I’ll do a quick check to see how well each of you is doing. Then, I’ll photocopy your papers and hand them back to you. This way I’ll have a record of what each is doing.

Tomorrow’s class:

               Kahoot

               2^nd part Islam lecture

Homework due Wednesday night, the 19th:

               Respond on blog—10 sentences or more  

Question: What did you learn in the past few classes that seems new and/or important to you? You may refer to either or both of the documentary segments and/or the lecture. You may comment on only one, or two, or all three of the above...your choice.

Post your response here Wednesday evening, Feb 19th, in comments: 

Make sure your name is included in the post.

Feb 11 The difference between peaceful Muslims and Islamists...

...depends on how they understand sharia--islamic law, and jihad.

Today, we will see more of how the deadly islamists are working to destroy all of us unbelievers. 

Then, we will see how a peaceful Muslim, Tarek Fatah is hated by the islamist Ali Hindy, leader of Toronto's largest mosque, the Saladdin Mosque.

Finally, we will see how a young Muslim, raised in Toronto rescued us all.

My goal is to help you understand that the Muslim friends and neighbors are not to be feared, but we must understand how they interpret their faith. We are all in this together and we need our peaceful Muslim friends. At the same time, we must know who the dangerous islamists are among us, what they believe, and how they operate. The greatest danger is from those who wear suits and ties and tell us they are peaceful--and who have achieved a powerful influence in our government--but are actually plotting patiently to destroy us--us being all non-believers.

This will help you to see that history isn't a bunch of mostly ancient, unrelated facts. In the case of Islam, you will understand how powerful ideas beginning 1400 years ago in the Saudi Arabian desert are threatening our civilization today.

Feb 6 Class topics

We will listen to the whole lecture on the Franks and Goths and take notes. This is a transition lecture to the beginning of independent European nations, such as France, Italy, and Spain.

I'll post up the answers tomorrow. Even though I post the answers, do your best to take accurate notes.

On Friday, we will skip ahead of our topic lineup and introduce Islam. We will define two key words: "jihad" and "sharia". Then we'll begin to understand the difference between peaceful Muslims and dangerous fanatics. I'll show you a short part of a documentary to illustrate the difference. In Toronto, you will meet a peaceful Muslim named Tarek Fatah who is hated by the leader of Toronto's largest mosque, Ali Hindy, whom you will also meet.

On Monday, a Kahoot from Emma. We will jump back to the Roman Empire and see what the Eastern emperor, Justinian, was like. We'll see how in the 500's he attempted, somewhat successfully, to recapture and restore the western half of the empire.

Questions and Comments -- use this for the whole semester

Questions and/or comments here, please.

February 6 Course Outline

Tomorrow, I will give you and outline of the order of topics and the assignment due dates. Please show your parents. There may be a few slight schedule changes. I will give you as much advance notice as possible.

The details of major projects will be developed and discussed as we go. At any time, feel free to ask questions for clarification, either in writing or see me in my office at the beginning of lunch period.

Please don't ask in class. If I have to take time to answer even a couple, it will cut into our lecture and discussion. One thing I will do now is create a Questions/comments post. You may use this post for the rest of the semester to ask questions/make comments. If you want to talk about them, let's do that for 10 minutes or so in my office.

Feb 5 Barbarians

You can read more about the Gothic wars at this link from Wikipedia: https://documentcloud.adobe.com/link/track?uri=urn%3Aaaid%3Ascds%3AUS%3A5b6a6389-c2c2-4ddf-a2eb-b7153322a8cd

“For without distinction of age or sex all places were ablaze with slaughter and great fires, sucklings were torn from the very breasts of their mothers and slain, matrons and widows whose husbands had been killed before their eyes were carried off, boys of tender or adult age were dragged away over the dead bodies of their parents. Finally many aged men, crying that they had lived long enough after losing their possessions and their beautiful women, were led into exile with their arms pinioned behind their backs and weeping over the glowing ashes of their ancestral homes.[33]”

“ Then there were to be seen and to lament acts most frightful to see and to describe: women driven along by cracking whips and stupefied with fear, still heavy with their unborn children, which before coming into the world endured many horrors; little children too clinging to their mothers. Then could be heard the laments of high-born boys and maidens, whose hands were fettered in cruel captivity. Behind these were led last of all grown-up girls and chaste wives, weeping and with downcast faces, longing even by a death of torment to forestall the imminent violation of their modesty. Among these was a freeborn man, not long ago rich and independent, dragged along like some wild beast and railing at thee, Fortune, as merciless and blind, since thou hadst in a brief moment deprived him of his possessions and of the sweet society of his dear ones; had driven him from his home, which he saw fallen to ashes and ruins and sacrificed him to a bloody victor, either to be torn from limb to limb or amid blows and tortures to serve as a slave.[48] ”

Feb 5 Who wants to do the first Kahoot?

On Monday, we will Kahoot on the topic of "Franks and Goths". Who wants it? 20 marks for preparing it; up to 5 bonus for creativity :)

Homework due Tuesday

Please comment on your preferred project and give me any ideas you have to improve it.

Also, if you have a second choice, please do the same.