quiz tomorrow

As we discussed in class, all three sections will take a map quiz on Tuesday. You will be identifying countries on a map of North and Central America, and on a map of South America. The maps are the same as the ones we worked on in class last week.  A quiz on paper is different than a test online, so be prepared!

Also, I gave some incorrect information in the SuperHumanGeo class today: the grade for this quiz will NOT be included on the MQR (MidQuarter Report). All your grades will be downloaded at 8:30am Tuesday morning, and obviously that will NOT include this quiz. Sorry for any confusion.

grids

Today's PPt presentation covers terms and concepts that include:

• absolute location
• relative location
• parallels
• meridians
• latitude
• longitude
• equator
• Prime Meridian
• and more!

Also, be prepared for a series of quizzes - and a test - that will come next week. More info on that in class. Spending a little time studying this weekend will pay dividends in the near future!

mapping, site, and situation

In class today we took a more detailed look at how geographers describe where things are located (our key question).

Honors 101 and 102 studied site which is the physical character of a place. You should look at my blog posting from yesterday to see what you should focus on in your blog.

SuperHumanGeo moved on from site to situation, which is the location of a place relative to other places. Your blog tonight should pertain to our coverage of situation (see my blog from yesterday for details on situation).

Site and Situation

Read the following material on Site and Situation, and take thorough notes in your blog. Think about what characteristics make your own home a unique site, and include your thoughts in your blog. What you don't complete in class is tonight's homework.


Site 
Site is the physical character of a place. Important site characteristics include climate, water sources, topography, soil, vegetation, latitude, and elevation. The combination of physical features gives each place a distinctive character. Site factors have always been essential in selecting locations for settlements, although people have disagreed on the attributes of a good site, depending on cultural values. Some have preferred a hilltop site for easy defense from attack. Others located settlements near convenient river-crossing points to facilitate communication with people in other places. Humans have the ability to modify the characteristics of a site. The southern portion of New York City’s Manhattan Island is twice as large today as it was in 1626, when Peter Minuit bought the island from its native inhabitants for the equivalent of $23.75 worth of Dutch gold and silver coins. Manhattan’s additional land area was created by filling in portions of the East River and the Hudson River. In the eighteenth century, landfills were created by sinking old ships and dumping refuse on top of them. More recently, New York City permitted construction of Battery Park City, a 57-hectare (142-acre) site designed to house more than 20,000 residents and 30,000 office workers. The central areas of Boston and Tokyo have also been expanded through centuries of land filling in nearby bays, substantially changing these sites. 

Situation

Situation is the location of a place relative to other places. Situation is a valuable way to indicate location, for two reasons— finding an unfamiliar place and understanding its importance. First, situation helps us find an unfamiliar place by comparing its location with a familiar one. We give directions to people by referring to the situation of a place: “It’s down past the courthouse, on Locust Street, after the third traffic light, beside the yellow-brick bank.” We identify important buildings, streets, and other landmarks to direct people to the desired location. Second, situation helps us understand the importance of a location. Many locations are important because they are accessible to other places. For example, because of its situation, Singapore has become a center for the trading and distribution of goods for much of Southeast Asia. Singapore is situated near the Strait of Malacca, which is the major passageway for ships traveling between the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean. Some 50,000 vessels, one fourth of the world’s maritime trade, pass through the strait each year.

Honors 102 worked on their maps of North, Central, and South America in class. Plus they practiced with them on the freerice.com website!

discovering our neighbors here in the Western Hemisphere

Honors 101 section: I will not be in class with you this morning. Here is your in-class assignment:

• Working in pairs, your challenge is to identify all the countries on maps of North America and South America. 
• In order to make your brain learn the locations of these nations - and to make it more fun - you may not use a map while working.
• The more times you try, the better you will get. 
• The goal is to get all the countries identified in less than three minutes with a success rate of 80% or higher. 
• Once you achieve that goal, take screenshots of each map and post them to your blog.
• Posting both screenshots will count as your blog for today!
• Here are the maps: North and Central America Map Quiz Game and South America Map Quiz Game.
• Have fun and do good work!

SuperHumanGeo: You worked on the same assignment in class today. Nice job!

two-dimensional models of our three-dimensional world

This week, we took a look at two different kinds of maps: the Peters Projection and the Mercator.

This was to get you really looking at maps, especially maps which were very familiar to you.

Cartographers (those involved in the art and science of making maps) are very important to us as we study Human Geography.

Next week we will be taking a closer look at maps, with an eye toward answers these Key Questions: How do geographers describe where things are?, and Why is each point on Earth unique? 

I'm looking forward to meeting your parents tonight, I hope you enjoy tomorrow's Freshman Retreat, and I hope we ALL have a great weekend!

Shadows, Maps, and a Toad

Upon my arrival early this morning I discovered a toad had snuck into our classroom. I introduced myself to him and had a very pleasant conversation with our visitor. I found out we had a lot in common; for example, we're both into hip hop. After meeting the Honors 101 section, I sent Jay-T hopping out the window into the grass.

As we start to get shadows visiting our school, remember Jay-T the toad, and be sure to talk to our visitors and get to know them.

As for the work we accomplished today...

• Honors 101 and 102 spent their class time today researching the difference between Peters Projection maps and the traditional Mercator map. Students were allowed to research at will, referring to the wall maps in the classroom, and reviewing the clip we watched in class (which is linked to the right of this post).
• SuperHumanGeo students reviewed the test on excellence.

Mercator VS. Peters

The Superhuman section spent their class time today researching the difference between Peters Projection maps and the traditional Mercator map. Students were allowed to research at will, referring to the wall maps in the classroom, and reviewing the clip we watched in class today (which is linked to the right of this post).

Honors 102 will be watching the West Wing clip for the first time, and getting an initial look at the difference between these two maps.

Also, all sections should be checking their blogs to make sure they are on Eastern Standard time, and correcting their header titles (if necessary).

beginning cartography: the study of maps

Our "unit" on Elbert Hubbard, initiative, the ancient Greeks, Socrates, and excellence in general, is very nearly at an end. All that remains is for the last few students to take the test, and I will return and review them in class.


Next up: studying maps, also known as the science of cartography. No better way to establish a solid foundation in geography.

Why maps? Well, maps build on the premise that reality can be modeled in ways that communicate spatial information effectively.

(And yes, I will translate that premise in class.)

more excellence

Our studies of excellence, especially as demonstrated by the ancient Greeks, continues. Remember, these are the people who invented democracy, who revolutionized philosophy, and set an example for humanity that is worth emulating even today. They weren't perfect, but they got an awful lot right. If we seem to be spending a lot of time on Socrates, well, there are good reasons for that. He is considered a hero of the intellect. He certainly stood up for what he believed in, and refused to recant his beliefs, even when faced with a brutal death. His was a life well-lived, even if the end was not the peaceful conclusion he deserved. I hope it seems obvious why we are spending so much time and effort studying concepts like arete, and people like Socrates, as you begin your high school journey. You are at the perfect age to begin laying down a terrific foundation for the person you will become. After all, “The unexamined life is not worth living.”

a test is coming...

Happy Monday!

Those of you who keep track of things on Veracross already know that you will be taking a test later this week. SuperHumanGeo will test on Thursday, while the two Honors sections will test on Friday. The test will cover Elbert Hubbard and A Message to Garcia, as well as the ancient Greeks' approach to excellence, which we will be learning this week.

Be ready, and get your quarter off on the right foot!

A Message to Garcia

Elbert Hubbard

Today's class featured a partial reading of A Message to Garcia, an essay written in 1899 by Elbert Hubbard. This was an influential piece back in its time, and one might say it still resonates with us here in the twenty-first century.

Those of you wishing to write a thoughtful, insightful post would do well to find connections between Hubbard's essay and our discussions of the difficulties of high school.

out of the starting blocks

So, our school year is officially underway!

Yesterday was our first "normal" day, and although classes were a little short, we still managed to get a lot done. All three sections - Honors 101, Honors 102, and SuperHumanGeo - re-seated themselves, received important information about how to contact me, and learned about how to set up their blogs.

Today is an "A day" and the SuperHumanGeo section got up to speed on their blogs and started a discussion about how difficult high school can be. Honors 101 were introduced to Elbert Hubbard and his theories on how lazy and unmotivated some people can be.

This is a reminder that every day we have Human Geo class, you have to write a blog, which means all three sections needed to blog yesterday, and two sections need to blog tonight.

Also, don't forget to pick up your Composition Book for note-taking!

Welcome!

Welcome to Human Geo!  Here are some details about your very first homework assignment, due at the beginning of class Wednesday, September 4 (tomorrow).

• Add my blog to your Favorites/Bookmarks.
• Set up your class blog through blogger.com.
• After you have created your blog, send the URL to rschick@johncarroll.org .
• Write your first blog post. In at least 150-200 words, tell me: 1) The best - and worst - part of your first day at John Carroll, and 2) Why you do - or don't - like the seat you were given in class today. 

I'm looking forward to reading your posts, checking your HW, answering any questions, and getting this class underway!