Black History Month |
|||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||
| February is black History Month. Presidents’ Day also falls in February.
Spark your |
Your feed back is appreciated. Feel free to email
us your comments and suggestions.
Author: admin
-
Black History Month
-
Ancient Mesopotamia Unit
Do you know that Mesopotamia is one of the earliest empires to embrace the light of civilization? The term Mesopotamia was coined in the Hellenistic period referring to the basins of the rivers Tigris and Euphrates and the area between two rivers. Ancient Mesopotamia is often termed as the “cradle of civilization”.
You will be amazed to know that Ancient Mesopotamia was home to some of the most prominent civilizations like the Sumerian city-states, and the Akkadian, Babylonian and Assyrian civilization.
The history of Ancient Mesopotamia spans the period from 4th millennium B.C to the rise of Achaemenids in 6th century B.C and the recent map of Mesopotamia covers the areas occupied by modern Iraq, eastern Syria and Southeastern Turkey.
The Ancient Form Of Government practiced in Mesopotamia
Mesopotamians believed their kings and queens to be descendents of city gods. Most kings took the epithet of “king of the universe” or “great king” or “shepherd” as he looks after the people. Nebuchadnezzar was the most powerful king of Babylonia.
The Assyrian empire was divided into small provinces named after their main cities like Damascus, Ninevah and Arpad. A Governor ruled each province and ensured just implementation of law, collection of taxes and provided workers when a temple was built in the province.
Babylon was at first a small empire but it expanded tremendously during the rule of Hammurabi and became one of the greatest cities and center for learning in Mesopotamia. King Hammurabi was a prominent lawmaker and his set of laws known as the Code Of Hammurabi (circa 1780 B.C) is the best-preserved example of ancient laws of Mesopotamia.
Ancient Mesopotamia Speaks And Writes
The earliest language the ancient Mesopotamians wrote was Sumerian. Later Akkadian, a Semitic language became dominant, though Sumerian was used in literary, religious, administrative and scientific arenas. Then Aramaic, which was already in vogue, evolved as the official language.
The development of writing has more interest in store for you. At first writings were pictographic. During 4th century B.C the pictures became more and more abstract and simplified giving way to cuneiform, a syllabary writing system. In cuneiform writing system the Mesopotamians used a reed stylus to form wedge shaped letters on clay tablets.
Development Of Science And Technology In Ancient Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia reached the peak of progress in science and technology. Mesopotamian civilization was one of the early Bronze Age civilizations in the world. They used copper, bronze and gold and later iron came into the picture. The precious metals were used to decorate palaces and to build armors. But probably gold armors were meant for exhibitions only. Mesopotamia was proficient in metalworking, glassmaking, textile weaving, food control and irrigation.
The Field Of Advanced Mathematics
Ancient Mesopotamia was the pathfinder of the Sexagesimal (base 60) numeric system. This system is the mother of the concepts like 60 minute in one hour, 24 hours a day and 360 degree circle in modern mathematics. The Sumerian calendar measured a week with 7 days, which was used for making maps.
Ancient Mesopotamia Dives Into The Depth Of Astronomy
The astronomers of ancient Babylonia studied the stars and the sky with vigor and predicted eclipses and solstices. Mesopotamia believed that astronomy relates to the life of the people. In Ancient Mesopotamia the eclipses, those, which are counted, were considered as bad omens The Sumerian and Babylonian astronomers singled out constellations like the Taurus, Leo, Scorpius, Auriga, Gemini, Capricornus and Saggitarius which are still in use today. The constellations were used to calculate time and to determine planting and harvesting of crops. Astrology originated from the ruins of the knowledge this ancient astronomy.
The Religion Of Ancient Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia is the cradle of the oldest religion in the world. The Mesopotamians believed that the world is flat and is surrounded by a holed space with the kingdom of heaven above. According to them water encircled them from all the sides and the universe was born out of water.
Mesopotamians were pantheist, they believed in many gods. There were regional variations like the Sumerian word for the universe is An- Ki which refers to God An and Goddess Ki. Their son Enlil, the air god was believed to be the most powerful god and the chief of the pantheon.
The temples were built with clay and mud to worship gods. These temples were called Ziggurats.
The Mesopotamians believed in bad souls and painted pictures and built statues to ward off the evils of the ghosts.
The Flow Of Life In Ancient Mesopotamia
Agriculture was very developed in Mesopotamia. It was self sufficient in food with the rivers Tigris and Euphrates draining the land rich for crop harvest. But areas remote from Tigris or Euphrates were dry and infertile and not fit for habitation. But Mesopotamia was quite developed in irrigation. Dams and aqueducts were built to control water supply.
Early settlers used wooden plows for tilling the soil. Barley, onions, grapes, turnips and apples were the main crops. Mesopotamians were the first maker of beer and wine. Weather in Mesopotamia was harsh making food production unpredictable so support foods like lambs and cows were kept.
In Mesopotamia houses were built of mud and brick with wooden doors. Evidences suggest that the inhabitants built the houses themselves.
The Aura Of Art and Games In Ancient Mesopotamia
Song and music provided options of entertainment to the rich and the ordinary alike. Hunting, boxing, wrestling were some popular games. Polo with men sitting on shoulders of other men was also popular.
The rich history of ancient Mesopotamia etches the story of the glorious past of human achievements.
-
Middle Ages Unit
When you utter the phrase “Life during the Middle ages” do you see a sudden image of a knight in shining armor fighting bravely or does a pictographic vision of romance between a royal lady and a heroic knight pops up in your mind? Or do you believe in the darkness of the Middle Ages as sketched in the pages of history? Actually both the thoughts are true, the medieval sagas portray a gorgeous and romantic portrait of life during the Middle Ages, albeit of the nobles and the other halves were the usual story of the common man to whom in every ages life is equated with struggle for survival.
The Apex Of The Medieval Pyramid-The King
The structure of society in the Middle Ages was like a feudal pyramid whose head was the king. The feudal system is a layered system where the peasants paid taxes to their lords and the lords paid the revenue to the king. But smartness was an essential criterion for the king to secure his high position. The nobles were the most important strata of the feudal pyramid and the king has to appease them constantly.
The king had his own army. In the medieval wars, the vassals served the king with loyalty, advice and their soldiers. In lieu the vassals are bestowed with mini-kingdoms called fiefdoms by the king. A vassal had vassals under him.
The king appointed officials to carry out his order properly. In this stratified structure the power and position of the king was not always secured. There are instances of powerful barons rivaling the power of the king and pressurizing him to favor them. We can present an excerpt from the speech of King John, the ruler of England when forced in such a position. He said, “No freeman shall be arrested except by the law of the land. We shall refuse justice to no one.”
Women – Their Life During The Middle Ages
There are grand romances sketching the sparkling pictures of medieval court legends. But in the real life during the Middle Ages, the women lead a far cry from the portrayed luminosity. Women were not esteemed in the medieval ages. St Jerome, a Latin father of a Christian church termed women as the gate of the devil. The women had no right even on their own lives. Marriage for convenience were widespread during the medieval, the women had no say in marriages. Girls under the age of ten were married to persons who had crossed fifty. Divorce was not accepted by church, so maximum marriages were forceful or calculated conjugation. When a lady became widow, her family forced her to enter another marriage and she could be enforced to a marriage for four times. If a woman fell in love with a person not approved by her family she would be forced to become a nun to solve the issue.
Monks And Nuns – Their Life During The Middle Ages
A monk is a man who is a member of a religious brotherhood and had devoted his life to follow the discipline of his order. A Nun is a woman who has devoted her life to reach salvation. The monks and nuns lived in a monastery, a combo of church and hospital. The monks and the nuns were often teachers to kids and helped them learn how to read and write. They took care of poor and sick people. A monk or a nun spent most of the time in prayer, meditation, sewing, reading, writing and preparing medicine. They lead an austere life according to the timetable of St Benedict of Italy.
The Church -The Edifice Of Religion During The Middle Ages
Medieval people believed in next world after death. The church or the cathedral was the house of medieval religion. The common man believed the priests of the cathedrals could secure a place for him in the heaven after death. People funded the cathedral construction to get rid of their sins.
In middle ages the land was divided into sections called diocese and each Bishop got a diocese for religious purpose. The bishop led the church with the pope.
Advancement of Science Of Medicine During The Middle Ages
The Greek civilization reached the zenith in science of medicine but the rest of the Europe was in darkness till the Arabs translated the texts in Latin. Medieval medicine was based on the viewpoints of the doctor of the Middle Ages and their viewpoints were far from being accurately scientific. For example the medieval doctors blamed a strange gas for the breakthrough of Black Death. Plants were the usual ingredients for medieval medicine, however dung, beetles, bat droppings, powdered earthworms were also used to prepare medicines. There was no full proof way of anesthesia and injections were not known.
The Saga Of The Crusade
In 1095, Pope Urban II spoke “The Muslims have conquered Jerusalem” and the western world rose with the motto of reconquering Jerusalem, they cried “God wills it”. The French, the German and the Italian Christian waged the war of crusade against the Arabs. The word crusade means “a war of the cross”. During the first crusade (1095-1097) most of the knights died of hunger and thirst. But the underlined thought of every mind that went to crusade were not only purgation of sins, greed played a vital role here.
There were two types of knights, one who rode a horse and the knight who was on his feet. Apart from the army of knights there were pilgrims, horse groomers, wives of the knights who went on to crusades.
Richard I of England was bestowed with the epithet of ‘Lion Heart’ for his brave performance as a general in the crusades. Six crusades were fought in a period of 176 years spanning from 1095 to 1271.
The Common People – Their Life During The Middle Ages
The common people belonged to the lowest stratum of the medieval society. Their life was a constant struggle for sheer existence. They were consisted of many groups, the peasants who farmed lands that yielded crops, the bailiffs who collected taxes and managed fiefdoms, the servants who did household works and the craftsman who made candle, shoes, baskets and other art works and things for the nobles.
The standard dress of the peasant was a straw hat weighing 2-3 lbs, a long-sleeve white cotton shirt, trouser, a leather smock and a pair of leather shoes. The commoners lived in shacks made of cement, wood and straw.
Medieval Clothing
The life during the Middle Ages were not secured and safe. People clustered near the protection of powerful people who had well defended castles or monasteries. So with little thought for dressing, medieval clothing was not sophisticated. Mostly the fabrics were handspun and people wore homemade dresses, which were rough and shapeless. Trousers, tunics and shawls made of wool and fur were worn to fight cold. Shoes were made of leather. Colors like brown, gray, dark blue and red were in vogue.
The Food Life During The Middle Ages
In the Medieval Northern Europe, the staple diet was cattle and sheep meat. Southern Europe had fruits, vegetables and herbs for food. The foods were usually cooked in olive oil. The banquets generally consisted of a six-course menu. There were prescribed eating manners and etiquettes to follow in tables. They ate with spoons and knives.
In the middle ages fish and meat were dried or smoked to preserve. Fruits and vegetables were pickled for preservation. Meats were salted in huge wooden vats for winter. They stored fruits and vegetables in barrels.
Middle ages imported spices from the east so they boosted their cuisines with the aroma of the spices.
Beside the dark hues of the Middle Ages there are gray shades of the troubadour lyrics, magnificent discoveries and acceleration of knowledge that would lead to the illuminating age of Renaissance.
Numbers 0-20
|
|
Be it counting numbers 0-20 for preschoolers or addition, subtraction lessons for 10-year-olds, teaching Math basics should be every-inch a fun. Actually, learning activities for preschoolers and young children should be such that they are able to learn while at play, otherwise they tend to get bored. Hence, as a teacher, you should plan fun-filled lessons and activities that involve the children both physically and mentally. Your child will learn fast and commit everything to memory if you take help of games and puzzles based on acoustic and visual aids that are able to hold his / her attention.
Number Sound Puzzles like the Numbers 0-20 Puzzle by Melissa & Doug are excellent tools for teaching counting to children aged between 2 and 5. The Numbers 0-20 puzzles are riddles that require the user to identify and place a number in its proper place, resulting in the number being named by the device. Removing each number exposes a brightly colored picture beneath.
Nonetheless, there are other easy means of learning numbers, 0-10, 0-20, 0-30 and even more. As in the case of alphabets, rhymes and songs are simply unparalleled for teaching numbers to kids. Every language in the world has its stock of number rhymes and so has the English language. Thus, it will be easier to teach counting numbers 1-10 to your 2-year-old if you resort to the popular English rhyme “One, two, buckle my shoe … Nine, ten, a good fat hen”. Compose your own rhyme for numbers 0-20. You would do better to incorporate hand and bodily actions.
An easy way of teaching numbers to children is to engage them in games and activities that involve counting. Number your child’s toys and have her identify the numbers and arrange them in the toy-basket. Select a few household articles and number them. Hide the articles and ask the children to find them all. Stories that center round counting are effective means for teaching numbers.
Another effective way of teaching how to count to preschoolers is to play ‘school’. Write down an incorrect number sequence and ask the children to make necessary corrections. Involving more than one child will make the learning process more interesting.
Fun games like Chinese checkers, dominos, logic grids, etc. make Maths enjoyable. Board games like backgammon, chess and Yahtzee are great for school going children.
Everything said and done, we would like to emphasize that incorporating the learning activities into everyday life will increase the chances of your success manifold times. Whether you are teaching numbers 0-20 or elementary Arithmetic, children will learn things better if you teach them through computer games or even in the form of cookie games, etc. And remember, since repetition clarifies things better, you should never let go by an opportunity of repeating the fun counting games and lessons on a regular basis, especially the ones the children come to like most.
Endangered Orangutans
The word orangutan comes from Malaysian language and it means “man of the forest”. They are often called red apes because of their reddish hair. Orangutans are highly intelligent and gentle. They are the largest tree dwelling animals in the world. They live about 100 feet above the rainforest grounds on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra. The orangutan is critically endangered. Orangutans have lost a lot of their habitat over the past ten years. If we don’t help the orangutan soon they will be gone forever. This report will tell you all about the orangutan.
Description
The orangutans are easy to recognize among the large apes because of their bright red hair. They also have very long arms and a male’s arms can span up to 7feet long. They have hook shaped feet, which help these apes climb and swing from tree to tree with ease. They basically spend most of their time in the trees.
They even sleep in the trees. The male orangutan can be easily identified because it is twice as big as the female and has large cheek pads, which are called flanges. The male also has a beard and a large pouch that hangs from his throat. This helps him to make load roars to warn other males and it is a mating call to females. The male weighs around 200 lbs and the female weighs around 100 lbs. Orangutans share 97% of the same DNA as humans. Their hands, feet, eyes, and teeth look very similar to ours. They orangutan lives 40 to 45 years in the wild. They are the closest living relatives to humans.
Habitat
Ten thousand years ago orangutans were found in Southeast Asia and Southern China. Their population was in the hundreds of thousands. Today they are only found on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra and their population is only around 45,000.
The orangutan lives in the canopies of the tropical Montane forest, Heath forest, Peat Swamp forest, and lowland Dipterocarp forest. They spend most of their time swinging from tree to tree, but can walk on the ground similar to the way humans walk.
Food
The orangutan eats mostly fruit, which makes up 60% of their diet. They are mostly herbivores but they also eat insects such as termites and crickets. They use tools made out of sticks to get termites from under the ground. Their favorite food comes from durian trees. This food is said to taste sweet, cheesy, garlicky and custardy. They like to eat bird eggs, young leaves, shoots, seeds and bark. Nearly 60% of their daylight hours are spent looking for food. The weight of a female orangutan is 90 to 110lbs. and a male is 200 to 220lbs.
Reproduction
Orangutan reproduction rates are very slow. They have 1 baby every 7 or 8 years. Orangutan mothers are very good at raising their babies to adulthood. They teach them how to climb, which foods to eat, and how to survive in the jungle. The mother stays with her babies for an average of eight years, but they are completely independent by age 10. Orangutans have a low mortality rate.
Enemies
The orangutan’s worst enemies are humans and human activity. Other animals that are enemies of orangutans are tigers and the clouded leopard. Man is destroying the forests by clearing the timber for farming and for settlement. The increased population has made for less land for the orangutans. In 1997 a real dry spell burned a lot of Indonesia and destroyed the orangutan habitat. T he orangutan was also hunted for its meat and young apes were captured for the illegal pet trade. Orangutans become too big and strong and do not make good pets.
Reasons for Endangerment
Today, there are less than 45,000 surviving Orangutans in the rain forests of Borneo and Sumatra.
Man has destroyed the timber and settled too closely to the orangutan’s home. Orangutans need 10,000 acres of land to survive. Another reason they are endangered is because man has hunted them for meat and traded them in illegal pet trade. The orangutan reproduces very slowly. A female gives birth every 7 or 8 years. This is why orangutans are very slow to recover from any disturbances to their habitat.
Conservation Efforts
The orangutan needs a lot of help. The OFI (Orangutan Foundation International) the SOS (Sumatran Orangutan Society) and the WORC (Wanariset Orangutan Reintroduction Center) are just a few of the rescue organizations. They are working to stop illegal logging, illegal pet trade and the rehabilitation of captured orangutans for release back into the wild. We can help too. We can donate money to conservation groups working to save the orangutan habitat. We can also avoid buying wood products that come from the trees in the tropical rainforest. Examples are rayon wood, teak wood and palm oil from the trees. Other things we can do are to recycle old cell phones and adopt an orangutan. These non-profit organizations along with our help will protect the endangered orangutan.
Conclusion
Sadly, orangutans are in serious danger of becoming extinct. Humans have destroyed their homes through logging, burning, farming, and illegal pet trade. Today there are less than 45,000 orangutans left in the world. Some say the orangutan will be extinct in 2018. We must do what we can do to protect them. Their survival depends on you!