Example of Project # 6 Civilization Blog Post

The definition of civilization that we received in class is ~ a society in an advanced state of social development.  This means a group of people have reached a certain level of advanced development in several different areas that I will discuss below.

Geographic Boundaries

Geographic boundaries limit the size of civilizations as they are hard to cross and they prevent people from easily expanding their culture into another area.  I choose this picture of the Sahara Desert because it has limited the interaction between civilizations and empires in North Africa and Southern Africa.  The Roman Empire did not expand South of this geographic boundary in history and the cultures North and South of the Sahara desert are still quite different to this day.  

Political Institutions

Political institutions are the form or forms of government that civilizations use to organize themselves.  I choose a picture of the Rhode Island State House as it makes me think of government.  The Rhode Island legislature meets here to make laws to govern the State of Rhode Island.

An Economy that Produces Food Surpluses

Continue Your Blog Post Below...

Fun Music Video On Civilization

Sources:

Dictionary Definition

Picture of Sahara Desert

Picture of RI State House

EXAMPLE POST: PROJECT # 4 I Started Farming Before It was Cool A Hipster Guide to Leaving the Old Stone Age

For this project Mr. Rothemich asked us to take three pictures.  Each picture shows one of the major innovations of the Neolithic Age.  Each picture has a paragraph explaining how humans moved forward from the Paleolithic Age (Old Stone Age) to the Neolithic Age (New Stone Age).  The dividing line between the two stone ages is the invention of farming.  During the Paleolithic Age all food had to be either hunted or gathered.  After the invention of farming people could begin raising plants and animals for food and for other resources that they needed.  

Picture # 1 Domestication of Plants: My Bread & Class Lettuce

Question: Explain how and why humans began domesticating plants during the agricultural revolution. What are the advantages to humans?

We do not know how and why the first plants were domesticated. Some historians theorize that people accidentally began farming by caring for wild plants that they gathered from, clearing away other competing plants. It may also have been due to accidentally dropping seeds near camp, and sticking around long enough to observe the plant life cycle. However domestication happened our oldest evidence for plant domestication dates back to around 10,000 BC in the middle east. The ancient peoples of the middle east domesticated wheat and barley. These crops proved extremely helpful to early farmers as each seed planted provided many more seeds when the plant matured and the seed or grain was harvested. These seeds could be kept for years allowing food surpluses. Surplus food could be saved for years when harvests were poor. Eventually farmers got so good at creating food surpluses from plants like wheat, rice, and corn that some people could stop farming and specialize in other things like pottery, brick making, and soldiering. Food surpluses would eventually be a major contributor to the rise of civilizations. Wheat domesticated in the middle east thousands of years ago has spread all over the planet and is used to make bread and many other foods we enjoy today.

 Picture # 2 Domestication of Animals: Guppies

Question: Explain how and why humans began domesticating animals during the agricultural revolution.  What are the advantages to humans?

*  Note to students, guppies are a domesticated fish by the strict definition of domestication, but you could probably come up with better picture examples of animals that have helped humans more.

 Picture # 3 Metallurgy: Allen Key

Metal Allen Key

Question: Explain how and why humans began using metal tools.  What are the advantages of metal tools for humans?




My Sources:
6th Grade Social Studies Agricultural Revolution
Domestication Facts for Kids
Discovery of Metals
Book: Guns, Germs, and Steel: by Jared Diamond
Mankind the Story of Us: Birth of Farming: History
"Liquid Fire" to Metal Sword in minutes! - A History of Ancient Britain - Ep4 - Preview - BBC Two

Project # 4 Can you rise to the challenge of making bread?

Making Bread Tutorial

Ingredients- Bun Size

• 1/2 cup all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting
• 2 pinches instant yeast
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Optional cornmeal, wheat bran or additional flour for dusting roll

Instructions

• Whisk together flour, salt and yeast in a large mixing bowl and add 1/3 cup lukewarm water (around 90-100 degrees is great). Stir just until blended and all of the flour is wet (add a little bit more water if you need to), and cover with plastic wrap. Leave in a warm place for about 12 (and up to 20 or so) hours.

• The dough is ready for the next step when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Flour a work surface and gently dump dough onto it. Using additional flour to keep dough from sticking, gently stretch the dough a little and fold it over itself a few times, then gently and quickly form it into something resembling a ball, rolling it around in additional flour if you need to to shape it.

• Place the ball of dough, seam side down, onto a kitchen towel dusted generously with additional flour, cornmeal or wheat bran. Cover with another flour (or cornmeal or bran)-dusted towel and allow it to rise in a warm place for two hours, or until dough is more than doubled in size.

• Heat oven to 450 degrees at least a half hour or so before the dough is ready and place a baking stone, cookie sheet, or dutch oven in the oven to preheat. When dough is ready, gently slide your palm under the bottom towel and plop the dough into or onto the baking stone, seam side up. Bake for around 30 minutes. (I like to take it out around 15-20 minutes in)

New York Times Video for No Kneed Bread