Mono, Poly, and Pan

Mono = One

Poly = Many

Pan = Everything or all

We started off the lesson finishing up yesterday's lesson, and introducing the terms monotheism (the belief in one god), polytheism (the belief in many gods), and pantheism (the belief that everything is god).

Normally, when I teach religions, I start with the "three major monos."  And I teach them chronologically, so we start with Judaism since it came first c. 1700 B.C.  Then move to Christianity c. 33 A.D., and then move on to Islam c. 632 A.D.

However, this year, I decided to start with Christianity, since the majority of my students have some background with this.  Even if they are not Christians themselves, many have been exposed to the ideas of Christianity by their peers or neighbors.

I gave them a little pretest to see if any of them knew anything about the religion.  I asked if they could name any of the 10 Commandments, any of the Gospels, or if they knew the "Golden Rule."

Some classes asked a LOT of questions.  ...I mean a lot.  I fielded questions about some controversial subjects: adultery, homosexuality, creation and evolution.  I was as honest as possible - probably being overly cautious not to misrepresent either side.  If I felt like the topic was controversial, I tried to point them back to you (that is, the adult that is reading this with the student from my class...)  

For instance, when a student 6th hour said, "I get where babies come from - you know, I came from my mom, and she came from her mom, and on and on and on... but where did it start?"  I had to pause.  And during my pause, when someone else shouted out, "I heard we came from monkeys!" I had to hold up my hands, and pause a little longer.

I tried to preface what I said with, "Many _____________ believe" because even inside Christianity, Judaism and Islam there is much diversity about beliefs.  And the same is true with science: while the vast majority of the scientific community may agree on the evolutionary model, there is diversity in the hows and whys: for instance, the consequences of genetic drift.

For the record, in the class where the student shouted out, "I heard we came from monkeys," I told the class that that's not actually what evolution teaches, but rather we came from a common ancestor.  Either way, we didn't really have time to get into it, so we didn't.

It's 3:30 and I still have to put in some grades, so I'm going to cut this post short.

If you want extra credit for reading and discussing this post, write out the definitions of monotheism, polytheism, and pantheism.  Then, have the adult you read and discussed the blog with sign the paper.  If you have any thoughts, questions or comments, you can put them on there as well - or leave them in the comments section of the blog.  (Sorry, I censor swears...  This includes rap lyrics...)

Also, your friends are forgetful.  I had a lot of people turn this in because you guys reminded each other to do it.  Thanks for helping one another out.  

Birthday

For my birthday, I got to wake up extra early and go to East Noble School Corporation to see how they've implemented their 1:1 initiative.

It was pretty exciting stuff.  Someday... someday soon, one would hope.

So, I wasn't at school today.  And I almost didn't post a blog entry - what with my crazy birthday party and all.

But, I thought:  ...it's the end of the semester.  There are some students who are like...   .04% away from a letter grade bump.  They may end up disheartened if I don't post something.

So here it is - and an easy one at that.

You're supposed to be reading this with an adult.  Discuss how the day went.  Tell them about Judaism.  What do you remember from that video?  What is monotheism?  Polytheism?

Then, on a sheet of notebook paper write down a phrase.  Any phrase or quote... Whatever you want.  I'll take the best one and use it as my code phrase for tomorrow's post.

Don't forget to have the adult you had your discussion with sign the paper.

Happy Birthday.

Progress Reports and an Influx of People Wanting Extra Credit

So, progress reports come out tomorrow.  And we just took a little quiz that a lot of people got Ds on.  SOOOoooo... I'm anticipating an influx of students who are looking forward to some extra credit.

You've come to the right place.

We've finished studying religions.  You should now know the difference between monotheistic and polytheistic religions.  What theocracy is, and when it comes into play.  You should know some differences between the monotheistic religions - what Jews and Christians believe about the Messiah, for instance.  What are the Five Pillars of Faith for Islam?  What does "poly-morphic monotheism" mean?  Which religion is it specifying?  Which religions believe in karma and reincarnation?  How is the idea of karma in Hinduism different from the idea of mercy in Christianity?

We'll come back to the religions in review, but we're done for all intents and purposes.

For now, we're doing some moderate review - both for the ISTEP, and for our final, which is coming up in about 3 weeks.

It's been a while since we've discussed globalization, standard of living, or human capital.  Hopefully you still remember the differences between limited and unlimited governments.  More recently we've talked about colonization and imperialism.  How many of you remember the colonization simulation?

Does anyone remember why you learned TKWA?  Not just what each letter stands for, but why you learned it?

If you want extra credit for reading and discussing the blog with an adult, you need to read and discuss it with an adult.  To get the points, write the answer to at least 3 questions asked above.  They can be any three questions.  Third paragraph.  Fifth.  Have the adult you read it with sign your paper.  Turn it in tomorrow in the extra credit tray.

Monotheism: Abraham's Journey; Judaism, Christianity, and Islam

Yesterday we started class by reading a passage from Genesis - from the Christian and Jewish Holy books.  According to Jews and Christians, God and Abraham made a covenant, or agreement/promise.

You can read what we read HERE.  They answered a few questions from the reading.

After they were done, we had a little refresher on the ancient civilizations of Mesopotamia and Egypt.  Abraham left Mesopotamia, and by the end of the passage we read yesterday, ended up in Egypt.

We reviewed the polytheism of these ancient civilizations, and then I read a section from the Qur'an.  In book 6, God shows the errors of polytheism.  Abraham tries to explain this to the people of Mesopotamia, but they will not listen.  (In fact, later in the Qur'an Abraham's father threatens to stone him if he doesn't accept the Mesopotamian gods.)

You can read the section of the Qur'an HERE.  (We actually read 72-81.)

The point of yesterday's lesson was that all three major monotheistic religions trace their roots back to Abraham.  An interesting thing to consider: the lives of more than 3 billion people today are directly influenced by that man.  (2 billion Christians, and 1 billion Muslims.)  That doesn't even take into account the number of non-religious people whose lives are influenced by him because of the countries in which they live.  Governments are set up that use the Qur'an or Bible or Torah to help inform how their countries are run.

Side note: In a couple classes, we discussed social media: many of my students have Facebook or Instagram.  We all agreed that it's fun when people "like" the stuff we post.  I happen to love being able to experience winter.  Driving in to work yesterday, the trees looked AMAZING, so I snapped a picture.

Social media connects us to other people.  It allows us to influence others.  It's crazy to think about how much influence Abraham has had on the world.  How many people would follow him on Facebook or Twitter...

We finished out yesterday by beginning a map of Abraham's journey.  Instead of giving it as an assignment, we're completing it as a class.

We haven't finished it yet.  I plan on wrapping it up tomorrow.  I'll post a picture when it's finished.

Today we've moved on from Judaism and Christianity to Islam.  We watched the Islam video - the last video we'll watch for quite some time.

If you want extra credit today, you need to write two names on a piece of scrap paper, then have the adult you read it with sign the paper.  All three major monotheistic religions trace their roots back to one man, who is it?  Who is the founder of Islam?  Those are the names you need.  ...Well... you should also make sure your name is on it...

...Man... I didn't even get to tell how I time-traveled with a couple classes...  Was it your class?

Religion

Many people in Northern Indiana will be celebrating Christmas next week.  Perhaps you're one of them, perhaps not.  Many are already celebrating Hanukkah, which started Tuesday evening.  Perhaps you are lighting your Menorah.

Here in social studies, we're closing out 2014 by introducing a topic.  It may be counter-intuitive, to start something that I'll have to reintroduce in a couple weeks, but I think it's worth it.

Teaching about religions in the United States can be a little bit tricky.  But there they are in the 7th grade standards.  Standard indicator 7.1.2 to be exact.

So, we're trying to foster understanding: what do we believe?  What do other people believe?  Why?

Students will need to be familiar with some terminology early on in this unit:

Monotheism

Polytheism

Pantheism

Atheism

Whether you're celebrating a holiday or not, I hope you enjoy the break.  It'll be 2015 when we get back.  Hopefully we have some hoverboards.  

If you want some extra credit when you return, discuss what you believe with an adult in your house.  Have them tell you what they believe about God or gods or the supernatural.  Write down 4 sentences from your discussion and have them sign it.  Turn it in when we return.

Until then, take it easy.

The Test to End All Tests

So, we're finishing up our brief introduction to World Wars I and II.  And if WWI was billed as "the war to end all wars," may I bill my final as "the test to end all tests?"

I just want to put this out as an all-call.  We've got a final coming up.  We're going to start our review tomorrow, as well as finish up some thoughts on Japanese Imperialism and WWII.

In honor of the final, choose one of these topics.  Pick a previous year's blog post from one of the topics.  (You don't have to read every post.  Just scroll through until you reach one that interests you.)  Read it and discuss it.  Treat it as a regular extra credit blog post.  The only thing to add along with your name, date, and signature of the grown up you read and discussed with, you need to add the date and title of the original post.

Ancient Civilizations

Agriculture

Monotheism

Globalization


Good luck.

Pop Quiz

I was planning on giving the kids a pop quiz today...  I didn't go through with it.  So sue me.  ...They were happy.  I told them to count on having a pop quiz on Monday.  I realize that takes a little bit of the "pop" out of it.  I told them what it would cover... less and less like a "pop" quiz, right?  More and more like a regular, old, boring quiz.

In case you're wondering, here's some stuff that will be on it:

Hopefully they can explain that...  If not, well... good luck on the pop quiz.  There'll also be this:

Today for bellwork, we discussed The Hunger Games.  I can't stress enough how much I care about reading comprehension.  It's one thing to read the book.  It's another to make sure they're getting what we're reading.  I understand that this isn't a language arts class, but the book ties in so well with the curriculum.  I'm only worried that it's taking too much time away from the fact memorization we need to do for testing...

Here's the thing though, if this helps increase reading comprehension, it's going to help all areas of testing anyway.  All parts of the test require reading skills.

So, to get the extra credit today (well, Monday...) ask your kid what's going on in the book.  Ask them who their favorite characters are, and why.  Ask them if they would have taken Prim's place, or is there someone whose place they would have taken.  Ask them if they'd be courageous or fearful if they were in Katniss's place.  Ask them how they feel about the hunger games in general - the games themselves, not the book.  There's plenty more you could ask... and actually, as I'm reading over this, that might be a lot.  Maybe just pick a couple of those.

You know, every time I write this, I picture a loving parent with their child at home reading over the blog together, laughing, reminiscing about a scene from The Hunger Games, politely discussing politics, religion, or whatever topic we're studying...  Sometimes I snap out of my reverie though, picturing a mother glaring: "SO-AND-SO!  YOU GET OVER HERE RIGHT NOW!  YOU WILL READ THIS BLOG ENTRY!"  The daughter rolling her eyes, wishing she could be texting her bff about some cute boy three lockers down.  Uggg... social studies is such a drag.  "O.M.W.," she'll cry, texting her friend "ttyl, brb" at the exact same moment.  Apologies if your life mirrors the latter rather than the former.

Also, you could study for the quiz.  One more question that will be on it is: define monotheism.

So, if you want the extra credit make sure you bring in a piece of paper that has the following phrase: Thanks for reading and discussing the blog with me.  It's been so much fun.

In order to get the extra credit, it must be signed by the adult you discussed it with.  If you didn't have a heart-warming chat about social studies with some adult in your life, don't tell me.  Let me live in my imagination.

Diversity Within Christianity

We've moved from discussing economics into discussing religions.

Before break, I introduced the concepts of monotheism, polytheism, atheism, etc...  We started learning about Judaism.

Today, we've moved into Christianity, and we're looking at the diversity within the Christian faith.

I've created a Kahoot to try to show this to the students.  If you're interested in seeing it, CLICK HERE.

You'll have to be at a computer, and have a smart phone, or tablet ready as well.  (The students used laptops in the classroom.)

If you want extra credit today, write down 3 of the main beliefs of Christianity.  (If you were absent, you may google them.)

Have the adult you discussed this with sign your paper.  Turn it in tomorrow in the extra credit tray.

Don't forget that Friday is the last day of the grading period.