Unit – The West and the World                                                                                               Rosenbaum             1

Web Research

 Research for your role in this unit will be completed in small groups over the next 4 classes. Use the space available on this sheet for brainstorming and research while in the library, in a study hall or at home.

 Ø      I’ve provided some web links to assist you in finding useful information. However, it is your reading of the prompt and your careful analysis of the information you find that is critical to your success. THINK!

Ø     Over the next 4 classes, you’ll become the experts on the subject matter assigned. Create a simple but effective PowerPoint slide show with information that is bulleted and SUMMARIZED so it is not overwhelming. Images / links are helpful but should not be excessive.

 Ø      Remember, a PowerPoint presentation is there to support you as you present, not the other way around!

 Ø      Staring Friday, October 2^nd, each group will present their findings in a clear, concise way. Focus on connecting the information you’ve researched and developing a smooth transition from topic to topic. I am very interested in your ability to connect the pieces of information you’ve researched in a logical way without confusing the audience, i.e.: You are the teacher so your presentation should make sense!

Ø      In addition, each group will prepare a one page guided notes worksheet for all students in class. This will be handed out to each student as your presentation begins. Make copies prior to your presentation!

 ** Each person will turn in their individual worksheet to receive credit. No sheet....NO CREDIT!                                                 *** Transition from topic to topic / point to point are crucial during your presentation!
**** Presentations are from Friday, 10/2 to Tuesday 10/6. Not ready when scheduled?….Letter grade loss!

Unit – The West and the World                                                                                               Rosenbaum             1

Web Research

1) Research / report on the series of Holy Wars called the ‘Crusades’. Begin by asking individual students about the Crusades were before explaining anything to the class. Focus on the economic effect the Crusades had for both Europeans (primarily Italians) and Muslims, not just the military battles and occupation of the Holy Land. 

2) Provide the class with at least three (3) economic outcomes of this long event, especially in relation to Europe emerging from the ‘Dark Ages’....(Hint....This requires some serious thinking!!!)

3) At some point in your presentation, focus on the Italian city states of Genoa and Venice. Before providing any answers to the class, ask individual students if they know why these two city states were important during the Crusades and why they were crucial to the development of trade to Europe from Asia. (Use some maps to help explain your findings)

4) From 1100-1400, Genoa and Venice developed into powerful commercial empires. Before providing any answers to the class, ask individual students if they know how Genoa and Venice became the ‘middle-man’ for Mediterranean trade. After discussion, provide a definition to the class and provide three (3) examples of a how a ‘middle-man’ operates today.

Unit – The West and the World                                                                                                        Rosenbaum    2

Web Research 

1) First, engage in discussion by asking individual students if they know what the term ‘Age of Discovery’ means. Regardless of the answers, provide a definition for the class after discussion. At minimum, provide the class w/ three (3) examples of significant events / players during this time period. (Link some maps to help explain)

2) While this is not an economics class, ask individual students if they know what ‘profit motive’ means. After discussion provide a definition for the class and be able to apply it to the following: Focus on how the lure of profits provided motivation for many nations / royals / explorers during the ‘Age of Discovery’.

3) Portuguese exploration was crucial to the start of the modern ‘Age of Discovery’. Engage in discussion by asking individual students if they know why Portugal was so important. (Hint....As a realtor would say, it has a lot to do with location....location....location). After discussion provide answers for the class.

4) In those days, royal support was extremely important to exploration. Focus on who the ‘Navigator’ was, what the Portuguese were searching for and what it means in business when you ‘cut out the middle-man’....  

Unit – The West and the World                                                                                                        Rosenbaum    3

Web Research

 1) The Portuguese were the first modern Europeans to actively explore the oceans, but they faced many hardships. Engage in discussion by asking individual students to come up with as many of these hardships as possible. Then provide the class with at least five (5) of the countless difficulties / hardships that early explorers (sailors / captains) faced in reaching their destination by sea. Be sure to include superstitions many explorers believed in.

2) It would take the Portuguese nearly a century to reach Asia by sea. Ask individual students if they know of reasons why this was the case. Then, provide the class w/ at least three (3) reasons why it did take the Portuguese so long to reach their destination. In addition, ask the class who Bartolemeu Dias and Vasco de Gama were and why their names are important when discussing early exploration. After discussion provide answers for the class.

3) During exploration, the Portuguese tried to convert those they encountered to Christianity. However, the Portuguese also started something that is the antithesis of what religion / morality stands for. Ask individual students if they know what trade the Portuguese are responsible for starting. Be sure to show examples of this trade that lasted for 400 years and adversely affected millions! This should be as shocking as it is enlightening...

Unit – The West and the World                                                                                                        Rosenbaum    4

Web Research

1) For many reasons, the Spanish were late to the exploration game. Begin by asking individual students if they know who the Moors were, what they were able to do / accomplish and why they were important to Spanish, European and world history. Use maps to help explain. After discussion provide answers for the class.

2) As a follow up to the first question, ask individual students if they know who Ferdinand & Isabella were. After, provide information on the kingdoms these royals began uniting with their marriage and the expulsion of the Moors, and why all of this was so significant to global exploration? After discussion provide answers for the class.

3) By now the class should be fully aware of how Ferdinand & Isabella helped change history. Engage the class in discussion by asking individual students if they know who Cristoforo Colombo was, where he was born, and what idea he had regarding sailing that made him unique. After discussion provide answers for the class.

4) To finish your lecture, engage the class in the following: What was Colombo looking for when he sailed west, why did he decide on that direction, and why did he approach both Portugal and Spain instead of sailing for his native land? Then, to finish off this discussion, ask the class whether or not was correct in the assumptions he made prior to sailing. (Hint...There is a yes / no to this question)

Unit – The West and the World                                                                                                        Rosenbaum    5

Web Research

1) In the early days of trans-Atlantic exploration, the Spanish and Portuguese competed for territory, wealth and prestige...not necessarily in that order. Engage the class in discussion by asking individual students if they know what 1493 agreement between these rivals ‘divided’ the spoils of exploration in the New World. After discussion, be able to explain to the class what the Treaty of Tordesillas was, who acted as the negotiator and how it affected the East and West. Include your opinion on which nation came out the winner and why.

2) The success of Cristoforo Colombo set about a wave of competition for New World riches. Engage the class in discussion by asking individual students if they are aware of the Columbian Exchange and what the import / export of ideas, crops, diseases, empires,  etc.. did for the New World, and the world at large. (Use some maps to help explain your findings)

3) To finish your lecture, engage the class in the following: What did Colombo create that would last for nearly 400 years, make Spanish an international language, and allowed Spain to export valuable metals items in abundance. You know when ‘it’ started...be sure to ask individual students about when / how ‘it’ ended. Europe
 

Unit – The West and the World                                                                                                        Rosenbaum    6

Web Research

1) The Spanish came to dominate early exploration and the conquest of the New World. However, Spanish success was not guaranteed. Engage the class in discussion about whether Cristoforo Colombo was the most influential explorer of his time or if there was another explorer from his native land (or elsewhere) that certainly has more name recognition? (If this is tricky, think of what we Pledge Allegiance to everyday....)

2) Research / report on the importance of a man named Martin Waldseemüller? Begin by asking individual students if they know who this man was, why he was historically important, and how his ‘profession’ was a growth industry for the time.

3) Spain’s European competitors did sit idly by. Engage the class in discussion about what other European nations did in response to Spanish success in the New World, how they went about accomplishing this goal, and which of them was, in the end, the most successful.

Students & Parents,  

This syllabus offers an explanation of the course, my expectations, grading, rules and necessary supplies. 

WHAT IS AN ADVANCED PLACEMENT CLASS ALL ABOUT? 

The following sections come from various sections of the College Board web site for AP World History: 

     The Advanced Placement Program (AP) offers a course and exam in World History to qualified students who wish to complete studies in secondary school equivalent to an introductory college course in world history. The AP World History Exam presumes at least one year of college-level preparation….

 ....The material has been selected and is periodically revised by historians who serve as members of the AP World History Development Committee. In their judgment, the material contained herein reflects the content of an introductory college course in World History. The exam is representative of such a course and therefore is considered appropriate for the measurement of skills and knowledge in an introductory world history survey.

 COURSE DESCRIPTION (from the College Board web site for AP World History) 

     The purpose of the AP World History course is to develop greater understanding of the evolution of global processes and contacts, in interaction with different types of human societies. This understanding is advanced through a combination of selective factual knowledge and appropriate analytical skills. The course highlights the nature of changes in international frameworks and their causes and consequences, as well as comparisons among major societies. The course emphasizes relevant factual knowledge deployed in conjunction with leading interpretive issues and types of historical evidence. The course builds on an understanding of cultural, institutional, and technological precedents that, along with geography, set the human stage. Periodization, explicitly discussed, forms an organizing principle for dealing with change and continuity throughout the course. Specific themes provide further organization to the course, along with the consistent attention to contacts among societies that form the core of world history as a field of study. 

** I encourage you to visit the College Board web site for more information regarding this course / exam.

 CLASS EXPECTATIONS

      As a student at Chatham High School, and one who has chosen to take this college level class, you shoulder a good deal of the burden for maintaining Chatham’s reputation as one of the area’s best high schools. This means a better work ethic, class conduct, writing skills, understanding of the material covered, and grades. In other words, my expectations are that individually and collectively, you will be better at everything. In addition, I am here to teach state required subject matter and I take this responsibility very seriously. Therefore if you are not able to handle the rigors of this class by the first progress report, consider yourself to be on probation. If substantial change does not occur by the end of the 1^st quarter, I will arrange with guidance to have you placed in a regular education class. Along with the College Board, I’m here to challenge you....Are you ready?

 MY WEB PAGE 

     I maintain a course web page on the district web site. It is easy to access and is updated at least once a week with new information. You can find it by going to www.chathamcentralschools.com and using the links for the high school and then Teacher Web Pages at the bottom of the right side menu. Bookmark once and visit often. On the main page, choose the World History class link. My email and each month are clearly listed at the top of each page. Click on the appropriate month and you will see a calendar with all relevant class information posted, including due dates, links to project information sheets and other handouts, etc... 

     I fully expect that most of you have already visited my web page and are aware of my expectations regarding this resource. Those who make it a habit to check it regularly will benefit from its availability. I maintain a web page for many reasons but the most important would be responsibility and accountability. Therefore, if you are absent, you are responsible for checking coursework by using this resource. Don’t come into school after an absence and ask what we did / what is due. My first / only response will be “Check the web page!” 

SUPPLIES 

To ensure a good year, I expect the following supplies everyday:

a.       A 3-ring binder with a minimum of 100 sheets of filler paper

b.      At least 4 dividers labeled for Homework, Class Notes, Test/Quizzes, Projects Info

c.       Many, many, many pens / pencils

** Like any job, a student needs to come to class prepared, just as they would if they wanted to collect a paycheck. It is not my responsibility to provide students with supplies. Students who come to class repeatedly without supplies will lose percentage points towards their quarterly grade.

* Textbooks will be sent home w/ a class set for school related course work 

GRADING CATEGORIES / SCALE: Quarterly grades will be calculated out of total points.  

Tests / Quizzes: At a minimum, there will be 2 exams per quarter that will make up a large part of a student’s grade. In addition, I have found that surprise, or ‘pop’ quizzes are instrumental in helping a student stay focused on his / her studies. No test or quiz grade will be dropped. In addition, students are expected to follow the state, national and international news and will be rewarded for their knowledge with periodic ‘News Quizzes’.  

Projects: At a minimum, your child will complete one major project each quarter.  Depending on time and subject matter, there may be some minor projects as well.  

Major Project – Generally takes up to 2 weeks to complete. It will also include time spent in the Media Center to complete research or create presentations. However, we cannot spend all of our class time working on a project. It is expected that you will spend time outside of class to complete required work. 

Group Work – Most projects will require students to form groups. Each student should think carefully about who they want to work with because each student will receive a group classroom presentation grade.  

Assignments / Homework: At a minimum, your child will be assigned 1 homework assignment per unit. This will be a unit study guide that each student will complete over a 7 to 10 day period. It will be checked for completion near the end of unit of study and in preparation for an exam.  There may be additional homework assignments based on coursework covered in class. Homework needs to be completed by the due date. Late work is only accepted for an excused absence.

Participation: This part of your grade come from in-class assignments, participation in class discussions, readiness with supplies, and general classroom conduct.  

BASIC CLASS RULES AND REGULATIONS

 1. Be polite and respectful of the teacher and your fellow students.

2. Screaming, yelling, arguing or talking back to the teacher is disrespectful and will not be tolerated.

3. Please do not talk out of turn.....Raise your hand!

4. Be on time to class.

** Disciplinary action for repeated offenses will follow the school discipline guidelines. 

You will find the same information posted on my web page. Email me at rosenbaumd@chatham.k12.ny.us or call me at 397-2109 to leave a voicemail if you’d like to chat. I will contact you as soon as possible.  

Please sign and return this copy to me by September 11th. This is also posted on September’s calendar. You are welcome to print a copy for your records. Thank you and let’s have a great year! 

Sincerely,  

Mr. Rosenbaum

4) To finish your lecture, engage the class in the following: Of the European nations that competed w/ Spain, the most successful is remembered by a short phrase that uses a celestial ‘object’ as its subject (Hint....think of a type of cancer this ’object’ causes)  Ask individual students if they know the phrase and what it means. Then use maps to show how this 400 year rivalry between Europe’s great empires finally ended.