Sunday, April 28, 2013

April 29 to May 3




Contact me by e-mail at: kbenoy@nvsd44.bc.ca 

So you just want to see photos of Sutherland activities? Click here to see my Picasa Albums. 

Things that are static -- not requiring regular change -- can be found at my website:http://sites.google.com/site/kbenoy/.


History 12 


Essay #2.  due last week.

Topic #3 Plan.

I am getting concerned about time remaining in the course and have decided to delete the wartime conferences lecture to buy additional space later.  We will finish this unit a bit early but will keep the test day next Monday - May 6.

Expect this test to have, roughly, the following breakdown: 75 multiple choice items (1 mark each; 5 map items (1 mark each); 2 out of 3 long answer options (12 marks each). The total is, therefore, out of 104 marks).

Social Studies 8

We are now in a rather long unit -- the Middle Ages -- and we will not test again for a few weeks. I will post information about the next test when we are a week or two away from it.To help students who struggle with reading, I have adapted readings and questions from a simpler text for them. Only do this material if you have been asked by Mr. Benoy to do so. These students will not do the regular homework when this alternative is given. If you find reading the text impossibly difficult, see Mr. Benoy to discuss the issue. The alternative is not as detailed and content will be missed by those using it. However, it is better than not understanding a thing!

We will watch two episodes of Terry Jones' Medieval Lives in class. If you want to see about the lives of other medieval people, here are links to other episodes: The MonkThe DamselThe MinstrelThe PhilosopherThe OutlawThe King. A terrific documentary about medieval life is Michael Woods' Christina; A Medieval Life. Be sure to watch this if you get the chance. It gives real insight into 14th Century peasant life. Mr. Benoy is particularly fond of this film as it describes medieval live in the English County in which he was born. We may or may not get a chance to work this into a class.

Interested in Medieval weapons? Watch Weapons that Made Britain; The Long SwordWeapons that Made Britain; the ShieldWeapons that Made Britain; Armour and The Weapons that Made Britain; The Longbow.Watch Battlefield Britain; Hastings about the Norman conquest of Britain.

Interested in medieval lifestyles? Try Clarissa and the King's Cookbook to see how medieval royals ate. Also in the Inside the Medieval Mind series is Belief -- find out about their religious and supernatural beliefs -- with heavy stress being on the supernatural part. Try also Inside the Medieval Church; Power -- about how people were controlled. Try also Inside the Medieval World; Knowledge - what medieval people knew. Investigate life in England's greatest medieval city -- London -- in Filthy Cities; Medieval Londonnot a pretty place, but like the expanding great cities of the developing world today, a place of horror and opportunity.

We are beginning a Medieval Research Assignment. (Medieval Research Project. Part 1Part 2). I have booked three library blocks (computer lab & print sources) on Wednesday, April 24, Tuesday, May 7 and Wednesday, May 8. The assignment will be due on Monday, May 13.

In addition to sources noted above, here are some additional links to sites useful for the various Medieval Research Assignments:

General:  Netserf has an excellent links page to all things medieval; If you are interested in medieval primary documents, you cannot do better than the Internet Medieval Sourcebook;  Another links page to all things medieval can be found at The Labyrinth, from Georgetown University;  Find Medieval literature at The Online Medieval and Classical Library;  If you are really interested in learning all about art and architecture from this time there is a terrific set of flashcards online at Gardner's Art Through the Ages online resource for chapter 18 - "The Age of Great Cathedrals; Gothic Art." 

Castles: An interesting treatment of Welsh castles can be found at Castle - a 47 minute video;  Lise Hull's Castles of Britain website is a good starting point for resources.  You might also link out from herCastelology links page;  Jeffrey L. Thomas' Castles of Wales site is awesome;  Battle Castle  is a docudrama series about Medieval Castle warfare.  Go to the series' website for heaps of background information; Ordinarily I do not recommend commercial sites geared to making money from their efforts, however Medieval-Castle.comhttp://www.medieval-castle.com/ has a wealth of good information geared to about the right reading and content level for this course and another site, Castles and Manor Houses has some pretty wonderful pictures, along with attempts to sell you castle stays.  Their links page is pretty good if you are thinking about staying in a special medieval location (talk it up with your parents!);  and now that you're really interested in castles, why not think about visiting some of the best?  See Travel guru Rick Steve's page - "Medieval Castle Experiences."
The Manor:  Medieval Manor - British Social History - Changing Lives - 1066-1984 (7 minute video);  Wharram Percy; Deserted Medieval Village (website); Rural Life - sources from the British Library that includes a slideshow; The Monk's Manor is a 45 minute video about archeologists digging up a Monastic manor;  History Learning Site's Medieval Manor Houseswebpage is an excellent resource;
The Church: Church, from the British Library,;Church & Crown(video) - a short treatment of the division of power between Kings and the Church;  Medieval Minds - another short video which discusses what Medieval peasants believed; from the same series, watchMonastic Life to see what it was like to live in such institutions;
Cathedrals: Building the Great Cathedrals is a one hour documentary; Try The Medieval Mind; How to Build a Cathedral for a one hour video on cathedral construction; The Gothic Cathedral; a Landmark in Engineering is a 26 minute video -- pretty advanced stuff though; Modern Marvels; Gothic Cathedrals is a 45 minute American made video;  Watch NOVA's Building the Great Cathedrals(5 minutes);  A wonderful summary of Romanesque and Gothic architecture can be found at A White Garment of Churches, from the "Art of the Western World" series;Find great images of Cathedrals at A Digital Archive of Architecture --Romanesque and Gothic pages.  Alison Stone's Medieval Architecture site will get you to drawings and photos of an incredible selection of churches in England and France and there is also a very helpful glossary.
The Crusades: Terry Jones' The Crusades; Pilgrims in Arms.  is the first film in his series of three documentaries, the others are JerusalemJihad, and Destruction.   A great documentary on the Crusades is The Crescent and the Cross, Part 1Part 2  (1 hour 30 minuteseach). Christianity; A History; The Crusades (Part 1Part 2Part 3Part 4).  

Friday, April 19, 2013

April 22-26



Contact me by e-mail at: kbenoy@nvsd44.bc.ca 

So you just want to see photos of Sutherland activities? Click here to see my Picasa Albums. 

Things that are static -- not requiring regular change -- can be found at my website:http://sites.google.com/site/kbenoy/.


History 12 

Essay #2 is  pushed back, to a week next Monday.

Topic #4's plan is now posted -- with the changes to the Topic #3 and Essay #2 dates duly noted.

Essay #2.  Due next Monday.

Topic #3 Plan.

  • Monday, April 22 -  Introductory slideshow - Coventry Cathedral. World War II chronology (PowerPointbase notes). 2/3 of the land fighting of WWII took place on the Eastern Front. Be sure to watch some video material on this important area.   Try this almost two hour documentary The German-Russian War. For a 47 minute summary of 1941, including the start of the Russian war, watch Apocalypse; The Second World War (part 3).  
  • Tuesday, April 23 - World War II chronology (PowerPointbase notes).
  • Wednesday, April 24 -  World War II chronology (PowerPointbase notes). We will also look at one of the Twentieth Century History episodes -- probably The Road to Berlinwhich looks at the Eastern Front.  If you have two hours, watch this interesting documentary, Teacher Resource: World War II; The Eastern Front, which brings together bits and pieces of many documentaries and films about the eastern front.
  • Thursday, April 25 -Video: Twentieth Century History; Pearl Harbour to Hiroshima if available. World War II chronology (PowerPointbase notes).  Interested in the Pacific war -- from an American perspective?  Watch War in the Pacific, an 8 episode (45 minutes each) documentary series (part 1part 2part 3part 4,part 5part 6part 7part 8). 
  • Friday, April 26 - Professional Day -- no classes in session.  I will be writing History 12 PowerPoints -- what about you?
Social Studies 8

We are now in a rather long unit -- the Middle Ages -- and we will not test again for a few weeks. I will post information about the next test when we are a week or two away from it.To help students who struggle with reading, I have adapted readings and questions from a simpler text for them. Only do this material if you have been asked by Mr. Benoy to do so. These students will not do the regular homework when this alternative is given. If you find reading the text impossibly difficult, see Mr. Benoy to discuss the issue. The alternative is not as detailed and content will be missed by those using it. However, it is better than not understanding a thing!

We will watch two episodes of Terry Jones' Medieval Lives in class. If you want to see about the lives of other medieval people, here are links to other episodes: The MonkThe DamselThe MinstrelThe PhilosopherThe OutlawThe King. A terrific documentary about medieval life is Michael Woods' Christina; A Medieval Life. Be sure to watch this if you get the chance. It gives real insight into 14th Century peasant life. Mr. Benoy is particularly fond of this film as it describes medieval live in the English County in which he was born. We may or may not get a chance to work this into a class.

Interested in Medieval weapons? Watch Weapons that Made Britain; The Long SwordWeapons that Made Britain; the Shield, Weapons that Made Britain; Armour and The Weapons that Made Britain; The Longbow.Watch Battlefield Britain; Hastings about the Norman conquest of Britain.


Interested in medieval lifestyles? Try Clarissa and the King's Cookbook to see how medieval royals ate. Also in the Inside the Medieval Mind series is Belief -- find out about their religious and supernatural beliefs -- with heavy stress being on the supernatural part. Try also Inside the Medieval Church; Power -- about how people were controlled. Try also Inside the Medieval World; Knowledge - what medieval people knew. Investigate life in England's greatest medieval city -- London -- in Filthy Cities; Medieval Londonnot a pretty place, but like the expanding great cities of the developing world today, a place of horror and opportunity.

We are beginning a Medieval Research Assignment. (Medieval Research Project. Part 1Part 2). I have booked three library blocks (computer lab & print sources) on Wednesday, April 24, Tuesday, May 7 and Wednesday, May 8. The assignment will be due on Monday, May 13.

In addition to sources noted above, here are some additional links to sites useful for the various Medieval Research Assignments:

General:  Netserf has an excellent links page to all things medieval; If you are interested in medieval primary documents, you cannot do better than the Internet Medieval Sourcebook;  Another links page to all things medieval can be found at The Labyrinth, from Georgetown University;  Find Medieval literature at The Online Medieval and Classical Library;  If you are really interested in learning all about art and architecture from this time there is a terrific set of flashcards online at Gardner's Art Through the Ages online resource for chapter 18 - "The Age of Great Cathedrals; Gothic Art." 

Castles: An interesting treatment of Welsh castles can be found at Castle - a 47 minute video;  Lise Hull's Castles of Britain website is a good starting point for resources.  You might also link out from herCastelology links page;  Jeffrey L. Thomas' Castles of Wales site is awesome;  Battle Castle  is a docudrama series about Medieval Castle warfare.  Go to the series' website for heaps of background information; Ordinarily I do not recommend commercial sites geared to making money from their efforts, however Medieval-Castle.comhttp://www.medieval-castle.com/ has a wealth of good information geared to about the right reading and content level for this course and another site, Castles and Manor Houses has some pretty wonderful pictures, along with attempts to sell you castle stays.  Their links page is pretty good if you are thinking about staying in a special medieval location (talk it up with your parents!);  and now that you're really interested in castles, why not think about visiting some of the best?  See Travel guru Rick Steve's page - "Medieval Castle Experiences."
The Manor:  Medieval Manor - British Social History - Changing Lives - 1066-1984 (7 minute video);  Wharram Percy; Deserted Medieval Village (website); Rural Life - sources from the British Library that includes a slideshow; The Monk's Manor is a 45 minute video about archeologists digging up a Monastic manor;  History Learning Site's Medieval Manor Houseswebpage is an excellent resource;
The Church: Church, from the British Library,;Church & Crown(video) - a short treatment of the division of power between Kings and the Church;  Medieval Minds - another short video which discusses what Medieval peasants believed; from the same series, watchMonastic Life to see what it was like to live in such institutions;
Cathedrals: Building the Great Cathedrals is a one hour documentary; Try The Medieval Mind; How to Build a Cathedral for a one hour video on cathedral construction; The Gothic Cathedral; a Landmark in Engineering is a 26 minute video -- pretty advanced stuff though; Modern Marvels; Gothic Cathedrals is a 45 minute American made video;  Watch NOVA's Building the Great Cathedrals(5 minutes);  A wonderful summary of Romanesque and Gothic architecture can be found at A White Garment of Churches, from the "Art of the Western World" series;Find great images of Cathedrals at A Digital Archive of Architecture --Romanesque and Gothic pages.  Alison Stone's Medieval Architecture site will get you to drawings and photos of an incredible selection of churches in England and France and there is also a very helpful glossary.
The Crusades: Terry Jones' The Crusades; Pilgrims in Arms.  is the first film in his series of three documentaries, the others are JerusalemJihad, and Destruction.   A great documentary on the Crusades is The Crescent and the Cross, Part 1, Part 2  (1 hour 30 minuteseach). Christianity; A History; The Crusades (Part 1Part 2Part 3Part 4).  

  • Monday, April 22 - Take up #1-5, p. 52 or alternative work.Sidebar, p. 50 of Patterns of Civilization 1. video: Medieval Lives;The Peasant What was life like for Medieval peasants? How much control did they have on their lives? What was work like? What did they eat? How might a peasant improve his life? Read pp. 52-56. Do #1-7, p. 56.
  • Tuesday, April 23 -  Take up homework: #1-7, p. 56 or alternative. Handout: Analyzing a Primary Source - a serf's contract. PowerPoint: Monasticism. Introduction to Medieval Research Assignment. (Medieval Research Project. Part 1Part 2).  At this time I am planning to arrange 3 library blocks for this project, one in each of the next three weeks.  Expect the assignment to be due on Monday, May 13.  Homework: Watch Terry Jones' The DamselAnswer the following three questions: 1) Were women in the Middle Ages really as helpless as literature and Hollywood would have us believe? Explain. 2) How did women's roles change during the Middle Ages? 3) What was the attitude of the Church toward women -- especially at the end of the Middle Ages?
  • Wednesday, April 24 - Medieval Research Project - Library Block.
  • Thursday, April 25 -  Take up p. 56 homework. Monasticism clip from the video: "Connections; Faith in Numbers" - Part 1, from 3:35 to 10:00. How Castles developed - Examples from Mr. Benoy's Castle slides. For fun, watch The Worst Jobs in History; The Dark Ages (Part 1Part 2Part 3Part 4Part 5,Part 6) and The Worst Jobs in History; the Middle Ages (Part 1,Part 2Part 3Part 4Part 5Part 6).
  • Friday, April 26 - Professional Day - no classes in session.  Why not spend some time working on your research project.  Surf the web.  Better still, visit a library and delve into some books.

Friday, April 12, 2013

April 15-19




Contact me by e-mail at: kbenoy@nvsd44.bc.ca 

So you just want to see photos of Sutherland activities? Click here to see my Picasa Albums. 

Things that are static -- not requiring regular change -- can be found at my website:http://sites.google.com/site/kbenoy/.


History 12 

Essay #2 is  pushed back, to a week next Monday.

Topic #4's plan is now posted -- with the changes to the Topic #3 and Essay #2 dates duly noted.

Essay #2.  Due next Monday.

Topic #3 Plan.

Social Studies 8 

Block 2 is working with Mr. Wong, my student teacher from UBC for the first part of the course.  The plan below is for my Block 3 class.  When Mr. Wong finishes - on Tuesday, the plan will apply to both classes.  

We are now in a very short unit -- just skimming two topics -- the Byzantine Empire and Islamic Civilization.  Expect a test Monday.

Expect the mark breakdown to be as follows: 30 multiple choice questions (1 mark each), 5 definitions from a choice of 10 (2 marks each) and a choice of 3 from 5 long answer questions (6 marks each). The test is out of a total of 58 marks. 25 flash cards -- done as I require them -- will result in 5 bonus marks. It is possible to score 63/58 on this test!

To help students who struggle with reading, I have adapted readings and questions from a simpler text for them. Only do this material if you have been asked by Mr. Benoy to do so. These students will not do the regular homework when this alternative is given. 

  • Monday, April 15 - Unit Test - Byzantine and Islamic Civilizations. Read pp. 40-45. Do #1-6, p. 45. Adapted reading & questions: Read The German Kingdoms. Make flash cards for the important terms on p. 24 and also make flash cards for the names in #1 of the "Do You Remember These People and Events? section on p. 29. Do the "What Do You Think?" questions on p. 29. 
  • Tuesday, April 16 - Take up #1-6, p. 45. Video:Europe After the Fall of Rome; 476-1066 AD (sorry, not available online)Focus Questions: What happened to Britain after the Romans left? How did life change? How did Christian missionaries change the Germans? Who were the Vikings and how did their threat affect Western Europe? Handout:CharlemagneDo the questions on the handout for homework. Interested in watching a documentary on the Saxons? Try Barbarians; The Saxons. Interested in post-Roman Britain in the period called the Dark Ages? Find out why the whole concept of Dark Ages is "complete rubbish." See Britain AD (Episode 1Episode 2,Episode 3). Do note that this is not the generally accepted view of British history.
  • Wednesday, April 17 - Take up homework. Video: The Dark Ages; Part 8; The Greatest King . What made Charlemagne a great ruler? How did he keep tight control over his subjects? How did the Roman Catholic church help him? Why did his efforts eventually collapse? If you want to see the rest of this video, The Dark Ages, click here for the entire 1 1/2 hour show. Read pp. 45-48. Do #1-6, p. 48. Adapted reading & questions: Read The Growth of FeudalismMake flash cards for the important terms on p. 36 and do the "What Do You Think?" questions on p. 41. Also read Feudal Life in the CastleMake flash cards for the terms on p. 42 and answer the "What Do You Think?" questions on p. 47. Interested in the Franks? Watch Barbarians; the Franks. Interested in the Vikings? Why not watch the following as a bonus: Ancient Warriors: The Vikingsor Barbarians; the VikingsFind out about the Viking discovery of North America by watching: The Vikings; Voyage to America.
  • Thursday, April 18 - Take up #1-6, p. 48 (or alternate work). Take up #1-6, p. 48. Watch Ancient Warriors: The Vikings. Answer the following questions: 1) Why were the Vikings feared by all of Christian Europe? 2) What made the Viking Longship a particularly effective weapon for its time? 3) Where does our knowledge of the Vikings come from? Handout Viking Women. How does this account of Viking life differ from the video? Can you explain the difference? Origins of feudalism: Hosford Atlas pp. 13-16. Handout reading for homework: Feudalism and Medieval Life. Do the questions on the handout.
  • Friday, April 19 - Take up homework. Video clip:FeudalismVideo:Medieval Lives: The Knight. How did medieval knights really live and act? Handout: A Feudal ContractRead pp. 49-52. Do #1-5, p. 52.Alternative reading: "Feudal Life on the Manor." Make flash cards for the terms on p. 48 and do the What Do You Think questions on p. 53.