Pop Quiz! Sorta....

           Today in Western Civilization class we had a pop quiz! This pop quiz only had five questions and it seemed to be really easy. Mainly because we got fifteen minutes to study before that five question pop quiz even started, which made everyone very happy I am sure. After the pop quiz we were assigned a reading assignment and it was to read pages 20 to 29 in the textbook otherwise known as the Learning Objective Three.

            In the textbook I read not about how civilization started, but how it progressed and what things were added over time. Some of these things included social classes being developed and new types of architecture and tools being developed. Some of the most important parts of society we have today were originally from Ancient Egypt. According to our book without early civilizations we wouldn’t have things like religions, leaders, or the awesome skyscrapers we have today.

Poor Cows :(

            Today in Western Civilization class we watched a video about how us humans came to advance to much in technology and thrive in today’s environment. This video was again confirmed Jared Diamond’s theory that everything that decided our fate was geographical luck. Although this video went a step further and even went into detail about what happened in the past and how it affects us today. The host of the show, John Greene, even told us about how complicated it is to even make a burger! That’s when Mr. Schick stopped the video and talked to us about what happens to cows and other animals that fast food restaurants use. He told us that at places like the McDonald’s slaughter house they line up cows in pens that are just barely bigger than the cow and constantly feed the cow hormone filled food. The saddest part of this why of life is that the cows spend their entire life in these pens until they are walked out to get slaughtered. It’s sad to think that this happens and I wish that we are as healthy as those that came before us, but until we eat more natural things we won’t be the same.

Just Another Day of Fun

            Today in my Western Civilization class we talked about our recent blogs and not just that, but also our first project which was also placed on our blogs. Although we did spend some time talking about exactly what to do for our blogs and our project; the next thing we talked about was the LO1 or the learning objective one, where we read the textbook and it was about the evolution of man in the way of technology and civilization. We learned that some of the most important connections between Jared Diamond and the book was the introduction of domestic plants and animals. This allowed us humans to stay in one place and keep a civilization up and running until present day. Advancements in technology like plows and other inventions allowed people to specialize in other jobs since there was a surplus in food production. Just think of how far we’ve come and today we’re advancing in technology faster than anyone can imagine. 

The Link: Guns, Germs, and Steel-Western Civ LO1

       In Guns, Germs, and Steel Jared Diamond theorized that the whole reason that people became so diverse was because of sheer geographic luck. This is proven through our textbook by the way it describes what happened to us after we discovered all these new things we could use to our advantage.

            Some of the first things we did as early human beings was called hunting and gathering which involved some people going out and hunting for large animals which could be eaten or staying back and gathering things like plants which could be harvested and eaten as well. Although this was a quite effective strategy for surviving, the people inside these hunting and gathering communities were always on the move and wouldn’t always have food to follow.

            Soon after the hunters and gatherers, came villages and domestics animals and crops; some of the most important features that helped early people thrive according to Guns, Germs, and Steel. The area known as Mesopotamia or the Fertile Crescent was the pinnacle for human life, where villages were formed and people could be specialized in certain types of work. Some even became inventors for their time. Those inventors created one of the most important features for their time, which would benefit them for a great time. They created the granary.

            With the invention of the granary and human life thriving in the Fertile Crescent even larger villages were formed, just how Jared Diamond’s book said it happened, so many great things happening at such a fast rate. It is incredible to think of what we accomplished so long ago.   

Best Be Learning

Yesterday in Mr. Schick’s Western Civilization class we talked about two things. One was that we started reading in the textbook and another was that Mr. Schick assigned us a blog project due any time before our class on Wednesday at 10:21. During class we talked a little bit about what we learned last semester about Jared Diamond the man who thinks he solved what happened to humanity and cultural diversity in Eurasia. In our textbook we read about the earliest societies, where they first appeared, how they got there, and what helped them strive. We learned that geographic luck is what caused people to stay where they were (The Middle East), and that people that did stay there and used the animals and plants in their area were beginning to interact with other people that were located in different areas. This helped the people who are now our ancestors to spread out and become what we are today.

Starting Over

           Today in Western Civilization class with Mr. Schick we started to set up our blogs and went over the rules that I had learned at the beginning of the school year. While in class I remembered what a great time I had with Mr. Schick and my old class during the first semester. Although I feel I had an awesome time in my Human-Geo class, I hope to have an even better one in my new Western Civilization class. I guess you can't just assume something, when you haven't really done anything yet. Today was just the start though to something fun and enjoyable that will last until we start next year. I hope to have many fun adventures with my new classmates, whether it be just doing well on grades or just having. I guess I'll have to wait and find out, but for now things are looking good.