After Hunter finished eating a slice of watermelon that he brought into his room, I administered a test on ancient Egypt, Kush, and Phoenicia--the topics of this week's lessons. The test consisted of four essay questions. After the test, Hunter asked whether I was going to provide him a Social Studies book--indicating that his Math teacher had made reference to such a book--and I informed him that I would not be doing so because I was under instructions to utilize the digital text in lieu of a book.

Today's session involved two lessons: a brief one on Kush (a/k/a Nubia) and a longer one on Phoenicia. Kush was an African realm immediately south of Egypt. It benefited from the Nile River and from rich stores of gold and other minerals. Phoenicia was based in the land known today as Lebanon. Phoenicians were renown traders, who travelled in large ships to distant lands, not for conquest, but to engage in trade and commerce. Hunter also learned that the Phoenicians originated the phonetic alphabet, bequeathing same to the Greeks. This was a hugely important cultural and historical development. Hunter was informed that a test would be adminstered in class tomorrow.

Today Hunter learned more about ancient Egypt, including the fact that, because its geographical advantages (weather, Nile, natural borders) permitted Egyptians to have plenty of food and relative safety from the possiblity of invasion, they could engage in activities that fostered enjoyment, such as creating art. Activities of this sort, of course, were for the enjoyment of the upper classes, instead of the masses, as explained in videos and our discussion.

I began by returning Hunter's graded test from last Friday, 2/28/14, and went over it with him, explaining how I determined his grade to be 83%. We then did a brief segment on "calendarizing" in ancient Mesopotamia. Thereafter, we moved to a lesson on the Nile River, stressing its importance to agriculture and transportation.

Today involved two hour-long sessions. During the first hour, Hunter learned about the concept of culture. Extensive discussion was supplemented with video. He originally thought culture referred simply to beliefs (religious), but by the end of class had learned to think of culture far more expansively. During the second hour, I administered a test to Hunter, setting forth five essay questions for him to answer in written form.

Today's lesson addressed (a) the division or specialization of labor and (b) the concept of social classes (using ancient Egypt as an illustrative example). Videos were utilized to engage Hunter's interest, with discussion following. Among the vocabulary words today were "nobles," "scribes," and "artisans." I told Hunter that tomorrow I would have him do some writing in class.

Today's lesson addressed the transition from nomadic tribes to sedentary lifestyles, communities, and ultimately civilizations. Essentially the lesson addressed the importance of agriculture in requiring people to stay in one place: to plant, tend, and harvest crops, allowing people to eat and thrive, leading others to join them in the formation of communities, eventually resulting in what we broadly call civilizations. Hunter was shown a number of short videos on the impact of agriculture in connection with this transition in various locales (Fertile Crescent, North America, and Mesopotamia). We also discussed the prosaic subjects of class requirements and grading.

Read chapter 4 and take notes. Sub for Gabby.

Look up sources for debate in the computer lab. Sub for Gabby.

Today began with an oral review of the major concepts addressed last Friday, 2/21/14. I was pleased that Hunter appeared to absorb and retain the main ideas. Then we moved to a lesson on early humans. We utilized two short videos, an image, and some text to learn about (a) human migration from Africa to other parts of the world, including the migration across Asia, the Bering Strait, and down into North America and South America, and (b) Neanderthals, in Europe, who eventually died out, either due to respiratory problems or simply because they were bested ("out-competed") by newcomers. I also read some textual material aloud and had Hunter do likewise. Hunter appeared interested in the material throughout the session.