Map

You will make a map by tracing a Location Map and following the instructions every week. The instructions will tell you what items should be marked and labeled on the map. The map should be made with colors and have as much details as possible. Every map should be labeled at the top with the topic of the week. The purpose of having you trace the map is recognition of topographical landmarks and elements such as mountain ranges, rivers, deserts, seas, oceans, and cities. By physically tracing a map, the information is integrated into your memory. Most Location Maps are traced more than once. You will find the maps printable for every week.

Timelines

Our timeline is unique because it is circular: like a tree trunk. Therefore, we call it the Tree Trunk Timeline. When you look at the timeline, it looks like the inside of a tree trunk, once the tree has been chopped. You can see the rings of the tree which tell you how fast it grew. We have taken the tree trunk and sliced it into pieces, to create parts that look like 'pizza' slices. Every slice is a certain geographical area in the world. Every ring of the tree trunk gives you a time period.

When you want to write an event on your timeline, you should first find the time ring, then decide the geographical area, and follow the ring until you reach the 'pizza's lice for that area: that is where you will write down the event.

We choose a circular timeline because it allows you to not only quickly see what happened at the same time (follow the ring), but also what happened in a certain area over time. When we build connections between events that happened in different places around the world at the same time, or events that happened in the same place but at different times, we can truly learn how and why history unfolded the way it did!

Skills

Outlining

In addition, you will learn how to make an outline. do not worry, we will take you through it step by step and under Extra Resources you can find some helpful extra information. below we will give you a check list you can use too see if you have truly made a great outline:

Note Taking

Note taking helps you focus on what you are reading, and helps
you understand the text better. Good note-taking will help in
active listening (if you are taking notes during a lecture for
example), understanding and remembrance of the information: it will help you better remember what you read or heard.

Making good notes is very important for review and studying for exams. They will save you time and confusion when trying to study a particular topic. Knowing how to make good notes is a skill that will benefit you for your entire life!

Here is a check list for note taking:

Summarizing

A summary is a short version of the text. If you can write a good summary of a text, it means you really did understand
it properly. Writing summaries helps with revision of information when you have to study and helps you understand better what you have to study.

By definition, a summary is “a brief statement or account of the main points of something.” Writing a good summary indicates that you clearly understand a text and that you can effectively communicate that understanding to your readers. After all, if you really know a subject, you will be able to summarize it. If you cannot summarize a subject, even if you have memorized all the facts about it, you can be absolutely sure that you have not learned it. If you can write a one or two sentence summary after reading a paragraph you have understood the paragraph well.

Concept Map

Concept maps help you organize and understand information in a text. They help you make notes or study for a test.

They help you understand connections between different ideas and often bring about creative ideas.

The focus of a concept map is on the relationships between topics. A concept map is very similar to a mind map in that both have ideas connected by lines. However, concept maps allow these connections to be more defined.

Projects

Infographic

An infographic means what the name says: information in a graphic form. This means you gather your information and you put all the information in a visual format, in such a way the reader can easily understand the content. An infographic has similarities with a poster in that it has similar design principles as a poster. However, an infographic is different from a poster in that it contains a lot more information than a poster. 

Diagramming

To diagram means to put information in a visual shape. There are many forms of diagrams. Graph bars, pie charts and sketches are all forms of a diagram.

Using diagrams to show information helps you think about the subject and understand it better. Diagrams help you explore and present ideas. You can simply draw a diagram with a pencil on a paper.You can use different shapes and colors to create a diagram.

PowerPoints

A PowerPoint presentation is often used in combination with
a lecture or speech. It is used as a visual support of what you
are saying, so it never contains every single word of your
speech. As you make a speech or lecture, the slides should move along. Whatever is on the slides, is included in what you say. Slides show the information in simplified form.

Microsoft PowerPoint is one of the most used program on Windows computers. On Apple computers, you can use Keynote, which is a similar program. Online, we will ask you to use Prezi.com: a free website that allows you to make dynamic presentations.

Biography

For the Biography projects, students are required to use extra resources. They can use encyclopedias, books (biographies) or the internet. The Biography Pages in the Maps & Rubrics booklet will be used to present findings.

Students will need to do some research into the life of the person they choose. They can use lectures, videos or written text to find the information about this person.