World History AP

Today in WHAP we took a clicker quiz and took some notes. We started class off in our table teams, doing something we haven't done in a while, reviewing for a clicker quiz. WE took the quiz, and I'm pretty sure we got that bonus so everyone got a 100.  After this we composed a mental map. The map composed of AfroEurasia, and we were depicting the various trade routes throughout the region. The three main types of trade were the silk road, sea roads, and sand roads. The sand roads were primarily in NW Africa, while the water roads were on the SE area of Eurasia. The Silk road was in the middle of Eurasia. After this we moved on to four big ideas, or things to take away from the class if we remember nothing else. They were: 1. Routes involve both land and water 2. Routes were organic and cooperative 3. Many different Contributors 4. People involved in the route had fluctuating power due to their ability to control parts of the network After going over these, we took ...

Today in WHAP we did several small things. First we started off class with a the agenda for the week, which features a Crash Course and Strayer tonight and a reading quiz on Friday. Multiple Choice test corrections are due on Monday. Another odd thing is this week we have WHAP lunch on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. So for those of you that just can't get enough of Mr. Profitt, you'll be able to hang out with him for some extra time this week. To be noted, Tuesday and Wednesday are more for test corrections while Thursday is for Quiz review. Also, there are only 5 school weeks left until the final exam. The good news about that is we don't have any more mastery exams this semester, but the bad news is we have the final soon. Finals aren't fun. After going over the agenda, we got into our table teams for an activity relating to the HW last night. We filled out the chart, siting three continuing themes and three differing ones. After we finished this, Mr. P check...

Today in WHAP we took our LEQ, or long essay question mastery exam. It was pretty easy. I mean coming in to this, I was thinking it would be difficult to write an essay off the top of my head, but it's nothing I haven't had to do before. I was wrong, however. I think I probably did fine, hopefully well enough to avoid those revisions. We may have gotten lucky with some solid prompts, but the one I ended up writing on was one we prepared as a table team beforehand, so I was ready. Note: Mr. Profitt wasn't in class today, so we had Mr. Robert Williams as our sub. The LEQ took up the whole of the class, so after that we were dismissed. We have a quiz on Monday, so don't forget to review that. That's all for today, until Monday! Enjoy Ranger Day!

Today in WHAP we reviewed for our LEQ. First, we got in our table teams and brainstormed for questions to ask Mr. Profitt. The only one I recall being asked was a general description of the thesis statement. Essentially, put it at the end of your first paragraph and use it as your road map. After this, we were gifted a prompt from Mr. Profitt, and as a table team we had one regarding the degree of difference/similarity between Buddhism and Christianity. Hopefully we get this tomorrow because that is something I personally, and I'm sure many others, could do very well on. In our contextualization, we emphasized the two religious leaders of those separate faiths, Jesus and the Buddha, and we ended up declaring that they were more similar than different. We said this because they are similar in that they both were teachers, preaching among the people, and they both had their message spread after their death. They were different through there early life. Anyway, after this the ...

Today in WHAP we took the multiple choice exam and then went over some tips for the dreaded LEQ. I didn't think the multiple choice exam was too difficult, and while my score wasn't exactly what I was looking for, it wasn't the worst either. I didn't really have a problem with time, much like the last one, so I think the only problem is making sure I know all the myriad sources of material. After the exam, we moved onto talking about the LEQ. Mr. Profitt's main tip was to look over that power point tonight, so we know how to format our essays tomorrow, and then also to study a little bit just to keep the material fresh. Unfortunately for most of us we won't have too much time to study because of the Chemistry test tomorrow. With that, the bell rang and we were dismissed. Until Tomorrow!

Today in WHAP we reviewed for the mastery exam. First, we went over the agenda. Pretty simple, we have a mastery multiple choice exam on Tuesday as well as the LEQ on Thursday. WHAP Lunch is now on Wednesday instead of Thursday, so be aware of that. We then went over a matching sheet, found in google classroom, which is a good " barometer " for seeing how well you need to study. We did these in table teams, and I found the first one to be pretty easy. I'd highly recommend using the second one as review for the test. After this, Mr. Profitt gave us one of those trademark "Profitt Hints", threw us a metaphorical bone, and saved us for the MC Exam by saying that we needed to know what Satraps are, which are local government back in Persia, or a form of Bureaucracy. Related to this, the Persian "Pony Express" and "Spy Network" also relate and should be well known for the exam. Pretty short entry today and probably for a few more days this...

Today in WHAP we took our reading quiz over chapter six. First, as we arrived to class, Mr. Donahue immediately set a timer for 15 minutes, and we jumped right into our table team review. We spent most of the time reviewing key terms, but after we finished with those we did margin review questions until the time ran out. Then we took the quiz. Today's quiz wasn't too difficult in the grand scheme of quizzes, in my opinion. I think the quizzes are slowly becoming easier as crafting excellent SARs and HTS' becomes easier. Short blog as usual on a quiz day, and looking forward to a FULL week of school next week. Just so you are informed, Ranger Day is an actual day of school, so if you want to stay home and play Minecraft (Silas), you'll have to bring your PC with you to school and play then. We finished the quiz, and we were dismissed. Until Monday!

Today in WHAP we did a group activity as a table team. First, Mr. Profitt wasn't here for class today for "Kairos" (probably cutting class to play Civ 6), so we had Mr. Donahue for our sub. Once class started, we promptly got to work on our assignment so that we could finish by the end of the period, since we only had class time to work on it. One member of our group, Guy, actually did one of his responses beforehand  so that he would have all of class to work on just one other response and not be rushed, along with being able to assist the rest of us. We ended up finishing right as the bell rang, with Mr. John Holloran being the last to submit as he couldn't figure out how to type his answers onto the google dock, as the keyboard was getting in the way. Funny story about John... Today during lunch he attempted to claim my supporting argument domain in the project by changing the last names, but I, as a knowledgeable person with computer skills (Netbeans) an...

Today in WHAP we went over our assignment for Thursday and then talked about Africa. First, we practiced the assignment we have on Thursday. Mr. Profitt said to work diligently on it in class because it will indeed be a grade, although the reason I do assignments isn’t just for the grade but also for nourishment for my brain. Make sure to be caught up to Strayer by the time of class Thursday so you don’t slow your table down. Also, the hardest one in Mr. Profitt's opinion is the second option, the mediating argument. It's a yes and no answer, which is why it’s difficult. After this, we started talking about Africa. Mr.  Profitt brought up a good question when he asked why when people talk about Asia, do you need them to specify the location, but Africa you never really asked for specifications and just group it all together. I mean it's true for most people, I'm certainly guilty of doing that st some point in time. Moving on from this, we divided Africa into five ...

Today in WHAP we went over the agenda and did a table team activity. First, we went over the agenda. Notable points are that we have our mastery multiple choice and our LEQ next week...so study over the weekend. Unfortunately we don't have the essay topic this time so it will be a lot harder to come up with an essay on the spot rather than plan in out before hand. Maybe someone (@Mr.Profitt) could hook us up with a few potential essay topics :) We also have a reading quiz on Friday like usual, so prepare to study for that as well. After going over the agenda, we got into our table teams to do an activity, comparing Period 1 and Period 2. In a nutshell, we went over how period one civilizations were more developed whether it be in religion or in size of empire. After this we moved onto a PowerPoint about Africa. We brainstormed some associations, much like in an average English class, and then we shared two from each table. The points shared ranged from poverty and poaching to...

Today in WHAP we took our 4th reading quiz. We started off as usual in the table teams, reviewed, one table asked some questions, and then we started the quiz. I didn't find the multiple SARs very difficult, but the multiple choice questions were a little annoying. If it weren't for the MC, I think I would like this format better than the normal format, because it seemed like I had a large quantity of extra time once I finished the SARs. We checked the multiple choice after class, so we could see how many we got correct, and then we handed our quizzes in, and we were dismissed. Until Monday! P.S. I'm calling it now...Zeke will not serve his full suspension this season. Mark my words.

Today in WHAP we finished the slides on Buddhism and did an in-class activity. First, we started our notes on Buddhism where we left off on Tuesday, which was the background of the Buddha, or Siddartha Guatama. Long story short, he was wealthy and was being raised to be a king in "house arrest", locked in his home due to a prophecy, and when he left his house and saw the three men (old, sick, dying), he realized there was suffering in the world. He adopted an ascetic lifestyle for six years (Ex of Ascetic: Obi Juan living alone in the desert), and then eventually become the "Enlightened One" after glimpsing Nirvana. He created the 4 Noble Truths , which are: 1. Ordinary life is full of suffering 2. This suffering is caused by our desire (selfishness, wants, vanity) 3. The way to end suffering is to end desire (detachment from our own ego desires) 4. The way to end desire is to follow the Middle Path, or more commonly known as the eight fold path. Additi...

Today in WHAP we continued our notes on Hinduism and Buddhism. First, we started off class by talking about the same stuff we mentioned yesterday, about the margin review questions. All that stuff is in yesterdays blog, so if you'd like to read about that then go to that date. Adding on to that, Mr. Profitt emphasized the CPA argument form which we need to use on our reading quizzes, saying that some people still can't do it correctly. After this, we resumed our notes on Hinduism. Essentially, by completing the duties of your caste, you gain karma, which helps lead to the ultimate goal of moksha, which is the separation from the whole rebirth process and the ultimate goal. The way Mr. Profitt put it was " To achieve Moksha , you must acquire Karma by doing your Dharma to your Varna." Mr. Profitt made a point when someone asked why no one revolted, and he said they did occasionally, but normally they if they had three certain things, then they would be content....

Today in WHAP we switched tables, had a discussion on study habits, went over reading strategies for Strayer, and took notes on Hinduism and Buddhism. First we switched tables, always a paradigm changer. Then, we started discussing study habits, mainly referencing what's difficult for us, and then taking suggestions for coping with those issues. The common choice was time, whether it be time studying or time spent reading/taking notes on Strayer. The one exception I heard was Michael Scheibe's strategy of "Winging it" (Insert Mongoltage). We had a class discussion about these topics, and the main coping mechanism was to plan out your reading, and not to wait until the last second or read all of it in a large bunch at the same time. After this, Garrett spawned a discussion on the Reading Quizzes, making a point about how in his opinion he felt that sometime the questions on the quizzes reference obscure information, diverging in a separate direction from what Stray...

Today in WHAP we took another Clicker Quiz , this time over Christianity. First, we got in our table teams as is the routine and went over the viewing guide. After that, Mr. Profitt answered some commonly asked questions in other classes, which was how Jesus was a product of his time. We spent some time on that question, and then we moved onto the quiz. The quiz wasn't too difficult, and we did pretty did well. I'm hoping that a lot of people filled out those sheets so we can snag those bonus points. Anyways, our HW for this weekend is to read Strayer, and to work ahead for the coming week. Remember we have shortened days Monday and Tuesday along with a half day on Wednesday for PSAT. I feel a tough week coming after that, a week which features a WHAP exam among other things. So get ahead while you have a light load this weekend. With that, the bell rang and we were dismissed. Until Monday!

Today in WHAP we finished our discussion on Daosim, took our clicker quiz, and talked about Hinduism. First, we finished what we were talking about yesterday, mainly covering the same points that I covered in the last blog, so if you need a refresher check that out. Then, as is the routine, we got into our table teams and started to review. Once again, Emilio asked a question that ended up being on the clicker quiz, so I was prepared for that question once it came around. I'm starting to like this table teams better and better each day. After reviewing, Mr. Profitt did not answer our table's questions at the end like usual*, and we retrieved our clickers. Then, we started the clicker quiz. It was one of the more difficult as clicker quizzes go, but I ended up with a respectable score. Unfortunately, I don't think we got the bonus today. We have another clicker quiz on Friday over the Christianity CC, so be prepared for that. Moving on from this, we started to talk abo...

Today in WHAP we discussed Legalism, Confucianism, and Daosim. First, in Confucianism, we reviewed some points made in past classes, which were how Confucius' deeds, much like Jesus', were written down after the fact by his disciples. The core teachings are to show respect while also trying to have your leaders be worthy of this respect. One of the downsides of Confucianism is that men are vastly superior to women. The way the respect generally works is that the young are subordinate to those older than them, and really that's the "Nutshell version" of Confucianism. A more detailed view shows how they all want to promote Junzi, or the formation of superior individuals to bring order to China. Moving on from this, we talked about legalism, another familiar topic on this blog. In the "Nutshell version" of this, it's essentially doing something solely for reward or for fear of punishment. An example that Mr. Profitt gave was how students only do ass...

Today in WHAP we discussed the axial age along with talking about some of the changes that we have this week. First off, we went over the agenda. Due to the half day on Friday, the Chapter 4 Reading Quiz is now merged into the Chapter 5 reading quiz, creating a Super Reading Quiz in the following weeks. Also, throughout the rest of the week, our homework is really only to read S trayer and watch Crash Course for some clicker quizzes, so it's a pretty light week. Two week warning: We have a mastery exam in two weeks, the week with the I-Day, so just be prepared for that. After this, we got into our table teams and discussed the Axial Age, coming up with one point to summarize or explain it. The most common was that religions/philosophies gained more followers, and new religious/philosophical ideas were born. As a class, Mr. Profitt drew up all the major religions/philosophies on the board as we named them, and then using that beginning knowledge we moved into a power point abou...

Today in WHAP we went over the agenda for the week and the class diverged separately from their. First we went over the agenda, with notable points being the reading quiz on Friday and some crash course/strayer scattered like kernels in the wind. After this, we had some discussion about revisions for the LEQ. Basically what I understood is that if you have a five or a six, revisions are futile and will not help you, which makes sense because with a five or a six you had a pretty good essay anyways. If you get a 4, then corrections barely help with a solid two points, and then for three and under corrections start becoming,in my opinion, worth your time. The reason I say for a four doing corrections isn't necessarily worth it is because you need a perfect essay to try and get those two points, then you aren't really guaranteed to get that score. After talking about this, then we split up and people either chose to listen to Mr. P talk about LEQ revision help or they worked...