Social Studies Review Answers

Fill in the Blanks:

Council of Ministers, Senate, laws, president, departments, capital, Risaralda, judicial, Chamber, welfare, taxes, constitution, human rights, democracy, flag, economy, land

1. Colombia's government is a democracy and a welfare state.
2. The capital of Colombia is Bogota de Santa Fe.
3. Colombia is divided into 32 departments.
4. Pereira is the capital of the department Risaralda.
1. Colombia has three branches of government. The executive branch includes the President and vice-president.
5. The executive branch gets advice from the Council of Ministers.
6. The legislative branch makes laws.
2. There are two parts of the legislative branch, the Chamber and the Senate.
3. The judicial branch is the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court is a group of judges who make sure that laws are fair.
4. A document called a constitution explains how Colombia's government works. It also protects human rights.
5. Human rights are things that every one should have, life a safe home, clean water, and an education.
6. To pay for things, like education, the government collects taxes on income, property, and purchases.
7. Governments choose a system of how the money and businesses will work in a country. This is called an economy.
8. A country needs to have LAND to exist because otherwise it would only be an idea.
9. A flag is a symbol of a country. The colors represent the country.

Write the word that matches each definition below.
Example: 1. I'll give you a mango if you give me a banana
Answer 1. barter and trade economy
2. The place on the map that shows what things are, like capital cities> Map Key
3. A religion that believes in more than one god: polytheistic
4. A religion that believes in only one god: monotheistic
5. What all of the first four civilizations were built near: Rivers
6. The system of money a country uses, like Colombia's peso: currency
7. Shows direction on a map: compass rose
8. Shows distance on a map: map scale
9. A person who makes maps: cartographer
10. A native Indian culture that was conquered by Hernan Cortes. It's capital city is where Mexico City is today.: Aztecs
11. When one person has all the power in the country: Dictator
12. A country that has representatives, like Ancient Rome: republic
13. People own businesses, and the government only bothers the businesses if something bad happens.: capitalism
14. People vote directly on laws. This is what Ancient Greece had.: democracy
15. Knights or kings own huge farms and poor people work on the farms. The knights take care of the poor people. This is the type of economy they had in the Middle Ages.: feudalism
16. No government or laws: anarchy
17. A person who conquered lands controlled by other cultures, like Francisco Pizarro: conquistador
18. A native Indian culture that was in Mexico before the Aztecs: Maya
19. King or queens rule. This is the type of government they had in the middle ages.: monarchy
20. A native Indian culture that built Machu Pichu and controlled modern day Peru and most of the western part of South America.: Incas
21. A disease (or plague) that killed around half of the people in Europe during the middle ages: Black Death
22. Cities and towns built in the Americas by Europeans who were trying to settle the land. An example would be Lima or Cartagena: Colony
23. A place where people live together and support themselves with agriculture. They share a common language and laws, and they try to develop new technology.: civilization
24. China and Cuba are examples of this system. The government controls all the money, businesses, and natural resources. Everyone is supposed to have the same amount of money.: communism

Answer these questions:
1. What is an election and why do we have them? An election is when people vote for someone to represent them in the government. We have them so we have leaders and people who will work for us in the government.
2. Who can vote in Colombia? People who are 18 are older and are citizens
3. How do countries, governments, laws, constitutions, and taxes help protect human rights?
Countries protect human rights by having governments that make and enforce laws that protect human rights. Constitutions promise which rights people have, and taxes help pay for things for people.
4. Why do people use maps?
To find direction or to see something in the world
5. Draw a compass rose.

6. What were the first four ancient civilizations? Describe them.
Mesopotamia: near the Tigris and Euphrates, invented math, writing, and the wheel
Ancient Egypt: near the Nile, invented papyrus, had many gods, built pyramids
Indus River Valley: Near the Indus River in India, built many cities, invented zero
Yellow River Valley: now in China, and had emperors and dynasties
7. What were the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World?
Famous sites near ancient Greece that Herodontus thought were important things for people to see, like the Pyramids of Giza and the Lighthouse of Alexandria
8. How do Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome impact the world today? (What did they do or create that we use?)
They created republics and democracies, which are still systems of government we use. Ancient Rome's language because Spanish, French, and Italian. They invented and built many famous architectural structures. The Romans controlled Europe and helped bring those places together. They built roads and water viaducts in Europe. The Greek philosophers, scientists, and writers are still considered important today.
9. What happened after the Roman Empire collapsed? The Middle Ages
10. Why did Europeans want to go to Asia? For silk and spices
11. Why did Columbus sail west from Europe? He thought he could get to Asia faster that way.
12. Why did Europeans want to conquer the Americas? God, Gold, and Glory
13. Why were Europeans able to take control of the Americas? disease, better metals, better weapons
14. Tell me about one explorer. What did he find? Where was he from? Answers will be different for each student.
15. Tell me about one colony. Where was it? Who lived there? Why was it created?
Answers will be different for each student.

Make 2 timelines.

1. One should show the periods in history we learned about: The Middle Ages, The Colonies, The Age of Discovery, The First Four Ancient Civilizations, Ancient Greece, the conquistadors, and Ancient Rome. No years.
Cro Magnon, The First Four Ancient Civilizations, Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome, The Middle Ages, the Age of Discovery, the conquistadors, Colonies

2. Make a time line of exploration. Include Marco Polo, the Vikings, Bartholomew Dias, Christopher Columbus, John Cabot, Sir Francis Drake, and Ferdinand Magellan on your time line. You do not need to include years.
Vikings, Marco Polo, Bartholomew Dias, Columbus, Cabot, Magellan, and Drake.

Social Studies Review

Fill in the Blanks:

Council of Ministers, Senate, laws, president, departments, capital, Risaralda, judicial, Chamber, welfare, taxes, constitution, human rights, democracy, flag, economy, land

1. Colombia's government is a ______________________________ and a ______________________ state.
2. The __________________________ of Colombia is Bogota de Santa Fe.
3. Colombia is divided into 32 _____________________________________.
4. Pereira is the capital of the department _____________________________.
1. Colombia has three branches of government. The executive branch includes the ___________________ and vice-president.
5. The executive branch gets advice from the ______________________________.
6. The legislative branch makes _________________________________.
2. There are two parts of the legislative branch, the __________________ and the ___________________.
3. The ____________________________ branch is the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court is a group of judges who make sure that laws are fair.
4. A document called a __________________________________ explains how Colombia's government works. It also protects human rights.
5. _____________________________ are things that every one should have, life a safe home, clean water, and an education.
6. To pay for things, like education, the government collects _______________________ on income, property, and purchases.
7. Governments choose a system of how the money and businesses will work in a country. This is called an ___________________________.
8. A country needs to have ______________________________ to exist because otherwise it would only be an idea.
9. A _________________________ is a symbol of a country. The colors represent the country.

Write the word that matches each definition below.
Example: 1. I'll give you a mango if you give me a banana
Answer 1. barter and trade economy
2. The place on the map that shows what things are, like capital cities
3. A religion that believes in more than one god
4. A religion that believes in only one god
5. What all of the first four civilizations were built near
6. The system of money a country uses, like Colombia's peso
7. Shows direction on a map
8. Shows distance on a map
9. A person who makes maps
10. A native Indian culture that was conquered by Hernan Cortes. It's capital city is where Mexico City is today.
11. When one person has all the power in the country
12. A country that has representatives, like Ancient Rome
13. People own businesses, and the government only bothers the businesses if something bad happens.
14. People vote directly on laws. This is what Ancient Greece had.
15. Knights or kings own huge farms and poor people work on the farms. The knights take care of the poor people. This is the type of economy they had in the Middle Ages.
16. No government or laws
17. A person who conquered lands controlled by other cultures, like Francisco Pizarro
18. A native Indian culture that was in Mexico before the Aztecs
19. King or queens rule. This is the type of government they had in the middle ages.
20. A native Indian culture that built Machu Pichu and controlled modern day Peru and most of the western part of South America.
21. A disease (or plague) that killed around half of the people in Europe during the middle ages
22. Cities and towns built in the Americas by Europeans who were trying to settle the land. An example would be Lima or Cartagena
23. A place where people live together and support themselves with agriculture. They share a common language and laws, and they try to develop new technology.
24. China and Cuba are examples of this system. The government controls all the money, businesses, and natural resources. Everyone is supposed to have the same amount of money.

Answer these questions:
1. What is an election and why do we have them?
2. Who can vote in Colombia?
3. How do countries, governments, laws, constitutions, and taxes help protect human rights?
4. Why do people use maps?
5. Draw a compass rose.
6. What were the first four ancient civilizations? Describe them.
7. What were the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World?
8. How do Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome impact the world today? (What did they do or create that we use?)
9. What happened after the Roman Empire collapsed?
10. Why did Europeans want to go to Asia?
11. Why did Columbus sail west from Europe?
12. Why did Europeans want to conquer the Americas?
13. Why were Europeans able to take control of the Americas?
14. Tell me about one explorer. What did he find? Where was he from?
15. Tell me about one colony. Where was it? Who lived there? Why was it created?

Make 2 timelines.

1. One should show the periods in history we learned about: The Middle Ages, The Colonies, The Age of Discovery, The First Four Ancient Civilizations, Ancient Greece, the conquistadors, and Ancient Rome. No years.

2. Make a time line of exploration. Include Marco Polo, the Vikings, Bartholomew Dias, Christopher Columbus, John Cabot, Sir Francis Drake, and Ferdinand Magellan on your time line. You do not need to include years.

Know Maps:
You need to know all the continents and oceans, the countries, oceans, and the Equator in South America, and all the countries in North and Central America. You also need to be able to use maps.

Study using these maps: https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0B3Gs8USRVEoYYzNmZDMzZTctOGFkYy00MWEwLWE4NTUtNTkwMzU0ODAzNzdm&hl=en&authkey=CNjnpIQK

You also need to know map skills. Here are maps to help you: https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0B3Gs8USRVEoYZjY1OWNmNmYtMGU3OS00NDUzLWE4ZmItOTI3NWRjNTE3NTE1&hl=en&authkey=CNPd3agB

You can also use these old blog posts:
http://hoyengradoquinto.blogspot.com/2010/09/grid-map-regular-map-draw-map.html
http://hoyengradoquinto.blogspot.com/2010/06/all-about-economic-systems.html
http://hoyengradoquinto.blogspot.com/2010/06/social-studies-final-study-guide.html

DO NOT FORGET YOUR SOCIAL STUDIES POWER POINT PRESENTATION OVER A COLONY!!!!

Weekend Homework

Hi class!

Your homework this weekend is this:
1. Read an online workshop about writing poems, and then write a poem. This is due on Monday.
2. Do a social studies project about an explorer. This is due Tuesday.

All the information is on the blog!

Language Arts Homework: Write a Poem
Please go to this website: http://teacher.scholastic.com/writewit/poetry/karla_home.htm. It is called "Poetry Writing with Karla." Read the first page, and then press "Start." Read through all the pages until you get to "Publish Online." If you want to, you may publish your poem online, but you do not need to. I just want you to write a poem in your notebook. It is due on Monday.

Social Studies Project DUE TUESDAY!

Your social studies project is harder. You need to make a little book about an explorer. Your book needs to have:
1. A picture of the explorer
2. A map of where the explorer went
3. A timeline of the explorer's life
4. A page with 10 facts about the explorer. DO NOT COPY ANYTHING FROM THE INTERNET!
5. The flag that was on the explorer's ship. (For example, Christopher Columbus was Italian, but he sailed for Spain, so he had a Spanish flag on his ship.)
For extra credit: You can include a picture of the ship that the explorer used for extra credit.

Here are the names of your explorers:
Luisa: Vasco Nunez de Balboa
Antonia: Juan Ponce de Leon
Kent: Walter Raleigh
Juan Manuel: Jacques Marquette and Louis Joliet France
Juan Luis: : James Cook
Juan Felipe: Fernao Mendes Pinto
Martina: Francisco Pizarro
Nathalia: Vasco da Gama
Laura: Bartolomeu Diaz
Sofia: Marco Polo
Manuela M.: Ferdinand Magellan
Jorge: Abel Tasman
Mateo: Sir Francis Drake
Dani: Hernan Cortes
Manuela R: Amerigo Vespucci
Pablo: Henry Hudson

If you have any questions, just send me an email or leave a comment!

Social Studies Review Answers

You need to be able to answer these questions:

Over civilizations...
1. What is a civilization?
A civilization is a number of communities working together in a common society to try to improve their lives.
2. What does a civilization need?
A common language, shared economy, shared currency, common government and laws, progress, and AGRICULTURE
3. What evidence to we have of the Cro Magnon people?
paintings in caves in France
4. What were the first four ancient civilizations we know about?
Mesopotamia (the Sumerians), Egyptians, Indus River Valley, and Yellow River Valley
5. What was the same about all of the first four civilizations?
They were built near rivers.

Questions about Mesopotamia...
1. What was the civilization in Mesopotamia called?
Sumer
2. What are some things the people in Mesopotamia invented?
the wheel, writing, time, multiplication tables
3. What rivers ran through Mesopotamia?
the Tigris River and the Euphrates River

Questions about Egypt
1. What river ran through Egypt?
the Nile River
2. Who ruled Egypt?
pharaohs
3. How did Egyptians write?
in hieroglyphics

Questions about the Indus River Valley
1. What country is the Indus River in now?
India
2. What did the Indus River Valley civilization invent?
Zero (0)
3. The Indus River Valley had more of one thing than any other civilization. What was it? cities

Questions about the Yellow River Valley
1. What country is the Yellow River in now?
China
2. How did people in the Yellow River Valley write?
in characters
3. Who ruled the Yellow River Valley?
emperors of family dynasties

The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World
1. What is the only original seven wonder of the world that still exists?
The Great Pyramid of Giza
2. Why weren't any of the original seven wonders of the world in China or South America?
Because the author didn't know about those places.

Ancient Greece
1. Where was ancient Greece?
In present day Greece, and along the coast of the Mediterranean
2. What kind of government did Greece have?
Democracy
3. What are some types of art that Greece had?
architecture, sculpture, music, writing, theater
4. What special sporting event did Greece have?
The Olympics
5. What was the most important city in Greece?
Athens

Ancient Rome
1. What kind of government did Rome have?
Republic
2. Where was the Roman Empire?
It was based in Italy, but it spread throughout Europe and the Mediterranean coast
3. Why did the Roman Empire end?
It was too big and it fell apart because the Romans couldn't control everything
4. What is one famous thing the Romans built?
Aqueducts, fountains, the Coliseum, the Pantheon, the Roman Forum
5. What was the most important city in Rome?
Rome!

The Middle Ages
1. What was the most important part of life in the Middle Ages?
Religion
2. What kind of government did countries have in the Middle Ages?
Monarchies
3. What kind of economy did people have in the Middle Ages?
Feudalism
4. What killed almost half the people in Europe during the Middle Ages?
The Black Death (Bubonic Plague)

Religion
1. What is monotheism?
A religion with only 1 god
2. What is polytheism?
A religion with more than 1 god
3. What did the religions of Egypt, Mesopotamia, Greece, and Rome share? (What was the same?)
They were polytheistic (Except for Egypt, which was monotheistic for a little while)
4. Which two religions in the Middle Ages were monotheistic?
Islam and Christianity
5. Why were the gods in Egypt kind, but the gods of Mesopotamia were mean?
Because in Egypt the Nile flooded at the same time every year, and the Egyptians could plan their lives around the flooding. In Mesopotamia, the rivers would flood at strange times and only some years, so they couldn't predict when the rivers would flood. Their farms could be ruined and they might not have food, so they thought the gods were punishing them.

Social Studies Quiz Review

You need to be able to answer these questions:

Over civilizations...
1. What is a civilization?
2. What does a civilization need?
3. What evidence to we have of the Cro Magnon people?
4. What were the first four ancient civilizations we know about?
5. What was the same about all of the first four civilizations?

Questions about Mesopotamia...
1. What was the civilization in Mesopotamia called?
2. What are some things the people in Mesopotamia invented?
3. What rivers ran through Mesopotamia?

Questions about Egypt
1. What river ran through Egypt?
2. Who ruled Egypt?
3. How did Egyptians write?

Questions about the Indus River Valley
1. What country is the Indus River in now?
2. What did the Indus River Valley civilization invent?
3. The Indus River Valley had more of one thing than any other civilization. What was it?

Questions about the Yellow River Valley
1. What country is the Yellow River in now?
2. How did people in the Yellow River Valley write?
3. Who ruled the Yellow River Valley?

The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World
1. What is the only original seven wonder of the world that still exists?
2. Why weren't any of the original seven wonders of the world in China or South America?

Ancient Greece
1. Where was ancient Greece?
2. What kind of government did Greece have?
3. What are some types of art that Greece had?
4. What special sporting event did Greece have?
5. What was the most important city in Greece?

Ancient Rome
1. What kind of government did Rome have?
2. Where was the Roman Empire?
3. Why did the Roman Empire end?
4. What is one famous thing the Romans built?
5. What was the most important city in Rome?

The Middle Ages
1. What was the most important part of life in the Middle Ages?
2. What kind of government did countries have in the Middle Ages?
3. What kind of economy did people have in the Middle Ages?
4. What killed almost half the people in Europe during the Middle Ages?

Religion
1. What is monotheism?
2. What is polytheism?
3. What did the religions of Egypt, Mesopotamia, Greece, and Rome share? (What was the same?)
4. Which two religions in the Middle Ages were monotheistic?
5. Why were the gods in Egypt kind, but the gods of Mesopotamia were mean?

You need to be able to label the First Four Civilizations on a map. See if you can do it here:


You need to make a timeline of the historical periods we have learned about.


That's all. Good luck!

Social Studies Homework for Thursday (October 14th)

Learning about history is important, but it is just as important for us to know about things that are happening in our world, today.

A very special and amazing story about people who survived something awful is happening right now. Tonight, I want you to learn about it. We'll keep talking about the Middle Ages tomorrow (including Marco Polo!), but right now, today, it is more important for you to learn about this.

I would like you to read all the news you can find and watch all the news you can find on TV about the Chile Mine Rescue. To help you, I've included a video from YouTube. It is okay if you read about it in Spanish--after all, Chileans speak Spanish, you speak Spanish, and this happened in South America. You should understand this in your own language... but then I want you to write a journal entry in your social studies notebook.

Journal: 15 sentences

1. What do you think it would be like to be trapped inside the mine? How do you think the miners felt?

2. How do you think the miner's families felt?

3. How do you think the miners felt as they started to be rescued?

4. If you were one of the miners rescued today, what would you want to do first?

Here's a video to get you started:

Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome

For homework tonight (due Wednesday), I would like you to copy these notes in your social studies notebooks and watch the videos below.

Ancient Greece:

Had a democracy (government controlled by the rich men)
Started philosophy
Had literature
Had theater
Had sporting events (including the First Olympics)
Had complex architecture (columns and arches)
Religion based on gods like Zeus

Ancient Rome:

Had a republic (voted for representatives)
Had the same gods as the Greeks, but with different names
Created shared public spaces like libraries and post offices
Had a HUGE republic that stretched all over Europe (see the map)
Built many famous buildings and architecture that still exist today
Fell apart because it got too big

Here is a video about Ancient Greece:


Here is another video about Ancient Greece:


Here is a video about the buildings you can see today that were built in Ancient Rome:


Here is a video about a city in the Roman Empire that was buried by a volcano!


Tomorrow we are going to compare religion in Ancient Civilizations and the Middle Ages. On Thursday we are going to learn about indigenous cultures in the Americas.

Problems with blog?

If you are having problems with the blog or finding the posts you need, please email me at MelodyStratton@liceopinoverde.edu.co. I saw comments, but they are anonymous, so I don't know how to help you.

To find the social studies homework, just click on "social studies" under "Labels" on the right side of the blog. You can find old blog posts by going to "Blog Archive" on the right side of the blog, too. Blog Archive is under Recommendations, and Labels is under Blog Archive.

Here is the old social studies homework about the Ancient 7 Wonders of the World. The New 7 Wonders homework is underneath this post.

You need to read and listen to an article about the Seven Wonders of the World. To do this homework, you will have to go to a DIFFERENT website. Here is the website: http://esllisten.blogspot.com/2009/05/seven-wonders-of-world.html

You should read the WHOLE article, but while you are reading it, you need to LISTEN to it, too. To listen, you should press the play button (little triangle) at the top of the page. When you are finished reading, you need to answer the questions below. You should turn your answers in on a piece of lined paper. (Don't do this in your notebook!)

1. Why aren't any of the original seven wonders of the world in South America?
2. Why wasn't the Great Wall of China one of the seven wonders of the world?
3. What is the only original wonder that we can still see today?
4. What happened to the Hanging Gardens of Babylon?
5. What was the lighthouse in Alexandria used for?

The NEW Seven Wonders of the World Assignment

Goal: Pick a new "wonder" of the world so our class can make a list of our Seven Wonders of the World.

1. Research famous places in the world, natural and man-made. You can look up cool places online through websites like WikiTravel, Lonely Planet, or National Geographic. You can also use the website www.new7wonders.com.
2. Pick ONE special place that you think should be one of the “New 7 Wonders of the World”.
3. Make a (small) poster about that place. You can make it on the computer and print it.
4. Include this information:
a)a picture of the place you pick
b)the city, country, and continent where it is
c)how it was made
d)how old it is
e)why you think it is a wonder of the world

Also, for extra credit, you can vote for the new seven wonders of the world that you want. Go to new7wonders.com. Then, you need to click on "New7Wonders" then "New7Wonders of Nature" or "New7Wonders of the World". Then, click "Vote for the New7Wonders." You'll need to select them and then create an account. You can use this page in Spanish if you want to, and I'm sure your parents can help you. When you have picked the seven you want to vote for, email me a copy OR write down the seven you want and give the list to me.

If you have any questions, just send me an email or leave a comment.

Seven Wonders of the World: Social Studies Homework

Hi class!

Today you are going to learn about the ORIGINAL Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

The first person who made a list of "wonders of the world" were two guys in Greece named Philon and Antipater. (Weird names, right?) They basically wrote a "travel guide" for the ancient world. Kind of like a guidebook you might buy if you were traveling in another country, but very old.

Anyway, these guys were living near the Mediterranean Sea, in Greece. It's here:

See that purple country on the water named Greece? That's where those guys lived. They didn't travel to many places except places near the Mediterranean Sea.

Anyway, these "wonders" were like landmarks, or famous places, that were really important to the people who built them. They were usually monuments, like the St. Louis Arch or the statue of Simon Bolivar in Plaza de Bolivar.

Originally, these were the seven:
Great Pyramid of Giza
Hanging Gardens of Babylon
Statue of Zeus at Olympia
Lighthouse in Alexandria
Temple of Artemis at Ephesus
Mausoleum of Halicarnassus
Colossus of Rhodes

For homework today, you need to read and listen to an article about the Seven Wonders of the World. To do this homework, you will have to go to a DIFFERENT website.

Here is the website: http://esllisten.blogspot.com/2009/05/seven-wonders-of-world.html

Or you can click here: Seven Wonders of the World.

You should read the WHOLE article, but while you are reading it, you need to LISTEN to it, too. To listen, you should press the play button (little triangle) at the top of the page.

When you are finished reading, you need to answer the questions below. You should turn your answers in on a piece of lined paper. (Don't do this in your notebook!)

1. Why aren't any of the original seven wonders of the world in South America?

2. Why wasn't the Great Wall of China one of the seven wonders of the world?

3. What is the only original wonder that we can still see today?

4. What happened to the Hanging Gardens of Babylon?

5. What was the lighthouse in Alexandria used for?

Okay, please answer these questions! Good luck!

Prepare for Tomorrow

On your final in social studies tomorrow, you will need to know:
1. How to draw a compass rose
2. How to make a map key
3. What a compass rose, map key, and map scale are for
4. North, South, East, West
5. What a cartographer does
6. How to use a grid map
7. How to use a regular map
8. How to draw a map
9. The countries in North and Central America
10. You need to be able to write 1 paragraph about a country in North or Central America

For your book report, you need to make a poster with this information:
1. Title
2. Author
3. Plot
4. Characters, protagonist/antagonist
5. Conflict & Climax
6. Setting

You also need to TYPE 4 journals, 12 SENTENCES each, to answer these questions:
Question 1: In your story, who is the protagonist? Who is the antagonist? What are the characters like?

Question 2: What is the setting of your book? (Time and place.) Is it an interesting setting? If you could change the setting, what would you change?

Question 3: What is the main conflict of your story? What is the climax? What is the resolution (the end)?

Question 4: Did you like your book? Why or why not? What did you like? What did you not like? Would you recommend your book to a friend.

If you have a question, email me.

Social Studies Project

Directions
1. Research Your Country
2. Make a poster about the country
3. The poster should have:
a. a map of the country
b. the capital of the country
c. the important landforms in the country
d. the language of the country
e. the ecosystem of the country
f. the government of the country

Here are the countries you have:
Guatemala, Daniela
Belize, Sofia
El Salvador, Martina
Nicaragua, Luisa
Costa Rica, Nathalia
Panama, Mateo
Hondurus, Manuela M.
Cuba, Antonia
Jamaica, Kent
Haiti, Juan Manuel
Dominican Republic, Manuela R.
Trinidad and Tobago, Pablo
Bahamas, Juan Luis
Barbados, Jorge
Dominica, Laura
Grenada, Juan Felipe

Social Studies Homework

In social studies class we are going to learn the countries in North America and Central America.

There are three main countries in "North America." They are Canada, the United States of America, and Mexico. See the map below.

There are three important bodies of water: the Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean, and the Gulf of Mexico. The Caribbean Sea is also very important. It is part of the Gulf of Mexico.

Central America is between North America and South America. There are also many islands in the Caribbean Sea. We will learn those later.


Homework... Answer the questions below.
1. What is the capital of the USA?
2. What is the capital of Canada?
3. What is the capital of Mexico?
4. What large island country in the Caribbean Sea is south of Florida?
5. What country in Central America borders Colombia?
6. What countries border Mexico?
7. Which countries in North and Central America touch both the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean?
8. Which country only touches the Pacific Ocean?

Please write these answers down in your social studies notebook and bring them to class tomorrow.

Social Studies Final Study Guide

The Study Guide for the Economic Systems is posted below this post. Here is your study guide for the rest of the final. The economic systems part of your exam is matching and short answer.


Be able to label the oceans and continents on this map.

Know the properties of a country... This part of your exam is multiple choice.

A country needs land. Then it needs leaders to run it. It needs to have a type of government (like Colombia is a republic and a democracy). It needs to have an economic system (Colombia is capitalist). It needs a capital city where the government leaders meet. It needs money, so it has to have a currency. It needs a constitution which is a document that explains how the country will work. It needs people and most of the people need to speak the same language so everyone can communicate. Then, it needs a flag, which is a symbol of the country.

There is one type of "government" which is NOT a government... it is called an ANARCHY. It means there is no government. A country can't have anarchy because there is no government.

You need to know about taxes and budgets...
This part of your exam is true/false and short answer.
1. Taxes are essential for a democracy because that is the money a country uses to pay for social and public programs.
2. Taxes are the money we pay to the government so the government can do things for us.
3. The government needs tax money because otherwise it will not have any money (in a democracy).
4. We pay three main types of taxes: INCOME taxes, PROPERTY taxes, and SALES tax. Income taxes are taxes we pay on money we make when we work. Property taxes are taxes we pay if we own land or a house or an apartment. Sales taxes are what we pay when we buy things.
5. Governments make a "budget", which is a plan for how they will spend the tax money. Even though they need a LOT of money to do everything they want, there is never enough money. They have to pick what to do, and so they need to make a budget. (We practiced "cutting" the budget in class.) Budgets are based on how much money the government gets in taxes. Every government department has a budget.
*You need to know what government department you were in for our budget activity. For example, you might have been in charge of the military or you might have been in the Department of Education.

YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT HUMAN RIGHTS!
This part of your exam is short answer and multiple choice.
1. You should know the definition of human rights. Look at this website if you do not know.
2. You should know about Human Rights in Colombia. The Colombian Constitution guarantees human rights. Know as many as you can remember! (You need to know them in English, but if you didn't write them in your notebook, you can read them in Spanish here: Derechos constitucionales.)
3. You need to know what the United Nations' International Declaration of Human Rights is. Find out at this website: http://www.youthforhumanrights.org/introduction/udhr_abridged.html .

Here is the video we watched in class about human rights and the International Declaration of Human Rights: http://www.youthforhumanrights.org/introduction/index.html.

Here is the other video we watched:


4. You also need to know who protects human rights. (The Red Cross (Cruz Roja), the government, the people of a country, the police, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, Profamilia, UNICEF, and the United Nations are all supposed to protect human rights.)

Finally, you have an essay question. This is the question: How do countries, constitutions, governments, and taxes help protect human rights? You need to write at least 2 paragraphs explaining your answer.


Good luck! I'll post a review for Friday's L.A. final later tonight.

ALL ABOUT ECONOMIC SYSTEMS!

Dear parents and students,

Please make a note of this: although I have mentioned it in class many times, I forgot to put one of this term's social studies logros on the letter I wrote to you and on the blog. At the beginning of Term 2 we learned about types of economic systems. This is on the final. We are reviewing it in class today, I also consider it part of the "Properties of a Country" goal.

The official goal is this: Students understand different types of economic systems and know which countries have that type of system.

They also need to know the definition of "economy." Here is my favorite definition:

Economy means the way money and "capital" are controlled in a country. "Capital" means things like natural resources and valuable resources, banks, stocks and bonds, businesses, factories, and farms. So, economy is about who is in charge and who has control of money and the ways we make money.


There are many types of economic systems. We only learned about a few...

Barter and Trade. This is a very old economic system. No country really uses it now, but sometimes very poor countries or countries with wars might have people who "barter and trade." Barter and trade means that people exchange goods and do not use money. For example, if I have ten fish and you have three chickens, I could give you five fish for one chicken. Or, if you have a mango and I have candy, I could trade you for a slice of mango and you could give me a piece of candy. Native Americans (indigenous people) used this system.

Feudalism. Feudalism is also an old economic system. It is what knights used a long time ago in Europe. Most people were very poor, and the knights had a lot of money. The knights (lords, kings, royalty) had huge farms and poor people would work on the farms. The knights would then give the poor people food and a home, and if there was a war or battle, the knights would protect the poor people. Countries like France had this system a very long time ago.

Capitalism. Capitalism is the system Colombia and the United States have. Many countries are capitalist. Capitalist countries are "free markets". That means that the government lets businesses and people do what they want. The government doesn't own business and people control natural resources, not the government. The government watches businesses to make sure they do not break laws, but it doesn't bother "industry" (businesses and companies) unless something bad happens. This allows people to be creative and start their own businesses.

Fascism. Fascism is when governments control all the business, natural resources, and exports. Usually, a dictator is in charge of the country. The most famous "fascist" countries were Germany and Italy in World War II and Spain after World War II. People associated with fascism are Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini in Italy, and Francisco Franco in Spain. (Only Italy was REALLY fascist, but the other countries were very, very close.) These countries are NOT fascist now.

Communism. Today, Vietnam, China, North Korea, Laos, and Cuba are communist countries. In other countries like India, Nepal, Cyprus, and South Africa, communist parties are involved in politics. Communism can only be the economic system of a country if the Communist Party is the ONLY political party in charge in that country. Communism is an idea that Karl Marx and Vladimir Lenin made famous. The idea is that the government controls money, natural resources, business, and production. They then divide EVERYTHING equally and everyone shares. That means no one would be "rich" and no one would be "poor", everyone would be the same. The FARC is a "Communist" group who wanted to make Colombia communist. Communism sounds good, but it has never successfully worked. The Soviet Union (It is called Russia now) was a communist country, but communism did not work there. Usually, the government becomes rich and keeps all the money, and the rest of the people are very poor.

Socialism. Socialism is a lot like Communism, except that it is ONLY an economic system, not a political system. Socialist countries are supposed to let EVERYONE in the country control the money and production. That means the government partially owns businesses. People and businesses pay high taxes. Money is divided almost equally among the people. The government is supposed to take care of everyone.

Welfare State. Many countries are "welfare states", at least a little bit. Welfare states are countries that have VERY high taxes (30 to 50%) based on how much money the citizens have. If you are poor, you pay lower taxes, and if you are rich, you pay more taxes. The government uses the tax money to take care of the citizens. Many welfare state countries have free education and free health care. Denmark, Sweden, Finland, and Norway are Welfare States. In those countries, if you do not have a job, the government will take care of you. If you go to the university, it is free, and the government gives you money to buy food and pay for an apartment. To get all those things, when you have a job, you have to give a lot of your money to the government in taxes.

Okay, that's it for Economic systems! I will post the rest of the social studies review online during lunch. Please make sure students study these things!

Tomorrow: Reading Comprehension Exam and Social Studies Projects!

Hola class! Some of you did not take your oral exam today, so be prepared to take it tomorrow!

If you want to start preparing for your reading comprehension exam, here are the two stories you will be reading. Here is an article about the Solar Dynamics Observatory. Remember when we watched the video of the sun? If you don't, you can watch the video and see pictures of the sun on the National Geographic Website or on the Solar Dynamics Observatory website.

The other article is from the Hubble Telescope Website. Click here to find it.

You will have to answer multiple choice questions, short answer questions, and then make a Venn Diagram, a timeline, or a Cause and Effect chart about what you read. I will tell you tomorrow. (It's a surprise!)

DON'T FORGET! Your World Cup Presentations are tomorrow afternoon! Make sure you have the following:
A Poster with...
1.A map of the country
2.a picture of the flag
3.a picture of the team
4.A list of the best players on the team and their positions
5.The language of the country
6.The type of government and economy the country has
7.Famous landforms or places in the country
8.The most popular food in the country
9.The religions of the country
10.How to say “Hello” in that country.

Your presentation should be short. Tell us about the team and the country. Do not read to us from a website like Wikipedia. The presentations will be Wednesday, June 9th, and will be part of your final grade for social studies. You need to explain your poster and tell us about the team and country.

Finals Schedule, 2nd Term Logros, & Math Answers

Hey class! Here is our finals schedule, just to help you remember!

Dates of the Exams

June 8th (tomorrow): Oral Interview *science quiz* *math quiz*
I will take each one of you outside and interview you. You do not need to bring anything to the interview. You can practice by using the questions I listed in the last blog post. Each question is worth 5 points. I will be grading you based on your answer, your pronunciation, and your vocabulary.

June 9th: Social Studies Presentations & Reading Comprehension final
Don't forget to finish your World Cup country presentation! If you need help please tell me. For your reading comprehension final, I will give you something to read and you will need to answer questions about it, write a summary, make a Venn Diagram to compare and contrast things in the reading, and make a cause and effect chart. We'll practice this in class.

June 10th: Social Studies exam
Your social studies exam will have True/False questions, short answer questions, and a 2 paragraph essay. It will cover all the goals, so you need to know about taxes, budgets, constitutions, types of economies, the oceans and continents, and human rights. You will also need to write a description of the country you studied for the World Cup project.

The essay question is this: How do countries, constitutions, and taxes protect human rights?

June 11th: Language Arts Final
This final will have spelling words, and you will need to match the word to its definition. You will also need to label parts of speech (like nouns, verbs, predicates, etc.). It has a writing section, too. You will have to write a 5 paragraph persuasive letter. We will practice in class.

June 15th: Science exam
The science exam with be short answer and multiple choice. It will cover the chapters over the moon, the solar system, and light.

June 16th: Math in English exam
20 math problems from Chapter 3 and Chapter 4 in your math book.

Here are the goals from this term:

Science
Understands properties of the Moon
Understands properties of the Solar System and Universe
Understands light

Social Studies
Understands purpose of taxes and budgets in a country
Understands properties of a country
Understands human rights and understands our responsibility to protect human rights
Applies the need for human rights to why we have countries, constitutions, and taxes
Can identify all the oceans and continents.

Math
Estimates and solves with 1 and 2 digit divisors
Understands equations and expressions, including algebraic equations and expressions

Language Arts
Can write a letter using the correct form and vocabulary
Can support an argument when writing
Spells and understands a variety of vocabulary words
Understands parts of speech
Comprehends non-fiction and fiction and can apply reading in a variety of contexts
Communicates and speaks in English fluently

AND... as promised, the answers to the math problems.
1. 28 ÷ 4 = the number of chairs in each row
2. 33 - 8 + p = the number of people on the bus now
3. 43
4. 27
5. 44
6. 26
7. n = 3, it is the distributive property
8. f = 25
9. p = 11
10. Set G answers:
1) 3 x y = d; 24
2) x + 4 = y; 2
3) w - 2 = p; 12