STAB 2018

Today we talked about the earliest humans: the hunter-gatherers who originated in Africa and slowly migrated to the other continents. We began talking about what life was like for a person living 50,000 years ago. The students concluded that hunter-gatherers' lives were dangerous and probably repetitive (perhaps boring, but also perhaps adventurous). Even though we think of these people as primitive, they came up with some impressive new technologies -- including the ability to control fire . Several students correctly determined that most hunter-gatherers died at a young age. Here are some of the great questions about the hunter-gatherers: Spicer :  Before humans invented language, how did they think? In other words, how can you think when you don't know any words to use for thinking? Cortez :  How did hunter-gatherers think of so many new technologies, since they only had a simple way of talking? Scout  and  Sean :  How do you domesticate a plant? Jack L. ...

Today we learned that  history  is the study of the past ... and we discussed whether  it might be more valuable to study the future , rather than the past! Lucca  and  Dylan  made a terrific point: they said that it's only possible to think clearly about the future after you understand your past. Learning about your past, they said, gives you a sense of your identity and helps you understand where you came from. Sonia  made a particularly sophisticated point. She said that if you really want to " live in the moment ", you shouldn't get overly wrapped up in thinking about the past. Still, said Sonia, it's important not to completely ignore history, especially since it helps us learn from previous mistakes. To give the students a sense of where we'll begin the story of humankind (during tomorrow's class), we briefly talked about the very beginning of the universe. The students had all sorts of great questions about the Big Bang Theory ("what caused...

Nice job by Max M. , Edward and Abby , who correctly identified this animal as a weasel (also known as an ermine ) On the first day of History class, we focused on the importance of asking questions. We talked about the way that asking questions helps people  grow  as readers, writers, and thinkers. In fact, asking a clever or inspiring question can be more important than answering the question! This is particularly true since many of the questions we will ask and discuss this year do not have a single “correct” answer. The students responded to our discussion by asking some terrific questions about Leonardo da Vinci's famous painting,  Lady with an Ermine . Here are a few examples: Lyra  and  Ben : Who is this woman? Does she have a connection to Leonardo da Vinci? Max T., Isabella, Alex and  Will : Why is the woman holding an animal? Does the animal symbolize something? What kind of animal is it, and why did Leonardo include the animal in his painting?...

Which group of ancient people do you think lived in these mysterious caves? WELCOME TO 6TH GRADE HISTORY!  I am very excited to get to know each of you.  We are going to have an excellent year learning about the world and its fascinating history. Do you know who this is? This blog is called  Leonardo's Notebook . It will serve as one tool in our discussion of history. As you will quickly learn, I love photographs, artwork, and maps. I think this blog will be a helpful place to highlight those items. I will also post class materials on the blog, including the weekly history videos. ----------- This year's history class will focus on the following five themes: The importance of asking questions The influence of technology on human life (for better and for worse) The central role of religion and belief in history Leadership - with a focus on different styles and methods of being a leader The centrality of art, music, and architecture to the human experience On the blog,...