The Old Stone Age
Thursday 18th July
We have begun looking at the Old Stone Age period. These people were hunter-gatherers and moved around from place to place. Some often followed the migratory herds of wild animals.
Term Two in Review
Wednesday 17th July
The last weeks of term two were spent learning about the range of skills that an historian can use to assist in uncovering the secrets of the past. A video on the discovery of a gladiator graveyard in York, UK, highlighted how a forensic anthropologist could explain the nicks and fractures that were present on the skeletons of the dead combatants.
I found out what a historian does and the types of sources that can be used to create a picture of the past.
Primary sources are those that were created during the period of time that is being studied.
Secondary sources are those that have been written or created after the period of time.
I created a time line of my own life so far and placed several important events that have happened to me on the line.
After creating a time line know the difference between BCE and CE.
I
worked with some classmates and gave a presentation on a megalithic
burial tomb at Creevykeel, in Ireland. I learnt that a lot of different
people in different parts of the world buried important members of their
society in similar structures.I learnt about the value of a society's heritage and how some cultures passed down their history through oral traditions and rock paintings. I can understand why indigenous Australians don't like it when people climb Uluru as it is a sacred site.
We looked at the life of gladiators and saw how they didn't have a very satisfying life. Their existence was always in peril.
Term One in Review
Monday 6th July
During term one, I learn about a number of skills that would assist me in being able to read maps and understand the relationship between a map and the real world.
Some of the skills I learnt included:
- how to tell direction using a compass rose;
- how to work out distances on a map using scale;
- being able to identify where things are in the real world by using symbols;
- knowing that all maps needed BOLTSS
I created my own map of an island and used the elements of BOLTSS.
While I didn't have any problems with most of these skills, scale was a bit confusing to work out to begin with. I needed to complete an extra sheet of tasks to make sure that I got the hang of it.
Also, I am still a bit unsure of how to calculate what time it is in different parts of the world without the help of a time zone map or smartphone app.
