Finito

It's the end of the line.  Human Geography is officially finished.  I have posted the last of the grades - the blogs, the class participation, the exam essays, Pow Wow extra credit, everything - so Q2 and S1 are finalized.  You should be able to view your grades by clicking on Grade History, but if you are having trouble accessing your grades, just send me an email and I will tell you what you want to know.

Assuming the snow holds off and we are actually in school tomorrow, please remember to bring your WCIV textbook to class, whether you are in my class or if you have Mr. Teter.

Thank you to ALL of you for making Human Geo enjoyable and memorable.  The Class of 2017 is pretty incredible.

Urban Geo test

33 total questions.

9 questions on the Urban Geo PowerPoint/lecture, 24 on Guns, Germs, and Steel.

No short answers, no essay, just Scantron-a-go-go.

Check your notes, make some flash cards, go back and take another look at the video.

It's your last test of the quarter/semester.  Git-r-done!

the last test of the second quarter

Today all three sections went over the material from Guns, Germs, and Steel. Section 3 will get one last look at Jared Diamond tomorrow, since they didn't have class on Monday.

All three sections will take a 100-point test on Friday.  A few questions will be on the Urban Geography material we covered with the PowerPoint in class; over 20 questions will be on GG&S and Diamond's theory of "geographic luck."

classwork for today

Here is the link to a video called Guns, Germs, and Steel.  In class today help your sub hook up their computer (or one of your computers) to the LCD so everyone can watch at once.  Ms. Willan (room 109) or Ms. Markel (room 107) can assist with connection to LCD and speakers.  You will all watch up to the 22:30 mark, taking notes in your notebooks (not on your computers) as you watch.  The video features a scientist named Jared Diamond, who has a theory about why some civilizations were able to thrive, prosper, and form cities, and why other civilizations did not develop.  You can use the rest of class to post to your blog, writing about whether or not you agree with Diamond's theory, and why.

Also, due to all the missing days and short classes, we will not be able to take our test Wednesday.  When I get back to class I will tell you the new plan.

Thanks for your patience, and for taking care of your sub!

extra credit offer

As you know, I don't offer extra credit very often, but the Pow Wow that Mr. Scholl talked about at the end of the day is worth it.  The Morning Star Celebration is one of the biggest Pow Wows on the east coast.  Native Americans from all over the country come to our school to dance, play music, offer incredible crafts for sale, and celebrate Indian culture.  There is terrific food available (I'll be picking up my supply of buffalo meat and jerky) and loads of cool gift ideas.  You will be absolutely amazed at how the John Carroll gym is transformed into a Native American dance and drum fest, and our lobby becomes a  fantastic marketplace.  And the Grand Enrty - which you can watch OR participate in - is the coolest thing ever.  Make sure you're here at 1:00 for that.

That's Mr Scholl, a highly-respected member of the Native American community, on the left.

To receive 10 points extra credit, email me a picture of yourself at the Pow Wow.  Make it easy on me - include your name and the names of any other people in the photo.  I absolutely guarantee you will be glad you came - and not just because of the EC.


It costs two bucks (suggested) for you to get in, and the money goes to the St Labre Indian School in Montana - a very worthy cause!  Deets here.

Hope to see you there Saturday!

Welcome back!

The world-famous Section 1 and the mighty Section 7 got to meet today, absorbing knowledge about Urban Geography.  Sadly, we will all have to wait until at least Wednesday to see each other again, since they have called off school for tomorrow (Tuesday 1/7) due to the very cold weather.

Here's what the NWS (National Weather Service) has to say about it:

Enjoy your day off tomorrow, but be very careful if you venture outside!  Hats, scarves, gloves, but no earrings!

even more exam questions

The questions continue to pour in as the hours tick down before the Human Geo exam!

Alexa, of the spectacular Section 1, asks: "Hi Mr. Schick!  For the exam, do we need to know how to do the math for figuring out all the death and birth rates?"

Ha!  Let's save the math for math class, okay?  I would rather that you know the concepts behind the population statistics, than have you get all bogged down in the arithmetic.  Thanks for your question, and good luck tomorrow!