2/29/12
Make this day count, it only comes once every four years!!

161, 162, 164--> Began our unit on Ancient China-Used the atlas to learn about China's geography
           
 HOMEWORK:
       161- Final draft of essay due Friday
       162-No Homework
       164- Final copy of essay due tomorrow


163- Went over homework
         Took notes on the Huang River Valley
    NO HOMEWORK

The achievements of the Gupta Empire

UNIVERSITIES AND LITERATURE

•Time of great learning

•Built many colleges and universities (Some Hindu, some Buddhist)

•Primarily for males however teachers’ daughters allowed to attend

•Hindu universities provided upper classes with religious training

•Subjects: religion, mathematics, astronomy, chemistry, Sanskrit, sculpture, painting, music, and dancing

•Students of medicine learned the practices of the day.  Trained how to question patients about their physical problems.  Learned how to make cures from bark, roots, leaves, and minerals.  

•Gupta writers wrote poetry, fables, folktales, and plays.  Plays were comedies, dramas, historical, and political.  

•Scholars and lawyers wrote about Hindu law and religion

•Gupta literature spread beyond India and influenced cultures as far away as Greece and Persia.  Aladdin and his magic lamp was inspired by a Gupta folktale

PAINTING

•Famous for paintings-an important part of life

 •Painted deities and other religious topics

•Paintings done on long scrolls (a roll of material like paper or papyrus)

 •Greatest Indian paintings: Ajanta cave murals-covered the walls of 30 caves-some show scenes from Buddha’s life and values such as love and understanding 

SCULPTURE

 •Sculptors created statues-many portrayed Buddha or Hindu deities

•Some sculptures showed scenes from important peoples lives

•Portrayed the human form simply and gracefully 

MATHEMATICS

 •Used a decimal system to write numbers

•Decimal system uses 10 basic numerals that have different values depending on their place

•Example: 105..1 Is in the hundreds place

•The first to treat zero as a number (Many calculations are impossible without the zero)

•The first to figure out that a year was 365 days long

•The first to calculate that the planets are spheres

•This system spread to Europe and is the system we still use today

ROADS

•Gupta rulers encouraged trade by creating a huge system of well-built roads

•Built a few feet off of the ground

•Ditches and canals ran along the side to prevent flooding

•Signs along the way told travelers where they were

•Roads allowed traders to move easily from city to city 

2/27/12
Welcome Back!!
161- Watched documentary on Gupta Empire-Rough Drafts were Collected
     Homework: Write conclusion

162- Watched documentary on Gupta Empire-Rough Drafts were collected
       Homework: Write Conclusion

163- Used atlas to determine the major geographic features of China

164- Watched documentary on the Gupta Empire
        Homework: Write first three paragraphs of rough draft

Happy Thursday! Break is almost here =]

161- Completed outline on the Gupta Empire and its Achievements
     Homework for break-Rough Draft!!

162- Completed outline on the Gupta Empire and its Achievements
      Homework for break-Rough Draft!!

163- Completed graphic organizer on the Gupta Empire

164- Began introductory paragraph on Gupta Empire and its Achievements Essay
      Homework for break-Complete outline!!

::::::::::::Below are the guidelines for the essay::::::::::

Name_____________________________                                    Class___________________

Ms. Jessi                                                                        Date___________________

                        The Gupta Empire and Its Achievements

Introduction:

            As we have learned, India’s Golden Age was during the time of the Gupta Empire.  Under the Gupta’s, India made achievements in a number of areas.  They encouraged learning by building universities.  Writing, painting, and sculpting flourished (grew).  Mathematics made advances and engineers built a system of roads.  Many of these achievements continue to affect the world today. 

Essay Question:

            In your opinion, which two achievements made during the Gupta Empire were most influential or important to Ancient India?  What makes them more important than the others?

In your essay you must:

1.     Explain what each of the two achievements you choose are

2.     Explain why each of the two achievements you chose were influential or important to Ancient India

3.     Argue why each of the two achievements you chose is more important than the other achievements.  Be specific in persuading the reader why one is more important than the other. 

You may, but are not limited to, use the following format for your essay:

1^st Paragraph:    Introduction

2^nd Paragraph   :Explain one achievement and why it was so important

3^rd Paragraph:   Explain the second achievement and why it was so important

4^th Paragraph:    Argue (persuade) why these two achievements are more  important than the other five made during the Gupta Empire

5^th Paragraph:     Conclusion 

Hello Students! the blog was down for a while but it is officially back up and running!

161- Today we did note taking on the unificiation of India and the Gupta Empire 

162- Today we did note taking on the unification of India and the Gupta Empire

163- Today we did note taking on Buddhism and the story of Buddha

      HW- Read packet and answer questions 1-4 due tomorrow 

164- Today we acted out the play on Buddha 

       HW packet due tomorrow