Thrusday 16 February 2012

What we did

Today we took notes on chapter two in our Pathways textbooks. Our substitute teacher explained that we could use any form of note taking, want as long as we learned it in Humanities. Some note formats we learned were outline format, mapping/web format, and the Cornell format.

The outline format is when you take the main idea, and support it with details. This way of note taking looks like a paragraph outline.
Mapping/web format is where you put the main idea in the middle, and make the supporting details branch out of the main idea. If there are any sub-details, they will branch out of the details. Cornell is when you make a table, and take down your notes. Afterwards you simplify your notes, and the try to summarize your notes in one sentence.

We took our notes on page forty-nine to fifty-three in the Pathways textbook. The notes were mainly about "Medieval Life and Custom", which explained the lives and living conditions of different classes. It went into detail about how the houses of the serfs, and free holders were small and had no furniture, while the lord of the manor had furniture in every room.

When we were finished with the notes then we made a Venn diagram and wrote down the similarities and differences about the women in the Middle Ages and women today. We didn't have to make a Venn diagram, but we needed to show how women today and women in the Middle Ages are different and alike.

Fortunately we had two whole blocks to finish these notes, and it isn't homework since we can't take out the textbooks. When we were finished we worked on the There Will Be Wolves questions for chapter eight.

Near the end of class we were given back our previous There Will Be Wolves questions from Chapter one to five.

Why we did it

We are learning about the Medieval Life and Custom because by learning about the Middle Ages, we would have some background knowledge about the time period. Therefore we can get more insight about the characters from There Will Be Wolves because now we know how their lives are like.

The reason we are taking notes on the Medieval Life and Custom is to practice taking notes. Most of the time we take notes for the sake of doing it, but some formats are easier for certain people to understand then others. By practicing taking notes, then you begin to understand which type of note formatting suits you best. That way you can take notes you can use, and that can enhance your understanding.

Venn diagrams are very useful especially for picking the differences, and similarities. By using it to compare two different topics we automatically know where the information we want just by looking at it. You don't even need to go through all the tedious details of reading every heading, that you normally do if you were just looking at ordinary notes.

We are comparing the roles of women from the Middle Ages, and women today, because with the Venn diagram we can see how much the lives and rights of people, and particularly women have changed.

The purpose of doing all these There Will Be Wolves questions is to see how through and complete you can answer a question. By doing doing these questions you also think more about the story and what the characters motives, and possible thoughts are.

We were given back our previous questions because that way we will know what to improve on and what we are strong at.


Connections and Reflections

Making the notes helped me understand more about the lives of different classes of people in the Middle Ages. Taking notes can be used in other classes, and university too, but you won't be in school forever. Instead you can use these skills to help you summarize, what you need in less time. Like how to make soup. Instead of saying "Boil the water at 375 degrees Celsius, and pour carrots, spinach, and beans in" you can say "Boil at 375 Celsius, add veg." With notes you don't need correct grammar, since they are your notes.

Learning all about the medieval life, and women's rights made me realize how much the human race has progressed. Before we wouldn't have phones, or even the simple light bulb. Now we can fly to the moon. Before women couldn't read or go to school unless they were really rich. Today, even the poor can go to school. Overall we are advancing in quite a rapid rate.

The concept of the Venn diagram can help us make decisions. Where should we go for vacation? Should we go to Florida where there are snakes, or Mexico where you can get Hepatitis B? By comparing the risks, and seeing which are common, you can conclude whether you should go to Florida or Mexico for the holidays.

There Will Be Wolves questions are supposed to short answer questions, but the answers don't look short at all! Each question for me would often take a quarter of the page or more! Mostly that is because I need to back up my answer with reasons. It would be good if you are a lawyer because given the evidence you have to back up your conclusion with proof.

The feedback given from the questions from chapter one to five reminded me of the IDEO shopping cart video, because the members asked for feedback from the customers and clients on what they liked about the cart, and what they think can improve.

Homework

There Will Be Wolves Chapter eight questions due tomorrow
Pathway Notes are not for homework since we can't take home the textbooks.

Tips
Look at the previous There Will Be Wolves Chapter questions, and look through the feedback!