What I know about maps!

I am not very intelligent when it comes to maps, but I know some information. I know that there is an equator which is located in the center of the map and is in latitude form. I also knew about the seven continents and where Germany is located on the map. I also know where the prime meridian is located. I am also very good at locating the five oceans on the map. I can also locate the tropic of Capricorn and cancer. That is pretty much all I know but I look forward to learning more about maps!

Maps continued

So today in the class we had to identify the equator and many other things on the mercator projection, the Peters and the Robinson map. It was very difficult pin pointing the places but when I focused it became much more easier.

Tuesday's Fun class on maps!!!

Today in class we discussed maps and time into further detail. We learned about contemporary mapping as well as maps scales. We also learned about the geographic grid. The Geographic grid is a system of imaginary arcs drawn in a grid pattern on Earth's surface. Meridians are arcs drawn between the north and south poles. each is numbered, according to a system known as longitude. Values range from 0 degrees to 180 degrees west or east longitude. Parallels are arcs drawn parallel to the equator and at right angles to meridians. each is numbered according to a system known as latitude. Values range from 0 degrees to 90 degrees north or south. Earth as a sphere is divided into 360 degrees of longitude. Each 15 degrees band of longitude is assigned to a standard time zone. Greenwich Mean Time is located at the prime meridian and passes through Royal observatory at Greenwich England.

Mercator Projection v.s. Peters Projection

In the show the West Wing cartographers make very valid points about the Mercator projection and the Peters Projection. They state that all public schools should change the map they are using to teach with. They said that the Mercator projection is teaching kids the wrong way. On the Mercator projection Greenland is the same size as Africa, which is actually 14 times the size of Greenland. So basically the proportions are off. As the Peters projection it has everything proportioned to what they actually look like. The mercator projection also shows that Europe is larger than South America but is actually smaller. Europe is showed on the Peters Projection as smaller and only 0.9 million square miles where South America is 3.8 million square miles. As well as Alaska appears to be three times as large as Mexico but actually Mexico is larger by 0.1 million square miles.

Sick days

So today and yesterday I had a really bad cold and I wasn't in school. Yay me!!! :(

Test in class review!! yay!!

So today in class we took a test on Socrates and the short story, A Message to Garcia. Im gonna be honest I feel like I did ok but if I studied a little bit more I could have done better. I actually liked the format of the test it was fair and quite simple.

Test Monday and more on Socrates!

So today in class we reviewed Socrates. We also found out that we have a test Monday:( For the test we have to write an essay about Excellence and do some fill in the blanks and matching. So yeah that's it for today!

Socrates and Athens

So today in class we learned about socrates and Athens. Socrates was charged with two crimes. One of the crimes was the corruption of Athens youth. Socrates was accused of corrupting young minds because he would question their beliefs about the Greek gods. The other thing he was accused of was impiety because he didn't believe in the gods. He was sentenced to death by drinking poison hemlock. socrates friends persuaded the guards and said come on this is socrates let us escape with him. The guards gave in and socrates refused to leave. He friends could not persuade him so he drank the hemlock and died a long and painful death.

More fun notes!!!

So today in Human Geo class we learned more about excellence and the Greek. Agora is the place where greeks met to have meetings, gatherings, and was also the market place. Polis is political entities ruled by their bodies of citizens, origin of the words politics, metropolitan, poll. The year 508 BC was very significant because it was the first time in recorded history a people had revolted against their rulers. Socrates was a man who worked as a stonemason. He fought heroically in the Peloponnesian war. His working class background and battle field experiences may have shaped the way he viewed the world. The socratic method is when he met with young students in workshops just outside of the agora. His method asked a series of questions to determine their underlying beliefs and the extent of their knowledge.

A message to Garcia continued!!!

The Inspirational essay A Message to Garcia was published in March 1899. Due to it's popularity it was reprinted as a pamphlet and a book. It sold over 40 million copies and was translated into 37 languages. A Message to Garcia was made into a movie in 1916 as well as 1936. It was also made into a slang expression to take initiative "take a message to Garcia."
                                                           
The Greek word for excellence is arete. Arete involves all of the abilities and potentialities available to humans. the highest human potential is knowledge- all other human abilities are derived from this. the highest human knowledge is knowledge about knowledge itself.

Important Vocabulary

• perihelion- the point when a planet is closest to the sun and at its brightest.
• slipshod- careless, lackadaisical, slapdash, remiss
• Imbecility- incapability, feebleness, stupidity
• stenographer- a person who takes dictation in short hand 
• missive- letter, especially a long or official one

Laken's View on "A Letter to Garcia"

I'm just going to be honest, I didn't really understand the whole essay. But from what I understood I took offense to it. Elbert was complaining about young people not doing there jobs when asked, and going to saloons when they should be working. I myself, think that he is wrong. And yes, some people my age don't work as hard as they should and don't have that drive. Well I do, and I put a lot of effort into what I do. I mean most of my friends have jobs whether it's babysitting or cutting someone's lawn, and they put in there all. I also babysit, and I think that at our age we shouldn't be expected to be perfect at what we do. Yes people should do what they are told and not question authority, but nobody is perfect and Elbert shouldn't expect that. We don't expect Elbert to be perfect at his job so why does he judge us?

First Day at John Carroll

Hi, my name is Laken and I am a new student at the John Carroll School. My first official day was today. I am not an early bird, so waking up at 5:45 in the morning wasn't very fun. I also can be very anxious at times, especially when it is my first time experiencing something new and nerve-racking. Of course with my luck I walked into school this morning not knowing my locker combination nor not knowing how to open it. Long story short I went to the dean of students and he helped me figure everything out. After that whole inconvenience I went to my first two classes which weren't that bad. After my classes I went to advisory and met everyone there. I loved having an off mod, it helped me decompress from the high school stress. Over all I enjoyed my day at school. It was nice meeting all of my teachers and getting to know my way around the school. I'm very excited to see what I will accomplish in the next four years as a John Carroll Patriot!