Humanities IB learner Profile Reflection
What did we do this unit??
Mapping project –Nile-Geography
Art-Culture-daily life-what believed
Rulers of Egypt
Egypt Project
Notes/blogs
Jeopardy-horrible histories-video
During this unit on Ancient Egypt we learned and developed our knowledge of daily lives of people existing thousands of years ago. At the beginning of the unit we learned about the Nile, we learned that Egypt was the ‘bread basket’ of Africa. The Egyptian civilization was created because of Nile. This river made survival possible in a desert. When learning about the geography of the Nile we inquired the knowledge of what gifts the Nile presented ancient Egyptians. Then we moved on in the unit to the culture of the Egyptians, we learned about the daily life, culture and, religion. We studied about the rulers of ancient Egypt and what the impacts they had on the civilization. When learning we researched on the internet and took notes from a text book. This was then followed up by the final project- we taught the class about a certain subject in the class each one of us creating a presentation. We concluded the unit with a wrap up of Horrible History Videos and a fun Jeopardy game. Throughout this unit I have used many of the IB learner profiles here are 5 that I really think that I developed during this unit.
Inquirers-
When living in Egypt I was fascinated in the history, we went to several different places around Egypt. I think in this unit I already had a lot of knowledge about ancient Egypt, but I also learned a lot more about it. During this unit I developed a curiosity for the Nile both now and in ancient times. I started to understand how significant the Nile back then, and without it a civilization could have been lost. I also realized that the Nile has a huge impact on Egypt. After many years the Nile has become polluted and durty, the country has suffered from this. In my spare time I have learned about the effects of the polluted Nile. I found that a dirty water and polluted country decreases tourism (which is the main economic source of Egypt), and I have found that diseases have been spread because of the mucky water. Learning about the Nile has helped me acquire knowledge and interest in the modern health of Egypt today.
Thinkers-
I think that I best represented being a thinker when I came up with a thesis statement. I had the help of Mrs. Moore to conduct this thinking process. I think that I had a solid thesis statement, and the most important thing is that I have more of an idea how a thesis statement is written. In the past these 2-3 sentences have been the hardest part of writing an essay or presenting an essay. Learning this I have applied thinking skills critically in a situation with a complex problem.
Communicators-
During a presentation it is almost like you are up in front of an audience in a production. The key thing to do is to learn your lines, speak clearly, and fill yourself with excitement. That is what I always try to pursue when in a presentation, it is hard, but when you accomplish that you really feel good. When I was thinking about how I wanted to present I automatically knew that I should not only talk but a combination of things to keep the audience awake. I decided on something to do with the internet, a PowerPoint, and board work. I started off with a Voki character; I wanted to make a bold statement when starting to teach. Then I presented my main idea and then to conclude I wrote on the board-which I found to be very hard.
Risk-taker
I think that I demonstrated this when I picked the subject of sail boats, this was a subject that I knew that many people would not think about presenting so I wanted to learn about it. This was not my first choice I actually wanted to present about the daily life about Egyptians and the influence of the Nile. However, when skimming though a book I found out sailing and how it had such an impact on the Egyptian civilization that I decided to present it. A bonus was I am really interested in the Nile and sailing had a lot to do with the Nile. So it was a win win situation. I think in this situation I was exploring new roles, ideas and strategies when presenting knowledge.
Reflective
After doing the teaching project I did a lot of reflecting, or looking back at my work. I figured out that I would like to write on the board before class starts instead of writing while I am in class. That way I will be able to make eye-contact with the students when concluding, so I know that I get all the information across. I also liked the Voki at the beginning of the presentation, I liked how it was different from the other presentations and it made the audience become more alive. During this unit I think that I was able to give thoughtful consideration to my own learning experience when teaching a class.
How Physical environment affect the development of civilizations?
During this unit we learned that the development of a civilization relies of the physical features of the surrounding area. In history when we look at civilizations that have thrived for thousands of years we notice that one common thing feature that they all have in common is a large water supply. The Incas had many tributaries of the Amazon River to live off of; many archaeologists say that this is why the Incas survived so long. The people who lived in what is now India, had the Ganges to supply their source of water, this helped them to live long also. The Egyptians had the Nile, it provided the three essential gifts; water, protection, and farming. Without the Nile in Egypt here would only have been a hot dry desert and masses of history would have been lost. The physical environment is like the foundation of a civilization, if there is a bad foundation the civilization will not be not as strong, if there is a good foundation the house will last a long time.
