Dear Year 8 Students,
Welcome to my class and my blog. I hope that you will enjoy the stories, adventures and mysteries of history this year.
I started writing this blog way back in 2008. It is called “Emit Repoons on a Mission” (see why here) and it is rather like an online railway station with lots of platforms to direct you towards all the reading and research options that you will need to study this subject. There are also lots of activities such as quizzes and crosswords. You can find many topics that we shall be covering this semester under the menu above: “The Middle Ages”.
Sometimes, given my age, I feel like someone from the Middle Ages myself, but of course that is an exaggeration. Compared to you, I am indeed rather advanced in age. I was already 7 years old when Neil Armstrong stepped onto the moon. When the Berlin Wall fell, I was 27 years old; at that time, I believed naively that the world was about to become a safer, better and more tolerant place. In the year when the first iPhone came onto the market, I was 45. I did not realise then that this type of gadget would make it possible to carry around 20 dictionaries, 100 books, several movies and a thousand songs in my pocket. Although I have resisted many of the temptations of the social media age (such as Facebook), I am certainly a disciple of book downloading on a whim – and of blogging.
Can you figure out from all these hints how old I am?
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Life was unrecognisably different in the Middle Ages: technological changes developed far more slowly; most people couldn’t read; the concept of voting for your leaders was generally unheard of; and people were far less mobile, both physically and socially. And yet some aspects of life then still seem familiar to us now: there were frightening and unexplained diseases; wars and conflict were common and widespread; there was a huge gulf between the wealthy and the poor; and the common people often faced injustice, oppression and tyranny.
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I hope that you will enjoy learning about this period of human history in the next five months. Our course includes units based in both Europe and Japan, with a quick visit to the Mongolian Empire thrown in for good measure. We shall get around!
Kind regards from Ms Green
Write a Comment
After our first few classes about the legacies of the Romans and the fall of Western Rome, I would like you to write a short comment in answer to one or more of these questions:
- What is a legacy that you would like to leave?
- What is an event in your life that has left an impression on you or influenced you?
Essential Words
- medieval: A Latin word meaning “Middle Ages”
- Middle Ages: The time between the ancient period (ending in AD 476) and the modern period (starting roughly in 1500)
- BC is equivalent to BCE: Before Christ is equivalent to Before the Common Era
- AD is equivalent to CE: Anno Domini (time since the birth of Christ) is equivalent to the Common Era
Essential Links
♦ My interactive timeline of the Middle Ages
♦ Blog Page: The Fall of the Western Roman Empire
♦ Presentation on the Fall of Western Rome
[embeddoc url=”https://year7historygr.edublogs.org/files/2018/07/Introduction-to-the-Middle-Ages-Semester-2-2018-Year-8-History-Reduced-Size-1sik7xr-1tadtl4.pdf” height=”560px” download=”all” viewer=”google” ]
I would like to leave behind some cool invention that would change the world (not sure what it would be yet). An event that left an impression on me was when they found water on Mars; that means there could be life on Mars.
A thoughtful comment and a challenging ambition, Ashton! – Ms Green
What is a legacy I would like to leave? I would like to leave a new invention that can benefit people for years to come.
What is an event in your life that has left an impression on you or influenced you? Whenever I go on an overseas holiday it always leaves me wondering about other parts of the world, in other words it has influenced me greatly.
Very thoughtful, Luke. An insightful comment on the effects of travel too. – Ms Green
Dear Ms Green,
I would like to leave behind as my legacy an invention/great discovery or just the work in robotics/metal works that I plan on doing. An event that has influenced me was when I learnt that devices weren’t magic, but really science and technology. That influenced/intrigued me to learn more and know how to build such things.
Regards from Luke N
What a thoughtful and considered comment, Luke. Beautifully expressed too. – Ms Green
Dear Ms Green,
A legacy I would like to leave behind is my scientific knowledge or an invention. One event that has influenced me is global warming. Climate change is a huge problem and we need to do something about it. This is a global issue and without doing anything, every single person will be affected by it.
Regards from,
Nikhil
A perceptive comment, Nikhil. You have expressed your point with conviction and shown the urgency of the situation clearly. – Ms Green
Dear Ms Green,
I believe that the most incredible legacy to leave is the way we have lived our lives. I would like to show others what they can achieve with their talents and abilities and how I have lived my life to the fullest.
Kind Regards,
Erin
A considered and challenging aim, Erin! You have expressed your ideas in a very thoughtful and perceptive way. – Ms Green
Dear Mrs Green,
A legacy I would like to leave is to become a lawyer and help many people and fix their problems. An event that has influenced me was when my cousin was in year 11 and she was failing most of her subjects; she kept on studying and working hard and she got a great VCE score and she became a doctor. This has influenced me to work harder at school and home.
Kind regards, Hayley
An inspiring and thoughtful comment, Hayley. You have certainly always worked hard since I have known you! – Ms Green
To Mrs Green
A legacy I would like to leave behind is that I would like to form a new era of entertainment, which would form circus for real-day events such as getting out of bed or making coffee. Say you’re making a sandwich and then you start juggling a knife as an acrobat flies over your head. The invention of popcorn is so strange – that someone that thought would heat up a vegetable called corn and then eat it. No one would ever have thought of that! – so yeah. That was an inspiring legacy that changed the world and the world can be a better place with ideas like that.
From Chris
Wow, a very original sequence of ideas, Chris. You are truly a lateral thinker! – Ms Green
Dear Ms Green,
A legacy I would like to leave behind is a sporting legacy so I can teach people something new in sport. Another possibility would be making something that benefits everyone – like stopping global warming or something. An event that influenced me to get into basketball is when my dad showed me some old videos of Michael Jordan and when he taught me how to play basketball. An event that got me interested in building was when my dad and grandpa built a deck at my house.
Regards from David
Some worthy and challenging aims, David. I am impressed that you can pinpoint the influences on your thinking. You obviously have some family members who are creative and hard-working, just as you are. – Ms Green
I would like to leave behind a device that allows people to breathe under water. I don’t know how yet but I’m sure I’ll figure it out.
Interesting, Aidan. In what ways could such a device be used? What options might it lead to? I like your determination! – Ms Green
To Ms Green,
A legacy I would like to leave behind is the extinction of mosquitos. I would like this to happen because mosquitos are very annoying and they bite you. An event that made me choose this legacy is whenever its summer I get so many mosquito bites and it makes me very itchy. Mosquito also make a very annoying buzz that just annoys me. Mosquitos also carry diseases like the Zika virus. If we get rid of mosquitos there will be less deaths; for example at the moment the mosquito is the top ranking cause of death in Africa. If we get rid of mosquitos you won’t be itchy all the time anymore. If we get rid of mosquitos, the world will be a much better, more enjoyable place. Another question is what do mosquitos do for us? The answer is NOTHING! All they do is bite us in summer and then die in winter. This is why I plan to get rid of all those pesky mosquitos so we can have a better life.
Kind regards, Daniel
You have really thought this through, Daniel. You could also mention the ongoing problems of malaria. Would there be any secondary effects from stamping out mosquitos though? Another species that they keep in check that might then lead to problems? You will have to educate me on this topic more. – Ms Green
Dear Mrs Green,
What is a legacy that you would like to leave to those who come after you?
As my legacy I would like to leave an impact on the kids I coach for netball. I hope that if they want to take netball seriously that I have helped them grow into people who are dedicated and hard-working.
Name an event in your life that has left an impression on you or influenced you.
I guess going to my older sister’s netball game as a kid influenced me to play netball. I am so grateful for that.
An inspiring and thoughtful comment, Emma. – Ms Green
Dear Ms Green,
What is a legacy that you would like to leave to those who come after you?
I would really like to leave as much happiness and peace as I can. I would also like to leave an architectural design because I really like designing things and I think that would be a great legacy to leave behind.
Name a person and event in your life that has left an impression on you or influenced you.
Something that has left a good impression on me is my family and my best friend. They leave happiness and they are always striving to be their best. They are all very creative and intelligent people. Every day they are constantly becoming the best people they can be. Their legacy that is rubbing off on everyone close to them is happiness and kindness to all.
Regards,
Eliza
Dear Eliza,
What a beautiful description of your family! I hope you succeed in leaving “as much peace and happiness” as you can. The world needs more people with an aim like that.
All the very best,
Ms Green
Dear Mrs Green,
A legacy that I would like to left is the Chinese that I taught to my friend and my little brother. Chinese is the most interesting and complex language I have ever seen. It is very different from English or French that kind of languages. Chinese is written not with letters but rather with patterns that we called strokes.
It is probably hard for people to learn but it is really good to spread when you know that. Most European languages come from Latin, but different areas have different pronunciation and the spelling has changed. Chinese people have different pronunciation but the spelling can not be changed. So I want to teach it to my family and friends to let them know that and spread them.
Michael
Dear Michael,
I would love to learn Chinese myself. I can speak English, German and French, but I have been thinking of starting to learn Chinese for a long time. You are very inspiring and I am impressed that you are so dedicated to teaching others about the beauty and complexity of the Chinese language.
Kind regards,
Ms Green
Dear Mrs Green,
A legacy I would like to leave behind would be to create or write a theory that would make a positive impact in the medical and surgical field, to understand how to do complicated surgery with a high success rate and to make it easier.
Kind Regards,
Paris
Dear Paris,
This is a challenging ambition and I wish you the very best in this endeavour!
Kind regards,
Ms Green
Dear Ms Green,
A legacy I would like to leave behind is find a way to get rid of plastic in a good way. We have so much landfill on this planet, and I would like to find a way to get rid of it. I have thought about this before, and so far my idea is to find a substance that can dissolve all of this plastic waste. I want to do this so that those who come after me can live on this planet for longer, and help to heal it again.
An event that has left an impression on me is probably going to the Victorian Museum. There was an exhibit on what would happen to the world if we kept going the way we did, and to be honest, it scared me. I hope that if this is the legacy I leave, it will make a real impact on the world.
Regards from Sophia
Dear Sophia,
You write beautifully! I am very impressed by your vision and determination.
Kind regards,
Ms Green
Dear Mrs Green,
When I was younger and could not yet understand English, my mother would read to me every night until I could read by myself. By then I would read and read and read until my mother would have to pull the book out of my hands and sit me down to do my homework. That was when I realised that I loved books because of the magnificent plots and the satisfaction of seeing the different writing styles that authors adopted. Some had simple vocabulary but were very deep and meaningful, whilst others were poetic and beautiful. This was what inspired me to write a few books of my own during my free time, and hopefully people will enjoy them as much as I have enjoyed the books of others.
Sincerely, Sherlyn
Dear Sherlyn,
Even the way that you have told the story of your reading life reveals your talent and dedication as a writer! I was inspired when I read this and also impressed by your apt choice of words.
Kind regards from Ms Green
Dear Miss Green,
As my legacy, I want to be a veterinarian and help the injured little animals. I am very pleased to see the animals I have saved grow up healthily. Animals are friends of human beings, and we need to treat them kindly. When they are ill, I feel very happy if I can help them get better. In life, I have raised many animals, like goldfish, cats, dogs, and so on. Whenever I see that they are sick, I feel sad, which affects me.
Regards from Flora
Dear Flora,
You remind me of my mother, who used to save all the weak lambs on our sheep farm and restore them to health and strength. I admire your determination and dedication.
Kind regards,
Ms Green
Dear Ms Green,
What would I like to leave for my legacy? I think I would like to invent a medicine that can cure cancer. I’m not sure how I shall do that, but still, because cancer is an abominable disease, hundreds, thousands of people die because of cancer. My uncle died because of cancer the year before last, so I really hate cancer.
From Judy
Dear Judy,
I have very sorry to hear about your uncle. Like you, I have lost loved ones to cancer and I agree that it is a horrible disease. You have a high ambition and I wish you the very best.
Kind regards from Ms Green
Dear Ms Green,
For a legacy to leave behind I would like to make an impact on people’s lives and influence others by being a good role model in an acting career. As for an event that has influenced me, this would be when I was younger doing performances and watching others perform, which has influenced me to go into acting.
Regards from Hannah.
Thank you, Hannah, an inspiring and interesting comment. I had no idea that you were keen on acting. That certainly requires talent and hard work. – Ms Green
Dear Ms Green,
What is a legacy that you would like to leave to those who come after you?
A legacy I would like to leave is a piece of architecture. I enjoy designing as well as creating things. Architecture is extremely important to society and we all rely on it. I hope I can design a nice piece of architecture which can inspire future architects.
Name a person or event in your life that has left an impression on you or influenced you.
My friends and family are always inspiring me. They have left several impressions on me and they influence me constantly. An event in my life that has influenced me is when my friend’s house unfortunately collapsed because of weak structure. This event impacted me immensely as my friend and his family were severely injured and they lost all their memories. Ever since then I have wanted to design a durable and strong piece of architecture.
Regards,
Faiz
Dear Faiz,
I’m very sorry to hear about your friend’s misfortune. No wonder you have developed such an interest in carefully conceived buildings and architecture.
Your comment is inspiring and deeply thoughtful. I am very impressed by how carefully you have thought about the questions, by your compassion for your friends and by your determination to build something that is both safer and better designed.
All the very best from Ms Green
I would like to leave a legacy associated with scientific knowledge. This would educate future generations of fundamental rules used in our cohort. Knowledge is everlasting, therefore, my contribution would be recognised for years to come.
Aeroplanes and airports have influenced my view on science. Engineers would have dedicated hours to build the major projects. Constructing airports and aeroplanes needs knowledge. This knowledge that they know will then be passed down to future engineers. They do all this to help society. This is something that I would like to do as well.
Kind Regards,
Rakshan
Dear Rakshan,
This is a thoughtful and admirable goal for your future. You have expressed your ideas very clearly as well.
All the best!
Ms Green
Dear Ms Green,
A legacy that I greatly appreciate is medicine. For some strange reason, I always get hunkered down in the winter by a hefty flu, and without penicillin I’m certain I would cease to be alive at the current moment to write this.
A legacy that I would like to leave behind is to create a campaign to ‘save the turtles’. Turtles are such benevolent creatures who don’t deserve such harsh and inconsiderate treatment from us lowly humans, such as the fate many turtles suffer from our pollution. Single-use plastic bags take on a similar appearance to jellyfish in the ocean and the turtles are suffocated to death. With a campaign, we could raise more awareness of the devastation our carelessness has caused for the creatures of our earth.
A very original and considered comment, Michelle. Well done! – Ms Green