MY CITY: CONSTANTINOPLE

1. If you were a traveler on ancient the Silk Road, why would I want to stop in your city?

I would stop because there are lots of food sources. This is important because Constantinople is the last final place on the Silk Road. The travelers would be very tired, so the people will stop  at Constantinople to load up on fruit and vegetables.

2. What was the most interesting thing you learned about your city?

The thing I found interesting was that in Constantinople a long time ago, it was once a roman settlement. So, some of the buildings in there were Roman style, and some of the buildings were original Constantinople style. Some of the old Roman buildings still exist today.

3. Would you want to visit your city today (in 2011?)  Why or why not?

No I would not. Because, now, Istanbul just has tall skyscrapers, and not much of the historical things. I think that going there would be a waste of time, because now it just looks like an ordinary city with no history.

4. How does the physical geography of your place affect the culture of the people who lived in your city?

Constantinople is flat with no hills or mountains, so it was easy to build houses and buildings. This meant that people didn’t have to go up hills or faraway to buy their goods and other products.

5. How do you think your research of your city can help answer the question, “What Happens When East Meets West?”

The research helped because now I know what kind of goods Constantinople traded when other people came from the east and the west.

6. Explain what happened in the String Silk Road.

In the string Silk Road, there were strings going in all directions, crossing over other people’s strings. This was because if one city wanted to trade with another city, they had to first trade with a city which was closer to them. So, if there was no trading, each individual city would not be able to survive.

7. How did the String Silk road game help answer the question, what happens when East Meets West?

It helped because you could see clearly when two cities meet in trading. There might be arguments about the goods, or maybe the city who wanted to trade with another city might have to trade through another city to get to the original city.

Here is a picture which I think represents Constantinople.

Thanks,

George Wood

Why is culture so important?

Culture is very important because it allows people to express there feelings freely. In culture, you have many different categories. Such as languages, history, traditions and many more. In a culture, you can share your differences with each other, so then it can help you to relate and socialize with other people.

What did I learn about  6C’s different cultures?

I found that people had many different cultures. Such as, people had many traditions according to their backgrounds and countries. People had different histories. In 6C, we have many different nationalities so people’s behaviors’ also change a lot. People from different countries have different Environments. For example, people from Canada, have mountains and rivers for their environment. But, for people who are from Tokyo city, their environments are tall skyscrapers and parks.

Describe your culture in a few sentences.

I’m from New Zealand, so we are pretty relaxed. Also, in western countries, people play a lot of sports. I sometimes like to play Tennis and Hockey.

Thanks,

George

In Humanities, we have been studying ancient civilizations.

1) What similarities did you find among the civilizations you studied? Why do you think civilizations share these things in common?

The main similar thing between the civilizations was that they all made pottery, and statues. The reason why I think the civilizations had this in common was because making statues and pottery looked beautiful, and it was a good way to express emotion and feelings.

2) What differences did you find between the civilizations? Why would these civilizations evolve differently?

The main difference between the civilizations was the religious beliefs. The civilizations would evolve differently because they would worship different gods and think in a different way.

3) Why do you think humans needed civilizations? Why did they need community?

Humans needed civilizations. I think this because in a civilization, there a many people. If there are many people, you can help easily, and solve problems easier around you.

4) If you could have lived in any of the civilizations which one would you live in and why?

I would live in the Nile River civilization. I would live in this civilization because there is a very fertile river very close to the civilization. At this civilization, the crops and harvesting is always very very good. That is why I would like to live near the Nile River.

I once went on a trip to Australia in December 2009 with my family. During the trip, I demostrated some of the Learner Profile.

I used: Communicator, by showing my grandma how to make a call on her cell phone.

I used: Thinker, when I was doing a tricky crossword puzzle.

I used: Risk-Taker, when I played the piano in front of the whole family.

I used: Knowledgeable, when I showed my granddad solved some maths problems.

And I also used: Balanced, when I ate a nice, healthy balanced diet.

Using the Learner Profile is very important.

Here is a picture of near my Grandparents live.

Thanks,

George Wood