STAB 2017

During our study of Gothic cathedrals, we've talked about the difference between gargoyles and grotesques . Whereas a gargoyle contains a spout for the disposal of water ,  a grotesque  does not  contain a spout and is merely for decoration.  In the minds of medieval people, both kinds of sculpture had one additional purpose: warding off evil spirits . And in both cases, these carvings are often unusual, ugly, extravagant -- and  AWESOME !

Today we discussed the differences between Romanesque and Gothic architecture. Here's a Romanesque church The students pointed out that Romanesque churches tend to be short, with thick walls and few windows. The arches are rounded, and the inside space tends to be confined and a bit dark. Another Romanesque church. This one has a rose window, but it's fairly close to the ground. Gothic architecture, on the other hand, emphasizes height and light. The arches are pointed, and tall spires soar toward the sky. Flying buttresses enabled architects to build much larger windows, many of which were fitted with stained glass. Notice the spires reaching upwards... Now that's a serious wall of glass! Finally, here's the link for the  Stone Arch Building Challenge  (if you are able to build a nine stone arch that remains stable for 5+ seconds, please visit me before school tomorrow): http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/physics/arch-physics.html

Here's a sketch of a medieval cathedral's  foundation , sunk deep into the ground. Today we began our study of Gothic cathedrals. We are studying the cathedrals in anticipation of our trip to Washington, DC, where we will visit the majestic and beautiful Washington National Cathedral. We started by learning that architecture is both the art and the science of designing and constructing buildings. We learned that a footprint is the outline of a building at the point where the walls meet the ground. The footprint of all Gothic cathedrals (including the National Cathedral) is the shape of a cross . This is an aerial view of a Gothic cathedral in France. And here's one located in England ... This is a diagram showing the floorplan of a typical cathedral, in greater detail.

Today we talked about the effects of the Crusades.  We learned that one positive effect of the Crusades was an increase in the amount of  trade between Europeans and Asians.  While in the Holy Land, the European crusaders discovered numerous products (including delicious apricots !) that did not grow in the cooler European climate. After the Crusades ended, and most of the Europeans returned home, they wanted more of the Asian food and resources. Therefore, they began to send trading ships to Asia to obtain them. We learned that a negative effect of the Crusades was that some Christians and Muslims held onto their  hard feelings from the fighting -- sometimes, even for many generations after the actual fighting ended. ---------------- For today's Musical Monday selection,  Isabel  shared a wonderful piece of folk music: " Ashokan Farewell " by Jay Ungar. Eloise and  Eli : This song is soothing and peaceful. Dearing : This is the kind of music that...

Yesterday and today, the students read and analyzed Pope Urban II's famous speech to the Franks. The Pope asked the Franks to embark on a journey to Jerusalem, to reclaim it from the Turks. Here are some of the responses to my questions about the speech. In his speech at Clermont, why did Pope Urban II refer to himself as "we" rather than "I"? Diego  and  Kendall :  He was trying to make the Franks feel like a team. John and  Asa :  He was trying to include all the Christians, in order to convince them that it was everyone's responsibility to defend the Holy Land. Isabel and  Ford :  The Pope was referring to himself and Jesus. That makes him seem more powerful and important, because it seems like he really knows Jesus. Why might a historian prefer to read the transcript of Pope Urban's speech, rather than reading another historian's book that summarized the speech? Annabelle and  Sam :  A historian would rather read the...

Today we were fortunate to have the opportunity to listen to author  Kwame Alexander  and illustrator  Ekua Holmes  talk about their work and their inspiration. I absolutely loved listening to them talk about the joy that they get from poetry and art. One of the highlights of the talk, for me, was learning some new vocabulary from one of my students. Here's how it all played out:  Whitley  posed an absolutely fascinating question: " Do you use mod podge? "  Mrs. Holmes gave a knowing smile and responded: " Hey, are you trying to learn my secrets?! ... Yes, in truth I do use mod podge. " After the assembly finished, I hustled back to my classroom and researched the term "mod podge", in order to understand this lively interaction! I can't wait to read The Crossover !

Here's a photo of Istanbul that shows the bridge connecting the European and Asian sides of the city. Today we talked about the importance of Constantinople during the Crusades. Many of the Christian knights and peasants who traveled to Jerusalem stopped in Constantinople in order to obtain much-needed supplies (and to catch up on their rest!). We also listened to "Istanbul (not Constantinople)" by  They Might be Giants . For those of you who enjoyed the catchy melody and beat, here's another rendition of the song:

Today we began studying the  Crusades : a series of military expeditions in which Christians and Muslims fought for control of  Jerusalem  and other cities in Palestine (which was called  the Holy Land  by medieval Christians).  We discussed the reasons that Jerusalem is considered a sacred site by the followers of three major religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. We also talked about why European Christians were so motivated to risk their lives and travel thousands of miles to try to reclaim control of Jerusalem from the Turks.

Curtain Walls and Murder Holes, by Lydia [Notice the transitions that Lydia uses to move from one topic to the next. Her paragraph flows like the Tigris River on a cool spring day...] The castle’s second line of defense was the curtain wall. It is called a ‘curtain’ wall because it covers everything inside. The inside of the wall is made of rough rocks, while the outside is made of large, bulky stones ... After the curtain walls, came the gatehouse - the entranceway to a castle. The gatehouse was the most accessible part of a castle amid a siege. In a gatehouse are many booby traps in case enemies wanted to get into the castle through there. One of these booby traps is called an arrow loop. They are carved out sections of wall, so that archers could shoot in two directions from the same area ... Another kind of booby trap is the infamous murder holes. These are large holes in the roof on the outside of the castle, attached to a walkway on top so that people up there could move around....

We interrupt this History class for a highlight reel from Mr. Dodd's  sumo wrestling physics activity. Congratulations to  Wynter , Henry ,  Caroline  and  Biruk  for making it to the Final Four , and thank you to  Bjorn  for the musical inspiration...

Dear 6th Graders, I hope that each of you has a  wonderful ,  relaxing  spring break!  As we leave school for a week, here are a few of your beautiful medieval illuminations, along with photographs of the artists in action... Illuminations by Max, Lily L., Asa and Caroline More illuminations (and an illuminated hand!) by Carter L., Lydia, Kelsey and Ellen