Jewish History!

Apprentice

Study/learn

Read:
The Story of the World Vol. chapters 37-38, and Vol. 2 chapters 20, 24-25.
Fishers of Men by Gerald N Lund. (This book needs to be read before leadership week.)
Read this article: Here


Add to your timeline:

1800 BC Abraham and Sarah begin their journey to Canaan

1250 BC Moses leads the Israelite's out of Egypt

1000 BC King David unites and grows the Kingdom

950 BC King Solomon builds First Temple in Jerusalem

722 BC Assyrians destroy Northern Israelite Kingdom, disperse ten
tribes

586 BC Babylonians overthrow Southern Kingdom, destroy first Temple,
take Judeans to Babylonia

428 BC Second Temple dedicated by Ezra and Nehemiah

70 AD Second Temple destroyed by Romans

Write these on note cards:

Haukkah
Passover
Crusades


And any cards you haven't written down.  Here's a list for you:
Hunting & gathering
Society
Nomadism
Bronze Age
Iron Age
Middle Ages
Stone Age

Cleopatra
Pharohs
Tutankhamen

Alexander the Great
Athens
Trojan War
Augustus Caesar
Brutus
Caesar
Caligula
Pax Romana
Cato
Charlamagne
Constantine the Great
Constantanople
Fall of Rome
Holy Roman Empire
Julius Caesar - I Came, I Saw, I Conquered
Romulus & Remus
Oedipus
Punic Wars
Roman Empire
Rubicon

Byzantine Empire
Dark Ages
Feudalism
Feif
Guilds
Battle of Hastings
Knights
Medievil
Norman Conquest
Serf
Vassals
William the Conqueror
Cast system

Attila the Hun
Carthage
Genghis Khan
Hammarabi
Hannibal
Huns
Ottoman Empire
Persian Empire

Wow, these are just history note cards!  If you know all these, than I'd say you have a pretty good idea of ancient history!

Know/understand

Have you ever wondered why Jewish people dress the way they do?  Take a look Here.  If you can, draw a picture or print a picture to put in your commonplace book, and write an explanation for each article of clothing for both men and women.

Here's an article here about the Sanhedrin.  Do you see similarities with our own "government" within our church?

Here's an article about the Sadducees and Pharisees here.

Journal about what you've read, and come prepared to discuss in class about what you learned.

Become/serve

Do you think it's important to know the Jewish religion?  How does knowing the Jewish religion and the law of Moses help us?
Journal in your commonplace book your thoughts on these questions, and have a discussion with your parents about Judaism.  

April Journeyman

Welcome to the very last History Journeyman class. I know, it's sad. There’s just so much stuff I wanted to do! This week, we’re going to be learning how to do indexing. Indexing is a great way to do family history, and honestly, it's kind of addicting. First, you say just one project, then maybe just one more, but oh look, that one isn't in cursive, so maybe I'll do just that one...

If you already know how you don’t have to watch all the videos. Instead, I’d like you to spend at least 15 minutes doing indexing and/or family search.

Watch the following videos

Here is an introduction to Indexing. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and it should be there.

Here is an instruction video.

Indexing requires you to download the program. Make sure you check with your parents that it's okay first. Here is the link. Go to it and download the program.

Once you have done that, try it out! Look for a simple project and do it. If you can't read cursive, you can specifically pick ones that were printed on a typewriter. SO AWESOME!

And just for fun, I found a few family history games you can play online.

Ancestor memory match is here

Scrambled family tree game is here

The Three Spinners

The Three Spinners

Es ist nun schon lange her, da lebte ein König, dessen Weisheit im ganzen Lande berühmt war. Nichts blieb ihm unbekannt, und es war, als ob ihm Nachricht von den verborgensten Dingen durch die Luft
zugetragen würde. Er hatte aber eine seltsame Sitte. Jeden Mittag, wenn von der Tafel alles abgetragen und niemand mehr zugegen war, mußte ein vertrauter Diener noch eine Schüssel bringen. Sie war aber zugedeckt, und der Diener wußte selbst nicht, was darin lag, und kein Mensch wußte es, denn der König deckte sie nicht eher auf und aß nicht davon, bis er ganz allein war.

Das hatte schon lange Zeit gedauert, da überkam eines Tages den Diener, der die Schüssel wieder wegtrug, die Neugierde, daß er nicht widerstehen konnte, sondern die Schüssel in seine Kammer brachte. Als er die Tür sorgfältig verschlossen hatte, hob er den Deckel auf, und da sah er, daß eine weiße Schlange darin lag. Bei ihrem Anblick konnte er die Lust nicht zurückhalten, sie zu kosten; er schnitt ein Stückchen davon ab und steckte es in den Mund.

Kaum aber hatte es seine Zunge berührt, so hörte er vor seinem Fenster ein seltsames Gewisper von feinen Stimmen. Er ging hin und horchte, da merkte er, daß es die Sperlinge waren, die miteinander sprachen und sich allerlei erzählten, was sie im Felde und Walde gesehen hatten. Der Genuß der Schlange hatte ihm die Fähigkeit verliehen, die Sprache der Tiere zu verstehen.

Nun trug es sich zu, daß gerade an diesem Tage der Königin ihr schönster Ring fortkam und auf den vertrauten Diener, der überall Zugang hatte, der Verdacht fiel, er habe ihn gestohlen. Der König ließ ihn vor sich kommen und drohte ihm unter heftigen Scheltworten, wenn er bis morgen den Täter nicht zu nennen wüßte, so sollte er dafür angesehen und ge- richtet werden. Es half nichts, daß er seine Unschuld beteuerte, er wurde mit keinem besseren Bescheid entlassen.


Synopsis:

A woman beats her lazy daughter for refusing to spin, but is embarrassed when the queen (who's passing by, just for kicks) asks what's going on.  The woman lies and says her daughter is crazy about spinning and she can't actually afford enough flax.  It turns out the queen is really into spinning, so she takes the girl to her castle, puts her in a room of flax, and says that if she spins it all she can marry the prince. Understandably, the maiden spends a lot of time crying. Luckily, three super-ugly women show up and promise to help her if she'll acknowledge them as guests at the wedding.  Perfect. She agrees, everything gets spun, and the maiden gets to marry the prince. Her three "cousins" show up and are so tremendously ugly that everyone's like, ew.  They explain that each of their defects is related to spinning, so that the bridegroom promises that his lovely new bride will never have to spin again. And she lives lazily ever after.

March Master Class

 Master Class

What traditions, customs, religion, social systems did ancient China have?  How do they differ to what they have now?

This month for master class, I'd like you to delve more into what China was really like.  Here are some topics to look into:

Ancient marriage customs
Ancient burial customs
Ancient religious customs
Ancient rituals
Ancient Chinese inventions
Ancient Chinese calligraphy
Ancient China social customs (i.e. foot binding)
Ancient Chinese instruments

This is just the tip of the iceburg.  There is a lot of information out there. 

Your assignment is to fill a couple pages of information about China, then pick a topic to share and research that. Then on Thursday come prepared to share.  Read as much information you can. :)

Ezra T Benson 1961

An excerpt from

The American Heritage of Freedom—A Plan of God

Elder Ezra Taft Benson

Of the Council of the Twelve Apostles

Ezra Taft Benson, Conference Report, October 1961, pp. 69-75

You can find the whole talk here

My brethren and sisters and friends, in keeping with the spirit of the keynote address of our beloved President, I desire, if the Lord will bless me, to speak to you about the American heritage of freedom—a plan of God.

I direct my remarks particularly to the men of America and more especially to those in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who hold the Holy Priesthood of God.

Every member of the priesthood should understand the divine plan designed by the Lord to raise up the first free people in modern times. Here is how scripture says it was achieved:

First: Prophecy is abundant that God deliberately kept the American continent hidden until after the Holy Roman Empire had been broken up and the various nations had established themselves as independent kingdoms. Keeping America hidden until this time was no accident (2 Ne. 1:6,8).

Second: At the proper time, God inspired Columbus to overcome almost insurmountable odds to discover America and bring this rich new land to the attention of the gentiles in Europe (1 Ne. 13:12; Admiral of the Ocean Sea, by Dr. Samuel Eliot Morison, pp. 46-47).

Third: God revealed to his ancient American prophets that shortly after the discovery of America there would be peoples in Europe who would desire to escape the persecution and tyranny of the Old World and flee to America (1 Ne. 13:13-16).

Fourth: God told his prophets that the kingdoms in Europe would try to exercise dominion over the people who had fled to America, but that in the wars for independence the American settlers would win. (This is a remarkable prophecy in that 2,300 years before the Revolutionary War was fought, God through his prophets predicted who would win it) (1 Ne. 13:16-19).

Fifth: The prophets were told that in the latter days when the gentiles came to America they would establish it as a land of liberty on which there would be no kings. The Lord declared that he would protect the land and whosoever would try to establish kings either from within or without would perish (2 Ne. 10:8-14).

Sixth: Having declared America to be a land of liberty, God undertook to raise up a band of inspired and intelligent leaders who could write a constitution of liberty and establish the first free people in modern times. The hand of God in this undertaking is clearly indicated by the Lord himself in a revelation to the Prophet Joseph Smith in these words

". . . I established the Constitution of this land, by the hands of wise men whom I raised up unto this very purpose" (D&C 101:80).

Seventh: God declared that the United States Constitution was divinely inspired for the specific purpose of eliminating bondage and the violation of the rights and protection which belongs to "all flesh" (D&C 101:77-80).

Eighth: God placed a mandate upon his people to befriend and defend the constitutional laws of the land and see that the rights and privileges of all mankind are protected. He verified the declaration of the founding fathers, that God created all men free. He also warned against those who would enact laws encroaching upon the sacred rights and privileges of free men. He urged the election of honest and wise leaders and said that evil men and laws were of Satan (D&C 98:5-10).

Ninth: God predicted through his prophets that this great gentile nation, raised up on the American continent in the last days, would become the richest and most powerful nation on the face of the earth; even "above all other nations" (see (1 Ne. 13:15,30; Ether 2:12).

Tenth: Concerning the United States, the Lord revealed to his prophets that its greatest threat would be a vast, worldwide "secret combination" which would not only threaten the United States but also seek to "overthrow the freedom of all lands, nations, and countries" (Ether 8:25).

Eleventh: In connection with attack on the United States, the Lord told the Prophet Joseph Smith there would be an attempt to overthrow the country by destroying the Constitution. Joseph Smith predicted that the time would come when the Constitution would hang, as it were, by a thread, and at that time "this people will step forth and save it from the threatened destruction." (Journal History, Brigham Young's Speech, July 4, 1854.)

It is my conviction that the elders of Israel, widely spread over the nation, will at that crucial time successfully rally the righteous of our country and provide the necessary balance of strength to save the institutions of constitutional government.

Twelfth: The Lord revealed to the Prophet Nephi that he established the gentiles on this land to be a free people forever, that if they were a righteous nation and overcame the wickedness and secret abominations which would arise in their midst, they would inherit the land forever (1 Ne. 14:1-2).

Thirteenth: But on the other hand, if the gentiles on this land reject the word of God and conspire to overthrow liberty and the Constitution, then their doom is fixed, and they ". . . shall be cut off from among my people who are of the covenant" (1 Ne. 14:6; 3 Ne. 21:11,14,21; D&C 84:114-115,117).

Fourteenth: The great destructive force which was to be turned loose on the earth and which the prophets for centuries have been calling the "abomination of desolation" (Matt. 24:15) is vividly described by those who saw it in vision. Ours is the first generation to realize how literally these prophecies can be fulfilled now that God, through science, has unlocked the secret to thermonuclear reaction.

In the light of these prophecies there should be no doubt in the mind of any priesthood holder that the human family is headed for trouble. There are rugged days ahead. It is time for every man who wishes to do his duty to get himself prepared—physically, spiritually, and psychologically—for the task which may come at any time, as suddenly as the whirlwind.

Where do we stand today? All over the world the light of freedom is being diminished. Across whole continents of the earth freedom is being totally obliterated.

Yes, perilous times are ahead, but if we do our duty in all things, God will give us inner peace and overrule all things for our good. God grant it may be so, I pray, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

China!!

March Apprentice Class

Study/learn

Read: Story of the World Vol. 1, chapters 32-33, and Vol. 2, 8-10 & 17 and 21-23.  (Read all chapters that are on China, Japan, Australia and New Zealand.)

Know/understand

Now that we have an overview of what it was like in China, I want you to look up at least 5 dates for things that were interesting to you, and label them on your timeline.

Note cards:
For this month, instead of giving you more note cards, I want you to go back and check if there are any cards you haven't written.  So go back over the previous months and get whatever you missed written on cards.

Now go study your cards and play a game with someone to drill them!  The Fontano's use their note cards in their car, how do you use yours?  If you can think of a fun way to drill the cards; come to class to teach us how to play, or to tell us what you do to drill them. :)

Become/serve

For class I want each family to pick two dynasties to study and present.  Since we have 6 families in our Vanguard I'll have my family do something else.  (I'm thinking we'll study up on Japan, New Zealand, and Australia just to get those in.)  Come to class prepared with at least 5 minutes of a presentation with pictures and anything else that would make it fun.  (Some examples of things you can use is Powerpoint, showing a video, make something or show something that could've been used during that dynasty, make a skit, write a poem to tell, write a story to read to the class, bring food that they ate, anything really!)

Brown family- Song, Yuan Dynasties

  Let me know which two dynasties you're presenting, and I'll post it on the blog so we don't overlap.  Make sure you write in your commonplace book as you're preparing your presentations!  Jot down any thoughts, feelings that pop into your mind.  After reading about China I couldn't help but remember the book The Red Scarf Girl.  I'm excited to discuss it!  

History Journeyman

Become/Serve
This week we're going to walk in someone else's shoes. Pick a living relative, like one of your parents or grandparents. Go ask them what the hardest thing they have ever had to live through was. Ask them how they grew from it and what they learned from it. Ask them what shoes they were wearing at the time (just kidding).

Study/Learn
Watch this video.

Know/Understand
Sometimes it can be easy to forget that your ancestors aren't names on a tree, they are people who lived and loved and went through hard things. They aren't just links in a chain, connecting them to you. That being said, I'd like you to make a chain of paper links. Pick an ancestor and try to find out as much as you can about them. Make a chain, and on each link, write something they did, or a fact about them. Make your chain at least 6 links long. Whoever has the longest chain gets a treat!

Also, make sure you get some family history done on FamilySearch, if you can.