THE KON-TIKI EXPEDITION; NARRATIVE

The famous Kon-Tiki expedition that took place in 1947 had an important aim: to prove beyond all reasonable doubt that ‘something’ was possible. What was the purpose? Was the venture successful? What conclusions can be drawn from it? Do your research and find out.

Structures you will need to use

·         The past tenses

·         The passive forms of the above

·         Cause and effect structures

·         Prepositions of place and direction

·         Past forms of modals if you have covered them, and words like ‘perhaps, probably and maybe’ if you have not

Suggested plan

·         In your introduction, discuss the ancient Peruvian peoples and introduce the theory that they were widely travelled.

·         In your development, introduce Thor Heyerdahl’s theory, describe the Kon-Tiki and state Heyerdahl’s purpose in setting out on the journey. Then describe the journey briefly.  In the second developmental paragraph explain what we can deduce from this experiment.,

·         In your conclusion, discuss the importance of such endeavors in increasing our understanding of past civilizations.

This is what the journey looked like

·        Great Voyages: Thor Heyerdahl and Kon Tiki: A Grand Experiment in Archaeology

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsDNlD7pGa4 

Reading material to annotate

·         “Kon-Tiki”  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kon-Tiki

·         “The Kon-Tiki expedition” http://www.coopertoons.com/caricatures/kontikiexpedition.html

·         “Thor Herdahl’s Kon-Tiki expedition” http://www.sciences360.com/index.php/thor-heyerdahls-kon-tiki-expedition-13358/

·         “American Indians in the Pacific: A 50 year retrospective of the Kon Tiki expedition” http://community.plu.edu/~ryandp/AIP.html (This text is for advanced students covering this task)

Videos and documentaries to watch and make notes on

• “The Kon-Tiki Expedition”  http://vimeo.com/49401742  (Oscar for best documentary – 1951)

·         “The Tangoroa expedition (the Kon –Tiki expedition) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29waAjmbO2w

THE STORY OF ATLANTIS; FACT OR FICTION? NARRATIVE

The story of Atlantis, a mighty civilization that vanished beneath the sea, has always fascinated people. Was the story that Plato told of this mythical land a cautionary tale, a story with a moral, or is it in fact based on facts? Is there, in other words, a historical basis for the story? Do your research and find out. When you are done write an essay. It is suggested you deal with the various myths in one or two paragraphs and the Santorini connection in a different paragraph.

The structures you will need to use:

• The past  tenses
• Passive forms of the above
• Narrative Structures
• Prepositions of place and direction
• Past forms of modals if you have covered them; alternatively, use words like perhaps, maybe and probably

·         Reading material to make notes on

      ·         Lost city of Atlantis fact and fable http://www.livescience.com/23217-lost-city-of-atlantis.html

·         Reconstructing A Catastrophe: The Minoan Eruption Of Santorini http://www.science20.com/tuff_guy/reconstructing_catastrophe_minoan_eruption_santorini-80529

·         The wave that destroyed Atlantis http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/6568053.stm

Reading material with accompanying videos

·         Atlantis http://www.history.com/topics/atlantis

Documentaries to watch and make notes on

·        Naked Science Atlantis https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqauNqFwt5I

·        National Geographic Documentary 2015 The Lost World of Atlantis Full Documentary HD

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=choIyaPiMjo&t=22s 

THE MYSTERY OF THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE; NARRATIVE

The Bermuda Triangle and the mysterious disappearences that have taken place there have confounded scientists for years. What is the story of the place and what is the possible explanation? Do your research and find out. Do your reading and make notes, watch the videos and continue making notes; lastly watch the documentary and make some more notes. Then use all you have learnt and your own impressions to write the story.

The plan

• The Introduction: where you introduce mysteries in general like the Bermuda triangle and then narrow down the topic to the Mary Celeste. Remember to have a thesis statement stating clearly that the story itself and a possible explanation will be discussed.
• The Development: where you have two paragraphs; one including what actually happens  and the second involving possible explanations.
• The Conclusion: where you write a restatement

The structures you will need to use

• Past Tenses
• The present perfect
• Passive forms of the above and that of the present simple
• Narrative structures
• Prepositions of place and direction
• Modals as alternatives to “maybe, perhaps and probably” if you have studied them.

Reading material to annotate

·         “Bermuda Triangle mystery: facts and myths” http://www.bermuda-attractions.com/bermuda2_00004e.htm

·         “The mystery of the Bermuda Triangle” http://www.unmuseum.org/triangle.htm  (make sure to watch the videos as well)

Videos to watch and make notes on

·         “Bermuda Triangle: Bermuda Triangle mystery”

http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/videos/bermuda-triangle-mystery/  

·         “Bermuda Triangle: rogue waves” http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/videos/rogue-waves/  

BBC Documentary watch and make notes on

·         “Bermuda Triangle: secrets revealed” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GICglVEAIlI (This is a 44 minute documentary and the presentation is superb. The quality of English, the intonation and the accent are all wonderful. Plus, it is relatively simple)
     Discovery Science Documentary to watch

·         Bermuda Triangle: Secrets and mysteries of the Bermuda Triangle  

       http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZRh5cK41XY  

THE MYSTERY OF THE MARY CELESTE; NARRATIVE

One of the greatest legends of the sea is that involving the brigantine the Mary Celeste. In order to find out what the mystery is, do some research and make notes (Remember notes are phrases not full sentences). Then use your notes and your own impressions to write the story of this famous ghost ship. Your suggested plan is as follows:

The plan

• The Introduction: where you introduce mysteries in general like the Bermuda triangle and then narrow down the topic to the Mary Celeste. Remember to have a thesis statement stating clearly that the story itself and a possible explanation will be discussed.
• The Development: where you have two paragraphs; one including the story and the second involving possible explanations.
• The Conclusion: where you write a restatement

The structures you will need to use

• Past Tenses
• Narrative structures
• Prepositions of place and direction
• Modals as alternatives to “maybe, perhaps and probably” if you have studied them.

THE RESEARCH:

Videos to watch and make notes on

·         “Ghost Ship – Mary Celeste” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUSzRiiwAGc&feature=kp

·         “In Search of the Ghost Ship Mary Celeste” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVW5zJLBQsw

Reading material to annotate

·         “Abandoned ship: The Mary Celeste” http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/abandoned-ship-the-mary-celeste-174488104/?all

·         “Tales of mystery and imagination” http://www.maryceleste.net/part1.htm (Make sure to click and then read: the true story, the court inquiry, Captain Briggs and the conclusion links to which are at the bottom of the page)

FEUDALISM VERSUS THE CASTE SYSTEM; COMPARISON AND CONTRAST ESSAY

Some form of social stratification has always existed in human societies and efforts to produce a classless society have proved to be a pipe dream. In the modern day, the divisions between classes are determined through education, family background and profession, and social mobility enables people to better their situation. Yet this has not always been the case: in Feudal Europe for instance, the social classes were pretty much fixed and in India, they were set in stone so to speak. The Feudal system has long since disappeared but the caste system lingers on. These two rigid forms of social stratification have a lot in common despite their differences. Do your research and write an essay in which you compare and contrast the two systems.

Familiarize yourself with the topic

·         “Feudalism in Europe” http://www.slideshare.net/dewert/132-feudalism-in-europe?qid=c2a85480-31df-462e-bad0-e65b9e3b8a30&v=qf1&b=&from_search=2

·         “The Caste system of India” http://www.slideshare.net/lauriegreene7/the-caste-system-of-india?qid=5a419057-710d-4dc7-a2f8-8a381f2ea620&v=qf1&b=&from_search=1

Power point presentations

·         “Feudalism in the Middle Ages” http://prezi.com/hsjtoyl2o_fx/feudalism-in-the-middle-ages/ 

·           “The Caste System” http://prezi.com/6wdxpmeumrlp/the-caste-system/

Reading material to annotate

·         “The History of the Caste System in India” https://www.mtholyoke.edu/~epandit/page2.html

·         “The Caste System” http://www.ushistory.org/civ/8b.asp

·         “Feudalism” http://www.lordsandladies.org/feudalism.htm

·          

Videos to watch

• “Feudalism in Medieval Europe – Part I” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Riz5HdoHRE
• “Feudalism – Part II” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vCxXKS1gNo
• “Feudalism – Part III” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ab3VwpVkgSc
• “The Caste System and Anchient Indian Society” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERxLSURibeQ
• “Castes in India: Their Mechanism, Genesis and Development” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bt9MLBa11bo (This is a very scholarly and serious lecture)   Refer to my second blog, The Essay Archive, for sample essays: https://theessayarchive.blogspot.com.tr/ 

THE EGYPTIAN PYRAMIDS VERSUS THE CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICAN PYRAMIDS; COMPARISON AND CONTRAST ESSAY

When we refer to pyramids, what immediately comes to mind is the wonderful pyramids of Giza. However, far more pyramids were, in fact, built in the Americas. Which ancient civilizations built pyramids and how were they different from the Egyptian pyramids? Were they used for the same purposes or not; how did they feature in the social and political life of the time; in short, what functions did they serve? To answer these questions, you will need to travel back in time and do some research. It is suggested that you spread your research out over a few days for maximum benefit. When you are done, write a comparison and contrast essay

Refer to my second blog, The Essay Archive, for sample essays: https://theessayarchive.blogspot.com.tr/  

Reading material to annotate and videos to make notes on

·         “Pyramids in Latin America – Ancient History” http://www.history.com/topics/ancient-history/pyramids-in-latin-america (Make sure to watch the videos and make notes as well)

·         Chichen Itza:El Castillo, pyramid of Kukulkan” http://www.world-mysteries.com/chichen_kukulcan.htm (Make sure to watch the video and make notes)

·         “Egyptian Pyramids” http://www.history.com/topics/ancient-history/the-egyptian-pyramids (Make sure to watch the videos and make notes)

Virtual tours:

·         “The great pyramids of Giza” http://www.airpano.com/360Degree-VirtualTour.php?3D=Egypt-Cairo-Pyramids

·         “Maya pyramids – Chichen Itza, Mexico” http://www.airpano.com/360Degree-VirtualTour.php?3D=Chichen-Itza-Mexico

·         “Maya pyramids – Tikal, Guatemala” http://www.airpano.com/360Degree-VirtualTour.php?3D=Tikal-Guatemala
Documentaries to watch and make notes on:

·         “Secrets of the Egyptian pyramids” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcKahraBiBY

·         Mystery of the Maya http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/mystery-of-the-maya/

·         Mexican pyramids  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HopKnewx1zc

WHERE TO GO DURING YOUR VACATION? VIRTUAL TOUR ASSISTED DESCRIPTION OR COMPARISON CONTRAST ESSAY / PARAGRAPH

You are going on holiday with three friends and each of you wants to go somewhere different. Persuade them that your choice is best. In order to do this, use comparison and contrast structures. State your choice clearly in the thesis statement and then go on to compare your choice to the other three to prove you are right.
Procedure:
Try out the vitual tours. As you watch, make notes on the facts and your impressions. Remember to make use of all the opportunities to enjoy the virtual tour by zooming in and out, clicking the helicopter for an arial view and the like. When you have made your choice, write your essay.

Ireland

·         “Historical Sites Ireland – Virtual Tours” http://www.virtualvisittours.com/category/historical-sites-ireland/  

Mexico

·         “Cancun, Mexico – Arial panorama” http://www.airpano.com/360Degree-VirtualTour.php?3D=Cancun-Mexico

Montenegro

·         “Montenegro – Kotor bay” http://www.airpano.com/360Degree-VirtualTour.php?3D=montenegro-virtual-tour

The isle of Capri – Italy

·         “Virtual travel to isle of Capri – Italy” http://www.italyguides.it/en/campania/isle-of-capri