The End

My Dear Time Traveler Friends,

It has been an exciting two years together, but all good things must come to an end. We have traveled around the Ancient World (Egypt, Greece, Rome), the Medieval World (Europe, Japan, Africa, the Americas), and even a few trips to some random places of your choosing.

Your time with TTI will officially end at 12:34pm on June 13th, 2012. Before you go, we would like you to bring your journey to an end. You could return to your home, end your journey, save the world, return to a favorite time period, start a new adventure. Whatever you choose to do with your final post is up to you, just make sure that it is real and true to who you are.

Thank you for the wonderful two years together. If I do not see you again in the future, please know that I will always look forward to seeing you in the past.

Sincerely,

-Sr. Volpe.

The European Renaissance

Travel Period: The European Renaissance

Travel Location: Western Europe

Travel Dates: 1400ce - 1600ce

Mission Due Date: May 11, 2012

Fantastic news! We know that a few months ago you all had to flee Medieval Europe because of wars and disease. Our sources are telling us that some amazing things are starting to happen to turn the tide and end the European Dark Ages.

Our sources say that if you really want to understand this European Renaissance you have to go to Florence, Italy. Of course there are some other great centers of culture developing (Madrid, Spain; Brussels, Flanders; Venice, Italy; London, England; or Paris, France), and you could choose to visit any of them, but we encourage you to focus your travels in Florence, Italy.

Report back on what you see. Blog about this great "rebirth" in painting, sculpture, architecture, politics, government, religion, knowledge & education, humanism, literature, science, math, commerce, trade, etc! Amaze us with your tales of festivals, working with artists, dealing with merchants, debating laws, building great buildings, the sky is the limit! Choose something (or somethings) that you will truly enjoy about this amazing time, and then enlighten us with your tales.


Be sure to complete your travels and submit this form by Friday, May 11, 2012.

New "Travel Period" Missions

TTI is proud to offer a new style of Time Travel Blogging. Instead of giving travelers specific missions and tasks to complete, we are now simply going to send you to a specific time and place. Travelers will determine what they will see and do. Travelers will also determine what type of posts and how many posts they will write during the "Travel Period."


A "Travel Period" is defined as the time between the start of the mission and the due date of the final posts. Travelers should use this form to keep track of their missions. Travelers should also submit the form before 4:00 on the day the mission is due. Forms can either be printed out and placed in the turn-in basket, or they can be e-mail/shared with Sr. Volpe (ffoxpps@gmail.com).


Travelers should attempt to accumulate a total of 50 points during the travel period. The number of points possible are determined by the type of post and its quality (as a piece of historical writing). Travelers can also gain points by using vocabulary words and commenting on the posts of other travelers.


Furthermore, we offer each traveler a chance to create their own option for earning points. It is highly encouraged that travelers contact Sr. Volpe for permission to earn points using the "other" option BEFORE they plan to do so.


Your first "Travel Period" will begin this week! Good luck, and good travels.

M10: Japan or China

Due: April 5th-A Group / April 11th-B Group

LOOK TO THE LEFT TO CHECK OUT THE NEW REQUIREMENT TO USE AAAWWUBBIS or FANBOYS IN YOUR COMMENTS!

Using the story arc, write a 5-paragraph blog post that demonstrates character change. Select ONE of the following problems, you may slightly modify the problem to meet your traveler's needs:

• Attend Samurai school. (Historical Task: Describe the training and the beliefs needed to become a Samurai.)
• Members of the ruling aristocracy are confused by their falling power, and the the subsequent rise of the warrior class. Attend a formal dinner with some aristocrats who discuss the new governing system. (Historical Task: Describe 
• the values, social customs, and traditions prescribed by the 
• lord-vassal system consisting of shogun, daimyo, and samurai.)
• Your home country/planet has sent you to Medieval China to bring goods and ideas from China to your home; the citizens in your home country/planet are not really sure what to do with what you've brought them. (Historical Task: Analyze the ways in which Chinese inventions (such as gunpowder, the compass, and printing) affected China and the rest of the world.)

Include 2-4 hyperlinked vocabulary words from weeks 22-26.


If you choose to use dialogue, make sure you properly format it (new line for each speaker, quotation marks). Also make sure that the dialogue is unified together based on topic (just like a paragraph).

M9 Medieval Japan: Cultural Achievements

Due: March 15th-A Group / March 23rd-B Group

Using the story arc, write a 5-paragraph blog post that demonstrates character change. Select ONE of the following problems, you may slightly modify the problem to meet your traveler's needs:

• Prince Shotoku has assigned you travel to China or Korea and find a cultural trait to bring back to Japan. (Historical Task: Describe how one cultural trait was culturally diffused into Japanese culture.)
• Japanese leaders are meeting to debate where to establish a central government: they ask for your advice. (Historical Task: Describe and analyze the physical features of Japan and determine where the best place for a central capital would be.)
• You have been invited to visit the home of a Japanese aristocrat during the Heian period (794 to 1185CE). (Historical Task: Describe the Golden Age of literature, art, and drama in Japan during the 9th, 10th, and 11th centuries.)

Include 2-4 hyperlinked vocabulary words from weeks 20-24.


If you choose to use dialogue, make sure you properly format it (new line for each speaker, quotation marks). Also make sure that the dialogue is unified together based on topic (just like a paragraph).

M8: The Americas

Due: February 17th-A Group / March 9th-B Group

Using the story arc, write a 5-paragraph blog post that demonstrates character change. Select ONE of the following problems, you may slightly modify the problem to meet your traveler's needs:

• You have been invited to participate in a Mayan ceremony (marriage arrangement, coming-on-age, religious, etc).  (Historical Task: Describe the details and procedures associated the ceremony you've selected.)
• The Aztec Empire is expanding. You have been asked to offer assistance in the expansion. (Historical Task: Describe the ways the Aztec's expanded their empire, or the ways they maintained control after expansion.)
• Spend a few days traveling around Tenochtitlan. (Historical Task: Describe the city of Tenochtitlan and what daily life was like in this amazing town.)
• You are working with a group of explorers who have discovered some interesting artifacts in Central America. (Historical Task: Describe the climate & environment of a region of Central America AND identify and explain 1 or 2 of the important accomplishments of the Maya or Aztecs.)

Include 2-4 hyperlinked vocabulary words from weeks 17-20.


If you choose to use dialogue, make sure you properly format it (new line for each speaker, quotation marks). Also make sure that the dialogue is unified together based on topic (just like a paragraph).

M7: Kwaheri! Nimefurahi kukutana na wewe.

Due: February 2nd-A Group / February 9th-B Group

Using the story arc, write a 5-paragraph blog post that demonstrates character change. Select ONE of the following problems, you may slightly modify the problem to meet your traveler's needs:

• Choose one of the possible missions from M6 that you didn't do. Revisit your AINAC Country and complete that mission.
• You are serving as an assistant/apprentice with a professional in Medieval West Africa (government official, scholar, artist, architect). They are unhappy with your work because it doesn't include the "new ways of Islam." You have to fix your work or risk being punished severely. (Historical Task: Describe the ways Islam influenced West Africa.)
• While visiting with friends in Medieval West Africa, you are mistaken for a Griot. Since you have an adventurous spirit, you go along with their misunderstanding and decide to tell them a griot tale about their culture. (Historical Task: Explore the oral traditional & research a culturally accurate story.)
• The village elder of a village in Medieval West Africa has asked you to honor him with a song. You decide to write a song that will please the elder. (Historical Task: Explore the musical traditions of West Africa by writing a culturally accurate song.)

Include 2-4 hyperlinked vocabulary words from weeks 15-18.


If you choose to use dialogue, make sure you properly format it (new line for each speaker, quotation marks). Also make sure that the dialogue is unified together based on topic (just like a paragraph).

M6: Africa Is Not A Country

Due: January 19th-A Group / January 27th-B Group
NOTE: In addition to "M6", include the name of your country of study in the title of your post.

Using the story arc, write a 5-paragraph blog post that demonstrates character change. Select ONE of the following problems, you may slightly modify the problem to meet your traveler's needs:

• Travel to your country in the modern day. Meet people and ask them what they think about their country. What makes it a good place to live? What are some things they don't like about their country?
• If your country was ruled by a Colonial Power, travel to your country during it's struggle for independence and freedom. Join the side of Independence and tell us about the transition. Who was in charge? What were some of the things that happened during the transition of power? Was it peaceful or was violence involved?
• Travel to your country during the Middle Ages (even if it wasn't a country then). Meet some citizens and participate in their daily lives. How did people live? How was society organized? What roles did people play?
• Go on a Safari! Travel around your country and describe some of the interesting plants, animals, rivers, mountains, and climate zones you encounter.

Include 2-4 hyperlinked vocabulary words from weeks 13-16.


If you choose to use dialogue, make sure you properly format it (new line for each speaker, quotation marks). Also make sure that the dialogue is unified together based on topic (just like a paragraph).

M5: Islam or West Africa...You Choose

Due: January 6th-AM Core / January 12th-PM Core

Using the story arc, write a 5-paragraph blog post that demonstrates character change. Select ONE of the following problems, you may slightly modify the problem to meet your traveler's needs:

1. You have been invited to travel with a group of Muslims on a hajj. (Describe the things you see and do with them.)
2. You are visiting with some Jewish friends in the Holy Land when the Crusaders arrive. (Describe some of the things the Crusaders do to your friends.)
3. Head to the Medieval African city of Jennejeno, spend the day exploring this great town. (Describe life in Ancient Jennejeno.)
4. Join a group of salt traders and take your goods to Ghana. (Describe the Western African geography and/or the salt trade.)

Make sure that your story follows the story arc and includes accurate historical information.


Include 2-4 hyperlinked vocabulary words from weeks 11-14.


If you choose to use dialogue, make sure you properly format it (new line for each speaker, quotation marks). Also make sure that the dialogue is unified together based on topic (just like a paragraph).

M4: The Arabian Peninsula

Due: December 8th-AM Core / December 14th-PM Core

Using the story arc, write a 5-paragraph blog post that demonstrates character change. Select ONE of the following problems, you may slightly modify the problem to meet your traveler's needs:

1. You are traveling across the desert with a Bedouin caravan. Suddenly a sandstorm approaches.
2. You have arrived on the Coastal Plain on a trading ship. There is some confusion regarding the business your shipmates want to do.
3. You are living in the city of Mecca. A man named Muhammad is not happy with the idol worship and polytheism happening at the Kabbah.
4. You are visiting a town where the followers of Islam have just arrived. Many people in town are confused and excited by this new religion, and they ask you to help them understand it.
5. You are traveling through the Arabian Peninsula with a group of European scholars and are looking for cultural ideas (scholarship, science, technology, recreation,medicine, arts) that you can take back to Europe. One of your colleagues disagrees with what you've chosen, and she demands you explain how it will be useful in Medieval Europe.

Make sure that your story follows the story arc and includes accurate historical information.


Include 2-4 hyperlinked vocabulary words from weeks 9-12.

If you choose to use dialogue, make sure you properly format it (new line for each speaker, quotation marks). Also make sure that the dialogue is unified together based on topic (just like a paragraph).

M3: Final Medieval Europe Mission

Due: November 17-AM Core / December 2nd-PM Core

Using the story arc, write a 5-paragraph blog post that demonstrates character change. Select ONE of the following problems, you may slightly modify the problem to meet your traveler's needs:

1. While visiting Byzantium, you hear that Emperor Justinian is trying to unite Europe. Do you help him, or do you join those who oppose him?
2. You are a monk in monastery where St. Benedict is in charge. He has a series of new, very strict rules. He has already survived one assassination attempt, do you help him, or do you join those who oppose him?
3. A group of theater performers are preparing to present a Mystery Play. You have been invited to join the cast.
4. While visiting a Medieval town, you are invited to dinner at the home of a town dweller.
5. King John has asked for you to help him negotiate with the angry merchants. Help him write the Magna Carta.

Make sure that your story follows the story arc and includes accurate historical information.


Include 2-4 hyperlinked vocabulary words from weeks 7-10.

If you choose to use dialogue, make sure you properly format it (new line for each speaker, quotation marks). Also make sure that the dialogue is unified together based on topic (just like a paragraph).

M2: Exploring Medieval Europe

Due: November 3-A Group / November 9-B Group

Using the story arc, write a 5-paragraph blog post that demonstrates character change. Select ONE of the following problems:

1. The merchants, lords and ladies are rebelling. You are an adviser to a monarch who wants your help to save their throne.
2. The Bubonic Plague is spreading. You, or a friend, are exhibiting some of the symptoms.
3. You have assumed the role of a peasant. A knight has accused you of a crime.
4. The University of Paris needs instructors. You are invited to teach a class.
5. The 100 Years War is raging. You see that Joan of Arc is about to be captured.

Make sure that your story follows the arc and includes accurate historical information.


Include 2-4 hyperlinked vocabulary words from weeks 5-8.

If you choose to use dialogue, make sure you properly format it (new line for each speaker, quotation marks). Also make sure that the dialogue is unified together based on topic (just like a paragraph).

M1: Welcome to Medieval Europe

DUE: A Group Oct 13/B Group Oct 21

Greetings Travelers!

Before you start this mission, you need to copy and paste your Time Traveler Essay as a blog post. The title of your post should be the title of your essay. You should hyperlink the vocabulary words in your post. Depending on how you paste, you might need to play with formatting and appearance.

Your first mission for the year is going to be a fun one! For your first mission I need you to travel back to Medieval Europe and write about the sensory details. Don't talk to anyone. I just need five paragraphs describing what you see, hear, smell, taste, and/or feel. You might consider writing about the geography and the buildings/medieval towns. Your paragraphs can be five separate pieces of writing (they don't have to transition or flow into each other, they just need to be good paragraphs).

Make sure your paragraphs are strong and have unity. Include 2-4 hyperlinked vocabulary words (from weeks 3-6). Don't forget to read and comment on at least two other posts.

AND REMEMBER: If your blog layout does not meet the requirements described in this post it will be marked as missing and will not be graded! You also might want to double check the link to your blog on the TTI blog page, this will help to ensure that your classmates can read and access your exciting adventures.

Signor Volpe: A Man For All Time

It has often been said that “opportunity rarely knocks twice.” There are millions of stories about people who didn’t answer the door when opportunity knocked; the story of Signor Corsa Volpe is not one of those stories. Signor Volpe is an amazing man who rose up through the ranks to become one of the most powerful men in time travel history.

Corsa was born in Florence, Italy during the European Renaissance.  His initial interest in time travel began to germinate while working as an apprentice for the famous Leonardo daVinci. In a journal entry dated 1512, Leonardo wrote, “Never in my life have I met a more interesting young man…Volpe will certainly become one of history’s most loved men.” Some of Signor Volpe’s earliest time travels included riding war elephants across the Pyrenees with Hannibal and working as a slave to help build the Egyptian Pyramids. Signor Volpe loved time travel, yet he knew he would need to do more if he was to be truly happy

Volpe’s big break came in the year 2011C.E. It was in this year that one of the world’s most prestigious and popular time travel companies, Time Travelers’ Incorporated, had a sudden need for new management.  TTI was run and managed by the brilliant young Senor Zorro, yet Zorro was fired for reasons still unclear. Corsa Volpe knew this was his big chance. He put together an amazing résumé and presentation.  Until they agreed to hire him, he camped out in front of TTI headquarters day and night.

Although it is a lot of hard work, Signor Volpe knows that managing Time Traveler’s Incorporated is no trivial matter. Volpe has brought his personal area of expertise, the Medieval World and European Renaissance, to the company and they now offer intensive year long-travels throughout this time. Corsa is a more hands on CEO than Zorro and will often travel with his clients. Olde Time magazine has named him their “Man of the Year.” In the article describing their decision they said, “Never has one man been so amazing. It is our opinion that Volpe could easily be the man of any year he chose to live in.”

Starting life as a simple workshop apprentice and then building a career that leads to being one of the most powerful men in Time is undoubtedly an amazing feat. Many people have dreamed of doing this. Signor Corsa Volpe did more than just dream. He saw an opportunity, and he took it. Truly, this makes him one of the most powerful men in time travel history.

TTI Under New Management

Hello Time Travelers!

My name is Signor Volpe and I will be your new TTI director. I specialize in the Medieval World and will be sending you on all future missions. I'm excited to have this great opportunity to work with you.

I wanted to let you know of a few changes coming down the road for TTI blogs, just in case you have some time this summer and wanted to get a head start.

1-in your blog design/page elements you CAN NOT have any gadgets placed above your blog posts. This includes any overly large pictures you may have placed behind your header. Readers should not have to scroll down to find the start of your most recent post, it should be right at the top waiting to be read. This will help your readers find the most important part of your blogs: your travel writings!

2-the very first gadget on either the left or right side of your blogs posts should be the "About Me" gadget. This gadget should include your picture and 1-2 sentences about who you are. If your "About Me" gadget only says "View My Complete Profile" you need to edit this gadget. If your "About Me" gadget is under several other gadgets, please drag it to the top.

3-if you are running a poll, put the poll gadget directly beneath your "About Me" gadget. Remember, when your poll closes you might want to remove it from your blog (a tidy blog is a happy blog!)

4-as always, games and random picture/joke generators are not allowed. Remove these. Pets are okay, but don't go overboard. Time Traveling with pets can be very difficult, limit yourself to no more than 2 pets.

5-there are a few easy fixes for those of you with difficult to read blogs. If you have a photo as your background and you have to highlight your text in order for it to be readable, you should use the template designer to pick a different overall layout so that your posts always have a specific colored layout.

6-General site layouts must be 2-columns. 3-column layouts make your blog posts long and narrow and it looks a bit silly to squeeze a post in between two short columns of random items.

7-Finally, if you are going to change time traveler identity and/or create a new blog for the upcoming year's travels, please do so over the summer. This will ensure you are ready when the first mission arrives in the fall. (BE SURE TO SEND ME YOUR NEW BLOG ADDRESS AND/OR E-MAIL).

See you soon!
Signor Volpe

Summer Vacation

Time Travelers Incorporated is officially on Summer Vacation. Please check back in the Fall for more exciting adventures and travels into the Medieval World!!!!

M16 - Final Mission: Extra Credit (Due June 3)

This Week's Mission: 

Although it's time to say good-bye for the summer, you'll always have your fond memories of this year's travels.

Time Travelers, it is time for TTI to go on Summer Vacation. We are closing up shop, and we will not be able to support any time travelers for the next three months.

For this mission we need you to return to your home. Say good-bye to all of your time-travel friends, and hello to your family and friends back home.

Or, if you would rather spend your summer someplace other than home, we can do that too.

You decide. This final mission will take you anywhere, anytime. Go there, write about what you see, smell, taste, hear, and feel, and prepare for a nice long summer break.

Specific Post Requirements:

• Must contain sentences that describe the sensory detail of what you see, hear, taste, smell, and feel. (Be sure to include all five senses!)
• Must use and underline the delicious word: communicate or bogus.
• This is the final post of the year, it is a credit/no credit post. You will receive full credit only if your post meets the two requirements listed above.

M15-Indian Religious Practices (Due A-May 20, Due B-May 27)

This Week's Mission: 

When in India, you should participate in a Hindu or Buddhist ceremony, brilliant costumes and delicious foods abound!

We need you to travel to an important Hindu or Buddhist site in Ancient India. Write a post describing what you learn about either the Hindu or Buddhist faith. 

Your post might include:

• a meeting with Prince Siddhartha where you discuss his journey to becoming the "Awakened One"
• a visit to the Divali Festival where you describe the events and talk with people about the different Hindu deities
• join a group of Buddhist monks as they meditate on the importance of the Four Noble Truths
• participate in a Hindu pilgrimage to the Ganges and Sarasvati Rivers where you perform and act of purification 

Specific Post Requirements:

• Must contain two pieces of factual information about Hinduism or Buddhism.
• Use Writer's Secret 2-5 (The Sensory Closer). Be sure to highlight it when used.
• Must use and underline the delicious word: jaunty or ricochet.

General Post and Comment Requirements:

A reminder about the general requirements for each post can be found at the top left of this blog site.

Special Writer's Challenge:

This is a special challenge for those of you who would like a little extra practice in your writing craft. If you choose to do this challenge please add the letters "WC" to your post title. Students who successfully complete this challenge will receive 1 extra credit point.

The challenge: We've been studying figurative language. For this challenge you need to use 5 different figurative language devices (for example: simile, metaphor, hyperbole, connotation, and onomatopoeia). After you've published your post, you should comment on it. Your comment should identify the devices used and where you used them.

M14 - The Secrets of Mohenjodaro (Due A-May 6, B-May 20)

This Week's Mission: 

The disappearance of Mohenjodaro, the capital city of the Indus-Sarasvati civilization, is one of history's greatest mysteries.


We need you to visit the city of Mohenjodaro in the year 1900BCE. This is around the time when the civilization mysteriously disappeared.


Your mission is a two-part mission. First, you need to describe one of the characteristics of the civilization you see. Second, you must solve the mystery of how this civilization disappeared. 

Your post might include:

• visit a granary and describe the weights and scales they use; then discover that the grain was POISONED and killed everyone!
• take a swim in the Great Bath; then discover that nobody could swim and the whole civilization DROWNED!
• admire some of the beautiful statues; then discover the statues are actually people turned to stone by sinister MAGICIANS!
• buy some of the fancy beads; then discover that a major WAR over fashion caused people to flee for safer lands.

Specific Post Requirements:

• Must contain two pieces of factual information about daily life in Mohenjodaro.
• Must contain one (fact-based or totally made up) discovery about what happened to make this civilization mysteriously vanish.
• Use Writer's Secret 2-4 (DA INTERRUPTER). Be sure to highlight it when used.
• Must use and underline the delicious word: loll or Asiatic.

General Post and Comment Requirements:

A reminder about the general requirements for each post can be found at the top left of this blog site.

Special Writer's Challenge:

This is a special challenge for those of you who would like a little extra practice in your writing craft. If you choose to do this challenge please add the letters "WC" to your post title. Students who successfully complete this challenge will receive 1 extra credit point.

The challenge: The letter "v" is the sixth least commonly used letter in the English Language. Use 15 DIFFERENT words that contain the letter "v" in your blog post. Change the font color for the 15 "v" words when you use them.

M13 - Lost in the Subcontinent (Due A-April 22, B-April 29)

This Week's Mission: 

Traveling across India you can explore rivers, mountains, plateaus, and deserts.

The Indian Subcontinent is a land of many contrasts. Our original intent was to drop you on the coast of the Bay of Bengal. Unfortunately a mistake has been made, and you have been dropped into the middle of Hindu Kush; don't worry we've provided you with warm clothes for the snowy weather.

The good news is you get to travel across India and explore the beauty of this wonderful land! Your mission is to travel from Hindu Kush to the Bay of Bengal describing at least one part of the terrain you cross. The route you take is your own choice.

Your post might include:

• spend your nights crossing the Thar Desert, and your days in the shade watching the amazing desert animals
• take a ride down the Brahmaputra River during the monsoon season.
• hike across the Himalaya Mountains climbing glaciers and great peaks
• walk right across the middle and explore the wonders of the Deccan Plateau

Specific Post Requirements:

• Must contain two pieces of factual information about at least one physical feature of Indian Geography.
• Use Writer's Secret 2-6 (commas in a series). Be sure to highlight it when used.
• Must use and underline the delicious word: famished or instantaneous.

General Post and Comment Requirements:

A reminder about the general requirements for each post can be found at the top left of this blog site.

Special Writer's Challenge:

This is a special challenge for those of you who would like a little extra practice in your writing craft. If you choose to do this challenge please add the letters "WC" to your post title. Students who successfully complete this challenge will receive 1 extra credit point.

The challenge: For this challenge you must include at least one adjective for EVERY noun. However, you may not use an adjective more than once in the entire post. This includes variations of the same word, for example: ugly and ugliest. Don't forget that there is a difference between adjectives and adverbs. You do not need to underline or highlight the adjectives.