Happy Daylight Savings Time!

 

Hope everyone was able to enjoy the extra hour of sleep on Sunday. We have a full week ahead of us in the Social Studies classroom so here's a quick preview!

 

6th Graders - Monday and Tuesday will have students presenting their Greek Oratory Contest speeches. This is a great way for the kids to learn about the practice of the Greek oration, explore Greeks who were historically significant and practice their public speaking. The top three orators will receive a small but signficant prize for their efforts. The Chapter 5 test will be on Thursday. On Friday, we will have our Greek feast. Students will be asked to bring items like Greek yogurt, cheese, grapes, bread, grape juice, pita bread, honey, etc..

7th Graders - We will be completing our study of European Geography in preparation for the World War I unit. Most of the students seem pretty excited about this next look at history so while it may be complicated, it should also be very interesting to learn about this pivotal time in history. There will be a small project associated with this unit. Students will be given choices as to their topic and format. Examples might include: Create a PowerPoint showing new weapons technology that emerged during WWI, Create a PowerPoint tracking the causes of WWI, teach the class a song that was popular because of WWI, or create a 3-D representation of a trench warfare battle scene. More details will be provided to the students.

 

8th Graders - Finally, we have completed our study of the U.S. Constitution. How fortuitous that current events cooperated and provided real-life examples of our Constitution at work! Here are some You Tube Videos for a fun review...

We will have our unit review prior to the test. In the meantime, see how you do on this online quiz: http://www.proprofs.com/quiz-school/quizshow.php?title=constitution-practice-test_1&quesnum=48&showNextQ=no. We will then transition straight into our unit on the Cold War. Have a wonderful week everyone!

 

 

Middle School Team Meeting ;)

 

 

All Classes: Remember, parent teacher conferences are from 3-7 on Wednesday and 8-3 on Thursday. Please drop in and see all the great things your child is learning. No need to schedule an appointment!



 

Sixth Grade - We are just beginning our intensive study of Ancient Greece. A major victory for Greeks was at the Plains of Marathon. The video below will be seen by students in class to help them visualize the battle and see what an important victory it was for the Greeks...

 

 

 

 

 

 

Seventh Grade -  Seventh graders have done an amazing job unraveling the intricacies surrounding the growth of the U.S. as a world power at the end of the 1800s. Next up, European Geography as we begin to study World War I and the Russian Revolution!

 

Eighth Grade -  In 8th grade we continue our in-depth study of the Constitution as a foundation for our Civics unit. We are dissecting this great document, article by article, and discussing real-world scenarios as a way to apply these concepts.

 

 

 



Sunday, October 6, 2013

This week has been another whirlwind in Social Studies!

 The sixth graders breezed through a lesson on the beginnings of Christianity and Judaism with flying colors. They are so knowledgeable when it comes to their faith and quite inquisitive of other faiths. It is such a privilege to teach them through the prism of our Faith.

Seventh graders are culiminating their study of America's role in imperialism by compiling all of their articles, cartoons, editorials, and advice columns into their newspaper. The finished product should tell the complete story!

Even though this is not a huge election year, our 8th grade is seeing the constitution at work with our current impassse in Washington, D.C. They are very curious and insightful!

We continue to use CNN Student News (www.cnn.com/studentnews) to prompt our discussions. It has really helped to de-mystify the process in an un-biased way!

We will be taking 8th grade portraits on Friday, Oct. 11th. Watch for permission slips to come home Monday!

Welcome to my blog! This is where students and parents will find out about what is happening in the Social Studies classroom - beyond homework and tests!

For example, last week 6th graders conducted their own archaeological dig. In learning about what archaeologists do and how to infer information based on artifacts, we all learned a little bit more about each other.

In 7th grade, students are learning about the role that journalists such as Hearst and Pulitzer played in America's quest to exert influence around the world. The culmination of this unit will be a student generated newspaper in the style of the "yellow journalism" of the era.

8th graders are just beginning our study of civics by learning the basis for our Constitution. We enjoyed a lively debate over the New Jersey Plan and the Virginia Plan. We eventually reached our 3/5 Compromise but not without a fight!

Every Monday we will keep up with current events using CNN student news. I am reviewing content on Sunday evenings to ensure that is appropriate and without bias.