Hello, Paideia families!
This week in Social Studies we continued to read in our historic fiction novels (The Truth About Sparrows in 7th grade; Animal Farm in 8th), and to complete reading packets for each chapter; reading packets include Pre-Reading, During Reading, and Post-Reading activities. The novels supplement what we are studying in U.S. and world History. We also have the audiobook versions of both novels, which allows for some nice variation and choices for students; some days students read independently, some days they are allowed to read in small groups of their choosing, and some days we will read aloud all together as an entire class.
We also took a pretest over countries and capital cities in Southeast Asia & the Pacific; both 7th and 8th grades will be tested next Friday over 14 countries in that region. Students have been given a study guide, and next week we'll do another round of "Geography Choreography", which seemed to be a big hit last week!
Before heading to Orchestra Hall (which was a great experience!) on Thursday, 7th graders got to read from the latest issue of Upfront magazine; as a whole class, we read an article about child-brides in Afghanistan, and compared the rigid (and often cruel, in the eyes of most Americans) expectations in that country to the significantly more liberal Islamic culture for women in Tunisia; we listened to a short NPR clip about women and women's rights in Tunisia. This is the first year I have had a subscription to Upfront magazine, and I have been really, really pleased at how the kids have responded to it.
In 7th grade we are learning about the Women's Suffrage Movement in the United States; we are comparing and contrasting four different secondary sources on the subject, as well as watching a PBS documentary for about 15 minutes per day, until we finish it.
In 8th grade we are doing the same thing, only for The Russian Revolution, as a part of our introduction to the Cold War.
We also edited return letters to our pen-pals in Thailand-- I will get those in the mail within the next few days.
If you are wondering about the Legislative Draft project, here is what you and your child can be working on: Find articles that have to do with the environment IN THOSE 3 STATES, from local news sources in the three states your child drafted. Example: An article from The Des Moines Register about wind farms in Northeast Iowa.
If you want to keep up with Social Studies homework assignments and due dates, please refer to my class Twitter account: MsHoodsHoodlums@twitter.com
I have also taken to posting homework assignments on this blog, in the right-hand column, under the "About Me" section; unfortunatley, I can't change the header from "About Me" to "Homework", but please know that it is posted here for you and your child, as well.
Please let me know if you are interested in any supplementary reading or study materials, and as always, please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions, concerns, or general feedback!
Hope you have fun at the all-school dance tonight!
Take care,
Leah Hood
P.S. Re-registration forms for next year should be coming home today with your child!! Please return those to the Office ASAP! Thank you!
Friday, January 28, 2011
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
This Week In Social Studies
Hello, all!
This week in Social Studies we honored Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by reading a chapter in our textbook about his life, listening to his "I Have A Dream" speech in its entirety while following along with a text version (students underlined the most powerful parts of the speech), and by considering the questions: "What is 'equality'?" "How far have we come since the days of MLK Jr.?" "What work still needs to be done?"
We also wrote back to our pen-pals from Thailand! The students were very excited about this. I told the kids that they are welcome to communicate with their pen-pals outside of school as often as their parents/guardians allow; we will, however, sometimes be requiring students to write to their pen-pals in class. We will use this as an opportunity to practice the drafting and editing process in a way that is (hopefully!) less dry and more authentic.
We also began reading our novels and completing reading packets, which include Pre-Reading, During Reading, and Post-Reading activities on a chapter by chapter basis.
On Friday, students will be quizzed over some countries in central and northern Asia. Please do not forget about the following online study tools for geography:
http://www.eduplace.com/ss/maps/
http://www.ilike2learn.com/
If you have any questions, concerns, or comments, please do not hesitate to contact me!
Take care,
Leah Hood
This week in Social Studies we honored Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by reading a chapter in our textbook about his life, listening to his "I Have A Dream" speech in its entirety while following along with a text version (students underlined the most powerful parts of the speech), and by considering the questions: "What is 'equality'?" "How far have we come since the days of MLK Jr.?" "What work still needs to be done?"
We also wrote back to our pen-pals from Thailand! The students were very excited about this. I told the kids that they are welcome to communicate with their pen-pals outside of school as often as their parents/guardians allow; we will, however, sometimes be requiring students to write to their pen-pals in class. We will use this as an opportunity to practice the drafting and editing process in a way that is (hopefully!) less dry and more authentic.
We also began reading our novels and completing reading packets, which include Pre-Reading, During Reading, and Post-Reading activities on a chapter by chapter basis.
On Friday, students will be quizzed over some countries in central and northern Asia. Please do not forget about the following online study tools for geography:
http://www.eduplace.com/ss/maps/
http://www.ilike2learn.com/
If you have any questions, concerns, or comments, please do not hesitate to contact me!
Take care,
Leah Hood
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Welcome back for Third Quarter!
Happy New Year, everyone!
I hope you all enjoyed your break and all the associated festivities. I had a great time visiting family in Fargo and Iowa, and spending three nights in Lutsen with friends for the new year.
We are moving forward in both 7th and 8th grade Social Studies this quarter, putting old studies behind us and looking into other ideas and time periods.
In 7th grade this quarter, we will begin by studying "The Roaring 20s", the post-WW1 era of celebratory rebellion, including the Women's Suffrage Movement, the Labor Movement, the Harlem Renaissance-- tempered, of course, by the Temperance Movement. We will read the novel, The Truth About Sparrows. This book is of the historic fiction genre, and presents the experiences of American farm families in the Dust Bowl and Great Depression through the eyes of a 12-year-old girl, Sadie. This will, of course, serve as a lens through which to view our units on the Dust Bowl, Great Depression, and New Deal.
In 8th grade this quarter, we will study the Cold War, focusing on Mao's China, the Soviet Union, and McCarthyism in the United States. Alongside these units we will be reading George Orwell's classic, Animal Farm (a Core Knowledge novel), as well as the Nobel Prize winning One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich. We will explore the philosophies of Marx and Smith, and debate the merits and drawbacks of Communism, Socialism, Capitalism, Democracy, and Totalitarianism.
In both grade levels we will continue with our Legislative Draft project, map quizzes, and our pen-pals from Thailand.
I really enjoy teaching the units on the slate for Q3!
See you back at school on Thursday!
--Leah Hood
P.S. Homework assignments are posted at MsHoodsHoodlums@twitter.com
I hope you all enjoyed your break and all the associated festivities. I had a great time visiting family in Fargo and Iowa, and spending three nights in Lutsen with friends for the new year.
We are moving forward in both 7th and 8th grade Social Studies this quarter, putting old studies behind us and looking into other ideas and time periods.
In 7th grade this quarter, we will begin by studying "The Roaring 20s", the post-WW1 era of celebratory rebellion, including the Women's Suffrage Movement, the Labor Movement, the Harlem Renaissance-- tempered, of course, by the Temperance Movement. We will read the novel, The Truth About Sparrows. This book is of the historic fiction genre, and presents the experiences of American farm families in the Dust Bowl and Great Depression through the eyes of a 12-year-old girl, Sadie. This will, of course, serve as a lens through which to view our units on the Dust Bowl, Great Depression, and New Deal.
In 8th grade this quarter, we will study the Cold War, focusing on Mao's China, the Soviet Union, and McCarthyism in the United States. Alongside these units we will be reading George Orwell's classic, Animal Farm (a Core Knowledge novel), as well as the Nobel Prize winning One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich. We will explore the philosophies of Marx and Smith, and debate the merits and drawbacks of Communism, Socialism, Capitalism, Democracy, and Totalitarianism.
In both grade levels we will continue with our Legislative Draft project, map quizzes, and our pen-pals from Thailand.
I really enjoy teaching the units on the slate for Q3!
See you back at school on Thursday!
--Leah Hood
P.S. Homework assignments are posted at MsHoodsHoodlums@twitter.com
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