Hello, Paideia families!
Here we are again at Midterm! I am always taken by surprise :)
This week we had a good experience with our student teacher from St. Mary's University-- we wish him well as he completes his teaching degree and strikes out on his own!
Here's what we've been up to:
7th:This week we discussed the "during war" part of WW1. Students wrote letters or diary entries from the perspective of a soldier off at the front, which are currently displayed on my bulletin board in the hallway. We used different graphic organizers to gather basic information about living conditions for soldiers during the war, as well as important events of the war; we compared, contrasted, and reacted to poetry written by WW1 poets. We also learned a bit about the technological advancements in weaponry that came out of WW1; students worked in small groups to make models of tanks, U-boats, Howitzers, zeppelins, machine guns (and more) out of Plah-doh, Legos, construction paper, or by sketching; students then presented their models to th class and discussed advantages, disadvantages, and the impact each weapon had on the war. Students also tested over countries in Eastern Europe.
Next week we will finish up learning about the "during the war" part of this unit and then discuss the Russian Revolution and U.S. entry into WW1 after Thanksgiving break.
8th:This week 8th graders learned more specifically about the life and work of Mahatma Gandhi. Students used basic graphic organizers and teacher-selected websites to record introductory information, and completed short answer response questions as they watched a documentary about Gandhi and his role in the Indian Independence movement. Students did a great job creating (fake) Facebook Profile pages for Gandhi! These will be displayed in our hallway.
Next week we will do a simulation activity recreating the Indian National Congress and also read on in Animal Farm, which the students seem eager to continue on in; after Thanksgiving we will watch the film, Gandhi, and then move on to discuss the Apartheid system in South Africa and Nelson Mandela's role in toppling that system.
Look for midterm grades shortly before Thanksgiving, and I hope to see you at the 80s dance tonight!
Have a nice weekend!
-Ms. Hood
