Hello, Paideia families!
Here's what's been going on lately in Social Studies:
7th grade:
We continue our study of WW1; students now know about the five main causes of The Great War, and even have a slick way to remember them (ask your 7th grader about MANIA)! We've been studying the concepts of militarism, alliances, nationalism, and imperialism, and have been considering how physical and political geography is affected by and in turn affects war. The MN State Social Studies Standard we are working on right now is, "I. U.S. History; H. World Wars and the Emergence of Modern America; the student will demonstrate knowledge of the political, geographical, cultural, social, and economic forces shaping the modern United States."
We analyzed some historic political cartoons on the subject of imperialism, and I was so pleased at how engaged my students were in that discussion! Next week we are moving away from the background and causes of the war and will be learning more about the war itself-- conditions for the soldiers, inventions that came out of the war, etc. It was timely that Veterans' Day happened in the midst of this unit, since the observance began as Armistice Day in honor of the end of WW1! Thanks to all our vets, past and present, and their loved ones!!
Next week we'll be reading some poems that came out of WW1, as well as some WW1 literature; we'll also be listening to some songs from and about the war.
7th graders have a "Letter Home" assignment due on Monday, and a map quiz over countries in Eastern Europe next Wednesday.
8th grade:
In 8th grade this week we've continued to build background knowledge about India, Pakistan, the British Empire, Gandhi and Nehru. We used some great websites from the BBC to complete graphic organizers (e.g. Venn Diagram) with topics such as "Hinduism and Islam"; having an understanding of the religious and cultural exchange and conflict is a necessary part of understanding the Indian Independence Movement and subsequent Partition.
Students did a fabulous job analyzing political cartoons about imperialism/colonialism and Social Darwinism; we read about The Scramble for Africa and discussed the concept of Spheres of Influence in China; next week we'll listen to some History Tunes (corny but informative!) about Imperialism and The Monroe Doctrine.
8th graders also had a lesson this Wednesday on Informational/Non-fiction Text Study Skills, including pre-reading the questions, skimming and scanning for key terms, and re-reading sections of text for comprehension.
Next week we'll be reading on in Animal Farm and continuing our discussions on stereotyping, imperialism, the British Empire, and the Indian Independence Movement; students will also pretest over the world map as it appeared under European colonial rule.
The MN State Social Studies Standard we are currently working on in 8th grade is: "III. World History; G. Western Civilizations; the student will demonstrate knowledge of the rise of colonialism and its effects worldwide; 1. Students will examine the effects of imperialism on colonial societies of the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries."
8th graders have a homework packet over stereotyping and imperialism due on Monday.
Please be reminded that next week we will be hosting another student teacher from St. Mary's University; his name is Mr. MacLean and he'll be with us for one week. Please join me in welcoming Mr. MacLean!
If you have any questions, concerns, or constructive feedback, please feel free to contact me.
Enjoy the weekend!
Thanks,
Ms. Hood
