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
Friday, November 18, 2011
Friday, November 11, 2011
Veterans' Day
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
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
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Week 2, Q2!
Hello!
Gosh, with break in the mix it's been awhile now since I made a new post!
Happy belated Halloween!
Here's what's been going on in Social Studies so far this quarter:
7th Grade:
We have been learning about World War 1/The Great War; right now we are still learning about the causes of the war, which were Imperialism, Nationalism, Militarism, and Alliances. We've been writing journal entries each day about each one of the four main causes in turn, thinking about the advantages and disadvantages of each attitude/policy (e.g. What are some positive outcomes of "nationalism"? Negative outcomes?) Students have been working on a listen-and-draw activity where I read small sections of the textbook while they draw what they hear; then they have time to verbally share with each other what they have drawn, and to write captions describing each little sketch. Students have also introduced themselves to the topic by exploring the PBS website, The Great War, and completing some graphic organizers.
Along with this, students are now testing over countries in Eastern Europe; because of the larger number of countries in this region, and the students' general unfamiliarity with them, I have broken the region into two, eleven-point quizzes.
We've also been listening to some instrumental interpretations of WW1, particularly the soundtrack to the documentary, The Great War, and the soundtrack to the Minnesota-based original stage play, All Is Calm.
Later this week and next week we'll start looking at some digital archives of sheet music (primary source documents) from the WW1 era, as well as some WW1 poetry.
8th Grade:
We started off the quarter last week by learning some of the basics of capitalism and communism; students watched online tutorials from Khan Academy and took some basic notes about the major tenants of each paradigm. This will come in handy as we continue to read through the novel, Animal Farm, which we began together in class yesterday. Students also created graphics to explain the major tenants and then used each other's drawings to play a game of Charades acting out the same themes.
Today in class 8th graders did a truly FABULOUS and impressive job analyzing two well-known political cartoons depicting European imperialism in Africa and China. I wish you all could have witnessed the high-level of observations, analysis, and discussion that my students created in class! I was so pleased.
For the next few weeks we'll be studying the decline of European imperialism, looking especially at the British Empire and independence movements in India (i.e. Gandhi) and South Africa (i.e. Nelson Mandela). Students will become familiar with terms such as The Salt March, and Apartheid.
Many 7th & 8th grade students took advantage of the extra credit reading opportunity, and both grade levels have had a few class periods of work time on their independent country research projects.
Hope to see you at Family Night this Thursday!
Thanks,
Ms. Hood
Gosh, with break in the mix it's been awhile now since I made a new post!
Happy belated Halloween!
Here's what's been going on in Social Studies so far this quarter:
7th Grade:
We have been learning about World War 1/The Great War; right now we are still learning about the causes of the war, which were Imperialism, Nationalism, Militarism, and Alliances. We've been writing journal entries each day about each one of the four main causes in turn, thinking about the advantages and disadvantages of each attitude/policy (e.g. What are some positive outcomes of "nationalism"? Negative outcomes?) Students have been working on a listen-and-draw activity where I read small sections of the textbook while they draw what they hear; then they have time to verbally share with each other what they have drawn, and to write captions describing each little sketch. Students have also introduced themselves to the topic by exploring the PBS website, The Great War, and completing some graphic organizers.
Along with this, students are now testing over countries in Eastern Europe; because of the larger number of countries in this region, and the students' general unfamiliarity with them, I have broken the region into two, eleven-point quizzes.
We've also been listening to some instrumental interpretations of WW1, particularly the soundtrack to the documentary, The Great War, and the soundtrack to the Minnesota-based original stage play, All Is Calm.
Later this week and next week we'll start looking at some digital archives of sheet music (primary source documents) from the WW1 era, as well as some WW1 poetry.
8th Grade:
We started off the quarter last week by learning some of the basics of capitalism and communism; students watched online tutorials from Khan Academy and took some basic notes about the major tenants of each paradigm. This will come in handy as we continue to read through the novel, Animal Farm, which we began together in class yesterday. Students also created graphics to explain the major tenants and then used each other's drawings to play a game of Charades acting out the same themes.
Today in class 8th graders did a truly FABULOUS and impressive job analyzing two well-known political cartoons depicting European imperialism in Africa and China. I wish you all could have witnessed the high-level of observations, analysis, and discussion that my students created in class! I was so pleased.
For the next few weeks we'll be studying the decline of European imperialism, looking especially at the British Empire and independence movements in India (i.e. Gandhi) and South Africa (i.e. Nelson Mandela). Students will become familiar with terms such as The Salt March, and Apartheid.
Many 7th & 8th grade students took advantage of the extra credit reading opportunity, and both grade levels have had a few class periods of work time on their independent country research projects.
Hope to see you at Family Night this Thursday!
Thanks,
Ms. Hood
Friday, October 14, 2011
Social Studies Supplementary Activities
Hi all!
Hope you're enjoying the break, and that the kids are doing their extra credit reading for Q2!
Below is a list of extracurriculars that will support 7th and 8th grade Social Studies content:
The Rose Ensemble's Songs of Temperance and Temptation:
http://www.roseensemble.org/shows/songs-temperance-and-temptation
PBS & Ken Burns' Prohibition:
http://www.pbs.org/kenburns/prohibition/
The James J. Hill House in St. Paul:
http://www.mnhs.org/places/sites/jjhh/
The Russian Museum of Art in Minneapolis:
http://tmora.org/
PBS's The Great War:
http://www.pbs.org/greatwar/
Q1 was a great quarter and we're well underway in our curricula! 7th graders learned about the late 1800s and will start off next quarter studying WW1 before moving into the roaring 1920s; 8th graders studied U.S. government last quarter and will start off by studying the early Cold War at the beginning of Q2.
Enjoy the break!
-Ms. Hood
Hope you're enjoying the break, and that the kids are doing their extra credit reading for Q2!
Below is a list of extracurriculars that will support 7th and 8th grade Social Studies content:
The Rose Ensemble's Songs of Temperance and Temptation:
http://www.roseensemble.org/shows/songs-temperance-and-temptation
PBS & Ken Burns' Prohibition:
http://www.pbs.org/kenburns/prohibition/
The James J. Hill House in St. Paul:
http://www.mnhs.org/places/sites/jjhh/
The Russian Museum of Art in Minneapolis:
http://tmora.org/
PBS's The Great War:
http://www.pbs.org/greatwar/
Q1 was a great quarter and we're well underway in our curricula! 7th graders learned about the late 1800s and will start off next quarter studying WW1 before moving into the roaring 1920s; 8th graders studied U.S. government last quarter and will start off by studying the early Cold War at the beginning of Q2.
Enjoy the break!
-Ms. Hood
Friday, September 30, 2011
Last Week, Q1!
Hi all!
It was great to see so many of you at conferences this week! I truly enjoy conferences, and I wish that they didn't feel so rushed! If you weren't able to schedule a time to meet with me this week, please let me know if you're interested in meeting another time, whether next week or next quarter...
Here's the update:
7th grade:We finished The Surrender Tree! There is an extra credit opportunity for 7th graders over the Fall Break; if they choose one of the three book options to read over break and complete a basic book report they can get some extra credit towards their Second Quarter Social Studies grade. All of the book options are about WW1, which is what we will start off studying Q2.
Students have now been tested over countries in South America, and their last map quiz of this quarter will be this coming Wednesday, October 5th, over countries in Western Europe (preparing us to study WW1).
We are wrapping up our study of the late 1800s; this week we'll talk more about Teddy Roosevelt and the Panama Canal...
Next quarter we'll be reading Out of the Dust and The Truth About Sparrows, both about the Dust Bowl and Great Depression. I recommend watching the new PBS special, Prohibition, which I believe airs this Sunday evening; it will preempt our study of that part of U.S. history.
8th grade:This coming week 8th graders will finish the novel, Year of Impossible Goodbyes; we will watch some of those good old fashioned Schoolhouse Rock videos about U.S. government (i.e. "I'm Just A Bill") and learn more about the law-making process, as well as amendments 11-27 to the U.S. Constitution.
Students took their last vocab quiz last week, and next quarter it's back to map quizzes.
8th graders have been doing regular homework assignments (reading and writing) about controversial topics in U.S. politics, such as the death penalty debate, religion in politics, and homeland security "vs." civil liberties and individual privacy rights. Many of the students have been really agonizing over their positions! I'm so impressed by their thoughts and commitment to making the right decision in their own minds.
Next quarter we'll be reading Animal Farm as part of our study of the early Cold War. 8th graders also have an extra credit reading opportunity over fall break; if they check out the book The Good Earth from my classroom and do a basic book report over it, they can earn extra credit towards their Q2 Social Studies grade; this is a Core Knowledge book about the Chinese revolution, and will support our learning about Communist China during Q2.
It's been a truly great quarter! I can tell that the rest of the year will be great, as well.
Please remember that I'll be at the Museum of Russian Art (in Minneapolis) this Sunday at 2 PM. Hope to see you there!
Thanks for reading,
Leah Hood
It was great to see so many of you at conferences this week! I truly enjoy conferences, and I wish that they didn't feel so rushed! If you weren't able to schedule a time to meet with me this week, please let me know if you're interested in meeting another time, whether next week or next quarter...
Here's the update:
7th grade:We finished The Surrender Tree! There is an extra credit opportunity for 7th graders over the Fall Break; if they choose one of the three book options to read over break and complete a basic book report they can get some extra credit towards their Second Quarter Social Studies grade. All of the book options are about WW1, which is what we will start off studying Q2.
Students have now been tested over countries in South America, and their last map quiz of this quarter will be this coming Wednesday, October 5th, over countries in Western Europe (preparing us to study WW1).
We are wrapping up our study of the late 1800s; this week we'll talk more about Teddy Roosevelt and the Panama Canal...
Next quarter we'll be reading Out of the Dust and The Truth About Sparrows, both about the Dust Bowl and Great Depression. I recommend watching the new PBS special, Prohibition, which I believe airs this Sunday evening; it will preempt our study of that part of U.S. history.
8th grade:This coming week 8th graders will finish the novel, Year of Impossible Goodbyes; we will watch some of those good old fashioned Schoolhouse Rock videos about U.S. government (i.e. "I'm Just A Bill") and learn more about the law-making process, as well as amendments 11-27 to the U.S. Constitution.
Students took their last vocab quiz last week, and next quarter it's back to map quizzes.
8th graders have been doing regular homework assignments (reading and writing) about controversial topics in U.S. politics, such as the death penalty debate, religion in politics, and homeland security "vs." civil liberties and individual privacy rights. Many of the students have been really agonizing over their positions! I'm so impressed by their thoughts and commitment to making the right decision in their own minds.
Next quarter we'll be reading Animal Farm as part of our study of the early Cold War. 8th graders also have an extra credit reading opportunity over fall break; if they check out the book The Good Earth from my classroom and do a basic book report over it, they can earn extra credit towards their Q2 Social Studies grade; this is a Core Knowledge book about the Chinese revolution, and will support our learning about Communist China during Q2.
It's been a truly great quarter! I can tell that the rest of the year will be great, as well.
Please remember that I'll be at the Museum of Russian Art (in Minneapolis) this Sunday at 2 PM. Hope to see you there!
Thanks for reading,
Leah Hood
Friday, September 23, 2011
Social Studies Update
Hello!
Here's what we've been up to in Social Studies lately...
7th Grade:
*Central and South America map quizzes; we've used Geography Choreography as a kinesthetic study tool.
*Part 5 (which is the last section!) of The Surrender Tree.
*Graphic Organizers researching and compiling important details about The Cuban Independence Movement, The Spanish-American War, The U.S. War with the Philippines, The U.S. Annexation of Spanish Colonies (e.g. Puerto Rico, Guam) and Hawaii; and The Panama Canal.
*4-Source Comparison Packet about the Spanish-American War.
*Charades to review terms (e.g. Rough Riders, Teddy Roosevelt, Jose Marti, Anti-Imperialist League).
*We've done journal entries such as, "In your opinion, do we still have 'yellow journalism' today? Why or why not? Explain. Use specific examples."
*Original sheet music (primary source documents) from the Spanish-American War era.
8th Grade:
*Vocab work using the Frayer Model (Definition, Characteristics, Examples, Non-Examples); our current terms include "Natural Rights", "Constitution", "Checks & Balances", "Limited Government", and the three branches of U.S. government.
*A website and graphic organizers to compile important details about the three branches of U.S. government.
*History Tunes about U.S. government (very, very corny, and very, very informative ;) ).
*Journal entries such as, "What is your favorite of the rights in the Bill of Rights? Why? Explain."
*Charades to review government related terms.
*Written response homework assignments about "When Rights Collide", and "Theocracy and Democracy in Iran".
Please sign up with me for conferences next week! If you weren't able to get a spot through VolunteerSpot, please let me know and we'll work something out via email.
Have a great weekend!
Leah Hood
Here's what we've been up to in Social Studies lately...
7th Grade:
*Central and South America map quizzes; we've used Geography Choreography as a kinesthetic study tool.
*Part 5 (which is the last section!) of The Surrender Tree.
*Graphic Organizers researching and compiling important details about The Cuban Independence Movement, The Spanish-American War, The U.S. War with the Philippines, The U.S. Annexation of Spanish Colonies (e.g. Puerto Rico, Guam) and Hawaii; and The Panama Canal.
*4-Source Comparison Packet about the Spanish-American War.
*Charades to review terms (e.g. Rough Riders, Teddy Roosevelt, Jose Marti, Anti-Imperialist League).
*We've done journal entries such as, "In your opinion, do we still have 'yellow journalism' today? Why or why not? Explain. Use specific examples."
*Original sheet music (primary source documents) from the Spanish-American War era.
8th Grade:
*Vocab work using the Frayer Model (Definition, Characteristics, Examples, Non-Examples); our current terms include "Natural Rights", "Constitution", "Checks & Balances", "Limited Government", and the three branches of U.S. government.
*A website and graphic organizers to compile important details about the three branches of U.S. government.
*History Tunes about U.S. government (very, very corny, and very, very informative ;) ).
*Journal entries such as, "What is your favorite of the rights in the Bill of Rights? Why? Explain."
*Charades to review government related terms.
*Written response homework assignments about "When Rights Collide", and "Theocracy and Democracy in Iran".
Please sign up with me for conferences next week! If you weren't able to get a spot through VolunteerSpot, please let me know and we'll work something out via email.
Have a great weekend!
Leah Hood
Sunday, September 11, 2011
This Past Week in Social Studies
Hello, all--
First off in today's post I feel it appropriate to take a moment to acknowledge the tenth anniversary of 9/11. My heart goes out to the loved ones of all the victims, as well as to all the servicemen and women, and their loved ones, as well.
It has now been ten years to the day since the 9/11 attacks, and there has been a lot of discussion in the media surrounding how we address this historic event in our collective memory, in the media, in physical memorials, as well as in classrooms around the country. What's somewhat interesting about teaching 9/11 is that our legislature hasn't yet included 9/11 in the state standards, so there's no law about covering (or not covering) 9/11 as historic content; although it's been ten years since the attacks, it's still so new that our interpretation of it is still "under construction", even moreso than historic content reaching further back in time. So what's a teacher to do?
In keeping with my philosophy of teaching history (and current events), I have decided to give my students an opportunity to decide what, in their opinions, is the "best" way to remember (and study) 9/11 by comparing and contrasting different sources. On Friday, I assigned a short article from my college-level American Government & Politics textbook to 8th graders as homework; the article is entitled, "Terrorism and Information Awareness", and presents readers with the debate surrounding "national security" "v." "civil liberties". I've asked that students read the article and write a minimum of one paragraph in response to the ideas presented. Tomorrow (9/12) our daily journal entry will ask students to reflect on 9/11 and its aftermath; I reserved the COW (laptop cart) on Wednesday so that we can look at online news sources from around the world (e.g. CNN, Fox News, NPR, MPR, BBC, India Times) and compare/contrast the various angles taken by reporters.
I hope these activities will provide my students with an opportunity to participate in the public discourse surrounding the issue(s), as well as to reflect on both the losses and the future.
And now on to the week in Social Studies...
7th Grade: 7th graders watched a series of short video clips about the late 1800s and paid attention for what they all shared in common; we continued reading The Surrender Tree, and pretested over countries in Central America (quiz next Friday, 9/16).
8th Grade: 8th graders handed in their "break-up letters" to King George III, and watched a series of short video clips about the U.S. Constitution and did a variety of learning activities to help solidify our second set of vocabulary terms. All the vocab terms from last week had to do with different systems of government (e.g. autocracy, democracy), and students took their quiz on Friday. Next week 8th graders will be pretested over the third set of government-related vocab terms.
This past week, all 7th and 8th graders wrote their first letters to our pen-pals in Honduras! We're waiting on Ms. Abbott's 6th graders to finish up with their letters and then I'll put them in the mail! Very fun stuff. (Next week we'll write another set of introductory letters to our pen-pals in China!) Students always love writing to pen-pals; it's a wonderful way to learn about world geography and to foster international connections, friendships, empathy, understanding, and respect.
Tomorrow (Monday, 9/12) I will discuss with all 7th and 8th graders this year's year-long research project, which is an in-depth study of a country (not the U.S.) that is of interest to the student.
As always, please feel free to contact me with questions, concerns, or constructive feedback.
Thanks for reading,
Leah Hood
First off in today's post I feel it appropriate to take a moment to acknowledge the tenth anniversary of 9/11. My heart goes out to the loved ones of all the victims, as well as to all the servicemen and women, and their loved ones, as well.
It has now been ten years to the day since the 9/11 attacks, and there has been a lot of discussion in the media surrounding how we address this historic event in our collective memory, in the media, in physical memorials, as well as in classrooms around the country. What's somewhat interesting about teaching 9/11 is that our legislature hasn't yet included 9/11 in the state standards, so there's no law about covering (or not covering) 9/11 as historic content; although it's been ten years since the attacks, it's still so new that our interpretation of it is still "under construction", even moreso than historic content reaching further back in time. So what's a teacher to do?
In keeping with my philosophy of teaching history (and current events), I have decided to give my students an opportunity to decide what, in their opinions, is the "best" way to remember (and study) 9/11 by comparing and contrasting different sources. On Friday, I assigned a short article from my college-level American Government & Politics textbook to 8th graders as homework; the article is entitled, "Terrorism and Information Awareness", and presents readers with the debate surrounding "national security" "v." "civil liberties". I've asked that students read the article and write a minimum of one paragraph in response to the ideas presented. Tomorrow (9/12) our daily journal entry will ask students to reflect on 9/11 and its aftermath; I reserved the COW (laptop cart) on Wednesday so that we can look at online news sources from around the world (e.g. CNN, Fox News, NPR, MPR, BBC, India Times) and compare/contrast the various angles taken by reporters.
I hope these activities will provide my students with an opportunity to participate in the public discourse surrounding the issue(s), as well as to reflect on both the losses and the future.
And now on to the week in Social Studies...
7th Grade: 7th graders watched a series of short video clips about the late 1800s and paid attention for what they all shared in common; we continued reading The Surrender Tree, and pretested over countries in Central America (quiz next Friday, 9/16).
8th Grade: 8th graders handed in their "break-up letters" to King George III, and watched a series of short video clips about the U.S. Constitution and did a variety of learning activities to help solidify our second set of vocabulary terms. All the vocab terms from last week had to do with different systems of government (e.g. autocracy, democracy), and students took their quiz on Friday. Next week 8th graders will be pretested over the third set of government-related vocab terms.
This past week, all 7th and 8th graders wrote their first letters to our pen-pals in Honduras! We're waiting on Ms. Abbott's 6th graders to finish up with their letters and then I'll put them in the mail! Very fun stuff. (Next week we'll write another set of introductory letters to our pen-pals in China!) Students always love writing to pen-pals; it's a wonderful way to learn about world geography and to foster international connections, friendships, empathy, understanding, and respect.
Tomorrow (Monday, 9/12) I will discuss with all 7th and 8th graders this year's year-long research project, which is an in-depth study of a country (not the U.S.) that is of interest to the student.
As always, please feel free to contact me with questions, concerns, or constructive feedback.
Thanks for reading,
Leah Hood
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