Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Update-- long overdue!!
I have been delinquent in updating my blog this month! I'm so sorry. I feel like I've been so busy, focusing each moment on what needs to get done in the next hour... The end of the year is always a bit of a crunch!
Here's what we've been up to:
7th:
We are learning about WW2 right now in 7th grade Social Studies. We finished up learning about FDR's presidency (e.g. Fireside Chats, the New Deal programs) and transitioned naturally into learning about WW2 (the transition being natural since FDR was president at the start of WW2). So far students have learned about the Axis Powers v. the Allies, and about the worldwide economic depression which contributed to the destitution of the German people leading up to Hitler's climb to power. We have gone over an overview of the war via PowerPoint and a video on United Streaming; students were able to choose in which format they received their intro/overview. We have discussed various world leaders during WW2 and done some work with maps of Axis v. Allied territories during the war. This week we will be learning more about why so many Germans were attracted to Hitler as a political leader, as well as more about the Holocaust. Next week we will be discussing the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the subsequent "internment" of Japanese Americans, U.S. involvement in the war, and the end of the war. (On a somewhat separate note, students have now completed map quizzes over all regions of Africa.)
8th:
We have finished our study of the the U.S. Civil Rights Movement and have been focusing on the 1960s and 70s, namely the Vietnam War and the Counterculture Revolution. Students are in the midst of learning about how the Vietnam War began as a part of the "containment" policies with relation to the spread of communism, and the fear that the "Domino Theory" would prove true. To me, this is an exciting unit because of how dynamic and turbulent the 60s were! Students will be reading/listening to excerpts of The Things They Carried, by Tim O'Brien, and watching the documentary 1968. You would all be so impressed if you could hear some of the 8th grade discussions about A Raisin In The Sun!! Very high level. I nearly cried a few times, out of pride :)
All 7th and 8th graders have their Independent Country Research Projects due next Thursday, June 7th; there is a 5 Paragraph Essay due, as well as an oral and visual in-class presentation.
Additionally, all 7th and 8th graders have their DDI Social Studies quiz this Friday, June 1st! Study Guides have been distributed and there are many, many study activities in Quia.
Thanks so much for a great year! I can't believe it's almost over!!
-Leah Hood
Friday, April 27, 2012
Week 3, Q4
(Please note: I apologize for the formatting and aesthetics of this post; I have tried repeatedly to correct it but it will not recognize spaces between paragraphs! This has never happened before. Hopefully this issue will resolve itself before my next post. Thanks for your patience.)
The Great Depression & The Civil Rights Movement
Hello, Paideia families!
This week in Social Studies we were pretty much back to normal after MCA testing last week; some students still had to be pulled from classes for make-up testing throughout the week, but other than that we were back to our normal routine.
Here's the update:
7th grade:
This week we read a few more chapters in our novel about the Great Depression. We are almost (finally!) finished reading The Truth About Sparrows; we hope to finish up with this by the end of next week, when we plan to wrap-up our study of the Great Depression and New Deal. Students watched the PBS documentary Landslide, about the presidency of Herbert Hoover, and completed a film guide aimed at building and assessing comprehension and analysis about the topic. Students used a PBS online timeline and packet of graphic organizers to define and describe terms relating to the Great Depression and New Deal. Students also tested over countries in northwest Africa, such as the Ivory Coast and Senegal. Next week students will pretest over countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and make posters about the Great Depression and New Deal for display in the hallway.
Lastly, students received detailed grading rubrics and expectations for their 5-paragraph essays and oral/visual presentations of their independent research, both due June 7th. All weekly research assignments are due Monday, May 7th; these have been assigned weekly since the start of Q3; students have had time in Computers class each week to work on these assignments.
8th grade:
We made lots of progress in our learning about the U.S. Civil Rights Movement this week! Students used a PBS online timeline and The History Channel website to define and describe key terms (people and events) of the movement and record their notes in a packet of graphic organizers. Students also worked in pairs to make mini-posters about key people and events in the Civil Rights Movement and we used these posters to create a timeline in the hallway; students then read each others' posters and summarized each term in a packet. We ended the week breaking into two small groups to do some direct instruction about different philosophies within the Civil Rights Movement. Next week we will read the class play, A Raisin in the Sun, readers' theater-style in class, and study music of the Civil Rights Movement.
Lastly, students received detailed grading rubrics and expectations for their 5-paragraph essays and oral/visual presentations of their independent research, both due June 7th. All weekly research assignments are due Monday, May 7th; these have been assigned weekly since the start of Q3; students have had time in Computers class each week to work on these assignments.
If you have any questions or concerns about your child in Social Studies, please feel free to contact me. We're already approaching midterm!
Have a nice weekend,
Ms. Hood
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
MCAs!
Hello, Paideia families!
This week is MCA testing, school-wide, so I only see each group of students two times this week instead of five. During those two class periods, though, we are moving forward in our studies! Here's what we're up to:
7th Grade:
We are now almost finished with the novel, The Truth About Sparrows; some of the predominant themes at this point in the plot are hard work, change, loneliness, friendship, and sacrifice. Woven throughout the novel are interesting little tidbits of information about daily life for Americans impacted by the Great Depression, such as making mattresses using chicken feathers and listening to The Lone Ranger on the radio. Today we read Ch. 18 in class; I read aloud while the students did a "Listen and Draw" activity to create a pictoral summary of events in the chapter.
Also in the past week, we watched a PBS documentary entitled, "Surviving The Dust Bowl", and made a "musical timeline" of Woody Guthrie song lyrics to chronicle the era.
Next week 7th graders will be tested over countries in Northwest Africa, such as Senegal and the Ivory Coast. We will also analyze cartoons from the 1930s as primary sources, recording evidence of, for example, standards of beauty and strength, as well as stereotypes of men and women from the period. We'll continue to study different aspects of the 1930s and 40s until about midterm this quarter, at which point we'll move on to WW2.
8th Grade:
Last week in Social Studies I was sincerely impressed with the students' analysis and discussion of primary sources from the Harlem Renaissance; we looked at paintings, photographs, music, and poetry to examine themes of the movement. I worked directly with the "Paintings" station, and with some prompting cues, students were noticing some very high-level similarities between all the paintings at the station and discussing the literal and figurative meanings of the images!
This week we have continued to look more closely at the Civil Rights Movement in the U.S. during the 1950s and 60s. We just started watching excerpts from the PBS series, "Eyes On The Prize"; today's excerpt focused on the murder of Emmett Till. Future excerpts will cover the full spectrum of "classic" Civil Rights Movement people and events, including MLK Jr., Rosa Parks, Freedom Summer, and the Little Rock 9, among others.
Next week we will do a series of lessons looking at "Freedom Songs" from the Civil Rights era; students will analyze song lyrics, messages, and rhythm and draw comparisons to political and social events from the same time period.
Students have a homework assignment due next Friday, April 27th; it is a reading packet over Black history with some comprehension and response questions.
We will continue to study the 1960s and 70s until about midterm, at which point we will shift to finish out the school year studying the 1980s and 90s.
All 7th and 8th grade students have Quia study activities available as supplementary learning activities outside of class; detailed DDI Study Guides for our Q4 units will be distributed next Monday, following MCAs. Also, all 7th and 8th graders continue to make progress in their independent country research projects; this past week their research topic in Computers class was "Free Choice" research. Next week students will research Travel & Leisure in their countries by creating a one-week vacation inside their countries; this will include hotels and restaurants, sports, national parks, arts and entertainment, and historic sites within various countries in the world.
As always, please do not hesitate to contact me with questions, concerns, or constructive feedback!
Thanks for reading!
-Ms. Hood
This week is MCA testing, school-wide, so I only see each group of students two times this week instead of five. During those two class periods, though, we are moving forward in our studies! Here's what we're up to:
7th Grade:
We are now almost finished with the novel, The Truth About Sparrows; some of the predominant themes at this point in the plot are hard work, change, loneliness, friendship, and sacrifice. Woven throughout the novel are interesting little tidbits of information about daily life for Americans impacted by the Great Depression, such as making mattresses using chicken feathers and listening to The Lone Ranger on the radio. Today we read Ch. 18 in class; I read aloud while the students did a "Listen and Draw" activity to create a pictoral summary of events in the chapter.
Also in the past week, we watched a PBS documentary entitled, "Surviving The Dust Bowl", and made a "musical timeline" of Woody Guthrie song lyrics to chronicle the era.
Next week 7th graders will be tested over countries in Northwest Africa, such as Senegal and the Ivory Coast. We will also analyze cartoons from the 1930s as primary sources, recording evidence of, for example, standards of beauty and strength, as well as stereotypes of men and women from the period. We'll continue to study different aspects of the 1930s and 40s until about midterm this quarter, at which point we'll move on to WW2.
8th Grade:
Last week in Social Studies I was sincerely impressed with the students' analysis and discussion of primary sources from the Harlem Renaissance; we looked at paintings, photographs, music, and poetry to examine themes of the movement. I worked directly with the "Paintings" station, and with some prompting cues, students were noticing some very high-level similarities between all the paintings at the station and discussing the literal and figurative meanings of the images!
This week we have continued to look more closely at the Civil Rights Movement in the U.S. during the 1950s and 60s. We just started watching excerpts from the PBS series, "Eyes On The Prize"; today's excerpt focused on the murder of Emmett Till. Future excerpts will cover the full spectrum of "classic" Civil Rights Movement people and events, including MLK Jr., Rosa Parks, Freedom Summer, and the Little Rock 9, among others.
Next week we will do a series of lessons looking at "Freedom Songs" from the Civil Rights era; students will analyze song lyrics, messages, and rhythm and draw comparisons to political and social events from the same time period.
Students have a homework assignment due next Friday, April 27th; it is a reading packet over Black history with some comprehension and response questions.
We will continue to study the 1960s and 70s until about midterm, at which point we will shift to finish out the school year studying the 1980s and 90s.
All 7th and 8th grade students have Quia study activities available as supplementary learning activities outside of class; detailed DDI Study Guides for our Q4 units will be distributed next Monday, following MCAs. Also, all 7th and 8th graders continue to make progress in their independent country research projects; this past week their research topic in Computers class was "Free Choice" research. Next week students will research Travel & Leisure in their countries by creating a one-week vacation inside their countries; this will include hotels and restaurants, sports, national parks, arts and entertainment, and historic sites within various countries in the world.
As always, please do not hesitate to contact me with questions, concerns, or constructive feedback!
Thanks for reading!
-Ms. Hood
Friday, April 6, 2012
Welcome back to Fourth Quarter!
Welcome back from a beautiful Spring Break!
I hope you all had as restful and enjoyable a break as I did. I often fill my breaks with trainings and travels, but this time I took it easy. It felt really nice. I visited some friends and family in Iowa, but aside from that I just putzed around, really :)
Here's a summary of what we'll be studying during Q4 in Social Studies:
7th Grade:
This quarter in 7th grade Social Studies we'll be concentrating on the 1930s and 1940s. We spent most of last quarter studying U.S. history in the 1920s, covering topics such as Women's Suffrage, Prohibition, the Harlem Renaissance, and the Stock Market Crash of 1929. We'll start of this new quarter looking at the Dust Bowl, Great Depression, and New Deal; all that will take us up until about midterm. Then the latter half of this last quarter we'll focus on WW2-- an epic topic. We'll look at WW2 from the angles of the European and Pacific theaters, "the homefront" in the U.S., and marginally from "the rest of the world", including places such as Africa and Central and South America (places less directly impacted by the war). We will, of course, learn about the Holocaust during this unit, and will also look at the Japanese internment camps in the U.S.; after we finish up reading The Truth About Sparrows, students will choose from one of four WW2-themed novels and participate in Literature Circles. Book choices include: The Diary of Anne Frank, On Hitler's Mountain, When My Name Was Keoko, and A Farewell to Manzanar.
8th Grade:
This quarter in 8th grade Social Studies we'll be concentrating on the 1960s-80s U.S. and world history. Last quarter we concentrated on the early Cold War in the U.S. and abroad; in Language Arts students read The Red Scarf Girl, which supported our Social Studies unit on Mao's China; in Social Studies we learned a lot about the Soviet Union and McCarthyism in the U.S., and finished off last quarter learning about the Korean War, Bay of Pigs Invasion, and Cuban Missile Crisis.
In this new quarter we'll learn more about the presidencies of JFK, LBJ, Nixon, Ford, Carter, and Reagan; we'll also learn about the Civil Rights Movement (and read A Raisin in the Sun), social activism in the U.S., the Vietnam War, and the Middle East and oil politics. We'll cover topics such as the fall of the Berlin Wall, The Singing Revolution in the Baltic states, Tiananmen Square, and the Iranian Revolution. We'll get as close to 2012 in history as time allows!
Throughout all of this, all 7th and 8th graders will continue working on their independent country research projects. The weekly research topics and assignments we've been working on since the end of Q2 will be put towards a 5 Paragraph Essay and an oral and visual presentation; both the essay and oral/visual presentation will be due at the very end of the quarter/school year.
Whew! That's a lot, but we'll do our best :)
Please don't forget that I post homework and due dates on my class Twitter account (@MsHoodsHoodlums).
Please always feel free to contact me with questions, concerns, and constructive feedback!
See you next week!
Thanks,
Ms. Hood
I hope you all had as restful and enjoyable a break as I did. I often fill my breaks with trainings and travels, but this time I took it easy. It felt really nice. I visited some friends and family in Iowa, but aside from that I just putzed around, really :)
Here's a summary of what we'll be studying during Q4 in Social Studies:
7th Grade:
This quarter in 7th grade Social Studies we'll be concentrating on the 1930s and 1940s. We spent most of last quarter studying U.S. history in the 1920s, covering topics such as Women's Suffrage, Prohibition, the Harlem Renaissance, and the Stock Market Crash of 1929. We'll start of this new quarter looking at the Dust Bowl, Great Depression, and New Deal; all that will take us up until about midterm. Then the latter half of this last quarter we'll focus on WW2-- an epic topic. We'll look at WW2 from the angles of the European and Pacific theaters, "the homefront" in the U.S., and marginally from "the rest of the world", including places such as Africa and Central and South America (places less directly impacted by the war). We will, of course, learn about the Holocaust during this unit, and will also look at the Japanese internment camps in the U.S.; after we finish up reading The Truth About Sparrows, students will choose from one of four WW2-themed novels and participate in Literature Circles. Book choices include: The Diary of Anne Frank, On Hitler's Mountain, When My Name Was Keoko, and A Farewell to Manzanar.
8th Grade:
This quarter in 8th grade Social Studies we'll be concentrating on the 1960s-80s U.S. and world history. Last quarter we concentrated on the early Cold War in the U.S. and abroad; in Language Arts students read The Red Scarf Girl, which supported our Social Studies unit on Mao's China; in Social Studies we learned a lot about the Soviet Union and McCarthyism in the U.S., and finished off last quarter learning about the Korean War, Bay of Pigs Invasion, and Cuban Missile Crisis.
In this new quarter we'll learn more about the presidencies of JFK, LBJ, Nixon, Ford, Carter, and Reagan; we'll also learn about the Civil Rights Movement (and read A Raisin in the Sun), social activism in the U.S., the Vietnam War, and the Middle East and oil politics. We'll cover topics such as the fall of the Berlin Wall, The Singing Revolution in the Baltic states, Tiananmen Square, and the Iranian Revolution. We'll get as close to 2012 in history as time allows!
Throughout all of this, all 7th and 8th graders will continue working on their independent country research projects. The weekly research topics and assignments we've been working on since the end of Q2 will be put towards a 5 Paragraph Essay and an oral and visual presentation; both the essay and oral/visual presentation will be due at the very end of the quarter/school year.
Whew! That's a lot, but we'll do our best :)
Please don't forget that I post homework and due dates on my class Twitter account (@MsHoodsHoodlums).
Please always feel free to contact me with questions, concerns, and constructive feedback!
See you next week!
Thanks,
Ms. Hood
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Last Week, Q3!
Hi all!
This quarter has seemed faster than any I can remember! The results of the DDI quizzes in both 7th and 8th grades were very positive-- the average score in both grade levels was in the low 80s, percentage-wise. I was very pleased with those results.
7th graders were tested over major concepts of the 1920s U.S. history, while 8th graders were tested over major concepts of the 1950s, both U.S. and world history as it relates to the spread of communism and communist dictatorships.
Here's where we're at in Social Studies:
7th:
7th graders have been engaged in a stock market simulation for the past week; students designed inventions/products and created advertisements for their products, then simulated the trading floor of the stock exchange, recording how much money was invested in their company, and how much money they invested in other peoples' companies. Today we revealed which businesses failed and which succeeded, with a majoring of students losing money to simulate "The Crash of 1929", which led to the Great Depression.
8th:
8th graders recently completed a readers' theater piece about General Douglas MacArthur and the Korean War; for the remainder of this week we'll be learning about JFK's presidency, with particular attention to how it related to the Cold War, focusing on the Bay of Pigs Invasion and Cuban Missile Crisis; along with that we'll be learning about Castro and Khruschev.
Next quarter in 7th grade we'll finish up our study of the Dust Bowl, Great Depression, and New Deal, and end the year with WW2; in 8th grade next quarter we'll wrap up our look at the early Cold War and focus more on the social movements in the U.S. during the 1960s and 70s, including the Civil Rights Movement and Vietnam War era.
Please remember that an optional Sexual Education Seminar will be offered at Paideia over Spring Break; this is open to all 7th and 8th grade students and requires a signed permission slip from a parent/guardian.
Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.
Thanks!
Leah Hood
This quarter has seemed faster than any I can remember! The results of the DDI quizzes in both 7th and 8th grades were very positive-- the average score in both grade levels was in the low 80s, percentage-wise. I was very pleased with those results.
7th graders were tested over major concepts of the 1920s U.S. history, while 8th graders were tested over major concepts of the 1950s, both U.S. and world history as it relates to the spread of communism and communist dictatorships.
Here's where we're at in Social Studies:
7th:
7th graders have been engaged in a stock market simulation for the past week; students designed inventions/products and created advertisements for their products, then simulated the trading floor of the stock exchange, recording how much money was invested in their company, and how much money they invested in other peoples' companies. Today we revealed which businesses failed and which succeeded, with a majoring of students losing money to simulate "The Crash of 1929", which led to the Great Depression.
8th:
8th graders recently completed a readers' theater piece about General Douglas MacArthur and the Korean War; for the remainder of this week we'll be learning about JFK's presidency, with particular attention to how it related to the Cold War, focusing on the Bay of Pigs Invasion and Cuban Missile Crisis; along with that we'll be learning about Castro and Khruschev.
Next quarter in 7th grade we'll finish up our study of the Dust Bowl, Great Depression, and New Deal, and end the year with WW2; in 8th grade next quarter we'll wrap up our look at the early Cold War and focus more on the social movements in the U.S. during the 1960s and 70s, including the Civil Rights Movement and Vietnam War era.
Please remember that an optional Sexual Education Seminar will be offered at Paideia over Spring Break; this is open to all 7th and 8th grade students and requires a signed permission slip from a parent/guardian.
Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.
Thanks!
Leah Hood
Friday, February 24, 2012
Social Studies Update
Hi all!
Here's the latest from Social Studies Land...
7th:
This week we analyzed the famous Langston Hughes poem, "Let America Be America Again", read on in The Truth About Sparrows, and began watching certain sections of the film, Iron Jawed Angels, which is about the life of Alice Paul and her work towards achieving women's suffrage in the U.S. Prior to watching the film we reviewed the key figures and events portrayed in the movie; while students are watching they are recording important information such as, "On what issues did suffragettes disagree WITH EACH OTHER?" And, "List at least 5 different forms of protest the suffragettes used to try to win women's suffrage." Next week we will learn about the "Scopes Monkey Trial" and review the Labor Movement, Women's Suffrage, Prohibition, and the Harlem Renaissance for our DDI quiz on Thursday.
8th:
This week we learned about McCarthyism by examining both primary and secondary sources about the topic. Students watched primary source footage of the rebuttle to McCarthy ("... Have you no decency, sir? At long last, have you no decency?...") in the House and read the letter from playwright Lillian Hellman to the House Un-American Activities Committee. Today 8th grade students did a Listen-and-Draw activity while I read aloud to them from one of our three textbooks. Next week we will discuss the concept of "The Fourth Estate", and have a guest speaker to discuss how she was impacted by McCarthyism. Wednesday and Thursday will be taken up by DDI, and Friday I promised the kids we'd have a light-hearted lesson about the 1950s; we'll watch more anti-Soviet propaganda films (which the kids love) from the 50s, listen to music, and maybe even have an impromptu "Sock Hop" :)
Both grade levels have continued researching about the country of their choosing in Computers class; so far they have used sources such as the CIA World Factbook, the BBC's Country Profiles, UNESCO, and The World Bank. Research topics have so far included: Business/Economy, Transportation, Society & People, Environment, and Science, Technology & Communications. Upcoming research topics will include Education, Recreation, and Religion & Culture.
All of my students have DDI Study Guides and Quia study games available to them to prepare for their graded DDI quiz next Thursday, March 1st.
Please remember that I continue to post homework and due dates on my class Twitter account (@MsHoodsHoodlums).
As always, please feel free to contact me with any questions, concerns, or constructive feedback.
Thanks!
Ms. Hood
Here's the latest from Social Studies Land...
7th:
This week we analyzed the famous Langston Hughes poem, "Let America Be America Again", read on in The Truth About Sparrows, and began watching certain sections of the film, Iron Jawed Angels, which is about the life of Alice Paul and her work towards achieving women's suffrage in the U.S. Prior to watching the film we reviewed the key figures and events portrayed in the movie; while students are watching they are recording important information such as, "On what issues did suffragettes disagree WITH EACH OTHER?" And, "List at least 5 different forms of protest the suffragettes used to try to win women's suffrage." Next week we will learn about the "Scopes Monkey Trial" and review the Labor Movement, Women's Suffrage, Prohibition, and the Harlem Renaissance for our DDI quiz on Thursday.
8th:
This week we learned about McCarthyism by examining both primary and secondary sources about the topic. Students watched primary source footage of the rebuttle to McCarthy ("... Have you no decency, sir? At long last, have you no decency?...") in the House and read the letter from playwright Lillian Hellman to the House Un-American Activities Committee. Today 8th grade students did a Listen-and-Draw activity while I read aloud to them from one of our three textbooks. Next week we will discuss the concept of "The Fourth Estate", and have a guest speaker to discuss how she was impacted by McCarthyism. Wednesday and Thursday will be taken up by DDI, and Friday I promised the kids we'd have a light-hearted lesson about the 1950s; we'll watch more anti-Soviet propaganda films (which the kids love) from the 50s, listen to music, and maybe even have an impromptu "Sock Hop" :)
Both grade levels have continued researching about the country of their choosing in Computers class; so far they have used sources such as the CIA World Factbook, the BBC's Country Profiles, UNESCO, and The World Bank. Research topics have so far included: Business/Economy, Transportation, Society & People, Environment, and Science, Technology & Communications. Upcoming research topics will include Education, Recreation, and Religion & Culture.
All of my students have DDI Study Guides and Quia study games available to them to prepare for their graded DDI quiz next Thursday, March 1st.
Please remember that I continue to post homework and due dates on my class Twitter account (@MsHoodsHoodlums).
As always, please feel free to contact me with any questions, concerns, or constructive feedback.
Thanks!
Ms. Hood
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Almost Midterm again!
Hello, Paideia families!
First, my apologies for not having updated this blog with a new post in the past few weeks! This quarter has really gotten away from me. But it's going really well-- I will describe it below :)
7th Grade:
Where We've Been:
We have been studying The Roaring (19)20s! I think this is a fascinating decade in U.S. history; it includes the Labor and Women's Suffrage Movements, as well as Prohibition, and it is these three movements that we've covered so far. We watched a PBS documentary about the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire and have been using a variety of sources (songs, video clips, readings) to learn about Women's Suffrage. Just today we started formally discussing Prohibition. Today's Journal entry in 7th grade was a set of questions about stereotypes, rights, and attitudes about women and men in the U.S. and in other parts of the world today. Students made some great observations and First Period in particular had a lively and engaging whole class discussion!
Where We're At:
We are currently working on discussing the connection between Women's Suffrage and the Temperance Movement in the U.S. We made timelines of important events in the Women's Suffrage Movement and used one of our three textbooks as a source for consideration in our 4-Source Comparison Packets, analyzing the chapters about Women's Suffrage and Prohibition for perspective and bias.
Where We're Going:
Tomorrow we'll be rotating through stations, all of which use different sources to teach about Prohibition, but each of which uses different types of sources; next week we'll discuss the gangster culture that arose out of Prohibition, speakeasies, flappers, The Charleston, and later the Harlem Renaissance, stock market speculation and crash, and finally the Dust Bowl, Great Depression, and New Deal.
8th Grade:
Where We've Been:
We made some really great looking flow charts (on display now in the hallway) describing the roles and relationships of key figures of the Russian Revolution, watched documentaries about Lenin and Stalin, rotated through stations teaching about life in the Soviet Union and the gulag system, did a brief reading about Chairman Mao, and reviewed communism and capitalism.
Where We're At:
Today we are doing a simulation about the redistribution of wealth during the communist experiments of the mid-20th century; we are also watching some old propaganda footage from the Cold War, and working to answer student questions/confusion about these different economic systems. Mr. Mitsch and I have been truly impressed with the students' eagerness to learn about and understand these theories, and at the high level of student questions!
Where We're Going:
We will be learning more about Chairman Mao and communist China next week, then moving on to discuss the Red Scare and McCarthyism in the U.S., along with the concepts of Containment, the nuclear arms race, the Space Race, the Korean War, and all the exciting events of JFK's presidency.
Also in 7th & 8th grades we continue to focus on Independent Research; each student has chosen a country (not the U.S.) to research throughout this school year, and is currently conducting more focused, teacher-guided research each week, in preparation for a 5-Paragraph Essay and Oral Presentation at the end of Q4. Students have been using the CIA World Factbook and other credible, online sources to find out about Business/Economy, Transportation Systems, and Population Issues in the country of their choosing. Next week student research will be focused on Environmental issues, followed by Education and Technology.
I really feel like we are building some good foundational skills this year, in history and geography, as well as more generalized thinking and research skills. This year is flying by for me, but it has been one of the best years ever for me as a teacher. This group of students and families is so wonderful to work with. Thank you.
Please keep in mind that I continue to post homework and quiz due dates on my class Twitter account (@MsHoodsHoodlums), and that many resources are available via our class Gmail account.
As always, if you have any questions, concerns, or constructive feedback, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Thanks and take care,
Leah Hood
First, my apologies for not having updated this blog with a new post in the past few weeks! This quarter has really gotten away from me. But it's going really well-- I will describe it below :)
7th Grade:
Where We've Been:
We have been studying The Roaring (19)20s! I think this is a fascinating decade in U.S. history; it includes the Labor and Women's Suffrage Movements, as well as Prohibition, and it is these three movements that we've covered so far. We watched a PBS documentary about the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire and have been using a variety of sources (songs, video clips, readings) to learn about Women's Suffrage. Just today we started formally discussing Prohibition. Today's Journal entry in 7th grade was a set of questions about stereotypes, rights, and attitudes about women and men in the U.S. and in other parts of the world today. Students made some great observations and First Period in particular had a lively and engaging whole class discussion!
Where We're At:
We are currently working on discussing the connection between Women's Suffrage and the Temperance Movement in the U.S. We made timelines of important events in the Women's Suffrage Movement and used one of our three textbooks as a source for consideration in our 4-Source Comparison Packets, analyzing the chapters about Women's Suffrage and Prohibition for perspective and bias.
Where We're Going:
Tomorrow we'll be rotating through stations, all of which use different sources to teach about Prohibition, but each of which uses different types of sources; next week we'll discuss the gangster culture that arose out of Prohibition, speakeasies, flappers, The Charleston, and later the Harlem Renaissance, stock market speculation and crash, and finally the Dust Bowl, Great Depression, and New Deal.
8th Grade:
Where We've Been:
We made some really great looking flow charts (on display now in the hallway) describing the roles and relationships of key figures of the Russian Revolution, watched documentaries about Lenin and Stalin, rotated through stations teaching about life in the Soviet Union and the gulag system, did a brief reading about Chairman Mao, and reviewed communism and capitalism.
Where We're At:
Today we are doing a simulation about the redistribution of wealth during the communist experiments of the mid-20th century; we are also watching some old propaganda footage from the Cold War, and working to answer student questions/confusion about these different economic systems. Mr. Mitsch and I have been truly impressed with the students' eagerness to learn about and understand these theories, and at the high level of student questions!
Where We're Going:
We will be learning more about Chairman Mao and communist China next week, then moving on to discuss the Red Scare and McCarthyism in the U.S., along with the concepts of Containment, the nuclear arms race, the Space Race, the Korean War, and all the exciting events of JFK's presidency.
Also in 7th & 8th grades we continue to focus on Independent Research; each student has chosen a country (not the U.S.) to research throughout this school year, and is currently conducting more focused, teacher-guided research each week, in preparation for a 5-Paragraph Essay and Oral Presentation at the end of Q4. Students have been using the CIA World Factbook and other credible, online sources to find out about Business/Economy, Transportation Systems, and Population Issues in the country of their choosing. Next week student research will be focused on Environmental issues, followed by Education and Technology.
I really feel like we are building some good foundational skills this year, in history and geography, as well as more generalized thinking and research skills. This year is flying by for me, but it has been one of the best years ever for me as a teacher. This group of students and families is so wonderful to work with. Thank you.
Please keep in mind that I continue to post homework and quiz due dates on my class Twitter account (@MsHoodsHoodlums), and that many resources are available via our class Gmail account.
As always, if you have any questions, concerns, or constructive feedback, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Thanks and take care,
Leah Hood
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