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
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
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
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Welcome to Q3!
Welcome back to Third Quarter!
I hope everyone enjoyed his/her break and holidays. I did a fair amount of traveling in the region, visiting family in Iowa and spending a lovely long weekend on Lake Superior in Lutsen over New Year's. Other than that, I was pretty lazy :) Although, I did start taking pottery classes, which has been challenging but enjoyable.
Here are a few general announcements for all 7th & 8th graders:
First, a reminder that any Extra Credit Book Reports for Q3 are due tomorrow, Friday, January 20th, 2012.
Next, we hosted a Macalester education student on Tuesday; Ms. Johnson shadowed us for just one day, but it was a great experience and we wish her well as she works to complete her major in Education and her teaching license!
Lastly, we welcome a new co-teacher to 7th & 8th grade Social Studies this quarter: Mr. Dave Mitsch. Mr. Mitsch has been co-teaching in 2nd grade up until this point in the year, but with some welcome staffing additions in Lower Academy, Mr. Mitsch was freed up to join us upstairs; everyone wins in this situation, really, because Mr. Mitsch has a background in teaching older students, as well as teaching Social Studies, and I get the advantage of working more consistently with a co-teacher! This week has gone very smoothly, and I feel so lucky to be working with Dave.
Here's what we're up to:
7th Grade:
This week we started off on Tuesday by doing a "Source Rotation", reading children's books that pertain to the 1920s and 30s and recording facts about U.S. culture, politics, and economics during this time period; yesterday we used the laptops to do credible internet research for our Independent Country Research Projects, which are on-going throughout this school year; this quarter we will be doing the bulk of the research, and next quarter we'll be drafting and completing a 5-Paragraph Essay and Oral/Visual Presentation to inform audiences about the history, current events, and culture of countries around the world. Today we reviewed the chapters we read last quarter in The Truth About Sparrows; students numbered off, got into small groups, and performed short skits presenting at least the three main events in their assigned chapters. Tomorrow we'll end the week by reading on in the novel and completing another Reading Packet; we will also begin a new 4-Source Comparison Packet about The Roaring Twenties, our first source being a documentary video clip from United Streaming.
8th Grade:
This week in 8th grade looked very similar, activity-wise, to 7th grade, only we're studying the 1950s and 60s this quarter. Tuesday we did a "Source Rotation" activity with children's books about the 50s and 60s and recorded facts in graphic organizers about U.S. culture, politics, and economics during those decades. Wednesday we used class time to completed some introductory but directed research for our Independent Country Research Projects; today we reviewed The Russian Revolution by rotating between stations; stations included short video clips about the revolution, excerpts from The Romanov Bride (an historic fiction novel by the same Minneapolis author as The Kitchen Boy, from last school year), quotes by Trotsky and Lenin, and political cartoons about the Russian Revolution and Red Scare in the U.S. Tomorrow we will begin a new 4-Source Comparison Packet about The Cold War, our first source being a documentary video clip overviewing the 1950s.
That about covers it! I'll try to keep you updated as the weeks roll on.
Please don't forget that I post homework assignments and due dates on a daily basis on my class Twitter account: @MsHoodsHoodlums @twitter.com
Please always let me know how I can be of help!
Thanks,
Leah Hood
I hope everyone enjoyed his/her break and holidays. I did a fair amount of traveling in the region, visiting family in Iowa and spending a lovely long weekend on Lake Superior in Lutsen over New Year's. Other than that, I was pretty lazy :) Although, I did start taking pottery classes, which has been challenging but enjoyable.
Here are a few general announcements for all 7th & 8th graders:
First, a reminder that any Extra Credit Book Reports for Q3 are due tomorrow, Friday, January 20th, 2012.
Next, we hosted a Macalester education student on Tuesday; Ms. Johnson shadowed us for just one day, but it was a great experience and we wish her well as she works to complete her major in Education and her teaching license!
Lastly, we welcome a new co-teacher to 7th & 8th grade Social Studies this quarter: Mr. Dave Mitsch. Mr. Mitsch has been co-teaching in 2nd grade up until this point in the year, but with some welcome staffing additions in Lower Academy, Mr. Mitsch was freed up to join us upstairs; everyone wins in this situation, really, because Mr. Mitsch has a background in teaching older students, as well as teaching Social Studies, and I get the advantage of working more consistently with a co-teacher! This week has gone very smoothly, and I feel so lucky to be working with Dave.
Here's what we're up to:
7th Grade:
This week we started off on Tuesday by doing a "Source Rotation", reading children's books that pertain to the 1920s and 30s and recording facts about U.S. culture, politics, and economics during this time period; yesterday we used the laptops to do credible internet research for our Independent Country Research Projects, which are on-going throughout this school year; this quarter we will be doing the bulk of the research, and next quarter we'll be drafting and completing a 5-Paragraph Essay and Oral/Visual Presentation to inform audiences about the history, current events, and culture of countries around the world. Today we reviewed the chapters we read last quarter in The Truth About Sparrows; students numbered off, got into small groups, and performed short skits presenting at least the three main events in their assigned chapters. Tomorrow we'll end the week by reading on in the novel and completing another Reading Packet; we will also begin a new 4-Source Comparison Packet about The Roaring Twenties, our first source being a documentary video clip from United Streaming.
8th Grade:
This week in 8th grade looked very similar, activity-wise, to 7th grade, only we're studying the 1950s and 60s this quarter. Tuesday we did a "Source Rotation" activity with children's books about the 50s and 60s and recorded facts in graphic organizers about U.S. culture, politics, and economics during those decades. Wednesday we used class time to completed some introductory but directed research for our Independent Country Research Projects; today we reviewed The Russian Revolution by rotating between stations; stations included short video clips about the revolution, excerpts from The Romanov Bride (an historic fiction novel by the same Minneapolis author as The Kitchen Boy, from last school year), quotes by Trotsky and Lenin, and political cartoons about the Russian Revolution and Red Scare in the U.S. Tomorrow we will begin a new 4-Source Comparison Packet about The Cold War, our first source being a documentary video clip overviewing the 1950s.
That about covers it! I'll try to keep you updated as the weeks roll on.
Please don't forget that I post homework assignments and due dates on a daily basis on my class Twitter account: @MsHoodsHoodlums @twitter.com
Please always let me know how I can be of help!
Thanks,
Leah Hood
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Happy holidays!
Thank you so, so much to all the students and families who so generously brought me holiday cards and gifts. I cannot tell you how heartwarming it is! I carried an entire box-full of holiday cheer to my car after school last Thursday!
THANK YOU.
-Ms. Hood
P.S. Happy New Year!
P.P.S. @MsHoodsHoodlums @twitter.com
THANK YOU.
-Ms. Hood
P.S. Happy New Year!
P.P.S. @MsHoodsHoodlums @twitter.com
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Semester's End!
We're halfway through the year! So far this has been the best year yet for me in my teaching career; I have great students, a supportive parent/guardian base, and some years of teaching experience under my belt. Although I'm looking forward to the break, I'm full of ideas for next quarter!
Here's how we're finishing out the semester in Social Studies:
7th Grade
Students were tested just today over the 50 states in the United States; it's a big quiz, but they had three weeks to study and lots of study tools to use.
Last Friday we did a Readers' Theater piece about the Russian Revolution, which prepped us for the movie Nicholas & Alexandra; it's an old film, but it does a good job of accurately conveying the events of the Russian Revolution in sequence; the portrayal of real historic figures by actors is always questionable, but I feel that this film captures much of the spirit and complexity of the revolution; students are recording key events and facts as they watch, and we pause every so often to do quick-writes in response to critical thinking questions posited verbally; hopefully these exercises keep students accountable to learning from the chosen medium, and more actively engaged in watching the movie.
8th Grade
This week we finished reading George Orwell's classic "fairy story", Animal Farm, an allegory for totalitarian rule. Today and tomorrow we are watching a movie version of the book. We'll reference the characters and events often next quarter when we study more in-depth Maoist China, Soviet Russia, and McCarthyism in the U.S.
Earlier this week we used credible internet sources to learn about Nelson Mandela and the Apartheid system in South Africa; we also read and analyzed some Apartheid-era poetry, which is pretty powerful stuff.
7th and 8th grade students have another opportunity for extra credit over Winter Break; it is basically the same assignment as was offered over Fall Break, but with different titles to support next quarter's Social Studies content; students can receive the equivalent of one quiz worth of extra credit points by reading (or listening to) a novel related to our upcoming units and completing a basic book report or other pre-approved project which demonstrates comprehension and learning.
Please always feel free to contact me with questions, concerns, or constructive feedback.
Enjoy the break and any holidays you might celebrate!!
Take care,
Leah Hood
Here's how we're finishing out the semester in Social Studies:
7th Grade
Students were tested just today over the 50 states in the United States; it's a big quiz, but they had three weeks to study and lots of study tools to use.
Last Friday we did a Readers' Theater piece about the Russian Revolution, which prepped us for the movie Nicholas & Alexandra; it's an old film, but it does a good job of accurately conveying the events of the Russian Revolution in sequence; the portrayal of real historic figures by actors is always questionable, but I feel that this film captures much of the spirit and complexity of the revolution; students are recording key events and facts as they watch, and we pause every so often to do quick-writes in response to critical thinking questions posited verbally; hopefully these exercises keep students accountable to learning from the chosen medium, and more actively engaged in watching the movie.
8th Grade
This week we finished reading George Orwell's classic "fairy story", Animal Farm, an allegory for totalitarian rule. Today and tomorrow we are watching a movie version of the book. We'll reference the characters and events often next quarter when we study more in-depth Maoist China, Soviet Russia, and McCarthyism in the U.S.
Earlier this week we used credible internet sources to learn about Nelson Mandela and the Apartheid system in South Africa; we also read and analyzed some Apartheid-era poetry, which is pretty powerful stuff.
7th and 8th grade students have another opportunity for extra credit over Winter Break; it is basically the same assignment as was offered over Fall Break, but with different titles to support next quarter's Social Studies content; students can receive the equivalent of one quiz worth of extra credit points by reading (or listening to) a novel related to our upcoming units and completing a basic book report or other pre-approved project which demonstrates comprehension and learning.
Please always feel free to contact me with questions, concerns, or constructive feedback.
Enjoy the break and any holidays you might celebrate!!
Take care,
Leah Hood
Monday, December 12, 2011
Less Than 2 Weeks!
With only 8 days of school left before Winter Break, here's what we're up to:
7th:
This week we are wrapping up our unit on WW1. Today our Journal prompt was, "How do you think life changed for people after the war was over? Life for people on the winning side (The Allies)? Life for people on the losing side (The Central Powers)? What might have been better about life after the war? What might have been challenging about life after the war? How do you think the new wartime technologies effected peoples' daily lives after the war?"
We also started reading a new novel by Marian Hale, entitled "The Truth About Sparrows". The best way I can think of to describe this work of historic fiction is to compare it to "The Grapes of Wrath". (Sorry, my computer isn't allowing me to use italics for some reason!) "The Truth About Sparrows" is a novel set in the U.S. during the Dust Bowl and Great Depression; we will not be able to finish this book before next Thursday, so we'll have to carry it over into Q3. We will complete a Reading Packet for each chapter, including Pre-Reading, During Reading, and Post-Reading exercises.
Today students also completed a graphic organizer about the life of president Woodrow Wilson; later this week we'll examine Wilson's "14 Points" and the League of Nations. We'll also be discussing the Supreme Court decision in Schenck v. United States, and discussing quotes such as, "War is the health of the state", "Peace without victory", and "Making the world safe for democracy".
Next week we'll be watching an historically accurate movie entitled "Nicholas & Alexandra", about the Russian Revolution.
8th:
We finally finished watching the film "Gandhi", starring Sir Ben Kingsley; I don't show very many movies in my classes, but this one I like because it is so well done and historically accurate. Students kept a connections chart during the movie to record similarities between the events and people depicted in the film and events and characters in the novel "Animal Farm", which we will finish before the end of this quarter. Students also did quick-write responses to many questions I asked them during the movie; we would pause the film to do 1-3 sentence written responses and would then share our responses with partners or the whole class before moving on in the movie.
For the remainder of this quarter we'll be learning about the Apartheid system in British South Africa and Nelson Mandela's leadership in that country.
DDI was very successful for both grade levels! The class averages for all sections of 7th and 8th grade Social Studies was 80% or above, which is quite good!
There will be another extra credit reading/book report option over Winter Break, so look for information about that coming up before the end of the quarter.
7th graders have their 50 states map quiz next Wednesday, December 21st. They have lots of study tools available, but please feel free to contact me if you need any assistance in helping your child to study.
Thanks!
Ms. Hood
7th:
This week we are wrapping up our unit on WW1. Today our Journal prompt was, "How do you think life changed for people after the war was over? Life for people on the winning side (The Allies)? Life for people on the losing side (The Central Powers)? What might have been better about life after the war? What might have been challenging about life after the war? How do you think the new wartime technologies effected peoples' daily lives after the war?"
We also started reading a new novel by Marian Hale, entitled "The Truth About Sparrows". The best way I can think of to describe this work of historic fiction is to compare it to "The Grapes of Wrath". (Sorry, my computer isn't allowing me to use italics for some reason!) "The Truth About Sparrows" is a novel set in the U.S. during the Dust Bowl and Great Depression; we will not be able to finish this book before next Thursday, so we'll have to carry it over into Q3. We will complete a Reading Packet for each chapter, including Pre-Reading, During Reading, and Post-Reading exercises.
Today students also completed a graphic organizer about the life of president Woodrow Wilson; later this week we'll examine Wilson's "14 Points" and the League of Nations. We'll also be discussing the Supreme Court decision in Schenck v. United States, and discussing quotes such as, "War is the health of the state", "Peace without victory", and "Making the world safe for democracy".
Next week we'll be watching an historically accurate movie entitled "Nicholas & Alexandra", about the Russian Revolution.
8th:
We finally finished watching the film "Gandhi", starring Sir Ben Kingsley; I don't show very many movies in my classes, but this one I like because it is so well done and historically accurate. Students kept a connections chart during the movie to record similarities between the events and people depicted in the film and events and characters in the novel "Animal Farm", which we will finish before the end of this quarter. Students also did quick-write responses to many questions I asked them during the movie; we would pause the film to do 1-3 sentence written responses and would then share our responses with partners or the whole class before moving on in the movie.
For the remainder of this quarter we'll be learning about the Apartheid system in British South Africa and Nelson Mandela's leadership in that country.
DDI was very successful for both grade levels! The class averages for all sections of 7th and 8th grade Social Studies was 80% or above, which is quite good!
There will be another extra credit reading/book report option over Winter Break, so look for information about that coming up before the end of the quarter.
7th graders have their 50 states map quiz next Wednesday, December 21st. They have lots of study tools available, but please feel free to contact me if you need any assistance in helping your child to study.
Thanks!
Ms. Hood
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