This week marked the mid-point of the first quarter. I realize we only have two (or three) graded assignments submitted, so it may not seem like much, but the frequency of grades will pick up soon. We spend a good deal of time practicing procedures and protocols during the first part of the quarter and now we are "cooking with fire." I was planning on discussing the "re-do" policy and procedures with the students on Friday but I was at home with a sick kiddo--so I'll introduce it on Monday. The students will have the opportunity to resubmit nearly every assignment they do this year as I wholeheartedly believe in second-chance learning. The students will simply need to complete a "re-do" ticket and turn that in with the work they are resubmitting.
As I was out on Friday, I once again did NOT get a chance to show a video--however, I will be showing one on Monday when we return. This week's video comes from a guy named Inky Johnson and is called "Impose Your Will." Inky was on the fast track to being a millionaire and NFL player before an injury changed everything in an instant. I think you'll love this video-I know I do!
Last Week:
Tuesday: Tuesday was a "what you need" day for the students. Some students needed to finish the Boston Massacre writing piece we did in class on Friday (#019 on the Google Classroom) and others were ready to move on. While the students that needed more time to finish their essays wrote, the rest of the class watched part of America the Story of Us to help gain a broad overview of how we went from the Pilgrims landing at Plymouth Rock, to the first shirts being fired at Lexington & Concord.
*The honor's classes finished working on their #018-Copare & Contrast Colonial Protests products instead of the writing--they finished that earlier last week.
Wednesday: The whole goal of today was to have the students practice something called "Numbermania." In this activity, the students create infographics to tell the story of a historical event. Today, the students created infographics about the Declaration of Independence and the Second Continental Congress. Check out some of the work the kids were able to do in only one class period!
Thursday: We spent today diving into the Declaration to gain a deeper understanding of the goals of our nation. The students were wowed by a story of true love and heartbreak (you'll have to ask them about it) and then we discussed how the Declaration was basically the greatest breakup letter in human history (eat your heart out Taylor Swift). We ended the day by working on paraphrasing and trying to translate the Declaration into modern-day language.
Friday: I was out today but the students continued to work with the preamble of the Declaration by creating either text messages or "Instagram posts" with the content. This assignment is graded and will be finished in class on Monday.
Next Week:
Next week is a bit of an odd week! We are off of school on Wednesday and the students will have shortened class periods on two days so they can take some diagnostic testing. Here's a rough plan of what we're hoping to accomplish in class next week:
Complete ✅ #024-Friday, September 30, 2022, and submit it.
Discuss the process for submitting late work and resubmitting work.
Complete a mid-quarter self and course evaluation.
Complete a "Thick Slide" to help understand the Constitutional Convention.
Begin to discuss the principles of our nation as set forth by the Constitution.
Welcome: This week we welcome the students back from Thanksgiving break and to the month of December! It was a busy week in homeroom as we had a second-step lesson on Wednesday and clubs on Thursday. We've also been busy collecting items for Operation Giving Tree--donations will be accepted through December 11, so please think about helping if you can. Social Studies (Periods 2, 6, 7 and 8): This Past Week: #22-Trails West Google Doc: Most of the week was centered on this Google Doc. The students completed four parts to help them gain a better understanding of the lengths to which Americans went in order to survive and thrive in the West in the 19th century. Part One: This was a simple chart about the trails that went west that the students completed using content burst videos recorded by Miss Boyd (the Orange Team social studies teacher). Part Two: The students then answered a series of questions to help serve as guided research about life on ...
Welcome: Welcome to November! As we turned the page on the calendar we also turned to a new quarter and a new unit of study. This quarter is all about the physical growth of the United States as we start our unit of study called "Surviving and Thriving in the American West." Finally, the students took part in the Chester County mock election--here are the results for our school. Social Studies (Periods 2, 6, 7 and 8): This Past Week: Manifest Destiny Defined: We started the week with a Pear Deck to help the students better understand the meaning of the term "Manifest Destiny" and how it relates to the physical growth of the United States in the 19th century. The students were also asked to analyze a painting from the 19th century called "American Progress." Flashcard Factory: We played a Flashcard Factory to help the students make sense of four key terms for this unit; thriving, surviving, manifest, and destiny. #03-Territories Ch...
Welcome: And just like that we are finished with the seventh week of school and halfway through October! This past week was a fun one as we celebrated homecoming with a Spirit Week that culminated with some fun in the gym at the end of the day on Friday. Don't forget that we have team spirit wear available and information about the Make a Difference Day food collection on our middle school website. This week brought another Friday and another opportunity for an inspirational video. This week we watched a video of one of the most inspiring people I've ever seen--Inky Johnson. Inky talks all about belief and overcoming obstacles in this video. Social Studies (Pd. 1, 5 and 6): This Past Week: Monday: On Monday we finished the episode of America the Story of Us that we were watching about the American Revolution. The students also picked topics for the Common Craft video portion of the American Revolution Menu and got into groups. Tuesday: To...
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