Skip to main content

Week Two: Friday, September 9, 2022

 Welcome! 

Week two is in the books and it already feels like we've been here for a few months (and I mean that in a good way)! The students are doing a great job in picking up the routines and procedures in my class and school in general. We watched a great video about the true meaning of life and what we can be striving to achieve by Jay Shetty on Friday--give yourself a few minutes to watch it, I think you'll like it. 


Social Studies Update: 

Tuesday:
Today was another day getting into routines and using new tools. We used Google Autodraw to create icons today to help the students get used to doing quick "Sketch & Tell" activities. We also completed a Frayer Organizer to better help the students understand Mastery-Based Learning since that will be the focus for the year. 

Wednesday: 
Today was the first day the students really directed their own learning. We spent the day working through #006-Unit Zero Mastery Grid. The students worked on the note-taking process, understanding how the Google Classroom is set up, guiding their own work, and keeping track of it. 

Thursday: 
The focus for today was getting the kids used to creating infographics using Google Slides and creating a particular type of presentation called Thick Slides. We'll create both of these things from time to time throughout the year to help tell the story of American history.

Friday: 
It's finally the end of the week and the students spent time submitting their #006-Mastery Grid, reflecting on the work they did, and using Flip (formerly Flipgrid) to explain their work and thinking through the mastery grid. Finally, we finished up by having the students do a "History of Mr. Brilla" by investigating primary sources from my life. 

Next Week in Class 



This upcoming week will be the first Mastery Grid the students will complete that will be history-based and end in a graded assignment. The students will start by watching three videos about historical content and skills that they will use later in the unit. The videos will replace the traditional lecture you might be familiar with when we were in school. Upon the completion of the videos and notes, the students will take a Mastery Check to ensure they got the concepts from the videos. While this mastery check is not graded, the student will need to score at least a 90% before they can move on with their work. Towards the end of the week, the students will begin to look at primary sources in history and finally investigate sources from the Boston Massacre to help them decide which side, the British or the Colonists, deserves more of the blame for the violence. 

Podcast Link: 

Click here to listen to the podcast.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Week Nine: Friday, October 28, 2022

Welcome:  Nine weeks down! I can't believe that we are already at the end of the first quarter and that the students will be taking their Civics Exam on Friday! This past week we were able to watch a great video from Goalcast that talks about the wisdom of a third grade drop out and asks the students "how ya living?" The video is a longer one (almost 10 minutes) but is well-worth the time to watch and I pick up new things each time I watch it. I hope you enjoy!  Social Studies (Periods 1, 4 & 5)  This Past Week: Tuesday:  The students did an activity called Iron Chef today. They worked in groups of 4 to create a presentation about 4 amendments in the Bill of Rights and then presented before leaving class. Check out some of the slides they were able to create here.  Wednesday:  We started to look at some of the responsibilities American citizens have today by discussing the process by which we elect our presidents. After playing a bit of a review game fo...
Post a Comment
Read more

Week Three: Friday, September 13, 2034

Welcome:  This week, we had the privilege of watching a video titled "Dear High School Self," created by a former student. This heartfelt message serves as a poignant reminder for our students to cherish their time in school, as it passes quickly. Many students found it relatable and impactful, highlighting the importance of reflection during their formative years.   This Past Week: Monday: I was out today for a few doctor's appointments and the students worked on a Wizer activity meant to help them differentiate between primary and secondary sources and recognize bias. The guest teacher had nothing but great things to say about the students!  Tuesday:  Today was the final day for the students to work on their Unit One Timelines (#10 on the Google Classroom). It was great to hear the students discussing the different ways to go about finding the information for the timeline. One student said, "ohhh, it's like a game and you have to put together the clues."  ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Week Six: September 30-October 4

Welcome:  Just like that, we are into the last week of September. I was talking to one of the students in my third-period class about how quickly this year is flying by—we are already one-eighth of the way through it. The students participated in some Spirit Week competitions to help celebrate Homecoming this week and it was great to see so many kids decked out in jerseys, team colors, and, school colors.  I decided to show a quick clip from the movie The Pursuit of Happyness  since we were discussing the Declaration of Independence. The movie is a great movie based on the real-life story of Chris Gardner. We watched a 2-minute clip about the importance of dreams and never letting anyone squash your dreams.  This Past Week:  The Fight Begins: The students used this slide deck to guide them through most of the work they needed to complete this week. I was out on Monday and Tuesday for training from the district so this helped them.  Boston Massacre Writing A...
Post a Comment
Read more