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 The students will start by watching three videos about historical content and skills that they will use later in the unit.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 16: Decemberr 9, 2024

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 ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Week Eight: October 14-18, 2024

Welcome:  Just like that, we are into the middle of October and more than halfway done the first quarter! The students started the annual fundraiser this past week and went wild over rubber ducks and possible trips to Citizens Bank Park. Next week marks the beginning of the Make a Difference Day collection--the students will be collecting canned goods, paper products, and personal hygiene products to donate to the Coventry Food Pantry to support local families.  I've been listening to a lot of Ryan Holiday and his Daily Stoic podcast lately and he has been on a moment mori kick. Momento mori  is the idea that everything must die, it although it sounds morbid, is a great reminder for us to live our lives to the fullest. This reminded me of one of my favorite clips from the movie Dead Poets Society-- we didn't have time to watch it on Friday so we'll start the week with it on Monday.  This Past Week:  Three Branches Mastery Grid: The students spent most of the wee...
Post a Comment
Read more

Week Nine: October 21-25

Welcome This week we continued to collect for the North Coventry Food Pantry as a school for the annual Make A Difference Day drive. The students can continue to bring in canned goods, paper products, and personal hygiene products throughout the week. This is an outstanding drive since everything stays right here in this community.  This Past Week:  Social Studies (Periods 2, 6, 7 and 8)  #38-Three Branches Infographic:  This assignment is designed as a culminating project where students synthesize their understanding of the three branches of government. After thoroughly investigating the legislative, executive, and judicial branches, students created an infographic that serves as a quick reference for key information. This includes the primary responsibilities of each branch, additional roles they perform, and the specific requirements for serving in each branch. The infographic offers a visual summary that students can use for future reference in understanding the ...
Post a Comment
Read more