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Friday, January 6, 2023

 Welcome: 

Welcome back! I hope you had a wonderful holiday and are off to a happy and healthy new year. As we turn the calendar to 2023 it's also time to really start thinking about next year for our students (I know, it seems insane). Teachers are finalizing their initial course recommendations for the students for next year (this can change) and the students will be taking time to pick electives over the next few days. 


I actually showed two videos this week--one on Tuesday when we returned and one on Friday as we ended the week. Tuesday's video goes back to one of my favorite content creators--Prince EA. The video is all about helping to set goals and make this year your best year yet. Following in that theme was Friday's video--"I will teach you to become LIMITLESS" by Swami Sarvapriyananda. Both videos are great reminders for us to dream big and push past what we think is possible in life. 

This Past Week: 

  • Tuesday: We eased our way back into the "school thing" today. The students finished up the Common Craft videos and group/self-evaluations that they started before the break. They were also given time to work on an assignment called #033-January Reflection which forced them to think about their past year and what they hope to do this upcoming year. 
  • Wednesday: We shifted our focus today and started to look at the Indian Removal Act of 1830, the ensuing Supreme Court Case, and the Trail of Tears. The students used #034-Indian Removal and the Trail of Tears to guide their learning of the content.  
  • Thursday: The students finished taking notes in #034 today and completed two different Blooket review games to ensure they understood the process by which the Cherokee and other "civilized tribes" were removed from lands east of the Mississippi River and sent to lands west of it. 
  • Friday: Today was all about making sense of the content we discussed over the past few weeks. After taking a Quizizz to make sure the students understood the content they were given class today to create either a 1-minute video explaining the Indian Removal Act and the Supreme Court case or they could create an infographic about the Trail of Tears. 
Next Week: 
We'll continue our investigation of the treatment of the various Native American tribes by the United States government in the 1800s this week as we seek to answer the question "Should the US pay reparations to Native American tribes?" Here are some of the topics that will be discussed this week in both my accelerated & regular social studies classes:
  • Treaties that were signed 
  • Life on reservations 
  • Violence at Sand Creek, Little Bighorn Valley & Wounded Knee Cree. 
  • Additionally, the students will watch a video about the variety of electives offered to them next year at the high school. 





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