Skip to main content

Week Twelve: Friday, November 17, 2023

Welcome: 

Well, we are finally finished with the first quarter content and moving on to our next topic--Westward Expansion! I'm very excited to dive into the new content as we get closer to Thanksgiving Break and parent-teacher conferences next week. 

The week after Thanksgiving starts one of my favorite things we do as a school community--Operation Giving Tree. This drive helps make the holidays better for families within our school community. Check out the quick video, flyer and spreadsheet for more information. 



Social Studies (1, 5 and 6) 

This Past Week: 

  • Monday: We took time today to go through a self-directed Pear Deck activity meant to help the students learn the meaning of the term "Manifest Destiny," review for the Civics Exam, join the new Google Classroom, and start working on the first assignment for the second unit called ✅ #01-Westward Map & Timeline Activity. 
  • Tuesday: The students got a preview of the Civics Exam today when we played a Quizizz review game. The students then had a good amount of class time to work on  ✅ #01-Westward Map & Timeline Activity. 
  • Wednesday: We spent the day reviewing for the Civics Exam.
  • Thursday: Today was all about taking the Civics Exam and finishing the  ✅ #01-Westward Map & Timeline Activity. 
  • Friday: We started the content of the second unit today by discussing what it means to survive and thrive and then watching some of America the Story of Us: Westward. The clips do a great job of showing the lengths to which Americans were willing to go in order to survive and thrive in the West in the 1800s. 

Next Week:

  • Chat Stations: We'll take some time to discuss the new unit in an activity called "Chat Stations" which is meant to get the students talking and dealing with the new content. 
  • Map/Timeline/Videos: We will also spend some time discussing the content covered in the #01 Map & Timeline Activities the students completed last night and finishing America the Story of Us video.

Accelerated Social Studies (3 and 8) 

This Past Week: 

  • Monday: The students worked on a self-paced Pear Deck to begin looking at the term "Manifest Destiny," review for the Civics Exam, and then complete  ✅ #01-Westward Map & Timeline Activity. 
  • Tuesday: We started today with a quick Pear Deck activity to introduce the students to four key terms for this quarter; Manifest, Destiny, Thrive & Survive. The students then played a review game for the Civics Exam, investigated how and why the United States came to own Florida and analyzed a historical work of art called American Progress by completing an activity called 8-pARTRS. 
  • Wednesday We spent the day reviewing for the Civics Exam.
  • Thursday: The students spent the day taking their Civics Exam and then we watched some of America the Story of Us: Westward. The clips do a great job of showing the lengths to which Americans were willing to go in order to survive and thrive in the West in the 1800s. 
  • Friday:

Next Week:

We'll continue on with our content bursts in the shortened class periods this week. 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

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...

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...

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."  ...