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Week 20: January 16-19

Welcome

Happy FID Friday! I'll be honest, I'm torn on how I feel about them. I'm so thankful that we are all able to stay safe at home and not burn through snow days, but I also understand the struggle of trying to keep up with my work and help my sons stay on top of theirs--but the good news is, those decisions are way above my pay grade so it doesn't matter how I feel, haha. This week has been a bit crazy because of the choppy nature due to the weather. With a FID on Friday, there was no time to show a video for the week. 

Social Studies (1, 5 and 6): 

This Past Week: 

  • ✅ #40-Wars for the West List/Group/Label: The students completed the List/Group/Label assignment that we started last week. It was great to hear the students discussing and using the terms to help make connections in their minds. This is by far the most challenging thing the students have done to this point in the year.
  • 50 States Quiz: This quiz turned into an optional assignment for the students--while I do believe it's important to know the states, we simply ran out of time because of all of the weather issues. Some of the students ask for "extra credit" or have been playing the game and really know the states so I told my classes they COULD take the quiz for a grade if they'd like. 
  • Content Check-in #6: The students took the final Content Check-in of the quarter on Friday during their FID. The students were able to take the quiz in locked mode and then make corrections in the comments of the assignment. 

Next Week: 

  • High School Course Selection: Both Monday and Tuesday of this upcoming week will be dedicated to helping the students select courses they will be taking next year. We'll watch a few videos in class on Monday (they will also be shared on Google Classroom) and then the high school guidance counselors will be in class on Tuesday to help with the course selection process. 
  • Quarter Three Timeline: The start of the third quarter brings a new unit of study. We call this unit "The Power of One" because we investigate how singular events, people, and inventions can drastically impact society. This quarter we discuss the industrialization and urbanization of the United States throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries. The students will complete a timeline activity meant to help them get a little overview of the content we'll discuss and practice their research skills. 

Accelerated Social Studies (3 and 8): 

This Past Week: 

  • ✅ Quarter Two Podcast: Most of the week was spent working on their podcast episodes. The goal is to have everything completed when they leave class next Wednesday.
  • 50 States Quiz: This quiz turned into an optional assignment for the students--while I do believe it's important to know the states, we simply ran out of time because of all of the weather issues. Some of the students ask for "extra credit" or have been playing the game and really know the states so I told my classes they COULD take the quiz for a grade if they'd like. 

Next Week:

  • High School Course Selection: Both Monday and Tuesday of this upcoming week will be dedicated to helping the students select courses they will be taking next year. We'll watch a few videos in class on Monday (they will also be shared on Google Classroom) and then the high school guidance counselors will be in class on Tuesday to help with the course selection process. 
  • Quarter Two Podcast: I told the students that they will get one more class period dedicated to their podcasts so they will have class time on Wednesday to finalize their work. The students will need to submit the audio file of their episode, a title for their episode, and a brief description of their episode. 
  • Quarter Three Timeline: The start of the third quarter brings a new unit of study. We call this unit "The Power of One" because we investigate how singular events, people, and inventions can drastically impact society. This quarter we discuss the industrialization and urbanization of the United States throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries. The students will complete a timeline activity meant to help them get a little overview of the content we'll discuss and practice their research skills. 
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