Skip to main content

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 Assignment: The focus of the week was the in-class writing assignment about the Boston Massacre. The students looked at eyewitness testimonies of the events last week and used those testimonies to decide which side deserved more of the blame for the violence--the soldiers or the colonists. Most students were able to finish this before we left for the weekend but there are a few who will be finishing their essays with me during homerooms this upcoming week or on their own--whatever works best for each student. 
  • Declaration of Independence: We started to discuss our nation's key documents this week when we introduced the Declaration of Independence.
    • My period 3 accelerated students created and delivered a quick Iron Chef Presentation about the principles of the Declaration as laid out by the preamble and how our nation has fought to uphold them. 
    • My social studies classes did a quick station rotation in which they watched a content burst video about the Second Continental Congress, analyzed experts from the preamble to the Declaration, and explored using Canva to create videos. 

This Upcoming Week:

  • Content Check-in #2: The students will take the second content check-in of the year on Friday. I've linked the quizlet flashcards both here and on the Google Classroom for any student who would like to review throughout the week on their own time. 
  • Three Branches Mastery Grid: The students will begin to investigate how the three branches of government operate this week. My accelerated class will start on Tuesday, while the social studies classes (periods 2, 6, 7, and 8) will most likely start on Friday. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

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 Two: Friday, September 6, 2024

Welcome:  I simply cannot believe how quickly these past two weeks have gone! We are nine days into school and the students are doing great. They have been learning the new morning routines and bell schedules and it's starting to feel like we never left for summer break.  This week I showed a quick little video about happiness by Jay Shetty. If you follow anything in the personal growth space you may know that Shetty has come under fire recently as claims that he may have embellished his background have surfaced. I feel that we can all believe whatever we like about him, but the message of this video still stands--it's all about how to be truly happy in life.  This Past Week:  Tuesday: The students came back from their long weekend today and were given time to finish the Week 1 Gameboard before we used MagicSchoolAI to practice using AI to research so we can formulate and defend opinions. The big question for today was "Should we study history or is it a waste of tim...
Post a Comment
Read more

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.  Operation Giving Tree 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 C...
Post a Comment
Read more