Mr. Brilla's Musings

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...

Welcome:  Wow--and just like that the first quarter of the school year is over! The students and I were talking in class this past week about how slowly the year started (partially because of the Cavalcante days I believe) and how quickly time is flying by now. The first quarter is over and I am working my way through the last few graded assignments we had and any work that had been resubmitted or submitted after the due date.  We were able to take a little extra time and watch a longer video on Friday at the end of the quarter. This past week we watched one of my favorite Goal Cast videos all about wisdom and the ability to never give up. I hope you can take 10 minutes to watch the video--I think you'll love it.  Social Studies (Periods 1, 5 and 6)  This Past Week:  Monday:  We started the week with a quick reading about the Electoral College so the students got a better understanding of how we elect our president. The students then did a Sketch and Tell a...

Welcome:  I simply can't believe we are already done with the ninth week of school and almost finished the month of October and the first marking period! The district finished up our Make a Difference Day drive and was able to donate a bus full of food and personal products to the North Coventry Food Pantry.  I actually ended up showing two videos on Friday this week. The first video I decided to show this week is about a cancer survivor who climbed Mount Everest with only one functioning lung. Then, as we were watching the first video I remembered a second clip about one of my former wrestlers who also overcame some obstacles to climb Mt. Everest so I showed that one as well. I hope you enjoy it!  Social Studies (Periods 1, 5 and 6) This Past Week: Monday: We started the week by playing the Gimkit for the third and final content check before doing a quick content burst about the principles of the US Constitution. Finally, the students worked on their  #036-Three Bra...

Welcome: Another week down and we are getting ever closer to the end of the first marking period. The students finished up our school fundraiser this week and also kicked off the Make a Difference Day drive. Be sure to check out the information about the event on our homepage . Each year I am lucky enough to help unload the bus of goods collected by OJR with our wrestling team and I can tell you that the North Coventry Food Pantry is very appreciative of our district.  This week I showed a quick inspirational video on Friday because we had so much going on in class. The clip was just over 2:00 of a great scene from one of my favorite movies-- Dead Poets Society.  Check out the video below about the importance of being yourself and not always trying to conform to the crowd.  Social Studies (Pd. 1, 5 and 6): This Past Week: Monday:  The students started the week off by completing a Google Form to help them reflect on their understanding of the Common Craft project in #...

Welcome:  And just like that we are finished with the seventh week of school and halfway through October! This past week was a fun one as we celebrated homecoming with a Spirit Week that culminated with some fun in the gym at the end of the day on Friday. Don't forget that we have team spirit wear available and information about the Make a Difference Day food collection on our middle school website.   This week brought another Friday and another opportunity for an inspirational video. This week we watched a video of one of the most inspiring people I've ever seen--Inky Johnson. Inky talks all about belief and overcoming obstacles in this video.  Social Studies (Pd. 1, 5 and 6):  This Past Week:  Monday:  On Monday we finished the episode of America the Story of Us  that we were watching about the American Revolution. The students also picked topics for the Common Craft video portion of the American Revolution Menu and got into groups.  Tuesday: To...

Welcome Social Studies (Periods 1, 5 and 6): This Past Week: Monday: Today was all about helping the students prepare for the mastery check on Wednesday. We started by playing a Blooket to review for the check-in. The students then created a thin slide to help them remember the correct answer to the question they missed the most. Finally, we did a Pear Deck Flashcard Factory for the 5 most commonly missed answers from the Blooket to help them review just a little more.  Tuesday: We spent today investigating the Declaration of Independence. The students were given time to work in collaborative groups to help create presentations meant to help us better understand the goals and guiding beliefs of the Declaration of Independence.  Wednesday: The students took our first content check of the year today and also worked on finishing up their "Iron Chef" presentations to help them better understand the principles behind our Declaration of Independence and the formation of the United ...

Welcome Here's the video we watched this week--it's another Prince EA video and I think you'll enjoy it. This video is all about happiness and Albert Einstein's take on what it truly means to be happy. I hope you watch and enjoy it!  Social Studies (1, 5 and 6) This Past Week:  Monday: No School!  Tuesday: My period 1 and 6 classes spent today researching the events that unfolded on March 5, 1770, in Boston by completing the assignment called #020-Boston Massacre Eyewitness Chart. The students will be using this chart on Thursday to do their first graded in-class writing assignment. Period 5 students did this on Friday and went to the LGI to see the presentation by the CCIU that the other classes saw last week.  Wednesday: Today was all about ensuring the students were ready for their writing tomorrow in class. First, we went over the #020-Boston Massacre Eyewitness charts, then the students were given time to plan their writing and complete a graphic organizer and w...