Week of 9/9

6th Grade: This week, the 6th-grade students will begin their first unit, Unit #1: Historical Beginnings of Early Humans, which explores the rise of human civilization and early human groups. Students will gain insights into these groups by examining the art and artifacts they left behind, helping historians learn more about our ancestors and what life was like thousands of years ago. In addition, students will work in small groups to create a visual "cave art" story using provided symbols, demonstrating their understanding of how early humans communicated through art.
 
7th Grade: This week, the 7th-grade students will complete the first half of Unit #1: America Before and After Colonization by taking a quiz on Indigenous groups of North America. They will receive a study guide on 9/9, have a review session on 9/10, and take the quiz on 9/11. After the quiz, we will begin discussing the geographic context of the 13 Colonies, focusing on comparing the New England, Middle, and Southern colonies. To enhance their understanding, students will participate in a gallery walk of Jamestown, exploring what life was like in the first permanent English settlement. This activity will help them visualize early colonists' challenges and daily experiences, setting the stage for further discussions on colonial life and regional differences.
 
8th Grade: This week, the 8th-grade students will wrap up their Flag Unit with a 16-point quiz on European flags. Last week, the students voted on which flags they wanted to study, and they chose 32 European flags. Their quiz will take place on Monday, 9/9, covering only 16 of the 32 flags. After the quiz, we’ll begin our first American History unit: Unit #2: An Expanding Nation. We'll start by exploring Manifest Destiny in the 19th century and its lasting impact on the 21st century. Students will examine differing perspectives on Manifest Destiny to better understand how expansion affected various groups. To conclude the week, students will dive into a CSI investigation of the Louisiana Purchase. In this activity, they'll discover that someone has attempted to rewrite its history, and they'll need to use their historical thinking skills to solve the mystery.
 
The Spirit of Remembrance Lessons - 9/11
The 6th-grade students will participate in a lesson on September 11th, 2001, to gain a deeper understanding of its historical significance and impact on American society. As part of the lesson, they will also enhance their interviewing and communication skills by conducting interviews with individuals who remember the events of that day. In addition, all middle school students will have the opportunity to view several newspapers from September 12th, 2001, which were generously donated to me this year. This will help them understand how the events were reported and how the nation responded in the immediate aftermath.
 
Extra Credit Opportunity for Middle School:
This Tuesday, September 10th, is the first presidential debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris for the 2024 election. I am offering students an extra credit opportunity to learn more about the political process by watching the debate and identifying two takeaways they have after watching. 
 
Watching the debate is a great way to engage with current events and develop critical thinking skills, all in an effort to foster learning about the debate process.
 
Students wishing to earn extra credit should submit their takeaways through the assignment on Google Classroom, which will open on Tuesday. To receive credit, all submissions must be turned in by 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday.