Students will present their Asia videos on Monday, April 30. They need to be turned in before class on Monday so that we have time to view all the videos.
The following day we'll celebrate the end of the unit by having a Lunar New Year Party!. There will be several activities to help us learn about the Chinese legends and traditions surrounding the holiday. To make the party more celebratory, students are encouraged to wear red or another bright color that day. Students can also bring in food to share with the class. If they would like to do so, they must: -Bring enough for everyone to try some (we have between 21 and 28 people per class period) -Bring a traditional New Year food (noodles, dumplings, melon seeds, oranges, or candies) -Bring something that can sit at room temperature until their class time OR bring it in a container to keep it at the safe temperature. Students have spent nearly two weeks researching a nation in Asia. This week they'll be turning that research in a video aimed at preparing President Trump and other US officials to interact with the leaders of those nations. Below is what students should complete in class OR for homework each day.
Monday- Create two graphs and finish ALL research Tuesday- Write script Wednesday- Film Thursday-Film and Edit Friday- Edit, Submit, Troubleshoot Students will show their videos in class on Monday. Those who are behind on any part of the project are welcome to come to tutoring in the mornings or arrange to stay after school in the library (students must discuss with Mrs Ashcraft first). Students selected their own groups for our newest PBL project on East and Southeast Asian nations. We discussed how important it is for our national leaders to form positive relationships with other countries in order to help the US reach its goals and maintain peace in the world. Student groups need to prepare a video presentation geared to US leaders that would prepare them for meeting the leaders of another Asian nation. Student presentations will cover government, economy, human rights and international relations, cultural practices and country demographics. This week is all about research and they'll begin filming their presentations next week.
At home, students can finish up research their groups did not complete in class AND work on test corrections from our last unit. As always, kids are welcome to come for tutoring before school or arrange in advance to come after school. Our unit test on South Asia will be Tuesday, April 10th. Students should be bringing home their journals each night beginning tonight to review.
Please reinforce study skills at home by having them review or helping them to do so. Some things to study: -vocabulary definitions- also make sure students can use the word in a sentence or explain how it relates to South Asia -physical and human features- know the locations of significant features labeled on their maps and why they are significant -timeline- major events in South Asian history (not so much the dates, but why those events were important -religion- how Hinduism influences daily life -economy- major industries and which nation has the strongest economy in the region This week classes began a new unit on South Asia. As we study countries like India, Nepal and Pakistan, we'll focus on the role of religion in the area, how earth processes like earthquakes and tsunamis affect people's lives and how the economies of these nations are changing.
This weekend students have to complete a paper map of the region. Most made good progress in class this week, but need to finish it up on their own. Students are welcome to come in before school on Monday morning as early as 7:45 if they would like to do so here. It's hard to believe, but we are entering the final grading cycle of the school year. We have several regions of the world still to cover- South Asia, East Asia, and Oceania. Yesterday, students displayed their Sub-Saharan Africa projects in our class museum and did activities with each museum display. Today we have a test on what they learned.
The remainder of this week will be a bit of a hodge-podge. Kids will express their opinions in writing on Wednesday, use some interactive data site, and at the end of the week they'll have the opportunity to do test corrections or get ahead on our next unit. Parents, please keep checking planners each night to make sure students stay on top of their assigned work as we make our way through these final units. Spring Break is nearly here! I hope it's a time to relax and have fun.
Students do have a bit of social studies work to keep them occupied during the break. 1. Museum display projects are due the day we return from break. Some groups or group members may need to finish these over the holiday. 2. Our Sub-Saharan Africa test is Tuesday, March 20. Students have a study guide they can work on filling in over break to help them prepare. The study guide is not for a grade, it's just meant to help them know the material for the test. Students are in the midst of creating museum-style displays for our new unit. Each group is assigned a topic around the region of Sub-Saharan Africa. They are researching their topic and creating a display for our class museum. The other groups will learn about their topic almost only through their display, an activity to go with the display, and daily class check ins.
Students will receive a study guide to prepare for the test this Friday. Monday, March 19, the day we return from break, the displays will be due. The test will be on Tuesday, March 20. Students will be tested on their knowledge of our latest unit, Middle East and North Africa on Tuesday, February 27.
Students should study using their class notes or their online maps. All notebooks have been sent home with students. There are also a few class resources on Google Classroom. We will review together on Monday. |
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