Students have been creating maps using the Google Maps platform. Those are due at the end of the week. We'll also begin learning about the role of religion in the Middle East and examine ways the geography of the place affects the economy. Students will also learn about high and low tech ways that people adapt to their surroundings.
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Students have been working on their posters for the project that combines ELAR persuasive techniques and the current events in Europe we've been studying in social studies. Those are due Friday!
An amendment to yesterday's post:
The project will go ahead as scheduled beginning tomorrow. We will also have our unit test on Tuesday, January 30 as planned. The vocabulary quiz is cancelled- I had some confusion with a grading question and we do not need to have the quiz this week. We will instead just have the mini project and unit test. This week (a short one) we'll be using maps, graphs and charts to better understand Europe's physical and human geography. Students will need the maps they created (due Thursday, Jan 18) in order to analyze and predict certain features of European life. They'll also be challenged to synthesize information from multiple graphics to determine the standard of living in Europe.
Next week students will use that information, plus persuasion skills they're working on in ELAR on a new project. They'll be creating campaigns to convince Europeans about the best ways to maintain or increase standard of living by addressing issues such as the refugee crisis and Brexit. We'll have our test on Europe on January 30. Students will begin bringing their notebooks home to study next week. Welcome to our second semester and a new year! As we readjust to the school schedule, the 6th graders will begin studying Europe. As we try to cover European history (in 1 day!), culture, geography, economics, and politics, students will be working extensively in their notebooks and will also have some homework this week.
Please start a new habit this January of checking your child's planner each night. We will be asking them to write assignments in there. Set a nightly time to review upcoming tests and projects and make sure they are completing daily assignments. Helping your student develop this habit will help them throughout middle school, high school, and into college! Midterms are on Wednesday and Thursday- kids have notebooks and study guides to use to prepare. This test counts for 15% of the semester grade so please take some time to review what we've learned this year.
BRING notebooks to class on the day of the midterm for our final notebook check of the semester. Students need to come in professional dress on Thursday, December 14 for their travel guide presentations. 3rd period students only will be presenting on Friday, December 15th instead, due to a band event this week.
All students are welcome to come to school as early at 7:30 all week or to stay after until 4:30 in order to finish their projects. Please help your student complete their project and remember to come in professional dress! Students have done a great job of researching Russia and the Eurasian Republics for their travel guides. Today they'll start turning their guides into visual presentations. They'll present these to the class next Thursday, December 14.
Over the next two week, we have two assemblies during 4th period. Any student with social studies 4th period will have to put in some extra time before/after school to get the assignment complete on time. As we begin our unit on "Russia and the Eurasian Republics" students were assigned a new PBL group and project. The project goal is for students to create two travel guides to a country in that cultural region. One travel guide will inform visitors to that country about things like major landmarks, language and religion, government, economy, and historical events. The second travel guide is actually a time travel guide, giving information on the same country to people who would visit while the nation was still a part of the Soviet Union. The goal of the project is to help students realize how drastically different life was in these places before and after the fall of the USSR.
Students will work in class over the next two weeks to complete the project, but are welcome to continue their research at home. They will present their projects sometime around December 13th. |
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