Wednesday, October 2nd: The Land and Early People unit is now in our rear view mirror. The kids did not seem worried or panicked and I will post the class averages tomorrow or later today. When we return on Monday, we change gears and begin our unit in science about matter.
Tuesday, October 1st: We had a lively review for tomorrow's assessment and I think the kids are ready. They were allowed to bring their notebook home, but they need to bring them back tomorrow. They will use the notebooks for the assessment. The kids finished and turned in their Tribe Slide. It was a full day.
Monday, September 30th: The kids got the name of their tribe to research and got right to work. Today's class is shorter, but they will have the whole class to finish tomorrow. So far, so good. From what I am seeing, they are doing the right things. I will post some finished pieces tomorrow.
Friday, September 27th: The kids made a postcard. Step one... explain what a postcard is to the kids. They had a few different options from Mesa Verde to draw on the front of the postcard, and then they wrote a message to someone explaining what the picture was all about. They loved this. Maybe not the history as much, but they love art and being creative. Next, I asked the kids what they thought when I said, "What do you think of when I say Native Americans? and How have you heard the word native used before?" They picked one and wrote their thoughts on a Post-It Note. Those were stuck on a board in the room, and I will share responses with the kids next week. There were a few volunteers today, leading to the following question: Do Native Americans still live in the United States today? The kids shared their thoughts, which led to some good conversations about what had happened to the Original People. I talked to them about their next project at the end of class, so they will be ready to hit the ground running on Monday. More to follow on this project next week.
We will have an assessment next Wednesday. The kids are well aware (I bring it up every day), and there is no studying to do. All the questions come right from their notes, and they will use their notebooks for the assessment. Kids who miss a day are given copies of notes or worksheets. We also review each day. What I am getting at... they don't need to sweat this. I want them to understand why having good notes and keeping papers organized is essential.
We will have an assessment next Wednesday. The kids are well aware (I bring it up every day), and there is no studying to do. All the questions come right from their notes, and they will use their notebooks for the assessment. Kids who miss a day are given copies of notes or worksheets. We also review each day. What I am getting at... they don't need to sweat this. I want them to understand why having good notes and keeping papers organized is essential.
Sample of some of the kid's work
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Very funny explanation of what this kid saw at Mesa Verde
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Thursday, September 26th: We started the class by reviewing the four civilizations we learned about yesterday. The kids used their notes to answer a bunch of questions. I told the kids that this is practice for our assessment next week. Every question will come directly from their notebooks. We spent the majority of the class learning more about the Anasazi. Those were the people that lived in the Four Corners region of what is now the USA. They were long gone before Europeans came to the Americas, but they left clues to who they were, how they lived, and why they left.
Do you want to know more about them? Click on the book cover to read what your kid read today.
Do you want to know more about them? Click on the book cover to read what your kid read today.
Wednesday, September 25th: We closed our lesson on the Ancient People by looking at Early Civilizations. We started with the Olmecs, who developed a form of writing, a number system, and a calendar. That is pretty impressive. That is why they are known as the "Mother Civilization". The kids liked the Mayans' cities of stone, the Moundbuilders' Serpent Mound, and the Anasazi's "apartment buildings" built into the side of a cliff wall. Tomorrow, we will spend more time focusing on the Anasazi... stay tuned!
Tikal
(Mayan)
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Serpent Mound
(Mississippians)
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Anasazi
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Tuesday, September 24th: We finished our notes on Hunters and Gatherers and moved on to A Time of Change. The kids learned how the climate changing from warm and humid to cooler and drier affected the early people. The most significant effect was that large animals, mastodons, mammoths, camels, and horses all became extinct. This forced the early people to begin to fish and hunt smaller animals like deer and rabbits. This was also possible with new technologies like the bow and arrow. Farming came about 5,000 years ago, and people are leading less of a nomadic life. They are planting crops, settling in one place, building stronger houses, and villages.
The kids learned about technologies of these people and the one they liked the best was the atlatl (AHT-lah-tuhl) or spear thrower.
The kids learned about technologies of these people and the one they liked the best was the atlatl (AHT-lah-tuhl) or spear thrower.
Monday, September 23rd: Ancient Indians were our topic today. Why were there so many very large animals. How did the people hunt mammoths and mastodons? How did they use them? Stone technology was explored, and the kids had a hard time believing that a stone could be tech. True, it is not an iPhone, but like an iPhone, it allowed them to do something better. This is the kids' first introduction to taking notes using the Cornell method. The kids read and picked out the important details. I wrote them on the board, and the kids put them in their notebooks. We will continue to work together until the kids get a feel for taking notes. Then, they will be given a paragraph to read independently and take notes. We will then share their work to see how we are doing. Since this is a new skill, I have often told them not to worry about making a mistake and correct it going forward.
Friday, September 20th: The kids liked the land bridge theory until I started throwing in sites across the Americas that were older than the ice sheet melting. They worked through this as a class and came up with boats. That must have been how the earliest people got here. They decided that they should also include the idea of the land bridge. This is called the early arrival theory. The last theory we came up with... religion... the people were always here - the origin or creation theory. We read and discussed the origin story of the Blackfoot and its similarities to other religions. We closed out the class with a check for understanding with a worksheet.
Thursday, September 19th: We closed out our study of Our Country's Geography by using our notes taken from the presentations to answer a worksheet of questions. The kids got to work together in their groups. We reviewed it at the end of class to ensure the kids had the opportunity to get accurate answers.
We also started looking at the Earliest Americans. We began by seeing where humans came from and how they got around. The question to the kids was, "How did they get to the Americas?". As a class, we worked on coming up with theories. So far, they have come up with the Land Bridge Theory... They walked over from Asia through Alaska.
We also started looking at the Earliest Americans. We began by seeing where humans came from and how they got around. The question to the kids was, "How did they get to the Americas?". As a class, we worked on coming up with theories. So far, they have come up with the Land Bridge Theory... They walked over from Asia through Alaska.
Wednesday, September 18th: The last groups finished their presentations. The groups worked together to answer questions from each section presented. They were allowed to use the notes they took during the presentations. Yes, that made this a little more complicated, but we will review it tomorrow as a class.
Tuesday, September 17th: We almost got through all the presentations today. There was a range in the work presented, but it seems like time management is a common issue across the board. That is ok. We have our work cut out, and I am positive the kids will improve with each presentation. There will be a lot of them.
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Monday, September 16th: We started class by discussing Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15th - October 15th) and why it is important for all of us to understand. We had limited time because of the extra gym class, but we learned about what Hispanics are and are not. We will continue to explore the topic for the next few weeks.
One group was able to present their topic today. The kids that went did some things well and some not so well. That is ok. I asked the whole class what could be done differently and I think that they got a better idea of what a good presentation should have... we will find out in the future if that is true. |
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Friday, September 13th: We were thrown a curveball today but made the most of our time. The district is trying a new way to test the kids on Accadience. The kids have done this reading assessment the last couple of years, so it is no big deal for them. They have one minute to read a passage out loud and then one minute to try and give as many details back to the person who is administering the assessment. That being said... two of the three classes were pulled from social studies. It worked out fine. It gave the kids more time to work on their presentation. If that was done... they could work on their beginning of the year math assessment. If that was done... they could read a book. Monday will be presentation day!
Thursday, September 12th: We started class with an overview of what a good presentation should look like. I assured the kids I did not expect their work to be perfect. Creating presentations and delivering them to an audience is not easy, but the more they do this... the better they will get. To their credit, the kids put in a full day of work, and their slides and note cards look good. We will have an extra 20-30 minutes tomorrow for any cleanup and practice. Come back on Friday to find out how the kids performed!
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Wednesday, September 11th: We started class with a discussion of 9/11. 9/11 is like Pearl Harbor to us. We understand the event's importance but are not emotionally attached. We looked at what was built at the site and why it is 1,776. We looked at even taller buildings worldwide and what will be the tallest... Jeddah Tower at 3,281 ft. This building had construction stop years ago, but is back on track as of May this year. It is scheduled to be completed in 2028 or 2029. We set up our notebooks for classwork and reviewed the kid's first project. Each group was assigned a lesson that they will figure out how to teach to the class.
One World Trade Center, USA
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Jeddah Tower, Saudi Arabia
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Tuesday, September 10th: The kids use the word history and social studies interchangeably (so do I sometimes) but learned that they are not the same and what social studies is... civics and government, history, economics, geography, and culture and society. We then had some excellent discussions of why history is essential to study. There was also an overview of the expectations for the notebooks, and we got to look at many examples.
Monday, September 9th: The kids joined the Social Studies Google Classroom and had their first assignment... a pre-assessment. I explained about 50 different ways that this was not a test and would not be something that would show up on their report card. They finally believed, relaxed, and made their way through the assessment. They will see this again at the end of the year, and we will see what they have learned. We also looked at maps. Ask your kid when every map they have ever seen stinks. Hopefully, they will tell you that we are trying to peel a sphere and lay it flat. I just doesnt work.
We discussed the importance of asking questions and looking for answers on the first day of school. At this point, your child might have told you that we vear off-topic occasionally. Most of the detours lead back to the work or expand on it. Some are just a thought, and we pulled on that string. I think it is important for kids to look at the world around them and wonder. Clary Anderson Arena came up yesterday, and I asked the kid to research why it was named that and report back today. He did! Clarence "Clary" Anderson was the high school football coach from 40-69 (missed a few years while in the Navy during WWII. He won 16 championships and left with a 0.878 winning percentage. Anderson was also the athletic director, baseball coach, and hockey coach. He also started our lacrosse program in 1964, which is why we have the 5th oldest program in NJ. Other things that came up during the day in the different classes...
We discussed the importance of asking questions and looking for answers on the first day of school. At this point, your child might have told you that we vear off-topic occasionally. Most of the detours lead back to the work or expand on it. Some are just a thought, and we pulled on that string. I think it is important for kids to look at the world around them and wonder. Clary Anderson Arena came up yesterday, and I asked the kid to research why it was named that and report back today. He did! Clarence "Clary" Anderson was the high school football coach from 40-69 (missed a few years while in the Navy during WWII. He won 16 championships and left with a 0.878 winning percentage. Anderson was also the athletic director, baseball coach, and hockey coach. He also started our lacrosse program in 1964, which is why we have the 5th oldest program in NJ. Other things that came up during the day in the different classes...
- The Four Corners out west
- Roman numerals which led to breaking down the back of the dollar bill
- The Gross Clinic painting. Sounds like a joke, but Dr. Gross was the first surgeon to save a compound fractured limb. Before that... saw it off!
- Band-Aid is a brand and the product is an adhesive bandage
- How women giving birth at a hospital had their lives saved by the simple idea of washing hands
- Frank Sinatra paying almost 100% in taxes in the 1950's
- Marco Polo
- and some more that I don't remember, but these are usually the things that the kids remember
