Friday - Last Day of School for 2012

Hey! Friday is here and gone and Christmas Break is here. Today we viewed a video clip on an introduction to the Renaissance period. We took notes and categorized them into Culture, Economy, and Government themes. Your grades are up to date on HAC and should be looked over by you. There are a few students who have not completed missed quizzes and you will have to contact your teacher as to when you are ready to take those. Mr. Hogue's classes have reached the deadline for all level C retakes except for the quiz we just took yesterday. Two weeks is a long time so be sure to prepare for them shortly after we return from break.

Merry Christmas and a happy New Year to all.

Tursday, Quiz Day

Another day under our belt. Today students took the chapter 5 quiz on Edmodo. You should already know your score but we did not use exact mathematical percentages to figure your grade. So, you will have to check HAC in order to see how your score translated. One more day to go!

I must remind you that if you have a quiz to make up or retake, the best time to do that is tomorrow. The deadline for retakes in Mr. Hogue's class is tomorrow. If, for some reason, you cannot take a make up quiz because of an absence you can still take it after break but that is a long time to be away from social studies and it may make it more difficult for you.

Yes! We Have Medievalists

Today students were treated with a visit from Notre Dame Graduate students and Medievalists Mae Kilker and Cait Stevenson. They talked all day about the Medieval Period with a focus on Knights, Black Death, and the Hundred Years War. That may not sound very uplifting but as a lover of history it was fascinating. We hope to begin a continuing connection with the Medieval Institute at Notre Dame and wish to express our greatest gratitude to them for a day of eye opening discussions.

Thanks again, Mae and Cait.
Discovery Sixth Grade Social Studies Students

Bubonic Plague and Hundred Years War

Tuesday has come and gone. Today we participated in two experiences. The first on the topic of the Black Death and the second on the Hundred Years War. Both of these topics are not very pleasant but important to our study of the Middle Ages and in particular the end of feudalism. I will a little later two videos that we attempted to view on both subjects. Due to technical difficulties some classes were not able to view them fully. Warning! as both videos are of an unpleasant nature they have sad messages.

Tomorrow we will have a guest speaker from ND. Quiz Tip:

Study the vocabulary terms that are on the Middle Ages Focus Sheet. Study the Reading Notes that you completed yesterday in class. Study the material on pages 54 and 55 of the text book. The C level is basic knowledge, as always, and the B-A+ level contains the higher order thinking questions and is more conceptual. This quiz may be one of the toughest ones we have had so far. Be warned. They are all multiple choice and true/false but don't let that make you think they are easier.

Focus Sheet copy is on November 13 post; Text book copy is on December 14 post; Blank Reading Notes is on December 12 post. Study Stack link is on this post. These posts are on Edmodo.

Monday

Happy Monday. Today students worked on their Reading Notes and should have completed them in class. For some reason, if you don't have the packet, you can download them from the December 12th post on Edmodo. Students should have shared their responses with their partners. The text material is also available on the December 14th post on Edmodo, as well.

TGIF

Hey everybody, it's Friday. Today we introduced chapter 5 in our text book. The next few days before break will be spent looking at three events that brought an end or contributed to the end of feudalism. We viewed, except period 6 due to technical difficulties, a short video clip that was hilarious and had good information, as well, on King John and the Magna Carta. We will look at the Bubonic Plague, and the Hundred Years War, as well. We also participated in a short experiential activity that made an attempt at simulating the gripes that nobles and bishops had against King John in the events that led up to the signing of the Magna Carta. I have included the video we watched today as well as snapshots of our reading material in chapter 5 and a brief article on the Magna Carta. You do not have to view the video if you already did in class and the text book photos are for your pleasure as we work through the chapter. The article is a must read and please respond to the following question on a piece of paper for Monday. Please do not reply your answer as it will spoil the fun for others. You may respond but just not the answer. The attachments to this post are only available on Edmodo.

Question: There are two principles expressed in Magna Carta that resonate to this day. What are they? Read the Featured Document article to respond to this question.

Quiz Alert: We will have a quiz over the material on these three topics on Thursday. We will be in computer labs that day and will take it on Edmodo.

Wednesday

This is a two day post. Students completed the Reading Notes and the graphic organizer covering Social, Political, and Trade themes of social studies. The three translate into Culture, Government, and Economics on the five themes of social studies. Today, we talked about the graphic organizer, some of the Reading Notes, and participated in a silent conversation about the three themes. I have included copies of the Reading Notes and the graphic organizer below. You should have already completed these but they are here if you need them. The attachments are only available on Edmodo.

Also, Chelsea, from Mrs. Cobb's class, has shared a study stack with us. You are free to use them to study. Thanks Chelsea.

Quiz Tip: Study the vocabulary terms, the three themes, and see the three themes displayed throughout the Reading Notes.

Reading Notes Discussion and Application

Hello! Today students came to class with 4.2, 4.3, and 4.4 reading notes complete, or at least most did. Students worked in small group to discuss them. In the end, we decided where the facts of the chapter would fit into the BIG IDEAS (government, economy, and culture) . Students then worked on the last two sections 4.5 and 4.7 with their partner and shared out in small groups adding details they didn't have. Students had a little time to complete a web that brought together the facts of the text with the BIG IDEAS! Students will need to be sure the web (and of course the rest of the reading notes) are complete for tomorrow.

Silent Conversations and Reading Notes

Hello! Today students were to come to class with the 8 vocabulary words completed on the Frayer Target (see previous post). More students than we would like didn't have this ready and unfortunately they couldn't participate in the silent conversation students had about it. Students had a silent conversation about the Frayer Target and then we discussed as a class some connections between the words. Likely, students noticed that this was not an easy task as the goal was to find connections between the words requiring them to know more than just the definitions of the words. Then students worked with their partner (or on their own) to complete the reading notes. Mrs. Cobb's class must have 4.2, 4.3, and 4.4 complete. Many students completed this before the end of class. We have decided to have the quiz on Thursday instead of Wednesday. Have a great day.

TGIF

Today students worked on their Frayer Target vocabulary terms sheet gathering definitions, writing sentences, and making simple illustrations. Any work on these should be completed at home and be ready for use on Monday. We also began work on the reading notes for chapter 4. We just completed the Preview page and are ready to dig in on Monday. Quiz Tip: The quiz is set for Wednesday and will cover the terms, the three concepts out of the five social studies themes (basic information), and there will be a free response question for the B-A+ level about the three concepts Culture, Government, and Economy.

Themes of Social Studies

Thursday students reviewed categorizing images into the 3/5 themes of social studies. We looked again at the themes Culture, Government, and Economics. They viewed the video The Middle Ages - Towns and recorded notes by placing the notes into the same three thematic categories. Finally, students began work on the Frayer Target to begin work on the vocabulary for chapter 4. A copy is included on the Edmodo post. Quiz Tip: The quiz for chapter 4 will take place on Wednesday of next week.

Big Concept Day

Today students completed a "Think, Pair Share" activity over the three concepts of Economy, Government, and Culture. I have included the handouts on the daily blog in Edmodo. We also began a video where they were required to observe and record images and or dialogue that could be connected to each of the three concepts. We just began the video and will conclude it tomorrow.

Assessment Day

Tuesday is complete. Today we took the assessment for chapter 3 The Role of the Church in the Middle Ages. Students read articles and historical fiction when they were finished. Tomorrow we will begin work in chapter 4 and look at Economic, Political, and Social aspects of the Middle Ages.

Frayer Model of Feudalism Vocabulary Completed!

Oops. This post belongs on Wednesday the 28th. Hello! Today students worked in their pairs again to complete the 4 boxes on the Frayer model for vocabulary as well as the picture of the word. Some classes were able to work on their gallery walk of the words to get the definitions copied and others were not. We complete this step tomorrow and work on the reading notes on the Role of Church in the Middle Ages. Students can and should begin working on learning the vocabulary words. The assessment will come early next week.

Review Stations

Hello! Today we spent the time reviewing in stations around the room. Students were reviewing vocabulary and reading notes with different activities in 10 min.rotations. Students completed an exit card discussing what they felt they needed to do tonight to prepare for the quiz and how long it would take them. This completed will be their ticket to take the quiz tomorrow. The basic level of the quiz will be the vocabulary. The rest of the quiz will be in the form of more complex multiple choice as well as short answer which should include the use of the content vocabulary. Study!

TGIF

Hey! Happy Friday. Today we completed or worked toward completing the Reading Notes for chapter 3. You should have them completed for class on Monday as we have spent considerable time in class working on them. As was stated in yesterday's post the quiz will be Tuesday.

Quiz Tip: The terms (vocabulary) will be on the quiz. Content, such as the role of the church in the middle ages, will be a writing theme. You can use your reading notes to prepare for the content portion.

Gallery Walk of Vocab and Begin Reading Notes

Hello! Today we completed our Gallery Walk of the vocabulary words from chapter 3. Students list should be complete now and be able to use them to create study stack or whatever tool works for them. Again, quiz will be early next week, probably Tuesday. We also were able to start the reading for the chapter including the reading notes. Students are expected to create a study tool for the vocabulary words.

Free Technology for Teachers: 7 Ways to Avoid Inbox Overload When Collecting Assignments

Free Technology for Teachers: 7 Ways to Avoid Inbox Overload When Collecting Assignments

The vocabulary of the Religion in Middle Ages

Hello! Today we began the study of the religion of the people in the middle ages. We started with a prewrite that students completed on their own paper and kept in their folder. We discussed it creating a connection from our important buildings of our time to the church buildings of the middle ages. We then proceeded to front load the vocabulary words from chapter 3. Students worked in pairs on a fayer model of vocabulary. It is an in depth study of the 16 vocabulary words in the chapter. We will complete our work tomorrow and students will have their own words and definitions to study for the chapter. We are looking at an assessment early next week. Can never start too early to prepare for a quiz!

Monday

Good Monday to you all. Today we talked through the quiz we took last Tuesday. Mr. Hogue's class "walked" through a cloud web organizational tool that we will be using in the future. Organization seemed to be a major hurdle. You can view your score by looking at your grade book. The quiz was in two parts, part C and a B-A+ part. Once you pass the C level, your score on the essay takes over unless it goes below a 75%. The grades are not updated in HAC Tomorrow we will begin work on the vocabulary for chapter 3 on the role of the church in the middle ages.

Thanksgiving Break is HERE

Hey! Break has arrived. Today students, who were eligible, took the C level retake for the chapter 37 and or the geography quiz. We also viewed a History Channel video clip on knights and if time permitted, a CNN Student new clip. I will attempt to push out the knight video a little later. Have a great and safe Thanksgiving break and see you on Monday.

Edmodo Quiz on Feudalism

Hello! Can't believe turkey day is almost here! Today we were in the computer lab taking the quiz on Edmodo about European Feudalism. Students were given a little time to review then we hit the test on the computers. Students were given the assessment in 2 parts. The first part was multiple choice focusing on the basic ideas with vocabulary. Students who scored 11/15 or better moved on to the second part, an essay. Students pretended they were a knight from the middle ages and wrote about who lived on their manor and what their responsibilities are. When they were finished, they had a "chat" on Edmodo about the upcoming content. No homework for tonight unless you are preparing for the geography retake or the chapter 37 retake.

Monday

OK. Here we are at the start of a short week. Be sure to do your best as it is easy to let down a bit. We have places to go and things to do. Today students worked on the wrap up of chapter 2. We completed the processing page which tied the four classes of feudalism to a comparison of what we have in America. We also worked on vocabulary which will be an important part of the quiz tomorrow. And, we spent a little time building "vocabulary houses" where we grouped vocabulary terms in categories. The intention was to become more familiar with the vocab terms and use them in different ways.

 Quiz Tip: The quiz is tomorrow and will be taken on computer in a lab using Edmodo. There will be 15 questions on the C basic level. You will have to score over 70% on that section to be eligible to score on the B-A+ level. The higher level is one question and is a free response. There are four different parts to the question and you will have to answer all four completely in order to score well. There will be a minimum length requirement for a high score.

 Review: Vocabulary terms for chapter 2 (Focus Sheet Nov. 13th post); Video pushes on November 15th and 16th for review of feudalism.

European Feudalism Experience

Hello! Today we experienced what life was like in feudal Europe in a simulation. All students were assigned a role including serfs, knights, lords, and monarch. Students participated  in a 7 step activity where they were acting out what each group might have done in feudal Europe including surviving an "attack" from invaders! All in all, it was a fun day by all. Over the weekend students should be completing the reading notes for chapter 2 and studying from them the responsibilites and activities of each layer in the systerm. They can also be working on the vocabulary from the focus sheet. (This can be found on prior posts.) We will discuss reading notes and do an activity involving the vocabulary on Monday in preparation for the quiz on Tuesday. The quiz will have 15 multiple choice focusing mostly on the vocabulary and an essay.

This is a short clip on feudalism.

Thursday - Middle Ages

Thursday students worked on completing their Reading Notes for chapter 2 in the maroon textbook. These reading notes are due at the start of class on Monday. I have posted two video clips today. Please view the clips. You do not have to take any action on them as they are to help you understand feudal life in the middle ages. The first one is a Power Point produced by another teacher that outlines Feudal Society and the second a British clip explaining the manorial system which surrounded the manor house and what it may have been like to work the manor and be beholding to its lord. These clips are available on the "Middle Ages" page on this blog.

 Homework: Reading Notes pages 12-13 that go with chapter 2 in the maroon book pages 10-29.

Quiz Tip: The quiz will be on Tuesday and will have the vocabulary, a few additional questions, and one free response concerning life in feudal society.

Wednesday

Ok. It is Wednesday and we are more than half way through the week. Today students viewed the remainder of the video on the history of the middle ages and recorded notes. Mind you, it is just a quick overview. My apologies as I cannot post the video. It is a Safari video and does not give me the permissions to post. Also, students completed a short intro to the chapter by completing a "What does it mean to be loyal?" sheet. Tomorrow we will begin work in chapter 2 (The Development of Feudalism in Western Europe) of the maroon book and complete or work toward completing Reading Notes for it.

Today's Video Parody includes clips from the movie Knight's Tale. Pay attention to the lyrics as that is what connects this to our content. It is available on the "Middle Ages" page of this blog.

 Quiz Tip: Next Monday or Tuesday will the quiz over chapter 2 of the maroon textbook. I will update the tip Thursday or Friday with more vital information.

Tuesday

Hey all. It's Tuesday and today's activities included taking the geography of Europe quiz. It covered political and physical features. We also worked on the W of the KWL chart. It stands for "Want to Know." Lastly, we worked on finishing the video clip of the "History of the Middle Ages." Period one will take the quiz tomorrow as we had a presentation in the LGI during class time.

Monday Morning

Hey, it's Monday and a new week. Today students viewed the first part (per your notes sheet you created) of the video "The History of the Middle Ages." I cannot upload or link to this video as it is hosted on Safari. If you missed it you will have to get notes from another student. I may be able to post them for you at a later date. We also switched our text books out for a different one that has content we are studying at the moment. This book covers the middle ages and we will be giving you handouts connected to the content. Unfortunately, this text book is also not on line and you will have to transport it back and forth to school if necessary. We completed the first leg of a KWL as a preview of the middle ages. The first leg is the "know" leg and will be followed by the "want to know" leg.

 Quiz tips for tomorrow: The quiz will consist of three parts. C, B-A, and A+. The C is basic knowledge and consists of identifying the countries of Western Europe and matching the capital to its country. The B-A is the main idea level and you will have to locate the countries and physical features of Western Europe on a map. The A+ level is a high level question which requires analysis of a geography question. It will require an open-ended response and you will only qualify if you pass the B-A level satisfactorily. The emphasis of the three levels are: identification - locating - analysis. A copy of the maps, country selections, and capital cities is provided on posts from Wednesday of last week (November 7). The focus here is on Europe and not North and South America.

TGIF

Hey guys, it's Friday. Today we completed the geography video part two and completed the map that went with it. We also passed back the presidential economic plans assignment and discussed them briefly. I am including the video part two on the Edmodo post as well as some tips for Tuesday's geography quiz.

What the geography quiz will cover: Locate the listed countries of Europe on the map provided; Identify each country's capital city; Locate the listed physical features of Europe on the map provided.

You will be responsible for the map of Europe from Wednesday's class work and the map of Europe from Thursday and Friday's class work. Any parts of the maps that you did not get completed in class will have to be completed outside of class. There are practice maps on the November 7th and 9th posts. Be sure to look before asking questions about where they are located. The completed map of Europe may be required as a ticket to begin the quiz.

Google Earth around the World

Hello! Today we discussed the physical and political map of Europe that was due today and that the quiz will be over on Tuesday. Student were given another handout to follow along and mark as we traveled around the world virtually to learn more about the geography in North America, South America, and Europe. This screencast is also located on the blog under the tag for geography. We will continue to work with this tomorrow. Students should be preparing for the quiz on Tuesday.

Wednesday Geography

Ok, it's Wednesday. Today students worked on creating map study guides. It consisted of two outline maps of Europe. One map is for political and the other physical features. Tomorrow, students will continue working with geography as we go around the world with Google Earth. There will be an assessment next Tuesday the 13th over the material on these map study guides. The maps may be used as tickets to take the quiz so it is mandated that they be complete and in student possession for that day. In other words, it is homework between now and next Tuesday.

 Another note on homework items. We typically don't have any homework assigned other than to view and respond to video clips at home. But, any work began in class must be completed unless we specify that there will be more time given the next day or at a later date. Attached is a copy of the map handout from class today.

 Also, I have included some links to Internet games that you may use to practice your countries, capitals, and other important features of the world. Please click over to the Geography page of this blog.

Election Day!

Happy Election Day! I hope you were all able to get out and vote today. All the students went through a mock election in the IMC where they used their identification cards to allow them to vote for president on Edmodo Election Group. It was cool to see them all! We also discussed the summaries they wrote (and some finished today) from the election articles that they had textcoded. We also researched the economic plans of both candidates to write a paragraph about 2 parts. The goal was to show them how to be informed voters. All in all, it was a successful day and students were both engaged and challenged! We encouraged the students to check out the election results tonight!

Monday, November 5

Hey all, it's Monday afternoon. Students took the social studies acuity pre-test today and did their best, I trust. This score does not count as a grade and will be used to compare to the post-test at the end of the quarter. Also, students posted their sticky notes back on the large posters representing their main ideas and details from their articles. We will be moving into Europe geography study as we move toward the middle ages study. Today and tonight will be the last chance to "register" for the vote tomorrow.

Students need to read my daily blogs carefully every day as valuable information is contained therein. The sign up or registration process is very simple. You merely join the group DMS Election 2012. Voting is optional and must be completed at your earliest opportunity throughout the day. The IMC will be closed to all other foot traffic and regular use as it will be used for the voting process.

TGIF

Friday is here and we all can take a break for the weekend. Not so fast. You can log onto your DMS Election 2012 group and interact with the election tools made available to you. Remember, you have to pre join the group in order to be "registered" to vote on Tuesday. You will need to have a photo id or something with your name on it, as well. You can find the code on the October 31st daily post (Edmodo) and if you have not registered, signed up with the group code before school on Tuesday, you will not be eligible to vote. Today we continued working with the political articles in the student Upfront Magazine. We completed our pre write forms, transferred information to stickies, and teamed up to place main ideas and details onto the team posters. Students began writing their summaries of the articles and will complete them the next time we have a slot in our schedule. That will be later next week. Monday, we will be taking the equity pre-test for the second quarter. Have a great weekend.

Text Coding Articles about the Election

Hello! Today students worked in their small groups of 2 or 3 to complete the text coding (annotating) of the articles about the election. They were marking the articles up for the main idea, details, and questions. Groups also began work on their pre-write for a summary of the articles. Reminder....be sure to check Edmodo post from yesterday for the group code for DMS Election. There are some posts within the group to explore as well.

Wednesday

Hey, it's Wednesday. Today we took a look at our quiz on chapter 37. We talked a bit of strategy and double checked a few questions. We also began work text coding (annotating) some articles on the upcoming elections. Speaking of elections, I am introducing a special group code tonight that I want you to join. It is DMS Election 2012 and will enable you to get some information on the elections as well as take part in the 6th and 7th grade presidential election (US National Election) that will take place on Tuesday (for students only). You will stop into the IMC at your leisure sometime Tuesday, log in to Edmodo, and place your vote. It will only let each student vote once so make it count. Then, we will hashtag the poll to Edmodo where they will enter our results in a national poll. Sounds like fun.

Tuesday After Break

Greetings. How about this, it's Tuesday already. Today students took a quiz over chapter 37 terms and legacies of ancient Rome and read background information on the middle ages as well as chose an historical fiction story from the same period. We will be reading those off and on as we study the period this quarter. Students were to complete a "Cobb Web" for quiz preparation and use it as their "ticket" to begin the quiz. One area that seems to be troubling students is preparation for quizzes. They did well on the legacies but let down a bit on the terms part. Vocabulary is a big part of social studies and each student will have to settle on a method of study to prepare for those type of quizzes. We will always be posting "tips" for study a few days before quizzes so your know what to be sure to prepare.

 This additional note is for the "parents" group. If you are following along by setting your notifications to follow teacher posts, that is fine (you can enable Edmodo to email any new posts etc by going to your account and setting notifications to do what you want it to do). But for reasons unknown to me (Edmodo thing) parents do not automatically get "notes" to students unless I post them directly to the parent groups. So, to make things more simple, go to our web blog (dmssocialstudies6.blogspot.com) and sign up for the email updates in the upper right margin. I always post a mirror post of the daily blog to that page as well as Edmodo. Students do not have to check both as the daily blog goes to Edmodo. That way my blog page will auto send an email every time there is a new post. You won't have to check the blog or Edmodo. You can just read or ignore the email. Also, if it is annoying, you can deselect very easily.

Thursday Before Break

Hey everyone. Sorry this post is a little late. Today students worked to complete their "Cobb Webs " and interactive notebooks for chapter 37. These are the two main study tools for the quiz coming up on Tuesday. It will be rather short at 25 questions and all multiple choice. We will be taking this one on paper as the computer labs are all tied up at this time. Even the laptops we have been using are tied up. I have attached the study notes, as promised, to this daily blog post. Remember, the two focus points are the terms and contributions to the legacies of Rome. You are welcome to make Study Stacks, use the Cobb Webs, or write the terms any way you want. The only requirement is that you complete the Cobb Web as that is your "ticket" to take the quiz on Tuesday. In other words, you have to have a completed web and show it to your teacher before you can begin. Good luck and have a fantastic break.

Click here for the notes:
Rome Legacies Notes

Wednesday's News

Hey all. Today students took the acuity in Mrs. Cobb's class and worked on a "Cobb Web" and chapter 37 in Mr. Hogue's class. Please check my prior post to get the information about study for the quiz next Thursday. Sorry, the post is on Edmodo. I believe I sent it out to students and parents alike.

Acuity and Legacies of Rome

Hello! Today Mr. Hogue completed acuity testing for quarter 1 on the laptops. Mrs. Cobb worked on a Cobb web for the 10 vocabulary words from chapter 37, the Legacies of Ancient Rome. The definitions and descriptions are due tomorrow. The rest of it needs to be completed (colored pictures and sentences) for Tuesday as a ticket to take the test. Students then worked on their reading notes for legacies. We will complete those and discuss on Thursday. Tomorrow we will flip flop the lessons. Looking forward to seeing the rest of you tonight!

Quiz on Origins and Spread of Christianity

Hi! Today we were able to complete the quiz on the origins and spread of Christianity with the exception of Mrs. Cobb's 4th period. This is when Edmodo's server crashed. Those students will take the quiz tomorrow. Students started work on the legacies of ancient Rome, chapter 37 when finished. Mr. Hogue's class will take the state acuity test tomorrow and Mrs. Cobb's class will take it Wednesday. Hope to see all parents tonight or tomorrow night!

Flip Flopping

Hello! Today we flip flopped classes. Mr. Hogue's class took the ancient Greece quiz on the computers through Edmodo. Mrs. Cobb's class began work on chapter 36. We previewed the chapter and began work on the interactive notebook. Students will need to complete work on sections 36.2 to 36.3 at home tonight. Tomorrow we will complete the notes and the multiple choice quiz will be on Monday.

Wednesday - Half Way Home

Hey all. It's Wednesday and we are half way home for the week. Today in Mr. Hogue's class we worked on the intro to the origins and spread of Christianity. We will be looking at the topic as it relates to central beliefs and effect the Roman Empire had on the spread of the religion. Mrs. Cobb's class took the Greece final test and tomorrow will work on Christianity as Mr. Hogue's class takes the test. We did a flip flop of computers to accomplish this. Great job Mrs. Cobb's class and the test and good luck to Mr. Hogue's for tomorrow. Homework: There is none specifically other than working toward your chapter 36 quiz which will occur on Monday. Remember, it is multiple choice and covers the video notes, chapter 36, and the terms from the Focus Sheet for chapter 36.

Reflection for Student Led Conferences

Hi! Today we were preparing for the student led conferences next week. We wrote reflections about our learning in social studies with writing. Students used essays to give support for their ideas. We then started with chapter 36 the origins of Christianity. Tomorrow Mrs. Cobb's class will use the computers to take the Performance Literacy Task (PLT) and Mr. Hogue's class will take it on Thursday. The topic of the assessment is the four types of government which were developed in the ancient Greece.
Homework: Review the four types of government of ancient Greece

Monday - BYOD

Greetings. Today students worked on completing their Study Stacks on their personal devices. There was quite a bit of frustration as students had to deal with getting on the wireless, typing in the small windows, and learning the ins and outs of Study Stack all at once. My advice to students was to complete them on their own at home and share the Study Stack code for their stack with their partner. Passwords, telephone numbers, and other personal information are not allowed on Edmodo but the code for student stacks is fine. In fact, student collaboration is encouraged. Homework: There is no specific homework tonight but information concerning the next two assessments is as follows: Greece Test - Study the four governments of ancient Greece - Monarchy, Oligarchy, Tyranny, and Democracy. It will be an essay question in the type that we have been doing over the last couple of weeks. Chapter 36 on Christianity - Rome video notes, vocabulary terms from the Focus Sheet (Study Stack terms). Chapter 36 in the text book. The quiz will be all multiple choice.

Friday - Yeah!

Friday is here! Today we talked a bit about the Arizona Smith Rome video. Students added to their notes as we discussed Roman topics. Also, we began vocabulary work using Study Stack. We ran out of time in a big way so I am extending that work through Monday's class. If you have a device to bring on Monday, bring it. You should come to class Monday having completed the definitions to all the vocabulary terms found on the Focus Sheet. I have included one in this post. Complete the Rome terms and the Chapter 36 terms. If you have time to build your Study Stack, between now and then, you will be able to begin playing with your partners directly after we talk about the returned essay over Greece legacies. Homework: View the video pushed out Thursday. Complete the vocabulary terms under "Rome" and "Chapter 36" on the Focus Sheet included on this post. Please go to your Edmodo account to get the Focus Sheet.

Geography Challenge (Rome)

Good Thursday to you all. Today students worked on the Geography Challenge for Rome. This activity is an introduction to the geography of the Italian Peninsula and surrounding area as we enter our work with Rome. We will not be doing an intense Roman unit at this time but will focus on Christianity and its spread in the period. We will come back to legacies and other important Roman contributions at a later date. We also finished the video clip featuring Arizona Smith and his conversations on Rome. I hope to push out a video clip tonight to be viewed sometime before Monday, if possible. I will put it out as an assignment so you all should get a notification of that event. Just click the "turn in" button after you have viewed it. If there are any instructions that go with the video, it will be on the post.

Alexander the Great, or was he?

Hey there. It's past the middle of the week. We walked through our essay on Alexander the Great's "greatness." Students researched a video clip, text book, and two primary source documents to grab traits of their subject over the past couple of days and "marked up their papers" today. We collected them but it will not go as a grade, just for student self assessment as we near the Greece final test next week. It will be a document based test similar to this experience. We have eased off the video pushes over the past week or so but will get back on track as begin work in Rome. We will begin with geography and there may be a video coming out later today or tomorrow. Once again, if there is a "turn in" button, it means you click it after viewing. The only homework is if you failed to complete the Alexander essay for absence reason or otherwise, you need to complete it and turn it in tomorrow.

Alexander the Great Essay

Hello! Today students discussed the directions for the prewrite  and completed them together. Then students wrote on the their own the actual essay. We talked about introduction and how they should draw the reader in and introduce the topic in general. We also talked about transitions, reminded them about how to site sources and the strucure of the essay. Most students finished this in class, but those that didn't will need to spend up to 15 minutes finishing this at home. We will mark the essay up tomorrow so students can see where they are with their writing. This will not be a grade, but next week we will complete another Greece unit assessment very similar in format to this one.

Alexander the Great...Primary Source

Hello! Today we discussed the information from chapter 30 on Alexander the Great and any added information about him being a great leader or not. We then discussed the primary source materials related to him. Students collected information on their graphic organizer. Then in some classes we discussed the pre-write. This is not an assessment. Students will complete the pre-write and then write the essay tomorrow.
Homework: make sure that you have chosen which way you believe: Great or Not!

Alexander the Great? Day 2

Happy Friday! Hope you are able to enjoy the beautiful colors of Fall this weekend! Today we discussed the partner work from yesterday which was about the character traits of a great leader. Today we talked about what character traits would make a weak leader and put in interactive notebook on page 192. Students then read with their partners chapter 30 adding new notes about Alexander and evidence of traits making him a great leader or a weak leader. We discussed some of them at the end of class, but some students didn't finish in class and will have to finish over the weekend. Monday we will view primary source documents on Alexandar and add to our graphic organizer new information in preparation for our essay on Tuesday.
Homework:  Complete reading chapter 30 and fill in handout, possible Edmodo video push

Alexander the Great??

Hello! Today we worked our way into our final topic in ancient Greece, Alexander the Great. Over the next few days, students will be presented with information about things that he did and will need to determine for themselves whether or not he was really "Great". They will then write an essay using supporting facts to express their opinion. So today, students were given a graphic organizer to keep track of his events and the character traits those exhibit. Students completed and discussed the preview page 193 in their interactive notebook to brainstorm a list of traits that might be considered great.
Homework:  None for today:)

Legacies Quiz

Well, its past the middle of the week. Students completed their Greece Legacies Quiz today, color coded them, and self assessed their learning. We also completed the Arizona Smith video clip over Greece. Students did a lot of work yesterday and today to demonstrate their learning about Greek legacies and did a fine job at that. There is no video push tonight or homework either. See you tomorrow ready to learn about Alexander the Great.

Legacies Quiz

Today in social studies students took the quiz over legacies of ancient Greece. It was an essay response to what you think is the most impacting legacy of Greece. Actually, all eleven that we studied are equally important so the choice will not effect your grade. how you argue your point and follow directions for the task is the key. Tomorrow, you will have a short opportunity to complete and refine your essay as well as an opportunity to "mark it up." I will explain how that will work at that time. There is no video push tonight or homework.

Completion of Legacies

Happy Friday! Today we completed our study of primary sources from ancient Greece and connected them to the legacy. Students then worked to become an expert on one legacy and learn all the details. Students we able to work on their alpha-blocks when they finished.

Homework:  Study 2-3 legacies (out of the 11)with details for essay quiz likely to be Tuesday, Alpha-blocks due Monday

Connecting Legacies to Primary Sources

Today we discussed the definition to primary sources and legacies. These are not easy concepts and we will continue to work with them. Students then worked on their gallery walk with the primary sources from ancient Greece. They worked with their partner to complete the reading notes connected to the document. We will complete these tomorrow. We are looking at a possible assessment Tuesday. Students can be working on the alpha-blocks. Those who qualify, will be completing a retake for latitude and longitude as well as chapter 26.

Golden Age of Athens Quiz

Hello! Today we took our quiz on chapter 29, Golden Age of Athens. Students then worked on the alphablocks from yesterday on the 8 vocabulary words for chapter 31, Legacies of Ancient Greece. Students were introduced to primary and secondary sources and then began viewing visual documents depicting legacies of ancient Greece. We will continue this activity tomorrow and finish up on Friday.  Students also completed an exit card explaining what they learned about both legacies and primary and secondary sources. We have included a video on Edmodo on the Battle of Plataea, a final battle between the Greeks and the Persians.  Thsi is not homework, but it is interesting information. (3 min)

Homework:  Edmodo:Video Push Battle of Plataea, Chapter 26 and Latitude/Longitude Retake Friday (for those who need it)

Alpha Blocks

Sorry, this is a little late tonight. Today students worked on an activity called Alpha Blocks. It is a creative way to work through vocabulary making connections to each one of eight vocabulary terms. They also had an opportunity to talk through their responses in their Interactive Notebooks. The notebook is one study strategy for the quiz tomorrow. For more clues on the quiz, see last night's Daily Blog post. There is no video push tonight. Tomorrow, I will have the fourth battle between the Greeks and Persians. Quiz tomorrow chapter 29.

Monday

Well, Monday has come and gone already. Students completed the station work in chapter 29. Tomorrow, we will practice the vocabulary terms that are located on the Focus Sheet for ch. 29. Wednesday, we will have a quiz over work completed in chapter 29 and I will include as many study notes, here, in this post as possible. The following is a sample of the verbal Study Guide we talked about today.  I had a special request to push out a Greek Government Graphic Organizer. This is not for the chapter 29 quiz.

Study the vocabulary for chapter 29 found on the Focus Sheet.

Know the three types of Greek Columns.

Study the Interactive Notebook pages 190 and 191. All of these are connected to chapter 29 and are not related to any videos specifically. The video push for tonight is not related to the quiz and other than to watch it there is no assignment or turn in button. Here are some Study Stack cards I had made for another year. The terms are nearly the same as chapter 29.

Battle of Salamis

Golden Age of Athens Study Stack Flash Cards

Awesome Friday

Hey, its Friday! Hope you had a great week and an awesome Friday. Students continued work on the stations they began yesterday. Mrs. Cobb's classes received back their quizzes and reflected on them. Mr. Hogue's classes will do that on Monday. We will offer some sort of retake opportunity for the chapter 26 quiz. The retake will take on a bit of a different form and because of that will have a ceiling placed on it. We should need part of class on Monday to complete the stations and reflect on their meanings. We will be having a quiz on Tuesday or Wednesday over the concepts of chapter 29. We are working toward completing our work in Greece in the next week or so and then an assessment with a test value connected will follow.

The Golden Age of Athens

Happy Thursday to you all. Today we began work on the Golden Age of Athens. Students took part in stations representing six parts of Athenian daily life from temples to Socrates, six in all. We will maintain a tight schedule tomorrow and attempt to complete the hands-on work as well as the text book and interactive notebook work. Today I pushed out part three of three video clips on the Battle of Thermopylae. Each of the three 7:00 + video clips use video game technology to reenact the battle and tell the tale of Spartan's 300 brave that went down in defeat at the hands of the Persians. This battle, Marathon, Salamis, and Plataea are visited to set up the story of Alexander the Great and his feats. I will push similar video clips out for student viewing at home. Most, if not all, will have no homework assignment attached to them other than to view them and be able to have a discussion in the coming days at school.
Battle of Thermopylae Part One
Battle of Thermopylae Part Two
Battle of Thermopylae Part Three

Wednesday

Students today viewed most of a video clip in class hosted by Arizona Smith. The clip was accompanied by a graphic organizer to help students organize notes on Greece. We introduced tomorrow and Friday's activity where students will visit various stations representing Greek life. This will be a fun learning experience where they will have to use their imagination to place them in Ancient Greece. There is a pushed video tonight. It is part 2 of 3 parts and is titled Battle of Thermopylae. There is no assignment attached to this video. Students should read the "Daily Blog" on Edmodo and view the approximate 7:15, in length, video. If students have any trouble bringing up the video, they can always search YouTube for the same title. That is where the video lives.

Chapter 26: Greek Governments Quiz

Hello! Today we reviewed for the quiz prior to taking it. Students were given a quiz with 10 multiple choice and one essay. The quiz took students about 30 minutes leaving most time to get started on the vocabulary words from chapter 29: The Golden Age of Athens. We are skipping the chapters 27 and 28. We will be viewing on Edmodo some of the content from chapter 28 with videos. Tonight there will be video to view about Battle of Thermopylae. Also, for your viewing pleasure, a different little ditty about the battle taking about 3 min. There will be nothing to do with those videos other than discuss them in class tomorrow.

Homework: complete chapter 29 vocabulary on the unit vocab sheet

Return Quizzes/ Prepare for Government Quiz

     Hello! Today we were lucky enough to get back to the computer lab to complete our discussion about the Battle of Marathon. Students who were prepared were able to join the discussion on Edmodo. Others were able to view the 7 min videos. We then were able to discuss the study guide. Students were shown how to use a website for creating notecards found at studystack.com. Some students were even able to sign up (for free) and get started! This will be a great resource for any subject, not just social studies! We also reviewed the expectations for paragraph (essay) answers that we discussed and practiced before. We will be looking for main ideas, details, and correct use of content vocabulary to score these. The quiz tomorrow will have 10 multiple choice and one esssay.
     Students were also given their quizzes back from latitude and longitude. Correct answers were given so students can use the quiz as a resource for future quizzes. Those quiz scores will be posted on HAC.

Homework:  Study for Chapter 26 Quiz (use Edmodo videos for review)

Lat/Long Quiz and Edmodo Work

Hello! Today we completed our retake quiz on the latitude and longitude skill. After students completed the quiz, they used their devises or the computers to watch the assigned video of the Battle of Marathon. Students then viewed on the blog the Edmodo Tutorial. At the end of class, we had a chat online about the video. It was a great learning activity that we would like to do again! Hope you have a great weekend!

Homework:  Edmodo Push View part 2 and 3 of video, Edmodo Review Sheet Chapter 26 (Study for Quiz on Tuesday)

Governments of Ancient Athens

Today we completed our role plays of the governments of ancient Athens. They consisted of Monarchy, Oligarchy, Tyranny, and Democracy. We also finished the interactive notebook pages 172 and 173. If a student did not finish in class, he or she should complete that on their own and may use the text book pages 254-257 to that end. That should not take more than a few minutes as the role playing should have answered the questions. Tonight we have pushed out a couple of videos. The assignment for tomorrow is to view the video clip The Battle of Marathon. The second one is a clip that I found related to "The Man Who Walked Between The Towers" video pushed out Monday evening in honor of 9/11. It is about the man who did the high wire act in 1974. He is alive and well and still teaches the art. His last public feat was in 2002 according to my research. The video consists of still images as his partner was too tired and weak to film the event as per Petit's instructions. This event seemed to peak the interest of our students which is exciting.
Battle of Marathon Part One
Battle of Marathon Part Two
Battle of Marathon Part Three

Governments of Ancient Greece

Hello! Today students completed another warmup on latitude and longitude. We want to encourage students to work on this skill at the home. The more the students practice correctly, the better and more confident they will become. We are preparing for the quiz on Friday! We then completed our gallery walk of the vocabulary for chapter 26. Students viewed each others "posters" of information about each word and were able to learn from what other students created. Students should have completed a chart with the vocabulary word, definition, and picture of each of the 8 words for this chapter. They will complete this chart for all of the unit so in the end they will have one place to go to prepare for the Greece test. When then started in chapter 26 with some pre-reading activities. Some classes were able to begin the activity for each of the types of governments involving roll playing and music. Students will hopefully complete this activity tomorrow.

Homework:  Study for latitude/longitude quiz on Friday, Bring Your Own Devise (BYOD) day on Friday

Gallery Walk

Hey, it's Tuesday already. The days are flying by. Today students completed their vocabulary Running Word Walls. By the way, we cut them into poster size so I'm not really sure what they would be called. Anyway, they are poster like with the term, a definition, a sentence, and an illustration representing one of the eight vocabulary terms for the Greece government section of our study. Tomorrow they will walk around and gather information from their class mate's posters to help them complete a vocabulary graphic organizer. We also viewed a CNN Student News report on current events and talked very briefly about 9/11. We pushed out a video clip called The Man Who Walked Between The Towers. I have included it below if you are interested.

Clean Up Day

Hello! Well....we are back indoors after a beautiful weekend. Hope you all had a chance to enjoy it! Because both of us were out on Friday, we had to clean up a little loose ends before moving on today. Edmodo work continues to raise questions for students and know that we are working on them. As we all become more familiar with how to use it, many of our issues will be resolved. For now however, parents please continue to communicate with us if there is a technical issue and your child is unable to complete the assignment (either by note or email). Next, we discussed the quiz from Friday on latitude and longitude. We discussed the question, "when do you know are ready to take a quiz?". Students should have a great answer for you including something like....practice when you know whether or not you have the right answer. We then discussed the answers and all students who didn't receive a 100% will need to retake it on Friday. We will be practicing this skill daily in our warm-up. Finally, we worked on our running word wall for the vocabulary words for chapter 26 on the focus sheet. Students will finish this work tomorrow.

Homework:  Study (Practice) Retake on Friday, complete Edmodo videos and take notes on handout

Writing in Social Studies

Hello! Today students reviewed latitude and longitude again in preparation for the quiz tomorrow. Many students feel they have it mastered and won't need much study, but others feel they need to spend a little time working on it tonight. We also completed the processing paragraph for chapter 25. At the end, students viewed a quick showme about what kind of paragraph would receive what grade. (See the showme on the side of blog under videos/resources) Students then graded their own paragraphs to see what grade they would have earned. Basically, we will be grading writing on the main ideas, details, and use of content vocabulary all year long. In most classes, we then discussed the focus sheet for the Greece unit. Students will keep this in their binder for the whole unit. (See the showme on the side of blog under videos/resources). Only a few classes were able to start the vocabulary activity for chapter 26. We will finish tomorow.

Homework:  Study for lat/long quiz tomorrow (paper pencil), Edmodo videos on types of Governments in Greece with attached handout to be printed out at home to take notes with during the videos

Focus Sheet Explained

Each unit or major area of study Mrs. Cobb and I put together a tool we call a Focus Sheet. This tool is designed to be student friendly and student useful. A few years ago we offered a Study Guide and over the years student feedback led us to trim down and shape up our study guide into a more useful tool. It had become just another piece of "homework" students had to labor over and our goal was for it to be useful in preparation for assessments and for students to be able to self assess their own learning. Thus, the reasoning behind displaying the Learning Targets section with self assessment "sliders" included. We also wanted a place to display vocabulary terms that would be needed for the area of study. Lastly, we included some study strategies that we would use and teach students along the way. After we teach a few of them, students may pick and choose the one that works best for them giving them ownership and choice. I have included a video ShowMe screen cast that explains the Focus Sheet. This entire concept has been fluent and a work in progress.

Lat/Long Review and Chapter 25 work

Hello! Today we practiced more with latitude and longitude. We were using more specific numbers with latitude and longitude. Tomorrow we will practice more. If there are any students who feel they need more practice than what they can get at home or with Edmodo videos, Mrs. Cobb will be available before school on Thursday and Friday about 830 to answer questions. Be sure to let her know you are coming and check in at the main office first.  When then discussed some answers to the chapter 25 questions in the interactive notebook that students were working with their partner to complete. Some classes started on the paragraph about why ancient Greece colonized. We will work more with it tomorrow.

Homework: study latitude and longitude for quiz Friday, complete reading notes chapter 25 if not finished

Latitude/Longitude and Greek Colonies

Hello! Hope you all enjoyed the extra day! Today students worked with the new information that was learned about latitude and longitude from the Edmodo videos and the quiz. We practiced with the world map finding absolute location. It was strongly suggested that students use the Edmodo videos as a resource if they still have questions as we will be having an in-class, paper/pencil quiz on Friday finding absolute locations (to the nearest degree). It was also suggested that students take notes as needed from the videos in their social studies binders adding it to the loose leaf paper already set up for Edmodo Responses. We also problem solved some solutions for those that were having problems with Edmodo. Anyone not completing the videos and quiz will need to do so tonight. It is very important that students understand that the Edmodo work is to be done as assigned. If students are unable to complete it for technical difficulties of some sort, then they must have communication saying such from parents. Students then worked on reading Chapter 25 in the textbook and answering questions related to the content with their partners. We will finish it in class tomorrow!:)

Homework: Study for Lat/Long Quiz on Friday:)

TGIF

Wow, have we ever had a busy week. We have begun work in geography in and around Ancient Greece. Students have been introduced to and created accounts in Edmodo, a safe and secure student learning web based program. Students sign up, enter no personal information, and don't enter an email address. They can only be invited into their class group through a special group code and parents may begin an account following their child, as well. Teachers have full control of who may be in the class and can close it off from any unwanted members and even control students who wish to enter a class of which they are not a member. A special private parent code is generated for each student. Students have been participating in a big way by viewing "Flipped" videos at home and responding through quiz or written responses. Their has been somewhat of a learning curve for both students and teacher alike. We are all getting the hang of it and are ready to soar. In this way, we will "push" videos and documents out to students where they view them at home for homework. Then, in class, students collaborate, share, discuss as a class, and generally work their traditional homework with teachers on hand for questions and further elaboration on topics. The result should be more teacher time for each student as well as a chance to do "homework" in class where they can be assisted when needed. So far it has been an awesome experience and students have displayed an enormous level of interest. Our students are fired up for learning social studies like I've never seen before. Hang on because it going to be a fun ride.

Geography Challenge

Hello! Today we were still collecting papers that needed to be returned. If you still need a copy, see yesterdays post. You can click on it and print it out at home:) Students worked on the geography challenge for ancient Greece. They worked with their clock partners. For some classes we were able to discuss a few of the answers. All classes will complete it tomorrow. Students were given an Edmodo assignment of viewing a few short video clips on our post and then taking the short quiz right there on Edmodo. Students should take notes on the videos and go back to look for information. We will use this as a tool to set up our classes next week when we talk further about latitude and longitude!

Homework:  Edmodo: View video clips and take quick quiz due Tuesday (reminder....if you don't find the post on one of the classes for social studies, you will find it on the other.)

Discusssion of Geography of Greece and Colonies

Hello! Today we were still cleaning up papers to hand in that required signatures (syllabus signature due Friday, Edmodo code of conduct was due Monday). We have included copies of them at the bottom of the post in case you can't find it and need another.  We had a great discussion on solving problems related to technology. Students can up with many solutions that could help. The last resort would be to send a note to us with parents signature letting us know the problem. For some classes we started the Geography Challenge and for all we will finish tomorrow!

Homework:  Syllabus Signature, Edmodo Code of Conduct Signature


Edmodo Guidelines

Edmodo Code of Conduct

Syllabus

First Edmodo Assignment

Hello! Today we had some things to catch up with before we could move on to new material. We completely finished 3-item bags and t-shirts. We also filled in the clock partners so we have classmates to work with cooperatively . We collected syllabus signatures (still a few out there) and Edmodo code of conduct sheets. We explained the homework found on the website for Edmodo. We believe all students have joined the social studies groups and should be able to find the assignment when they log in to Edmodo. Students will be watching a screencast on Chapter 25 the geography and settlements of Greece. Students will then write a response on their own paper and put in their binder to share tomorrow. In class tomorrow we will explain about the process for completing this at home and model what it should have looked like. Students may reply to our post, but it is not required. All replies should follow the Edmodo Code of Conduct. Students are doing a good job with this so far! In some classes, we started the Geography Challenge but will complete this tomorrow. There is no work with this outside of class.

Homework:  View Edmodo Screencast video, respond on loose leaf
                     Complete t-shirt if not finished

Acuity Test Day

Hey! you all did a fantastic job taking the Acuity Pre-Test. The test was mostly new material as evidenced by the results but you each worked your best effort and hung in there like troopers. The scores will not count for or against your overall grade as it was a pre-test put out by the state of Indiana. We will be taking one of these at the start of each quarter and an "end of the quarter" assessment at the end of each quarter. Tomorrow we will begin work on Ancient Greece by working with the geography of the region.

Acuity Pre-Test

Hello! Today we take the acuity pre-test for the first quarter. You will read the hard copy of the test and record your answer on the computer form for your class period. Click submit only when you are sure about your answers. Do not rush but you will only have this class period to complete it! You will find it below.

Cobb Period 1
Cobb Period 2
Cobb Period 3
Cobb Period 4
Cobb Period 6

Hogue Period 1
Hogue Period 2
Hogue Period 3
Hogue Period 4
Hogue Period 6

Have a great day!

TGIF

Hey! It's Friday and a beautiful but warm day outside. I hope you are ready to enjoy the first weekend after school has started. I am.
Today we completed loose ends on procedures, syllabus, Edmodo acceptable use procedures, and the T-Shirts.
If you have not had a chance to sign up for an Edmodo account, you can simply go to Edmodo.com and sign up an account as a student. You will need to get your class code from another student who is in your current period class.

3-Item Bag Presentations

Hello! Today students worked on the arrival procedures and are getting the hang of it! About half of the students shared their 3 items which represented themselves with the class. Students were attentive and respectful and seemed truly interested in each other. Mrs. Cobb's students were given a copy of the syllabus (yellow) and need to have the bottom portion filled out and returned next week. Mr. Hogue's class will get them tomorrow. Mr. Hogue's class finished the t-shirts which are visual representions of themselves. Mrs. Cobb's class will do them tomorrow. In science class today, students joined a social studies group on the classroom site from edmodo.com. Next week, we will go into the lab and learn more about how to use it step by step. Lots more to come about edmodo!

Homework:  3 item bag if not already presented
                     syllabus signature due 8/31

First Day of School

Today was a great day for all! While today was spent learning some classroom expectations, we also worked on meeting someone new and on becoming more comfortable in our classrooms. We shared our 3 item bags with students to explain a little more about who we are and what is important to us. This also showed students what we are looking for in their 3 item bags which are due tomorrow. For  some classes, we viewed a short slide show starring Charlie Brown and friends and teachers from Discovery about the do's and don'ts of lockers. We believe most students survived their first day of middle school and we are looking forward to a great year!

 Homework:  3-item bags

Monday Night - Parent's Night

We hope you had a nice visit with your teachers tonight. Sorry, if it seemed hot and was difficult to get around to everyone. Thanks to those of you who had a chance to complete our technology survey. If you were not able to come or you did not get a chance to complete it, please go to the next post which has a list of possible class periods that your son or daughter has social studies. Choose the class period and teacher and complete the survey. It is just a quick five question sheet and will help us determine your situation at home for Internet connects. No worries, if you do not have a connection we will help your child figure out how to access the material from school. That is one of the reasons for our little survey. Also, if you have Mr. Hogue for first period, I somehow lost all the data for your period. Please complete the survey again.
Thanks.

Parent Meet and Greet Night

Welcome to Discovery Middle School Parent Meet and Greet Night. We hope you have a great visit with your child's teachers and have an opportunity to see their class rooms and get a visual of what their day may entail. I know it will go fast and seem like there was a lot packed into the evening. Please take a moment to complete a short technology questionnaire to help us get an idea of what technology tools your child may have at their disposal to access Internet content at home. Please choose your child's teacher and class period. Click on the link to access the short questionnaire.

Thank You,
Mr. Hogue
Mrs. Cobb

Mrs. Cobb Period One
Mrs. Cobb Period Two
Mrs. Cobb Period Three
Mrs. Cobb Period Four
Mrs. Cobb Period Six

Mr. Hogue Period One
Mr. Hogue Period Two
Mr. Hogue Period Three
Mr. Hogue Period Four
Mr. Hogue Period Six

Welcome to DMS 6th Grade Social Studies

Welcome to the Discovery Middle School 6th Grade Social Studies Blog. This site has been designed for use by Discovery Middle School sixth grade students and their parents. Hopefully you will find it a resource link for class videos, checking grades, student handouts, assignment rubrics, and more. This site is a collaboration of Mrs. Cobb and Mr. Hogue and we hope it will become a tool, along with Edmodo, to help you keep up with class activities as well as a source for supplemental tools. The social studies focus in sixth grade is Ancient Greece, Rome, and the Western World. We will be using two text books as well as a multitude of Internet resources this year.

We will also being employing a concept called "Flipping." We will not being using it on an everyday basis so we refer to it as "Blended Learning." Essentially what this means is that we will be using short video clips or screen casts that we develop as well as borrow from other sources. These clips will be viewed by our students at home and will be short 5-10 minute clips and will usually contain one concept or one learning target. Sometimes, students will take notes, write a short response, or even take a short quiz online to qualify their learning as well as hold them accountable. One of the benefits of the video clips is that students can watch at their own pace, pause, and rewind at any time. Then, the next day in class, students will have opportunities to collaborate, do hands-on activities, and use the concepts introduced on the videos with their classmates. We will begin the year by modeling this experience in class together and then expand it as the year continues. Students that do not have Internet access, a device, or that may experience technical difficulties at home, will have opportunities to access the content at school.

The short version of blended learning is that student homework will consist of watching a short video at home, making some sort of response, and then participate in class after. The other form of homework will be that students will be required to prepare for assessments (tests, quizzes).

You may view the following short introduction video on Blended Learning.