Today, students learned about the 5 Themes of Geography: Location, Place, Human-Environmental Interaction, Movement, and Region. Tonight, students should be creating a brief essay that explains what the 5 Themes of Geography are in their own worlds.
Today, students worked in groups to develop timelines that correctly place various historical events in order from oldest to the most recent. They were then introduced to their next major project, the creation of a timeline of their lives. In this assignment, students will develop a timeline of 20 major events in their lives. This project will be due on Wednesday, September 4, 2013, and instructions can be found on the Introduction to Social Studies link on my website.
Today, students examined the concept of measuring time. We looked at the big question of, "why do historians measure time", and discussed how historians hoped to establish an insight into the possible cause and effect relationship that exists in human history. Students also examined actual historical examples of causes and effects to try to make a prediction about possible events in the future. Students were also introduced to the concepts of B.C.E. (Before the Common Era) and C.E. (Common Era) when working with timelines. For anyone not familiar with these concepts, B.C.E. replaces the term B.C. (Before Christ) and C.E. replaces the term A.D. (Anno Domini). Students did a great job with this lesson today, and were able to complete the Measuring Time Worksheet during class. All classes, except for 8th period, did not have homework tonight.
Today, students were introduced to the various disciplines of the Social Sciences. Specifically, we focused on the disciplines of History/Pre-History, Geography, Economics, Government, Anthropology, and Archaeology. The lectures notes for our discussion can be found on the Introduction to Social Studies link on my website. Students were also assigned the What is Social Studies Essay for homework tonight. Students should also continue to work on their Team Adventurers Archaeological
Today, students showed what they had learned about text features and using nonfiction text duirng a Textbook Scavenger Hunt Quiz. Students were also give a homework assignment that will be due Wednesday, August 28, 2013. Students will be creating their Team Adventurers' Archaeological Journal Title Page for their social studies journal. Directions for this assignment should be coming home with each student, but if they do not, look under the Introduction to Social Studies tab on my homepage, and you will find links to both the instructions and to a sample title page.
Today our students looked at the various text features that can be found within a textbook. Although our textbook will be a supplemental resource this year, it is still important that all of our students are familiar with how to work with nonfiction texts. During class, students worked cooperatively to complete the Using Your Textbook Correctly Worksheet and then
had a short competition to find various pictures and subjects within the textbook. Students were also told that there was a strong possibility of a (hint, hint, wink, wink, nudge, nudge) pop quiz tomorrow. Today, students took the 6th grade social studies pre-test to gauge what they already knew about the various cultures of the ancient world. Try a few sample questions from the test and feel free to post your answers:
Which is a primary source? a. a journal entry from a young bride traveling west. b. an article in a current encyclopedia. c. data on weather and climate. d. a book about the people of ancient China. Which two physical features gave Mesopotamia its name? a. the Fertile Crescent and the Mediterranean Sea. b. the Persian Gulf and the Mediterranean Sea. c. the northern plateau and the southern plateau. d. the Tigris River and the Euphrates River. Historians believe that this group of people built the Great Pyramid. a. Slaves b. Priests c. Merchants d. Farmers Today, our 6th graders went over our class expectations for social studies and the overall course syllabus. They also received their first major assignment for the year, their Autobiography Essay. All of your students should be arriving home with various assignments and informational papers for you to look over. They should also be greeting you with your very own homework assignment. If they have misplaced any of the following papers, please note that you can find electronic copies of all papers on this website. Items you should be looking for tonight:
-Classroom Expectation Sheet (Needs to be signed and returned by 8/21/13) -Student Information Sheet (Needs to be filled out and returned by 8/21/13) -6th Grade Course Syllabus -Team Adventurers Social Studies Website Flyer -Autobiography Essay (1 Page Essay due 8/26/13) -Who Am I? Worksheet (Needs to be completed by 8/26/13) -In A Million Words or Less Parent Essay (Due 8/26/13) Hello, and welcome to the start of another wonderful school year. I hope that
you and your students will have an enjoyable and productive year. We have many exciting projects and units of study planned for this year, and I am very excited to get to know each of your students. One of the first sets of projects revolves around the students developing an essay and timeline that recounts their own personal histories. Along with this project, I am also asking parents/guardians to also complete a short homework assignment in which they will also describe their students in detail, as well as fill out a brief student information sheet. Below are links to both of these assignments if you would prefer to get a head start on them. Again, I would like to welcome you to the start of the 2013-2014 school year, and if you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please feel free to contact me anytime at [email protected]. Please check here daily for: -Updates on what we did in class each day. -Homework assignments and due dates. -Upcoming field trips or other activities. |
Mr. Cain6th Grade Social Studies Teacher - Team Adventurers Archives
October 2013
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