Updates! 9.8.15

Hello all!

I hope that everyone had a great 3 day weekend.

The scholars have been working so hard on their work and I am so proud of each and every of of them. Don’t forget to check the blog (Blog view) weekly to see pictures from class and updates about assignments and due dates.

We are jumping into or Narrative Writing unit this week. The scholars have been working on brainstorming and small moments. Our classroom conversations are on the blog under pictures if you want to see exactly what we have done so far. We are encouraging students to focus on smaller details from bigger stories. We call these smaller stories Small Moments. We will be working with this strategy for the remained of this unit and I cannot wait to see what great ideas scholars come up with!

In Social Studies we are jumping into Unit 3. Here are the standards we will be covering along with the enduring understandings:

Social Studies Curricular Unit: Native Americans

Duration: 3 Weeks

Relevant Standards:

SS4H1 The student will describe how early Native American cultures developed in North America.

a. Locate where the Native Americans settled with emphasis on Arctic (Inuit), Northwest (Kwakiutl), Plateau (Nez Perce), Southwest (Hopi), Plains (Pawnee), and Southeastern (Seminole).

b. Describe how the Native Americans used their environment to obtain food, clothing, and shelter.

SS4G2 The student will describe how physical systems affect human systems.

a. Explain why each of the Native American groups (SS4H1a) occupied the areas they did, with emphasis on why some developed permanent villages and others did not.

SS4E1c Describe how specialization improves standards of living.

Enduring Understandings:

● Location affects a society’s economy, culture, and development.

● The movement or migration of people and ideas affects all societies involved.

Vocabulary Terms:

● natural resources, specialization

● totem pole, potlatch, pueblo, adobe, teepee, lodge

● migrate, survive, trade

● forest, grassland, desert, tundra, region

Our IRL skill this week will be MENTAL MOVIE. Each night students will add to their mind map in a different color. For this week they will completing this on a blank piece of paper or a cartoon template depending on what they choose on Monday. By the end of the week it should look like a comic strip, CLICK HERE for more information and examples.

It is important that scholars use the SAME BOOK for this activity. If they need a new book to read please have them ask me to check a new book out.

If you have any questions, please let me know!