Week of March 16th

We have a lot going on as we wrap up this term.  Please see below for this week's agenda and links to the documents we'll be using.  

Monday
-Breman Museum Field Trip
-Homework -- Women & African Americans in WWII, Vocabulary
**I gave students the SS homework on Friday so they could get a head start

Tuesday
-Holocaust Reflection 
-D-Day reading and notes
-Project work time
-Read Son

Wednesday
-Japanese Internment reading and notes
-Read Son
-Project work time

Thursday
-Homework Due - we will review and discuss it in class
-Read Son
-Distribute/discuss Opinion Biography rubric and directions
**students will have class time to work on this paper.  Also, I will not be assigning homework for the remaining weeks of the term so students should complete some of their research and writing at home.
-Project work time

Friday
-Vocab quiz
-Read Son
-Pacific Battles - Guadalcanal & Iwo Jima reading and notes
-Writing Time
-Project Work Time

Tuesday, March 10th

Today we continued studying the bombing at Pearl Harbor and the effects of that event.  We read "Pearl Harbor" from a History of US and students took cause and effect T-chart notes on the text.  Then we watched World War II Valor in the Pacific.  It's the video that they show at the Pearl Harbor and Arizona Memorial in Hawaii.  My second flex group is a bit ahead due to the scheduling of various school events, so they listened to the audio recording of Franklin D. Roosevelt asking Congress to declare war on Japan.  Tomorrow we will read the transcript and identify the persuasive writing elements of the document.

Monday, March 9th

Students had STAMP testing and we used our remaining class time to read a document about the lead up to the Pearl Harbor bombing.  Students used the SWBS technique to organize the information.  SWBS stands for Somebody Wanted But So and it's a way to organize information from a text.  Tomorrow we will continue learning about the Pearl Harbor bombing.

Midweek Update

Tonight we are having student led conferences.   Please come directly to our classrooms, you don't have to check in at the front of the building.

Today we concluded our discussions about the Holocaust and began reviewing the multiple causes of WWII.  Students received a copy of the powerpoint and they worked on their summarizing skills by writing a main idea sentence of each slide.  Once we finish the presentation, they will use their main idea sentences to write an opinion paragraph about what they think are the main causes.

We concluded our day by reading Son.

Tuesday, March 3rd

Today we completed our daily grammar and we began our lessons on the Holocaust.  We started off with a read-aloud of Benno and the Night of Broken Glass.  We then watched the Holocaust BrainPop  video, and then we began reading "A Final Solution" from A History of US.  

In addition to taking notes, we had meaningful conversations about the origins of anti-semitism, the evolution of religion, the origin of ideas about race, and the use of scapegoats throughout history.  

We concluded our day by reading Son. Students are making some excellent connections between Son and the previous books we've read in the series.

Student Led Conference Sign Ups

It's been brought to my attention that several parents in my homeroom have signed up for space in Ms. McFaddin's homeroom.  If you have done that, please delete your spot, and reserve a spot in my class. 

Additionally, when the conference date was rescheduled, all of the time slots remained the same.  Some parents have gone in and reserved a second space.  If you did that, please go in and delete the time you no longer want.  Thank you.

Ms. Black's Homeroom Student Led Conference Sign-Up

Monday, March 2nd

Today we had another Villiage Gathering.  During ELA/SS we completed our daily grammar work, checked last week's homework, went over the directions for this week's homework, and read Terrible Things by Eve Bunting.  Terrible Things is an allegory of the Holocaust and students linked events in the story to our key concepts this term:  responsibility, causation, and connection.

We concluded our day by getting organized for Thursday's Student Led Conferences.  

Pennies for Patients

This is the last week to send in donations for Pennies for Patients.  So far, students and families have done an amazing job with their contributions.

Student Led Conferences Update from Ms. Newton

*Please note that we will observe the same times we had scheduled for last Thursday.

This night is designed for students to have an opportunity to inform parents about what they have learned, demonstrate new understandings and articulate personal goals for the remainder of the school year. Please make sure that you have signed up with your homeroom teacher to attend with your child(ren).  Our goal is to have students independently lead parents through their portfolio of learning for the IB unit of inquiry, How We Express Ourselves.  However, if you need additional information or clarification there will be an opportunity to indicate that.  Teachers will respond to all inquiries via email soon after this event.

This sharing of work also includes Spanish, the Arts and Physical Education.  Additional areas of the building will be open so that students can share how their learning in these areas also connected to the unit of study, How We Express Ourselves.  Feel free to visit these areas after 4:00pm (not during your scheduled conference time).

• Music:  Room 227
• Art:  Cafeteria & Falcon's Nest
• Spanish:  Media Center
• Physical Education:  Multi-Purpose room

Also, feel free to stop by room 135 if you need to briefly speak with LINKS or EIP teachers.