Post CRCT studies

With CRCT testing now concluded the MYP Humanities classes will resume normal schedule (at least until ITBS testing begins).

7th Grade:
Students in 7th Grade will begin a new Unit on East Asia. This unit will cover the following countries: North and South Korea, China, Mongolia, Taiwan and Japan. This is an exciting unit covering a over 1/4 of the world's population. The unit will begin by exploring the physical geography of the region including major landforms and bodies of water, followed by culture and history.

6th Grade:
Students in 6th Grade will be reviewing the now completed unit on the cultures and history of Europe. We will be reviewing this week before the next unit test, after which time we will be exploring the nations of Australia and Oceania. The unit test on Europe will cover history going back to Ancient Greece to the present and a comprehensive review is planned which students will be expected to complete over the next couple days.

5th Grade:
5th Grade students are exploring early 20th century America and will be reviewing the period from the Progressive era to WWII over the next several days

CRCT

This week and Monday of next week we will be testing since many classes will not meet there will be some extended periods in which humanities materials will not be covered. We will resume a normal schedule on April 28

Spring Break

Be safe and take care during this Spring Break...don't forget to study!

CRCT Review

Each student has been given a CRCT review packet to cover material that they should be familiar with for CRCT test after spring break. Students in all grades should pay especially close to materials which we have not arrived at.

7th Grade: East Asia
6th Grade: Australia and Oceania
5th Grade: Mid-Late 20th Century America

These are subjects which will be covering in the coming weeks, but may be featured on the CRCT , which is why it is especially important that these areas are reviewed in your packet over the break. We will review the entire packet and more after the break, but students should take the initiative and work on their packets during this brief respite from classes

5th Grade Great Plains Test

Review of Unit on Great Plains for end of week test....students should complete and review in preparation for this test

7th Grade: Middle East Test

7th Grade Students will have a test on Thursday and will be completing a review activity early in the week, a copy of that review sheet is below. students should have completed by Thursday.

7th Graders: Current Events and Cultures

7th Graders are studying cultures and current events in the Middle East. Those students (7th grade boys) who did not have current events on Friday, should make sure they bring them in next week.

7th grade girls will be working on current events as well in the coming week.

6th Grade: The Middle Ages

Sixth Graders recently completed a study of Ancient Greece and Rome and will be tackling the subject of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance in the coming days. They too will be having a quiz in the coming days over Ancient Rome (and the Middle Ages).

A make up quiz on Ancient Greece was completed on Thursday, and lets up 6th graders take away from the experience that when given a second chance to prepare, they make sure to review and prepare.

5th Grade:

The Fifth Graders will be wrapping up our studies on the 19th and moving into the 20th century.

5th grade students recently completed a quiz on western expansion and can look forward to another in the next few days covering Exodusters and exodus of former salves to the great plains, as well as teh economic concept of supply and demand, cattles drives and on going conflicts with native americans on the great plains.

All fifth grade students should have a set of review material sfor this purpose.

6th Grade: Ancient Greece and Rome

6th Graders are studying Ancient Rome and Ancient Greece this week and will then began studying later European History.

Below is an excerpt of the reading on Ancient Greece:

ANCIENT GREECE

Ancient Greece wasn't one large empire but a collection of smaller city-states. The term the Greeks used was polis, which meant "city-state." A polis was bigger than a city but smaller than a state. They were scattered throughout the Mediterranean area. Some were seaports; others were more inland. Some of the more famous city-states were Athens, Sparta, Corinth, Delphi, and Thebes.

The people living in these city-states were all Greek, coming from a common heritage. But the people of each city-state did different things and had different beliefs.

Sparta, for instance, was a place of great determination. The Spartans believed in a strong army. All Spartan boys were trained to be soldiers. Other Greek city-states often looked to Sparta and its army to keep them safe. Sparta was ruled by the Senate, a group that made laws and kept tyrants in check.

Athens, another large city-state, was the birthplace of democracy, or the idea that each person could have a voice in what laws were passed and who made up the government.

Early in its history, Athens was ruled by tyrants, some of whom worked to create democracy. The Athenians invented the practice of ostracism to deal with tyrants.

Athens was also a place of great culture. Philosophers like Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle studied and taught in and around Athens. Many of the famous buildings that are only ruins today were in Athens.

Athens was the home of the Greeks' great fleet, which beat back the invading Persians several times during the Persian Wars. Athens also used this fleet to create an empire. Other, smaller city-states grew afraid of Athens' power and sided with Sparta, another large city-state, in the Peloponnesian War, which ended in the defeat of Athens. This war left the Greeks so weak from fighting each other that they were easy targets for a determined conqueror like Alexander the Great, who conquered Greece on his way to ruling most of the known world.

Another famous city-state was Olympia, which had the Olympics, great athletic contests that soldiers and others took part in, even during wars. The Olympics were actually a religious festival dedicated to the great god Zeus. Delphi, another city-state, had the Oracle, a religious temple that answered questions in a vague sort of way.

The Greek religion was based on the worship of nature and many Gods and Goddesses (polytheism). The most powerful and famous of these was Zeus. Other famous gods and goddesses were Apollo, Aphrodite, Athena, Hades, and Poseidon. The Greeks told all kinds of fanciful tales about these gods and goddesses. Many times, they interacted with people. Other times, they did great or terrible things on their own. The Greeks invented comedy and drama and great plays and performances were a regular part of Greek life.

The Greeks also made great discoveries in math and science. Pythagoras invented his famous Theorem. Euclid invented geometry. Eratosthenes calculated how many miles the Earth was around. Aristarchus calculated the distance from Earth to the Moon. Aristotle made a name for himself as a scientist as well.

The Greeks were also the first to write history, chronicling events from wars to everyday life.

7th Grade: History of the Middle East

7th Graders recently began explorer the history of Ancient Mesopotamia. All 7th graders have a hand out that should enable them to answer the following questions:

1. Why is ancient Mesopotamia referred to as the cradle of civilization?
2. Who was Hammurabi? And what were his contributions to ancient Mesopotamian history?
3. What modern country is located where Mesopotamia was located?
4. What Sumerian innovations made it possible for their villages to develop into large city-states?
5. What is Cuneiform? Where was it taught? And by whom?
6. What was the importance of the ziggurat? Who were the only people allowed inside these structures?
7. What other important innovations were developed by the people of Ancient Mespotamia?

5th Grade: Western Expansion

This week and next 5th Grade students are studying America's western expansion in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Vocab:
Exoduster
Benjamin "Pap" Singleton
Sodbuster
Sod House

Key Concepts:

1. What were the difficulties faced by those who settled in the Great Plains?
2. How did the people of the Great Plains adapt to life there?
3. Why did many former slaves migrate to the Great Plains?

Informational Speeches

Students in 6th and 7th grade are working on giving informational speeches to the class. This oral assignment will give students an opportunity to conduct individual research on a specific country they have been assigned in Europe (6th Grade) or the Middle East (7th Grade).

These speeches are to explain or describe a concept, event or issue unique to that specific country. The topics can cover history, politics, culture, art, etc, provided it is related to the country in question.

Students will present their speeches in an oral essay type format, including an introduction, body and conclusion. Students must turn in an outline to accompany their speech. This outline will highlight the main points of teh speech but is NOT a text of the speech.

6th Grade will begin their speeches on Friday, Feb 27 continuing through the next week, while 7th grade speeches will begin on March 2.

7th Grade

7th Grade is finalizing its study of the nations of Kenya, South Africa and Nigeria and as such should be able to answer the following questions.

1. What are the major historical similarities between the 3 countries?

2. What are the major ethnic groups found in each country?

3. Describe the vast mineral wealth of each nation?

4. What is Apartheid? Compare this development in South Africa with ethnic and racial differences in the other two countries, how has it differed, how is it similar?

6th Grade Study Guide

Study Guide for 6th Grade Canada unit is below. 6th Grade students will be tested on Friday.

Students should review this material as we have in class and review the 13 Canadian provinces and territories

5th Grade Study Guide:

This is the study guide for 5th grade students as we close out the civil war and reconstruction.

Students in 5th grade have been reviewing this material all week.

5th Grade boys will be tested on Friday, 5th grade girls will be tested next week.

Nigeria: People Culture and History

7th Grade students are completing their study of Nigeria and need to familkiarize themselves with the People, History and Culture of that country.

Three major Ethnic Groups (70% of population)

Yoruba
Igbo
Hausa-Fulani

Causes for ethnic violence
Nigeria's natural resources
Nigeria's history of democracy

We will now focus on Kenya and will be comparing and contrasting teh two countries

End of Civil War and Reconstruction: 5th Grade

Students in the 5th grade have wrapped up their exploration of the Civil War and are looking at the aftermath including Reconstruction. Sudents will be reviewing vocabulary and a studying and revising a timeline created earlier in teh week in order to focus on the most significant events of the war. Students should be able to explain or briefly describe the following events:

Lincoln Elected
South Carolina secedes
Confederacy Formed
Fort Sumter
Upper South Secedes
Antietam (the bloodiest day)
Gettysburg
Emacipation Proclamation
Capture of Atlanta
March to the Sea
Appomattox Cout House
Lincoln's Assasination
Juneteenth

Physical Geography of Canada: 6th Grade

Students in the 6th Grade are currently exploring the physical geography of Canada. Students are currently learning the major bodies of water, climate, natural resources and physical features of Canada.

Including the 4 principle types of natural vegetation in North America: Desert Scrub, Tundra, Forests and Grasslands.

Students also need to familiarize themselves with the 13 provinces and territories of Canada, including:

British Columbia, Manitoba, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Yukon, Nunavut, and the Northwest Territories.

Classes resume January 5, 2009

Classes resume January 5, 2009 for students. The new year will bring some changes for MYP students, including a slightly revised schedule (letters have been sent home explaining this schedule).

For Humanities classes the new year brings new areas of student and beginning preparations for the CRCT.

• 5th Grade: Will be finishing our studies of the Civil War moving into our looking at the aftermath of this conflict for the people of the United States
• 6th Grade: Will begin studying the People, Culture, History and Physical Geography of our neighbor to the North (Canada)
• 7th Grade: Will begin a 3 week unit closing out our study of the Continent of Africa, while focusing on the study of three distinct countries and their History and Culture (Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa)

Because organization has been and continues to be a major problem for many MYP level students of ALL grades. To ensure that parents are well aware of all assignments, projects, test, quizzes etc...ALL students will be required to keep track of these assignments in their agendas which I will sign at the end of each class.

Students will also be required to have ALL homework and assignments in their notebooks at all times with their unit checklists. Unit checklists must be signed by parents on a weekly basis, indicating assignments completed and the grade received.

Each grade level will begin working on CRCT preparatory exercises as we begin preparing ourselves for Georgia's Criterion Reference Competency Test (CRCT) later in the spring.

Below you will find links to state provided CRCT study guides based on grade level. Each study guide is comprehensive (including information for all subject areas, including social studies)

5th Grade Study Guide

6th Grade Study Guide

7th Grade Study Guide

Civil War Time Line: 5th Grade

Students in 5th Grade are working on understanding the chain of events at the beginning of the civil war and in doing so completed a timeline:

- Nov 1860 - Lincoln Elected President of USA
- Dec 20, 1860 - South Carolina secedes
- Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Louisiana, Texas secede
- Feb 4, 1861 - Confederacy formed, Jeff Davis elected president
- March 1861 - Lincoln takes over as president
- April 12, 1861 - Confederates attack Ft. Sumter
- Lincoln Calls for 75,000 volunteers
- North Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee and Arkansas join the Confederacy

6th Grade: Latin American Culture

6th Grade students are wrapping up our studies of Latin America. Students were given a study guide to review for a quiz on Thursday:

Latin American Culture: Study Guide

Vocabulary:
Immigrant
Emigrate
Economy
Creole
Goods and Services
Ethnic Group
Communism
Indigenous
Cash Crop
Subsistence Farming


Key Concepts:
Explain the difference between traditional, command and market economies.

Why is the region referred to as Latin America?

Describe the different cultures found in the region?

Latin America is home to what types of ethnic groups?

7th Grade Test

7th Grade students are preparing for their next test which will be given on Monday. Students were given a studyguide on Monday and their will be a test review session on Thursday. Students are to complete their studyguides in preparation for the test and review.

Life in the Sahara: Study Guide
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Vocabulary:

Sahara
Marginal Land
Pastoral Nomads
Desertification
Trade Winds
Drought
Wadis
Deforestation
Shifting Agriculture
"Houses are Graves of the Living"

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Key Concepts:

1. Who are the Tuareg?
2. Describe the traditional life of the Tuareg.
3. How are they affected by the geography of Sahara?
4. How do camels critical to life in the Sahara?
5. How do the Tuareg earn a living?
6. How many people could be affected by desertification?
7. What are the causes of desertification?

• Overgrazing
• Over Cultivation
• Increased Fire Frequency
• Water Impoundment
• Deforestation
• Overdrafting of Groundwater
• Increased soil salinity
• Changes in Climate

6th Grade Country Profile Assignment

6th Grade Boys and Girls have been given a new assignment focusing on the various nations of the Caribbean, Middle America and South America. Each student was assigned a country and using their text books and a 4 page handout on Latin America are to create a 1 page data sheet for their assigned country. Including:

Left Hand Side:
1.Name of Country
2. Map of Country
3. Flag of Country

Right Hand Side:
1. Approximate (relative) location of country
2. Capital of the Country
3. Official Language (and any other dominant languages)
4. Major religions of the country
5. Racial and ethnic groups
6. Economy (Industrial and Agricultural products, Resources and Raw Materials)

Due: Friday, December 5, 2008

7th Grade Mini Quiz

7th Grade Boys and Girls will have a mini quiz (8 terms) on the causes of desertification on Thursday. The terms to be reviewed which students have been discussing since last week include:

1. Overgrazing
2. Over cultivation
3. Increased Fire Frequency
4. Water Impoundment
5. Deforestation
6. Overdrafting of Groundwater
7. Increased Soil Salinity
8. Changes in Climate

5th Grade Makeups

5th Grade Girls will make up their 50 state tests on Thursday and 5th Grade boys will make up their 50 state test on Friday.

I, Dred Scott

As a part of our study of the Civil War, 5th Grade students have been learning about the life of Dred Scott, including an in-class reading of the narrative "I, Dred Scott" which covers the life of Dred Scott a slave who sued for his freedom in a case which eventually reached the US Supreme Court. I will be providing 5th Grade Students with additional resources for extra credit.

There has been tremendous interest amongst 5th graders, particularly insofar as it relates to the issue of slavery, so much so that we have been hard pressed to stay on schedule.

Retest Updates

5th and 7th grade were originally scheduled for retests about a week and a half ago, but due to schedule changes, teacher absences and field trips those schedules have been changed and re-tests will be scheduled after the Thanksgiving holiday

6th Grade Checklist

This next checklist represents the final unit covering our studies of the region of Latin America.

Important News for 6th Grade Students!

After a final review this week, 6th Grade students will take their end of unit test on Latin American History on Thursday of this week. We will continue review in class and students should make certain to review their study guides, which they received last week. Any vocabulary term or concept on the review sheet should be mastered prior to the test.



Also, Next Monday (November 17, 2008) the 6th grade will have a special guest, the Deputy Consul from the Consulate of Argentina here in Atlanta will make a presentation to the girls and boys on the history, culture, people and government of that South American country.

For more information on the Argentine Consulate, please visit the web site below:
http://www.consuladoargentinoatlanta.org/

New Unit Checklists...

5th and 7th Grade Students were issued new Unit Checklists this week covering material they will be working on over the course of the next two weeks leading up until their next unit tests

5th Grade: Introduction to US History

5th Grade Students begin a new unit on US history from 1860 to the present. This unit begins with the Civil War. As such we will be discussing some of the root causes of the Civil War including Slavery, States Rights and other factors. Students will be receiving a new unit organizer this week to cover the materials they will be responsible for during this unit.

Perhaps one of the most discussed subjects will be the issue of slavery. How it came about in America, how it progressed and how it finally ended.

Reminder for 6th Graders

Students have a project due on Monday (Nov 3, 2008). Please see previous entries for further details. These projects are due in class on Monday with presentations shortly to follow.

5th Grade State Test

5th Grade students will finally take their test on the 50 states and their capitals. All students have review guides for each of the 50 states and should review this material in preparation for their test.

Tuesday - 5th Grade Boys
Wednesday - 5th Grade Girls

Information on Class Projects...

6th Grade Students have been assigned a class project on the region of Latin America. The Final project is due on Nov 3, 2008. This project will consist of 3 parts: Written, Oral and Visual.













7th Grade students have also been assigned a class project, which will be due on Nov. 12, 2008. Their projects focus on one of 10 African countries.












5th Grade students will be assigned a project on US History and Geography after their test on the 50 states and their capitals (next Monday and Tuesday)

The tests are coming...the tests are coming...

7th Grade students will be taking a test on Friday. Students were given a study guide today in class. The material on this study guide is REVIEW. All of this material has been covered in detail in class and for homework.

Prior to Friday's test, students should be able to define EACH of the vocabulary words and be able to answer each question in their own words. All vocabulary and questions can be found in the home and classwork that students should have in their notebooks. There will be an in-class review session during Wednesday's class.

The 50 States and their capitals:



5th Grade students will be taking a test covering the 50 states very soon. This test will come the week after Fall Break. In the mean time students should continue to study the states we have covered thus far. Students should be familiar with the states and their capitals.

Calling all speakers

I am working to bring in outside speakers to bring a different perspective to many of teh cultures and regions of the world we are studying.

If any parents have contacts with have extensive familiarity and knowledge of Latin America, Europe, Canada or Australia (6th Grade) and Africa, Middle East and Asia (8th Grade) please let me know, we would be happy to present them to our 6th and 7th grade classes.

5th Grade: Save the Date

Students in the 5th Grade Humanities classes will soon begin working on government and history. We will begin that transition during this unit. The history portion of this class begins with a study of the causes and effects of the Civil War. On November 4th (Election Day) we will have a special guest from the Atlanta History Center who will bring artifacts and discuss the civil war with students. This will not be a one-sided activity. Students will be actively engaged.

I am working to bring other speakers to talk on a variety of issues, included local political leaders, and those who can bring history alive.

New Units:

7th Grade: On Wednesday, students begin a new unit that will focus on the Nile River and the people and nations who draw their lives and livelihood from the River. This unit will focus on a broader understanding of human interaction with their environment as well as scientific concepts like the water cycle and use of hydro electricity.

Unit Checklist: Also beginning with this unit, students will be given a unit checklist with each assignment and activity that will be covered during this 2 and 1/2 week period.


6th Grade: Students will begin a brief unit on the history of independence movements in Latin America and will explore the continued impact on those nations today.

We will also be looking at the various cultures of Latin America.



5th Grade: Students will begin a review of the 50 states, learning both the states, their location on a map, as well as their capitals. For many students this will be review of their primary years social studies classes. Students will be given a review map along with other aides to assist in learning each of the states.

This unit will also focus on the influence of geography and how that has influenced some of the differences in each of the states (particularly between North and South). This unit serves as a segway into the next unit which begins our exploration of US history, beginning with the Civil War.


Outline Map of the USA can be downloaded from the link below:
http://www.eduplace.com/ss/maps/pdf/us_nl.pdf

Current Events

Approximately every other week, students are asked to complete a current events exercise.

This activity is designed to further our knowledge and understanding of the world around us, particularly of the regions of the world which we are currently studying in class.

5th Grade Students are to complete current events on US Geography, History or Culture of the United States

6th Grade Students are to complete current events on Latin America, Canada, Europe, Australia and Oceania

7th Grade Student are to complete current events on Africa, the Middle East and Asia


Guidelines:

1. Identify news source: Newspapers, News Magazine, Internet News Sites (Enclyclopedias and History sites are NOT news sites)
2. Chose an article that relates to the area we are currently studying: If we are studying Latin America, then your articles should cover that region, etc...
3. Students will summarize their article, making sure to answer the following questions in the process: Who/What (Who or what is the article about, describe the events or subject matter), When (When do the events take place), Where (Where does it take place). (4-5 sentences)
   
4. Your Opinion: Use your understanding of the article to describe your feelings of the subject. (2-3 sentences)
   

Humanities Quizzes

7th Grade:

Today 7th grade students will have a quiz on introduction to Africa. This quiz will cover: Physical and Human Geography (Culture), Climate and Vegetation as well as Population.

We will be reviewing this quiz in class and the corrected quiz will be returned later in the week.

On Friday, students will be working on current events (in-class) we will be reviewing the procedures for identifying articles that meet the current event criteria and how to correctly summarize those articles.


5th Grade (Girls):

Girls in 5th grade will have a quiz today on physical geography of the United States and Culture.

We will be reviewing this quiz in class and the corrected quiz will be returned later in the week.


5th Grade (Boys):

Boys in 5th grade will have a review exercise on Thursday in preparation for their quiz on Monday. Students should review their notes and prepare for their quiz on physical geography of the United States and Culture


6th Grade:

Students in 6th grade will have a review exercise on Thursday in preparation for their quiz on Physical Geography of Latin America and the Early civilizations of Aztec, Inca and Maya.