Welcome back from a beautiful weekend!
Special Note: Wednesday is mid-quarter already! As has been the policy for 7th and 8th grades, students will receive a grade report only if they are holding a D or and F in the core-content classes. You will be hearing from teachers ahead of time if this is the case.
This week, our focus is two-fold: To accelerate the progress of our research projects and to deepen what we know about American Indian history and cultural influences on our Nation's identity.
Monday:
We begin our week with a look at one of the most infamous examples of US government Indian policy in the 19th century -- The Trail of Tears. We begin with a brief reading, and united streaming clip.
Student Play: Students will be acting out a student-drama in class.
HW - By the end of class on Tuesday, students must have complete notes and citations on 3 research sources. Some students may need to do some internet research and note-taking tonight. Please use this blog's links or the links to online periodicals via the media center's site.
Tuesday:
Day 3 of media center research. Ms. Swiggum will be teaching a mini-lesson on research skills. Students will continue to use non-internet sources. Many students will transition into using media center linked online periodicals and reference sources.
By the end of today, students will need to show 3 resources with notes and citations.
Wednesday:
Today's lesson will begin with a formal review of internet-based research options. These include links to the media center's "Tools for Teachers and Students" such as WYLD, Culturegrams, and Discovery's United Streaming. We will also be learning/refreshing skills on responsible open internet searches. How can students best sift through the literally millions of websites related to their topic? A few simple tips will help them along.
Thursday:
Day 4 Media Center. By now, students should be moving along with notes and citations enough to begin thinking of a logistical outline of their paper, including a thesis statement and a series of supporting paragraphs. By the end of class today, students will need to show 5 resources with notes and citations.
Friday:
Current Event: Student News - Students use Inspiration to practice web notes. They will be dropping their notes in open access where they will be evaluated for depth, order and connection between topic ideas and concrete details.
Then, students will be encouraged to formalize their thesis statements, which will be peer-edited using a general guide which assesses the statement on a series of criteria. They will be turning these in to the teacher at the end of class so that I can make comments and get them back to kids on Monday.