Dear Parents and Guardians:
We’ve completed the first month of school and what a hectic month it’s been! Students seem to be mastering their locker combinations and making it to class on time AND with the correct books by now. If your son or daughter seems to be still struggling, please encourage him or her to stop in to see me so I can help.
In Social Studies, I’ve spent more time surveying learning styles and leadership styles so that I can provide opportunities for all learners and encourage students to challenge themselves this year. The last 3 ½ weeks students also have been involved in MEAP preparation which has included a quick review of Colonial America, the Declaration of Independence and the U. S. Constitution while including special discussion and reflection on Patriot’s Day and Constitution Day.
Students have used class time to join our class wiki and create an account with TCI for access to the online textbook: History Alive! The Ancient World. We are beginning our work this week with Unit I – Early Humans and the Rise of Civilization and “Investigating the Past”. Students will be expected to bring the textbook and Interactive Student Notebook (ISN workbook) to class daily. I suggest using the online version for home, but I realize students may have to compete with other family members for computer time, therefore please know I ALWAYS accept the ISN workbook pages or handwritten work.
My classes have been introduced to current events through an engaging online site called Flocabulary: This Week in Rap. It offers “student-friendly” exposure to current events in the United States as well as around the world. We have visited the media center twice so students could set up online accounts through EasyBib.com in preparation for current events and other research projects. I work closely with Berkshire’s media specialist, Teresa Sensenig. I will be focusing on research skills this year with a special emphasis on recognizing bias and considering alternate perspectives when researching.
We have had only one graded assignment this month, but that will be changing as we begin our first unit on September 30th. I have included the Effort & Achievement rubric with this newsletter so you can see how students will be self-evaluating weekly. I consider effort to be as important as the final product.
If you have not joined my Remind 101 group, please join today! In the TEXTING feature of your phone, in the “TO” line enter 5172241770. Next, type @e66b6 in the message line. You will get confirmation that you are a member of my group. It’s that easy! Until next month…
Thanks for reading,
Barb Babich, Social Studies