News from the Social Science Department
by Ron Redden
October 28, 2009
The year is off to a quick start and the first quarter has come and gone. We had a great turn out at Parent/Teacher conferences and it was nice getting to discuss the students and the classroom with the parents.
We’ve had some projects already happening this first quarter. The 7th grade students made a Civil War era, Bleeding Kansas cereal box. They use information from the text and design it to still look like a cereal box. For example, the nutrition and ingredients on the side of the box could be details of a battle.
The 8th grade hasn’t hit any projects, but is continuing to cover aspects of government and civic duties. They have recently covered the buildup of cities and the changes of the American landscape from rural to urban areas. Why the cities grew and the positives and negatives of that growth. They seemed to be interested in the juvenile court system. Let’s just hope it’s because they wanted to see how good they are compared to others in the country.
The 9th grade did a PowerPoint over one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. They did a great job with lots of color, movement, pictures, and information. They also had an opportunity to present their research in class.
The 10th grade designed web pages to cover the British Industrial Revolution. They worked in groups and had some nice flowing links and information.
The 11th grade did the final taping of a news parody covering the Civil War last week. It still is in editing, but it was the first time a class has done this activity and they showed a lot of interest in their first attempt. We saw characters come to life through student written scripts and an interesting take on the Battle of Bull Run. It should be edited and in the can within a week or so. Check your local rental store for straight to DVD release!
The 12th grade was able to take advantage of the Smithsonian Journey Stories exhibit at the Corner Store and go on a field trip. Mrs. Nothern got us Q&A sheets prior to going through the exhibit. The students worked on them as they researched the information. It was a nice exhibit and great that our town could benefit from a major museum exhibit coming through.
Congratulations to the success of all the fall sports programs at the Jr. High and High School levels. We’ve seen many great things ranging from volleyball, football, and cross country. Basketball has already begun for the Jr. High and the High School practices begin Nov. 16. Get ready to run! GO WARRIORS!!!!!!!!!!!!
Mr. Redden
