Week of March 3rd

Dear Parents,
This past week in class, we engaged in some wonderful discussions based on the value of thinking critically as well as the incredible history of the Middle East. We are working on note taking skills, specifically with respect to drawing out main ideas and organizing facts. Many students have been very active in our discussions and this is always appreciated. In the coming week, we will conclude with this "background work".

A map quiz at the beginning of the next week. As students are accustomed, labeling and spelling each country correctly is important. The quiz is on the following dates:
7B and 7C = Monday
7A= Tuesday

Also in the coming week, we will discuss verbal presentation skills and a rubric on how the Country Presentations will be assessed will be gone over in class. Mrs. Kaniho has reported that students are working diligently and that their creativity and level of committment is leading to many very wonderful projects. I am eager to see them! As students are aware, the Power Points will serve as a visual and help guide both the presenter and the class as the countries are being shared. The due dates for the Power Points are:
7C = Tuesday
7A and 7B= Wednesday

Last, we are fortunate this coming week to have a little surprise. You might ask your son/daughter later in the week how the art integrated project went. Pictures are sure to follow on the blog.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please ask. Have a splendid weekend!


Kindly,
Matt Piercy
7th Grade Social Studies

Week of February 25th

Dear Parents,

Old news first. Before Theme Week, students took a final test on South America. The test was returned this week and as I told each class, I was impressed with how much they demonstrated they knew on the test. The average score was an 84%. Please ask your son/daughter to see the test.

This week, we jumped right in to a study of a new region of the world--the Middle East. From the initial day, it was clear several students remembered prior bits and pieces they have learned from years past, especiallly last year. Many gaps and a much broader understanding is certain to result in our studies. As you may well be aware, an introductory research project was outlined (please see below) and your child is in the midst of learning as much as they can about the two countries they chose. Everyone should be working on this research over the weekend. After the research is gathered, Mrs. Kaniho will be working creatively with classes in designing Power Point presentations that will be shared in Social Studies class. Should be a lot of fun!

I'll leave you with a few questions that excited me and show how capable your children are of critical thinking. I think it also exhibits how so many of them wonder and want to understand more. Have a wonderful weekend. A few questions asked the opening day were:
--"How are the economies different in the Middle East and how are they different from other regions (North and South America)?"
--"How do they get water if they don’t have access to it?"
--"Jesus was born in the Middle East, right?" "So, why aren't most of the people in the Middle East Christians?"

Pretty powerful stuff--economics, utilization of resources, and religion. Again, have an wonderufl weekend. Thanks for taking time to read this.


Kindly,
Matt

MIDDLE EAST POWER POINT

STEP ONE=RESEARCH

Pick 2 Middle Eastern countries from the list below and research them:
IRAQ..............IRAN............ SAUDI ARABIA
TURKEY ....... CYPRUS ........ ISRAEL
LEBANON......YEMEN ......... OMAN
QATAR...........BAHRAIN......UNITED ARAB EMIRATE
KUWAIT.........JORDAN.......SYRIA

WHILE RESEARCHING, TAKE NOTES. THE MINIMUM IS THAT YOU MUST FILL IN THE GRAPHIC ORGANIZER I PROVIDE (green sheet)

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STEP TWO=Make a Power point production.

Creatively introduce and teach this topic. I recommend you begin with your introduction/title and then show each of the following.

Be creative! The minimum is that you include all the information listed below. How you will teach this in your Power point will be different. I hope!
GEOGRAPHY
Where is the Middle East and what countries make up this region? These countries should be the fifteen from our introductory mapping/scramble.

Then, introduce/show the two countries you will be focusing your Power point on.

POPULATION
Who lives there? Or, what ethnicities are in each country?
How many people live there?
*More than just numbers, compare populations.

ECONOMY
How do people earn a living? How much do they earn (GDP)?
What are the most important natural resources in the country?
Where are these resources?

CULTURE
Three major religions are home to this area.
What are these religions?
Give a minimum of 3 bullets for what each religion is about.
What are people’s religion in each of your countries? (percentages)

Find out and show/explain at least 5 different cultural facts for each of your countries. (this can be a picture and an explanation for each culture)
Ideas include: music, dance, sports, language, traditions, food,
celebrations, etc.

CURRENT EVENTS
What is BIG news in the two countries you are studying? Include two current events news articles + at least 3 bulleted points that summarize the article.
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Please do your best to select creative images. Images that you don’t think other students will use.

ONLY PUT A FEW WORDS ON EACH SLIDE!!!

Please also use sound/music that best fits your presentation. I am thinking music from the region.

Also, make sure you cite where images and information comes from.

Week of February 4th

Dear Parents,

While walking out of Kaloko today, it was exciting to hear two students contemplate their dreams of the future. Both would like to travel through South America and write a book. As I told them, I hope they do. I'd surely buy whatever they wrote!

This past week, several students impressed me with what they learned and demonstrated in their journal research work. In addition, many of the collages were very artistically created. I so much appreciate student dedication and effort. Later next week you might ask your son/daughter to show you their journal (7C already has been given their critiqued work back)

Wednesday and Thursday of this past week, students successfully created outlines of the journal topics researched (Oil, Carnival, and the Galapagos). These outlines were incredibly thorough and the process we went through appeared very useful. On Monday, any missing pieces will be given to students and their creations should prove helpful in preparing for the next test. Test?

This coming week, we will wrap up our South America study. On Monday, a comprehensive review sheet will be provided to students. We will discuss this page in class, in preparation for Friday's final test. As well, this week, I look forward to further explanatory/discussion lessons on several topics we've touched on (Machu Pichu, Nazca Lines, and Thor Heyerdahl). We also will be watching a few short videos (Galapagos, Carnival, and Hugo Chavez) to support what is already known.

If there are questions, please let me know. I continually am thankful for all the support provided of Social Studies. Thank you!


Kindly,
Matt Piercy
7th Grade Social Studies