Week of April 28th

Dear Seventh Grade Parents,

Last night's performance was very well attended. I don't know about you, but I honestly had tears in my eyes. How proud I am of each child and how extraordinary it was to watch them shine. What a wonderful bunch!

Students have known for nearly a week now about the Europe/Russia map quiz. I've encouraged students to study in a multiple of ways (ilike2learn.com , spelling on backs, spelling in the sand, mnemonic devices, etc.). Monday, 7C will take the quiz and on Tuesday, 7A and 7B. A fun way you might study with your son/daughter is ask questions like, "What country is just west of Sweden?" Or, "What country is in between France, Germany, Italy, and Austria?"

This past week, the first two steps of the final "Europe/Russia End of Year Project" were discussed. The directions were as follows:

1st Step: Pick a city
PARIS ROME LONDON MADRID MOSCOW
*See me if you have an idea of another city you feel strongly about studying

2nd Step: Research this place completely. What is there? How is the culture? Climate? Economy? What is there to see/do there? The history? Etc., etc.

BECOME AN EXPERT ON YOUR CITY!!!

*Yes, you may have a partner in this project.

For the bulk of this week, we will be researching in class. I also expect a lot of investigative work to be done outside of class. I am encouraging students to REALLY get into this final project and that they come to know the city so well, it's as if they have physically visited.

I am intentionally holding off on describing the project portion of this assignment until latter in the week. Not for the sake of suspense but rather for the necessity of students thoroughly "getting to know" the city they have elected. Pictures are not important in this first phase. Information...information...and more information. Your help in supporting this and maybe just checking in with your child about what they are learning and still need to find out, will be very beneficial.

That's it for this week. Time is certainly getting compressed but I am sure students, parents, and teachers alike will delight in the remainder of this wonderful 7th grade year.

As always, please ask if there are any questions. And, thank you for you all that you continue to do.


Kindly,
Matt Piercy
7th Grade Social Studies

Week of April 21st

Dear Parents,

Thank you everyone who took time to be interviewed by your child with respect to the war in Iraq. I very much enjoyed reading the wide variety of responses and plan to have student who wish to volunteer, share these responses and ideas for how things may be made different. A lot can be learned from both your ideas and opinions. A point I have carefully impressed upon students is that so many of the problems we are confronted with, are human created. Thus, they can be "human solved." Inspiration to have a larger world vision and also grow up with the skills, passion, and will to lead with integrity has also been at the forefront of each unit of study. I must say, as the year winds down and remain even more optomistic. The last few weeks, classes have continually amazed me by both their hight level of maturity and interest in the subject. So, once again I congratulate the 7th graders!

This week, we will jump right in to our final theme. This will take us to Europe and Russia. A little background knowledge will be explored and geography will be at the start of our focus. Students will hopefully be challenged with spelling and knowing the location of the various European countries. In addition, the last large project will be explained in detail. I think students are going to really enjoy this one as it allows for an exceptional degree of creativity. More on this next week, however you might expect for your son/daughter to begin researching by week's end.

As always, I remain gracious for your support.


Kindly,
Matt Piercy
7th Grade Social Studies

Week of April 14th

(A few examples of the tiles students created)

Dear Parents,
I came home today (without leaving school) excited to share how impressed I was by the amazing discussion one class participated in this morning. Though the subject (specifically the conflict in Palestine and Israel) can be quite complex and not pleasant, students did such a fine job engaging completely. Their questions and how well they listened to and built off each other's comments really did have me in awe.

Another class, began a trivia review on the Middle East. Their obvious motivation and how they worked together to help each other was also commendable. The third class? I didn't have the pleasure to see them today but they too, continue to march to a similar and very impressive beat. I guess what I am saying is, "It is going to be hard to say good-bye to the seventh graders." Their passion for learning really is a lot of fun to be around and makes me happy to be their guide.

In the coming week, we will not be meeting but just a couple times. Our plans are to finish up the Middle East. There are several "loose ends." As students are aware, there will not be a final on the Middle East and West Asia but material from this region will be included on the final. To help students better prepare, specifics will also be added to the Final Study Guide.

For the final month of classes, students can expect to be studying Europe and Russia. Those who care to get a head start might want to peruse the mini-text as we will be using this in class.

That's it for this week. Please give your son/daughter a gentle pat on the back as truly, what I saw today and most recently really is pleasing.

Have a wonderful weekend!


Kindly,
Matt Piercy
7th Grade Social Studies

Week of April 7th

Dear Parents,

Our power point presentations are over and I really was impressed. If you haven't seen your son/daughter's show, you might ask them to either show you it or tell you about it. It was not only obvious that they learned a lot about their two specific countries, but also evident was how hard so many worked in preparing for their presentations. Please ask your son/daughter about how they did overall and if their were specific areas they know they can focus on in future projects and presentations. Rubrics were returned this week.

This week we also watched the first segment of a a video students are really enjoying. It pleases me to see how intrigued they are. After our book quiz at the beginning of the week (Monday=7A and 7B and Tuesday=7C), we will continue the video. As mentioned last week, the "follow along" sheets will be collected when we are finished, including the little bit of research for a few of the questions. I am expecting the responses to demonstrate students' full thought and expression.

Next week we also will be doing a review of the country presentations with a fun cooperative trivia game. Students' notes will come in handy and will be collected with their game sheet. As well, we will discuss a few hot issues (Palestine/Israel and War in Iraq) of the region and I plan to send students home with interview questions. These interview questions will be compiled from students during our discussions.

Should be another fun week! Thank you.



Kindly,
Matt Piercy
7th Grade Social Studies

Week of March 31st

Welcome back from Spring Break! As hard as it is for me to believe, we are into the 4th quarter. Before the break, we did our best to squeeze in all the Middle East powerpoint presentations but not everyone had the chance to present. Several students will be giving their presentation this week. Tomorrow, I will speak to classes about the order of who still gets to present. If your son/daughter is on the following list, I recommend they look over their slideshow and practice their presentation a few more times so they are fresh for Tuesday (7B and 7C) and Wednesday (7A).
7A
Lauren
Justin
Zeke

7B
Nina
Peter
Camille
Tsukasa

7C
Juan
Kyle
Kawai
Andrew
Emily
Tessa
Lucas

At the conclusion of the presentations, we will have a a little trivia review game and note sharing session. Additionally this week, we will begin watching an extremely informative, easy to follow, and fun video on the Middle Eastern countries. Students will be given a handout I made that coincides with the movie. Most of the questions can be answered in class as we watch but a few questions were intentionally written so students would extend what they were seeing by doing a little research. This extension will need to be finished for homework.

Also this week, on Thursday students will have the choice to either work in teams or with a partner. The assignment will be to carefully read the National Geographic West Asia mini-text. This is supplementary material as it enlarges our more specific region of focus. A quiz will be given which will test how well students comprehended what was read. I will be available for questions but also part of working with another student(s) is to provide the opportunity for students to help each other. As well, students will have several days to read and take notes so it largely comes down to being responsible for what is read. I also plan to encourage students to take notes and hopefully some will even outline. What is not able to be read in class on Thursday will be homework for Thursday night and over the weekend as the quiz will be given on the following dates: Monday (7A and 7B) Tuesday (7C)


Well, this wraps it up for this week. My appreciation continues for the support you provide at home. Again, welcome back to school!


Kindly,
Matt Piercy
7th Grade Social Studies

Week of March 10th

Dear Parents,

WOW! I've seen just a few student's Power Point presentations and I am very impressed. I congratulate their efforts. If you have not seen the work your son/daughter has created, I encourage you to ask them over the weekend. They may even wish to practice with you. In the coming week, our class time will be dedicated to students getting up in front of their peers and teaching the countries they researched. Their Power Points will serve as a helpful tool as they teach (and do not just read). This past week, we discussed in class what will contribute to successful presentations. Students all have the rubric and their only homework is to practice, practice, practice. During the presentations, the rest of the class will be an "inviting" audience and will also be responsible to take notes.

In the coming week, I also am expecting students to finish their Arabic tiles. I hope to have a photo taken of these by Thursday. Again, my feeling was one of "Wow." I look forward to sharing with you the results of both this week's presentations, as well as a photo of the wonderful art that our very own, Cindy Yarawamai, was so kind to integrate (thank you Cindy!).

As always, I welcome your questions. Otherwise, have a delightful weekend, week ahead, and Spring Break with your son/daughter.



Kindly,
Matt Piercy
7th Grade Social Studies

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