Please Note: I will no longer be keeping this blog, I have switched to a website dedicated to this class. The link for the 7th grade Social Studies website is given below and also can be found on the school's website Social Studies page.

https://sites.google.com/a/sau50.org/rjhs-7th-grade-social-studies/" target="_blank">https://sites.google.com/a/sau50.org/rjhs-7th-grade-social-studies/">https://sites.google.com/a/sau50.org/rjhs-7th-grade-social-studies/" target="_blank">https://sites.google.com/a/sau50.org/rjhs-7th-grade-social-studies/ 

Wednesday

Questions: about 3 min Mini-lessons or River Civilization Map

Example of a mini - lesson -- The Persian Empire

Engineering Persia Video -- Focus questions  

1. How did the Persians solve their water issues


2. What made Cyrus the Great Great

Hw -- Prepare for 3 min Mini - Lessons on River civilizations

Tuesday

Let's organize time  -- Dates for the following civilization Mesopotamia, Egypt & Persia

Textbook Ch 7 Section -- Persians

Project Work- Time -- Students receive final maps to complete their map showing the 20 civilization in textbook Ch 4-8  Final Map is due Monday 10/31

3 Minute River Civilization Mini-Lesson - ( Presentation begin Thursday)

(Parent Info) -- Students will present a short lesson on the Who, Where, When, What or Why about their assigned civilization

Homework--  Work on presentation information 

Monday

Return Quiz --   #11Textbook Ch 4 Sec 3,4,5 Quiz    Quiz Improvement--- If you scored less than 15/20 on the quiz, complete the Ch 4 Section Assessments.  Section 3 Q 1,2. Section 4 Q 1,2,3 Section 5 Q 1,2,3    Due Friday

Go over and collect 3,2,1 notes from Engineering Egypt

Assign Civilizations - Students choose from a hat one of the River Civilizations from Ch 5 -8. Students need to develop a 3 min mini-lesson to teach the rest of the class about the civilization. Presentation should address the  Who, Where, When, What or Why about each. Students may only used the white board, textbook, or printed pictures for their presentations. Presentation begin Thursday

River Civilization Maps - Work time

Homework  - Read Chapter Section for your River Civilization presentation

Friday

Engineering Egypt Video

River Civilization Maps

HW -- Rest Ye Weary Minds

Thursday    (No Classes -- Anti-bullying presentations & activities)

Wednesday

River Civilization --  Work time -- Label with civilization's location and time period

Engineering Eygpt Video

HW-- None

Tuesday

Textbook Ch 4 Section 3,4,5 Quiz

Engineering Egypt Video

321 Video Focus

1. 3 New things you learn about the way Egyptian lived


2. 2 New things you learn about Egyptian construction


3. 1 thing you would want to know more about

 River Civilization Maps

HW -  Travel back in time. Go outside & look at the stars

Monday

Prepardness

Return quiz -- Go over Ch 4 section 1& 2 Quiz answers

Introduce River Civilizations --  Ch 4-8

River Civilizations -- Create a map that shows the location of the 20 civilizations mentions in chapters 4-8

War -- Round 4

Homework --  Read Textbook Ch 4 Sections 3,4,5 . Be ready ofr a quiz

Friday

Reading Quiz --  Textbook Ch 4 Section 1&2

Culture Iceberg--  Finish from yesterday

Countries projects -- War Round 3

HW - Rest ye weary minds

Thursday

Countries Projects -- War! Round 2

Culture Lesson -- Visable vs. Invisable culture. We mostly focus on the tip of the iceberg, but culture is much more than just the things we produce or use. Culture is also our beliefs, feelings, understanding of what is right or wrong, view on what is beautiful or ugly.

Homework  -- Read Ch 4 Sections 1&2 Be ready for a quiz on the vocabulary and main ideas of the sections

Wednesday

Culture project -- Final presentations

Culture project -- War begins!

HW -- None

Tuesday  (Sorry about delay in this week post) Final day for Neacap Testing

Countries Project --  Worktime

SS pts  -- Due Today

HW - Complete the last of the culture projects

Thursday Special schedule  -- Neacap Testing (Only Yellow & Red Classes)

Countries Project Work-Time  -- Last full class period to work on your countries culture projects

HW - Work on Countries Culture Projects and/or SS Pts

Wednesday Special schedule  -- Neacap Testing  (See all classes 35 mins each)

Reminders  -- SS pts Due Tue 10/12

Culture Presentation

Culture Categories -- An overview (Mr. Drones on & on about how culture holds together a civilization)

1. Basic Necessities


2. Government


3. Religion/Philosophy


4. Economics


5. The Arts


6. Customs & Traditions

HW Work on Countries Culture Projects and/or SS Pts

Tuesday Special schedule  -- Neacap Testing  -- Only seeing Blue & Red Classes Today

Project Work Time

HW - Work on Countries Culture Projects and/or SS Pts

Monday -- Special schedule  -- Neacap Testing --Only seeing Green & Yellow Classes Today

Project Work Time

HW - Work on Countries Culture Projects and/or SS Pts

Deadlines -- Country Culture Projects -- Tues 10/11   SS pts -- Due  Tues 10/11

Friday

Project Work Groups

HW -

Thursday

Country Project Work Groups

Homework --  Summarian Maps - Create a map based on the description of a Summarian Village given Ch 3 Section 1  Due Monday 10/5

Wednesday

Summarian Maps - Create a map based on the description of a Summarian Village given Ch 3 Section 1

1. Map should be accurately created based on the description given in the text


2. Map should include all the Elements of a good map - Title, Key, Compass, Scaler


3. Remember: You are a cartographer!  Neatness & accuracy matter! Use rulers and other tools & templates to create your maps.

Homework: Work on Country Project stuff and/or SS pt activities

Tuesday

Prepardness -- Are you prepard to be a student?

Project Fate Cards -- Each country draws a new fate card

Debrief & Collect Homework - Code of Hammurabi

Finish Ch 3 --  Read section 3 Contribution of Mesopotamia

Rough Draft -- Begin creating a map of a Summarian City-state based on the description in Ch 3 Section 1

HW -- Do one completely random act of kindness

Monday

Fate Cards -- The diplomat from each country in the simulation chooses their first fate card. The cards give or take away points based on random events that might happen to a country

Read Textbook -- Chapter 3 Section 1 -- Copy G/O Bubble Chart  from the board

Hw -- Read Textbook Ch 3 Section 2 complete questions on worksheet (WS)

 Summarian Maps - Create a map based on the description of a Summarian Village given Ch 3 Section 1

Friday

Reminders - 

1. Collect Hw --Neolithic Village Maps


2. SS Points -- 1st half points are due 10/11

Project presentations

Project work Time

HW - Rest ye weary minds

Thursday

Reminders

Wednesday

Reminders

1. All missing assignments are due Friday 9/23


2. Quiz retakes (way to improve grades) Due 9/23


3. Neolithic Village maps due 9/23

Country Simulation --  Work Time  -(Parent Info- Overview ---In the simulation students are part of a group that creates its own country. The group then has to create a "culture" for their country. The more culture products created by each group, the more powerful they become as a country. During the 2nd phase of the simulation conflict & war develop. The final phase involves negotiating peace and redrawing the world.)

HW -- Finish Neolithic Village Maps. (Maps Should use color, have a title,key, & compass)         Due Friday

Tuesday

Review quiz #1 ----  Handback & go over first quiz

World Simulation Project -- Worktime -- groups start making decisions about their countries

Homework -- Finish Lascaux Cave Worksheet -- Due Wed

Monday

Assign  Computers - students get their ss netbook

Virtual Spelunking -- Students go to a website that akes them on a virtual tour of the Lascaux Cave in France. Using the site they will complete a worksheet. The worksheet is due Wed.

Cool Website -- Lascaux Cave  http://www.lascaux.culture.fr/?lng=en#/en/00.xml

Homework Finish Lascaux Cave Worksheet -- Due Wed

1. All missing assignments are due Friday 9/23


2. Quiz retakes (way to improve grades) Due 9/23


3. Neolithic Village maps due 9/23

Project work Time

1. All missing assignments are due Friday 9/23


2. Quiz retakes (way to improve grades) Due 9/23


3. Neolithic Village maps due 9/23

Project  --  Work Time

Friday

Review Quiz #1

Work on Paleolithic Village Maps

HW  - Rest ye Weary minds

Thursday

Quiz Questions   -- Any questions about the information covered by the quiz.

Quiz Format  -- Fill-in-the-blank questions (There's a word bank, but it also contains words not used in the answers),  Matching & short answer

Neolithic Villiage Maps --- Students work-time

Introduce simulation project  -- Students will find out their groups and begin to discuss what kind of country they are going to create

Homework -  Complete Prehistoric Era Notes(Due Friday) & Review the infromation for Friday's quiz.

Wednesday

Nuts & Bolts Stuff -- Things you need to know about

1.  Mr Water's Blog -- He won't be writing about his feelings, but he will let you know what went on in class, what the homework is and anything else he thinks you need to know.


2. Student Collections -- Students can bring in a collection and card giving information about the collection to be displayed in our case.  Students will receive 10 ss pts if they do this activity.


3. Work Owed Bins -- Work that is not handed-in with the class is place in the appropriate bin with a short explanation of why it was not handed-in with the rest of the class

Prehistoric Notes -- Students receive a photocopy of notes of the topics covered in the first weeks of school. The notes have major topics, but require the students to add additional informations to make them complete

Neolithic Village Maps -- Using information from Textbook Ch 2 Section 2, students will begin to create a birds-eye view of a Neolithic village based on the description given in the textbook and additional things needed to help them survive.

Homework -- Complete Prehistoric Era Notes(Due Friday) & Review the infromation for Friday's quiz.

Tuesday

Prepardness - Checking to see if you have come prepared to learn. Do you have your hammer?

Debrief & Collect Homework --  Discussion about the similarities & difference between Neanderthals & Cro-Magnons

Read Ch 2 Section 2 -- Discussion about the effects of the Neolithic Revolution "This is one of those big ideas that dramatically changes humans forever!

Homework -- None

Monday

Seat Fairy -- The Seat Fairy came and gave out new assigned seats.

Neanderthals vs. Cro-Magnons Graphic organizers  -- Go over reading and organizers from last week. Ch 2 section 1. Read and discuss information that should be on the veign diagram

Homework -- Rework last week's Neaderthal vs. Cro-magnon graphic organizer.