Happy Friday and Halloween Eve!
Here's some updates about what's been happening in my Social Studies and Math classes:
6th Grade
As our Newsville Storyline unit rolls on we've had opportunities to read about, write about, and discuss some large social issues such as raising minimum wage and the gender pay gap. These issues were brought up when protesters visited the town of Newsville. Did you know that for post-college careers, 10 years after graduation women earn only 69 percent of what men earn in comparable professions? This appalling statistic jump-started a fantastic discussion and reflection from the 6th graders, prompting excellent questions, considerations, and solutions to sexism in society--they also had their characters write think/speak bubbles describing their reactions to this unfortunate reality.
We also are working hard on our Local section of the upcoming newspaper. Students have been writing stories about events happening all over our school. They've learned interviewing skills, how to write news leads, and are practicing converting their interview notes into articles. Look for our paper to be published in the coming weeks! (scroll down for photos of our Newsville town, characters, and their reactions to protesters)
As our Newsville unit wraps up, we'll be beginning our Early Humans unit as social scientist detectives--acting as historians, anthropologists, and geographers to uncover and learn about early civilizations. (see photos below of our "cave walk" where we examined photos of paintings, sculptures, and artifacts left by early humans).
7th Grade
7th Graders are entering our final bend of our Lucy Calkins Writer's Workshop unit. We have been working hard on our realistic fiction pieces and have finally entered the revision and editing process. Students are learning that revision is much different than editing and that although their drafts may be "finished," the opportunity to add, subtract, and search for the true meaning of their story still happens throughout revision. Look forward to students having published pieces in the coming weeks.
Our next unit will be a Geography and Climate unit using a few societies in the Eastern Hemisphere as cases studies, paying particular attention to how natural resources influence ways of life. This unit will have some fun local connections as well as we look at water in the Pacific Northwest. .
8th Grade
8th Graders wrapped up our Economics and Personal Finance unit last week and we're now into our Colonialism and Indigenous Peoples unit. The end of our Econ unit had students researching cost of living for how they envision themselves living post-high school or college. We then compared these wants and needs with earning potential of different jobs (both career jobs and jobs that one might have while in high school or college). This research allowed students to do some college and career planning and determine if their desired lifestyle would match up with the type of career they'd like.
Math
This year I've transitioned to fully workshop model for teaching math and it has been fantastic both for the students and my teaching! Students meet in fluid groups and rotate through stations, getting specialized attention, review, and challenge work. This model really allows for meeting students where they are, honing in on specific needs, and keep them engaged through pushing their learning to the next step.
Lastly, be sure to scroll through the blog to see photos of other happenings around school--Town Hall, Field Trips, partnerships, school dances, etc.
Have a happy and safe Halloween weekend!
Best,
Mr. Radich
