December 4, 2012 Mrs. Striegle and Mrs. Fuzak's class

Today we took the test and we will finish it up tomorrow.  After, we finish testing we will begin learning about the geography and cultures of Europe and doing a writing practice about Alexander The Great.
There is no homework this week however, we will be having retakes on Friday if students did not do well on the tests over Ancient Greece and Rome.

11/27/12 Social Studies

Welcome Back from a much needed break!

Today in class all Social Studies students started Olympic Event #5, they will work both today and tomorrow on this event before switching classes and starting event #6.

In the coming days:
*A list of review items will be given to students no later than Friday (hopefully before). However, all students already have all materials containing information they would need to know on the test.
*Test over remaining Unit 7 standards next week Tuesday (one week from today)

Social Studies 11/21/12

Today in Social Studies:

1. Students who needed to retake the first 2 assessments from this unit started with the retake.
2. After retakes were complete students viewed and shared presentations that were researched throughout the week. Those students who were caught up on events and did not have a retake chose a topic within the Greek and Roman Empire that they have been wanting to explore. The took the information they gathered and created a short presentation on their findings.

Next week we will start our last 2 events to conclude our Olympic Games competition. We will then be taking our final assessments, after some review, on the rest of the standards for this unit.

Have a restful Thanksgiving break!

Food Drive: Last Day Friday!

Tomorrow is the last day for the school wide Food Drive. Students can bring in nonperishable items as well as hygiene products to donate to the cause. All items collected will be out back into the Hamilton Community for those in need this Thanksgiving. Please consider giving to this worthy cause. Students will turn items into their 1st hour teacher.

Mrs. Striegle and Mrs. Fuzak's Classes November 14-November 21

 In class the Olympic challenge is still undecided!  Event 4 will kick off tomorrow.  We will build in a day to help students catch up for absences at the end of the unit.  I know quite a few students are heading out hunting this week so we will make sure no one is left behind.  These events are with a partner so do not expect homework until the Olympics are over-which I estimate will be the week after Thanksgiving Break.  We will be having formative tests and quizzes along the way to make sure we are not leaving students behind.  So if you hear about any tests remember they are a guide to see where students are at.  If you would like to help your student study just ask him/her each day what they learned about Ancient Greece or Rome.

November 7-12, Social Studies

We have finished our first Olympic events and Greece and Rome are pretty well tied at this point.  Mrs. Striegle's first hour won the first event.  The results of event number two will be posted by Tuesday, November 10.

***Homework: We will be having our first test over the vocab words for this unit and over event one and two on Wednesday, the 14th.  Go to our Edmodo site to review the information or study the event sheets from students.

November 6th Fuzak & Striegle

Today we kicked off our Olympic Games: Roman Empire vs. Greek Empire

1. Introduction to how the Olympic Games process will work and rules.
2. Brief introduction to both the Greek Empire and Roman Empire.
3. Chose a partner who will be their teammate, design pennant.

Mrs. Striegle's Class November 2- November 5, 2012

In class these two days we are working on timelines with Mrs. Fuzak's class.  We are putting the Empires onto a timeline and creating a living timeline as a class.

Mrs. Striegle's Class October 30, 31- November 1, 2 2012

In class this week we:
  Went over timelines and created a timeline for Ancient Empires and then we switched classes with Mrs. Fuzak.

As promised...

Link to the video we viewed in class about the "Silk Road'

Silk Road

Mrs. Fuzak 10/31 & 11/1

The last couple of days we have spent kicking off Unit 7, and getting familiar with the Classical Era (Era III)

1. Located and labeled the 5 major empires; Han, Roman, Mauryan, Persian and Egyptian
2. Viewed various types of physical maps to determine some geographical features of each empire. Recorded those observations for an empire of their choice.
3. Trade Networks: viewed a short video on the 'Silk Road'. Researched the 5w's of the 'Silk Road' and drew in the trade route on their empire map.

**Vocabulary Cards were due in class today. This assignment was given on our Monday for each student to create an index card for each vocabulary term that included the definition and a sketch to illustrate the term. There was no "punishment" (late, lunch detention, etc.). This assignment was simply given to students so they would have an understanding of these words as we learn about the classical period. Really, it is their "learning benefit" to make these and use these! :)

Mrs. Striegle's Class October 29, 2012

Today in class we:
1. Went over announcements
2. Shared good news
3. Went over directions for Geohistogram
4. Worked with partners answering questions about the timeline
5. Went over answers

Started to go over our next unit Ancient Empires.

Conference Follow -Up

FYI:
If you were unable to attend parent/teacher conferences Monday or Tuesday, your student will be bringing home a progress report with their current grade. Attached to that is a reflection we had them do in class in response to their progress report and what is going on in class.

Have a great long weekend!

Mrs. Striegle and Mrs. Fuzak's Class October 19- 24, 2012

Today in class we had students finish retakes.  We have also have been working on a Data-Based writing project about the Ancient Ruler Hammurabi who created one of the first code of laws.  We will be working on this research document through the October 24.  We will also begin our next unit over Ancient Empires if time permits.

*Remember Parent Teacher Conferences this Monday and Tuesday from 3:30-8:00 pm.
*Reminder there is no school this Thursday and Friday.

Mrs. Striegle and Mrs. Fuzak's Classes October 16, 17,

In class these two days we have been taking the final MEAP tests.  We also reviewed for Social Studies retakes that will be on Friday.

Mrs. Striegle and Mrs. Fuzak's Classes October 15, 2012

Today in class we had students log into Power School and check over their tests and grades.  We also had the students debate what laws are just and unjust at school.
 Reminder: Math MEAP tomorrow .... remember calculators.

Mrs. Fuzak 10/11/12 (and yesterday)

Unit 6 test will be taking place over the next couple of days. Due to the MEAP testing, classes have been shortened to approximately 30 minutes. Since this is the case, we will divide the test into 2 days; multiple choice on one day and short answer on the other. Friday, we will take care of the test for those who were not able to finish due to our technical difficulties yesterday :)

It has been a long week of MEAP test and Social Studies test, the students have been troopers! Great Job!

Mrs. Striegle's Blog- October 9, 10, 11

On Tuesday we went over the review sheet on Ancient Civilizations.  Part 1 of the test will be multiple choice questions and since we only have 30 minutes classes this week due to the MEAP we will have part 2 on Thursday which will be short answer. 

Mrs. Fuzak 10/9/12

Today classes were shortened due to the MEAP test:

1. Finished our discussion on Pastorialism, as well as viewed a short video. I have provided the link both here and in edmodo for students to review.

http://education-portal.com/academy/lesson/horse-people-and-nomadic-pastoralism-what-is-civilization.html

2. Went over review, answered questions that students brought with them to class after working on it for the past few days. 

**Test will take place both Wednesday and Thursday. Since classes are shortened because of MEAP in the morning we will divide the test into 2 parts. Multiple Choice on Wednesday and Short Answer on Thursday. 

Mrs. Fuzak 10/8/12

Happy Columbus Day!

Today in class...
We began discussing Pastoralism and Nomadic herding. Started with some small group discussions, viewed some images of nomadic herding and will wrap up tomorrow with a short video bringing it all together.

*Keep working on the test review
*Test Wednesday, 10/10/12
*MEAP testing this week- Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday for 7th graders

Mrs. Striegle's Class October 8

Today students are learning about Pastoralism and Nomadic Herding.  Check out the Edmodo links on these topics.
Pastoralism video link:
http://education-portal.com/academy/lesson/horse-people-and-nomadic-pastoralism-what-is-civilization.html

Coming Up...

Coming Up... 
Test over Unit 6 (Ancient History, Era II) will take place next week Wednesday, October 10th. Below you will find a link to the review sheet all students were given on Thursday, October 4th. 

Unit 6 Test Review

Mrs. Fuzak (Mrs. Striegle's students) 10/3-10/5

Today we welcomed back Mrs. Striegle's students!

For the next few days students will be working on explaining the concept of 'cultural diffusion' during Ancient History. The final result will be a group project put together in a presentation (google doc presentation). We are really working on "good" collaboration during this process, looking for lots of communication within and amongst groups :)

Mrs. Striegle's Class- October 3-4

Mrs. Fuzak and I have switched our classes and we will be writing a script comparing the four Ancient Civilizations of:Egypt, China, Indus Valley, and Mesopotamia.  When they are finished writing they will record their podcast.

Mrs. Fuzak- 10/1 & 10/2

Happy October 1st!

Last Friday, thru this week Tuesday:

1. Research the other 3 Ancient Civilizations (Mesopotamia, Ancient China and Indus). There are actually 4, but they covered Ancient Egypt last week with Mrs. Striegle.
*Resources were provided to students on their edmodo site, if they so choose to use them. Otherwise they are more than welcome to conduct their own search for information.
2. Tomorrow, students will work in groups and do a "round robin" style share. During this time if there was a trait that students could/did not find they will record the information that their peers provided. When all is said and done, ALL students will have ALL the information they need.
**They will be taking this information to see Mrs. Striegle on Wednesday to write a script for a podcast as to which civilization they think is best and why.

Grading in Social Studies

Why Standards-Based Grading?

The practice of standards-based assessment and reporting brings meaning to grades.  It is essentially a tool for diagnosis instead of just point-collecting.  It allows the teacher, the student, and parents to see exactly where a student is in their understanding of the content.  If a student is struggling on a particular Learning Target (i.e. standard or LT), it will be very evident because that particular grade will be low, and show that there are misconceptions in that specific area.  Learning is a process that will span the entire grading period (ideally the entire school year, but could also be a 9, 12, or 18 week marking period).  Therefore, we will monitor growth (by individual LT) for each student from one summative assessment to the next.  A grade must represent what a student “knows”, so only the most recent and accurate data is used to determine a grade for a student because this represents the best picture of what that student currently “knows”.  This also means that multiple opportunities to demonstrate understanding are given for each LT.  There are no “re-takes” of tests because each LT that has been covered at some point, could be available on each test (depending on individual needs).  Students will continue to make additional attempts on each LT until they have mastered that content.

The grade book is set up by standard, rather than specific assignment.  In addition, there are only two categories in the grade book, formative and summative.

•                Formative Assessment:  These are assessments for learning, where feedback is provided to help a student realize where they are in their learning process, and to then help it move forward.  These are NOT part of the student grade.     

           

•                Summative Assessment:  These are assessments of learning, where students

demonstrate their level of understanding.  ONLY THESE ARE GRADED!

Standards-based grading cannot be done without clear standards.  These are the specific things that the state has decided we need to teach for our particular subject.  These standards are provided by the State of Michigan Department of Education.

Mrs. Striegle's Class September 28- October 2, 2012

Today in class we are now comparing the four Ancient Civilizations of Indus River Valley, Egypt, China, and Mesopotamia by creating a podcast script debating which civilization is better.
We will be working on this Monday and Tuesday also.

And we're back...

Alright, I think we have solved the issue here and should be back to blogging on a regular basis. Again, sorry for the inconvenience this may have caused.

The last few days Mrs. Fuzak's class and Mrs. Striegle's classes have switched. Both groups are working on learning about the first 4 ancient civilizations, and being able to describe each by using the 7 traits if civilization.

Quiz your kids:

What are the first 4 civilizations?

What are the 7 traits of civilization? (Remember the sentences we made up to help you remember...The White Dog Slept On the Green Log.)

Test Post

Trying to work out some issues...

Mrs. Striegle's Class- September 24, 2012

Today in class we:
1. Shared good news
2. Practiced vocab and mapping 4 ancient civilization
3. Went over Egypt- Wrote a journal on whether Egypt was a civilization or not
4. Handed back Prehistory Tests
* No Homework

Mrs. Fuzak 19th- 21st

For the next few days...

1. Began with a discussion on cultural diffusion, our example was McDonald's :) 

2. Began group projects: Each group must explain how 5 different events in Ancient History demonstrate 'cultural diffusion'. Each group will present their explanations in an electronic presentation.

**I am really stressing the COLLABORATION part of a group project. We talked about what that should look like and brainstormed ways to help other members of the group.

Looking forward to see what they come up with!

Mrs. Striegle's class September 19-21, 2012

Today in class we:
1. Went over new vocabulary for Ancient Civilizations
2. Mapped out the 4 Ancient Civilizations of (Egypt, Mesopotamia, Indus Valley, China)
3. Began researching the 7 characteristics of civilization in Ancient History
4. We also will be mapping the Fertile Crescent

Mrs. Fuzak- 9/18/12

Another great day at HMS...
1. Wrapped up our Constitution Day activity from yesterday. Discussed similarities and differences in human rights around the world compared to human rights in the US.
2. Kicked Unit 6 off with a pretest. Those scores will be posted on PowerSchool soon (these scores are not calculated into total grade)
3. Began lesson on the 7 traits of civilizations, read and color coded information into government, laws, organized religion, trade, specialized jobs, written record (taxes), defense mechanism (army).
4. Began Poster that lists and illustrates the 7 traits of civilization...this will be an ongoing, in class project.

Mrs. Striegle's Class- September 18, 2012

Today in class we:
1. Shared Good News
2. Finished Constitution Day comparing Bill of Rights to the Universal Human Rights
3. Started poster of the 7 Characteristics of civilization (Government, Laws, Trade, Religion, Written Records, Trade)
4. Pretest over Ancient History

* No Homework

Mrs. Fuzak 9/14/12

Happy Constitution Day!

1. We took our Unit 5- Prehistory test today. I also collected the test review to see who filled it out to study, that will be recorded in PowerSchool.
*The test review is not required, when I enter it in PowerSchool the score for the review is not calculated into the students overall grade. The idea is to show if they did the review, and either way if it helped them on the test.

2. After the test, students took some time to look at the US Constitution and compared out Bill of Rights to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (global human rights).

Tomorrow we will begin Unit 6 looking at Ancient History!

Mrs. Striegle's Class- September 17, 2012

Today in class we:
1. Took the Pre-History Test
2. Compared our U.s. constitution with the Universal Rights
* Happy Constitution Day
*No Homework

Mrs. Striegle's Class September 14, 2012

Today in class we:
1. Reviewed for test Monday

HMWK: Study Review Sheet for test Monday

Mrs. Striegle's SS Class- September 13, 2012

Today in class we:

1.     Share good news

2.     Hand out Review Sheet

3.     Brainstorm types of evidence historians, archeologists and anthropologists use.

4.    List the Effects of the Agricultural Revolution

*HMWK: Look over Review sheet for test on Monday

Mrs. Fuzak: SS Tech

Today in class:
1. Went over Test Review
2. Discussion on Compare/Contrast of various calendars (what do they have in common and different)

• submitted observations on edmodo

3. Discussed "Agricultural Revolution":

• Worked with partners to determine the following:  What did it cause? What must happen now to avoid chaos due to the surplus of food and increased population

**HW: fill out parts of the Test Review that you know, and come with questions on the items you don't know:)

Mrs. Striegle's Class September 12, 2012

Today in class we:
1. Practiced continents and oceans
2. Went over time eras (BC, AD, BCE, CE)
3. Practiced vocab words.
4. Compared calendars from the past.
No Homework

TEST REVIEW *Test Monday*

Below is a link to the same test review your student will receive on Thursday.

Test Review

Mrs. Fuzak- Welcome!

Welcome to the 7th grade Social Studies blog! We hope that this location will be helpful in showing you what your students are up to in 7th grade Social Studies. Mrs. Striegle and Mrs. Fuzak will post often, sometimes daily, depending on what is going on in their classrooms.

Another resource your student will be using as an extension of the classroom is edmodo.com. Each student has an account and a group code for social studies class. Mrs. Striegle and Mrs. Fuzak will use this to post resources, website links and other helpful material. It will also be a place for students to have discussions and give/get feedback from both their classmates and teacher.

Please let either Mrs. Striegle or Mrs. Fuzak know when you have any questions or concerns!

aafuzak@hamiltonschools.us
astriegl@hamiltonschools.us

Mrs. Striegle's class September 11, 2012

Today in class we:
1. Practiced drawing the continents and oceans of the world.
2. Went over 9/11 facts and how to be patriotic.
3. We wrote a U.S soldier in Afghanistan to thank him for his service.
4. Began to go over vocabulary for our first unit on prehistory.
 * No Homework but on Monday we will have a test over Paleolithic/ Neolithic eras.  Review sheet will be here by Thursday.