7th graders have posted their Public Service Announcements on how to spot Fake News on their blogs. In our second to last unit, students studied how to find reliable information online and how to identify fake news. Students then created a project to inform others how to spot fake news. I encourage you to click on one of the class blogs and request to join the class so you can view their posters, videos, and comic strips or listen to their songs and raps.
Students did excellent work on this project, and I hope you will check out their blogs!
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7th grade's final unit of the year will be a study of Feudal Japan. Students have already begun their study of the geography of the Japanese archipelago and the history of early Japanese civilization. After we take a look at life in the Heian period, the "Golden Age" of Japanese history, students will finish the year with an independent research study of Samurai and Ninja history.
Be on the lookout for pictures of our final samurai battles coming up in June. Also, students' projects on Fake News and Reliable Information will be published at the end of this week on the Student Blogs. Please check them out starting the week of May 7! The final unit of the year for the 6th grade will be an Egyptology project in which students will gather evidence to prove that Ancient Egypt was indeed a civilization. Students will bring in their learning of the Seven Characteristics of Civilization to find evidence of a stable food supply, writing, government, technology, writing, religion, and the arts in Ancient Egypt. Students will publish their findings on their own website, which they will build using the Weebly platform. You can find a more detailed description of the project in the attached description below!
After debating whether or not it was a good idea for humans to become farmers, in this unit we will study what did happen next for human civilizations. Once we did settle down and start farming, how did human civilization change? We'll be looking at the Seven Characteristics of Civilization: stable food supply, arts, social structure, government, writing, religion, and technology as a guide to see how early farming societies differed from our hunter-gatherer ancestors.
This unit will lay the foundation for our research project about Ancient Egypt, where we will decide if the Egyptians meet the definition of what is a civilization. The Agricultural Revolution, humanity's big switch from hunting and gathering our food to farming, is almost universally considered a step forward for our species. But was it? Our textbook certainly thinks so. It says the surplus food, new jobs, and new technology set us on a path to be the dominant species we are today, but paleoanthropologist Jared Diamond thinks differently. He argues that the disease, inequality and lack of leisure time that this "Revolution" brought about was actually, "The Worst Mistake in Human History." In this unit students will consider both sides of the argument. They will develop a position and investigate evidence to support their cause. Students will then have a debate in class to see who can best support their arguments. We will follow this up with a reflective essay about the process of the debate and what students have learned. I'd love to have you join the conversation with your student. Here is a link to the Jared Diamond article. What do you think? Did farming lead us to greatness or misery?
Students were excited to receive a response from Senator Pat Toomey regarding the letters we sent him about net neutrality! The letter reiterated Senator Toomey's position that the repeal of net neutrality regulations promote competition among ISPs and will lead to faster and higher quality internet service. He stated that the internet prospered prior to 2015 and will continue to do so without government regulation. We thank Senator Toomey's Philadelphia office for their communication throughout the process, and the Senator for taking the time to respond to our students' correspondence.
As part of Independence Charter's celebration of International Human Rights Month (which was back in December in honor of the adoption of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights), our 7th graders studied immigration and the human rights of immigrants. Students learned about the immigration process to enter the United States and the controversy surrounding illegal immigration. As part of our study, students also examined digital media narratives about immigration, including the use of social media (especially Twitter) by politicians regarding immigration. Students finally did extensive reading about the impact of immigration on the US economy and criminal justice system. Students watched the documentary Which Way Home? Students also read the book Dreams and Nightmares (Sueños y pesadillas) a bilingual memoir by Liliana Velásquez, a young woman who immigrated to the United States illegally when she was 14 but has since obtained legal permanent residency. Today, Ms. Velásquez visited ICS to talk about her experience. Students were able to hear her story firsthand and ask her questions. Students finished their study of immigration by writing a letter to President Trump to express their views about potential immigration reform. Students decided if they supporter tough immigration laws or laws that allow greater immigration to the United States. Students used the information of their study of the impact of immigration and responded to President Trump's use of Twitter in their letter to present a clear argument supported by sound reasoning. We hope to help students realize the power of the voice and inspire them to become involved in the political process. We're hoping for a response!
In our last unit, students explored where our human species came from. We started with a discussion of the differences between myths and theories, learning that theories are our best guess about what happened in the past based on the evidence we have collected. Students learned the principles of natural selection and how this process along with genetic mutation lead to evolution. And of course, no discussion of mutation would be complete without looking into... the X-MEN! Just as genetic mutation gave the X-Men superpowers, slow genetic mutation in our hominid ancestors gave them larger brains and the abilities to create tools and control fire, abilities that just may have looked like superpowers to the species around them. Plus, this discussion gave us all the opportunity to nerd out on my childhood X-Men card collection! Students made their own hominid trading cards, which they traded with their peers in preparation for their quiz. Next up for the 6th graders... THE AGRICULTURAL REVOLUTION! Stay tuned to see if our switch from hunter-gatherers to farmers was the greatest advancement in human civilization or the worst mistake in human history!
As I mentioned in my email to everyone, the NHD competition has been MOVED to next Monday, January 29th. It is still 5-7pm. Students will receive their specific presentation time this week! All students must attend the competition unless they have a valid excuse and a note from a parent/guardian. The presentation will count towards their final grade.
Students will be working on their projects all this week, and their final projects are DUE FRIDAY by 3:30pm. Remember, I will be offering extra help after school on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday of this week from 3:30-5:00. If you need help, please use that time! Please read the previous post with details about the competition, and I hope to see you on the 29th! Happy New Year! January is finally upon us, which means it is NHD season in earnest. Students are wrapping up their research and preparing to finish their NHD projects. Just a few reminders as we get close to the presentation date:
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