January Update

Happy Catholic Schools Week All! This week has been so much fun. I have thoroughly enjoyed seeing all the different costumes and positive energy throughout the hallways this entire week. Below is what has been happening in social studies over the last month!

5th Grade:
The 5th grade finished the Midwest Region, our third region of the United States! Throughout the month we discussed different capitals, customs, and historical landmarks. The 5th grade started the unit with an online scavenger hunt trying to find random facts about the region. It ended with connecting our knowledge about Mount Rushmore into ELA with Mrs. Orsatti. They took their knowledge about the presidents on Mount Rushmore and were able to create their own Mount Rushmore with four of their heroes on it! Right now they are working on a project for the region. They will pick six of the twelve states and research a bit about each of them. Next, we are going to dive into the Southwest Region and learn about different Native American cultures!

6th Grade:
Throughout the month of January the 6th grade has been discussing the beginnings and history of Russia. They were eager to dive into the USSR and Cold War, since we touched on it with the unit on Europe! The discussion we had about Stalin and the transition to Putin was one of the best we have had all year. It was beyond awesome to see them connect current events to what has happened in Russia's past. Right now, the 6th grade is partnered up with a classmate and they have the task to make a board game based on their Russian knowledge. When all the projects are finished, we will be having a day to play everyone's different board games. Next, we are going to jump into Africa and Ancient Egypt!



7th Grade:
The 7th Grade is working on their final project for the American Revolution. They are in the process of completing a choice board where they have eight small scale items and they have to choose to complete at least 5 of them. Over the last month, we have learned the key battles, people, and outcomes of the American Revolution. It was amazing to see how they have better understanding of the freedoms that we originally fought for! Two of the highlights taken from this chapter were the Break Up Text Message with King George and the Capture the Flag simulation. The Break Up Text Message with King George was a project which allowed the 7th grade to "text" King George III and warn him that the 13 Colonies were breaking away from him, similar to the Declaration of Independence. The Capture the Flag Simulation dealt with splitting the grade into three teams: one representing the Patriots, one representing the British, and one representing the French. At first, the British thought they had it in the bag, but as the game went on, more went in favor of the Patriots. This eventually ended up in a Patriots' victory with the help from the French. Next, we are going to learn about how this country was formed!