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Mr. Rowan, Social Studies - D

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Social Studies Update Week of 5/22/2023

Hello 8 grade Social Studies Families!
 
For our final week together, students will have a regular class schedule on Monday and Tuesday. On these days, students and I will be completing a year-end reflection together on the major topics we uncovered this year in our social studies class.  There will be a PowerPoint slide for each topic with room for students to complete their reflection on each topic. This will be a way to remember and celebrate all the work we did together as we learned about American history. 
 
May 22 -23: Year-End PowerPoint Reflection on topics in American History
May 23: 7/8 Music Concert 5:30
May 24: Continuation Ceremony at 9:00 – 10:00 am​
May 25: Half day – Cleaning and POD Party​
May 25: Carnival from 2 –6 pm and Open House from 3 – 5 pm​
May 26: Half Day - Move Up, Final Cleanup and Yearbook Signing
 
It's been a pleaser teaching your student in 8th grade Social Studies this year. I am very proud of them and the way they worked to make the fundraiser and reenactment a success and this would not be possible without your support. Thank you.
 
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to email.
 
Sincerely,
Mr. Rowan

Social Studies Update Week of 5/14/2023

Hello 8 grade Social Studies Families!
 
I want to thank each and everyone of you who helped to make the Civil War Reenactment Fundraiser a success on Friday evening. Your time, support and donations before, during and after the event helped the 8th grade class reach their fundraising goal! I'm so proud of the way we all came together to reach this goal!
As of last Friday night, the original location for the Reenactment was under water due to the heavy rains. Mr. Osburn is working with Chatfield Reservoir to find a new location and once we know what that location will be, I will pass it along in an email so that those who wish to come watch will have directions. 
This week on Monday, we will review all the commands and do some more marching and drills to prepare for the reenactment on Tuesday. Following the reenactment of Tuesday, we will spend the last five days of the quarter looking at the period of Reconstruction after the Civil War. 
 
  • Tuesday, May 16: 8th grade Civil War Reenactment at Chatfield Reservoir 9-2:30 pm
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to email.
 
Sincerely,
Mr. Rowan

Social Studies Update Week of 5/8/2023

Hello 8 grade Social Studies Families!
 
Please set aside Friday, May 12 from 6 - 8:30pm for the Fundraising Event at Westgate. Also, reach out to family and friends and invite them to this event. We will have food, entertainment and educational activities about the Civil War. It is very important that we have a great turnout and raise the money needed to put on this reenactment. We are looking to raise $50 per students for this event. 
This week students will work on the events they signed up for as we prepare for the Civil War Reenactment fundraising event. Each students will have a job to prepare for and they will have a job the night of the event. I will need students to stay after school on Friday, May 12 to help set up and prepare for the fundraiser event. 
For this event, there will be a buffet of food from the 1800s. Each student will get a recipe on Monday or Tuesday at the latest. They will need to make this recipe for the event on Friday night. If it is a dish that needs to be kept hot or cold, I ask that a parent or guardian brings it to school between 5:45 - 6:00. If it is a hot dish, a crockpot works best for transporting and keeping it warm. If the dish does not need to be hot or cold, students can bring it to school on Friday.
 
Important Dates:
  • May 12: 8th grade Civil War Reenactment Fundraising Event from 6-8:30 pm in High School
  • May 16: 8th grade Civil War Reenactment at Chatfield Reservoir 9-2:30 pm
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to email.
 
Sincerely,
Mr. Rowan

Social Studies Update Week of 4/24/2023

Hello 8 grade Social Studies Families!
 
Last week, students finished working on their Civil War museum project. This week part of the students will be at Outdoor Ed Monday-Wednesday. The students who are not going will be working with Ms. Charlie around the Westgate campus in the morning and then will be doing assignments in Math, LA and Social Studies about Rocky Mountain National Park.
When students return and we are all back together, we will finish our Civil War Unit by answering the question: Did Lincoln and the US Army Free the Enslaved People, or did they Free Themselves. We will also be looking at the history of the Confederate Battle Flag and what it means to people today.
 
Important Dates:
  • May 1: 8th grade History Colorado field trip
  • May 5: 8th grade Training and Outfitting for Civil War Reenactment at Westgate
  • May 12: 8th grade Civil War Reenactment Fundraising Event from 6-8:30 pm in High School
  • May 16: 8th grade Civil War Reenactment at Chatfield Reservoir 9-2:30 pm
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to email.
 
Sincerely,
Mr. Rowan

Social Studies Update Week of 4/17/2023

Hello 8 grade Social Studies Families!
 
Students will continue working on their Civil War museum project. Students will choose one of the main battles, speeches or events of the Civil war and choose 1 of 9 options to represent their choice. The choices are:
  • Story
  • Brochure
  • Journal
  • Comic Strip
  • Model/Diorama
  • Song/Rap
  • Newspaper Article
  • Children's Book
  • Scrapbook
We will use some of these projects to create a museum at our Civil War Reenactment Fundraiser.
 
Important Dates:
  • May 1: 8th grade History Colorado field trip
  • May 5: 8th grade Training and Outfitting for Civil War Reenactment at Westgate
  • May 12: 8th grade Civil War Reenactment Fundraising Event from 6-8:30 pm in High School
  • May 16: 8th grade Civil War Reenactment at Chatfield Reservoir 9-2:30 pm
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to email.
 
Sincerely,
Mr. Rowan

Social Studies Update Week of 4/10/2023

Hello 8 grade Social Studies Families!
 
After learning about the advantages and disadvantages of the North and South before the Civil War, students will now take a deeper dive into the important people, events, speeches and battles of the war. 
We will then begin our Civil War museum project. Students will choose one of the main battles, speeches or events of the Civil war and choose 1 of 9 options to represent their choice. The choices are:
  • Story
  • Brochure
  • Journal
  • Comic Strip
  • Model/Diorama
  • Song/Rap
  • Newspaper Article
  • Children's Book
  • Scrapbook
We will use some of these projects to create a museum at our Civil War Reenactment Fundraiser.
 
Important Dates:
  • May 1: 8th grade History Colorado field trip
  • May 5: 8th grade Training and Outfitting for Civil War Reenactment at Westgate
  • May 12: 8th grade Civil War Reenactment Fundraising Event from 6-8:30 pm in High School
  • May 16: 8th grade Civil War Reenactment at Chatfield Reservoir 9-2:30 pm
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to email.
 
Sincerely,
Mr. Rowan

Social Studies Update Week of 4/2/2023

Hello 8 grade Social Studies Families!
 
This week students will be looking at why Southern states seceded analyze Lincoln's first Inaugural Address to see what Lincoln's response was as he began his first term as president. Students will then learn about the advantages and disadvantages of the North and South as the Civil War began. 
 
Students will not have class Tuesday - Thursday because of CMAS testing.
 
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to email.
 
Sincerely,
Mr. Rowan

Social Studies Update Week of 2/27/2023

Hello 8 grade Social Studies Families!
 
Last week students learned about the causes of the Civil War. This week students will investigate how the cotton gin led to the spread of cotton, the spread of slavery and ultimately contributed to the start of the Civil War.
We will also look at the economics of cotton. We will learn about imports, exports, absolute advantage, specialization, tariffs and trade. Finally, we will debate who gained from the cotton industry and who lost as we look at not only the financial costs of the cotton industry, but also the human costs in the form of Indian Removal and Enslavement.
 
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to email.
 
Sincerely,
Mr. Rowan

Social Studies Update Week of 1/6/2023

Hello 8 grade Social Studies Families!
 
Last week students began learning about the causes of the Civil War. Students participated in a Nearpod assignment and answered questions as we discussed these causes. This week students will take notes on the causes, describe how each one created tension between the North and the South, and will rank these causes from most to least important. Students will then review the causes of the Civil War and take a Kahoot Quiz to see what they have learned.
 
There is no school Thursday or Friday due to conferences.
 
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to email.
 
Sincerely,
Mr. Rowan

Social Studies Update Week of 2/27/2023

Hello 8 grade Social Studies Families!
 
Last week, students finished working on their Bottle Project. In addition I led a lesson preparing students for their presentation. We reviewed the checklist and rubrics for their PowerPoint and presentation. We also watched two videos that showed techniques for overcoming anxiety around public speaking and examples of how someone should present themselves during a presentation. 
 
Students will spend this time listening to and taking notes on each other's presentations as they learn about each of these people and their contributions and actions during the Civil War Era.
 
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to email.
 
Sincerely,
Mr. Rowan

Social Studies Update Weed of 2/20/2023

Hello 8 grade Social Studies Families!
 
Last week, students finished up their PowerPoint presentations and began working on their bottle projects. Students have been working on the head, face and hair, and now will work on the clothes. The bottle projects will be completed by Friday. 
 
This week students will continue working on their Bottle Project. The PowerPoint was due on Friday the 10th and their presentations will begin on the 27th. Here is a list of smaller due dates for this project.
  • Bottle Project Due Feb. 24th
  • Presentation Due Feb. 24th  
  • Presentation begin Feb. 27th
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to email.
 
Sincerely,
Mr. Rowan

Hello 8 grade Social Studies Families!
 
Last week, students finished up their research and begin creating their PowerPoint presentations. In addition to adding slides on about their person's early life, adult life and accomplishments, students learned how to create a bibliography using MLA format and created a bibliography slide. Students also studied the history of chess, read descriptions about the different chess piece and based on who their person was and what they did, chose a chess piece that related to their person. They then created a slide for their PowerPoint describing this chess piece and why the chose it.
 
This week students will begin their Bottle Project. The PowerPoint was due on Friday. Here is a list of smaller due dates for this project.
  • Research Due Feb. 6th
  • PowerPoint Due Feb. 10th
  • Bottle Project Due Feb. 16th
  • Presentation Due Feb. 21st  
  • Presentation begin Feb. 22nd
Pleaser remember that all students need one 2-Liter bottle before Feb. 13th.
 
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to email.
 
Sincerely,
Mr. Rowan

Social Studies Update Week of 1/6/2023

Hello 8 grade Social Studies Families!
 
Last week, completed research on the early life, adult life and accomplishments. They also learned how to create slides for a powerful PowerPoint presentation that tells the story of their person in a minimalist way. By having some information on their slides combined with detailed notes only they see, students will have an engaging presentation. 
 
This week, students will finish up their research and begin creating their PowerPoint presentations. The PowerPoint is due on Friday. Here is a list of smaller due dates for this project.
  • Research Due Feb. 6th
  • PowerPoint Due Feb. 10th
  • Bottle Project Due Feb. 16th
  • Presentation Due Feb. 21st  
  • Presentation begin Feb. 22nd
Pleaser remember that all students need one 2-Liter bottle before Feb. 13th.
 
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to email.
 
Sincerely,
Mr. Rowan

Social Studies Update Week of 1/30/2023

Greetings 7th Grade Social Studies Families,
 
This week we will begin our unit on Conflict and Cooperation. We will examine various events from around the world where countries have worked together and against each other. We will then do a deep dive into the history of the conflict between the Palestinians and Israelis.
 
To begin, students will complete a Nearpod assignment. We will look at the conditions that must exist, the motivations and the actions nations take when looking at both conflict and cooperation. Students will then look at a few examples to decide if it is describing conflict or cooperation and then pick out the conditions, motivations and actions. 
 
Finally, students will look at case studies involving 9/11 and the war in Afghanistan, the Kyoto Protocol and the Tohoku earthquake to analyze the events and look for examples of conflict and cooperation. 
 
If you have any questions, please let me know.
 
Sincerely,
Mr. Rowan

Social Studies Update Week of 1/23/2023

Hello 8 grade Social Studies Families!
 
This week students will begin by taking a test on Westward Expansion Monday. On Tuesday, Westgate K-8 will be attending the Drums Around the World field trip during the morning and we will not be having class. On Wednesday, we will begin our Biography Bottle Project. Each student will research a person that was famous during the Civil War era. They will create a biography presentation which they will share with the class. In addition they will create a likeness of their person using a 2-liter bottle which they will need to bring in from home, and various crafting supplies that I will supply. Students are also free to bring in anything that they may think will enhance their project. 
 
Students supply a 2-liter bottle
I supply crafting supplies
 
The people that students will be researching and presenting on will be sprinkled throughout the unit that follows and by gaining this prior knowledge it is my hope they better understand their role in this part of United States history. 
 
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to email.
 
Sincerely,
Mr. Rowan