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Mr. Rowan, Social Studies A

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Social Studies Update Week of 3/9/26

Greetings 8th Grade Families!
Students will have class Monday - Wednesday this week. There is not school Thursday and Friday due to Parent-Teacher Conferences. The following two weeks there is no school due to Spring Break. School will resume on Monday, March 30th. 
Students have been working hard creating newspapers of the North and South to better understand the differences between these two regions in the decades leading up to the Civil War. Students will complete their newspapers by Tuesday and then will read and give feedback on each other's newspapers on Friday. This will be the final grade of the Quarter 3.
If you have any questions, please let me know.
Sincerely,
Mr. Rowan

Social Studies Update Week of 2/17/26

Greetings 8th Grade Families,
This week students will finish presenting their Civil War Biographies. We will then transition into learning what it was like in the North and the South before the start of the Civil War. In this activity, students research the geography, economy, transportation and society of either the North or the South and then create a newspaper that could have existed in that region. Students will learn how the differences between the regions contributed to sectionalism prior to the Civil War.
Please email with any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Mr. Rowan

Social Studies Update Week of 2/1/26

Greetings 8th Grade Families!
Last week students created their Biography PowerPoints of the person they have been researching. One of the assignments had them determine which chess piece their person would be based on what their person did during their life. This week students will create a likeness of their person using a 2-liter bottle, a Styrofoam ball, paint, fabric and other crafting supplies. These "bottle people" will end up being chess pieces that students will use to play chess as a representation of battle strategy. 
Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Mr. Rowan
 

Social Studies Update Week of 1/25/26

Greetings 8th Grade Families!
After researching the childhood, early life, adult life, and accomplishments for the biography of an important person during the Civil War Era, students will now turn that into a biography PowerPoint presentation. Students will learn tips for making a good PowerPoint like less is more and how to create a presentation that isn't just a list of facts, but one that tells a story. Student will also learn about brain science and how to create a presentation that is memorable where the audience has to listen to the presenter rather than reading all the information off of the slides. Students will also learn how to create a bibliography using MLS format. Finally, students will study various public speaking skills as they get ready to present their biographies.
Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Mr. Rowan

Social Studies Update Week of 1/19/26

Greetings 8th Grade Families!
Two areas of focus for this quarter will be the skills of researching and presenting. Because our focus this quarter is on the Civil War, students will be researching and presenting a biography about a famous person that had an impact during the Civil War era. We began last week by studying Monroe Doctrine and the history of US intervention in Latin America to better understand the current events in Venezuela.  Students then learned about what a credible source is and how to determine if a source is credible. This week, students will begin researching their biography. This assignment will be divided into two parts: childhood and early life and adult life and requirements. The requirements for these assignments can be found in our Microsoft Teams Class Notebook. 
For this assignment students will need a 2-liter bottle. Students will use this bottle to craft a likeness of the person they are researching. As part of their research, students will need to determine which chess piece their person would be based on what they did during their life. We will then play a game of chess with these bottle characters to simulate the strategies of battle.
Please email with any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Mr. Rowan

Social Studies Update Week of 12/15/25

Greetings 8th Grade Parents!
Exam
Monday students will review for their Manifest Destiny and Westward Expansion exam which will be held on Tuesday. This will be the final grade for Quarter 2 as final grades will be posted Tuesday.
 
Field Trip
On Thursday students will be going on a field trip to the Denver State Capitol. Remember to have your students bring a lunch that doesn't need a microwave.
 
Holiday Party
On Friday, the 7/8 Pod will have a holiday party in the afternoon. Students should bring any snacks they would like to have for the party on Friday. We will have different themes and activities in the four classrooms.
 
Spirit Week
Monday: Pajama/Onesie Day
Tuesday: (Ugly) Sweater Day
Wednesday: Anything But A Backpack
Thursday: Dress Like Your Favorite Element (Earth, Air, Fire, Water)
Friday: Dress for Success/Quarter Zip Day
 
Happy Holidays!
Mr. Rowan

Social Studies Update Week of 12/8/25

Greetings 8th Grade Families!
 
This week students will be taking their Winter MAPS tests on Thursday and Friday mornings. Good sleep, a good breakfast or snack, and the right attitude will go a long ways in helping your student be successful. 
 
Speaking of next week, Friday is the last day to turn in any late or missing work that has been assigned within the past two weeks. All current assignments should be completed by their due dates. 
 
Last week students started to learn about the Oregon Territory, the Oregon Trail, and the rallying cry of Manifest Destiny. Students will analyze a folk song and complete logic puzzles to better understand why people emigrated to Oregon and what the journey along the Oregon Trail was like. We will finalize our study of westward expansion by learning about the causes and effects of the Mexican-American war.
 
This Friday I will be passing out the study guide for the Quarter 2 Social Studies final test. We will have a review day next Monday the 15th and students will test on Tuesday the 16th. 
 
Please email me with any questions or concerns.
 
Sincerely,
Mr. Rowan

Social Studies Update Week of 12/1/25

Greetings 8th Grade Families!
 
This week students will be working on their Growth of US Map project where they will be completing Section F which focuses on how the US acquired Texas. Students will then analyze primary sources to answer the question: Why did Texas rebel against the Mexican government? They will use evidence from these sources to answer this question. We will then turn our attention to the Oregon Territory, the Oregon Trail, and the rallying cry of Manifest Destiny.
 
Please email me with any questions or concerns.
 
Sincerely,
Mr. Rowan

Social Studies Update Week of 11/17/25

Greetings 8th Grade Families!
To begin the week students will use the interactive Smithsonian Native Knowledge 360 degrees website: How Did Six Different Native Nations Try to Avoid Removal? Students will work in groups to analyze primary and secondary sources to understand that different Native American tribes resisted removal from their homelands in different ways. Each group will focus on one tribe and then teach the rest of the class about what they learned. 
Next we will begin in section E of the map project as we learn how Texas evolved from a Mexican state, to it's own republic/country, to becoming the 28th state in the Union. 
Please email with any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Mr. Rowan

Social Studies Update Week of 11/11/25

Greetings 8th Grade Families!
Last week students explored the theme of who discovered America by watching a documentary called View From The Shore that includes several Native Americans from tribes along the Lewis and Clark expedition offering their perspectives and thoughts on how the expedition should be remembered. This week students will use the notes they took to re-write a standard textbook description of the Lewis and Clark Expedition adding the Native American perspective. 
Next, students will continue working on the Growth of the US Map Project: Section C. They will learn how the United States acquired Florida. This will lead to a mini-unit on the causes and effects of the Indian Removal Policy and what the different Native American tribes did to resist this policy of removal. 
Please email with any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Mr. Rowan
 
 

Social Studies Update Week of 11/3/25

Greetings 8th Grade Families!
Students completed Section D of their Growth of the United States map project last week. This section covered the Louisiana Purchase. This week students will be using Google Earth to follow the Journey of Lewis and Clark and their expedition. Students will be writing diary entries in the perspective of Lewis, Clark, Sacagawea, or one of the Native American tribal members who encountered this expedition. We will continue to explore the theme of who discovered America by watching a documentary called View From The Shore, that includes several Native Americans from tribes along the Lewis and Clark expedition offering their perspectives and thoughts on how the expedition should be remembered. 
I wanted to remind you that this Friday is a half day, and there is no school on Monday in observance of Veteran's Day.
Please email with any questions or concerns.
Sincerely, 
Mr. Rowan

Social Studies Update Week of 10/27/25

Greetings 8th Grade Families!
At the end of last week, students took a pre-assessment where they were able to review the different topics we are going to learning about, and reflecting on what they already know and what they what to learn. Students will begin by looking at president Thomas Jefferson's decision on whether or not he should by the Louisiana Territory from France. Students will work in groups of 4 with roles of president, two advisors, and a press secretary to determine what to do about this amazing opportunity and to decide if the purchase is constitutional. Students will then be introduced to the Growth of the United States map project they will be completing over the course of the quarter.
Please email with any questions or concerns.
Sincerely, 
Mr. Rowan

Social Studies Update Week of 10/20/25

Greetings 8th Grade Families!
 
Welcome to Quarter 2! This quarter students will be learning about how the United States grew from 13 Colonies to the land that we now call the United States. Like a puzzle, students will piece together the history of the United States came to be. To begin this journey, we will be analyzing the painting American Progress by the artist John Gast. This painting will resurface throughout the quarter as we discuss different themes and subjects from the painting. As part of this quarter, students will create a map that outlines the growth of the United States that we will add to throughout the quarter. This map and the notes we take will serve as a study guide for the final essay that students will write at the end of the quarter. 
 
Please let me know if you have an questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Mr. Rowan

Social Studies Update Week of 9/29/25

Greetings 8th Grade Families!
 
This is the last week of Quarter 1 and I want to share the schedule with you.
  • Monday: This is a regular day.
  • Tuesday: This is also a regular day.
  • Wednesday: 8th grade students will go on a field trip and will need to pack a lunch that does not require a microwave.
  • Thursday: This is a half day. Carline begins at 11:30.
  • Friday: No school due to parent-teacher conferences.
 
To end the quarter students will be analyzing different Supreme Court cases to answer the following question: Are student's constitutional rights inside of school the same as their rights outside of school. Students will read the summary's of the court cases and make judgements on those decisions. 
 
Please email with any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Mr. Rowan
 

Social Studies Update Week of 9/22/25

Greetings 8th Grade Families!
 
I wanted to first remind everyone that grades are due this Friday and all late and missing work is due this coming Wednesday.
 
This week in Social Studies students will be taking their end-of-quarter test on Thursday and Friday. Students will be presented with their study guide tomorrow and will be able to use that to prepare for the test. This test will cover The Articles of Confederation, The Constitutional Convention, The Preamble, Articles 1 - 6 of the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. 
 
Tuesday and Wednesday, students will be representing the right they think is most important symbolically.
 
Which Right Is Most Important To You due Wednesday 9/18
End-of-quarter test due Thursday 9/25
Symbolism and the Bill of Rights due 9/24
 
Please email with any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Mr. Rowan