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Mr. Rowan, Social Studies B

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Social Studies Update Week of 12/15/25

Greetings 7th Grade Parents!
Exam
Monday students will review for their Government and Economic Systems 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 7th 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 different forms of government. They will continue to read, watch videos, answer questions and complete different scenarios that require them to use their knowledge. Students will then investigate the purpose of government and how it is supposed to keep us safe, provide law and order, provide important services, and guide society and the economy. We will also look how the government tries to balance the common good of society and the individual rights of it's citizens. 
 
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 7th Grade Families!
 

Your students have been busy creating artifacts and a museum experience to showcase what they have been learning about world religions. They would like to invite you to come visit on Wednesday, December 3rd.

Museum Schedule

  • 7B: 10:55 am to 11:35 am
  • 7D: 2:35 pm to 3:15 pm

Each museum experience will be a little different based on the choices of the students. Please check in with the front desk if you are planning to attend. They will be aware and point you in the right direction. 

For the remainder of the quarter, students will be getting an overview of different types of governments and economic systems. They will then use all they have learned this year to create their own country/civilization with a religion, government and economic system. This will be a creative final project where students get to show what they have learned!

Please email me with any questions or concerns.

Sincerely,

Mr.  Rowan

Social Studies Update Week of 11/17/25

Greetings 7th Grade Families!
Last week, students began creating the artifact they chose to re-create. We will have two more days of "workshop" and then they will start creating the museum. Students will be grouped based on the religion they chose. These groups will then create a museum exhibit that represents their chosen religion and showcases the artifacts they created. After coming back from Thanksgiving break, we will have a museum day where we will invite students from Westgate and all 7th grade parents and family to see the exhibit. 
Please email with any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Mr. Rowan

Social Studies Update Week of 11/11/25

Greetings 7th Grade Families!
Last week, students began working on the World Religion Museum project. Students chose a religion and a religious artifact from that religion. This week students will research the artifact, create a detailed description of the artifact and then plan how they will make the artifact including any materials they will need. They will then spend time in the "workshop" creating the artifact. 
Please email with any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Mr. Rowan

Social Studies Update Week of 10/27/25

Greetings 7gh Grade Families!
At the end of last week students took a pre-assessment for their unit on World Religions. The 5 major religions we will be learning about are Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism. This week we will start with what students already know and what they want to know. Students will be answering these questions and building their knowledge through participating in an online lesson, taking notes, reading to comprehend, and through analyzing infographics for each of these religions. 
Please email with any questions or comments.
Sincerely,
Mr. Rowan

Greetings 7th 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: 7th grade students will go on a field trip and will need to pack a lunch that does not require a microwave.
  • Wednesday: This is also a regular day.
  • 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 complete their 3D model, poster/brochure, and presentation pitch for the Ancient Invention Shark Tank project they have been working on. The goal is to finish these parts this quarter. The first week of quarter two students will present their pitch to the Sharks. If you are interested in coming in and volunteering as a Shark, I will be sending an email this week.
 
Please email with any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Mr. Rowan
 
 

Social Studies Update Week of 9/2/25

Greetings 7th Grade Families!
This week in Social Studies students will finish their deep dive into Cuneiform writing where they will investigate and translate Cuneiform and then create their own Cuneiform clay tablet with a message of their choice. We will then spend time discussing different ways to study for a test. Students will use these methods to study for their test on Thursday. This will cover G.R.A.P.E.S., The Neolithic Revolution, and The Fertile Crescent. Students will use a study guide to read, discuss with other students, create notes, and create flash cards they can use to quiz themselves and other students.
 
Cuneiform Writing due 9/2
G.R.A.P.E.S./Neolithic Revolution/Fertile Crescent test 9/4
 
Please email with any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Mr. Rowan

Social Studies Update Week of 8/25/25

Greetings 7th Grade Families!
This week in Social Studies students will finish their station activity where they will learn more details about Mesopotamia including city-states, architecture, food and agriculture, social hierarchy, writing, and the religion of this civilization. Students will then take a deeper dive into Cuneiform writing where they will investigate and translate Cuneiform and then create their own Cuneiform clay tablet with a message of their choice.
 
Sumer Station Activity due 8/26
Cuneiform Writing due 8/29
 
Please email with any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Mr. Rowan

Social Studies Update Week of 8/18/25

Greetings 7th Grade Families!
This week in Social Studies students will be learning about the Neolithic Revolution, which is the foundation for civilizations to arise. They will specifically be learning about the effect of farming on the creation of civilization. Students will then dive into the Fertile Crescent and the ancient civilization of Mesopotamia by studying vocabulary and reading comprehension. They will then participate in a station activity where they will learn more details about Mesopotamia including city-states, architecture, food and agriculture, social hierarchy, writing, and the religion of this civilization.
Neolithic Revolution due 8/19/25
Fertile Crescent due 8/22/25
Please email with any questions or concerns.
Sincerley,
Mr. Rowan

Social Studies Update Week of 8/11/25

Greetings 7th Grade Families!
This week students are learning about the foundations for a civilization by uncovering G.R.A.P.E.S. This stands for geography, religion, achievements, politics, economics, and society. Students will take notes, analyze text, and determine the G.R.A.P.E.S. for Ancient Egypt after reading a piece of informational text. Students will then learn about the Neolithic Revolution and how the discovery and development of farming led to the first civilizations. 
G.R.A.P.E.S. analysis due Thursday 8/14
Neolithic Revolution due next Tuesday 8/18
Please email with any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Mr. Rowan

Social Studies Update Week of 8/4/25

Greetings 7th Grade Families,
This week in Social Studies we went over the syllabus and I asked students to take that home, go over it with you, sign it and bring it back. If you haven't see it yet, please ask your student to show it to you. We then analyzed 6 reasons why it is important to study history. Students read the quotes and then in their own words, explained why that reason was important. Students then ranked the 6 reasons. Finally students wrote two paragraphs using their #1 and #2 rankings. This assignment is due on Monday, so students who did not finished put the assignment in their blue folder and should complete it over the weekend.
Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Mr. Rowan