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Social Studies-8A-Mr. Rowan

Course Description

We meet every day from 1:00 - 2:00.
 
We cover 8 grade social studies standards.My goal is to provide students with the essential skills and attitudes for living in the twenty-first century, which will enable them to acquire the knowledge, abilities and judgment to continue to learn for themselves; to explore and understand the past so they can better understand what is happening today; to deliberate responsibly on local, national and international issues; and to understand that we are all individuals whose human and civil rights deserve respect.
 

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Posts

Weekly Update - May 21

This week, students will finish their final Civil War exam. Students have finished the paper portion of the test. Monday, they will finish their map and PPT and then present their research about where I went last summer. I'm really impressed with what I have seen so far.
 
Because of sickness and absence, we still have a couple of Civil War Battle presentation to complete. Once that is done, we will end by looking at Lincoln's second inaugural address. We will watch a documentary on the Reconstruction period that took place right after the Civil War.
 
Finally, we will find time to watch the DVD from the Civil War Reenactment and play one giant game of chess with the student's biography bottle project.

Weekly Update - May 14

Finish Civil War Battles Presentations: Monday/Tuesday

Study Guide for Civil War Final Test: Tuesday/Wednesday

Civil War Final Test: Thursday/Friday

Important Upcoming Dates

May 16: 7 graders will be going on a Junior Achievement Finance Park field trip.
 
May 25: School Park Day and Community Clean Up in the afternoon.
 
May 26: Final Grades are due. We cannot accept any work after this day, so please make sure you are checking in with your student, Infinite Campus and the teacher web pages to avoid any late or missing work.
 
May 26 and 29: No School
 
May 30: Lip Sync Battle and POD Social Event 1-3 pm in POD
 
June 1: 7/8 Continuation from 9:10 - 11:00
 
June 1: 1/2 Day of School with Student-Led Conferences from 12:30 - 8:30
 
June 2: 1/2 Day of School. Last Day of School

Weekly Update - May

This week students will spend a day practicing their presentation as they go over the rubric they created one last time. On Tuesday, we will start presentations in order that the battles happened. 
 
Students will also get a study guide for their upcoming final test on Antebellum America, The Causes of the Civil War and The Civil War itself.

Weekly Update - April 30

Now that the Civil War Reenactment is over, it is time to finish up our Civil War Battles research project. Students will work on completing this project and also completing the presentation rubric we have been working on. After students finish this project, we will end the year by looking at the period of Reconstruction following the Civil War.
 
For a photo album of the Reenactment, please go to the following link on my staff page.
 

Weekly Update - April 30

As we begin our last month of school, I wanted to post a reminder about some of the ways you can check in with what your student is doing in class and how to check on their grades. Both students and parents are encouraged to check on the Weekly Updates and to check grades in Infinite Campus.

First, I wanted to take a minute to remind everyone how to find each classroom page on the new website. When you get onto the website, www.westgateschool.org, hover over the Academics tab on the top, it will then give you a list of different tabs, click the classroom pages tab. You will then need to click the 7th and 8th grade link. From here you can choose which class and teacher’s classroom page you need. Also on this page it will shows you different assignment that are due and new.

The only way for you to receive emails about updates to the classroom pages is to subscribe to each classroom’s page. You can do this by going to your son/daughter's classroom page and click on the subscribe button. From there, follow the steps given.

With this new website, there is no more digital locker on the website. Instead the students have Office 365, which has the OneDrive cloud storage, student email, word, PowerPoint, OneNote Class Notebooks, and much, much more. You as a parent are able to download Office365 for free, but if you do not want to download it, all the previously mentioned items are available online for the students to use. 

All assignments, documents, links, videos will be uploaded to each student’s OneNote Class Notebooks.

For the students to login to their Office 365, they must go to login.microsoftonline.com

Username: [email protected]

Password: same as the student's school computer password.

Second, I'd like to post a reminder on how to check grades in Infinite Campus. 

 
Student Log In
  • Username: student ID number
  • Password: first initial-capitalized, last initial-lowercase, DOB (Flmmddyy)
Parent Log In
  • Username: email address
  • Password: (emailed a temporary password)

If you have any questions, please let me know.

Mr. Rowan

Weekly Update - April 23

After a very fun and successful Fundraising Event last Friday, we are going to spend this week getting ready for the actual Civil War Reenactment. To do this we will study the First Battle of Bull Run (Manassas). We will also make our flour cartridges as well as practice our marching drills. Please make sure your student has their permission slip turned in or they will not be able to participate on Thursday.
 
We are planning on leaving for the Reenactment as soon as we are dressed on Thursday. In case of rain, there is a chance it will be postponed, so please check your email Wednesday night and Thursday morning.
 
Students will need a sack lunch with name on it and I would suggest they bring a water bottle and sunscreen. 

Weekly Update - April 16

Important Dates and Jobs for the Civil War Reenactment

Training: April 18 all day at Westgate

Fundraiser: April 21: 6-9 pm at Westgate

Reenactment: April 27 all day at Westlake Park

To raise money for our Civil War Reenactment, 8 grade social studies students hold a fundraiser. Students plan and create the different parts of this fundraiser, so for it to be successful, students need to work together with their group to complete the parts they have committed to. In the attached photo, you will see the part or parts your son/daughter signed up for.

This is a big week with the Training and Outfitting on Tuesday and the Fundraising Dinner on Friday. For the Civil War Buffett, your son/daughter will be bringing home a recipe to prepare. If for any reason there is an issue with the recipe, your ability to make it, find the ingredients, etc. please let me know and I know we can work out a solution.

Thank you for checking in with your student and seeing how they are doing. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact me.

Mr. Rowan

[email protected]

Important Dates and Jobs for the Civil War Reenactment

Training: April 18 all day at Westgate

Fundraiser: April 21: 6-9 pm at Westgate

Reenactment: April 27 all day at Westlake Park

To raise money for our Civil War Reenactment, 8 grade social studies students hold a fundraiser. Students plan and create the different parts of this fundraiser, so for it to be successful, students need to work together with their group to complete the parts they have committed to. In the attached photo, you will see the part or parts your son/daughter signed up for.

This is a big week with the Training and Outfitting on Tuesday and the Fundraising Dinner on Friday. For the Civil War Buffett, your son/daughter will be bringing home a recipe to prepare. If for any reason there is an issue with the recipe, your ability to make it, find the ingredients, etc. please let me know and I know we can work out a solution.

Thank you for checking in with your student and seeing how they are doing. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact me.

Mr. Rowan

[email protected]

Weekly Update - March 19

Starting tomorrow we will continue state PARCC & CMAS assessments.  We will conclude testing in April, after our Spring Break.  The 7/8 students will have the following schedule this week. Please make sure students return their permission slip for the Adapt-a-Road Clean up on Wednesday.
  
Day AM PM
Monday PARCC ELA Unit 1 Language Arts and Math Classes
Tuesday PARCC ELA Unit 2 Clean up trash along our adopted section of Washington Street
Wednesday PARCC ELA Unit 3 Social Studies/Science Classes
Thursday Parent-Teacher Conferences Parent-Teacher Conferences
Friday Parent-Teacher Conferences Parent-Teacher Conferences
 

Please make sure your students are here on time and for the entire day during their specific testing window. We ask that you do not pick your student up early or bring them in late on these days. As with any day, students should get a good amount of sleep each night.
 
 
Thank you for your support and understanding.  

Civil War Reenactment Important Dates

Mark your Calendar: 

Tuesday, April 18: All Day: Civil War Reenactment Training and Outfitting  at Westgate

Friday, April 21: 6-9 pm: Civil War Reenactment Fundraising Dinner at Westgate. Open to everyone!

Thursday, April 27: All Day: Civil War Reenactment at West Lake Park 


Each year the 8 grade social studies class participates in a Civil War reenactment. Because this is an authentic reenactment with a full day of training, uniforms, replica weapons, a script and a movie-set feel, the cost is $45 per student.  Westgate pays 1/4 of this amount, which leaves a cost of $33.75 per student that we still need to cover.  To do this, we hold a Civil War era fundraiser with a guest speaker, buffet, songs, a museum and silent auction.  It is important that you mark your calendar for Friday, April 21, from 6-9 pm. Tell your friends and family and bring as many people to this fundraiser as possible.

As part of our Civil War Unit, I’m pleased to announce that we will be participating in a Civil War Reenactment through You Can Live History.  You Can Live History (YCLH) has been doing these reenactments for 20 years and their Mission Statement is “We wish to promote a life-long interest in history to all people, especially the young. You Can Live History recognize the valiant struggles of those who fought to protect our freedom. By teaching hands-on history, our hope is that lessons may be learned so that future generations will not suffer the hardships of real war.” In addition to learning a great deal about American History, students learn self-control, which serves them past the day of the re-enactment.  Teachers in subsequent grades say that they can tell which students went through the YCLH program and which did not.  The students who did participate are reported to be more mature and focused, than those who did not.  Students also learn about respect for others and much more.

This is a very special event for the students, and your support is greatly appreciated!!!

Thanks!
Mr. Rowan

Weekly Update - March 12

Starting tomorrow we begin state PARCC & CMAS assessments.  We will conclude testing in April, after our Spring Break.  The 7/8 students will have the following schedule this week. During the days we have class, we will be focusing on Civil War Battle research projects and preparing for the Civil War Reenactment Fundraiser.
 
Each year, the 8 grade participates in a Civil War Reenactment. To help pay for the reenactment, the students hold a fundraiser dinner. This will include a Civil War-Era buffet, a guest speaker and various other activities the students will plan.
 
As we get closer, there are three dates that I need you to mark on your calendars. It is very important that students attend all these events.
 
April 18: Students will spend the day being outfitted and trained for the reenactment. This will be an all-day event.
 
April 21: Civil Reenactment Fundraiser from 6-9:30 in the Westgate High School POD area.
 
April 27: Civil War Reenactment. This will be an all-day event.
 
Day AM PM
Monday Language Arts and Math Classes PARCC Math Unit 1
Tuesday Social Studies/Science Classes PARCC Math Unit 2
Wednesday Social Studies/Science Classes PARCC Math Unit 3
Thursday Language Arts/Math Classes Social Studies/Science Classes
Friday Language Arts/Math Classes Social Studies/Science Classes
 

Please make sure your students are here on time and for the entire day during their specific testing window. We ask that you do not pick your student up early or bring them in late on these days. As with any day, students should get a good amount of sleep each night.
 
 
Thank you for your support and understanding.