Welcome back! I hope everyone had an enjoyable winter break. We are starting brand new topics in almost every class this week, so here are the updates.
6th Social Studies
This week we will be focusing on Greek mythology and literature. The students will learn about the historical background of the famous stories and writers from ancient Greece. Then they will begin research projects on mythical figures and writers from ancient Greece, which they will be presenting to the class on Monday, March 2nd. The twist is that they will be presenting in the first person- the students will present as if they are speaking as the figure from ancient Greece.
6th Religion
This week we are getting into the book of 1 Samuel. Samuel was not only a prophet of God from childhood, but also Israel’s last judge, and anointed the first two kings of Israel. We will learn about how God called Samuel to serve him and how we communicate with God through prayer. Then, we will learn about Israel’s first king, Saul. The memory verse for this week is Hebrews 1:1-2a, which is on page 55 in the student book. The students should study from their book, since they are not required to memorize all of verse 2.
7th Social Studies
After finishing the battles of the American Revolution before the break, we are now getting into the political side. We will be studying the early attempts at governing the new nation, which will result in a Constitutional Convention to reframe the government. This will lead into what has become a bit of a tradition in my seventh grade social studies class: The Bill of Rights song project. The students will choose the instrumental version of a popular song and rewrite the lyrics to describe the Bill of Rights, which they will perform for the class. If music is not their forte, they will have the option to write an perform a skit that illustrates the rights given in the Bill of Rights.
8th Social Studies
This week we are getting into our study of the Roaring Twenties! To start the week we are looking at the political changes that took place following World War I. Then we will get into all the cultural and societal changes that took place during this decade. We will study the music, film, and social issues of this decade- including some local Long Island and New York City connections. At the end of the week, the students will begin research on heroes of the 1920s. This decade was really the start of celebrity culture, so the students will learn a little more about the important figures of the time and why their legacy is still relevant 100 years later.
8th Religion
A few weeks ago the students were assigned their second trimester project. They will present their projects in class on Monday and Tuesday. Later in the week, we will continue studying the book of 1 Samuel and will learn about the anointing of King David. The memory verse for this week is 1 Samuel 16:7, which is on page 67 of the student book.