8th Grade Colony Project

The 8th graders are beginning their colony project! Groups have been formed, explorers have been marking unclaimed territory, and the competition for the single charter has begun!  Students will create their proposals, design their colonies, and present them to Madam Bigbucks and their classmates. For extra copies of the project click here. Good luck to all!

Working with the Blog

Cougar Social Studies is officially in full swing! Homework is being completed, discussions are highly animated, and students are learning! This post is to give a quick over-view of the blog for any new users. While the blog is updated weekly, additions to the calendar is where these changes occur most frequently. Simply click on the assignment and the information will pop-up. 6th grade assignments are in red, 7th grade in gold, 8th grade in brown, and Corpus Christi events in orange. Occasionally, I will add study guides and enrichment assignments to the blog via "posts", like the one you are reading now. There will be a link to these items within the post. My blog will be updated weekly to keep the students on track and prepared for up-coming assignments. I encourage the students to work ahead anytime they know they have a busy night or weekend. This is going to be a great year!

Welcome Back!

Welcome back students!! I hope you all enjoyed the summer break! I know that I did! I have another exciting and fast paced year planned for us! Please remember to start bringing the following to class:

* Text book

* Binder with 5-Tab dividers

* Writing Utensil

* Notebook/paper

* Planner

Era of the World Wars

The 6th graders have been covering World War I, World War II, and the Cold War for the past two weeks. We have been discussing the significance of alliances, the severity of trench warfare,the evolution of military strategy in war, the influence and role of propaganda, and effects these wars have had on our society today. Below are a few links to videos, Power Points, and the Ch. 15 Study Guide. The 6th graders have brought in many great artifacts from home from mini replicas of tanks, bombers, and destroyers to a Great-Grandfather's daily naval log from 1944-1945. It has been a fascinating and educational past two weeks for both my 6th graders and myself!

Click here for the Chapter 15 Study Guide.

8th Grade Civil War Projects

The War between the States. The War of Rebellion. The War of Northern Aggression. Freedom War.

These are the different names that have been coined to the American Civil War. Our 8th grade will be beginning their 4th Quarter project this week over this fascinating and monumental time in US History! This final project over the Civil War will consist of each 8th grader writing a paper and creating an oral presentation with a powerpoint over his/her Civil War battle. Students have been assigned their battles and should be thinking about their projects. Students need to spend time this weekend researching for books, periodicals, and interviews in order to build their knowledge. Creative pieces (re-enactments via movie, song, video games, little army figurines, paintings, poems, collages, etc) are highly encouraged! This is a great opportunity for the 8th grade to show off their talents, wit, and intelligence as they get ready to enter high school!

Click here for the Civil War Project Rubric.

How to Do Points Back

For 7th and 6th Graders:

Outline

1. In a sentence, write out the question that you missed.
2. In a sentence, write out the correct answer.
3. In a sentence, write out why you missed the question.
4. In a sentence, write out where in the book you can find the correct answer.

Example

1. Number one states, "Geographers look at the world ______".
2. The correct answer is B. "at the local, regional, and global levels".
3. I missed this question because I went through the test too quickly and did not read all of the options carefully enough.
4. The correct answer can be found on pages 13 and 14 in the book.

8th Grade Chapter 17 Study Guide

Here it is....the last one!