Monday, Monday, Monday!

Greetings,

Monday, June 9 we will be holding our annual "Trade and Barter Day".  It is really akin to a Sixth Grade Flea Market, but it gives the kids a chance to trade and barter for objects of desire.  Everyone is expected to participate, so have your child start looking around for "stuff" they no longer want; one man's trash is another man's treasure"

Latin American Trade and Barter Day

Who: 6^th grade students

What: Bring in items to trade and barter with their classmates. 

* Items must fit into one grocery bag.  Students should also bring in a colorful beach towel which will help to organize the merchandise.

When: Monday, June 9, 2014

Where: To Be Determined (if it's nice, we may be outside!)

Why: Markets are essential in Latin American countries. This activity gives students the opportunity to experience a market setting where they can trade and barter.

* Items to consider for trade: CD’s DVD’s, computer games, old toys, jewelry, crafts, if it’s handmade it probably is OK to trade. All items to trade should pass parental inspection and approval. Items not permitted: food, old clothing, lotions, makeup, body spray, candles, or anything flammable. Use good judgement.

Central and South America Power Points

Greetings,

Yesterday, May 28, the kids started making Power Point presentations on Central American, Caribbean Island, or South American country. Countries were assigned via a random draw from a paper bag :)

The assignment involves preparing slides about one's country; there are five heading that need to be addressed, and  at least three facts need to be provided for each heading.  Ideas for each heading have been provided although those are just ideas and kids are free to use other ideas that they find interesting.

We are using Chromebook computers to complete this assignment, but we will only have the computers for three days - May 28,29, and 30.  Many kids are using their time wisely, but there are several who, no doubt, will need to complete this assignment at home.  It is due Monday, June 2, 2014.      

Below is the assignment description with "ideas" for each heading:


    Central and South America Report/Power Point

The purpose of this assignment is for you to learn about a topic that will not be covered in class in great detail.  You will report on your “chosen” country to inform the rest of the class J  The following information must be included:

Geography: Include pictures J

Location-Continent, Hemisphere, Latitude and Longitude

Physical Features- Mountains, bodies of water, rivers, desert, rain forest, etc

Climate- Type of climate, average temperature in Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter

Vegetation

Wild Life

History: Include pictures J

First Inhabitants

Famous Leaders

Major wars or revolts

Government: Include pictures J

Name of Capitol City

Country’s Official name

Type of Government;  Communist?  Democratic Republic?  Socialist? 

Current Government Leader: name, title, residence

Economy: Include Pictures J

Major industries

Major agricultural crops

Trade – imports and exports

Money – name, value compared to US dollar,

Occupations of the citizens

Culture: Include pictures  J

Population

Ethnic Groups

Major religions

Life expectancy

Language

Literacy Rate

Food

Clothing

Holidays and Customs

Sports and Recreation

Famous Artists, Authors, Scientists, etc

                                                                                                   

Mexico Flip Book and Map of South America

Greetings,

The Mexico Flip Book was due today, and the majority of  kids did turn in the assignment. Check Infinite Campus to see if your child has the 5 points applied to "Turning the assignment in on time" score. Many kids went "above and beyond" on their assignment, and those flip books are displayed on the board under the title "This is BEAUTIFUL work!"  Extra effort deserves extra praise.

We have been working on a "Political and Climate Map" of South America the past two days.  This assignment is due Thursday, May 22.  This information has been on the Assignment Board since yesterday, and the due date was repeated several times during class.  Many students have already turned in their maps!

Tomorrow we will start a new map activity "Mapping Wealth and Poverty in Brazil".  This will be a two day assignment, too.  The first part of the assignment will require the kids to put GDP data in order from lowest to highest value.  The second part of the assignment will require kids to color areas based on the GDP data.

We are approaching South America through geography right now; next week we will be start an individual project!

Thanks,
Cathy

Good bye Mr. Clover

Today we bade good-bye to Mr. Clover.  The kids were sad; many asked for autographs and made cards.

We continue to work on the Mexico Flip Book, which is due Wednesday, May 21.  We reviewed the directions and requirements again today; this will be graded as a test, so a missing assignment will have a big impact on one's grade.  Missing work will also need to be completed at home as we will be moving forward in our study of Central and South America.  We have spent three days in the computer lab so far, with one more day on Monday, May 19, so there has been plenty of time to gather research on Mexico.  So far, the "Mexican Walking Fish" has been the most popular native "wild life" entry.

I have told the kids, every day of this assignment, that this is their responsibility; they need to follow the rules, they need to decide if they understand the facts they are recording, they need to be in control of their learning.  Seventh Grade is not far off, and the ability to work independently will be required of the students. This is a good place to start for those students who still struggle to be independent.


Happy week end,
Cathy

Mexico Flip book - A work in progress

We continue to spend time in the computer lab doing research on Mexico.  We have the computer lab for one, and possibly two, more days.  Research that is not completed by the end of the day on Monday, May 19 will need to be completed at home.  This is actually a fairly easy assignment; I am asking for 25 facts and four days should be enough time.  I have a few kids who have completed the assignment. The Mexico Flip book is due Wednesday, May 21.

Next Tuesday, May 20, we will be starting the unit on Central America, and I want to get to South America, too.  We may be taking a different approach to complete this task.

Thanks,
Cathy

Mexico Project

Today I assigned the "Mexico Flipbook" project.  I am attaching the information sheet the kids received today.  This information is also available on my web page; you can get to the web page via LMS Homework  Page.

Thanks,
Cathy

Mexico “Flipbook” Assessment (Test)

Scoring Rubric

Label your book with the following Headings (spelling COUNTS!)

Climate/Wild Life/Vegetation           Government and Economy        History            Geography/Physical Features        Culture

You will need three (3) illustrations (hand drawings), three (3) pictures, or a combination of both, in your flipbook.

For each of the Headings, you will need to list five (5) facts.  You may use three (3) facts from your book, but at least two (2) facts must come from “research” you do in the Computer Lab.  If you want to do ALL your facts from your “research” that is perfectly acceptable. J  Your Headings may be in any order you choose. 

Consider including the following information for each Heading:

Climate:  types of climates and their locations, native plants, native animals

Geography/Physical Features: bodies of water and their locations, landforms and their locations, borders, Resources and their locations

Government and Economy:  Structure of Government, the type of work done by the people of Mexico, Wages, Maquiladoras

History:  Ancient Civilizations, Spanish Conquest

Culture: Food, Customs/Holidays, Dress, Sports, Music, dance

There is much more information that can be added to each heading; these are just ideas.  As you do your research, you may find some aspect that is more interesting to you.

You will be graded thusly:

Title Page – 1 point

Heading Labels –1 point

3 Pictures/Illustrations – 3 points

Geography – Five Facts, 5 points

Climate- Five Facts, 5 points

Culture – Five Facts, 5 points

History – Five Facts, 5 points

Government and Economy – Five Facts, 5 points

Total = 30 points

This assignment is due May 21, 2014

Maya, Aztec, Inca Test Tuesday, May 6

On Tuesday, May 6 the kids will be taking a test over the unit on Mesoamerican cultures.  These cultures include the Olmec, Maya, Aztec, and Inca.  Mr. Clover started this unit on April 7, and has taught lessons on each of the cultures.  The kids have notes covering information from the book and video clips, and a Review Sheet that was handed out last Thursday, May 1.  The kids had Thursday and Friday in class to work on the Study Guide, and it was to be returned, completed, today so there could be a "meaningful" review.  Please ask your child to show you the notes from the unit.  It might be helpful to quiz your child over the information this evening.

The test will be 30 questions; 10 True/False, 10 Multiple Choice, and 10 Fill-in-the-blank, with a word bank.

Thanks,
Cathy

Social Studies Test Date Changed!

Dear Parents,

The Social Studies test has been moved to TUESDAY, MAY 6!  

We postponed the test for one day because there will be an assembly today, and this would cut review time short for two classes.  We want everyone to have the same amount of review time J  So, test review will be Monday, May 5, and the test will be Tuesday, May 6.

Enjoy the weekend!

Thanks,

Cathy

Questions from Textbook Reading

Below are the questions that had to be answered based on the brief reading from our textbook.  This information will also be helpful for the test.

Thanks,

Cathy

Pages 171-173

• Define chinampas
• What crops did the Aztecs grow?
• What kind of people dominated Aztec society?
• What does the picture on page 172 tell you about the Aztecs?
• Name on food the Aztecs ate

Pages 171-173

• Define chinampas
• What crops did the Aztecs grow?
• What kind of people dominated Aztec society?
• What does the picture on page 172 tell you about the Aztecs?
• Name on food the Aztecs ate

Pages 171-173

• Define chinampas
• What crops did the Aztecs grow?
• What kind of people dominated Aztec society?
• What does the picture on page 172 tell you about the Aztecs?
• Name on food the Aztecs ate

Mesoamerica Test Next Monday

Mr. Clover is completing his unit on Mesoamerica, and he is currently planning on the kids taking a test on Monday, May 5.  The kids have worked on this unit since returning from Spring Break, and Mr. Clover has done a great job preparing notes and activities to engage the kids in the learning process.

Sadly, however, some kids have not "valued" the notes, and those notes have been tossed into the recycle bin.  The test will be based on notes and a few pages from Chapter 7 in our textbook.  Tomorrow Mr. Clover will give the kids a review sheet that they will use to prepare for the test.  The review sheet does not provide answers, but students who answer the questions will be prepared for the test.

Since several kids have tossed their notes already, I have loaded them on to my LMS website, which can be found at the link below.  If your child needs to print copies of the note pages, they will need to look for these documents:

April Aztecs
April Mesoamerica Map
Inca Notes by Tim
Mayan Math and Writing
Maya April
Mesoamerica Fill in the Blank
Tim Inca Questions
Tim Mesoamerica Map

This is the link to my "Documents" page:

http://www.lowellschools.com/education/components/docmgr/default.php?sectiondetailid=14736&


Thanks,
Cathy

Inca! Test Monday, May 5

The students have spent the past few weeks exploring Mesoamerican civilizations.  Mr. Clover has taught about the Olmen, Maya, Aztec, and now the kids are learning about the Inca.  During this time the kids have made an Aztec pyramid, a relief map of the natural barriers that protected the Inca empire, and a quipu.  A quipu is an Incan counting devise using a series of knots to convey information; Mr. Clover had the kids tie knots for the year of their birth, their age, the number of pets, and the number of siblings.  Those are currently hanging in the hall.

There will be a test over the Maya, Aztec, and Inca on Monday, May 5.  Mr. Clover has had the kids take notes over each civilization, so those notes will be perfect to use when studying for the test.  They will also get a "study guide" from Mr. Clover, and Friday will be a review day.

Thanks,
Cathy

Maya!

Greetings,

Mr. Clover has been teaching the past few days, and he's doing a great job.  The kids are currently learning about the Maya as they explore Mesoamerican cultures.  It sounds like everyone is having fun while deepening their understanding of these ancient cultures.

I STILL have students who need to turn in their "Create A Country" project.  This breaks my heart; this was assigned March 11, with a due date of March 19.  Each of those days, the entire class was dedicated to working on the project.  It was broken into tiny steps, with "check in" dates to make sure everyone was on target.  Kids who fell behind were asked to complete the day's work as homework, or they could come in during Academic Focus or lunch to continue to work.  Kids who were absent needed to complete the assignment at home, but they were given extra time to complete and submit the assignment.  I have sent home incomplete work with several kids today; it must be completed/fixed and turned in by April 15.  There are grades in the grade book now, so current grades will stand for any work not turned in by April 15.  Since this is graded in the "Test/Project/Quiz" column, not having it turned in hurts grades.  Please check Infinite Campus; if your child has a "Missing" grade, or a failing grade, please ask about bring home work today.

Thanks,
Cathy

Testing, testing, testing

Greetings,

We have spent the last two days taking a pilot test for the state; it was a challenging test, but it is NOT graded.  I am not even sure if we will get the results.

The re-take dates for the Economics Test are Thursday, March 27 and Friday, March 28.  I have reminded each class, and encouraged them to use their "old test" and Quizlet as study guides.  The information on the re-test will be the same, but the format will be different.

This is the link to the Quizlet:   http://quizlet.com/38049986/economic-terms-flash-cards/



These are the terms that will be used on the test

 command       demand       exports     free enterprise     good    GNP  

human resources     imports     market        natural resources 

opportunity cost      primary      quaternary   scarce     secondary   service  

shortage     supply   tertiary   tropical 

Thanks,
Cathy

Test Results Are Posted

Greetings,

Today the test grades for the Economics test taken on Friday are posted.  It seems that kids either did a great job or completely dropped the ball.

Tests were returned to the kids, and we went over the answers.  Anyone who wants to re-take the test may do so on Thursday or Friday during lunch.  The returned/corrected test, the multiple choice study guide, and the Quizlet site are great ways to study for the test.

http://quizlet.com/38049986/economic-terms-flash-cards/

Thanks,
Cathy

TEST! TEST! TEST Friday, March 21

Greetings,

We will be taking a test tomorrow, Friday, March 21.  The test will be over economic terms; we have been discussing econ terms and working with those terms for two weeks, and read a section on Economy in our book earlier this year.  A good review would be to read/re-read pages 56 and 57 in the text book.

The test will be a fill-in-the-blank test with a word bank.

So, have your child study.  Another good option would be to go to Quizlet, and look for MrsCWood.  I have a quizlet for Economics, Core Democratic Values, and Chapter 3. Below is the link for Quizlet:

http://quizlet.com/38049986/economic-terms-flash-cards/




Thanks,
Cathy

Economics 

1. The first level of economic activity uses natural resources and raw materials to produce goods; this is known as a _____________________ industry.

2. Natural resources and raw materials are manufactured into other products at the _____________________ level of industry.

3. Research and distribution of information based on products happens at the __________________________ level of industry.

4. Goods and services are exchanged at the ___________________ level of industry.

5. Teachers, nurses, and truck drivers provide a ______________________.

6. A _______________ is a thing that is produced; it has a “physical presence”, and can be used.

7. ____________________________________ is what you experience when you have to choose between two items and pick one item over the other item.

8. Water, trees, plants, oil, and coal are ____________________________.

9. ______________________________ are the workers in a factory, store, or school.

10. Goods that the USA sells to other countries are _________________.

11. Goods that the USA buys from other countries are ________________.

12. When there is a limited, non-renewable amount of a resource, we think of it as _________________________________.

13. If video game prices are low, the ________________ for the games will be high.

14. The amount of goods or services that a producer is willing to provide is the _____________________________ of that good or service.

15. If a store sells out of a popular game, but can order more, they are experiencing a ____________________________, not a scarcity.

16. The __________ includes the values of a country’s goods and services produced by factories in the country and factories located in foreign countries but owned by citizens of the country.

17. Communist countries like North Korea and Cuba have a _______________________ economy; the government has complete control of the economic system in the country.

18. Factors of production are controlled by people rather than the government in a __________________________ economy.

19. Most one-crop economies are found in ____________________regions.

20. In a free enterprise system, goods are sold in a _________________ economy.

Word Bank

 command       demand       exports     free enterprise     good    GNP  GDP  

human resources     imports     market        natural resources 

opportunity cost      primary      quaternary   scarce     secondary   service  

shortage     supply   tertiary   tropical  

Create A Country Project

The clock is ticking!!  The "Create A Country" project is due Thursday, March 20!!  Projects that are not turned on Thursday will be considered LATE.  We will have spent seven class periods working on the this project, and much support has been offered while the kids worked through this project.

Ask your child how the project is coming along :)

Create A Country Project

Greetings,

We have moved the due date for the "Create A Country" project to Thursday, March 20. There were sighs of relief today!!

The majority of kids have been keeping pace; we have assigned specific pages to be completed each day.  Today, they will receive a grade for the work that SHOULD be completed by this date.

Our timeline allows for kids to complete all the charts today and tomorrow, and have all class period on Wednesday to complete the country map.  I am excited to see finished projects; there is a wide variety of countries and a lot of imagination being put to good use!!

Thanks,
Cathy

A link might make it easier, too!

Below is a link to the assignment that was given today.  You will need to look under these titles:

"Alternative Create A County"
"Work at Primary Level"
"Work at Secondary Level"
"Work at Tertiary Level"
"Work at Quaternary Level"


http://www.lowellschools.com/education/components/docmgr/default.php?sectiondetailid=14736&catfilter=1922



This is from the LMS Homework site, under my "Documents" heading.

Thanks,
Cathy

Well, it's been a long, been a long, been a long time!

Greetings,

I can't believe I've been so remiss in my postings, but we have been doing a lot of "in class" work with Chromebooks, and the work has to be completed in class.

Today, however, the assignment for "Create A Country" was handed out.  We will be spending March 11-17 working on this assignment.  It will be due Tuesday, March 18. There is a fair amount of work to do, but I believe if kids attend to the task at hand, they should be able to complete the assignment with no problem.  Most of the pieces can be taken home to complete if necessary.  This project is a culmination of Culture and Economics, so there is nothing new.  It will just take time and perseverance to complete the work on time.

I have provided directions for the and copies of Economic Activity Charts your child will need to complete for their country. These are just the shortened version of the charts; your students will receive full page versions of these charts.

Thanks,
Cathy

Create a Country Assignment

You will report on your “Country” by doing this project as a booklet.  You should assemble your pages in this manner:

Page 1:  Title page – include name of country, country flag, and country motto

Page 2:  15 Fast Facts; typed; be sure to use “Spell Check”! This is where you should be telling about the NON-MATERIAL CULTURE TRAITS of your country. (Non-material culture traits include language, religion, and education)

Page 3 Pictures of MATERIAL CULTURE TRAITS of your country (Material traits include houses, clothing, art, food, jewelry, etc)

Page 4:  Population Graph; break population into three groups: children (0-18), adults (18-62), Senior Citizens (63 and older); make a bar graph to illustrate population

Page 5:  Econ Chart – Primary level; what type of work is done? What is produced/grown/made? How many people work at this level? Use a pie graph to show number of people working at this level.

Page 6 Econ Chart – Secondary level; what type of work is done? What is produced/grown/made? How many people work at this level? Use a pie graph to show number of people working at this level.

Page 7:  Econ Chart – Tertiary level; what type of work is done? What types of services are provided at this level? How many people work at this level? Use a pie graph to show number of people working at this level.

Page 8:  Econ Chart – Quaternary level; what type of work is done? What types of services are provided at this level?  How many people work at this level? Use a pie graph to show the number of people working at this level.

Page 9:  Econ Chart – Gross Domestic Product and per capita GDP

Page 10:  Map of country: Include the following information: physical features/homes/industries/schools/etc A Map Key in the lower left hand corner of the paper, A Compass Rose in the lower right hand corner of the paper.

Work at Primary Level

Type of Work	Amount produced	Value of items produced	Total
Raising wheat	10,000 bushels	$4.00 per bushel	$40,000 per year

 Work at Secondary Level

Manufacturing

Item Manufactured	Number Manufactured	Value of item	Total
Cat toys	500,000	$1.50	$750,000.00

Work at Tertiary Level

Services Provided

Service Provided	Number of people providing service	Value of Service Per year	Total
Clerks	200	$15.000.00	$3,000,000.00

Work at Quaternary Level

Services Provided

Service  Provided	Number of people providing service	Value of Service per year	Total
Scientist researching vaccines	35	$80,000.00	$2,800,000.00

MIA Projects!

I am still waiting for a handful of students to turn in their Core Democratic Values project.  This was assigned on February 17 with a due date of February 24.  This is considered a "Test/Quiz/Project" grade, so it is in the "60% bucket".  Please check Infinite Campus for your child's grade, and if there is a big "M" for Missing, please encourage your child to complete this assignment.

 It must be turned in by Monday, March 3; this is the end of the marking period.

Thanks,
Cathy