Friday's Agenda

* Discuss Current Events and Stories of the Year
* Work on CNN Student News Videos

Agenda for Wednesday/Thursday

* TEST
For Period 5 Test - CLICK HERE
For Period 6 Test - CLICK HERE
For Period 8 Test - CLICK HERE
For Period 9 Test - CLICK HERE
---- DO NOT TAKE THE TEST UNTIL YOU ARE IN CLASS ---

* Discuss Current Events
* Complete Story of the Year Writing Activity. Directions below. The mini-essay is due on Monday 1-7-13 (First day back from break) but students will have ample time to complete in class.

STORY OF THE YEAR POST

1)   Research Current Events from the past year and determine what you believe is the most important story of the year.

2)    Write a 2-5 paragraph post on blogger about this event. Some details to cover…

a.     Summarize this event (5Ws) including any important background information

b.     Why is it important to you?

c.      Why is it important to the world?
d.     How will it affect life in 2013? 

Agenda for Tuesday

* Final Review of Chapter 7 and 8 for the TEST on Block Day

* Discussion of Current Events, including the incident in Newtown, CT

Agenda for Monday

* Review Study Guide for Wednesday/Thursday's Chapter 7 and 8 TEST. We will be discussing key ideas and concepts covered in Chapters 7 and 8 regarding consumption and immigration. 

Agenda for Friday

* Review Statue of Liberty Short Answer Worksheet 
* Complete Study Guide for Wednesday/Thursday's Chapter 7 and 8 TEST. Study Guide is due on Monday 12/17. (Study Guide posted after the page break) 

Friday Fun - Stare at the red dot in the center of the USA flag more than 30 seconds; now quickly turn your eyes towards some white spot – for examlpe: your celling, a wall, piece of paper… What do you see? 

Agenda for Wednesday/Thursday Block

* Watch brief clip on the history and symbolism of the Statue of Liberty
* Read "An Immigrant's Statue" (Materials below)
* Answer questions regarding the Statue of Liberty (Questions below)
* Begin working on Chapter 7 and Chapter 8 study guide

Vocab Quizzes for Periods 6 and 8

Period 6 CLICK HERE

Period 8 CLICK HERE

Agenda for Monday/Tuesday

* Take Chapter 8 Vocab Quiz (Period 5 CLICK HERE) (Period 9 CLICK HERE)
* Finish Chapter 8 reading
* Complete page 68 in the workbook
* Complete cartogram reflections and missing work

Agenda for Friday

* Read the Seven Biographies of Recent Immigrants and complete the Immigration Chart. Chart is to be turned in at the end of the period. (Biographies and Chart below)

* HOMEWORK - Study for the Chapter 8 Vocab Quiz on Monday, December 10th. 

Agenda for Thursday

* Review Chapter 8 terms
* Read and take notes for 8.2-8.4
* Complete page 67 in the Interactive Workbook
* Preview Friday's class

Agenda for Wednesday (Early Release)

* Review page 63 in the Interactive Notebook
* Read 8.1
* HOMEWORK - Define Chapter 8 Terms (11)  -- Emigrate, immigrate, migration stream, push factor, pull factor, refugee, persecution, brain drain, remittances, regions, drought

There will be a Chapter 8 Vocab Quiz on Monday 12/10/12

Agenda for Tuesday

1) Review cartograms. 
* In a blogger post, describe your cartogram. List your title, your scale, your legend, and 1-4 sentences describing what information your cartogram is displaying (i.e. There are more Starbucks in California than anywhere else, or there are more McDonalds on the east coast or west coast) and possible explanations for the data.
* Submit your cartogram and datasheet to Mr. Brandstrader

2) Finish Reading Chapter 7

3) Complete page 63 in the interactive notebook for homework. 

Criteria for Cartograms

Here is a recap of the details for the cartogram project. 

Your cartogram must:

1) Have a Title.

2) Have a Map Key/Legend.

a. Scale (What does 1 box on your cartogram represent?)

b. 3 different categories, based on volume. Each category should be represented by a different color.

            EXAMPLE:

States with less than 50 McDonalds – green

States with 51-100 McDonalds -  yellow

States with 101 + McDonalds – red

3) Have a Data Sheet attached.

Example:

STATE             # of McDonalds

Arizona                                     45

Alabama                                    32

Arkansas                                   113

Alaska                                       76

California                                 345

4) Take up around half of your sheet. 

You must: 

5) Use a map of the United States to configure where each state belongs.  Label each state. States must be touching. You do not have to make the states resemble their actual shape. However, the states must be in their proper location. (Example: Illinois should be next to Indiana and Iowa, and underneath Wisconsin.)

6) Produce a map that is neat and legible. You will be assessed on the neatness of your cartogram. If your cartogram is incomplete or sloppy, you will be required to do the assignment again.

Agenda for Monday 12/3

* Review Friday's Vocab Quiz
* Finish cartogram project. Cartograms are due at the beginning of the class period on Tuesday December 4th. 

Friday Agenda

1) Chapter 7 Vocab Quiz (Period 5 and 6) Click here. 
    Chapter 7 Vocab Quiz (Period 8) Click here. 
    Chapter 7 Vocab Quiz (Period 9) Click here.

2) Work on Cartograms. We will be working on cartograms on Monday as well.  If you are unable to finish your cartogram on Monday, please complete for homework. Due on Tuesday 12/4.

Some notes on the cartogram:
*They must be neat and legible.
*States must be touching.
*You do not have to make the states resemble their actual shape. However, the states must be in their proper location. (Example: Illinois should be next to Indiana and Iowa, and underneath Wisconsin.)
*The cartogram should take up around half of your sheet.
*You are expected to use every state for which there is data on your topic. You are only allowed to do less than 50 states if there is not data on some states. If your topic does not have data for at least 35 states, then you must select a new topic.

Example of a cartogram:

Clarification on the Cartogram Assignment

We will be spending two days working on the cartogram assignment. After day one (block day), you are required to have finished your data sheet. On Friday, you will be required to finish your cartogram, or it must be finished for homework, due on Monday 12/3.

Agenda For Wednesday/Thursday

During the Block Day, students will be creating their own cartogram of the United States.

-- Bring colored pencils/markers to class!! --

Directions after the jump...

Tuesday Recap

Today we reviewed Chapter 7 terms, read sections 7.5 and 7.6 in the Geography Alive! Textbook, and completed page 61-62 in our Interactive Notebook.

FOR BLOCK DAY, bring colored pencils and markers!!

Agenda for Monday 11/26

* Go over the 10 question Homework Review from Friday 11/16
* Learn the definitions and differences between 1st, 2nd, and 3rd World Countries
* Review and define terms for Friday's Chapter 7 Vocab Quiz. Terms and definitions are due in class Tuesday 11/28.

Agenda for Friday 11-16

FIRST: HOMEWORK REVIEW (10 points) -- You may use your Geography Alive! Interactive Workbook for this review

CLICK HERE

SECOND: BLOGGER POST -- REFLECTION ON Q1 (10 points) – In addition to the questions, you must publish 3 RELEVANT PICTURES to this post.

DESCRIBE HOW YOU DID ON THE CHAPTER 1 and CHAPTER TWO TEST.

1)   How did you perform (grade)?

2)   Did you study adequately?

3)   What study habits worked well for you this time?

4)   What study habits will you change or improve?

DESCRIBE YOUR EXPERIENCE WITH YOUR GROUP PROJECT.

1)   What was your topic, and what did you learn about your topic that you didn’t know before?  

2)   Did your group work well together? Why or why not?

3)   Looking back, what did you like best about working as a group?

4)   What would you do differently the next time you are asked to work as a group?

DESCRIBE YOUR EXPERIENCE LEARNING ABOUT THE PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN.

1)   What did you learn about the election process that you didn’t know before?

2)   What are your thoughts on the presidential debates, both present and past?

3)   What are your thoughts on political ads?

4)   What are your thoughts on political cartoons? Are they just for laughs or can there be meaning behind the humor?

5)   If you could change one thing about the way we select our president, what would it be? 

Agenda for Wed/Thu Block Day

Review page 58 (key terms) in the Geography Alive Interactive Workbook.
Cartogram discussion and activity
Read 7.3 and 7.4, completing page 59 and 60 in the workbook.
Any work not completed in class will be done for homework.

Tuesday Recap

Distributed reflections and grade reports for conferences next week.
 Handed out Geography Alive! Workbooks
Began reading Chapter 7 (7.1 and 7.2)
 Began working on homework (page 58 in the workbook)

Ballot Measure - Legalizing Marijuana Blogger Post

• RESEARCH this issue and write at least a two paragraph reflection on BLOGGER stating your OPINION.
• Is legalizing marijuana a good or bad idea? Why? What are some the Pros and Cons to legalization?
  ***Support your opinion with evidence and support. *** 

Friday's Agenda

• Review Election Recap Worksheet
• Review Election Topic Quiz
• Reflection on Quarter 1

HOMEWORK HERE

2 Assignments for Tuesday 11/13 - Blogger Update

For those that didn't complete this in class, or who were absent on Friday 11/9 ....

#1 - Blogger Update

1)   Open Safari

2)   Go to Blogger.com

3)   Sign in

4)   Click the down arrow on the right side

5)   Click Settings

6)   On the Left side of the page, click “Posts and Comments”

7)   Scroll to the bottom of the page

8)   Turn Show word verification to NO

9)   Scroll up and click SAVE SETTINGS

10)         Log out

#2 - Q1 Reflection

Election Activity for Block Day (Wed/Thu)

Here are the questions for the Election Activity we are doing on block day. Please use a media resource - such as CNN, MSNBC, Fox, or Politico and go to their Election Results page to answer these questions. This sheet is due Friday. 

Decision 2012: Post-Election Analysis

Who is the winner of the 2012 Presidential Election? __________________________

• Popular Vote total (How many people voted and for whom?)
  • Barack Obama:
  • Mitt Romney:
• Electoral Vote total
  • Barack Obama:
  • Mitt Romney:

United States Congress

• How many members are there in the Senate? ______________
• Which political party now controls the Senate? _________________
  • # of Democratic Senators: _________
  • # of Republican Senators: _________
• Does the controlling party of the Senate have a "super-majority?" (Research to find out) EXPLAIN.

• Did the Senators from Illinois, Richard Durbin (D) and Mark Kirk (R) run for re-election this year? EXPLAIN.

• How many members are there in the House of Representatives? ________
• Which political party now controls the House of Representatives? ________________
  • # of Democratic Congressmen/Congresswomen: ________________
  • # of Republican Congressmen/Congresswomen: ________________
• Who is your Congressman? (Look for Illinois 10th Congressional district) ______________
  • Is this your Congressman's 1st term or is he being re-elected? ___________________

Ballot Measures

• What is California Proposition 30? Did it pass? EXPLAIN.

• Four (4) different states voted on the issue of legalizing same-sex marriage.
  • What states were voting on this issue?

• What was the final decision on those states? EXPLAIN.

• California voted on the issue of the Death Penalty. What was the final decision? EXPLAIN

• Three (3) different states voted on the issue of legalizing marijuana for recreational use.
  • What states were voting on this issue?

• What was the final decision in those states? EXPLAIN.

• Explain why the decision of these states will cause a major conflict with the Federal Government in Washington D.C.

• ***(Homework)***
  RESEARCH this issue and write at least a two paragraph reflection on BLOGGER stating your OPINION.
• Is legalizing marijuana a good or bad idea? Why? What are some the Pros and Cons to legalization?
  ***Support your opinion with evidence and support. *** 

Pre-Election Maps

Here is the map from the Edgewood Election...

And this is the Electoral Map based on the last round of polling...

Let's see if either of those maps are close to the real thing! 

Agenda for 10/29 - 11/2

Monday - Presentations on Election Topics
Tuesday - Presentations on Election Topics
Wed/Thu - Finish Final Papers, Add pictures to Blogger assignments, complete late work
Friday (END OF QUARTER) - Quiz on Presentations, Turn in Final Group Paper, Vote in Mock Election

Quarter 1 ends this Friday

All work must be submitted by Friday, November 2nd to receive credit this quarter. Please see me if you have any questions about missing work.

Recap of 10/22 - 10/26

MONDAY - (Computer Lab) Discuss expectations for Presentations, Work on Paper and Presentation

TUESDAY - (Computer Lab) Work on Paper and Presentation, Find Media to incorporate into presentation

WED/THU - Discussion on Electoral College and latest Presidential Polling, Peer Editing of Research Paper

FRIDAY - (Computer Lab) Polish Research Paper, Work on Presentation, Turn in First Draft of Paper and Five Question Assessment

Group Research Project Synopsis

Group Research Paper:Presentation Info

Agenda for 10/15 - 10/19

Monday - Current Events discussion, review Political Cartoons, and discuss next stage of Group Research Project

Tuesday - No School

Wednesday - Presidential Debate discussion by topic and Group Research

Thursday (Early Release)  - Examination of Policy Differences between Pres. Obama and Gov. Romney

Friday - Library for introduction and instruction on research sources

Political cartoon assignment

Today you will select a cartoon for analysis. First, you find a political cartoon and post the url. You can find the cartoons here.

http://politicalhumor.about.com/od/politicalcartoons/ig/Political-Cartoons/

Next, you will write a complete paragraph about the cartoon. You will begin by stating what people and topic this cartoon is discussing. Then, you will write about what is portrayed in the cartoon. Lastly, you will explain the message that the artist is trying to send to the reader, and whether you believe it is effective. Your paragraph should be 4-5 sentences at least.

Agenda for 10/8-10/12

Monday - Test retakes and independent work time to complete missing assignment

Tuesday - Introduction to major policy research project.

Block Day - Begin group research on major policies affecting the 2012 campaign.

Friday - Discussion of VP debate, continue researching for group project.

Test Retakes

Many students have asked to retake the Chapter 1 and 2 test, so I am setting aside time on Monday during class for retakes. If you are planning on retaking both sections, I would ask that you also plan on coming into class before school, during lunch, or after school on Monday as well so that you have plenty of time to complete each part.

Block Day Classwork

In class today and tomorrow, we will be discussing the electoral college and presidential debates. At the end of class, students will be asked to complete 4-5 sentences on what they believe matters most in "winning" a presidential debate (policy ideas, body language, tone, zingers, etc.) and to list one example from class or from personal knowledge. If they do not finish in class, it should be completed for homework.

This is a brief video we watched about the Electoral College. The speaker speaks quickly, but I think it is an entertaining look at a difficult concept.


This is a run down of famous debate moments that we viewed as well.

Debate Extra Credit Homework

*** I would like all students to try and watch some of the Presidential debate if possible. However, it is not required. ***

Directions: Pick one part of the debate and answer the following questions in Blogger Post.

***Use your own words.

1. Choose one question asked by the moderator. What topic did he ask about?

2. How did Barack Obama respond?

3. How did Mitt Romney respond?

4. In your opinion, who do you think responded better? Why?

5. What questions do you still have about the candidates or the issues discussed?

Agenda for 10/1-10/5 and Understanding Political Ads Assignment

Monday: Today we discussed political ads and their purposes. We watched a few past presidential ads and discussed their messages and effectiveness.

Tuesday: Students will find political ads from the presidential candidates (one from each) and analyze the content of the ad, answering questions about the ads' messages, target audiences, tone, factual content, and overall effectiveness.


UNDERSTANDING POLITICAL ADS ASSIGNMENT: Please find one political ad from both the Obama Campaign and the Romney Campaign. Please post the link to the ad then answer the following questions - 

1) What is the message of this ad? 
2) What are the facts in this ad? 
3) Who is the target audience? 
4) Is this ad positive or negative? 
5) Is this ad effective? Why or why not? 

Ads can be found here. http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/politics/political-ad-tracker/most-recent


Wednesday/Thursday Block: We will begin group project regarding the major topics being discussed in the presidential campaign, beginning with the acquisition of basic facts about each topic.

Friday: We will be reviewing the presidential debate from Wednesday night,

Presidential Debate #1 - Wed at 8pm

This is a reminder that the first Presidential Debate will be held Wednesday night at 8pm, and shown on almost all major networks. I would like students to try and watch at least a portion of the debate, preferably with a parent or family member who can help explain the more complicated topics. The debate can also be watched online the next day for any students who are unable to watch live. I will post that link when it is available.

"POLITICAL ADS" HOMEWORK DUE WEDNESDAY!!

The "Understanding Political Ads" will be due on WEDNESDAY, not tomorrow. I'm not sure if I can change the assignment due date on Edmodo, but I will not be checking the assignment until Wednesday. We will have more time in class Tuesday to work on the assignment as well. I apologize for the confusion. 

3Rs Essay

For any students that did not complete the 3R's Essay, here are the guidelines again. I would like you to submit it via Blogger.

Agenda for 9/24-9/28

Monday and Tuesday - We will be reviewing key terms and concepts from Chapter 2, using graphic organizers and Promethean Board activities to reinforce previously learned concepts.

Wednesday - No School.

 Thursday - We will be reviewing for the Test covering Chapter One and Two on Friday.

 Friday - Test on Chapter One and Two.

To prepare for the test, I highly recommend studying the terms and definitions in your notebook, the Chapter One quiz, and in-class worksheets.

 **Note - Retakes for the Chapter One quiz will be held this week. Time will be allotted in Tuesday's class for those that want to retake the quiz. For those that would like more time to study, please contact me to set up a time to come in later in the week.

Geography Alive!

Here is the link to Amazon.

ISBN 1-58371-426-X

Agenda for 9/18 - 9/22

This week we will be:

1. Taking a Quiz on Chapter 1 Terms
2. Covering Chapter 2 in Geography Alive!
3. Discussing and debating current events (i.e. Big Gulp ban in NYC)
4. Writing a 3 paragraph essay on the importance of the 3R's (responsible, respectful, ready to learn) in the classroom

TEST ALERT! -- There will be a test on Chapter 1 and 2 in Geography Alive next Friday Sept. 28. There will be a review session on Thursday Sept. 27 in class.

NOTE -- Due to some difficulties regarding the viewing of pdfs on this site, we will be using Edmodo for class materials, notices, information, and assignments beginning next week. A link to our class site at Edmodo will be posted here.

Class Agenda for 9-12

In class today we reviewed basic map skills and terms covered in Chapter 1, specifically section 1.3.

Homework (due Friday) is identifying and defining the 29 highlighted words in Chapter 1.

Links and Notes for 9-10 through 9-14

This week in class we will be review key terms and concepts from Chapter 1 of Geography Alive.

On Tuesday September 11th we will be watch a short video on the events of 9/11, followed by a class discussion.

Homework for the week: Identify the 29 key terms (words in bold) from Chapter 1, and their corresponding definitions from the glossary. This list of terms and definitions will be due FRIDAY Sept. 14 and act as a study guide for the CHAPTER 1 QUIZ on TUESDAY Sept 18. There will be a review for the quiz on Friday.

The quiz will consist of 20 multiple choice questions based on the terms and definitions.

Have a great week!

Links and Notes for 9-5 through 9-7

In class on Wednesday/Thursday Block, we will be:

Researching Current Events

Reading Chapter 1 of Geography Alive! (due at the start of class on Friday)

Starting a Google Earth Atlas Activity (due at the end of class on Friday)

For Friday, we will be:

Completing a short Chapter 1 Check-In Review

Finishing the Google Earth Atlas Activity

Discussing this week's current events

Reviewing Interest Inventory entries

Previewing next week's topics (Further study on the Tools of Geography) 

Homework for the Week of 9/4 - 9/7

DUE 9-5/9-6 (depending on your block day) : Select Current Events Topic to discuss (no article or write up is necessary, simply select a topic that interests you for in-class research)

DUE 9-7 : Read Chapter 1. Take notes if necessary to remember main topics. (Students will be given reading time in class both today and during their block day to utilize) CHAPTER ONE link here. 

Links for 9-4-12

1) Introductory Video to Latitude and Longitude

2) Geography Alive! Chapter 1

In Class Assignment for 8-31-12

In Friday's class, students were asked to complete a "mini-essay" on what they would do if they were running for president. Students were given a list of topics to choose from, and were asked to complete roughly eight sentences or bullet points about the problems they see in our country and to put forward possible solutions. While students were given ample time to complete the mini-essay in class, I suggested that those that did not complete the essay could do so at home or, if unable to access the internet or Blogger, to come to class Tuesday prepared to discuss their ideas. The objective of this assignment is to utilize critical and creative thinking skills, while also becoming familiar with the Blogger platform.

Cool Tool - Nurse's Office

PBIS COOL TOOL:  NURSE’S OFFICE

UNIVERSAL EXPECTATION:  Be Responsible, Be Respectful, Be Ready to Learn

SKILLS

Setting	Respect	Responsible	Ready
Nurse’s Office	Only enter when the nurse is present, Wait for your turn to talk, Wait until the nurse is off the phone or is done with another student, Show respect by considering others’ privacy, Ask permission to use any of the supplies in the nurse’s office	Ask your teacher for a pass, Go to the nurse only if you feel sick, if you hurt yourself, or you need to take medicine, Ask for a pass to go back to class	Be safe, wait your turn, and use a Level 1 Voice

SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING STANDARDS:
Goal 1 -  Develop self-awareness and self-management skills to achieve school and life success.
Goal 2 - Use social-awareness and interpersonal skills to establish and maintain positive relationships.
Goal 3 - Demonstrate decision-making skills and responsible behaviors in personal, school, and community contexts.

PURPOSE OF THE LESSON: Students will learn acceptable reasons to go to the Nurse’s Office.  Students will learn to get a pass to enter the Nurse’s Office.  Students will learn the expectations while in the Nurse’s Office.

TEACHING EXAMPLES: Reasons to go to the Nurse’s Office include: feeling sick (fever, vomit, shaking chills), hurting yourself, or to provide a note from your doctor. When entering the Nurse’s Office, students can show responsibility by having a pass from a teacher. Students can show responsibility by not going to the Nurse’s Office during passing periods. While in the Nurse’s Office, students can show respect by waiting their turn and asking permission to use any supplies. While in the Nurse’s Office, students can show respect by only paying attention to themselves and respecting others’ privacy.

STUDENT ACTIVITIES/ROLE PLAYS: Have students discuss what they need in order to go to the Nurse’s Office. Have students role play their behavior in the Nurses’ Office. Respond to the following scenarios: You enter the nurse’s office to give her a note from your parent.  What do you do?  (Look and Listen to see if she is on the phone or with another student. You may need to wait.) You have to take your medicine after lunch.  You go to the nurse’s office and you see that the Nurse is on the phone.  What do you do? (Wait your turn.)     4.   Are the following reasons to go to the Nurse’s appropriate or                     inappropriate? Vomiting (A) Headache (A) Get a drink of water (I) Use the phone (I) Hurt in gym class (A)

FOLLOW UP/ REINFORCEMENT ACTIVITIES: (Check for student buy in) 1. Give verbal praise and wings to students who are caught following the procedures while on the way to the nurse’s office and in the nurse’s office.

Welcome!

Welcome to Mr. Brandstrader's 7th Grade Social Studies class. This year, we will be studying world cultures and religions, geography, genocide and tolerance. During the first quarter, we will learn the basics of geography using our Geography Alive! textbooks and iPads. 

Topics and Projects include:

• Basic Geography (Ch.1-2)
• Sim City Mapping Project
• Current Events

A complete syllabus and schedule will be posted here on September 4th.  We will also review and discuss the syllabus in class at that time.  

This week, we will discuss building procedures and expectations; classroom procedures and expectations; team building exercises; and iPad training. 

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me at 224-765-3273 or at bbrandstrader@nssd112.org. 

Best, 
Mr. Brandstrader