Week In Social Studies 01.12.26 - 01.16.26

Dear Parents and Guardians,

I hope you are having a great week. In Social Studies, we will be wrapping up our unit on African Kingdoms over the next few days. On Monday, students will work on a Mastery assignment. Tuesday will be dedicated to reviewing key concepts in preparation for the assessment, and on Wednesday, students will take the African Kingdoms test. On Thursday, we will begin our new unit on Feudalism in Europe with a lesson on Life in the Middle Ages. We will continue this unit on Friday by exploring Feudalism and life on a feudal manor.

I have also had several thoughtful conversations with students this week regarding the use of AI as a learning tool. I shared with them that relying on AI without carefully reviewing and understanding what it generates can leave them unprepared when assessments are given. I emphasized that AI can be very useful, but only when the user has enough knowledge and expertise to use it wisely and responsibly. These were productive conversations, and I believe that hearing a similar message from you at home will help reinforce that understanding.

I have received a few questions from parents about how to access and use the resources available on our class website. To help with this, I am adding short video walkthroughs that guide students and families through different parts of the site. There is currently a walkthrough available that explains how to access vocabulary resources. In the coming weeks, additional walkthroughs will be added to show how to access assignments, how to save work, and how to use other features of the site. To view these videos, please select the “Help and Resources” tab on the class website.

Thank you for your continued support and partnership. I look forward to finishing this unit strong and beginning an exciting new one with our students.

Best,

Mr. Butler, Ed.S.

Welcome Back!

Dear Parents and Guardians,

I hope you and your family enjoyed a restful and joyful Christmas break. I am excited to welcome our students back to the classroom and to continue our work together as we move forward in the semester.

This week in Social Studies, students will begin a focused exploration of West African civilizations as part of Standard 6.2. On Wednesday, we will examine the Growth of Ghana, with an emphasis on how geography contributed to its success. On Thursday, our lesson will focus on Mansa Musa and the Mali Empire. We will close out the week on Friday by studying Askia Muhammad and the role of Islam in Songhai. Looking ahead to next week, students will complete a Mastery lesson on Monday, followed by a Review on Tuesday, and a Test on Wednesday to assess their understanding of this unit.

For your convenience, I have updated the class website link for families who may have experienced difficulty accessing the previous link. At the bottom of the website page, you will also find a Google Calendar option to schedule time with me. This is available for parents who would like to connect by phone, video conference, or in person. Please sign up to request a time, and I will confirm the appointment as soon as possible. Appointments are scheduled on a first come, first serve basis, and I am happy to make accommodations whenever possible.

The purpose of this website is to support students both during the school day and beyond it. While I have not assigned traditional homework this year, any classwork that is not completed during class time should be finished at home. My goal is for the website to serve as an all-in-one resource where students can easily access everything they need to complete assignments outside of their scheduled class time.

Thank you for your time and continued support. I look forward to welcoming everyone back and continuing a strong and successful semester together.

Best,

Mr. Butler, Ed.S.

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