7th Grade World History

The mission of Gompers Preparatory Academy, in partnership with UCSD and our community, is to accelerate academic achievement for all students through a college preparatory culture and curriculum.

Virtual Office Hours: M-F: 8:00 am - 8:45 am and 2 pm - 3 pm

Email: mwnek@gomperscharter.org

Letter of Introduction


Dear GPA Parent/Guardian,

Welcome to OUR VIRTUAL CLASSROOM. My name is Mr. Mike Wnek and I am excited to welcome you and your child to Gompers Preparatory Academy's (GPA) distance learning program. I will be your child’s World History teacher. I've taught for over 20 years at the middle, high school, and college level, and I consider it a privilege to work with the families of our wonderful school. This year will be much different than previous years as we begin distance learning. It is my hope that we work together to make our class a success. Now more than ever, your role as a parent is so important.

How can you help your child get used to distance learning?

Here are some tips to help you as a parent and as a learning coach.

8 Tips for Parents as a Learning Coach

  1. Make sure the learner is on time, in uniform, and prepared to learn every day.

  2. Make sure the computer is fully charged the night before

  3. Make sure the student has dressed appropriately and in GPA attire when participating in live video conferencing.

  4. Know your child’s school schedule, start time, and their teachers.

  5. Attend Zoom classes as often as you can.

  6. Be involved throughout the day.
    i) Check-in
    ii) Make sure learner is on task as well as taking necessary breaks
    iii) If the student is off task, Ask: What should you be doin    g right now?

  7. Follow-up at the end of the day.
    i) How did you do today?
    ii) Did we meet our goals?
    iii) What did you learn today?
    iv) See if they finished the assignments or not

  8. Keep in contact with the teachers

  1. PowerSchool for Parents, monitor

  2. Monitor daily progress, making sure students are getting their assignments turned in.

During distance learning, we will use Zoom and other conferencing and virtual meeting platforms, to deliver class meetings, homework, assessments, special projects, and much more to our students every day. In our classroom, the practice of teaching both the skills of the standards-based curriculum and higher-level thinking skills reinforce each other and facilitate deeper levels of knowledge for all learners. Most days we will use the computer to Google Apps for Education, Actively Lean, Achieve 3000, and other internet resources. I will provide your child with tutorial videos and assignments.

Parents and students will be able to access off-campus learning opportunities through our Google Classroom page. Parents should have their login information, as Google Classroom will be the primary platform for the distribution of weekly assignments.

Expectations for Students

  1. Make sure your surroundings are maximized for learning.

  2. Leave a respectful digital footprint by not sharing embarrassing, illegal, or inappropriate content.

  3. Adhere to the GPA Code of Conduct handbook

  4. Adhere to the GPA Technology Use Policy

  5. Adhere to GPA culture, non-negotiables, REACH values, and core beliefs.

  6. Complete and turn in assignments on time

Parents, if your child is ill and will not be able to participate for the day, please email the attendance office at attendance@gomperscharter.or and me at mwnek@gomperscharter.org.

Thank you for your commitment to your child’s education. I look forward to a wonderful school year from a distance. Thanks again for being my partner this year as we learn and teach together.

Very Respectfully,


Mr. Wnek

mwnek@gomperscharter.org



8/31 First Day of School
9th grade Google classroom Links 💻

If you need help to join a class in Google Classroom,
click here for information on how to join.

Period 1
9:00-9:45

Google Classroom code: fxnx2tu






Period 2
10:00-10:45

Google Classroom code: fxvrc5e






Period 3
11:00-11:45

Google Classroom code: gn23on2





Period 5
1:15-2:00

Google Classroom code: mctqq2s



culture

Overview of class

syllabus Overview

Course Overview

During these uncertain events of 2020, the critical focus of our distance learning in 7th grade World History class will be on our students' emotional, social, and academic well-being. Each virtual class meeting will involve discussions that will require all students to participate in topic-based discussions involving world history. Our class will be a safe space where students will be able to openly share comments, ideas, and emotions with their peers and teacher. Respect is a guiding principle at GPA, so students will be able to express their opinions without apprehension in our digital classroom.

Throughout the 7th-grade world history and geography course, the focus will be on 21st-century digital literacy skills. Some of these virtual skills include video conferencing (Zoom), navigating to different virtual platforms to access information (Google Classroom, Achieve3000, ActivelyLearn), and utilizing internet resources during independent learning. These skills will be and practiced in class, so students are self-sufficient learners at GPA. Virtual learning is still new to many students and teachers so flexibility will be highly utilized in our classroom.

Through the study of world history, students will be able to connect the past and apply what they've learned to current events. Reading comprehension and vocabulary development are the primary ways to access information about the past. Analyzing primary documents and informational texts will give students a window into ancient history. These windows to the world will help students develop empathy and understanding that can be applied to throughout history and the present day.

I am so excited to share with you our 7th grade World History distance learning program. We will be examining medieval global societies by reading, writing, discussing, and presenting information together as a research team. Together we will be exploring the Five Themes of Geography, which we will be using to examine medieval societies. We will be analyzing these cultures together: Rome, the Islamic Empire, China, Mesoamerica, and Western Europe. We have created a variety of projects/strategies to investigate these topics. Students will present their research by creating museum brochures, slide presentations, and digital posters to demonstrate their learning. Connecting the lessons learned from past societies will allow students to apply these ideas to the challenges of the present and become educated citizens and leaders to affect needed change.

Mr. Wnek

Bio

Mr. Wnek has worked as an educator for over 20 years. His connection with students, and his desire to see them succeed, comes through in every area of his classes. The rapport he develops with his classes, combined with the expectation that all students will achieve social and academic success through culturally relevant instructional practices, is the key to his success as a teacher. Mr. Wnek has a wide variety of interests from sports, coaching, and current events that helps to create dynamic discussions in his virtual classroom.