Today in class...

Friday, April 10th,  2026 - Today, we had a "book talk" about the Boxers graphic novel.

1. Why does Bao feel he must look outside his family (to Red Lantern & the  Opera) to find strength?

2. In the ritual, the boys "become" the gods.  Does this make them braver?  Do they really change, or is it in their heads?

3. By page 120, should we consider Bao a hero or a villain?

TONIGHT'S HW:

• • NOT IN GOOGLE CLASSROOM: 

    • Read Boxers & Saints & Complete Journal Entries (Pages 31 - 120)  

      • RECOMMENDED PACING

• Fri - pgs. Fri - pgs. 101-120

Thursday, April 9th,  2026 - Today students created posters connecting vocabulary words (previously assigned) to the content (Population).  

TONIGHT'S HW:

• • NOT IN GOOGLE CLASSROOM: 

    • Read Boxers & Saints & Complete Journal Entries (Pages 31 - 120)  

      • RECOMMENDED PACING

        • Wed - pgs. 78-100

TOMORROW NIGHT'S HW:

• • NOT IN GOOGLE CLASSROOM: 

    • Read Boxers & Saints & Complete Journal Entries (Pages 31 - 120)  

      • RECOMMENDED PACING

        • Fri - pgs. 101-120

Wednesday, April 8th,  2026 - Today we focused on current events.  We started out talking about the difference between validity and credibility.

Validity measures accuracy—whether research or a test measures what it claims to measure—while credibility measures trustworthiness and confidence in the data collection and interpretation. 

We watched and discussed news from a couple of days ago on NBC

TONIGHT'S HW:

• • NOT IN GOOGLE CLASSROOM: 

    • Read Boxers & Saints & Complete Journal Entries (Pages 31 - 120)  

      • RECOMMENDED PACING

        • Wed - pgs. 54-77

TOMORROW NIGHT'S HW:

• • NOT IN GOOGLE CLASSROOM: 

    • Read Boxers & Saints & Complete Journal Entries (Pages 31 - 120)  

      • RECOMMENDED PACING

• Thu - pgs. 78-100

Monday, April 6th,  2026 - Today we started talking about the reading of the graphic novel Boxers.  We started out defining the term Trope...

noun

plural noun: tropes

• 1.  a figurative or metaphorical use of a word or expression.
  "perhaps it is a mistake to use tropes and parallels in this eminently unpoetic age"

• 2.  a significant or recurrent theme; a motif.
  "the scene echoes a common sci-fi trope"

We then tied that to stereotypes and the negative connotations surrounding tropes and stereotypes.  We also read about the author of Boxers & Sains, Gene Luen Yang.  Before showing the images contained in the article I did talk about the roots of those stereotypes and connections to the Boxer Rebellion AND economics (Industrial Revolution, Scramble for Africa, Opium Wars, etc.).

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/arts/this-chinese-american-cartoonist-forces-us-to-face-racist-stereotypes

TONIGHT'S HW:

• • IN GOOGLE CLASSROOM:  

    • What was the Boxer Rebellion?

    • Boxers - What Am I reading this week?

TOMORROW NIGHT'S HW:

• • NOT IN GOOGLE CLASSROOM: 

    • Read Boxers & Saints & Complete Journal Entries (Pages 31 - 120)  

      • RECOMMENDED PACING

• Tue - pgs. 31-53

• Wed - pgs. 54-77

• Thu - pgs. 78-100

• Fri - pgs 100-120

Friday, April 3rd,  2026 - Today was a half-day.  So, we had short blocks.  We started out watching a short video (1:31 minutes) in order to pull together some concepts from yesterday's videos.

I will be checking notes on Monday in class. 

In Trimester III students are being graded on note-taking skills.  In the first trimester, there was a prescribed, regimented format.  In Trimester II, students could experiment with note-taking formats.  Now, we are focusing on note-taking skills so that students can develop a USEFUL format that they can ACCESS information from their notes when necessary.

TONIGHT'S HW:

• IN GOOGLE CLASSROOM:  

  • So, what's going on with the world’s population? - Videos & Posting (If not finished)n-Class Activity, 4/2 - MORE World Population Analysis - This is HW if not finished in class on Friday.

  • Due  Sun, 4/5 by 8:00 PM - NOT IN GOOGLE CLASSROOM: Read Boxers & Saints & Complete Journal Entries (Pages 2 - 30)  - We will start reading the book nightly as of next week.

Thursday, April 2nd,  2026 - Today we watched 2 videos about population growth.  Students were taking notes.  

In Trimester III students are being graded on note-taking skills.  In the first trimester, there was a prescribed, regimented format.  In Trimester II, students could experiment with note-taking formats.  Now, we are focusing on note-taking skills so that students can develop a USEFUL format that they can ACCESS information from their notes when necessary.

The focus for the videos today was..

-These may not be stated, but everyone should be thinking about what we know about...

• Population Distribution  - The population pattern (where do the people live?)

• Population Density - The average number of people in a square mile or a square kilometer.

TONIGHT'S HW:

• IN GOOGLE CLASSROOM:  

  • So, what's going on with the world’s population? - Videos & Posting (If not finished)

TOMORROW NIGHT'S HW:

• IN GOOGLE CLASSROOM:  

  • In-Class Activity, 4/2 - MORE World Population Analysis - This is HW if not finished in class on Friday.

  • Due  Sun, 4/5 by 8:00 PM - NOT IN GOOGLE CLASSROOM: Read Boxers & Saints & Complete Journal Entries (Pages 2 - 30)  - We will start reading the book nightly as of next week.

Wednesday, April 1st,  2026 - Today a small group of students presented a map they created. 

Students from the Blue Class are shown above.  These are some of the students who worked on the map and presentations.

TONIGHT'S HW:

• IN GOOGLE CLASSROOM:  

  • So, what's going on with the world’s population? - Videos & Posting

TOMORROW NIGHT'S HW:

• IN GOOGLE CLASSROOM:  

  • In-Class Activity, 4/2 - MORE World Population Analysis - This is HW if not finished in class.

Tuesday, March 31st,  2026 - Today we focused on creating graphs/charts/tables from data in a spreadsheet.  It was population data and students will be writing a claim and using evidence and analysis to support their claim.

Worldometer

TONIGHT'S HW:

• IN GOOGLE CLASSROOM:  

  • World Population Analysis 

    • STEP #6 - Turn this in on Google Classroom

      • Create a new sheet to show your work 

TOMORROW NIGHT'S HW:

• IN GOOGLE CLASSROOM:  

  • So, what's going on with the world’s population? - Videos & Posting

Monday, March 30th,  2026 - The focus this week will be population.

• Population Distribution  - The population pattern (where do the people live?)

• Population Density - The average number of people in a square mile or a square kilometer.

TONIGHT'S HW:

• IN GOOGLE CLASSROOM:  

  • World Population Analysis 

    • STEP #2 - Review the vocabulary lists (You have them in hard copy as well)

    • STEP #3 - Watch the video (5:07)

TOMORROW NIGHT'S HW:

• IN GOOGLE CLASSROOM:  

  • World Population Analysis 

    • STEP #6 - Turn this in on Google Classroom

      • Create a new sheet to show your work 

Monday, March 30th,  2026 - The focus this week will be population.

• Population Distribution  - The population pattern (where do the people live?)

• Population Density - The average number of people in a square mile or a square kilometer.

TONIGHT'S HW:

• IN GOOGLE CLASSROOM:  

  • World Population Analysis 

    • STEP #2 - Review the vocabulary lists (You have them in hard copy as well)

    • STEP #3 - Watch the video (5:07)

TOMORROW NIGHT'S HW:

• IN GOOGLE CLASSROOM:  

  • World Population Analysis 

    • STEP #6 - Turn this in on Google Classroom

      • Create a new sheet to show your work 

Friday, March 27th,  2026 -Catch-up day.  Students were able to work on any of the assignments listed below.  If they did not finish all of the work, then it needs to be completed for homework.

TONIGHT'S HW:

• IN GOOGLE CLASSROOM:  

  • Finish maps of Asia if they have not been completed.

  • In Class Activity - MAP SKILLS (Reading) - Wednesday, March 18th, 2026, if not finished in class

  • In-Class Activity - Group - Monday, March 23rd, 2026, if not finished in class

  • In-Class Atlas Activity - Thursday, March 26th, 2026

Thursday, March 26th,  2026 - Atlas Activity

TONIGHT'S HW:

• IN GOOGLE CLASSROOM:  

  • Finish maps of Asia if they have not been completed.

  • In Class Activity - MAP SKILLS (Reading) - Wednesday, March 18th, 2026, if not finished in class

  • In-Class Activity - Group - Monday, March 23rd, 2026, if not finished in class

  • In-Class Atlas Activity - Thursday, March 26th, 2026

Wednesday, March 25th,  2026 - ELA MCAS & Team Time/Team Building

• IN GOOGLE CLASSROOM:  

  • Finish maps of Asia if they have not been completed.

  • In Class Activity - MAP SKILLS (Reading) - Wednesday, March 18th, 2026, if not finished in class

  • In-Class Activity - Group - Monday, March 23rd, 2026, if not finished in class

Tuesday, March 24th,  2026 - ELA MCAS & Team Time/Team Building

• IN GOOGLE CLASSROOM:  

  • Finish maps of Asia if they have not been completed.

  • In Class Activity - MAP SKILLS (Reading) - Wednesday, March 18th, 2026, if not finished in class

  • In-Class Activity - Group - Monday, March 23rd, 2026, if not finished in class

Monday, March 23rd,  2026 - Today, we did some more map work.  This was more reading and analysis of maps and map related info (3 Norths, Antipodes)

TONIGHT'S HW:

• IN GOOGLE CLASSROOM:  

  • Finish maps of Asia if they have not been completed.

  • In Class Activity - MAP SKILLS (Reading) - Wednesday, March 18th, 2026 if not finished in class

Friday, March 20th,  2026 - No School - Eid al-Fitr

TONIGHT'S HW:

• IN GOOGLE CLASSROOM:  

  • Do you have any questions about the Trimester III Learning Standards

Thursday, March 19th,  2026 - No School - Professional Development

TONIGHT'S HW:

• IN GOOGLE CLASSROOM:  

  • Do you have any questions about the Trimester III Learning Standards?

Wednesday, March 18th,  2026 - Today, we continued map work.  If the maps were not finished in school, then they need to complete them at home.

TONIGHT'S HW:

• IN GOOGLE CLASSROOM:  

  • Do you have any questions about the Trimester III Learning Standards?

Tuesday, March 17th,  2026 - Today, we continued map work.  Students will continue this tomorrow in class.  A few students have a reading packet about grid systems and hemispheres.  This is because they need additional materials for determining grid coordinates.  The idea here is to have them work through a content area that they are having some difficulty with.

TONIGHT'S HW:

• IN GOOGLE CLASSROOM:  

  • Do you have any questions about the Trimester III Learning Standards?

Monday, March 16th,  2026 - Today, we talked about the project (Liked it?  Hated it?  Somewhere in between?).  Students also worked on maps of Asia.

TONIGHT'S HW:

• IN GOOGLE CLASSROOM:  

  • Do you have any questions about the Trimester III Learning Standards?

Friday, March 13th,  2026 - Today was presentation day.  Students viewed the timelines for all groups in their class and posted comments on any thoughts, observations, questions, and/or "Oh Wow!" moments.  

Once again, some students are focused on improving their writing rather than working on the project.  However, if they finished, then they participated in the timeline viewing and posting.  The writing assignment aligned with the project content.  Because of that, students should be able to make connections between their paragraphs and the timeline presentations.

TONIGHT'S HW:

• IN GOOGLE CLASSROOM:  

  • Watch and post about the Africa presentations if not finished in school.

Thursday, March 12 th,  2026 - Today was a rehearsal day.  The idea behind the rehearsals is to view the presentation in PRESENT mode and to make sure it is communicating what the project group wants it to communicate.

Once again, some students are still focused on improving their writing instead of working on the project.

TONIGHT'S HW:

• IN GOOGLE CLASSROOM:  

  • Proof the Sutori presentation

    • Watch it in Present mode

    • Make sure everything is viewable/accessible

  • When Stars are Scattered - The week of 3/8/2026 - Assignment #13 - Reading - Finish the book (Chapters 15, 16 & 17) - Read & Post

TOMORROW NIGHT'S HW:

• IN GOOGLE CLASSROOM: 

  • Watch and post about the Africa presentations if not finished in school.

Wednesday, March 11th,  2026 - Research wrapped up yesterday.  Today, the focus was on creating a presentation. The goal is to minimize text, but to maintain the narrative.  There is an introduction and a conclusion or "wrap up".    Everything in between can only have 3 bullet points or a description/explanation in 10 words or less (approximate).  The rationale for this approach is to learn how to write less, but to remain effective in the narrative.

Some students are still focused on improving their writing instead of working on the project.

TONIGHT'S HW:

• IN GOOGLE CLASSROOM:  

  • Wrap up the Sutori presentation

  • When Stars are Scattered - The week of 3/8/2026 - Assignment #13 - Reading - Finish the book (Chapters 15, 16 & 17) - Read & Post

TOMORROW NIGHT'S HW:

• IN GOOGLE CLASSROOM: 

  • Proof the Sutori presentation

    • Watch it in Present mode

    • Make sure everything is viewable/accessible

  • When Stars are Scattered - The week of 3/8/2026 - Assignment #13 - Reading - Finish the book (Chapters 15, 16 & 17) - Read & Post

Tuesday, March 10th,  2026 - Today, we focused on the Africa Project.   Again, some students are working on improving their writing instead of working on the project.

TONIGHT'S HW:

• IN GOOGLE CLASSROOM:  

  • Research for the Africa Project - Complete the check-in (Answer the question)

TOMORROW NIGHT'S HW:

• IN GOOGLE CLASSROOM: 

  • Finish Sutori presentation

  • When Stars are Scattered - The week of 3/8/2026 - Assignment #13 - Reading - Finish the book (Chapters 15, 16 & 17) - Read & Post

Monday, March 9th,  2026 - Today, we focused on the Africa Project.  Some students are working on improving their writing instead of working on a project.

TONIGHT'S HW:

• IN GOOGLE CLASSROOM:  

  • Research for the Africa Project - Complete the check-in (Answer the question)

TOMORROW NIGHT'S HW:

• IN GOOGLE CLASSROOM: 

  • Research for the Africa Project - Complete the check-in (Answer the question)

Friday, March 6th,  2026 - Today was a half-day.  It was also a community day.   When we do community days, the activities revolve around team building and self-development.

TONIGHT'S HW:

• • IN GOOGLE CLASSROOM:  

    • When Stars are Scattered - The week of 3/1/2026 - Assignment #12 - Reading - Finish Chapter 14 (Fri) - Read & Post

Thursday, March 5th,  2026 - Today, the librarian, Ms. Gauthier, taught the kids how to cite images.

TONIGHT'S HW:

• • IN GOOGLE CLASSROOM:  

    • When Stars are Scattered - The week of 3/1/2026 - Assignment #12 - Reading - Finish Chapter 14 (Fri) - Read & Post

TOMORROW NIGHT'S HW:

• IN GOOGLE CLASSROOM:  

  • When Stars are Scattered - The week of 3/1/2026 - Assignment #12 - Reading - Finish Chapter 14 (Fri) - Read & Post

Wednesday, March 4th,  2026 - Today, students were reading the Africa Timeline Project Requirements, forming project groups, and selecting countries to research.

TONIGHT'S HW:

• • IN GOOGLE CLASSROOM:  

    • Choose your country for the Africa Project

    • Study for the Vocabulary Quiz on Thursday, 3/5

TOMORROW NIGHT'S HW:

• IN GOOGLE CLASSROOM:  

  • When Stars are Scattered - The week of 3/1/2026 - Assignment #12 - Reading - Finish Chapter 14 (Fri) - Read & Post

Tuesday, March 3rd,  2026 - Today, we focused on the writing assessment about the UN Sustainability Goals.

TONIGHT'S HW:

• • IN GOOGLE CLASSROOM:  

    • When Stars are Scattered - The week of 3/1/2026 - Assignment #11 - Reading - Chapters 13 & 14 (Mon & Tue) - Read & Post

    • Study for the Vocabulary Quiz on Thursday, 3/5

TOMORROW NIGHT'S HW:

• IN GOOGLE CLASSROOM:  

  • Choose your country for the Africa Project

  • Study for the Vocabulary Quiz on Thursday, 3/5

Monday, March 2nd,  2026 - Today, we focused on pre-writing for an assessment. The writing assignment is about the UN Sustainability Goals.

Friday, February 27th,  2026 - Today, we continued discussing the United Nations and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Thursday, February 26th,  2026 - Today, we talked about the United Nations and the UN Sustainability Goals.

What are the Sustainable Development Goals?

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a set of goals that serve as a blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all. The SDGs were adopted by all United Nations Member states in 2015. They are a call to action by all countries – both developing and developed – to partner together to achieve peace and prosperity for people and the planet.

The SDGs address the global challenges we face, including those related to poverty, inequality, climate change, environmental degradation, peace and justice. The 17 Goals are all interconnected, and in order to leave no one behind, it is important that we achieve them all by 2030.

Tuesday, February 17th,  2026  through Friday, February 20th - NO SCHOOL - WINTER BREAK  

Monday, February 16th,  2026 -  NO SCHOOL - Presidents' Day...

Presidents' Day, observed on the third Monday in February (Feb. 16, 2026), is a federal holiday officially honoring George Washington's birthday, though it commonly celebrates all U.S. presidents. Originally established in 1885 for Washington, the holiday was moved to a Monday in 1971 to create three-day weekends, leading to its popular association with Abraham Lincoln and broader recognition of presidential leadership.

Friday, February 13th,  2026 -  Today, we talked about a lot of things. The central focus was...

Based on where the Europeans were, for beThe question that jumped out was, "Why is there so much activity at the top of the timeline (Geohistogram)?

We tied this back to the Renaissance & the Enlightenment.  We also connected the Geohistogram to colonization.

The Renaissance initiated European exploration for wealth and knowledge, while the Enlightenment provided intellectual justifications for colonization based on reason, alongside shaping revolutionary ideas in the colonies. The Renaissance fueled maritime expansion, and Enlightenment ideals later defined colonial rights, liberty, and racial hierarchies. 

Impact of the Renaissance on Colonization

• Motives for Exploration: The Renaissance sparked a curiosity for new lands, markets, and knowledge, driven by a desire for wealth (gold) and scientific advancement.

• Technological Advancements: Increased focus on navigation and cartography, alongside the adoption of new technologies (like improved shipbuilding and, later, the printing press), allowed European nations like Portugal and Spain to explore the "New World".

• Shift in Perspective: The period promoted a move away from purely religious, medieval views toward more secular, humanistic, and empirical viewpoints, encouraging exploration and commercial ambition. 

Impact of the Enlightenment on Colonization

• Justification for Colonialism: Enlightenment thinkers often presented colonialism as a method to "civilize" non-European societies, spreading rational thought, development, and, in their view, better governance.

• Ideological Basis for Exploitation: Ideas regarding the "labour theory of property" were used to justify seizing land, while evolving race theories were used to position Europeans at the top, facilitating colonial displacement.

• Seeds of Revolution: While some Enlightenment ideas supported colonial rule, they also introduced concepts like natural rights (John Locke) and individual liberty, which directly influenced the American Revolution and the desire for independence.

• The Transatlantic Slave Trade: The 18th-century Enlightenment, despite promoting liberty, coincided with the height of the Atlantic slave trade, with some, though not all, thinkers failing to extend "natural rights" to enslaved people. 

The Renaissance provided the means and ambition for the initial, often brutal, expansion, while the Enlightenment provided the intellectual, rational, and, conversely, revolutionary framework for managing and eventually challenging that same colonial system. 

We also connected these ideas to Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs (What motivates people?) - Based on where they were as societies, for better or for worse, the Europeans moved beyond their shores because they had the motivation to do so.  The countries that we recognize today were starting to form around the time of the Renaissance and the Enlightenment. Industrialization and Nationalism drove governments to expand their "footprint" in the world. 

TONIGHT'S HW:

• • IN GOOGLE CLASSROOM:  When Stars are Scattered - The week of 2/8/2026 - Assignment #7 - Reading - Chapters 7 (Wed), 8 (Thu) & 9 (Fri) 

  • Ch. 9 - Read & Post

Thursday, February 12th,  2026 -  Today, we talked about the influence of empires using the histogram below.  

A histogram is a special type of graph that uses bars of different heights to show how often data occurs within specific numerical ranges (or "bins"), such as test scores from 0-10, 11-20, etc.. Unlike a bar graph, the bars in a histogram touch, representing continuous data or ranges rather than categories. 

Histograms are different from cartograms...

A cartogram is a special type of map that changes the size of countries or states based on information, not their actual land size. Instead of showing accurate geography, it stretches places with high numbers (like high population) and shrinks places with low numbers to make data easy to see. 

We talked about reasons for the expansion of empires.  We are getting to Colonization.

We also talked about the use of the word "country".  Country can be a "catch-all" term, but there are some differences between a nation and a state.

A nation refers to a group of people sharing a common culture, language, history, or ethnicity, focusing on shared identity. A state is a sovereign, self-governing political entity with defined borders, a permanent population, and a government. Essentially, nations are socio-cultural groups, while states are legal and political, sometimes co-existing as nation-states

Key Differences:

• Definition: A nation is defined by shared culture and identity (e.g., Kurds, Scots). A state is defined by territory, government, and sovereignty (e.g., France, Japan).

• Sovereignty: A state requires sovereignty (independent control), whereas a nation does not.

• Components: Nations are about the "people" (social), while states are about the "institutions" (political).

• Examples: A nation without a state is the Kurds; a state with multiple nations is the United Kingdom; a nation-state is Japan. 

Nation-State: When a nation (cultural group) and a state (political entity) occupy the same territory, it is known as a nation-state.

TONIGHT'S HW:

• • IN GOOGLE CLASSROOM:  When Stars are Scattered - The week of 2/8/2026 - Assignment #7 - Reading - Chapters 7 (Wed), 8 (Thu) & 9 (Fri) 

  • Ch. 8 - Read & Post

TOMORROW NIGHT'S HW:

• IN GOOGLE CLASSROOM:  When Stars are Scattered - The week of 2/8/2026 - Assignment #7 - Reading - Chapters 7 (Wed), 8 (Thu) & 9 (Fri) 

• Ch. 9 - Read & Post

Wednesday, February 11th,  2026 -  Today, we talked about the physical geography of Africa.  We went back to a couple of content areas that we have talked about previously.  We talked about how big Africa is and how many resources there are on the continent.  We talked a bit about factors that impact climate.  

Students created mini-presentations about the physical geography of Africa.  This was a narrative that would explain something about climate.  Students worked in groups of 4 and used atlases and globes to create their narrative.  We got through some of the mini-presentations today.  We will get to the rest between tomorrow and Friday.

TONIGHT'S HW:

• • IN GOOGLE CLASSROOM:  When Stars are Scattered - The week of 2/8/2026 - Assignment #7 - Reading - Chapters 7 (Wed), 8 (Thu) & 9 (Fri) 

  • Ch. 7 - Read & Post

TOMORROW NIGHT'S HW:

• IN GOOGLE CLASSROOM:  When Stars are Scattered - The week of 2/8/2026 - Assignment #7 - Reading - Chapters 7 (Wed), 8 (Thu) & 9 (Fri) 

• Ch. 8 - Read & Post

Tuesday, February 10th,  2026 -  Today, we read chapter 6 of  When Stars Are Scattered in class.  Tomorrow, students will be working with the political & physical maps of Africa.

Students will need earbuds/headphones on Friday

TONIGHT'S HW:

• • "Expansion Was Everything": Europe's Colonization of Africa (2 nights)

    • Night 2 (NewsELA)

TOMORROW NIGHT'S HW:

IN GOOGLE CLASSROOM:  When Stars are Scattered - The week of 2/8/2026 - Assignment #7 - Reading - Chapters 7 (Wed), 8 (Thu) & 9 (Fri) 

• • Ch. 7 - Read & Post

Monday, February 9th,  2026 -  Today, we reviewed the homework for the week and then we talked about the book, When Stars Are Scattered.  Tomorrow, students will be reading and discussing chapter 6 in class.

Students will need earbuds/headphones on Friday

TONIGHT'S HW:

• • "Expansion Was Everything": Europe's Colonization of Africa (2 nights)

    • Night 1 (Video & Questions)

TOMORROW NIGHT'S HW:

• "Expansion Was Everything": Europe's Colonization of Africa (2 nights)

  • Night 2 (NewsELA)

Friday, February 6th,  2026 -  Today, students continued to work on maps of Africa (Political & Physical).   Maps are due on Tuesday, February 10th, if they were not finished in class.

TONIGHT'S HW:

• • IN GOOGLE CLASSROOM:  When Stars are Scattered - The week of 2/1/2026 - Assignment #5 - Reading - Chapter #5 

Thursday, February 5th,  2026 -  Today, students worked on maps of Africa (Political & Physical).   This will continue tomorrow.

TONIGHT'S HW:

• • IN GOOGLE CLASSROOM:  When Stars are Scattered - The week of 2/1/2026 - Assignment #4 - Reading - Chapter #3 

  • IN GOOGLE CLASSROOM: Study for the quiz - Can you determine grid coordinates on a map? THERE IS A HARD-COPY MAP THAT GOES WITH THIS!

TOMORROW NIGHT'S HW:

• • IN GOOGLE CLASSROOM:  When Stars are Scattered - The week of 2/1/2026 - Assignment #5 - Reading - Chapter # 5

Tuesday, February 3rd,  2026 - Today, we talked about government. 

Government is complex...

1. Governments derive (get) power from 3 areas 

1. • • Economics (How does the money move?)

     • Politics (How is the government run?)

     • Authority (Who says the government can govern?)

   • Essential Question - What is the purpose of government?

2. The U.S. government has…

   • 3 Branches

     • Legislative (Makes laws)

     • Executive (Enforces laws)

     • Judicial (Interprets laws - Are they Constitutional or Unconstitutional?)

   • 3 Levels 

     • Local (Lexington)

     • State (MA)

     • Federal (U.S.)

TONIGHT'S HW:

• • IN GOOGLE CLASSROOM:  When Stars are Scattered - The week of 2/1/2026 - Assignment #2 - Reading - Chapter #s 1 & 2 

  • IN GOOGLE CLASSROOM: Study for the quiz - Can you determine grid coordinates on a map? THERE IS A HARD-COPY MAP THAT GOES WITH THIS!

TOMORROW NIGHT'S HW:

• • IN GOOGLE CLASSROOM:  When Stars are Scattered - The week of 2/1/2026 - Assignment #3 - Reading - Chapter # 3

  • IN GOOGLE CLASSROOM: Study for the quiz - Can you determine grid coordinates on a map? THERE IS A HARD-COPY MAP THAT GOES WITH THIS!

Monday, February 2nd,  2026 - Today, we were in the library.  Students checked out copies of When Stars Are Scattered.  It's a graphic novel we will be reading over the next month or so.  The Librarian, Ms. Gauthier, taught a lesson on how to approach and how to read, a graphic novel.  

TONIGHT'S HW:

• • IN GOOGLE CLASSROOM: When Stars are Scattered - The week of 2/1/2026 - Assignment #1 - Pre-Reading

  • IN GOOGLE CLASSROOM: Study for the quiz - Can you determine grid coordinates on a map? THERE IS A HARD-COPY MAP THAT GOES WITH THIS!

TOMORROW NIGHT'S HW:

• • IN GOOGLE CLASSROOM:  When Stars are Scattered - The week of 2/1/2026 - Assignment #2 - Reading - Chapter #s 1 & 2 

  • IN GOOGLE CLASSROOM: Study for the quiz - Can you determine grid coordinates on a map? THERE IS A HARD-COPY MAP THAT GOES WITH THIS!

Friday, January 30th,  2026 - Today, we began talking about current events.  We started by taking a look at a website called Allsides.  The site posts that they try to provide unbiased news.  You can look at articles from the Right, the Center, and the Left (Politically).

One point of contention that I raised is that everything contains bias.  Regardless of how much one tries to be unbiased, the lens that we figuratively look through shades our perception.  With that being said, understanding that helps us to try and work through any biases we may come across.

OPTIONAL:

• Revise your Treaty of Versailles Paragraph once it has been corrected.

  • Complete any revisions in SUGGEST mode (See me if you do not remember how to do that.)

  • Due Friday, 1/29 by 8:00 PM

  • YOU MUST RESUBMIT THE DOCUMENT

Tuesday, January 27th,  2026 - Today was a half-day.  We reviewed the week's homework, and students had time to work on it.

TONIGHT'S HW:

• • Martin Niemöller: "First they came for..." (In Google Classroom)

TOMORROW NIGHT'S HW:

• • Where do governments get their power? - Read using RCG

OPTIONAL:

• Revise your Treaty of Versailles Paragraph once it has been corrected.

  • Complete any revisions in SUGGEST mode (See me if you do not remember how to do that.)

  • Due Friday, 1/29 by 8:00 PM

  • YOU MUST RESUBMIT THE DOCUMENT

Friday, January 23rd,  2026 - Today, we talked about antisemitism.  Students began with an article about the history of antisemitism.  After that, Mr. Wolke came in to talk about the topic, and he also facilitated a discussion.

TONIGHT'S HW:

• • Martin Niemöller: "First they came for..."

  • Finish the antisemitism article if you did not finish it in class.

Thursday, January 22nd,  2026 - Today, we took a look at some vocabulary relevant to our discussion about WW II and the Holocaust.

We have also been talking about the term scapegoating.  Scapegoating the practice of unfairly blaming an individual or group for problems, failures, or wrongdoings that are actually caused by others, deflecting responsibility and simplifying complex issues into a single target, often leading to unmerited negative treatment or punishment for the scapegoat. Originating from an ancient ritual where a goat symbolized sins and was sent into the wilderness, it's a psychological defense mechanism to avoid confronting real causes. 

TONIGHT'S HW:

• • Peer edits

TOMORROW NIGHT'S HW:

• • Verbal edits, final revision & submit the assignment

Wednesday, January 21st,  2026 - Today, we began looking at the connection between the Treaty of Versailles and the causes of WW II.

TONIGHT'S HW:

• • Write the paragraph

TOMORROW NIGHT'S HW:

• • Peer edits

Tuesday, January 20th,  2026 - Today, we reviewed the homework for the week, and we went over the pre-writing activities required BEFORE writing the paragraph.

• Evidence & Analysis Document (I will check tomorrow)

• Outline (Handwritten, maybe 15 minutes.  I will check it tomorrow)

Writing Prompt - How did the Treaty of Versailles help cause WW II?

TONIGHT'S HW:

• • Complete Pre-writing for the paragraph

TOMORROW NIGHT'S HW:

• • Write the paragraph

Friday, January 15th,  2026 - Schoolwide Community Day

HW: OPTIONAL - REVISE/REDO the Industrial Age Political Cartoon

Thursday, January 14th,  2026 - Today, we continued to focus on document analysis.  The documents are about...

How did the Treaty of Versailles help cause WW II?

TONIGHT'S HW:

• • Study for the quiz on 1/20

  • Complete the Treaty of Versailles Research Document received in class today

    • Instructions and the research links are in the Google Classroom stream.  

    • I will check the work on Tuesday, 1/20

TOMORROW NIGHT'S HW:

• • Study for the quiz on 1/20

Wednesday, January 13th,  2026 - Today, we focused on document analysis.  The documents are about...

How did the Treaty of Versailles help cause WW II?

TONIGHT'S HW:

• • Study for the quiz on 1/20

TOMORROW NIGHT'S HW:

• • Study for the quiz on 1/20

Tuesday, January 12th,  2026 - Today we began talking about the Treaty of Versailles.  

How did the Treaty of Versailles help cause WW II?

Map Video

Britannica Video

We will be working through the question incrementally.  Next week, students will be writing a paragraph using the information gathered between now and then.

TONIGHT'S HW:

• • NOT IN GOOGLE CLASSROOM: How Did the Versailles Treaty Help Cause WW II (World War II)? Document Analysis - Individual. It's 1 document.  

TOMORROW NIGHT'S HW:

• • Study for the quiz on 1/20

Monday, January 12th,  2026 - Today, we wrapped up the Renaissance and the Enlightenment...

Both of these "periods" profoundly transformed Western civilization by pivoting from medieval dogma to human-centered thought. Whether these periods were "actually a thing" or not the events that occurred had a significant impact on the development of Western civilization.

The Renaissance revived classical knowledge, humanism, and art, while the Enlightenment emphasized reason, scientific empiricism, and individualism, together laying the groundwork for modern science, democracy, and secularism. 

TONIGHT'S HW:

• NOT IN GOOGLE CLASSROOM: How Did the Versailles Treaty Help Cause WW II (World War II)? Close Reading/Answer Questions

  • Read, using RCG as needed

  • RECOMMENDED - Answer the question to the best of your ability because you will be writing a paragraph next week. So, this should help you to gather your thoughts and start to focus on the content.

TOMORROW NIGHT'S HW:

• • NOT IN GOOGLE CLASSROOM: How Did the Versailles Treaty Help Cause WW II (World War II)? Document Analysis - Individual.

  • The documents will be given out in class tomorrow.

Friday, January 9th,  2026 - Today, we focused on how to analyze a visual. We focused on the Industrial Revolution.

We will wrap this up on Monday, January 12th.  Students need to bring the following items to class:

• The Industrial Age notes from class on Thursday, January 8th

• The cartoon analysis document (11"x17")

Students also need to have a set of earbuds or headphones on Monday.

TONIGHT'S HW:

• GOOGLE CLASSROOM  DISCUSSION, "What did ___________________ do that was so great?"

  • Research (Use RADAR) what they did that helped civilization move forward.

  • Post (AT LEAST 7 sentences)

  • Respond to AT LEAST 2 peers in a thoughtful & constructive way.

  • Do not choose anyone listed from the United States.  Our focus is Europe.

The Industrial Revolution, sometimes divided into the First Industrial Revolution and Second Industrial Revolution, was a period of global transition of the human economy towards more widespread, efficient and stable manufacturing processes that succeeded the Agricultural Revolution. Beginning in Great Britain, the Industrial Revolution spread to continental Europe and the United States, from around 1760 to about 1820–1840

The Industrial Revolution was driven by several interconnected factors:

1. Agricultural Advancements: Innovations like crop rotation, selective breeding, and new machinery (e.g., the seed drill) increased food production, reducing the need for labor on farms and allowing more people to move to cities.

2. Access to Resources: Britain had abundant natural resources, such as coal and iron, which were essential for powering machinery and building infrastructure.

3. Technological Innovations: Key inventions, such as the steam engine, spinning jenny, and power loom, revolutionized production methods and increased efficiency.

4. Capital for Investment: The growth of banking and financial institutions provided the necessary capital for entrepreneurs to invest in new technologies and businesses.

5. Colonialism and Trade: The British Empire provided access to raw materials and markets for finished goods, facilitating increased production and economic growth.

6. Transportation Improvements: Developments in transportation, including canals, roads, and railways, enabled the efficient movement of goods and resources, boosting trade and industry.

7. Political Stability and Legal Framework: A stable government and property rights encouraged investment and industrial growth, fostering an environment conducive to innovation.

These factors combined to create a perfect storm for rapid industrialization, fundamentally transforming economies and societies.

Timeline

TONIGHT'S HW:

• Pick a Renaissance/Enlightenment figure to talk about in the discussion, "What did ___________________ do that was so great?"

  • Choose a figure from the Renaissance or the Enlightenment.  

  • Research (Use RADAR) what they did that helped civilization move forward.

TOMORROW NIGHT'S HW:

• GOOGLE CLASSROOM  DISCUSSION, "What did ___________________ do that was so great?"

  • Research (Use RADAR) what they did that helped civilization move forward.

  • Post (AT LEAST 7 sentences)

  • Respond to AT LEAST 2 peers in a thoughtful & constructive way.

  • Do not choose anyone listed from the United States.  Our focus is Europe.

Wednesday, January 7th,  2026 - Today we wrapped up the Culture Project presentations.  After that, we started trying to "connect the dots" between various pieces of content.  We achieved this by discussing the Renaissance and the Enlightenment.  At least we started to do this.  Students have been learning about The Age of Exploration, the Reformation & The Scientific Revolution.  All of this forward movement occurred during the Renaissance, and they were they had an impact on the development of western civilization today.

Slide from Class

TONIGHT'S HW:

• Assignment #1 IN GOOGLE CLASSROOM: 

  • Culture Project Wrap-up

    • Individually - Post Questions about each of the presentations you viewed today (Wed), IF NOT FINISHED IN CLASS

    • As a group - Answer any questions about your presentation if we viewed it today (Wed), IF NOT FINISHED IN CLASS

    • Yellow Class only - Watch the last presentation for your class.

• Assignment #2 - Video & Instructions in Google Classroom

  • Completed work will be done on paper

    • Europe - The Renaissance Part III of III - The Scientific Revolution

TOMORROW NIGHT'S HW:

• Pick a Renaissance/Enlightenment figure to talk about in the discussion, "What did ___________________ do that was so great?"

Tuesday, December 23rd,  2025 -  Today was team time.  It was a half-day, and we watched The Wild Robot.

TONIGHT'S HW (If not already taken care of):

IN GOOGLE CLASSROOM: 

• Make sure that your presentation is posted and accessible by “anyone with the link”.

• Presentations will occur on the day we return from break.

Monday, December 22nd,  2025 -  Today, we bumped into technical difficulties.  So, students were given more time to complete their presentations.

TONIGHT'S HW:

IN GOOGLE CLASSROOM: 

• Make sure that your presentation is posted and accessible by “anyone with the link”.

• Presentations will occur on the day we return from break.

TOMORROW NIGHT'S HW:

• Make sure that your presentation is posted and accessible by “anyone with the link”.

• Presentations will occur on the day we return from break.

Friday, December 19th,  2025 -  Today, students wrapped up research and/or began creating their presentation for the culture mini-project.  Presentations are due no later than Sunday night at 8:00 PM.  On Monday, students will watch presentations in class and ask questions virtually.  The "presenters" will need to answer those questions as homework on Monday night. 

TONIGHT'S HW:

IN GOOGLE CLASSROOM: 

• What is culture?  Comparing & contrasting 2 different European cultures.

  • Wrap up creating presentations]

TOMORROW NIGHT'S HW:

Am I all set? - Check email, Google Classroom & Teacherease to make sure that everything has been turned in and you are up to date.

Thursday, December 18th,  2025 -  Today, students wrapped up research and/or began creating their presentation for the culture mini-project.  Presentations are due no later than Sunday night at 8:00 PM.  On Monday, students will watch presentations in class and ask questions virtually.  The "presenters" will need to answer those questions as homework on Monday night. 

TONIGHT'S HW:

IN GOOGLE CLASSROOM: 

• Study for the Vocabulary Quiz - Quiz Date, Fri, 12/19

• What is culture?  Comparing & contrasting 2 different European cultures.

  • Research 

Wednesday, December 17th,  2025 -  Today, students conducted research on the 2 countries they chose for the culture mini-project.

TONIGHT'S HW:

IN GOOGLE CLASSROOM: 

• FINISH History Alive - Chapter 37 - Reading & Reflection

• Study for the Vocabulary Quiz - Quiz Date, Fri, 12/19

• What is culture?  Comparing & contrasting 2 different European cultures.

  • Research 

Tuesday, December 16th,  2025 -  Today, students selected 2 countries from Europe and began research for the mini-project, which is comparing & contrasting cultures in Europe (Subsets of Western civilization?)

TONIGHT'S HW:

IN GOOGLE CLASSROOM: 

• History Alive - Chapter 37 - Reading & Reflection

• Study for the Vocabulary Quiz - Quiz Date, Fri, 12/19

• What is culture?  Comparing & contrasting 2 different European cultures.

  • Begin research to determine which 2 countries you will be using

Friday, December 12th,  2025 -  Today, students wrote their paragraphs about the impact of Ancient Rome on Western civilization

TONIGHT'S HW:

IN GOOGLE CLASSROOM: How Ancient Rome Shaped Western Civilization: Paragraph (If not finished in class)

TOMORROW NIGHT'S HW:

IN GOOGLE CLASSROOM: Self-check - Email & Google Classroom - Am I all set for the week?

Thursday, December 11th,  2025 -  Today we started pre-writing for the paragraph about the impact of Ancient Rome on Western civilization.  Tomorrow we will write the paragraph,

TONIGHT'S HW:

IN GOOGLE CLASSROOM: How Ancient Rome Shaped Western Civilization: Pre-Writing (If not finished in class)

TOMORROW NIGHT'S HW:

IN GOOGLE CLASSROOM: How Ancient Rome Shaped Western Civilization: Paragraph (If not finished in class)

Wednesday, December 10th,  2025 -  Today, students continued to read about Ancient Rome.  The notes will be used in a paragraph about the impact of Ancient Rome.  Pre-writing will be on Thursday, December 11th, and the paragraph will be written on Friday, December 12th.

TONIGHT'S HW:

IN GOOGLE CLASSROOM: History Alive - Chapter 35 - Reading & Note-Taking (If not finished in class)

TOMORROW NIGHT'S HW:

IN GOOGLE CLASSROOM: How Ancient Rome Shaped Western Civilization: Pre-Writing (If not finished in class)

Tuesday, December 9th,  2025 -  Today, students continued to read about Ancient Rome.  The notes will be used in a paragraph about the impact of Ancient Rome.  Pre-writing will be on Thursday, December 11th, and the paragraph will be written on Friday, December 12th.

TONIGHT'S HW:

IN GOOGLE CLASSROOM: History Alive - Chapter 34 - Reading & Note-Taking (If not finished in class)

TOMORROW NIGHT'S HW:

IN GOOGLE CLASSROOM: History Alive - Chapter 35 - Reading & Note-Taking (If not finished in class)

Monday, December 8th,  2025 -  Today, students started to read about Ancient Rome, and they took notes.  The notes will be used in a paragraph about the impact of Ancient Rome.  Pre-writing will be on Thursday, December 11th, and the paragraph will be written on Friday, December 12th.

TONIGHT'S HW:

• IN GOOGLE CLASSROOM: History Alive - Chapter 32 - Reading & Note-Taking (If not finished in class)

• IN GOOGLE CLASSROOM: History Alive - Chapter 33 - Reading & Note-Taking (If not finished in class)

TOMORROW NIGHT'S HW:

IN GOOGLE CLASSROOM: History Alive - Chapter 34 - Reading & Note-Taking (If not finished in class)

Friday, December 5th,  2025 -  Today, students worked to complete their SWOT Analysis.  

TONIGHT'S HW:

What is a SWOT Analysis? - Complete the Analysis Form (If not finished in class)

TOMORROW NIGHT'S HW:

Am I all set? - Check email & Google Classroom to make sure that everything has been turned in and you are up to date.

Thursday, December 4th,  2025 -  Today, students worked on research skills with Ms. Gauthier again.  Today it was applying what they learned yesterday.

Relevance

• Does it relate to my topic?

• Does it help me answer my question?

Authority

• Who published the resource?

• Are they a well-known and respected source?

Date

• When was the information published or updated?

Appearance

• Does it look professional? Is there supporting evidence? Is the source trying to sell something?

Reason

• Why was the resource published? What is their goal? Are there any biases?

TONIGHT'S HW:

• What is a SWOT Analysis? - Research (Group & Individual)

TOMORROW NIGHT'S HW:

• What is a SWOT Analysis? - Complete the Analysis Form

Wednesday, December 3rd,  2025 -  Today, students worked on research skills with Ms. Gauthier, our librarian.

Relevance

• Does it relate to my topic?

• Does it help me answer my question?

Authority

• Who published the resource?

• Are they a well-known and respected source?

Date

• When was the information published or updated?

Appearance

• Does it look professional? Is there supporting evidence? Is the source trying to sell something?

Reason

• Why was the resource published? What is their goal? Are there any biases?

TONIGHT'S HW:

• What is a SWOT Analysis? - Research (Group & Individual)

• Kahoot! Self-Study Sections 

-Learn

-Flash Cards

-Play Solo (OPTIONAL)

TOMORROW NIGHT'S HW:

• What is a SWOT Analysis? - Research (Group & Individual)

Tuesday, December 2nd,  2025 -  Today, we reviewed the work for the week.  Also, students did get to start on the work in class.  The focus for this week is rivers, infrastructure, and economics.  Students will be taking a look at how they are connected.

TONIGHT'S HW:

•  Choose a River for the SWOT Analysis assignment (Group)

• SWOT Analysis Facts for Kids (If not finished in school)

TOMORROW NIGHT'S HW:

• What is a SWOT Analysis? - Research (Group & Individual)

• Kahoot! Self-Study Sections 

-Learn

-Flash Cards

-Play Solo (OPTIONAL)

Monday, December 1st,  2025 -  No School - Parent/Teacher Conferences

Wednesday, November 26th, 2025 -  Today, we began continued to talk about infrastructure...

Tuesday, November 25th, 2025 -  Today, we began to talk about infrastructure.

Physical Infrastructure (Hard Infrastructure)

• Focus: Physical structures and technical systems.

• Purpose: To enable the flow of goods, people, energy, and information, supporting economic productivity and daily life.

• Examples:

  • Transportation networks (roads, bridges, railways, airports, ports)

  • Utilities (power grids, water supply and sewage systems, gas pipelines)

  • Telecommunications cabling and data centers 

Social Infrastructure (Networks & Systems)

Social infrastructure refers to the places, institutions, and systems that support community life, human development, and social connection. While often having physical buildings associated with them (e.g., a hospital), their primary purpose is to deliver services and foster social interaction. 

• Focus: Human well-being, community standards, and social capital.

• Purpose: To maintain the health, education, and social equity of a population, enabling people to thrive and build relationships.

• Examples:

  • Healthcare facilities (hospitals, clinics)

  • Educational institutions (schools, universities, libraries)

  • Public spaces (parks, community centers, playgrounds)

  • Emergency services (police and fire departments) 

Institutional Infrastructure

Institutional infrastructure refers to the organizational and regulatory environment within which physical and social infrastructures operate. It consists of the non-physical frameworks, rules, and norms that facilitate governance, investment, and societal functions. It is closely related to the concept of Soft Infrastructure. 

• Focus: Governance, regulations, and operational frameworks.

• Purpose: To provide a stable platform for adherence to rules, facilitate development, manage various actors, and ensure the continued delivery of benefits and services.

• Examples:

  • Legal systems and law enforcement agencies

  • Financial services and banking systems

  • Government agencies and regulatory bodies

  • Official statistical bureaus and policy frameworks

  • Physical - Tangible (Hard) - Enabling movement and basic operations (Roads, power grids, water pipes)

  • Social - Both tangible (physical) and intangible (systems) - Supporting human well-being and community life (Schools, hospitals, parks, libraries)

  • Institutional - Intangible (Soft) - Governance, regulation, and system management (Laws, financial systems, government agencies)

TONIGHT'S HW:

• Finish up any past due work...

TOMORROW NIGHT'S HW:

• Finish up any past due work...

Monday, November 24th, 2025 -  Today, we began to talk about infrastructure.

Infrastructure is the basic physical and organizational structures and facilities needed for a society or business to function, such as transportation, communication, and energy systems. It can be categorized as hard infrastructure, which includes tangible systems like roads, bridges, and power grids, and soft infrastructure, which includes the institutions that support a community, such as schools, healthcare, and financial systems. 

Types of infrastructure

• Hard Infrastructure: These are the physical, tangible systems.

  • Transportation: Roads, bridges, railways, and airports.

  • Energy: Power plants, electrical grids, and pipelines.

  • Water and sanitation: Water supply and sewer systems.

  • Communications: Networks for phone and internet service.

• Soft Infrastructure: These are the institutions and systems that support social and economic services.

  • Social services: Schools, hospitals, and public safety facilities like police and fire stations.

  • Government: The institutions and administrative bodies needed for a society to run.

  • Economic systems: Financial institutions and markets. 

TONIGHT'S HW:

• Finish up any past due work...

TOMORROW NIGHT'S HW:

• Finish up any past due work...

Friday, November 21st, 2025 -  Today, we talked about economics.  The objective was to define what an economy is.  We did not get there.  We had great discussions.  There were thoughts, observations, and "Oh Wow!" moments from students.

Slideshow - We talked about slides 1,2,4,5 & 7

We will build on our discussion today as we move through Europe, and then the rest of the world (Africa, Asia, Latin America).

TONIGHT'S HW:

• Finish up any past due work...

  • What is an Economy? 

  • In-Class Activity - Atlas Activity

Thursday, November 20th, 2025 -  Today, we talked about measuring linear distance on a map and the impact of physical geography...

Europe's physical geography has profoundly influenced human development by providing many navigable rivers, long coastlines, and peninsulas that facilitated trade and cultural exchange, and by offering diverse resources like coal and fertile land that fueled the Industrial Revolution and economic growth. While this has led to economic success, it has also resulted in challenges, such as intense urbanization, strain on the environment, and the creation of geopolitical boundaries defined by physical features like the Pyrenees mountains. 

TONIGHT'S HW:

• Finish up any past due work...

  • What is an Economy? 

  • In-Class Activity - Atlas Activity

TOMORROW NIGHT'S HW:

• Finish up any past due work...

  • What is an Economy? 

  • In-Class Activity - Atlas Activity

Wednesday, November 19th, 2025 -  Today, students worked in groups on an Atlas Activity.  Specifically, the activity takes them through the atlas that we use in class.  

TONIGHT'S HW:

• What is an Economy? (It's due Tonight @ 8:00 PM)

• In-Class Activity - Atlas Activity, if it was not finished

TOMORROW NIGHT'S HW:

• Catch up/Finish outstanding work, if necessary

Tuesday, November 18th, 2025 -  Today, students self-corrected the maps of Europe.  We also worked through an example of calculating distance on a map.  After that, students worked on note-taking skills.  

TONIGHT'S HW:

• What is an Economy? (It's due on Wednesday @ 8:00 PM)

• How do you measure Linear Distance on a map? (1 Calculation)

• In-Class Activity - Geography Encyclopedia Activity, if it was not finished

TOMORROW NIGHT'S HW:

• What is an Economy? (Continue with this.  It's due on Wednesday @ 8:00 PM)

• In-Class Activity - Atlas Activity, if it was not finished

Monday, November 17th, 2025 -  Today we reviewed the homework for the week.  After that, students continued to work on the maps of Europe.

TONIGHT'S HW:

• What is an Economy? (Start it.  It's due on Wednesday @ 8:00 PM))

• Maps of Europe (IF NOT FINISHED IN CLASS)

  • Keys are posted in the stream (where the announcements show up) 

  • It's okay to use the keys at this point

TOMORROW NIGHT'S HW:

• What is an Economy? (Continue with this.  It's due on Wednesday @ 8:00 PM)

• Map Activity (1 Calculation) - Distance

• In-Class Activity - Geography Encyclopedia Activity, if it was not finished

Friday, November 14th, 2025 -  Today, there was a vocabulary quiz.  After that I checked notes for the Columbian Exchange & Triangular Trade.  Some students were not finished with the notes.  I will check notes again on Monday.   

We continued map work (political & physical) for Europe.  We will continue this on Monday.  If the maps are not completed in class on Monday, then they will be homework. 

TONIGHT'S HW:

• Columbian Exchange & Triangular Trade - Part III

Thursday, November 13th, 2025 -  Today, we talked through the River Project (What went well, What did not go so well, What could be improved).  The kids were a bit hard on themselves.  Areas for improvement are...

• Planning

• Communication

• Rehearsals

We also talked about using generative AI again.   

Finally, we started map work (political & physical) for Europe.  We will continue this tomorrow.  Also, it will be a half-day tomorrow.

TONIGHT'S HW:

• Columbian Exchange & Triangular Trade - Part II

• Study for the vocabulary quiz (10 minutes per night)

TOMORROW NIGHT'S HW:

• Columbian Exchange & Triangular Trade - Part III

Monday, November 10th, 2025 - Today, Mr. Wolke (Tech) taught a lesson on AI.  This included pros and cons, the difference between Assistive AI and Generative AI, and ethical concerns around using AI.

TONIGHT'S HW:

• Dearly Departed Friend (On paper, not in Google Classroom)

• Study for the vocabulary quiz (10 minutes per night)

TOMORROW NIGHT'S HW:

• Study for the vocabulary quiz (10 minutes per night)

Friday, November 7th, 2025 - Today, we wrapped up presentations for the River Project.  On Monday, we will be back in room 2005.

TONIGHT'S HW:

• Paragraph Revision, if it was assigned (Not all students needed to revise)

Thursday, November 6th, 2025 - Today, students began presenting their work for the River Project.

TONIGHT'S HW:

• Rehearse for presentations

• Paragraph Revision, if it was assigned (Not all students needed to revise)

TOMORROW NIGHT'S HW:

• Paragraph Revision, if it was assigned (Not all students needed to revise)

Wednesday, November 5th, 2025 - Today, students needed to wrap up their poster boards and then rehearse.  Presentations start tomorrow, and all groups need to be ready to present.

1. Focus on visuals over text

2. Watch out for gray space (too many words)

3. Watch out for white space (not enough images)

4. Use note cards

5. No reading off the board while presenting

TONIGHT'S HW:

• Finish the project poster board

• Rehearse for presentations starting on Thursday, 11/6

TOMORROW NIGHT'S HW:

• Paragraph Revision, if it was assigned (Not all students needed to revise)

Tuesday, November 4th, 2025 - Today, students began working on their poster board, and tomorrow they will need to wrap up the board preparation and begin rehearsing.

1. Focus on visuals over text

2. Watch out for gray space (too many words)

3. Watch out for white space (not enough images)

4. Use note cards

5. No reading off the board while presenting

TONIGHT'S HW:

• Finish the project poster board

• Rehearse for presentations starting on Thursday, 11/6

TOMORROW NIGHT'S HW:

• Rehearse for presentations starting on Thursday, 11/6

Monday, November 3rd, 2025 - Today was the last day for research for the River Project.  Tomorrow the visual presentation will be the group poster and rehearsals.

TONIGHT'S HW:

• Research for the project (Discretionary Subjects)

TOMORROW NIGHT'S HW:

• Rehearse for presentations starting on Thursday, 11/6

Friday, October 31st, 2025 - Today, students sat through a lesson about how to conduct a Google search.  

• Don't just use the first result at the top of the page

• Do not use AI summaries as notes

• Criteria for a "GOOD" source (INDICATORS)

  • • Look at the post date

    • Look at the date of publications

    • Key terms (Open Access?  Should I use it?)

    • Suffix (,org, .gov, .com)

TONIGHT'S HW:

• Research for the project (Mandatory Subjects)

  • Take notes - The note-taking document template is available in Google Classroom under the "Project" category.

  • I will check the notes on Tuesday, 11/4, at the beginning of class.

TOMORROW NIGHT'S HW:

• OCTOBER Check-In - Am I up to date on my work? 

• Upload your FT picture and post

MONDAY NIGHT'S HW:

• Research for the project (Discretionary Subjects)

Thursday, October 30th, 2025 - Today, the team went on a field trip to Boston.

TONIGHT'S HW:

• Research for the project

  • Take notes - The note-taking document template is available in Google Classroom under the "Project" category.

  • I will check the notes on Friday, 10/31, at the beginning of class.

TOMORROW NIGHT'S HW:

• A second set of research notes for the project.

Wednesday, October 29th, 2025 - Today, students were in the library again.  Today was a research day.  Project work was broken down into smaller chunks.  Each project group received a planner breaking out the different sections of research to be assigned to group members.

TONIGHT'S HW:

• Research for the project

  • Take notes - The note-taking document template is available in Google Classroom under the "Project" category.

  • I will check the notes on Friday, 10/31, at the beginning of class.

TOMORROW NIGHT'S HW:

• Continue Project Research as necessary

Tuesday, October 28th, 2025 - Today, students were in the library participating in a lesson on how to use databases.  This is in relation to the River project research and NoodleTools (Bibliography).  Ms. Gauthier, the school librarian, taught the lesson.

TONIGHT'S HW:

• Choose your River for the River Project

TOMORROW NIGHT'S HW:

• Research for the project

  • Take notes - The note-taking document template is available in Google Classroom under the "Project" category.

  • I will check the notes on Friday, 10/31, at the beginning of class.

Monday, October 27th, 2025 - So, with our essay/paragraph, we wrapped up our Oceania Unit.  Now we are moving into the Europe Unit.  To start out we are working on a project about rivers.  Specifically, Rivers in Europe.  Here is why we are doing that.  

Vocabulary...

• Culture - The attitudes, beliefs, customs, traditions, art, and achievements of a society that are passed on to each generation.

• Hearth - A brick or stone-lined fireplace used for cooking and heating.

• Culture Hearth - A center where cultures developed, and from which ideas, and traditions spread outwards.

• Cultural Diffusion - The spread of people, ideas, practices and goods from one culture to another.

• Culture Region - A division of the earth based on a variety of factors, including government, social groups, economic systems, language or religions.

     _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

• Civilization - A culture that has built cities, developed writing systems, and achieved varying kinds of development in the arts, sciences, government, and business.

• Government - A group or nation’s political system.

• History - The study of written information about people’s past in order to learn what, how, and why things happened.  

• Interdependent - Mutually dependent (dependent on each other)

• Infrastructure - The fundamental facilities and systems serving a country, city, or area, as transportation and communication systems, power plants, and schools.

The vocabulary is relevant to the point of the project:  How do we move from a culture hearth to a civilization? It's about the development a civilization.  

TONIGHT'S HW:

• FT prep - What's this Boston field trip about? PART II

TOMORROW NIGHT'S HW:

• Choose your River for the River Project

Friday, October 24th, 2025 - Today we wrapped up the writing process...

• Note-taking

• Analysis (Structured on a document)

• Outline

• Writing

• Peer Edits

• Verbal Edits

• Final Revision

• Submission of Work 

Thursday, October 23rd, 2025 - Today, we began peer edits.  Some students were ready for peer edits.  Others were not.  Regardless, everyone needs to have at least 2 peer edits, and tonight, students should have a parent/guardian help them with a verbal edit (the adult simply reads the paper aloud to the student).  

Again, not everyone is in the same place.  So, if someone is not ready to edit then tomorrow is fine for the edits, but they do need to be completed.  Tomorrow students will be able to work on their final draft for submission.  To be clear, tomorrow is a half-day.

Wednesday, October 22nd, 2025 - Today we were still in writing mode.  Some students are still in hte pre-writing stage, most are writing their paragraphs at this point.  Tomorrow we will be conducting peer edits.  Tomorrow night students will be conducting verbal edits with a parent or guardian.  The point of the verbal edit is for students to hear what they wrote.  In doing that, students tend to pick up on things that they would not if they just did an edit on paper (reading).

Tuesday, October 21st, 2025 - Today's focus was pre-writing.  We did some image analysis, started analyzing evidence and got ready to write an outline (about 15 minutes for HW).  Tomorrow we will start writing paragraphs about the settlement of Australia.

Students are using their notes from the two note-taking assignments that we have had:

• Who are the indigenous people of Oceania? - Intro to Note-Taking Human Geography (Recommended - Complete over 2 nights) - Due 10/10

• Who settled Australia? - Intro to Note-Taking Human Geography (Recommendation - Complete over 2 nights, Thu/Fri) - Due 10/17

If a student has not completed the note-taking, they need to do that before they start the pre-writing.  

In-Class                                                                                                           Homework 

Tue, 10/21 -Conduct Analysis & Write Claim                          Complete outline

Wed, 10/22 - Write your Paragraph                                              Write your paragraph

Thu, 10/23 - Peer Edits                                                                          Verbal Edits, FT HW Part I

Fri - 10/24 Final Revision & Submission of work                    FT HW Part II

If something is not finished during the time allotted for it, students will not move forward with the next step of the writing process until the previous step has been completed.  Students should not spend more than 30 minutes on this assignment.  That's 30 minutes of time focused on work.

Friday, October 17th, 2025 -  Today we looked at Aboriginal culture in Australia.  We started out with a speaking activity.  It was about using colloquialisms and slang to "speak Australian".   We also saw a couple of clips from 1980s music videos and talked about Dreamtime a bit as well as conflict between European colonists and the Aboriginal people of Australia.

Vocabulary:

• Colloquialism -  A word or phrase that is not formal or literary, typically one used in ordinary or familiar conversation.

• Dialect - A particular form of a language which is peculiar to a specific region or social group.

• Bull Roarer - The bullroarer, rhombus, or turndun is an ancient ritual musical instrument and a device historically used for communicating over great distances.

• Dreamtime - The Aboriginal spiritual worldview encompassing creation stories, ancestral beings, and the foundational moral code that connects the past, present, and future

Thursday, October 16th, 2025 -  Today we talked about the different types of islands. It is significantly harder for a civilization to develop on a small island compared to a large one due to severe limitations on resources, population, and expansion. However, isolation can offer a defensive advantage. Large islands have more land for agriculture and industry, a greater potential for a larger population, and more diverse mineral and resource availability, making them more likely to sustain a complex civilization over the long term. 

Another thing to think about is the type of island...

High islands are mountainous islands of volcanic origin, while low islands are low-elevation islands made of coral or sediment that forms on submerged volcanoes. High islands are typically larger, with rugged terrain, and can support agriculture due to higher rainfall, whereas low islands are often smaller, flatter, and less suitable for farming. High islands can eventually weather and erode, becoming low islands over time. 

High islands

• Formation: Volcanic in origin, created by underwater volcanoes that erupt and build up layers of lava until they break the ocean's surface.

• Topography: Generally mountainous with rugged interiors and high elevations.

• Climate: The higher elevation can force moist air upwards, causing condensation and precipitation, which supports more rainfall and lush vegetation.

• Agriculture: Often have richer soils that support agriculture.

• Examples: The islands of Hawaii and Tahiti. 

Low islands

• Formation: Typically formed from coral reefs that have grown on top of submerged or eroded volcanic mountains.

• Topography: Low-lying, flat, and small, often barely rising above sea level. Many are atolls, which are ring-shaped coral islands surrounding a lagoon.

• Climate: Receive less rainfall and can have a shortage of fresh water.

• Agriculture: Have poor soils, which limits agriculture; fishing is often the dominant source of sustenance.

• Examples: Atolls like Wake Island. 

Relationship between high and low islands

• Over a long period, high, volcanic islands can erode and flatten, and coral can build up on the submerged portion to form a low-lying island.

• Many high islands are surrounded by fringing or barrier reefs, which are often where low islands form. 

ISLAND TYPES:

1. Continental Islands - These are portions of the continental shelf that have become separated from the mainland due to tectonic shifts, glacial action, or rising sea levels. They are composed of the same geological materials as continents and are often large and varied in composition.  

• Greenland and Madagascar. 

2. Oceanic Islands - These islands form from volcanic activity on the ocean floor, with lava erupting to the surface.  They have no geological connection to continents. They can be volcanic in origin or form from coral reefs. 

• • The Hawaiian and Galápagos Islands are volcanic oceanic islands, while the Maldives and Marshall Islands are coral ones. 

3. Barrier Islands - These are long, narrow islands formed by the accumulation of sand and other sediment along coastlines. They act as a natural barrier between the open ocean and the mainland. 

• • Found along coasts worldwide, like Fire Island, New York. 

4. Coral Islands - These islands grow from a base of coral polyps, with the skeletons of the coral building up over time to form land. They are typically low-lying and flat, often forming around the remnants of submerged volcanoes. 

• • The Maldives and many islands in the Pacific Ocean. 

5. Tidal Islands - These are islands connected to the mainland by a causeway or tombolo that becomes exposed at low tide.  They are only accessible on foot during low tide. 

• •  The island of Mont Saint-Michel in France. 

6. Artificial Islands - These are man-made landmasses created by humans for various purposes. They can be built for leisure, tourism, housing, or other development projects. 

• •  The Palm Islands and World Islands in Dubai.

Wednesday, October 15th, 2025 -  Today we talked about physical features (land & water forms).  Climate dictates vegetation.  So, climate is more or less a constant factor.  Land and water forms can be looked at as variables.  They have an impact on climate, but it varies based on the locvation and configuration of the land and water forms.  Physical features also matter in regard to where people will settle.  Culture hearths tend to develop near rivers for a number of reasons (irrigation, transportation, drinking water).  Conversely, culture hearths do not develop where hte physical conditions are too harsh (Desert).

Rain shadows create dry conditions in some areas.  Australia has a number of rain shadows that contribute to the dryness of the climate.  

Yesterday, students watched a short video on The Great Barrier Reef.  The wquestion asked was How does the Great Barrier Reef impact human development...

The Great Barrier Reef is both an ecosystem and a biome, but it is most accurately described as a complex ecosystem that is part of the larger coral reef biome. It functions as a single, interconnected ecosystem with a vast array of living organisms and their physical environment, while also being an example of a specific biome (coral reef biome) characterized by unique conditions and a distinct collection of species. SO, right off the bat, we have "food supply".  

Additionally, the name itself refers to a barrier reef, which protects the shore from erosion by currents and waves.  This allows for some stability in the northeast corner of Australia.

Tuesday, October 14th, 2025 -  Today we reviewed homework.  Students watched a video about Columbus Day/Indigenous Peoples' Day for pre-class work.  (See Today in Class... for yesterday).

In class students watched a video and posted about The Great Barrier Reef.  We will talk about that tomorrow when we continue with physical geography.

Friday, October 10th, 2025 -  Today, students took a vocabulary quiz.  After the quiz they continued to work on yesterday's physical map of Antarctica.

Thursday, October 9th, 2025 -  Today, students worked on a physical map of Antarctica and watched a video about Antarctica.  The focus was "Can anyone own Antarctica?"    

After that we talked about fallacies...

Fallacy - a mistaken belief, especially one based on unsound argument.  This is a continuation of your work with bias.  The point of trying to understand the terms and application of bias and fallacy is because it will come into play at various points throughout the year:

• Current Events

• Argumentative Writing

• Research

Tuesday, October 7th, 2025 -  Today we started to talk about Place as a theme of geography.

Place (What is it like there?)

• Human Characteristics

• Physical Characteristics

We started out talking about some unique sites and why people would or would not live at these sites.  The idea was to have kids do a bit of research, have a peer discussion, and post their thinking.  The activity had mixed results in class, but overall the output in Google Classroom was pretty good.

Slide #1 - The Cotton Palace, Pamukkale, Turkey

Slide #2 - Thor’s Well, Oregon (near Cape Perpetua)

Slide #3 - Zhangye Dan Xia Landform Geological Park, China 

Slide #4 - The Wave, Arizona 

Slide #5 - (Antelope Canyon),  Arizona

Slide #6 - Lake Hillier,  Australia 

Slide #7 - Trolltunga, Norway

Slide #8 - Socotra Island, Yemen

Slide #9 - The Blue Hole (sinkhole), Belize

Slide #10 - Giant Crystal Cave, Mexico

Slide #11 - Northern Lights, Iceland

Slide #12 - The Grand Prismatic Spring, Wyoming (Yellowstone)

Slideshow (If you view in Slideshow mode, each slide is a link to a 3-4 minute video)

Friday, October 3rd, 2025 -  Today we reviewed the field trip permisison slip and the field trip lunch survey.  The field trip is in Boston on 10/.30.  The permission slip should be turned in on Monday and the Google Form should also be completed by Monday.

After that, we worked on the Claim Statement Assignment (Five Themes of Geography - Location - Video - Homework - Map Skills).  The class was broken up into sub-groups.  Some students were comfortable writing the claim statement on their own.  Others were comfortable re-writing what they had already done after reviewing the material below.  Some kids had not watched the video for the assignment, which is the first step.  So, those kids watched the video.  Finally, there were some kids in each class that wanted some help, and that was okay.

Claim statements are for use in BODY PARAGRAPHS and they have 3 parts in a single sentence:  Subject, Opinion, Evidence.

Opinion vs. Arguable Claim

Opinion:

—Twinkies are delicious.

—I think Virginia Woolf is better than James Joyce.

—The governor is a bad man.

Argument/Arguable claim:

—Twinkies taste better than other snack cakes because of their texture, their creamy filling, and their golden appearance.

—Virginia Woolf is a more effective writer than James Joyce because she does not rely on elaborate language devices that ultimately confuse and alienate the reader.

—The governor has continually done the community a disservice because of mishandling money, focusing on frivolous causes, and failing to listen to his constituents.

What are the differences?

—An argument is supported by evidence, which can be debated/challenged. Opinion is supported by more opinion (and ultimately you end up with something along the lines of

“Well, just because, okay?”).

—A claim can be substantiated with research, evidence, testimony, and academic reasoning.

—A claim is something more than a statement and support: an arguable claim also goes on to address the “so what?” question, the implications, and why we should care in the first place.

Wednesday, October 1st, 2025 -  Today we worked with Grid Systems again..  The learning objectives were still...

• Be able to describe how a grid system works

• Be able to use a grid system to find absolute location 

The Learning Standard was...

•  Geo1 - Reads and interprets maps

To plot a point on a non-military map, you will need the location's latitude and longitude coordinates. These can be in the form of decimal degrees (DD), degrees, minutes, and seconds (DMS), or degrees and decimal minutes (DMM). 

1. Understand latitude and longitude

• Latitude lines run horizontally across the map, parallel to the equator. The equator is 0°, with 90° North at the North Pole and 90° South at the South Pole.

• Longitude lines run vertically from the North Pole to the South Pole, and are also known as meridians. The prime meridian, which runs through Greenwich, England, is 0° longitude. It extends 180° to the east and 180° to the west.

• For coordinates written in decimal format, north and east are positive values, while south and west are negative values. 

2. Find the coordinates on your map

• Locate the grid lines. Look for evenly spaced horizontal (latitude) and vertical (longitude) lines. The coordinate values are printed along the map's edges.

• Match the coordinate format. Note whether the coordinates are in decimal degrees, or degrees, minutes, and seconds. If your map shows seconds (″) or minutes (′), you may need to estimate to find the exact point. 

The reason that we are doing this is...

• To learn how to pull data from a map

• To build resilience for complex activities

Tuesday, September 30th, 2025 -  Today we worked with Grid Systems.  The learning objectives were...

• Be able to describe how a grid system works

• Be able to use a grid system to find absolute location 

The Learning Standard was...

•  Geo1 - Reads and interprets maps

This activity, using a grid system, will continue tomorrow.

Absolute location describes the exact position of a place using fixed coordinates like latitude and longitude, while relative location describes a place's position in relation to other places, landmarks, or features. Absolute location provides precision and unchanging reference points, whereas relative location offers a dynamic understanding of a place's connections, accessibility, and context within its surroundings. 

Friday, September 26th, 2025 -  Today we focused on land navigation.  The discussion was around connections between math and geography. 

• Direction = Lines & Angles

• Timeline = Number Line

• Grid System = Coordinate Plane

 We also talked about Great Circle Routes.

Great circle routes are the shortest paths between two points on the surface of a sphere, such as the Earth. While they appear as curved lines on flat maps, these routes follow the shortest geodesic path on the actual spherical surface. Airlines use great circle routes for long-distance flights to save fuel and time, although actual flight paths may deviate due to factors like weather, airspace restrictions, and air traffic.

Thursday, September 25th, 2025 -  Today we focused on map projections.  Since maps are tools, understanding the distortions on maps helps us to pull useful data from maps. The homework this week was focused on map projections,  All maps have some sort of distortion....

• Conformality (shape) - the shapes of places are accurate 

• Distance - measured distances are accurate 

• Area/Equivalence (size) - the areas represented on the map are proportional to their area on the earth 

• Direction - angles of direction are portrayed accurately 

The Mercator projection preserves shapes and angles, making it useful for navigation, but drastically distorts landmass sizes, especially near the poles. In contrast, the Hobo-Dyer and Gall-Peters projections are both equal-area projections that preserve landmass sizes but distort shapes and directions. The key difference between Hobo-Dyer and Gall-Peters is their aspect ratio and the location of their distortions; Gall-Peters produces a more square map and distorts equator regions more, while Hobo-Dyer is more compressed at the poles. 

Map Projection Comparison Tool

Wednesday, September 24th, 2025 -  Today we circled back to Bias.  Working in small groups (3-5) students picked one type of bias and, as a group, discussed what the bias looks like. After talking with their group, students posted about the bias using the following guidelines.,

• Why the group chose this particular bias

• What you think of it (Is it a problem or not?  Support what you say with evidence and/or examples)

• How could you try to counter the bias if you encounter it?

• Do this to the best of your ability

They also needed to respond to at least 1 peer in a thoughtful & constructive way.  This last part is to start easing students into online discussions in Google Classroom.

Monday, September 22nd, 2025

Today we reviewed what the homework for the week is and then  we talked about maps.  So, to start with there are 3 main typyes of maps...

These maps are intended for general use and display a variety of physical and human-made features, with the primary purpose of showing location. 

1.  Political map: Shows the government-created boundaries of countries, states, counties, and cities. They are often brightly colored to make the divisions clear and can be highly detailed or show a broad view of the world.

2.   Physical map: Depicts the natural landforms and features of an area, such as mountains, deserts, rivers, and lakes. Instead of contour lines, physical maps use color gradients (like greens for lowlands and browns for high elevations) and shading to show changes in elevation.

3.   Thematic maps - These maps focus on a specific topic or theme, using a base map to show the geographic distribution of a particular dataset. 

• Resource map: Shows where specific natural resources are located in an area, often used by mining and drilling companies.

• Economic map: Displays economic data for an area, such as median household income.

• Weather map: Shows weather conditions for a given area, including pressure systems, cloud cover, and precipitation.

• Geologic map: Provides information about the types and ages of rocks and other geological features in an area.

• Population map: Details how many people live in each area and may also break down the population by other factors like income or age.

• Choropleth map: Uses different colors or shades to show the variation of a specific variable across different regions, like a map showing median household income by state.

• Cartogram: A type of map that purposefully distorts the size and geometry of geographic regions to reflect a particular value. For example, a cartogram might enlarge a state with a high population and shrink a less-populated one.

• Dot distribution map: Uses dots or small shapes to show the presence of a specific feature. The concentration of dots indicates the spatial pattern of that feature, such as population density.

We took a look at maps of Australia.  The question that we discussed was "Why do the people live where they live in Australia?"

From there I posted keys (answers) in the Australia map assignment (from 9/18) and the New Zealand map homework (Due 9/18).  This was so students could self correct their maps.  On Monday we will review and discuss the maps.

Thursday, September 18th, 2025

Today students worked on maps of Australia (physical and political)

Wednesday, September 17th, 2025

Today we revisited Logical Fallacy and Cognitive Biases.  The learning target was to be able to identify and describe bias.

• Bias - Prejudice in favor of or against one thing, person, or group compared with another, usually in a way considered to be unfair.

• Ignorance - Lack of knowledge or information.

• Stupidity - Behavior that shows a lack of good sense or judgment.

Students, in small groups, worked with cards (informational) to learn about what types of bias they could encounter in the news and discussions.  There is also a need to understand bias when we write because we all have our biases.  We need to do our best to remain as objective as possible when we write.

Examples of Bias...

The Dunning-Kruger effect - The more you know, the less confident you're likely to be.

• Because experts know just how much they don't know, they tend to underestimate their ability; but it's easy to be over-confident when you have only a simple idea of how things are. Try not to mistake the cautiousness of experts as a lack of understanding, nor to give much credence to lay-people who appear confident but have only superficial knowledge.

Belief Bias - If a conclusion supports your existing beliefs, you'll rationalize anything that supports it.

• It's difficult for us to set aside our existing beliefs to consider the true merits of an argument. In practice this means that our ideas become impervious to criticism, and are perpetually reinforced. Instead of thinking about our beliefs in terms of 'true or false' it's probably better to think of them in terms of probability. For example we might assign a 95%+ chance that thinking in terms of probability will help us think better, and a less than 1% chance that our existing beliefs have no room for any doubt. Thinking probabalistically forces us to evaluate more rationally.

The Barnum Effect - You see personal specifics in vague statements by filling in the gaps.

• Because our minds are given to making connections, it's easy for us to take nebulous statements and find ways to interpret them so that they seem specific and personal. The combination of our egos wanting validation with our strong inclination to see patterns and connections means that when someone is telling us a story about ourselves, we look to find the signal and ignore all the noise.

Groupthink - You let the social dynamics of a group situation override the best outcomes.

• Dissent can be uncomfortable and dangerous to one's social standing, and so often the most confident or first voice will determine group decisions. Because of the Dunning-Kruger effect, the most confident voices are also often the most ignorant.

In-Group Bias - You unfairly favor those who belong to your group.

• We presume that we're fair and impartial, but the truth is that we automatically favor those who are most like us, or belong to our groups. This blind tribalism has evolved to strengthen social cohesion, however in a modern and multicultural world it can have the opposite effect.

We will be cycling back to this topic frequently.  It will take time to build good habits and skills for discerning "good" information versus "bad" information.

Tuesday, September 16th, 2025

Today talked about why Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia are regions...

Region  (How is a place similar to, and different, from other places?)

• Formal

• Functional

• Vernacular (perceptual)

The division of the Pacific into Polynesia, Melanesia, and Micronesia was primarily a construct by European colonizers and explorers in the 19th century, not a traditional categorization by Pacific Islanders themselves. 

Micronesia - The name was coined by European geographers to describe a group of small, scattered islands in the western Pacific Ocean, a geographic classification based on the collective small size of the islands

Melanesia - Considered a region because it comprises a distinct geographical sub-region of the Pacific islands with significant cultural and demographic similarities shared among its inhabitants, who were historically characterized by dark skin and frizzier hair by European explorers

Polynesia - Due to the cultural and linguistic commonalities of its islands and people, particularly their shared Austronesian heritage and navigation traditions, despite being spread across a vast expanse of the Pacific Ocean

A question did come up about where Kiribati belongs.  This led to a brief discussion about how different resources will present information differently.  Kiribati is primarily part of Micronesia, although some of its islands are located in Polynesia. The country's main component, the Gilbert Islands, is in Micronesia. 

Ultimately, students settled on the regions being Vernacular (perceptual) because the reigons were created by Europeans using European perceptions of the regions.

Human-Environmental Interactions (What is the relationship between people and their environment?)

• Humans adapt to the environment

• Humans modify the environment

• Humans depend on the environment

Friday, September 12th, 2025

Today we had our first vocabulary quiz.  Those will happen every other week.  Now, the quizzes are 5 questions, multiple choice.  They will not counbt towards a student's grade.  Here is why.  They are formativce assessments.  To be clear, they let kids practice study skills and it helpos with the assimilation of vocabulary.  This tends to help kids to understand the content more clearly, and the content is what they will be assessed on. 

After the quiz we did some self-correcting of maps and some review of the maps with a focus on regions (SE Asia and Oceania).

Thursday, September 11th, 2025

Today we talked briefly about the significance of the date 9/11.   After that we pivoted to talking about movement & region as themes of geography.  

Movement  (How are people and places connected?)\

• People

• Goods

• Ideas