We've reached the final marking period

We've made it to May, and tomorrow is the last day of the marking period. Monday starts our 6th and final marking period which is spent finishing up the curriculum, and spending time on the review necessary to help students be successful on their final assessment. After school review sessions will start soon, and a schedule will be available for your review. Students will be able to sign up for one or many sessions, or even pop in at the last minute.

The curriculum left to cover deals with the successes and problems of the early United States, including a discussion on manifest destiny and movement westward. We will begin to look at the problems that lead to the Civil War, which is where the 8th grade curriculum picks up. Keep encouraging your students to do outside reading and review as it will all help them in the end.

Hope to see many of you at the parent teacher conferences on Thursday May 14th!

Creating an American Government

Students in the STAR Cluster are starting to look at establishing an American Government, first with the Articles of Confederation, and then moving into The U.S. Constitution and its principles. This is Chapter 7 in the American Journey textbooks that many of the students have at home. As we go through the unit they will be making many connections to their lives today as we talk about rights, liberties, and freedoms. We hope to activate their civic minds not only in regards to history, but as a means of connecting with the world around them today.

Welcome Mrs. Nicholson

Mrs. Nicholson starts a 7 week student teaching experience in our classroom this week. She is working on her Masters Degree at St. John Fisher College and is looking forward to working with Wilson Scholars as she develops her teaching practice. Students have graciously welcomed her so far, and we all look forward to growing and learning together over the next few weeks.

Don't forget that the American Revolution projects are due on 3/13 with the Unit test to coincide with the unit completion.

Next up--creating the American Government--trials and tribulations lead to lasting success. Who knew it was so important to fail in order to later succeed.

American Revolution Unit

We are currently working on the American Revolution unit (Chapter 6 in the American Journey textbook) and students are currently 2 weeks into a 3 week project. They are self-directed their learning through a series of activites, some choosen by me and others of their own creation and choice. Their project allows them to look at the facts of the colonists journey towards independence, while doing further exploration of the aspects that most interest them. They can then show their creativity and individual strengths by completing assignments that review the material but are determined by each student. The project will be due on Friday 3/13, at which time the students will be assessed on the unit to insure their understanding. The test for Harvard and Morehouse will be on Thursday 3/12 and Columbia and Vassar will take the test on Friday 3/13. Class time is being dedicated to their work so I can assist them, but they should be working on some of the tasks at home. This is their only homework at this time, but it is ongoing. Please let me know of any questions. I look forward to being able to display and show off some excellent examples of student learning.

Second Semester Projects

Welcome to the second half of the school year. As we move forward, students will continue to cover the American History curriculum, and we are moving into looking at the American Revolution and the steps to create our nation. As we do this, there will be many projects student participate in, including a contract assignment where they choose from a variety of tasks to gear their own learning.

We are beginning the Saturday School Enrichment Program, that will allow students to building on their classroom lessons in an interactive fashion. For Social Studies, we will be looking at Rochester's History, along with topics such as everyday heroes, pirates, creating your own government, and life during different periods. These are designed to allow students more creative control over their learning, and to work on projects and activities related to instruction and student interest. Registration forms are available from their STAR Cluster teachers. Call us or email a request and we can sent it home or attach it for you.

Thrilled to be back and working with my students!

I'm happy to be returning to the classroom on Monday 11/17 after having 8 wonderful weeks with our new addition. I will work with the students to wrap up their unit looking at the explorers and conquistadors, and all scholars should expect a formal assessment of the material before Thanksgiving recess. Our next unit will be colonization, and students have some fun and interesting projects to look forward to, along with being introduced to writing the Social Studies essays, following the guidelines and format that will be necessary to succeed in history classes moving forward.

Please keep emailing me or contacting me with your concerns and questions.

Welcome to November

Hello STAR Cluster and Wilson Family.

Early November finds students studing about the early explorers and conquistadors that arrived in North America to explore and conquer new land. Things are progressing well under the direction of Mrs. Yatteau who has been in the classroom in my absence. I will be returning to the classroom on Monday November 17th, and look forward to getting back to interacting with the scholars. Be on the look-out for Social Studies projects right around the corner.

Hope everyone is enjoying the fall season, especially with this unexpected nice weather we're experiencing this week. Take care, and see you soon.

Mrs. Locker