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7th and 8th grade History!
Have a great Summer of 2008.
Critical thought and its application to our present day realities
are a main focus of all classes. A wide-ranging variety of
teaching strategies will be employed with regard to learner
differences.
Our 8A Religion class focuses on issues revolving
around the history and traditions of the Catholic Church. We master recitation
and interpretations of the Nicene Creed. We explore moral
development as appropriate to the Catholic way of life. We employ the
use of our text, the Bible, and other miscellaneous activities
approved by the Catholic Church. We read and discuss the book of Genesis in the Catholic Church's New American Bible.
And, our class completes a variety of activities and many discussions
which
provide each of us with more insight into who we are and how we
individually and communally relate with our Church.
Our 7th Grade History classes study world cultures
and religions. We examine such great civilizations as the Roman
Empire, the Empire of Islam, empires of Africa (Mali, Ghana, Congo,
Zimbabwe, etc.), and the empires of Asia (China, Japan, Mongol,
India). America (Incan, Aztec, Mayan, etc.) and Europe ends the year with heavy focus on the
Enlightenment for transition to US History. Throughout the year
we investigate the phenomena that cause empires to rise and
fall, and observe how common themes regarding cultural exchange,
economics, conflict, religion, technology, environment, and etc.
effect the empires that we study and the resulting impact upon
history in general. Also, we shall conduct a long term genealogy
project that will have students investigate their own
history and lineage.
Our 8th Grade US History classes investigate
reasons for conflict and an ever-changing society through a variety of
classroom discussions, lectures, worksheets, readings of the textbook,
poems, maps, political cartoons, and video documentaries.
Students will be assigned more textbook readings and tests
as homework during this year to support what
we would like to achieve in class. Students critically engage commonly with political cartoons,
so parents should see the History text home a little more often
during the 8th grade then they may have encountered in the seventh.
Common themes and concepts explored throughout the last year shall be pulled together,
particularly those regarding eliminating prejudice and
increasing tolerance.
I would appreciate an email at
nadams@saintpats.org from any 7th and
8th grade parents that I do not have an email address from, so that
I may save it to my contact list and mail you occasional updates on
what is currently underway in class.
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