It was so great to see Dylan back at school yesterday! At lunch, he told me about his trip to San Diego and his visit to the USS Midway Museum. Since I know Dylan loves museums and military history, I told him we would learn more about the USS Midway in class today. He was so excited to start class that he pulled me by hand into his classroom. Dylan learned that the USS Midway aircraft carrier dates back to the Battle of Midway during WWII. He was glad to learn that the U.S. won the Battle of Midway. The USS Midway was also present in the Persian Gulf during Desert Storm. Dylan was so excited to share what he learned about the helicopters, fighter jets and the jet simulators, too! Dylan also shared some adorable family vacation photos with me. We researched a bit about two of his favorite destinations: Chub Cay and Great Harbor Cay in the Berry Islands chain of the Bahamas - 200 miles southeast of Ft. Lauderdale. It would be WONDERFUL for Dylan to get books about U.S. military history and heroes for us to use in social studies class. This is such a sincere and enthusiastic area of interest for Dylan and it would be fantastic to nurture it, address his interests and develop his knowledge. Welcome back, Dylan!!!

We reviewed the test Charlie took last week. Charlie did very well on the multiple choice and true /false questions but had difficulty recalling the definitions and terms that we had studied in class and that Charlie had placed in his notebook.( Eg. "consent of the governed", "civics", and "federalism".) We reviewed Charlie's notebook ,and I highlighted in Charlie's class notes where we had discussed the terms and concepts that were on the test. We then reviewed some early history such as Magna Carta , as well as Enlightenment writers, and early colonial settlements as influences on our form of government. I made flashcards for Charlie during class to assist him in memorizing terms and definitions and went over them at the end of the session. I will continue to make flashcards for Charlie so that he can use them to study for our next test. For homework, I assigned pages 48-52 of the textbook.

Arianna and I researched why, when, and how Americans celebrate Labor Day. We watched a informative video along with reading a fun facts page about the national holiday. Then, Arianna read a passage about Dr. Sylvia Earle on studiesweekly.com. After reading, she answered comprehension questions. We discussed the difference between primary and secondary source information and found examples of each within the informative passage.

Charlie took a test today on Ch 1 for the entire period. For homework due on Tuesday, I assigned pages 40 -45 of the text and questions 1 &2 on pg 47. We will review the test during our next session.

Arianna analyzed a quarter which was used as a primary source to answer questions. She read about Yamato Colony in Palm beach County. Tomorrow she will take week one test.

We continued to go through the various articles on geography and maps in Week 1. Yanuell learned about a girl named Abby Sunderland who attempted to be the youngest person to sail around the word. We also discussed the first cartographers and how they created their maps. We started to review all of the articles by completing a crossword puzzle. Yanuell is to complete the rest of the questions on his own for homework.

Today we began work on properly labeling a U.S. map. We will continue this very important project tomorrow.

I reviewed with Charlie his homework which required him to copy into his notebook a chart comparing authoritarian and democratic governments. We defined propaganda, socialism, constitutional monarchy ,and reviewed the concept of federalism. Last, we together finished reading Ch 1. Charlie answered all of the questions in the Ch 1 review section correctly.We briefly scanned Ch 2, and I elaborated on a picture of George Washington at Valley Forge that was in the text. There will be a test on Ch 1 tomorrow, after which we will cover some of the history leading up to the writing of the Declaration of Independence, and we will study parts of the document .

We reviewed week one's lesson about getting information. We began week two's lesson by learning about William Bartman and why we use primary sources. For the next class, Arianna will need a quarter to analyze and complete an assignment.

Current events - Kate says she "loves it" and it is her "favorite subject." This is wonderful, but I have been gently explaining to Kate that Social Studies entails more than current events. Kate is an absolute sweetheart and I so enjoy working with her. However, we must get through this resistance Kate has to social studies subject matter. We utilize an excellent interactive program, "Social Studies Weekly," that consists of many learning modalities. To date, Kate is resistant to the diverse and fun topics in the program. I know Kate had a negative experience in social studies last year, but the goal is to change her perspective about social studies through fun, meaningful and creative lessons. Kate and I have a great rapport and insightful conversations. I am so glad that she confides in me about learning and school. Today, she shared with me that she is more of a math/science vs. a language arts/social studies student. If Kate will just let herself be a little more open to social studies, I think she may just realize that the subject has relevance and will be of interest to her. We also need Kate to utilize her laptop computer as she does not use it during our lessons. I bring a lap top to Kate as she says her charger is at home. Kate is just a delightful person! I look forward to delving into the global studies curriculum and helping Kate appreciate the course content as she will hopefully discover that she can connect so much of it to her own experiences outside of school.