7th+Grade

WELCOME 7th GRADERS!
**WELCOME** to your Social Studies page! This year we will study Africa, Asia, and the Southwest Pacific regions from about 2500 B.C. to the present. We'll look at each area using Geography, History, Economics, Government, and Cultural Studies.

__***NEW - Tuesday, April 26th - Central & Southern Africa Studystack - ** __ The Studystack flashcards for this Friday's Central & Southern Africa test are posted. Follow this link to the Central and Southern Africa flashcards. Remember, I do not post 100% of the test information on Studystack - you still have to study your SQR2 notes, worksheets, and the textbook maps and graphs. Wednesday in class, I will give everyone a chance to read their African Folk Tale to the class for 1 point extra credit. Make sure to take some time to edit it and have one or two others read it for you. We will turn these in and do SQR2 notes for the "South Africa" section on the board. Then, we will read and analyze Nelson Mandela's speech he gave after being released from prison. Thursday is the test review and Friday is the test over this material.

Also, don't forget to clean out your "Africa" textbooks before Friday. Remove all your old Post It notes and stick them on a sheet of paper. We will turn these in after taking the test and trade for the "Asia and the South Pacific" textbook - the last one of the year! -- Mr. Stickler



__**Monday, April 18th - East Africa Studystack -** __ I have started the Studystack flashcards for our East Africa test. Follow this link to the East Africa Studystack page. Remember, I don't put up 100% of the test questions. You should also study your vocabulary words (textbook), graded worksheets, your Cornell notes, and SQR2 notes. This week we will finish the "Kenya" section of the chapter and take Cornell notes on it. We will also read the chapter story "A Promise to the Sun", by Tololwa M. Mollel (Pgs. 156 - 159). Then we will begin reviewing the content and skills we have learned for our next test. -- Mr. Stickler

__**March 5th - Next Week's Schedule -** __Here is our schedule for the week: Monday - Review Chapter 3, section 4 with SQR2 notes and Guided Review worksheet; Tuesday - We'll play the Study Guide Review Game to review for the test and earn some extra credit for the test; Wednesday - We'll take the unit test on the "Cultures of Africa" material. Thursday - We will review the test results and start Chapter 4 ("Exploring North Africa"); Friday - we will do SSR and have a National History Day project work period.

Don't forget that the **National History Day projects and Process papers are due a week from Monday!!!** Unless you are writing the research paper as your project choice, //you must turn in a 500 word (or less) essay// that describes why you chose your project topic, how you went about researching for the project (how did you organize your search, choose your sources, etc.), and a description of the process itself (i.e. what went really well, what didn't go so well, what you learned that you didn't already know, etc.). We will present our projects Monday and Tuesday, March 14th & 15th (if needed). __ALL__ PARTS OF THE NHD PROJECT ARE DUE THE 14TH REGARDLESS OF WHEN YOU PRESENT YOURS!! If you think you may need to stay after school or come down during Knight Time for extra help this week, E mail me this weekend using the E mail box for this website (sticklers.class@Yahoo.com) and let me know. That will help me plan. I can stay after school any day except Wednesday next week until 4:15 P.M. -- Mr. Stickler

__**March 3rd - Study Stack cards complete! -** __<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">The electronic Studystack cards for chapter 3 are complete. Our test will be next Tuesday (March 8th). Friday (tomorrow) we will review section 4 of the chapter. Monday we will play a test review game and Tuesday we will take our unit test. This test will be a pencil and paper test - NOT a computer - based test! Start reviewing the cards now! There are a total of 40 cards that cover the textbook, the Mind Map and notes on the Congo Free State, the Guided Review worksheets we've done, and the primary source reading handout we did in class. Study a little bit each day from now until test day and you will do well!

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">In our next chapter, "Exploring North Africa" (Chapter 4), the only full section we will read will be the "Algeria" section (section 2). In the "Egypt" section, we will focus ONLY on the population graphs and maps that chart population growth and change. (We have already talked about Egypt as well as the influence of Islam on that region.) We will also learn the chapter skill, "Using Regional Maps". We will then take a short test and move right on to Chapter 5. -- Mr. Stickler

__<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">**February 27, 2011 - Belgian Congo Mind Map -** __<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> Below is an interactive Mind Map created using bubbl.us/ - a Mind Mapping Tech Tool that is very easy to use! You can show the relationship between parts of chapters or to outline how to complete a project. This Mind Map shows the story of how King Leopold II took control of the Congo and changed its culture forever! Use the "+" and "-" buttons to zoom in and out. Click and drag the screen to move it around and see other parts of the Mind Map. I'm sure you will find this useful! -- Mr. Stickler

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__<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">**February 12 - Test This Week!** __<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> Monday we will have our test over our "Africa: Shaped by its History" unit. Like the quiz we took, the test will focus more on sections 2, 3, and 4. (Only focus on the vocabulary words from section 5.) Remember, if we didn't talk about it in class, it won't be on the test. To study, use the worksheets from "Worksheet Wars" this week, your textbook, your quiz, the Ibn Battuta handout, the CNN.com article with questions, Studystack flashcards, and any SQR2 notes you have written down. Also, read the Red Hand Day handout for one of the extra credit questions! The test format will be the same as usual: 10 multiple choice (4 points each), 3 - 4 short answers (5 points each), and 2 extra credit questions. If you have any questions about the test or what topics are on the test, E mail me at sticklers.class@Yahoo.com. -- Mr. Stickler

__<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">**Sunday, January 16th - Studystack for quiz #1 posted!** __<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> - I have posted the Studystack flashcards for our quiz this week. The quiz is over two (2) sections of Chapter 4 ("Civilizations of Asia"). These sections are: "Golden Ages in China" and "Feudalism in Japan". As I mentioned Friday, the quiz will be mostly short answers. This will help us work on writing in complete sentences and proofreading to make sure all parts of the answer are included. Follow this link to the "7th - Asian Civiliz." flashcards on Studystack.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Also, this week we will be doing NWEA testing. I know that we will miss most of one (1) class in Social Studies to take these tests. On days when there's no Social Studies, you will still have a reading assignment to do for homework. I will give you a reading schedule Tuesday to follow for the whole week. The day after any missed class, we will take a reading quiz to make sure we all understand what we read. -- Mr. Stickler.

<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> NOVEMBER 7TH: <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;"> **Field Trip Information -** Our field trip is scheduled for Thursday, November 18th. Since it is an all day field trip, 7th grade (only!) will have a free dress day. You should follow the St. Mary's/ Pope John Paul II free dress policies. Remember that we are going to an art museum and should dress for that environment. Also, all Pope John Paul II school rules and policies for student behavior will be enforced on the trip. (As well as my own class rules!) You are representing ourselves as individuals, me (your teacher), the chaperons, and our school on this trip. We must conduct ourselves in an appropriate way at all times. (I will want to be allowed to take other classes on this field trip in the future, too!)

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">We are scheduled to take a 1 - hour tour of the Asian Gallery starting at 10 A.M. (Follow this link to see a sample of art from different galleries at the museum.) Our tour guide (called a "docent") will focus on showing us the ancient art and artifacts since this theme goes with the Ancient Civilizations units we've been doing. After that, we will eat lunch on the museum grounds until 11:45 A.M. Then, you will stay with your chaperon and tour any other exhibits and/ or visit the gift shop until 1:15 P.M. You must stay with your chaperon at all times while on the field trip! They should not have to come looking for you at any time. You are responsible to stay with your chaperon and their group. If chaperons decide not to take you to certain galleries or other places in the museum, you must abide by their decision. Most gift shop items cost around $10 - $15, so limit the amount of money you bring to this. (Follow this link to view items available for sale at the gift shop.) You will also have an assignment to complete about our field trip. This will be a compare and contrast assignment that ties what we've been studying in class with the art we will see. -- Mr. Stickler

<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">INDIANAPOLIS MUSEUM OF ART FIELD TRIP <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> - The 7th graders are scheduled to go on their field trip to the Indianapolis Museum of Art on Thursday, November 18th! We will be given a free guided tour of the Asian exhibit where the docent will focus on ancient art and artifacts. This is the "summary learning experience" for our ancient history units. After this trip, we will move on to the next book: The Medieval Age! We are in need of parent drivers for this trip. We must have two (2) adults per vehicle - both must have already had Protocol Training. I am not allowed to drive due to Diocesan policies, but I will ride with someone to serve as the second adult. Chaperons will be reimbursed mileage as well. Mapquest reported that it takes 1 hour and 10 minutes to reach the museum from St. Mary's. We will need to leave the school by 8:30 A.M. to arrive in time for our guided tour (which starts at 10 A.M.). Chaperons will be responsible for a group of 3 - 4 students while we are on the field trip. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> I am attaching a copy of the field trip letter and chaperon volunteer form to this posting. Feel free to download and print if you would like. I will also send copies of this letter home with students on Monday (November 1st). I look forward to hearing from everyone! -- Mr.. Stickler

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">**Chapter 2, section 3 -** Read this section and write your 3 - 4 questions for SQR2. (Stick in your book.) Also, write the vocabulary words from that section on Post Its and we will add them to our Word Wall Monday. DON'T FORGET - WE WILL HAVE A 10 QUESTION QUIZ ON TUESDAY! It will cover the 4 areas I wrote on the board today plus questions from our SQR2 questions. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> If we have time Monday we will ready chapter 2, section 4 aloud in class (and do our SQR2 together as well). We need to pick up our pace a little bit in class. We are now about one unit behind where we should be! There is no other way to catch up other than to do some homework. Once we finish the Mesopotamia quiz, we will move right in to talking about Egypt! -- Mr. Stickler

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">There's no assigned homework for tonight. Tomorrow we will continue discussing how to use primary and secondary sources in history. We will also learn a way to read textbooks like ours to get the most information from them that we can. (Our class will be a bit short tomorrow due to the QSP Magazine Kickoff assembly.) -- Mr. Stickler

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">**OUR SCHEDULE THIS WEEK** - Here is the schedule we have for this week: <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> Monday - Finish "Man vs. Wild" climate and survival video clip and question sheet. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> Tuesday - Project Presentations and test review. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> Wednesday - Geography unit test. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> Thursday - Start "Mesopotamia & Nile River Civilizations" unit. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> Friday - "Mesopotamia/ Nile River" unit, day 2.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">The schedule might change if we don't have enough time for a good test review on Tuesday. If not, we will finish reviewing on Wednesday and have our test on Thursday instead. Also, don't forget to bring a library book on test day! While waiting for others to finish, you should be reading your book. Friday we will have our usual SSR the first 15 minutes of class - so don't forget your book that day either! I will try to put together a good test review to cover on Tuesday and will leave time for any questions you have, too. -- Mr. Stickler

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Here is a website to help you find a map for your Geography unit project: http://mapper.acme.com/. There are 6 different types of maps you can find here! -- Mr. Stickler

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">I hope you have found interesting and fun activities on our class web site this summer! I appreciate you visiting - Thank You! Don't forget about our class page though. . . we'll keep using it for information and activities during the school year. I'm sure that you all remember we will be studying Africa, Asia, and the Southwest Pacific regions (like Australia, New Zeland, and the Polynesian Islands). Next week we will start our journey through these places! Our study will begin with a look at a subject we all use everyday and hardly think about! Be sure to visit the Summer Enrichment page for a new National History Day video! Have Fun! -- Mr. Stickler

**ANCIENT EGYPT sites -** <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Here are several sites on Ancient Egypt to help you understand one of the world's oldest civilizations. Follow this link to the Tomb of the Unknown Mummy game on the National Geographic Kids web site. This interactive game lets you explore an ancient tomb and try to figure out who was buried there. (Remember to use the skills you learned on the Virtual Archaeology Dig web site!) Next, read this article on a strange mummy archaeologists found in Peru. The article is called Mystery of the Tattooed Mummy. Finally, here is a link to a photo gallery called Ten Cool Archaeological Sites. Here you will find pictures of places like the Temple of Ramses II, King Tutankhamen Tomb, and Pompeii, Italy. Each has about 5 or 6 photos so you can see these sites. Have Fun! -- Mr. Stickler

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">In the last post, you learned about the Terra Cotta Warriors at Qin Shi Huangdi's tomb. Thousands of these sculptures were uncovered by archaeologists. Archaeologists are researchers who dig up artifacts (items left behind by a culture - like the Warriors), catalog, clean, label, and categorize each one. Many times, archaeologists dig up (or "excavate") so many artifacts that they store them on shelves for years until they can get to them. Follow this link and complete a @Virtual Archaeology Dig (sponsored by the Virtual Museum Canada). There are four squares to excavate ("dig up" or "unearth") at this site. Choose a site and follow the instructions to complete the dig. Then, after finding all the artifacts in an area, you will go to the Lab where you will be asked to try and put each item in its proper category. (Some items are hard to categorize!) This will give you an idea of how tough archaeology can be. Imagine excavating the thousands of Terra Cotta Warriors!! Have Fun! -- Mr. Stickler

__**Chinese Terra Cotta Warriors -**__ <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">The first emperor of China, Qin Shi Huangdi (pronounced "jin <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">] ) took the throne in 210 B.C at the age of 49. //Qin// is the name of the Chinese Dynasty he ruled, which is usually placed before all Chinese emperor's names. This powerful ruler began the construction of the Great Wall of China. He also had an army of terra cotta soldiers to stand guard outside his tomb when he died. These statues were found in 1974 and were slowly excavated. In 2009, a traveling museum exhibit of some of these warriors and other artifacts from the tomb toured the United States. Below is a video with background information about Emperor Qin Shi Huangdi and pictures of these warriors. ( Click the photo to go to a larger picture.) Have Fun! -- Mr. Stickler

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