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A few weeks ago, our Gifted and Talented teacher, Mrs. Scott, came into class and ran an activity that helped the 8th grade better understand the difference between Direct Democracy and Representative Democracy. We discussed that while the United States is predominantly  a Representative Democracy, Maine is unique because in addition to Representative Democracy, we practice a form of Direct Democracy whenever we vote on Ballot questions. 

 

In order to better understand this process, the 8th grade students researched the first 5 ballot questions on the November 3rd Maine State Referendum ballot. Last week they made oral presentations to the class using the digital presentation program Keynote. For each ballot question, the group had to answer the following questions:

- What would the effects of a No vote be around Maine, in Whitefield specifically, and across the country?
- What would the effects of a Yes vote be around Maine, in Whitefield specifically, and across the country?
- Who is supporting a No vote? How are they promoting their views? What are their arguments for a No vote?
- Who is supporting a Yes vote? How are they promoting their views? What are their arguments for a Yes vote?

On Wednesday, the 8th grade took a field trip to the Whitefield Town office to cast sample ballots. Marie Sacks from the Historical Society met us there, and she explained some of the election day rules and procedures. Each student cast his or her vote in the same booths Whitefield residents have been using for many decades. They then placed their ballots into an old ballot shipping box.

When we got back to school, the ballots were counted and then recounted; the results for the Whitefield 8th grade are as follows:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I was really happy with the unit; the  students showed me that they really understood the questions, and I think they enjoyed voting at the town office.

Last year I signed up for the National Geographic GeoBee for the first time. The 6th and 7th graders competed, and did a great job, but because we started late  we could not send our winner to the state-wide competition. This year, we have started early. As I mentioned in the Wildcat Weekly, the 6th, 7th, and 8th graders have already received their GeoBee packets where they should be filling in the names of the states and countries of the world. In addition, students can study their states and countries using the Sheppard Software website.

The GeoBee is about more than just knowing the names of states and countries around the world. Students will be tested on their knowledge of culture and history as well. Besides what we do as part of the regular curriculum, students will be using the National Geographic GeoBee Quiz as a way to help them prepare for the Bee.

To get a better idea about what the GeoBee is and how it works, I found the video of the final question for the 2008 national championship, hosted by Alex Trebek of Jeopardy.

And here is a video of the winning questions from 2000-2009.

 

Our GeoBee, of course, will be a little less formal. The preliminary round includes all students, and as we move on, it narrows down to two, and finally one. The winner will take a written exam that will be submitted to National Geographic. The kids had fun with it last year, and I hope that the potential to compete in state-wide Bee will make it all the more exciting. Check back for updates.

As I mentioned in the Peace Day post, the 6th, 7th, and 8th graders participated in the Lions Club Peace Poster contest. In class, we examined symbols of peace from different cultures. Then the kids set in on making their posters. There are some amazing artists in the middle school, and it really showed in their posters. They are all up in the hallway; if you came to the Parent/Teacher conferences I am sure you saw some of them.

Members of the Lions Club came in last week to judge the posters. It was a difficult decision, but they finally picked the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place posters.  On Thursday, October 22nd, the three finalists and their families were invited to an awards dinner where they announced the winners.

Congratulations to  Ariel, Taylor, and Annabelle! You can see their posters below:

First Place: Taylor

 

 

 

 

 

 

Second Place: Ariel

 

 

 

 

 

 

Third Place: Annabelle

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nice work everyone, and thank you Lions Club for sponsoring this event.

On Thursday, October 1st, the 7th grade will be heading to Bangor to visit the Cole Land Transportation Museum. The museum has an amazing collection of antique cars, trucks, and other civilian and military vehicles. You can see some of that collection here:

In addition, however, the museum has put together a Veteran Interview Program in which we will be participating. Students will be able to sit with a veteran for about 45 minutes, and talk about their lives before, during, and after their time in the military. We will be learning about how to conduct interviews in class, and will discuss the importance of sensitivity and respect towards the veterans. After we return, students will participate in the essay contest the museum sponsors that asks students to answer: “What Freedom Means to Me After Interviewing a Veteran.”

I am excited about the trip, but we are looking for a parent or two to come along; if you are interested in making the trip, let me know.

In 2001, the UN General Assembly officially recognized September 21st as the International Day of Peace. Peace One Day, an organization which helped to create Peace Day, also promotes it and has many ideas of how to celebrate Peace Day. I found out about the day too late to organize anything big, but on Friday, we watched the video below. We learned how Peace Day is not just a day of celebrations, concerts, and speeches, but it has real world benefits. Every nation in the UN general assembly recognizes it as an international ceasefire day, which allows millions of people worldwide to receive humanitarian assistance without fear of bombings or war. In fact, in 2007, the Taliban pledged not to attack anyone administering vaccines on Peace Day. See for yourself:

Every year the Lion’s Club sponsors a Peace Poster contest, so in class on Monday, we will recognize Peace Day by making our peace posters. I hope to expand our Peace Day celebrations in the future. Our students have been exposed to the day this year, and understand that promoting peace is not necessarily protesting war, but it is much broader than that. It is about making the world a safer place.

In addition to discussing what happened on 9/11, we watched CNN footage from that day. Looking back now, it is amazing how much we did not know when the attacks began, you can see for yourself:

After watching the video, I spoke about 9/11 for the entire period. They were great, they listened and asked questions, I did not have one behavior issue all day. In the end, I hope they have a better sense of the various emotions surrounding the events of September 11, 2001.

On Friday, we will be remembering the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001. On that day, terrorists crashed passenger jet planes into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Because of the actions of some brave American passengers, the fourth plane crashed into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

To many of our middle school students who were as young as 3 years old on 9/11, that day seems like any other day in history. To them, it is just another important date, but to most adults, it is a memory full of emotions, and one we will never forget.

I asked my students to talk to their parents, to find out what they remember from that day. I was living in Minneapolis in 2001, and I remember watching it all on TV. When I heard about the first plane, I did not understand that it was a jet liner, but when I found out what was really happening, I called a close friend who worked in Midtown. Things were so crazy, he had to call me back. He was meeting up with another friend of ours who made it out of the south tower minutes before it fell. It was a scary day.

I know 9/11 is a difficult day for many of us to think about. But I encourage you to share with your children your memories. Here is a link from CNN’s coverage on 9/11. For images, documents, and other resources from 9/11, you can look at the September 11 Digital Archives. 

We will be marking a moment of silence in class to honor not only those innocent civilians who died on the planes, in the World Trade Center, and in the Pentagon, but also those brave firefighters and police who died trying to save them.

At noon today, President Obama addressed the students of the United States.

He discussed the importance of hard work and responsibility, two traits we have been learning about in class. He also talked about goal setting. Goal setting is a really important life skill, but one adolescents often do not practice.  If you have examples of how goal setting has helped you in life, please share your examples with our students. Thanks!

I have included the video, if you missed it:

Staying organized is a challenge for many middle-schoolers. With multiple teachers and their moving from class to class, it is easy to get disorganized. There are many strategies to help stay organized, and some are mentioned in this Scholastic article. 

In the first few days of school, I have been working with the 6th grade to help them get their lockers organized. Recognizing that each student can have their own personal preference, we discussed ways to  keep a well organized locker. Students suggested:

• Putting in a wire shelf.
• Using your hooks.
• Taping your schedule to the door.
• Putting everything in “its” spot.

After getting their lockers organized, I took some pictures of some especially well organized ones.

I will be checking lockers periodically all year, but as your middle schooler gets older, this will need to be a personal responsibility.

In order to better organize my blogs, I have moved the iTeam blog to: iteam.edublogs.org

this blog will instead focus on my 6th, 7th, and 8th grade classes.

Old iTeam posts will remain on this site for the time being.

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