Hey 7th Grade

Hi All,

Here is where we need to be:

HOMEWORK, DUE FRIDAY, 10/29, COMPLETE YOUR IDENTITY PAPER. IT NEEDS TO BE PRINTED AND READY TO HAND IN, WITH ALL OF YOUR OTHER IDENTITY WORK STAPLED TO IT.

DUE MONDAY, 11/1, COMPLETE THE "EIGHT CULTURAL TRAITS" ON YOUR STATE PROJECT.
Eight Cultural Traits

_____ Common Languages

_____ Common Arts

_____ Dominant Religions

_____ State Government structure and important people

_____ Economy – common jobs and career fields

_____ Social Groups – ethnicities, economic groups, other common groups

_____ History – Important historical people and events that shaped the state’s culture

_____ Daily Life – What do people commonly do there?

Crossing the Line Prompts

Hi All,

In composing your identity paper, it may be helpful to reflect on your responses to these prompts from our "Crossing the Line" activity.

Cross the Line if........
you are male
you are female
you are not from Berkeley
you feel that your home is Berkeley
you are Christian
you are Muslim
you are Jewish
you are some other religion
you are atheist or agnostic
you have ever felt embarrassed about how much money your family makes
you have been made fun of at school
you ever feel unsafe at school
you have ever hit another person
you have ever verbally harassed another person or called them a bad name
you have committed any type of crime
you feel like you are not good enough
you feel like nobody knows what you are going through
you consider yourself to be in a minority group
you are a person of color
you know little about you cultural heritage
you feel that you do not fit into most stereotypes of your race or culture
you have felt uncomfortable bout a joke related to your race or ethnicity
you feel that people of other races often misunderstand you
your closest friend is of a different ethnicity or nationality than you
you have felt that you would choose to be a different ethnicity
you wish that you were someone else
you feel lonely
you come from a family of four or more children
you are an only child
you are proud to be an American
your parents are of two different ethnicities or nationalities
your parents have either divorced, separated, or never married
you have cried at least once in the last month.

Current Homework

Hi All,

As we continue to work on simultaneous home and class projects, here is the update:

7th Grade
In class, we are working to compile all of the cool identity info from our recent works into one comprehensive paper.
HOMEWORK: FOR WEDNESDAY, 10/27, COMPLETE THE "STATE OVERVIEW" SECTION OF YOUR STATE PROJECT.
State Overview

_____ When, Why, how, and by whom was the state established?

_____ State flag and symbolism

_____ State nickname and motto

_____ Population

_____ Relative land area (How does it compare to California? California is 155,959 square miles [census.gov]).

_____ Relative location

_____ State Capital and other major cities

_____ Popular attractions


8th Grade
In class, we are working to compile all of the cool identity info from our recent works into one comprehensive paper.
HOMEWORK: FOR THURSDAY, 10/28, COMPLETE THE "EIGHT CULTURAL TRAITS" SECTION OF YOUR STATE PROJECT.
Eight Cultural Traits

_____ Common Languages

_____ Common Arts

_____ Dominant Religions

_____ State Government structure and important people

_____ Economy – common jobs and career fields

_____ Social Groups – ethnicities, economic groups, other common groups

_____ History – Important historical people and events that shaped the state’s culture

_____ Daily Life – What do people commonly do there?

Some work this weekend...

Hi All,

Please note the homework for the different classes due this coming Monday:

7th Grade
Between Friday's class and homework, please put in 30 minutes of time compiling your Identity Classwork paper. Please see the criteria on the previous blog entry.

8th Grade
Identity paper will only be classwork
Your homework for Monday is to complete the research and writing of the STATE OVERVIEW section ONLY for your state project. Those items are:

State Overview

_____ When, Why, how, and by whom was the state established?

_____ State flag and symbolism

_____ State nickname and motto

_____ Population

_____ Relative land area (How does it compare to California? California is 155,959 square miles [census.gov]).

_____ Relative location

_____ State Capital and other major cities

_____ Popular attractions

Please cite your sources, and make sure that they are reliable (i.e state websites, state historical societies, and NO Wikipedia please)

Identity Classwork

Hi All,

As we discussed yesterday, we will be focused on compiling out identity work in class during the next week to write comprehensive pieces about who we are. Here are the details:


Identity Classwork

You will be using five items of your previous work to compile a more comprehensive piece about who you are:
• Both identity writings
• Identity chart
• Recollection of, and reflections on, “Crossing the Line”
• MY CULTURE worksheet and your cultural traits

Suggested format:
• Introduce yourself
• The Details
o Identity writings, Identity chart, Crossing the Line, My Culture
• Conclude with the big take away points about who you are and who you aspire to be.

This work will be:
• Typed 12-point conventional font
• 1.5 - double-spaced
• Probably 2-3 pages in length

This work will be completed in class by Thursday, 10/28.

Culture in the United States and Ourselves

Hi All,

As we continue our cultural studies, here's where we are:

8TH GRADE
Last week, we refreshed our memories of the definition of CULTURE as: "The way of life of people who share similar customs and beliefs." We also reminded ourselves that the eight traits of culture are: Language, Arts, Religion, Government, Economy, Social Groups, History, and Daily Life. You each identified - and shared - three examples of each cultural trait related to the United States' culture. We will add these to the list from the 7th grade to compile a collection of our perceptions of culture in the U.S.

In class today, we completed the "MY CULTURE" worksheet on the most meaningful and relevant examples of cultural traits in your life.

NO HOMEWORK TONIGHT.

7TH GRADE
Last Friday, we defined CULTURE as: "The way of life of people who share similar customs and beliefs." We also began looking at the eight traits of culture: Language, Arts, Religion, Government, Economy, Social Groups, History, and Daily Life.

This week, we will be identifying - and sharing - three examples of each cultural trait related to the United States' culture. We will add these to the list from the 8th grade to compile a collection of our perceptions of culture in the U.S.

FOR HOMEWORK, DUE WEDNESDAY, 10/20, COMPLETE THE "CULTURE IN THE UNITED STATES" WORKSHEET.

Hey 8th graders.....

Hi All,

Hope you are having a great long weekend.

8TH GRADE HOMEWORK, DUE THURSDAY, 10/14, COMPLETE THE "CULTURE IN THE UNITED STATES" WORKSHEET.

We will share and compile our answers in class. This will serve as a starting point in our cultural investigations of the United States.

Hey 7th graders......

Hi All,

In 7th grade CS class today, you shared your responses to others' identity charts, and you engaged in a "see, think, wonder" about that image I gave you.

FOR HOMEWORK, 7TH GRADE, DUE WEDNESDAY, 10/13, ON THAT IMAGE FROM CLASS, LABEL AS MANY CULTURAL AND NATURAL FEATURES AS YOU CAN WITHOUT ANY HELP FROM OTHERS, THE INTERNET, OR ANYTHING ELSE.

Have a great long weekend!

Identity and Crossing the Line

Hi All,

Continuing our work on identity, we have been writing about ourselves, constructing identity charts, and sharing this information with one another. On Monday, the students engaged in a profound activity called Crossing the Line.

In this activity, students moved from one side of the room to another depending on whether certain statements describe them. These statements addressed things such as religion, ethnicity, social experiences at school, etc. Students did a really great job of controlling their interactions to maintain a silent, respectful, and safe environment in which they could express themselves. An effective debrief allowed students to share their feelings, reflect on some of the prompts, offer clarification about their interpretations and responses if they wanted to, and to provide feedback on the effectiveness of this activity in enhancing our understanding of one another in the TBS community. This activity was done in confidence, and I was struck how seriously all of the middle schoolers took it.

Identity and North America

Depending on your grade, you are either continuing your identity work, or answering wonders about North America.

7th graders, nice work developing your identity charts, sharing them in small groups, and filling in your reflection tables on what you heard from others. Next week, we will ask clarifying questions of one another based on what we heard and learned today. YOUR ONLY HOMEWORK IS TO ORGANIZE YOUR BINDER, AND FINSH ANY IDENTITY CHART WORK YOU MAY NOT HAVE FINISHED IN CLASS.

8th graders, sorry I missed you in class. You worked with Zaq on a "see, think, wonder" routine with a physical map of North America. You then identified whatever natural and cultural features you could. FOR HOMEWORK, DUE MONDAY, 10/4, ANSWER ONE OF YOUR WONDERS FROM THE NORTH AMERICA MAP.

FYI, the four sections in your binder should be:
Classwork
Homework
Notes/Handouts
Projects/Quizzes/Tests


Have a great weekend!