Mrs. Mills
8th Grade
Social Studies
Survivor Red Team
Barramundi Tribe
2009-2010
We are off to a great start for the school year!
Please continue to ask students about homework and test preparation.
Revolutionary War Cereal Box Projects:
We had a successful turn in for projects! A special WELL DONE to students! I have seen a lot of high quality work turned in!
Thanks to parents who helped make your student successful!
Grades will be returned by November 30. Please be patient as I spend a lot of time individually grading the projects. Rubrics will be returned to be signed when individual projects are returned.
Students are currently working on memorizing the beginning of the Declaration of Independence.
The last day to recite is November 10.
Extra Credit is available for early memorization and reciting out loud.
Memory Test: "We hold these truths to be self evident that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness."
PARENTS!!!
Please encourage your students to use agendas to track homework, tests, and projects.
We do not require signatures daily, however, it is very helpful for you to monitor student progress and upcoming assignments!
Required Supplies for 2009-2010:
Paper and Pen/Pencil (also bring any carry over materials from classwork)
Highlighters (any color)
If you can dream it, it can happen!
THE TWELVE POWERFUL WORDS!
In the last couple of years, teachers at CGMS have worked hard to help students prepare for End of Grade Tests. As part of that preparation, we are really emphasizing the "12 Powerful Words" from Larry Bell. Please review these words with your student. We encourage them to know the correct spelling, definition, purpose in a question, and how to use it in a sentence. Please review the foldables, activities, and even the song with your students as we continue to do everything we can to help students achieve!
The 12 Powerful Words & Definitions:
Trace- outline the steps
Analyze- break it down
Infer- read between the lines
Evaluate- judge
Formulate- create
Describe- tell all about
Support- back it up with details
Explain- tell how
Summarize- give me the short version
Compare- tell how alike
Contrast- tell how different
Predict- what will happen next
Revolutionary War Cereal Box Project
Each student is responsible for creating a cereal box with various elements that relate to the Revolutionary War. I have listed below the requirements for each side/piece of the cereal box. Keep in mind that these are the basic requirements for your project. If you go above and beyond the requirements, there are opportunities for extra credit on the project grade.
DUE NOVEMBER 4!! NO LATE PROJECTS ACCEPTED!!!!
Front of the Cereal Box:
You must include an illustration that relates to the Revolutionary War. Your illustration must also include a caption of 2-3 sentences which explains and summarizes what the viewer sees. You also need to include your name and block. The cereal box must have a title.
Small Side Panel 1:
a. On one of the small sides, list people involved in the Revolutionary War. You must also tell if they were a Loyalist or a Patriot. This is simply a list.
b. Tell the major events in a timeline format. You will tell the event and the date that the event occurred (month, day, and year). Make sure that your timeline is in chronological order.
c. You need to have at least one small illustration on this side.
Back of Cereal Box:
On the back, you have several choices and you must choose two (one for the top half of the box, one for the bottom half of the box). You must cover the entire back panel of the box no matter what you choose.
Some possible ideas FOR THE TOP include:
- Description of chronological events (written in paragraph form) with illustration(s)
- Game board – create a game that relates to the topics of the war (no crosswords
or word searches permitted). You must explain your game to me prior to creating it.
- Descriptions/Pictures of the clothing of the era and what you can infer about people based upon the
clothes they had
- Battle Site Map with Information about that battle and also including a map key
- Descriptions/Pictures of weapons of the era and their significance to the war
- Other ideas may be acceptable; please ask Mrs. Mills
On the bottom of the box please answer one of the following questions in essay form:
(each essay has to have at minimum: an opening sentence, 3 reasons, and a closing sentence)
(Mrs. Finney will be assisting with this in ELA class.)
-What is the most important event from the Revolutionary War and why?
-The Revolutionary War was the most influential war ever. Do you agree or disagree?
-What might happen if the Revolutionary War never took place?
Small Side Panel 2:
One the second small side, you can include any of the following items. You can include more than one.
Revolutionary War Trivia
Riddles (provide answers on the bottom)
Slogans/Political Ads & Cartoons
ABC’s of the Revolutionary War (topic list by letter)
A “Mail Order” for a Revolutionary War Product/Toy
Inside the Cereal Box:
Inside the cereal box, you need to include “artifacts” from the Revolutionary War. You can show maps, pictures of battles, clothing, weapons, editorial cartoons, comic strips, recipes from the era (popular foods), or other items that describe conditions during the war. You must have 10-15 different artifacts inside the cereal box. Each must have a description written in complete sentences. The description must tell how the item relates to the Revolutionary War, not just what the item is and common uses.
