We are studying 19th Century America leading up to the Civil War. We are covering slavery in the south this week with an analogy to the Exodus and the celebration of Passover, remembering the enslavement of another people. There is a link to a song celebrating the symbols of Passover. We are discussing how African Americans also used music then and now to communicate, to uplift, share their faith and as a pace setter in the fields. We are reading about the Drinking Gourd and other selections about slavery this week, listening to spirituals, and viewing short segments of the mini series Roots by Alex Haley which first aired almost 30 years ago. You can also practice the vocabulary flash cards or take a vocab quiz at www.phschool.com which also offers quick quizzes and study guides that are very helpful!

Under the Library Media Center, you may click on 7th Grade Social Studies and go to the Civil War. You can choose to explore webquests about the War of 1812 and the journey of Lewis and Clark.

I encourage the students to use the internet portion of the text at www.pearsonsuccessnet.com (using their password which is their first initial and full last name) and at www.phschool.com (use web code mvp 1011 to get in, the click on HomePage at the top in the middle, choose the text on the left and go to Chapter 6 for vocab quizzes, practice tests, study guides, etc.)

______________________________________________________________________

Language Arts

We want reading to become a life long habit, something they enjoy doing in their free time.

We are finishing Literature Circles this week and moving on to the Outsiders, a story about a boy growing up with his brothers in Oklahoma in the 50's. We will also be looking at poetry this month and the national winner of the 2008 Poetry Out Loud Competition is one of the last links listed along with a link to an article about her. I also am encouraging students to get on keyboard as soon as possible since it makes editing far easier and quicker. There is also the added benefit: there can be no "the dog ate my homework!" Students may email their work to themselves, downloading it from their email account at school. This is an alternative to the flash drives that sometimes get lost.