Back to School!

         School has officially begun! I am so thrilled with the amazing group of students I get to teach this year! They are all absolutely amazing, and I can't wait to see what the year has to offer! We are starting our year off in Social Studies by going back to the start of our country and government by looking at Early European settlers and colonies in America! I am a huge believer in inquiry based learning. My students are currently beginning their first group project, and I am so excited! They were grouped based on their selection of personal interests in our 4 corner game! They will be working as a group to establish four essential questions that they hope to answer with their research to better aid them in their project! There are 6 group projects:

1. Create a Glog about Jamestown or Plymouth including how it began, what it looked like, daily life for its settlers, foods they ate, life with the Native Americas, etc...
2. Create a Flip Video commercial persuading Europeans back home in England to move to America.
3. Use a digital camera to create a scrapbook comparing life in Jamestown or Plymouth to life now. Use internet resources depicting life in early colonies to compare to current day photos.
4. Create a series of posters persuading the pilgrims aboard the Mayflower to sign the Mayflower Compact and settle in what is today known as Massachusetts instead of the agreed upon Virginia territory.
5. Use popsicle sticks and other materials to build a replica of an early European settlement like Jamestown or Plymouth.
6. Create a documentary by "interviewing pilgrims" about what life is like in America.

Before they begin, students will work as a group doing research for their project. They will record their findings and cite their findings on a flippable they make in class.

The students are working very hard so far! I can't wait to see how their projects turn out!!