This week, we will finish up Unit 3, “Geography of My Community.”  

Our focuses for this week:  

• Human Environment Interaction: How can human actions change the environment? 

• Unit 3 Post-Test 

BONUS: We will also learn what an election is and how elections work. We will touch on why voting is important and the impact it can have on communities as well as the world. We will hold a mock election where the students will get to fill out a ballot about which is the best pet (dog, cat, or fish). 

This week, we will begin Unit 3, “Geography of My Community.” In this social studies unit, students will explore how communities manage, modify, and depend on their environments. Students will learn about the differences between renewable and nonrenewable resources and how these resources impact the way communities develop and thrive. They will understand how communities manage and use nonrenewable resources, such as fossil fuels, and renewable resources, like solar and wind energy, to meet their needs. The unit will also explain how the environment influences why people settle in certain areas, such as the availability of water, fertile soil, and favorable climate conditions. Students will identify examples of how human activity influences the environmental characteristics of a place over time, such as urban development, deforestation, and pollution. Additionally, they will explore how culture and lifestyle are impacted by environmental characteristics, such as how climate affects clothing and housing or how natural resources influence local cuisine and industry. 

Our focuses for this week:  

• Places to Settle: How does the environment influence why people settle in certain areas? 

• Renewable and Non-Renewable Resources: What are renewable and non-renewable resources in the places people settle?  

• Characteristics of Communities: How is our way of life impacted by where we live? 

• Rural vs. Urban: How is our way of life impacted by where we live? 

• Where People Live: How can human actions change the environment? 

We are continuing our geography this week. We will build on our knowledge of map tools that we learned about last week.

• Our focus this week:
  • The Globe
  • Different types of maps and their purposes
  • Natural, human, and political features on maps

We will begin a new unit in Social Studies this week. This geography-focused unit will have students explore the world around them using maps and other geographic tools. Through engaging activities and hands-on learning experiences, students will become familiar with the basic elements of geography and the ways in which maps can tell us about the world. By the end of this unit, students will have a solid understanding of basic geography concepts and skills. They will be able to use maps confidently and appreciate the diverse features that make up our world. This foundational knowledge will prepare them for more advanced geographic studies in the future. 

• Our focus this week: 

• • Introduction to maps: What is the purpose of a map? 

• • Map tools: Map tools include a title, a compass rose, a map key or legend, and symbols. How do map tools help us understand space and place?  

• • Cardinal Directions: How does a compass rose help us understand space and place? 

• • Creating maps: Students will analyze a map of our classroom, and then create a map of their choice – their bedroom, the playground, or their backyard. 

Donation request:  

I am trying to put together a hands-on timeline of the telephone. I have a rotary phone from the 1950’s, a corded push-button phone from the 1980’s, and the school’s classroom phone.  

• I am looking for a donation of a “Fisher-Price Toddler Pull Toy Chatter Telephone with Rotary Dial and Wheels” that students can use to see how the rotary mechanism works. My antique rotary phone is currently broken, and I can’t allow students to touch it.  

• I would also like to have a cordless phone that was popular in the 1990s.  

• Lastly, I would love to have an old Nokia or early cell phone. 

If you have one of these phones and are looking to part with them, our class would love to give them a new home! 

Last week, we concluded our Social Studies unit by participating in an action research project. As a class, students identified an issue in the community and researched ways to solve the problem, including speaking with members of our school community.

The issue that the class decided to help solve was that students at Westgate bang on the walls in the hallway, lean on the walls as they walk down the hall, and tear down work that is on display on the walls in the hall. We think this is a problem because it disrupts the learning in classrooms and does not respect the work that kids have displayed in the hall. The class identified Ms. Seybold, Ms. Schilling, Mrs. Kahn, and Ms. Kinslow as community members who could help us understand the problem. Mrs. Kahn and Ms. Kinslow were able to come in and give us some insight into what it is like to have an office in the hall, and what things they have tried to stop it from happening. Our class came up with several solutions, such as:

1. Tell people to stop.
2. Report someone doing it to an adult.
3. Check the cameras to see who is doing it.
4. Create posters reminding kids not to do it.
5. Give consequences to those students who do it.

At the end of the week, students created a poster with a partner to hang in the halls in hopes of helping to solve the problem in our community.

We are concluding our first social studies unit of the year called, “My Role in the Community.”  

Last week, students learned more about leadership, and how leaders long ago changed their communities. Students learned what a citizen is and what civic responsibilities citizens have, such as voting. We also learned about the victory gardens of World War 2. Citizens planted vegetable gardens to ensure an adequate food supply for civilians and troops. This is a good example of ways that citizens can be leaders in their communities. 

This week, we will begin an action research project as our unit culmination. As a class, students will identify an issue in the community and research ways to solve the problem. By the end of the week, students will have created a poster to showcase their learning on bettering the community. 

We are continuing with our first social studies unit of the year called, “My Role in the Community.”  

Last week, students learned that community members have respectful debates and vote to make changes in their communities. At the end of the week, we learned about leaders and how they change their communities. 

This week, we will finish the unit. Students will learn more about leadership, and how leaders long ago changed their communities. Our last lesson will be about citizenship and civic responsibilities. 

Science/Social Studies: 

On Friday, we started our first social studies unit of the year called, “My Role in the Community.” This unit is a study of how people engage in civic participation. The essential question for this unit is, “How do individual ideas and actions improve communities?” Some key vocabulary for this unit is: 

• respect  

• community  

• civic responsibility  

• advocate  

• decisions  

• community member  

• diverse  

• marginalized  

• privileged