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Mr. Rowan, Social Studies A

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Social Studies Update Week of 3/17/2025

Greetings 8th Grade Families!
This week students will present their Civil War Battles research projects. We will sit in a circle and each student will have the opportunity to hear from each of their classmates about the battle they studied and get to see the creativity of their project. We will then look at the Emancipation Proclamation and ask the question; "Were the enslaved people freed, or did they free themselves?" 
Please email with any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Mr. Rowan

Social Studies Update Week of 3/10/2-25

Greetings 8th Grade Families!
Last week students chose a battle of the Civil War and researched the who, what, when, where, why questions and the impact of that battle on the Civil War. This week students will be taking that research and completing a create project to teach the class about their battle. They can create a brochure, diorama (students provide their own materials), newspaper, scrap book, song, diary/journal entries, or a story. These projects are due Thursday at the beginning of class. Students will spend Friday completing a Nearpod where they will learn about the Emancipation Proclamation.
Please email with any questions or concerns.
Sincerely, 
Mr. Rowan

Social Studies Update Week of 2/24/25

Greetings 8th Grade Families!
This week students will begin by analyzing primary documents to determine why the Southern states seceded from the Union. Students will analyze these declarations of secession to see the reasons these Southern states gave for wanting to break away and form their own government. Students will then analyze Abraham Lincoln's First Inaugural Address to see how he responded to secession as what his hopes for the country would be. Finally, we will begin to look at the Civil War by comparing the North and South's advantages and disadvantages and determine who was better equipped to win the war at it's outset.
Please email with any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Mr. Rowan

Social Studies Update Week of 2/17/25

Greetings 8th grade families!
After learning about the growth of cotton, how the demand for it led to the increase in the enslavement of African people, and learning about what life was like for an enslaved person by listening to a podcast on the life of Charles Ball; an enslaved person who wrote a biography after his escape to freedom, students will learn about the cause of the Civil War. Students will learn about the different causes, rank them in order and then justify why the chose their number one cause of the Civil War.
Please email with questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Mr. Rowan

Social Studies Update Week of 2/3/2025

Greetings 8th grade families!
Monday students will watch two videos on public speaking and the "Do's and Don'ts" and giving a presentation. They will have the rest of the class period to practice giving their biography presentation in small groups. The rest of the week students will be presenting, and if they aren't presenting will be taking notes on their classmate's presentations to learn about these people who will be popping up over the rest of the quarter.
Always email with any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Mr. Rowan

Social Studies Update 1/27/25

Greeting 8th Grade Families!
Students finished their research and created their Biography PowerPoints last week including what chess piece their person would be and the bibliography slide in MLA format.
This week students will be creating the likeness of their person our of a 2-liter bottle and other crafting supplies. Student will work on the bottle this week and practice their presentations so that we can start presenting next week. 
Please email with any questions.
Sincerely,
Mr. Rowan

Social Studies Update Week of 1/21/25

Greetings 8th grade families!
This week students will begin their biography of a famous person from the Civil War era projects. Students will choose a person to research and create a PowerPoint about their life that they will then present to the class. This week students will use their research on the childhood, early life, adult life and accomplishments of the person they have chosen to create a PowerPoint presentation.
As part of this project, students will also be creating a likeness of their person out of a crafting supplies and a 2-liter bottle. I will provide the crafting supplies. Each student will need to supply one 2-liter bottle. Please have students bring that 2-liter bottle to class this week.
Please email with any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Mr. Rowan

Social Studies Update Week of 1/13/25

Greetings 8th grade families!
This week students will begin their biography of a famous person from the Civil War era projects. Students will choose a person to research and create a PowerPoint about their life that they will then present to the class. This week students will work on researching the childhood, early life, adult life and accomplishments of the person they have chosen.
As part of this project, students will also be creating a likeness of their person out of a crafting supplies and a 2-liter bottle. I will provide the crafting supplies. Each student will need to supply one 2-liter bottle. Please have students bring that 2-liter bottle to class this week.
Please email with any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Mr. Rowan

Social Studies Update Week of 12/16/24

Greetings 8th Grade Families!
This week we will have one more day to review the material that will be on the Manifest Destiny and Westward Expansion test on Tuesday. There is an assignment in Teams for students to use to help study and review for the test. Students will have Tuesday and Wednesday to complete the test. 
Please email with any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Mr. Rowan

Social Studies Update Week of 12/9/24

Greetings 8th Grade Families!
 
This week students will be analyzing documents relating to the Mexican-American War. Students will also role-play real people involved in the Mexican-American War and participate in a "meet and greet" where they will introduce their characters and answer questions like Who was for the war? Who was against the war? Who stood to gain from the war? Who stood to lose from the war? After analyzing these documents and participating in the meet and greet, students will state  a claim and support it with evidence to answer the question: Was the United States justified in going to war with Mexico?
 
Students will end the week by completing a Nearpod assignment on the causes and effects of the California Gold Rush.
 
All late and missing work is due this Wednesday, and final grades will be posted Friday. 
 
Students will have a final exam the last week of school and that grade will be posted in Quarter 3.
 
Please email me with any questions or concerns.
 
Sincerely,
Mr. Rowan

Social Studies Update Week of 12/2/24

Greetings 8th grade families!
This week students will complete a WebQuest research project to learn more about the Oregon Trail and the people who traveled it. What pushed and pulled people to the Oregon Territory and what was the effect on the native people and lands? These are some of the questions we will be discussion during the week. We will then put the final piece of the Growth of US Map project into place as we learn about he Mexican-American war and the Mexican Cession.
Please email me with any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Mr. Rowan

Social Studies Update Week of 11/18/24

Greetings 8th Grade Families!
This week students will learn about why Texans revolted against the Mexican government to create the Republic of Texas, and later join the United States as the state of Texas. Students will complete Section F of the Growth of the US Map Project. Students will then complete section E of the map project to learn about how the Oregon Territory became part of the United States.
Email with any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Mr. Rowan

Social Studies Update Week of 11/11/24

Greetings 8th Grade Families,
 
Last week, students worked in groups to learn about the strategies that Native American tribes used to resist the removal policies of the United States and by studying objects, artifacts, quotes, maps, and treaties developed a deeper meaning of those cultures and their stories. Students will finish presenting their research on Monday. After leaning about Andrew Jackson's role in Florida and the Indian Removal Act, we will study his life and presidency and students can decide if Jackson was a hero or villain. 
 
On Friday, students will be taking a test on the following topics:
  • Growth of US Map Project: Sections A, B, C, and D
  • The Lewis and Clark Expedition
  • Native American perspective of Lewis and Clark
  • The Indian Removal Policy of the 1830s
  • Strategies that different Native American tribes used to resist removal
Please email with any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Mr. Rowan

Social Studies Update Week of 11/4/24

Greetings Social Studies Families,
For the past three Mondays, students will be learning about things relating to the presidential election. This Monday, students will be looking at the role of the  Electoral College in presidential elections. On Tuesday, students will be taking a field trip to the Colorado History Museum where they will be looking at Democratic Principles in Conflict. This Civics program includes discussion about citizenship, rights, and civic engagement as they relate to the following topics in our state's history.
  • Written on the Land: Ute History
  • Lincoln Hills: 1920s Black History
  • Amache: 1940s Japanese Incarceration (WW2)
  • El Movimiento: 1960s Chicano Movement
On Wednesday and Thursday, students will look at the strategies that Native American tribes used to resist the removal policies of the United States.
 
Please email with any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Mr. Rowan

/Social Studies Update Week of /

Greetings Social Studies Families,
 For the next 2 Mondays, students will be learning about things relating to the presidential election. Topics will include the history of voting, and the Electoral College. On Tuesday, students will then watch a short documentary from the perspective of the Native American tribes whose land Lewis and Clark passed through to understand that this land was already discovered and without the help of Sacagawea and other Native American tribal nations, they would not have been successful. Students will then complete Part C of their map project where they learn how Florida became part of the United States. We will then look 5 Native American Nations from the Southeast: Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek and Seminole. We will look at their cultures, the United States policy of Indian removal, how these tribal nations resisted removal and the role Andrew Jackson played in passing the Indian Removal Act.
Please email with any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Mr. Rowan