Newsletter #33

5/9/2008

Dear 8B Parents,

 

Happy Friday!  This week zoomed right by us.  Three weeks to go!  Our field trip to the Museum of Glass was a great success, and we had a great week in Block.  I wish all of the moms out there a wonderful Mothers’ Day on Sunday!

 

Our days in Block are winding down; there are three major components left to 8th graders’ studies:

  • Students have finished their readings on Washington state history.  We’ll do some review activities in the next two weeks, and their final test will be on Th. 5/29.
  • Today students began working on their last project of the year.  In groups, they are researching and compiling a magazine on human rights and global awareness.  The goal is that they will take some of the lessons they’ve learned about civil rights in U.S. history and apply them to more recent world events and ethnic conflicts, such as apartheid in South Africa or the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia. They will select from a wide range of topics, mostly focusing on events they’ve never studied before.  There’s a lot of room for creativity with this project, as well as a lot of class time to work on it.  Their first task is to choose a topic to research.  They should come with some ideas on Tuesday.
  • Students will begin reading their final novel of the year next week. Beacon Hill Boys is set in Seattle in the 1970s, and it’s about 4 Japanese-American teenage boys.  This book is a great capstone to students’ studies this year. 
  • I am aware that most of the class is involved in the play, therefore there will be little-to-no homework in Block next week, assuming students use their time in class well.

 

Reminders/Announcements:

  • Please send in field trip forms for the retreat on May 22nd-23rd.  We have a good number of drivers so far, but we will probably still need a few people to drive there and/or back.  Please consider driving if you can.

 

Enjoy the weekend!

 

Abby Drake

8B Block, 6th Social Studies

Assumption-St. Bridget School

206-524-7452 ext. 51