6th Grade/ Development of Communication!

Cave paintings quickly transformed into pictographs, and finally into cuneiform, the world’s first writing system. Our investigation today involved the use of the Papyrus plant. The papyrus plant grew in abundance along the Nile River in the marshy areas. Egyptians were able to use the papyrus plant to create a paper writing surface for scribes to record important information using a style known as hieroglyphics. Next, we will focus our attention on the development of this process into modern paper manufacturing. We will continue to study this process hands-on. As we complete these investigations, continue to evaluate the advantages of these new methods compared to past and present communication methods in order to explain how communication developed overtime.

7th Grade/ Create Your Own Colony!

You are one of many groups of Europeans interested in beginning a colony in the New

World. Sir Bigbucks has offered to fund one colony in the new world. Your group's task is to draw up a plan and a model for the ideal New World colony and convince Sir Bigbucks to fund it. Before you begin, make sure everyone on your team understands their role, and research the required components to make sure your plan will thrive in your selected location. Be prepared to present your final proposal, your drawn plan, and your model to Sir Bigbucks and your classmates. This will count as your unit assessment!

6th Grade/ Aswan High Dam!

As part of your challenge of solving the issues along the river systems in ancient times, many groups chose to build some type of structure that blocks the water. It just so happens north of the border between Egypt and Sudan lies the Aswan High Dam, a huge rock fill dam which captures the world's largest reservoirs, Lake Nasser. However, the question remains, is the building of a dam necessarily a positive for the Egyptians?

Homework Response Question [Due by Friday, 12/12/14]:- I will allow this to be completed late with credit!
What are the positive and negative effects of building a Dam? Has the Aswan High Dam been a positive or a negative for the Egyptians? Explain in detail!

7th Grade/ Indentured Servants and Slaves in Colonial Society!

We have examined several categories regarding colonial life, and have reached out last area which includes class differences in colonial society. What is the difference between indentured servants and slaves in colonial society? What is the need for free/cheap labor in the early colonial economy? What evidence do we have to support our knowledge of the use of indentured servants and slaves in colonial Maryland and Virginia, and what does the evidence say about the affect this physical labor has on the body? In order to complete our investigation, we will examine primary sources such as tobacco notes, indentured servant contracts, and the advertisements for the sale of slaves, as well as evidence written in bone!  

Homework Response Question [Due by Friday, 12/12/14]:- I will allow this to be completed late with full credit!
What evidence do we have to support our knowledge of the use of indentured servants and slaves in colonial Maryland and Virginia, and what does the evidence say about the affect this physical labor has on the body?

8th Grade/ Ancient Mediterranean World!

Our second unit of study focuses on the region surrounding the Mediterranean Sea, and more specifically focuses on the ancient civilizations of Ancient Greece and Rome. In order for us to understand the rise and fall of these great civilizations, we must first understand the geography of the ancient Mediterranean world, and its influence on its people. We will start by focusing on the Mediterranean of the Ancient Greeks, about 550 B.C.E. What difficulties and advantages did the geography of the Mediterranean have on the Ancient Greeks? We will examine maps in order to think critically about this question.  

Homework Response Question [Due by Friday, 12/12/14]- I will allow this to be completed late with credit!

•How did geography influence settlement and way of life in ancient Greece?