What is Happening in 8th Grade Social Studies?

...a lot. This year's classes have been awesome to teach and learn with. The maturity they demonstrate on a daily basis, their love for learning, and the fact that they are intelligent, respectful, fun-to-be-around young people, make teaching them extremely rewarding! Here are some of them in action this week...


















...and what have we been learning...? We are currently studying The Labor Movement. Unions were formed to protect workers who, up until 1869 and the formation of the Knights of Labor, were pretty much at the mercy of their employers (Unfortunately for the workers, the employers of this day did not have an overabundance of "mercy"). Prior to this, we studied immigration. This unit came alive through movies that we watched which gave us a personal perspective on the sacrifices that immigrant families made in order to bring their families to America. Our study was especially special because we have Sergey, the son of recent immigrants to America, in class. He was able to share stories of his family's experiences as immigrants from Moscow, Russia.
Prior to that, we studied how the 2nd Industrial Revolution led to a growth, not only in industry, but also in cities. We learned about who the people leading this "revolution" were, as well as the inventions that created new jobs and changed how people lived. We also learned about the living conditions in the cities of this time period as seen through the eyes of Jacob Riis.

...and now for some more photos of today's finest!

Go to America! The Land of Opportunity...

During colonial times, "joint-stock companies", such as The London Company, encouraged settlers to leave England and emigrate to America. Many of these companies used advertisements to induce settlers. Many who went were poor, so these companies offered free transportation, land, tools and supplies. ...but beware of the fine print. Oftentimes, these emigrants were required to sign an indenture, or a contract, with the company. This contract required the emigrant to work for up to 7 years for the person who paid the expenses of the voyage to America. These people were called "Indentured Servants."

How Sad is This Groton?! Approximately 30% of Homeless People in America are Veterans.

Given the regular recruiting that takes place in our school, and given the amount of taxpayers’ dollars that go to war, the reports I have linked here are startling. Many good, patriotic Americans enlist in the United States Armed Forces each year. Most do so to serve their country. According to recent studies, in too many cases, the country is failing to reciprocate that service to many veterans once they retire. I hope Groton families will read and discuss this issue carefully.

Here are a few statistics to add to you conversation...

Explorers on Google Earth has Finally Arrived!

Our 7th graders are experimenting with Google Earth. We took a project that we had been doing for years and modernized it using this program. It took us a while to figure things out, especially how to link it to our blog, but here it is. None of this would have been possible without the expertise of Paul Weich and Chad DeVoe. ...and Cali, thanks for all of the extra time you put into this project. To take the tour, go to this site and enjoy.

Tall Tales From Room #202

Many settlers move west following the Civil War. Some were miners looking for precious metals, some were farmers who lived in houses made of sod, and others were cowboys who drove cattle on the long drive from Texas to the rail centers in “Cow Towns. Many of these cowboys were young men from the east who had gone west to find work. These “Green Horns,” as they were called, were often susceptible to “Tall Tales.” These were exaggerated stories told by wile story tellers, and they provided their audience with many laughs at the expense of the “Green Horns,” who often believed them!

Here are a few Tall Tales generated in room #202.

Barter Day

Our 7th graders are learning about life in colonial America. An economic aspect of that time period was the use of bartering, exchanging goods and services, to get desired goods. Our class reenacted this today. The rules were simple. Students were to bring in things (3-5)they had laying around their rooms at home that they no longer attached any significance to (These had to be their own, not their brothers or sisters stuff.). The class was then given time to survey what their classmates had brought in. Then they were set to the task of bartering with each other to get what they wanted. We concluded class by having students explain the process they went through. We also discussed reasons for the replacement of this barter system with the cash system (Note-We discussed that people still exchange services today (I.E. One person may agree to help a friend put on a new roof in exchange for some automotive work on a car.)). As you can see from the video, it was a lively class.
On another note, the cash system was first introduced to New York State during the construction of the Erie Canal. Workers on the canal were given cash (50 cents a day) or scripts which they then exchanged at stores, hotels and restaurants along the canal. It must have been a "leap of faith" for these early cash receiving entrepreneurs!

An African American is inaugurated as the 44th President of the United States of America! ...will there be a woman in the near future?...

January 20, 2009 was an historic day in America. Barrack H. Obama was inaugurated as the 44th President of the United States of America. This was a day that the country, old and young, black, white, yellow, red and brown, celebrated the inauguration of an African-American to the highest elected position in America. I am glad the we studied the Civil Rights Movement following our study of the election because it made the historical significance of Obama’s election more meaningful to you than it would have been without that background knowledge.

The following link will take you to that ceremony. It is too bad that Chief Justice Roberts flubbed his part… President Obama retook the oath the following morning to be sure it was administered correctly. Time will tell whether Obama’s call for change will actually result in meaningful change in how business is done in Washington D.C. and the country at large, but the fact that an African-American is now our President is a change that many only dreamed about. One of the highlights of this ceremony for me was when Obama made mention of how this day was dreamed of by those who had participated in the Civil Rights Movement decades earlier. Upon these words, A Black man and his wife, who were seated on the platform behind President Obama, rose and applauded. This man was John Lewis. Lewis is now a senator, but as a college student in the 1960’s, Lewis was a leader of SNCC (Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee). In that capacity, Lewis had marched with Dr. King and the others, and he had been an integral figure in that movement. What a day January 20, 2009 must have been for him (…and the many other living participants of the Civil Rights Movement)! I only wish more people on the platform would have stood with him at that moment…

I hope you visit the site and watch the Inaugural Day festivities. I was fortunate to see Aretha Franklin in concert last year, so I appreciated her part in this ceremony. ...and how about Yo Yo Ma and Itzhak Perlman?!...The poem by Elizabeth Alexander was also significant. Please feel free to leave a comment.