What a way to start the year! I am quite certain that this is going to be the best year ever and the evidence is in the 8th grade class that I have gotten to know this week.
We started with two days of "Boot Camp" where we re-familiarize ourselves with building norms, procedures, and expectations. But we also kicked off the year with some awesome guest speakers who helped us understand our building quote: "If you can dream it, you can achieve it; if you can imagine it, you can become it." Please ask your son or daughter about Zack and Gregory when you get a chance.
By Thursday, we were (I was) definitely ready to get started in to U.S. History. I have taught U.S.History for 9 years (7 in Union City). My pursuit with you and your son/daughter is to instill in them more than just an understanding about what happened in our past, but to actually become a young student historian. In this way, they will learn the processes of using sources to develop an interpretation of the past and compare that with what others have developed. Through this process, we will be building or constructing our understanding of our past in a community of learners, collaborating for collective success.
This process requires patience to get started... we begin with the basics. For this reason, I start with connecting students to history personally through the My Three Artifacts assignment. Please ask your student about this assignment which was sent home today to be completed no later than Tuesday. The assignment culminates in a 60 second live presentation or, alternatively, a video recording in which the student displays an artifact in their life and what that artifact tells a "finder" about them. I have attached the assignment sheet for your reference.For more, see the My Three Artifacts Lesson. I look forward to sharing some of these presentations for you at Open House this upcoming Tuesday evening.
Also, we are working to take some ownership in the classroom. Groups of students are collaborating to decorate the classroom walls and bulletin boards in a way that makes the room their U.S. History classroom. I look forward to seeing how that all turns out...
Finally, as I mentioned above, Tuesday is our Open House. Please come on in and see what we've got going on here at QMS.
We started with two days of "Boot Camp" where we re-familiarize ourselves with building norms, procedures, and expectations. But we also kicked off the year with some awesome guest speakers who helped us understand our building quote: "If you can dream it, you can achieve it; if you can imagine it, you can become it." Please ask your son or daughter about Zack and Gregory when you get a chance.
By Thursday, we were (I was) definitely ready to get started in to U.S. History. I have taught U.S.History for 9 years (7 in Union City). My pursuit with you and your son/daughter is to instill in them more than just an understanding about what happened in our past, but to actually become a young student historian. In this way, they will learn the processes of using sources to develop an interpretation of the past and compare that with what others have developed. Through this process, we will be building or constructing our understanding of our past in a community of learners, collaborating for collective success.
This process requires patience to get started... we begin with the basics. For this reason, I start with connecting students to history personally through the My Three Artifacts assignment. Please ask your student about this assignment which was sent home today to be completed no later than Tuesday. The assignment culminates in a 60 second live presentation or, alternatively, a video recording in which the student displays an artifact in their life and what that artifact tells a "finder" about them. I have attached the assignment sheet for your reference.For more, see the My Three Artifacts Lesson. I look forward to sharing some of these presentations for you at Open House this upcoming Tuesday evening.
Also, we are working to take some ownership in the classroom. Groups of students are collaborating to decorate the classroom walls and bulletin boards in a way that makes the room their U.S. History classroom. I look forward to seeing how that all turns out...
Finally, as I mentioned above, Tuesday is our Open House. Please come on in and see what we've got going on here at QMS.
Please consider staying connected with Mr. Bruce's History using Remind. Both parents and students are encouraged to sign up. This is a way for me to send updates and information via text without managing or collecting phone numbers. Super simple - super effective! See the image attached to this email for 30 second instructions. Again, it's best if both students and parents sign up to receive updates.
Well, that's enough for this week. Stay tuned for more. Much more. Have a great weekend!
Yours,
Mr. Bruce
Well, that's enough for this week. Stay tuned for more. Much more. Have a great weekend!
Yours,
Mr. Bruce
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