Westward Expansion Projects

Create a new blog post.  Embed Google Slideshows and link Google Sites.  Beneath your project include reflection about the following:

1. Your topic and why you chose it
2. 2 of your most interesting facts
3. 1 useful piece of feedback given to you by the class when you presented

When you're done with your post, comment on at least 5 projects of other people in our class and then go to any of the sites along the left-hand margin of this blog under "Idleness Prevention Society."

Nauvoo Field Trip Reflection

Reflect on your field trip to Nauvoo.  Write a new blog post, and answer the following:

1. What was your favorite part of the trip, and why?
2. What was the most educational part of the trip?  Explain.
3. What is something specific that you learned about how pioneers lived in the 1840's?  Explain.
4. What is something you learned about the Mormons and/or why they moved west in the 1840's?  Explain.
5. There are so many parts of Old Nauvoo that we didn't get to see.  It's open all year around, and it's free.  Would you ever go back to see the rest with friends or family?  Why or why not?

Feel free to include any appropriate pictures in this post that you took during the field trip.  Publish, and comment on the posts of others in the class.  If you forget how to write good comments, you can always refresh yourself with this video!

If you get done, start another post (you don't have to publish it yet), and embed your Westward Expansion slideshow.  We'll reflect more after everyone has presented.

Nauvoo Field Trip Reflection

Reflect on your field trip to Nauvoo this week.  Write a new blog post, and answer the following:

1. What was your favorite part of the trip, and why?
2. What is something new that you learned about how pioneers lived in the 1840's?  Explain.
3. What is something you learned about why the Mormons moved west in the 1840's?  Explain.
4. If you had to choose one thing you saw or heard in Nauvoo to research and learn more about, what would you choose?  Why?

6th Grade Westward Expansion Projects

You will be creating a VoiceThread project to share your facts.  If you don't have an account already, use your school username and password to create an account for yourself.

For this project, you will need to find AT LEAST 5 pictures relating to your topic.  The pictures will be what the audience looks at while they listen to your comments.  Then, they'll be able to comment on your project and talk about connections they can make between their topic and yours.

Over the course of showing your pictures, your comments need to include the following information:

1. Introduce yourself and the topic you researched.
2. Give at least 5 interesting facts you learned.
3. Explain why your topic was important to the idea of Westward Expansion. 
4. Share at least two questions that you didn't find the answers for or that your research made you wonder.
5. After doing your specific research, do you think Westward Expansion in the United States was a good idea?  Why or why not?  What were the pros and cons?  Explain.

When your Voice Thread is done, click the menu icon for your project on the VoiceThread dashboard page.  Create a post on your blog and share the link.  

As your classmates finish, go into their projects and listen to their comments.  Make comments of your own, at least one comment on each person's project (it's not necessary to comment on each individual slide unless you want to).  Use the following sentence starters to make connections with your own project and to add to the information provided:

• This reminds me of...
• This is similar to...
• I wonder...
• This made me realize...
• I noticed...
• You can relate this to...
• I'd like to know...
• I'm surprised that...
• If _____, then _____...
• If I were..., I would _____...

An example of a VoiceThread project:

Weekly Preview: 4/30-5/4, 2012

I can't believe we're into May.  Where has this year gone?  Here's how we're spending our time together in room 101 this week:

6th GOAL: On Monday, students will be presenting their Oral History assignments.  On Wednesday, we'll be starting research for our Westward Expansion unit which will culminate with our trip to historic Nauvoo, Illinois.

7th GOAL: Monday will be students' last day to work on Independent Research Projects.  We'll start presenting on Wednesday, and that will take us through the rest of the week.

8th GOAL: Students will continue to work on their documentary films this week.  They should be recording scripts, editing video, creating titles and transitions, and finding music this week.  Movies need to be finished by May 10.

7th Language Arts:  Parts of Speech packets are due Monday.  For the rest of the week, students will be splitting into small groups and choosing a part of speech they will teach to the class.  They can design this lesson in any way they'd like.  In the past we've had raps, game shows, and many other creative lessons to learn the parts of speech.  We'll start presenting these lessons on Friday.  Spelling words this week focus on the endings: -tial, -cial, -cious, and -tious.  Pretest corrections and book page 196 (1-20) are due Wednesday.

Week 32 Spelling Words
conscientious
crucial
substantial
spacious
repetitious
spatial
confidential
ferocious
residential
financial
gracious
impartial
vicious
facial
influential
ambitious
glacial
suspicious
potential
superficial