Student Curriculum
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Social Studies/Mrs.Gibeau We are looking forward to an exciting year of Social Science in Zeta Pod. 6th graders will be studying Ancient World History. We will explore early civilizations such as Mesopotamia, Egypt, China, Greece and Rome. It's fun to see where many things we use today originated! We will be incorporating many different disciplines into our study of the ancient world. We will be doing art projects, writings, and reading plays, to mention a few of our activities! 7th graders will be exploring Western Hemisphere World Geography. We will begin by learning basic geographic terminology and concepts, and then head into our study of the United States. A state research project is part of the requirements for this unit. After learning about our nation, we will "head north" to study Canada. From Canada we will head south of the border to study Mexico, Central America and South America. We will end the year with a look at Europe, focusing on the countries of Western Europe. 8th graders will begin the year with a refresher of the geography terms and concepts they learned as 7th graders. We will then begin our study of Eastern Hemisphere World Geography. We will start by learning about different government forms so that we may better understand the nations of the eastern hemisphere. Our major units will include Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent Nations (we will explore the cold war and the Cuban Missile Crisis during this unit), Southwest Asia (more commonly called the Middle East-an area so much "in-the-news today"), East Asia (China and Japan), Southeast Asia/ Island SE Asia (we will do a mini-unit on the Vietnam War during this time), South Asia/India and end up the year down under in Australia.
Zeta Pod will continue with the Reading Program "Adventures in Reading" this year. Mrs. Gibeau and Miss Williams were trained by a reading specialist from Boy's Town, Nebraska. This program shows students gaining an average of 2 years of growth in reading for each semester of instruction. The program includes an innovative learning strategy utilizing computer, game and oral reading formats in a 10-10-20 minute daily schedule. Students will be tested prior to the beginning of the program and at the end to assess growth. School District # 318 has adopted a new Student Achievement Test from Northwest Evaluation Association called "MAP" Measures of Academic Progress. This fall our students will be tested in Math and Reading and will have a follow up test this spring. MAP is a computerized adaptive test that is implemented through the Internet. Teachers are immediately able to access results . SSR (Silent Sustain Reading) will continue this year throughout the Middle School. This is a great opportunity for students to enhance their reading skills. SSR is designed to encourage the enjoyment of reading. All Staff participates in "SSR". Zeta Pod purchased two classroom libraries of high interest, level appropriate fiction books for Zeta Pod students to use. English/Miss Williams 6th grade/1st quarter
7th grade/1st quarter
8th grade/1st quarter
Math/Science/Miss Williams 6th grade Math
6th grade Science
Math/Science/ Ms. Lowe I will be teaching Math and Science to the 8th grade group. My goal is to motivate my students to pass the "Basic Standards Math Test" in February by using a hands-on positive approach. The science book that we will be using is "Earth Science". As a class we will be studying land forms, weather, and erosion. I am excited for another great year with Zeta Pod. Math/Science/Mrs. Alstad We are using a new science series this year in grade 7 that features the four areas of "Life Science". The new curriculum features the books, "From Bacteria to Plants", "Animals," "Cells and Heredity", and "Environmental Science". We will be working on an animal project called "Critter". The students will research an animal and will teach the rest of the class about their critter. Physical Education/Mrs. Stoeke This course emphasizes the importance of:
In Category
It is the objective of this course to have every student participate to the best of their ability, and to comprehend the importance of personal fitness, and to set up a personal fitness program for each student which hopefully fosters a "lifelong" behavior of good fitness habits! 8th Grade Foods/ Ms. Badovinac Eighth graders will concentrate on preparing a variety of foods, and will spend time learning to manage time, work safely, and to work in a sanitary kitchen. It is our hope to build student confidence in the kitchen and to expose students to new foods. 6th and 7th Grade Family and Consumer Science/ Ms. Badovinac Students will work on organization, kitchen safety, and group cooperation. We will have a number of "hands on" lab experiences involving quick breads such as muffins, waffles and pancakes. Our first, more advanced yeast bread will involve making a pizza crust and then completing the pizza. Computer/Keyboarding/Miss Williams and Mrs. Gibeau This year we will be doing Mavis Beacon Keyboarding, Microsoft Word Processing, Spreadsheets using Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint Presentations, and Microsoft Paint projects. Our goal is to learn the basic computer skills necessary for the 21st Century! We will also be using various other programs, such as Plato, to augment our other curriculum areas. Mrs. Basten is our computer assistant. We will also be incorporating photography into our curriculum so that students will be able to experience, first hand, the process that goes into editing pictures (using Microsoft Photo Editor), and how to open and save video clips (using Media Player). We try to implement various assignments that each student will be using with computers throughout their daily lives, such as: creating cards, calendars, brochures, posters, and letters decorated with multiple graphics. Record keeping and filing of their own assignments are a daily requirement of this class. Zeta Pod Store "Zeta store" is an integral part of our modified version of the Boy's Town specialized classroom management model. Students earn positive points for desirable behavior, such as completing homework. These points are tallied daily. Twice weekly students may shop at the "Zeta Store" for items such as:
Items change throughout the year.
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