old SJA-EClass-SocialStudies

Upcoming Events!

2009-03-09T07:38:00.000-07:00

Here's a look at what's happening for 8th grade in the near future.....

--St. Patrick's Day Parade on March 17th
-- Spring Break begins Saturday, March 28th-Sunday, March 5th. School resumes on Monday, April 6th.
-- Friday, April 17th is SJA Bingo Night at 6:30pm!
-- Wednesday, April 22nd is Earth Day cleanup!!
-- Spring ISTEP begins April 27th
--Field Trip to Cristo Rey and DOW Chemicals is on May, 6th
--May Crowning is Friday, May 8th
--"Keep Indianapolis Beautiful"in partnership with Eli Lilly for their Lilly Day of Service. We will cleanup around the school grounds, plant flowers, etc. which is on Wednesday, May 20th
--Light of the Leadership Mass is Thursday, May 21st at 9am
--Cultural Arts Day at 6pm
--8th grade graduation is on Thursday, May 28th (Dinner at 5:30pm & Ceremony at 7pm)
--Last Day of School is Friday, May 29th!!!!!!!!!!

2009 Newsbowl Online Current Events League Update!

2009-03-09T07:23:00.000-07:00

The 6th grade Social Studies is participating in the 2009 Newsbowl Online Current Events League. The students are in teams and they answer national and international current event questions to compete with other 6th grade students around the nation. You can track their progress at: www.newsbowl.com
The competitions are held at the end of each month.

Congratulations to Shani Ayers, Hadley Branham, and Andrea Burnett-Sircy for ranking 59th in the nation for the month of February. Also, congratulations to Mary Cate Pachciarz, Clark Hutchings, and Samantha Carroll for ranking 71st in the nation for the month of February. The Newsbowl League recognizes the top 100 teams each month in the country. Great job!:)

Congratulations Ben Osborn!

2009-03-09T07:14:00.000-07:00

Ben will be the SJA representative at the state level of the National Geographic Geography Bee on Friday, April 3rd at IUPUI. Ben won the SJA National Geographic Bee competition and then took a written test to qualify for the state level. Hooray!

Slam-in-the-Schools (Mayhem Poets) Field Trip

2009-01-26T07:59:00.000-08:00

Slam-in-the Schools Field Trip ( February 4th, 2009) -

Students in grades 5th-8th, will be viewing a special poetry performance by the Mayhem Poets on February 4th at Butler's Clowes Memorial Hall.

Who are the Mayhem Poets?
Performance poetry is an accessible, appealing art form that can motivate students to foster an appreciation for both classic and contemporary poetic/theatrical expression.
Utilizing hip-hop rhythms and dynamic theatrical techniques, the Mayhem Poets have developed powerful performances and workshops to to inspire people of all ages and backgrounds to craft and perform original poetry.

6th grade- Newsbowl 2009

2009-01-26T07:18:00.002-08:00

Newsbowl 2009-

I am very excited that 6th grade will be participating in a monthly "News Bowl Online Current Events League." The league is a student-centered learning activity that promotes lifelong learning. The students will be placed in teams and will be competing against other schools around the country on their knowledge of current events! Each team will be given 50 rigorous questions on the computer and work together to solve the questions. So, please have your child reading the newspaper or watching the evening news to keep up to date with the events happening around the world. Thanks so much, Miss Tollefson:)

3rd Grading Period

2009-01-26T07:14:00.000-08:00

Hey All!
I just wanted to give you an update on the topics that grades 6th-8th are studying in Social Studies. The 6th & 7th graders research reports are due this Friday, January 30th.

6th grade- Ch.7 Mexico Today

7th grade- Ch.15 Southeast Asia Today

8th grade- Ch.9 Launching a New Republic (1789-1800)

Update on 6th-8th Curriculum

2008-12-10T11:45:00.000-08:00

The topics in Social Studies that middle school is currently focusing on:

6th- Latin America

7th- South Asia & Southeast Asia

8th- Post American Revolution

National Geographic Geography Bee

2008-12-10T11:38:00.000-08:00

I am so excited to have 4th-8th grade students participate in the "National Geographic Geography Bee". This is a geography competition that quizzes students on the cities, capitals, economies, landforms, oceans, and more around the globe. Students will participate in a preliminary competition against their peers in their grade level. The top two students in each grade level will then also participate in a schoolwide competition. The winner of the school competition will be eligible to participate in a nationwide contest. So, what is the largest ocean on the planet? Good Luck!!!!!!!

Social Studies Current Curriculum:

2008-11-07T06:05:00.000-08:00

6th grade- We are currently looking at the Renaissance period in history. Students are researching important historical figures of that time such as Prince Henry the Navigator, Christopher Columbus, Leonardo da Vinci, William Shakespeare and Johannes Gutenberg. They are working with a partner to give an oral presentation to the class on their research about the figure they picked.

7th grade- We are currently studying the Central and Southern countries in Africa. We are looking at their history, cultures, government, geography, natural resources and religions. Students are researching an African country of their choice and creating a power point presentation to inform the class about their country.

8th grade- We are currently studying the land and sea battles of the American Revolution. We are studying historical figures of the time such as John Paul Jones, George Washington, Molly Pitcher, and Marquis de Layfette. We have watched some of the highly acclaimed, PBS film "Liberty". The students also wrote fictional letters as if they were in the shoes of some of the American Revolution's most significant women.

Mix It Up Day 2008!!!!!!

2008-11-07T06:00:00.000-08:00

Mix It Up 2008

Don't Forget to Save the Date -- Thursday, November 13th -- for Mix it Up at Lunch Day 2008!

Mix It Up is a nationwide campaign that supports students who want to identify, question, and cross social boundaries that separate them from each other and help build inclusive, welcoming learning environments.
It's a simple call to action: take a new seat in the cafeteria. By making the move, students can cross the lines of division, meet new people, and make new friends.

Election Day!

2008-11-04T06:29:00.000-08:00

Tell your family members to get out today and vote! :)

Update on 6th-8th SS curriculum

2008-09-22T08:22:00.001-07:00

We are having a very fun and informative beginning in Social Studies for grades 6th-8th.

6th grade-
We are working on a reader's theater play titled, "How the City of Athens Got it's Name". The students also have been using the Internet, their textbooks, and nonfiction books to research Ancient Greece. We are needing white sheets and gold belts or rope for costumes for our play. If you have any of this at home, please bring it in with your child. Each child will be wearing a costume.

7th grade-
We are working on a reader's theater play about the life of female pharaoh, Hatsheput, from Ancient Egypt. The students have been using the Internet, their textbooks, and nonfiction books to research the Ancient Egypt. We are currently looking at the Ancient Egyptians beliefs in multiple gods and goddesses.

8th grade-
We are studying the historical figures of the American Revolution and the events that led up to the American Revolution. We have had some lively discussions about the importance of the American Flag and it's meaning to our current lives. The students have been using the Internet, their textbooks, and nonfiction books to research the American Revolution.

Congrats on Student Council!

2008-09-22T08:18:00.000-07:00

I wanted to say congratulations to Ben and Marshall for representing the 8th grade class in Student Council and Graham for being our alternate. I am confident that all three gentleman will represent the 8th grade, as well as the school, in a positive manner. They are excellent leaders! Way to go boys!

Indiana Social Studies Standards:

2008-08-24T20:00:00.000-07:00

If you would like to see the Indiana standards for Social Studies for your child, please go to:http://doe.in.gov/

They are listed under Academic Standards.

Content areas for grades 6-8 in Social Studies!

2008-08-24T19:42:00.000-07:00

Here's a brief look at the content your child will be examining this year in Social Studies:

6th grade- "Peoples, Places and Cultures in Europe and the Americas"

7th grade- "Peoples, Places and Cultures in Africa, Asia and the Southwest Pacific"

8th grade-"United States History-Growth and Development"

It's history time!:)

2008-08-24T19:32:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Social Studies!

Miss Tollefson
St. Joan of Arc
2008-2009

It's that time of the year again! The 2008-2009 school year is upon us and what a fantastic year it will be! I am looking forward to meeting you on the first day of school and getting to know you better. Also, I am excited to partner with your families to insure your success! It's all about teamwork.So, here's a little about me.......My name is Miss Tollefson and I just moved to Indianapolis from Florida. I was familiar with lizards in the classroom and palm trees on the playground! It wasn't too bad!:)I am really a Hoosier though! I grew up in Indianapolis and went to high school at Lawrence Central. I continued my education at Ball State University, where I received my Bachelor's degree in History.My travels then took me to the "Windy City" (Chicago). I lived there for 6 years and decided to pursue my Masters in Elementary Education and Language Arts degree from Northeastern University. I also received endorsements in middle school and social studies. During that time period, I additionally taught Pre-K at a private school and was a substitute teacher in CPS.After that, I decided to move to Fort Lauderdale, where I taught 5th grade for two years at a public school. I was also the summer reading teacher for grades 3-5 at the YMCA. However, I missed the dear people of the Midwest and wanted to return home to Indianapolis to be near my family and good friends. Go Colts!:)I am very enthusiastic to have the opportunity to teach at St. Joan of Arc. I can already feel the warmth and spirit of the school community. As the "Black Eyed Peas" would say, "Let's Get it Started!" See you soon! Miss Tollefson:)

Welcome to your SJA eClassroom

2008-08-07T07:15:00.000-07:00

Your eClassroom is a new tool to enhance the educational experience for you, your students and their families

An eClassroom is Essentially a Blog
Perhaps one of the most fascinating tools that has emerged from the Internet cloud in recent years is the Blog. A shortening of the term Web log, the Blog is an online publishing tool that enables people to easily publish their loves, passions, dislikes, peeves, discoveries, and insights.

Blogging is also showing up in schools, where teachers have known for a long time that students develop better communication skills when they are authentically communicating. A number of educators are helping their students developing their writing skills by having them publish their work as blogs, and then invite comments from people in the outside.

There are many freely available tools that facilitate blogging, but none seem especially suited for the classroom. That is the reason for developing the eClassroom for SJA. This online blogging tool is explicitly designed with teachers and students in mind, where the teacher can evaluate, comment on, and finally publish students' blog articles in a controlled environment. It is and will be constantly in development. We need your input to refine the look, content, layout of the eClassroom.

There are many options available to teachers who utilize web journals (blogs) to enhance the learning experience. Teaching in a participatory culture can be challenging, but rewarding. Today, teachers have to learn to communicate in the language and style of their students—who some call digital natives (inhabitants of the Web 2.0 world).

Assignments, etc.
For students in grades 4—8, the eClassroom will be the source point for classroom activites, supplemental learning resources, assignments, long-tern projects, links to relevant sites, field trips, etc. How you integrate your eClassroom may vary from other teachers, but understand that with regular use, this tool will become a vital part of your curriculum and teaching style.