Welcome to the 2008 - 2009 School Year!
This website will provide you with resources and materials to make this a great year in Social Studies!
MOVIE: Sahara:
This movie is an action movie that is rated PG-13 for action violence (so make your own decisions about allowing your child to view the movie). It is based on a book by Clive Cussler and stars Matthew McConaghey and Penelope Cruz in a story about modern day Mali. Although it isn't a historical connection to our curriculum, many students enjoy the movie.
[We will be studying the medieval West African trading empires of Ghana, Mali, and Songhai throughout February.]
FAMILY FIELD TRIP: To the grocery store!
I know, this sounds more like a preschool field trip than a middle school trip! But take your child to the spice aisle in the grocery store. How much do spices cost? What types of spices are there? Any clues about where the spices came from? The spice trade was an important part of medieval history. How about salt? How much does salt cost? What are the different types of salt that are available? What are those salts used for? Salt doesn't cost much today, but 1000 years ago it was equal in value to gold! Quite a difference from today, hm?
ON-LINE GAME: Continent Trivia
How well do you know your continents? Well, it is one thing to be able to name them, but do you know anything about them? This quick quiz has ten trivia questions to answer. How did you do? How did your parents do?