March 4-8

ISTEP
ISTEP testing begins on Tuesday of this week. Plenty of rest and a good breakfast every morning go a long way toward insuring testing success.

Our testing schedule:
Monday - No tests
Tuesday  8:10 - 9:50  (Math 40 min / Language 60 min)
Wednesday  8:10 - 9:10   (Language 60 min)
Thursday  8:10 - 8:40   (Social Studies 30 min)
Friday - Make up any missed tests

Biz Town
Our trip to Biz Town is scheduled for next Monday (March 11). Students will be meeting with their shop groups for some pre-planning on this Thursday afternoon.

American Character: Respect for Human Rights
As part of our study of the founding of our country, students will be exploring the ideas contained in the following short article this week:

     In the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson wrote that all people are born with "certain unalienable rights," or rights that can't be taken away. These rights include "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." If all people were born with these rights, didn't that also include the slaves? Weren't they born with the same rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness as the colonists were?
     Many colonists didn't believe that these rights applied to slaves. The ideas in the Declaration of Independence gave Americans something to think about when it came to human rights. These are rights that belong to all human beings regardless of race, age, gender, or religion. Not many years would pass before the nation would be caught up in a war over the issue of slavery and human rights.

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This Week's Agenda
(No science or social studies homework this week except for unfinished class work. Use the extra time to get plenty of rest on the nights before testing.)

Monday, March 4:
Social Studies: USA Studies #19 - Why Do We Need Government Anyway? * (see below)
The role of the Federal Government was a hot topic when the Constitution was being created. Many hours were spent arguing over how the state governments and the federal government should divide up governmental powers and responsibilities. That argument continues today in our country, over 200 years later.

Tuesday, March 5:
1. ISTEP
2. Science: Separating Salt from Saltwater  (Group Investigation)
         
          > Take a look at the Periodic Table Song

Wednesday, March 6:
1. ISTEP
2. Science: FOSS Reader - Reading about the history and science of salt

Thursday, March 7:
1. ISTEP
2. Science: Observing Crystals  (Group Investigation)
3. Biz Town Shop Groups

Friday, March 8:
D.A.R.E. with Officer McCarley from the Greenfield Police Department

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* After reading and discussing articles on the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, and the Cotton Gin on Monday students will be asked to respond in writing to the following questions:
(If not finished in class, this would be assigned as homework.)

1.   Find and copy one sentence in “Dividing the Power” that names the three branches of government.

2.  What are the two main responsibilities of the judicial branch of the government?

3.  Find an explanation of “reserved powers.” What does the Constitution say about them?

4.  True or False? The President could make a law changing all automobile speed limits to 45 miles per hour.  Find and describe evidence in the article to prove your answer.

5.  The 535 senators and representatives are part of which branch of the government?

6.  What are some of the responsibilities of a good citizen?  Find and list six of those responsibilities.

7.  The Declaration of Independence said that all people are born with the right to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Did everyone believe that was true for all people? Explain your answer with evidence from the article “Respect for Human Rights.”

8.  What was an unintended negative effect of the invention of the cotton gin?