Gifted
January 26, 2024
Welcome to Gifted Social Studies
American History (1860-1938): Mrs. Schroeder
Mrs. Kelly Schroeder
Welcome Back! I hope everyone enjoyed a nice restful spring break.
This week students studied the Great Migration by analyzing Jacob Lawrence’s Migration Series and understanding the push and pull factors that fueled this migration.
We also moved on to our studies of the 1920s here in the United States. Students started working on independent projects focusing on cultural developments and contributions in arts, literature, music, entertainment, and technology during the 1920s. Students began their research on a particular topic of their choosing. In the end, each student will create an artifact and museum card to add to the 6th grade 1920s museum.
Students began the week with a stock market simulation.
This simulation was based in the mid-1920s when the United States was experiencing a bull market. Each student was given $140 and had the opportunity to invest in five different companies (paper, auto, radio, entertainment, and oil). Each round student received wages for their “job” and also had to pay “cost of living” fees.
Each round students tracked their total cash, and total investments and graphed their net worth. All students saw growth within the first couple of rounds and then started taking more risks with their investments. Unfortunately, they experienced the harsh reality of the Stock Market Crash on October 29, 1929, when all of their investments lost their value. Students then experienced hardships and worry due to losing their income due to unemployment and still being required to pay the cost of living fees. Unfortunately, we did have some students who were involved in insider trading (telling other sections what round to sell their investments) and had to pay a hefty fine to the bank. In the end, students understood the risks that are involved with investing in the stock market and the importance of being knowledgeable about companies before investing.
The best way to reach me is at schroeder.kelly@wgcloud.org. All assignments and resources are located on Canvas. The homepage features the current Week at a Glance with the plan for the week. Students' grades are updated on Tyler SIS.
American History (1938-2024): Mr. Wetter
This week the students looked at the ugly side of globalization with a look at the uptick in terrorism around the world with of course a day looking at the tragic events of 9/11. They have then researched Global Organizations and presented to the class.
Upon completion of the presentations on Monday the students will look at the UN’s Millennium Development Goals. They will also look at the Global Goals and research two of their choice and judge how things are going with each goal.
The following week they will begin the final stretch of the Pop Culture project where they will develop their website and mini-museum. This has been a project they have been working on since January so every student should be prepared for the final push. Let me know if you have any questions.
If you have any questions regarding anything in class - grades, assignments, units, etc. - feel free to email me at wetter.bradley@wgmail.org. Thank you and have a great day.
Contact Me
Mrs. Schroeder: schroeder.kelly@wgmail.org Gifted Specialist
Mr. Jon Wetter: wetter.bradley@wgmail.org Gifted Specialist