6th - Middle School 

Thanks for visiting the 6th Grade Homeroom and Middle School Social Studies page. 

June 2018
As the school year winds down, each class is working on its final projects among many other exciting end-of-the-year activities. 

6th grade
6th grade is finishing up its unit on government and ancient Greece and is looking forward to studying the advancements of Rome. How did these civilizations shape our culture? What ideas and inventions were born in Rome and are still in use today? 

7th grade
After finishing its country reports and presenting to the class, the 7th grade class is reviewing what it has learned about the Middle Ages and taking a sneak peek at the Renaissance. What advancements in science, technology, art, and goverment did the Mediterranean region see after the "rebirth" of civilization? The 7th grade will soon find out. 

8th grade
The 8th graders are ending their year learning about the economic, political, military, and cultural conflicts of the Civil War. How did the country mend itself after war? What moves did the government make to reconcile and nation build? How did the outcome of the Civil War shape the country in which we live? 

Spring 2018

6th grade
Holy Family 6th graders are participating in a "civilization simulation" that requires them to settle territory, specialize in a skilled trade, participate in a local economy, and form governments. Students are working together to form alliances, negotiate trades, and balance personal success with the needs of the society. 

7th grade
The 7th grade class has completed its study of medieval times and is now focusing on geography and culture in modern times. Each student will choose a country with ties to the medieval empries we studied and complete a research report. Students will focus on the history, landforms, economy, government, and culture of their chosen country and complete a formal report. 

8th grade
8th grade students have been learning about America's westward expansion in the 1800s. After gathering historical information about the many stakeholders of the time (Native Americans, Miners, Ranchers, Exodusters, Farmers, Railroads, Immigrants etc...) the 8th grade students will create propaganda posters intended to persuade a target population. 

Outdoor School!!
The 6th grade has been scheduled to attend outdoor School at Camp Namanu during the week of April 15th-20th! Please visit the link below for information. 

https://www.mesdoutdoorschool.org/

The Site Supervisor will visit students on February 23rd to share a slide show and help students understand what their week will be like. He will answer questions and share the necessary paperwork for signing up. 

Winter 2017-2018
All three middle school classes spent the fall acquiring vocabulary, skills, and concepts in their respective areas of study. 8th grade studies US History and government. 7th studies the Middle Ages. 6th studies ancient civilization. As each class builds the necessary background information and prerequisite knowledge throughout the 1st trimester, they prepare themselves for major projects in the 2nd trimester...

6th grade
Starting in January, the 6th grade class will take what they learned about the Agricultural Revolution and show how farming knowledge helped mankind blossom into the full-blown river civilizations of Egypt, Mesopotamia, India, and China. The class will be simulating the growth of these civiilzations through a, interactive bulletin board project. This highly engaging, hands-on unit requires students to cooperate, apply knowledge, and solve actual problems faced by ancient people. 

7th grade
All fall, the 7th grade studied the culture, economy, government, and daily life of people in Medieval Europe. Throughout the winter, students will be asked to complete biographic reports about influential leaders from medieval times. Upon completion of the biographies, students will role play and act as their medieval individuals, debating one another on cultural and religious issuees. 

8th grade
Now that the 8th graders are educated on the 3 branches of government, current political events, and our system of checks and balances, they will be moving into a study of the Bill of Right and civil liberties. I look forward to guiding the students through a major writing process to compose argumentative essays where they will be required to form an opinion and support it based on facts, logic, and reason. 

October 2017
Its been a great start to the year, and the middle school social studies program is in full swing! 

6th grade - Studying early modern humans, the 6th graders are learning all the creative ways that hunter-gatherers adapted to the many different environments of the world. We will connect these adaptations to the great variety of cultures and lifestyles around the globe in mocern times. 

7th grade - Looking at the spread of religion, ideas, and culture in medieval times, the 7th graders are focusing on the Golden Age of Islam and the Holy Roman Empire. 

8th grade - After the Declaration of Independence was signed, war broke out in colonial America. What geo-political, economic, and geographic factors led the colonists to victory over the British? This is the topic of study in 8th grade. 

September 2017
Welcome back to school! I'm pleased to have my returning students and families, and even more pleased to welcome all the incoming 6th graders to the middle school program here at Holy Family. We are jumping right in to things and getting the new middle schoolers acclimated to their new schedules and teachers. The middle school team of teachers coordinates their routines and instruction to make the transition as smooth as possible. 

Please come to Back to School Night on Thursday, September 14th, for information regarding the middle school program, as well as homeroom-specific news and updates. Social hour begins at 6:30, followed by the State of the School Address at 7:00. Afterward, the classrooms will be open for parents to meet their new teachers. 

As the history teacher, I'm excited to start new units in the 6th, 7th, and 8th grade. Here are the year's opening topics at each level:

6th grade: As an introduction to middle school, I open the year with training on how to be an effective note-taker, and also, how to be a good writer at the middle school level. These are skill essential to middle school success. 

7th grade: I am introducing the Middle Ages to this group by looking at the changes in Western Europe that occured after the fall of Rome. We start by learning the geography and political boundaries that took shape as well as the development of fuedalism. 

8th grade: We begin by analyzing the Declaration of Independence. What did it say? What did it mean? Why is this document so historically significant? 


Spring 2017
Outdoor school has been scheduled for the week of May 21st-26th. Mark your calendars! We'll be leaving from Sellwood Middle School on Sunday, the 21st, at 2:00! More information coming soon. 

As promised, I finally have specifics about our week at Outdoor School. Please read carefully and add these details to your calendars and family plans. 

Outdoor School is the week of May 21st through the 26th. We are attending Camp Howard with Oregon Episcopal School, Scott Middle School, and St. Paul. 

We will be leaving via bus from Sellwood Middle School on Sunday, May 21st at 2:00. Please arrive 15 minutes early to check in, load the bus, and take pictures. 

If your child(ren) require medication, please have it in a plastic baggie, labeled with their name. Mrs. Dickinson or myself will turn all medication directly over to the ODS nurse. Please note that there is no need to pack "just in case" medicine, as the nurse has many forms of over the counter medication including Benedryl, Advil, Tylenol, etc...

There is a fee for attending outdoor school, and the price varies depending on which county tax pool you pay into. If the cost of ODS poses a hardship, please notify Ms. Wiltgen to request financial assistance. Prices are as follows. Please make checks to Holy Family, as MESD bills the school. 

Residents of Multnomah County = $85

Residents outside of Multnomah County = $322.20

We will be returning via bus to Sellwood Middle School on Friday, May 26th at 1:30. Please arrange for your child to be picked up. We will not return to Holy Family. Students are welcome to go home and begin their weekend! 

If you have questions or concerns regarding this email or ODS in general, please contact me for clarification. 

Social Studies News - 2017

• May
• 6th graders are researching self-chosen topics in relation to ancient Greece. Topics for independent study include architecture, warfare, fashion, philosophy, and more. The end goal is for each student to become an "expert" and teach other students about the wonders of Ancient Greece. 
• 7th graders are just finishing their unit on the MIddle Ages. After taking their test on Medieval Europe, they will be choosing prominent figures from the Middel Ages to research and rol play. 
• in 8th grade, students are participating in a simulation of the American Civil War strategy. This game asks students to critically think about the logistics and strategy of waging war in addition to gaining an understanding of the historical facts.  

 

• April
• 6th grade is creating comic strips that show the evolution of democracy in ancient Greece. This part of a broader unit of study on forms of government including monarchy, oligarchy, and tyranny as well. 
• 7th grade is currently studying the geography and culture of medieval Europe. They are currently working on an illuminated manuscript that shows and tells different aspects of medieval culture through writing and art. 
• 8th grade is learning about the Civil War. They have worked in groups to author, direct, and act out a twelve part mini-series called "The Road to the Civil War," which tells the story of the many controversial events and issues that caused the North and South to turn against eachother. 

 

• March 
• 6th grade is studying its River Civilization unit. The class is split into 4 groups and will be learning about Ancient China, India, Egypt, and Mesopotamia. 
• The 7th grade is in the midst of writing Country Reports. Students will be researching the geography, culture, governments, and economies of nations from all 7 continents. Besides writing a research paper, students will also be hand-drawing political and physical maps, designing charts and diagrams that explore their country's population, and finding the meaning behind their country's flag. 
• 8th graders at HFCS are studying the impacts of westward expansion on both European Americans and Native Americans. We are studying primary documents from the time and analyzing the first-hand accounts from the time period. 

-Matt Gregor