Sixth Grade
Today, students in sixth grade began presenting their research on leaders throughout history. After a discussion about leadership traits and their importance, students were allowed to choose from a list of leaders throughout US history, including Sacagawea, Lewis and Clark, Harriet Tubman, John Adams, Frederick Douglass, and others. Each student has five minutes to present the leadership traits of their chosen person, and they have made great work of it so far! They are growing in their ability to craft a clear, strong thesis statement. They are also practicing their professionalism in presentations, both as a presenter and as an audience.
Seventh and Eighth Grade
Students in these grades are working on research related to the Corps of Discovery and the Louisiana Purchase. Their final product, a research essay, is due on Wednesday. Seventh grade students have different expectations than eighth grade students, with appropriately-leveled research and writing requirements. Students’ research focus is varied, with some looking back to the history of European explorers on the land west of the Mississippi, others focusing on the Constitutionality of Jefferson’s Louisiana Purchase, the leadership of Lewis and Clark, or the essential roles of Sacagawea and York. Additionally, some students are focusing on the flora and fauna, while others are examining the process of documentation throughout the journey. They have done well digging into the sources, and they’re stretching themselves to present a well-reasoned, well-organized, well-evidenced argument in their essays.
