On Monday we honor the legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. As both a social studies and religion teacher, I appreciate how much Dr. King incorporated his faith into his speeches and work to bring progress to our nation. I hope and pray that we continue to move forward as a society and truly honor his legacy in our actions. Here are the updates for this week.

6th Religion

This week we will continue the saga of Saul and David, the first two kings of Israel. The lessons this week emphasize the importance of repentance and show that God will truly forgive all of our sins. The memory verse this week is 1 John 4:4.

6th Social Studies

In social studies this week, we are moving into Topic 5: Ancient China. We will learn about the earliest cultures of the Huang River Valley and how the geography impacted the lifestyle and culture there. Then, we will get into the earliest dynasties and the development of philosophies such as Daoism and Confucianism.

7th Religion

In religion this week we will study how God spoke the world into creation. Then, the students will begin their second trimester project which will be writing a children’s style picture book about Creation. The memory verse this week is Matthew 6:33-34.

7th Social Studies

Last week, the students learned about how the Bill of Rights was added to the Constitution and what inspired it. This week, the students will be working on projects to illustrate the various rights given in the Bill of Rights. They will have the choice of writing a song, drawing a cartoon, or writing a skit about one of the amendments. They will present/perform their projects on Friday.

8th Religion

This week we will continue our study of Samson and then we will learn about Ruth, a woman who lived during the time of the Judges. Her story shows a great example of faith, love, and trust. The memory verse for this week is Proverbs 3:5.

8th Social Studies

In social studies, we will be wrapping up the Spanish American War and analyzing one of the yellow journalism articles that prompted the Spanish American War. Then, we will get into how that shaped U.S. policy with Latin America. On Friday, we will begin studying World War I.