This Time, it's History! We've been working on our Medieval Japan unit in Social Studies, and have been zoning in on the practice of Zen. Here, we have looked at the geography of Japan and the indigenous religion of Shintoism, and how that influenced Zen Buddhism. The students will be constructing their own personal Zen Gardens made out of popsicle sticks and sand. We are excited to see these finished projects, and get a chance to get our hands a little dirty! We're also playing a quick-paced game during class that involves reading, recall, and attention to learn content for this unit. Being able to build at home really helps make this learning come to life!
0 Comments
It's Election Day, so of course it's the perfect time to take a class trip to the Capital! MCS students got to experience traveling as a group out to Sacramento to take a tour of the Capital building. Students took time on the bus to play learning games with each other, and read their pleasure reading books. Once in Sacramento, the class got to learn about traveling on public transit, and how to navigate getting around a new place by using the train system. It was a long journey, but eventually we made it to the Capital! On our tour, we learned some excellent facts about California, and how our system of government works. Students discussed how a bill becomes a law, the differences between the House and the Senate, and how our judicial branch functions. We also learned a lot about the physical architecture of the building, and the importance of color coding in House and Senate. Did you know the California State Senate is decorated in red to symbolize the monarchy, but the 2 thrones heading it remain empty to demonstrate our rejection of that system? Who knew those colors were so important! All in all, we had an awesome day learning, and it was great to explore part of our government first hand. We had a long day, but it was worth it! We encourage you to investigate more about your government too, and become informed as well! You never know what you might discover! Remember, your voice counts - Happy Voting Day, everyone!
MCS gets moving on our Human Impact studies with an adventure to the Marin Museum of the American Indian. With our wonderful guide, Alicia, we learned about how the Miwok people treated their environment and conserved the resources around them. We are hoping to bring back some of these ideals and practices to help continue to save our dwindling natural resources!
We also got to learn about the houses, called kotchas, where the Miwok people lived and slept, and the importance of baskets and tools to the tribe. Students were even given a chance to use handmade drills and practice drilling the way the Miwoks would have to make holes to build! Thank you to Alicia and the Marin Museum of the American Indian for giving us a great experience. We learned a lot and are looking forward to next time! |
Categories
All
Archives
June 2022
|