US History Seeds of Democracy as told by 8th Graders

Recently the students in 8th grade US History explored the seeds of democracy through the creation of paper slide videos.  Students were given an event in history that had an impact on the writing of the US Constitution.  They were to research the event and explain how it played a part of the development of the US Constitution.  The students worked in teams of 3 to 4 to create 4-6 pieces of paper, "slides" that told the story of their event. These slides were then videotaped with flip cameras while the students narrated the images.  The teachers then used these videos to the review the class on the various seeds of democracy that they students need to know according to state TEKS.    Here are a few examples of the final products:

Texas EcoRegions Project

Seventh grade students recently finished a project on the Ecoregions of Texas.  The students spent some time on the computers researching their regions to find information about the geography, physical features, food web, the impact of weathering erosion and deposition.   Students were given options on how to report their information back to the class.  Choices included powerpoint, prezi, animations and interactive virtual posterboards.




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Farewell Old Friends

After eleven years of service, these seven carts are being retired to make way for seven new carts of netbooks.    Teachers and students are very excited to start working on the new computers.

Career Exploration in 7th Grade

Seventh grade students have been spending time in the computer labs with Mrs. Leverette, the 7th grade counselor, to explore colleges and future careers using Career Cruiser.  They are learning what it takes to get into college and  what will make their application stand out by participating in volunteer activities and college prep.  For more information about what you can do for college and career readiness check out the counselor's webpage at: http://teacherweb.com/TX/RidgeviewMiddleSchool/CounselingDepartment/links1.aspx

World Cultures Brochures

Sixth grade students are researching provinces of Canada to create a travel brochure for their region.   After using CultureGrams to gather their information, they are using Publisher to create the brochure.   

SumoBots Invade Ridgeview

Each year students are offered a variety of technology camps to attend in the morning to learn new skills.  The first one this year included creating a Lego NXT robot that could stay in a ring and be able to push out their opponents.  The 2011 Sumobot Camp attracted 25 students who met each morning for a week to build and program an original robot.   Matches were held on Friday and the results can been seen in the video.

Texas History Explorers

Texas History students began working on their Explorer powerpoints were they are to research explorers who were in Texas and to map the routes they took on their journeys.  Students will work in partners over several days to complete the assignment.

Science Uses Technology

Working with online simulations helps student better understand concepts being taught in their science classes.  Students in several science classes today used the website, Explore Learning,  to examine the structure of an atom in 8th grade and the concepts of friction in 7th grade.  As they went through the simulations students were asked to record their observations and draw conclusions on what they were observing.

Explaining the Math

Students in Ms. Burton's algebra class used the Flip cameras to record tutorial videos explaining how to find the area of a traingle and of a trapezoid.  The students were to videotape a paper triangle or trapazoid and explain the math behind the formulas.  These videos were then shared with other math classes for help ni learning these skills.  Some of the videos are below.

Moodling in Sixth Grade

World Cultures students got their first taste of Moodle this week as they logged in and began completing assignments for class.  Sixth grade students will be working in Moodle all year for several of their classes.