Image Source: Radio NZ
Image Source: UNHCR
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Best Photos of 2018
26 NovOff the north coast of Canada’s Baffin Island, a June sun transforms snow and ice into limpid pools of turquoise. The Arctic’s perennial sea ice cover—the ice that survives the summer melt season—has shrunk dramatically. From “Here’s Where the Arctic’s Wildlife Will Make Its Last Stand,” January 2018 PHOTOGRAPH BY BRIAN SKERRY
SARAH LEEN HAS a job most people in the world would envy. She looks at photographs for a living. And not just any photographs — National Geographic photographs. As our Director of Photography, Leen estimates she has looked at as many images “as there are stars in the sky,” so it’s hard to narrow down her favorites. But she does that every year — here are her favorite 100 of the over two million submitted to us this year, in no particular order.
Last Week of School! Have a Great Summer! Goodbye AISC!
13 JunB block
D block
F Block
H Block
End of the year class photos from Social Studies!
Photos from our last week of school: Reflecting on our learning, sharing work from our final project and our last Out of Eden Learn footstep, and saying goodbye.
Doyeon’s Out of Eden product was featured on Out of Eden Learn’s social media channels this week. Congratulations!
It has been a memorable year! Stay in touch with me! Good luck next year in 7th grade! You can reach me at my new school address in Lusaka, Zambia: rmartin@aislusaka.org
Moving On! – Sharing our work!
29 May
Photos by Rob Martin
Here are a few photos from students presenting their Moving On! projects to classmates this past week. Congratulations! We were quite impressed with you final product, research, and creativity. We will share your product with the teacher.
– Mr. Martin and Mr. Nick
Return your Textbook!
20 May
Please return your textbook this week. The textbook should have your name on the inside cover and match the number that I wrote down. Please give me the book, and don’t just drop it off on my desk. Thanks!
Diverse Places – Moving on!
20 Apr
This week we began our final unit of 6th grade Social Studies, Diverse Places – Moving On! Students, in groups, selected two places to compare and contrast. They will be conducting research on the two places and focus on three areas: History, Geography, and Economy. They will also answer the questions that departing or new teachers have given them. At the conclusion of the group project, students will create a product (brochure or video) on the place that the teacher is moving to. Some sample screenshots appear above this paragraph. Mr. Nick and I loved the workstation that Joao, Ayaan, Eunseong, and Shinnosuke created for their collaboration.
Twin Day for Mr. Nick and Mr. Martin?
Globalization – What is it?
14 Mar
What is globalization? Is the Silk Road an example of globalization?
BriarHill24HrWorldTour – Photos!
12 MarPhoto by Rob Martin
Photo by Rob Martin
Photo by Rob Martin
Photo by Rob Martin
On Friday, March 9th, students connected via Skype with students in Texas for what they call the BriarHill24HrWorld Tour. This is the 3rd year that Social Studies students have participated in their project, a fascinating ‘tour’ that takes their students around the world to connect with experts and other classmates around the world. Here is their blog and their 2018 schedule. What a great example of using technology to connect with others around the world.
Image source: http://briarhill24hrworldtour.blogspot.in/2018/03/pictionary-with-india.html
Briarhill24hrWorldTour
7 Mar
Come to Mr. Martin’s room on Friday during recess from 10:30am – 10:45am to Skype with students in Texas who are doing a 24 hour Skype tour. They will attempt to make a call to seven people on seven different continents. They will have introductions, a short weather report, current event, and a quick conversation to learn about our school and Chennai. This is the 3rd year I have worked with this school. It’s a lot of fun! Bring your snack and come to 3126! H block students will join for the last 10 minutes of their conversation when their class begins.
Celebration of Learning + February Birthdays
2 Feb
Mr. Nick and I enjoyed meeting with your parents for the Student-Led Parent Teacher Conferences on Wednesday night and Thursday. We also appreciate the students who volunteered to share work we have done for the Out of Eden Learn Project at the Celebration of Learning in the CIC. We heard many parents complement this online project and your work.
We begin our new unit, Meeting our Needs next class. This will focus on China, trade on the Silk Roads, and globalization in the world today. We will also be starting Learning Journey 2 with new schools. Your recent work on the interviews was excellent and we have enjoyed reading the stories.
Here are the February birthdays: Somin (1), Chihiro (10), DoYeon (17), Hyeongjun and Iven (24), Raymond (28). Let us know if we made any mistakes or forgot someone. Have a great day and weekend!
Great Quotes
15 Jan
Martin Luther King Day celebrates the life and achievements of the influential American civil rights leader. Known for their oratorical power and eloquence, King’s speeches emphasized the importance of compassion, unity, and empathy. In the U.S. today is a national holiday.
From Hunters-Gatherers to Early Farmers
29 Nov
This playlist features videos that show the gradual change from migration to our earliest villages and the development of agriculture. Our current question that we are focusing on is: Was the development of agriculture good for humans? Explain. I hope you find these videos helpful. If you find other helpful resources, please share them with me, and I will add them to our class site.
Our Greatest Innovations
27 NovWhat were the best inventions or innovations in history? I saw this article on History.com: 11 Innovations That Changed History. I also found this article from The Atlantic magazine, The 50 Greatest Breakthroughs since the Wheel. Finally, here is one other article from International Business Times: Top Ten Greatest Inventions That Changed The World. What do you think is the greatest innovation or invention in history?
Stories of Migration: Escape from Raqqa
15 Nov
The story of Ahmed and his family, who were caught up in the fight against Islamic State militants in Syria. We have learned about why people migrate or leave their home. This is a very powerful video from the BBC that a friend shared with me. Ahmed is just one of nearly 250,000 people who fled Raqqa during the military offensive to drive out the Islamic State group from the city.
Produced by Nader Ibrahim, BBC Arabic and Coda Studio; Animation by Alessandra Cugno; Illustrations by Sofiya Voznaya
India Week and Guest Speaker
29 OctPhoto by Rob Martin
Photo by Rob Martin
Photo by Rob Martin
We celebrated India Week at AISC this week. Parents came to advisory to talk about Rangoli or Kolam designs and their importance. We also finished our research to answer our compelling question (Why do people migrate?). In class this next week, students will be creating a Google Presentation or poster to show their understanding of a group of a people in history and why they migrated. Mr. Phan gave a presentation to a few classes and told his story about his escape from Vietnam after the war. If you were not able to ask him a question, feel free to ask him one when you see him at school.
Photo by Rob Martin
Photo by Rob Martin
Why People Move: The Rohingya Crisis
23 Oct
After a long break (Week Without Walls and our fall break) we are returning to our compelling question: Why do people migrate or move? During last week’s vacation, I watched the continuing coverage of the Rohingya crisis in Myanmar. Here is a case of a group of people or ethnic group who are moving, in order to survive.
Who are the Rohingya? The Rohingya are often described as “the world’s most persecuted minority” according to this article on Al-Jazeera. They are an ethnic group, the majority of whom are Muslim, who have lived for centuries in the majority Buddhist Myanmar (Burma). Currently, there are about 1.1 million Rohingya who live in the Southeast Asian country. Due to ongoing violence and persecution, hundreds of thousands of Rohingya have fled to neighboring countries either by land or boat over the course of many decades. Look at this visual from Al-Jazeera and watch the videos to learn more about this group.
Other related or recent news stories:
There’s only one conclusion on the Rohingya in Myanmar: It’s genocide (CNN)
World Book Online -> Log-in -> Student -> Search: Rohingya (translate to your native-language, if necessary). We will make hard copies.
In class this week, we will finish our group work where we are collecting information on historical events or periods where people migrated or moved for various reasons (ancient humans, African-Americans during the Great Migration, Vietnamese after the war, and Syrians who have fled their country).
We will also have a guest speaker this week to talk about his story of migration and movement – Mr. Phan!
Research and Collaboration – Migration and Out of Eden Walk
6 OctThe “UN Group” – South Korea, Germany, Thailand, France, and Japan
Looks like an Apple Store with a better view of the palm trees!
A friendly visitor in class.
In class we are answering the compelling question: Why do people move or migrate? We are seeking connections to Paul Salopek’s Out of Eden Walk as we build some background knowledge on his motivation for his 9-10 year walk that will follow the path of human migration. In class students are conducting research that focuses on migration during four different time periods: ancient history, the “Great Migration” (African-Americans in the U.S.A.), Vietnam and the boat people, and Syrian refugees. We want to learn about where they migrated to, why they migrated, and what challenges they faced.
Here are two current photos from Paul’s walk in Tajikistan. Here is a current story from Paul’s walk, The Ruby Sellers of Vrang. All students should be finished with posting footstep #1, Setting Off, for Out of Eden Learn. You should also be engaging in conversations with other students from other schools in our walking party. We will do Footstep #2 after the vacation.
Why do people move?
27 Sep
Why do people move?
Watch the videos below and answer this question? Some other resources you could use:
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World History Textbook (pages 46 – 47 & 51 – 53) – Early Humans’ Way of Life/The Development of Tools
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The Map of Human Migration (The Geographic Project)
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Migration: Are more people on the move than ever before? (BBC)
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Foraging, Migration, and Beyond (Big History Project)
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The Iceman’s Stomach Bugs Offer Clues to Ancient Human Migration (Smithsonian)
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Vietnamese Refugees (CBC Archives)
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Vietnam’s boat people: 25 years of fears, hopes and dreams (CNN)
If you find interesting stories, maps or links that help answer this question, please let me know and I will add it to my list of resources. As we try to understand Paul Salopek’s goal of following the path of ancient human migration, we will look to make connections with our world today.
Great Quotes
26 Sep
You are quickly learning that Social Studies is not about memorizing facts and dates. You are learning many new routines to show your thinking as you make connections to what you know and the world around you.
Snapshot Autobiographies + Out of Eden Learn
17 Sep
Photos by Rob Martin
Here are a few photos of your work on your snapshot autobiography from class on Thursday and Friday. Most of you nearly finished in class. Finish them before class on Monday and Tuesday and be prepared to share them with your classmates. Review the expectations and rubric that has been emailed to you and also shared on PowerSchool. Out of Eden Learn begins next week! More details will be provided in class.
Poll Question: What is your favorite phone? Claim, Evidence, Reasoning
13 Sepiphone vs. Samsung vs. ???
Advisory class almost didn’t start today because of a passionate debate between some students about their favorite phone. In light of the release of the new iPhone X, it sparked a debate among some students, so I thought this might be a nice opportunity (optional) to connect what we are doing in class to another topic. In the comment section, write a paragraph where you make a claim (ex. “The Samsung Galaxy smartphone is a better phone than a…”). Make sure you support your claim with evidence and reasoning (your explanation).
If you don’t own a phone, you could also make a claim about a different topic, such as: Why you think people your age should not have a phone. (ex. “Sixth grade students are too young to own their own phone because…”). Another one? “My parents should let me own a phone because…”
Although I now have an iPhone 6+, I owned a Nokia phone for nearly eight years. I loved it! When you post your comment, you need to add your first name only and your email address. Leave the box that says ‘website’ empty. All comments are moderated meaning I must approve them first before they are visible to everyone.
Snapshot Autobiography
11 Sep We have been working hard on writing narratives to describe three turning points in our own personal history. We have defined a turning point and you have brainstormed memorable events in your life. Each event must include a claim, evidence, and reasoning to support why this turning point was so important in your life. You must also include a timeline (drawn to scale) and an ‘About the Author’ section on the back.
I have created a model to describe three turning points in my life. This week we will revise our writing and ensure that the who, what, where, when and why are answered with sufficient details. You will also work on creating your brochure that will also include illustrations and a title. We are excited to see your finished product!
Snapshot Autobiography Introduction
29 Aug
Photos by Rob Martin
We have started our snapshot autobiography project! We brainstormed a list of memorable events, defined a turning point, and interviewed parents about a turning point in their lives. We are also reviewing our rubric to ensure we understand expectations. In class this week, we are learning how to write a claim, use evidence, and support our claim through reasoning (CER). Please see PowerSchool for the slides and our daily agenda.
What is Social Studies?
15 Aug
This week we are introduced our class, Social Studies. What is Social Studies? Watch these videos. The first one is the one we watched in class and discussed in our table groups. We are will learn about the various themes of this subject, throughout the year – geography, history, civics, and economics.
Welcome Back (2017 – 2018)
13 Aug
Welcome to 6th grade! We hope you had a nice summer and are ready for a great year. Along with PowerSchool, my class blog will celebrate learning and share ideas. This blog is also a great way for parents to see what we are doing in class. As of today, this site has had over 90,000 page views from 174 countries. You and your parents can ‘follow’ the blog by adding your email address in the box at the top right of the blog. You need to confirm you are following the blog when you get a message in your inbox. Anytime Mr. Martin adds a new post on this blog, you will get a message, if you are following this blog.
The photos above feature some activities we did in our first day, the name wave. We learned each other’s names and how to pronounce each other’s name. We also did a four corners activity. In addition, we discussed important materials needed for our class:
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spiral notebook
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accordion folder
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pencil case
– Mr. Martin and Mr. Ranson
Visitors since 9/27/13
Mr. Martin’s Badges
Singapore, October 10-12, 2013
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