This past week, students studied the Great Migration by analyzing Jacob Lawrence’s Migration Series and understanding the push and pull factors that fueled this migration.

We also moved on to our studies of the 1920s here in the United States. Students started working on independent projects focusing on cultural developments and contributions in arts, literature, music, entertainment, and technology during the 1920s. Students began their research on a particular topic of their choosing. In the end, each student will create an artifact and a museum card to add to the 6th-grade 1920s museum.

Students began the week with a stock market simulation. This simulation was based in the mid-1920s when the United States was experiencing a bull market. Each student was given $140 and had the opportunity to invest in five different companies (paper, auto, radio, entertainment, and oil). Each round, student received wages for their “job” and also had to pay “cost of living” fees.

Each round, students tracked their total cash and total investments and graphed their net worth. All students saw growth within the first couple of rounds and then started taking more risks with their investments. Next week, unfortunately, they experienced the harsh reality of the Stock Market Crash on October 29, 1929, when all of their investments lost their value. Students then experienced hardships and worry due to losing their income due to unemployment, and still being required to pay the cost of living fees. In the end, students understood the risks that are involved with investing in the stock market and the importance of being knowledgeable about companies before investing.

Good afternoon,

Here is the second-to-last newsletter of the year. Hold the tears because there will be many more next year.

This past week, the students learned a little more about the Islamic Caliphates and a small introduction to the Crusades. Next week, we will explore the Black Death through an analysis of primary sources. Following that, we will connect the Eastern Hemisphere with the Western Hemisphere through Exploration and establish a global trade network. This will wrap up the year and take the seventh graders back into American history nextyear, and the 8th graders into the second half of this World History curriculum.