I'd like to welcome each and every one of you to Lynnhaven. It's going to be a great year! I will post a synopsis and highlights of our weekly lessons on the "Weekly News Flash" page. If you supply your e-mail address you will receive the update each week electronically. Otherwise, I invite you to check back often to enjoy a connection with what your child islearning in history.

Read what other parents had to say about our Social Studies updates. http://tinyurl.com/lqolp.



May 7-11  We are weekly SOL Practice Tests. The History SOL test is May 21st. An SOL letter & calendar was sent home last week. Study 10 minutes a night with your child and don't forget to sign his/her calendar. It's fun reviewing YOUR knowledge as you help them learn.  Students are also busy working on their final performance task; their ABC Booklets.  They are given time in class each day to work on this project.  Final submissions are due May 17th and 18th.  Happy Mother's Day to all the mom's out there, including my wonderful mother.


April 30-May 4  We have completed our unit on The Civil War and are just a few short weeks away from our State SOL test.  Students are busy working ont their SOL Review Question Packet.   Students have time in class each day to work on these.  Additionally, they have an SOL Letter/Calendar that was sent home to help them stay on track with their studying and reviewing. 


April 23-27  Students quickly picked up where we left off reviewing the key leaders during the Civil War: Abraham Lincoln, Jefferson Davis, Ulysses S. Grant, Robert E. Lee, Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, and Frederick Douglass. We then moved on to the major key battles and events: Firing on Fort Sumter which started the war, the first major battle of Bull Run/Manassas, the Emancipation Proclamation which ended slavery in the confederate states, the battle of Vicksburg which gave the North control of the Mississippi River, the battle of Gettysburg which was the turning point of the war, and finally Lee's surrender at Appomatox Courthouse. Enjoy your weekend!


April 16-20 Students started their week with a Road to Revolution Review and map activities.  They read and mapped out the beginning of the Civil War that started in Fort Sumter, South Carolina.  Students examined the differences in the North and South and how this war got nicknamed the "Brother Against Brother" war.  We ended the week with our customary SOL Review Quiz on Exploration. 

April 6-13  Have a relaxing, safe and fun SPRING BREAK!!


March 26-30  Students spent the whole week working in the classroom and in the computer lab on their contemporary Civil War Hero Song or Bio-Poem.  The performance task will be one of the evaluations for the final nine weeks of school.  Yes, I said the FINAL nine weeks.  It's hard to believe that we are at the end of the 3rd nine weeks.  Report cards will be sent home after the Spring Break holiday.  Students have a shortened week next week and the break starts on Thursday. We ended the week with yet another SOL review quiz on Colonial Times.  Have a wonderful weekend!

March 19-23 Students started out the week examining the cultural, economic, and constitutional difference between the North and South prior to the Civil War. See if they can list some of those issues. My guess is, they will nail them all! Later in the week we looked at the causes of the Civil War and all of the compromises our nation attempted to keep our union together. The US tried relentlessly to appease both the North and South thru the Missouri Compromise, The Compromise of 1850, Fugitive Slave Act, and the Kansas-Nebraska Act. The idea of popular sovereignty was also a huge topic of discussion. We ended the week with our customary SOL Review Quiz on Bodies of Water. 

March 12-16  It was an awesome week of learning! Students had a test on the Abolitionists and Suffrage Movement. I'm happy to report a 95% pass rate on the test. Yippee! By mid-week we were on the Road to Civil War. Our week concluded with our first SOL review quiz on Geography.  Enjoy your weekend! 

March  5-9 We began our study on famous Abolitionists and Suffrage leaders. Students should be able to define abolitionist:someone who fought to end slavery. They should also be able to tell you the main ideas behind the abolitionist movement. Abolitionists believed slavery was morally wrong, cruel and inhumane, and violated the principles of our democracy. We discussed the following abolitionists and their accomplishments: Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, and William Lloyd Garrison. We also learned about the impact of suffrage leaders such as Isabel "Sojourner" Truth, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Susan B. Anthony.   Enjoy your weekend!


Feb 27-March 2 We are concluding our study on Westward Expansion and the Industrial Revolution by examining the impact of such inventions as: the cotton gin, reaper, steamboat, and steam locomotive. Ask your child who invented each machine and what effect it had on peoples lives.  Students also examined how all these new inventions increased the demand for slaves in the South. Please check your child's supplies.  Have a great weekend!


Feb 20-24  This week we continued our exploration of the expansion of the United States from 1801-1861. Students examined geographic and economic factors that influenced westward movement: Population growth in the eastern states, economic opportunity, e.g. Gold Rush, cheaper and faster transportation, e.g., Erie Canal, steamboats, and overland trails like the Oregon and Santa Fe. They created a brochures illustrating the reasons people moved out west.  And we enjoyed viewing severel short clips on Steamboat Willie, and singing the Erie Canal Song.  It's such a catchy tune you might hear it around your house.  Have a great weekend!

Feb 13-17  Happy Valentine's Day   This week we delved into the expansion of the United States. This was a time in our history viewed by writer, John O'Sullivan as our Manifest Destiny. “Manifest Destiny”—The idea that expansion was for the good of the country and was the right of the country. We mapped a the different territories that were added: Louisiana Purchase, Florida, Texas, Oregon Territory, and the Mexican Cession which gave us California & Southwest. Students learned how we acquired each territory: Spain gave Florida to the United States through a treaty. Texas was added after it became an independent republic. The Oregon Territory was divided by the United States and Great Britain. War with Mexico resulted in California and the Southwest territory becoming part of the United States.  The end of the week saw students becoming engineers and entreprenurs.  They had to create a new form of transportation for space or water. What great ideas they came up with. Have a great weekend!

Feb 6-10  The week started out with reviewing for our New Government Test.  Students played games they created and complete study-guides in groups.  I'm really proud of how well the majority of them did on one of the hardest tests of the year.  If you have time please check your child's Interactive Notebook to make sure they are organizing and keeping it up to date.  This is also a good time to check supplies. 

Jan 30- Feb 3  Students are busy working on their Presidential Bowl Games and learning about the first five presidents.  We started out with non-other than the Father of our Country~George Washington. Along the way we reviewed the rise of political parts, namely Federalists lead by Alexander Hamilton and Democratic Republicans, lead by Thomas Jefferson. We concluded our research on the First Five Presidents adding to our list James Madison and James Monroe. Number four James Madison presided during The War of 1812 and caused European nations to gain respect for the US. James Monroe continued to build our nation by introducing the Monroe Doctrine, warning European nations not to interfere in the Western Hemisphere.  We watched short videos on each of these presidents and uncovered interesting facts about them and their families. Did you know Dolly Madison's favorite ice cream flavor was Oyster? Yuck!  Have a great SuperBowl weekend!!

Jan 23-27 Students examined the governmental ideas of Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton. Both men had opposing ideas on how our government should run and would bring about the beginning of the political parties known as Democratic-Republicans and Federalists. Have a wonderful weekend! 

Jan 16-20  There was no school on Monday.  We continued our unit on A New Government by identifying the basic principles of our government including separation of powers and checks and balances. Students also explored the contributions of James Madison.  He was a fellow Virginian who gave us our Bill of Rights, which are the first 10 Amendments to our beloved Constitution. We examined how our Constitution is based on a federal system of government that shares the power between the national government and state governments. Additionally, we investigated the three branches of government: Legislative (Congress) makes the laws, Executive Branch (President) carries out the laws, and Judicial Branch (Supreme Court) interprets if laws are constitutional.  Have a great weekend!

Jan 9-13 This week was spent exploring the creation of a new government for our new United States of America. Students examined the first attempt at organizing a government thru The Articles of Confederation. We learned there were some definite weaknesses: weak national government, no common currency, no judicial or executive branch, only one vote in congress no matter how large they population and no power for Congress to tax. Students noted the challenges faced by the new nation and that basic principles would need to be established in our Constitution.   They then examined our countries attempt and making it work by reading about The Great Compromise.  We ended the week looking at different types of government and reciting the Preamble to our Constitution.  No school on Monday.  Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day! Get out there and volunteer your time!   Have a great weekend!

Jan.3- 6 Welcome back!  Students got to refresh their knowledge of the American Revolution the historical fiction saga: Johnny Tremain.   By mid week we reexamined the key ideas of John Locke: Life, liberty and property. We explored how Thomas Jefferson turned those words into the famous declaration of Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.  Our Test for the Road to Revolution will be next week.  Study guides where sent home the beginning of the week.  Have a great weekend!

Dec. 26-Jan 2 Have a safe and relaxing winterbreak! Merry Christmas! Happy Hanukkah! Joyous Kwanzza! See you next year!

Dec. 19-22  Students got to reinforce their knowledge on the events that lead up to the American Revolution by viewing Historic Boston video. They read about key players who helped guide Americans during this turbulent time of history and those who helped construct our Declaration of Independence such as John Locke, Ben Franklin, Thomas Paine and Patrick Henry. "Give me liberty or give me death!"

Dec. 12-16  We continued our study of the American Revolution.  Students are reviewing  the British policy enforced by King George III that caused the American Revolution and uncovering information about such great patriots as Ben Franklin, Samuel Adams, and John Adams.  No Taxation without Representation!!!  Have a great weekend and stay warm!


Dec. 5-9 We started off the week exploring the "Road to Revolution". Students examined the Political and Economic relationships between the colonists and England. They learned Britain had a huge debt to pay after the French and Indian War, and they were enlisting the help of the colonists to help pay it down. All week we examined the legislative acts King George III enacted to keep control over the colonists and there were quite a few: Proclamation of 1763, Writs of Assistance, Sugar Act, Stamp Act, Declaratory Act, Townshend Acts, Coercive Acts and Intolerable Acts. But the colonists didn't take these new rules from the monarchy lightly because they will soon retaliate. Stay tuned to find out more! Have a great weekend!


Nov. 29-Dec.2 We concluded our study of the 13 English Colonies. We reviewed the different types of people in the colonies and their social positioning: Large Landowners, Farmers, Artisans, Women, Indentured Servants and Slaves. Students worked on their interactive notebooks and created Colonial Couplets describing the different types of people of the colonies. A reminder to check your childs supplies and refresh them.  Have a great weekend!


Nov. 21-23 Students continued their study of the 13 English Colonies.  Focus was on the three division of colonies.  They also enjoyed rapping along to Mr. Rupert's  13 Original Colonies, courtesy of Youtube.  Check it out,  It's great!  We ended the short week with a fun and educational visit from Bob Zentz.  He is a world wide know folklorist.  He shared his stories and songs with the students. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. Have a safe and relaxing holiday!

Nov. 14-18 We started the week where we had left off: The 13 English Colonies. Students read stories about Jamestown, Roanoke (The Lost Colony), Massachusetts Bay, and Plymouth Colonies. They also examined the two major reasons colonists traversed the Atlantic to settle here: economic venture and religious freedom.  We concluded our week examining the social, political, and geographical differences in the New England, Mid-Atlantic and Southern Colonies. Have a great weekend.

Nov. 7-11  It was a short week, but not short on learning!  We started the week with a trip to the computer lab and an interactive web search.    We launched into our new unit on The 13 English Colonies and worked in some Critical Thinking  by examining just what would it take to survive in a new land.  Students were split 50/50 on whether or not they would be up for the challenge.  Most agreed it would be dangerous but full of adventure.  Personally, I prefer the Holiday Inn.   We ended the week with the students watching a short film on the history of Veterans Day and it's meaning.  History, patriotism, courage--our nation's veterans teach us many lessons. Remember them on Veterans Day!

Oct. 31-Nov.4  Students started the week working on their Unit II Performance Task.  They are using all the information we learned about European Exploration to create a map for the Virginia Beach Public Schools, annotating the routes, interactions and locations of the exploreres and natives. They also played computer games to reinforce their knowledge.  What a fun way to learn without even knowing it. Don't forget to turn back your clocks.  Have a great weekend!   


Oct. 24-28 Each day this week we reviewed the three MOTIVES, four OBSTACLES and three ACCOMPLISHMENTS of exploration. We also had a daily review on the four major European Explorers, who they explored for and their claim to fame: Cabot~England~ Eastern Canada, Coronado~Spain~Southwestern US, Champlain~France~ Quebec and La Salle~France~ Mississippi River Valley. Mid week we uncovered new information included mapping the Portuguese and the trade they conducted with the three West African empires: Mali, Ghana, and Songhai.  Have a safe and fun Halloween! 


Oct. 17-21  Students started the week out turning in their Native American projects and taking their Unit 1 test.  From there we quickly began our new unit on European Explorers (US1.4a,b). Students first examined the MOTIVES behind the Age of Exploration. The three G's: GOLD, GOD, and GLORY. They read about just how dangerous life was for an explorer on the seas during the 1400-1600's. Students uncovered the OBSTACLES that explorers faced such as disease, starvation, lack of supplies, poor maps & navigational tools, and of course, fear of the unknown. Additionally, we uncovered the ACCOMPLISHMENTS that were gained from early exploration. These include: improved maps & navigational tools, new empires, and exchange of goods and ideas. Pumpkin carving time.  Enjoy your weekend!


Oct. 10-14  This week students were given time in class to work on their first performance task.  Some where creating posters on one of the five Native American Tribes: Inuit, Kwakiutl, Lakota Sioux, Pueblo and Iroquois. Others were fashioning brochures on all five tribes. They further examine two theories about how people came into North America: one being over the Bering Sea, the other at place in our very backyard called Catus Hill.  All students worked on their study guides for the first big Unit 1 Test slated for the first of next week.  Have a beautiful fall weekend!


Oct. 3-7  We had a jam packed  week of learning.  It all was started off  reviewing for our Geographical Regions. By mid-week we were creating maps of the Major Waterways, learning their locations and descriptions.  Do you know what what two rivers flow into the Gulf of Mexico? The Mississippi and Rio Grande. Students practiced their knowledge by creating a Waterway Flower.  Ask them to share with you this effective way to remember the major bodies of water.  By the end of the week we examined the difference between Natural, Human and Capital Resources as well as how the first Native Americans were able to adapt to their geography and climate in order to meet their basic needs.  Darcy Nelson, a museum educator from the Coast Guard Museum brought in numerous Native American artifacts for the students to look at.  We took notes on Native American Tribes, colored territorial maps, viewed short videos.  Progress Reports went home on Friday.  Have a great weekend!


Sept. 26-30 This it was all about Geographical Regions.  Students learned about the 8 regions of the United States by learning a mnemonic sentence.  Can Boys Read Good Inside A Closed Closet.  The first letter of each of the words corresponds with the name of the 8 regions moving west to east. This is a fun and easy strategy to help students memorizing important information.  Students got to practiced their knowledge by creating colored maps, discussing characteristics of each region and creating T-Shirts depicting the topography of each region.  We ended the week with our Learning Logs and working in our Interactive Notebooks. Take a moment to look over all their hardwork. On a personal note, Happy Birthday to my wonderful daughter who turned 23. I'm so very proud of you! Have a wonderful Fall weekend everyone!


Sept. 19-23 This week brought new areas of study in Geography. Students practiced the cardinal directions then put their expertise to work measuring and drawing. Next, were lessons in latitude, longitude, and hemispheres. Students worked in groups to locate various coordinates on maps and took turns at the Promethian board plotting and answering questions. Students were treated to a special Constitution Day video courtesty of the Peanuts Gang. Charlie Brown, Lucy, Linus and of course Snoopy and Woodstock have a knack for making our great constituion understandable. Have a terrific weekend!

Sept. 12-16 Yippee!! It was another successful week of learning. This week we tackled setting up our Interactive Notebooks. This is a key component to our History class. This notebook will contain all of the areas we study throughout the school year. It's a great resource for you to find out exactly what we are covering on any given day. Invite your student to bring home their Interactive Notebook weekly to share their hard work. We also tackled our first quiz which reviewed the seven continents and major oceans. Finally, students enjoyed a break from learning as they attended the first dance of the season. This dance was just for 6th graders. Thanks to our wonderful PTA for their support! Have a wonderful weekend!

Sept. 6-9 So much has already been accomplished in just 4 short days. Students learned all about middle school rules, block scheduling, and classroom expectations. Lockers can be an obstacle to overcome. But, they are such a wonderful rite of passage. Student are working on map skills by identifying the seven continents and 5 oceans. It has been a fantastic week. Let your child know how proud you are of them; they are doing a great job transitioning into middle school! Have a terrific weekend!!