Geography+2014-2015

__ Geography Home Page __

iBooks for studying

https://drive.google.com/a/hershey.k12.pa.us/file/d/0B-s0c3a4VIQqenFhdHBUYTN0NTQ/view?ts=564e1582

https://drive.google.com/a/hershey.k12.pa.us/file/d/0B-s0c3a4VIQqTm11QTNPVDlUMEE/view?ts=564e15ae

https://drive.google.com/a/hershey.k12.pa.us/file/d/0B-s0c3a4VIQqYVNMaUdBcHlxN1k/view?ts=564e2749

Welcome to Mr. Repsch's wiki page for Seventh Grade Geography. On this page you will find links to other websites that my students use in class as well as links to contact me if you need to. In addition, I will post a brief overview of our daily activities.

Email Mr. R

First Marking Period Information

Second Marking Period Information

Third Marking Period Information













Materials for studying for the Unit Test. The Unit Test will be next Wednesday, April 1st.




 * Date || Class Log ||
 * 5/25 || No school, Memorial Day ||
 * 5/26 || 2-Hour delay start time. Students were given an opportunity to work on reading six different Upfront magazines that I picked. Each magazine contains articles with various connections to topics we have learned about this year. The task is to read through the articles and find those connections. Students are permitted to take notes on what they read. Next Wednesday, a quiz will be given on the magazines. This is the geography final. To access the magazines outside of class, go to this website:

http://upfront.scholastic.com

click to sign-in as a student and enter the password articles1415. All the magazines are available in the archives. The issues we are using are from the following dates:

4/22/13 9/15/14 1/12/15 2/23/15 4/20/15 5/11/15 ||
 * 5/27 || Philly Zoo Trip, no classes ||
 * 5/28 || Time in class was given was to work on the assigned readings from Upfront Magazine. ||
 * 5/29 || Today we watched an episode of the Twilight Zone entitled "People Are Alike All Over." The intention was to reflect upon our visit to the zoo and to ponder if zoos are a positive or negative part of society. The remainder of the time was spent working together on the articles assigned for the quiz next week. Remember, the magazines can be accessed online by using the link and password posted above on 5/26. ||


 * Date || Class Log ||
 * 5/18 || Today the debates moved from the classroom back to the library where countries from all three classes did battle. Above is a table showing today's results. Also, remember that current events are due on Thursday. ||
 * 5/19 || The debates moved into the final four stage. The U.S. will decide whom, if any, countries are to receive foreign aid. Current Events are due on Thursday. Please see the guidelines and example below (4/28) for guidance in completing the assignment. ||
 * 5/20 || Today the U.S. decided the fate of our final four countries and awarded foreign aid to several of them. The research notes and debate notes were collected during the class. The reflection piece will be written tomorrow in class. This will concluded the graded portion of the project. Current events have been extended one day and will be collected on Friday. ||
 * 5/21 || Today, we were visited by some members of the high school Youth and Government club to inform the students of the opportunities that await them in high school. We also completed the DCI reflection. In addition, the students were asked to complete a technology survey. The survey is found at the following link:

https://docs.google.com/a/hershey.k12.pa.us/document/d/1UJyVagN ||
 * 5/22 || Today's instructions:

Good morning class! I am not here today. I have a personal day. The instructions for today's class are listed below.

1) Complete and turn-in your current events project. The directions are on the board. Make sure you have everything. Remember that only hard copies are accepted.

2) Complete the technology survey (link posted above on yesterday's date)

3) Begin reading the five selected UpFront magazines that are listed on the board. Copies are at the front of the room on the cart. Do NOT take these copies out of the classroom. You will receive additional time over the final couple of weeks of school to read these magazines. The purpose of this assignment is to show you that many of the topics we have discussed this year are real world topics that can be found in current events. A quiz on the magazines will be given on June 3rd so you may want to take notes on the articles. ||


 * Date || Class Log ||
 * 5/4 || Students were given the World Religions and Political Systems quiz today. After completing the quiz, the students selected playing to randomly pick groups for the final project of the year. This project is called debating current issues. The students will be required to complete research on a specific country and then formulate a plan to help fix a problem that is currently happening in that country. Finally, they will participate in a debate to convince the United States (portrayed by a group of students) to provide them with foreign aide funds to complete their plan. ||
 * 5/5 || We met in the library today to begin the final project of the year entitled Debating Current Issues. The students will work in groups to research a specific problem currently facing their assigned country. Once researched, they must develop a plan to fix the problem and request funding for the plan from the United States. The forum of these requests is a debate against another country to gain the favor of the U.S. ||
 * 5/6 || Research for DCI. ||


 * Date || Class Log ||
 * 4/27 || The first 20 minutes of class we watched a video that provided the basics on the religion of Judaism. It was a good opportunity for the students to make sure that the info they are recording into their graphic organizers is correct. We start each class this week with a short video on each religion that we are studying. The rest of the class was dedicated to completing the graphic organizer. ||
 * 4/28 || Our class started by reviewing the basic beliefs of Christianity by continuing our video series through Safari Montage. The quiz for both Political Systems and World Religions will be given on Monday, May 4th. Students who have finished their work on the graphic organizers should begin work on the final current event assignment of the year. Due to the extended PSSA testing this year along with the class rotation we experimented with, I was forced to reduce the amount of work required for this assignment. The requirements are posted here and the assignment is due May 21st.

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 * 4/29 || Today we covered the beliefs of Islam. ||
 * 4/30 || Today we covered the beliefs of Hinduism and Buddhism. The students were also reminded that the quiz for political systems and world religions will be on Monday. A good study technique would be to create a Venn Diagram and use that to compare and contrast two or more of the religions or political systems. ||
 * 5/1 || No school for students, in-service day. ||


 * Date || Class Log ||
 * 4/20 || The students used their notes that were due today to answer 7 questions about the countries they researched. Students who did not have their work completed had to leave the room and complete their work. ||
 * 4/21 || Students will be completing the questions from yesterday. Those who are finished have some free time before we switch gears and move on to world religions. For those looking to get ahead, you may read from the text available in the classroom. ||
 * 4/22 || With a partner, complete a graphic organizer with the following information about each of the five major world religions (Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism).

Founder Date it began Number of followers today Where it started Where it is most commonly found today Some core beliefs Places of worship Holy Book or not

Your organizer can look anyway that you want it to look but you want to be able to use it to study, so think about that when creating it. ||
 * 4/23 || Students continued to work in pairs today to gather the background information of five of the worlds' major religions. The information is being stored in a graphic organizer that the students can set-up any way they want. An example might look like this:

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 * 4/24 || No class, science test was given and movie in the afternoon. ||


 * Date || Class Log ||
 * 4/13 || In class we watched an episode of the classic TV series, The Twilight Zone. The episode was entitled "The Obsolete Man" and was shown to give the kids some perspective into what life might be like in a country where the government has total control over the people that live there. With the time remaining, we resumed work on the following assignment:

Assignment: Using your Ipad, find an example country for each type of government (except Tribal Rule and Direct Democracy). Once you have an example, look deeper into that country and record the following information:

Is the country developed or developing? (have proof) How much freedom do the people have? Who is the current leader? (exact title) Are they a part of any major alliances? Are there any major political issues happening with the country currently? ||
 * 4/14 || Because of the PSSA ELA testing, our classes have been reduced to only 35 minutes so we will be spending the majority of class time this week on the countries and political systems assignment. ||
 * 4/15 || Mrs. Lister, our school librarian, came into class today and taught the a review lesson on how to properly use citations when completing research. ||
 * 4/16 || Countries and Political Systems assignment. Unit Tests and other graded assignments were returned. Please check home access for updated grades. ||
 * 4/17 || Final class period for the countries and political systems assignment. Incomplete assignments should be finished over the weekend. ||


 * Date || Class Log ||
 * 4/6 || Today we started a new unit. This will be the final unit for the year. Included in this unit are two very important topics for social studies. They are political systems (or types of government) and religions. We began the unit by looking at the different types of political systems. The students were asked to brainstorm a list of 15 ways the government influences their lives. They were also asked to identify if the influence was from the National, State, or Local government. They followed that activity with a Type 1 writing assignment where they were sake their opinion on the following: "Governmental Power, too much or too little?" Once these warm-up activities were completed, they began reading and taking notes on pages 80-84 in the Prentice Hall text. ||
 * 4/7 || For class today, view the presentation that includes the final 3 political systems that you are required to know. In addition, you will find a completed graphic organizer and the pages for reading.

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 * 4/8 || The students received time to finish their notes on pages 80-84 from the Prentice Hall text. They also created another study aid by grouping their different government types into there categories based upon how much freedom the people have. A practice quiz was available for those students who finished early. ||
 * 4/9 || At the start of class, we reviewed the groupings for the study aid completed yesterday. Grouping the political systems into categories based upon the level of freedom helps the kids remember one system from another. After that, the following assignment was given:

Assignment: Using your Ipad, find an example country for each type of government (except Tribal Rule and Direct Democracy). Once you have an example, look deeper into that country and record the following information:

Is the country developed or developing? (have proof) How much freedom do the people have? Who is the current leader? (exact title) Are they a part of any major alliances? Are there any major political issues happening with the country currently? ||


 * Date || Class Log ||
 * 3/30 || Today's class was spent discussing the moral issues of China's one child policy. The students are aware that the policy has worked to help slow China's population. We spent our time discussing the pros and cons of the policy and thinking about how that impact our own lives. The students then started a type 2 writing that they will finish in class tomorrow. The type 2 writing prompt:

Given what you have learned about China’s one child policy, explain why you feel that this was the right or the wrong decision to make for the people of China. In your explanation, include at least two details that support your position, and one refutable statement recognizing the opposite view. 6-8 sentence min.

Highlight your reasons and refute statement. ||
 * 3/31 || This was the final day of the rotation between Geography classes. Tomorrow the students will return to their regular teacher and the unit test will be given. Above there are some resources to help study for the test, including all three chapters and answer keys for select ISN pages that may have been used. ||

http://nlcatp.org/8-major-pros-and-cons-of-the-one-child-policy/
 * Date || Class Log ||
 * 3/23 || Mr. Mackley's students are with me this week to go over chapter 30. This chapter discusses China and the problem of over population. The students received time to continue to work on their reading and notes for Ch. 30. After completing the notes (or for homework if they did not finish the reading and notes in class) they should read and watch the video associated with the following article.

This will help them prepare for tomorrow's class discussion on the one-child policy.

For my students who are with Mr. Crabtree, he has asked that I post the following answer key for chapter 31's ISN pages.

||
 * 3/24 || Today's class was spent discussing the moral issues of China's one child policy. The students are aware that the policy has worked to help slow China's population. We spent our time discussing the pros and cons of the policy and thinking about how that impact our own lives. The students then started a type 2 writing that they will finish in class tomorrow. The type 2 writing prompt:

Given what you have learned about China’s one child policy, explain why you feel that this was the right or the wrong decision to make for the people of China. In your explanation, include at least two details that support your position, and one refutable statement recognizing the opposite view. 6-8 sentence min.

Highlight your reasons and refute statement. ||
 * 3/25 || The final day with Mr. Mackley's kids. We spent our time wrapping up the chapter by finishing the type 2 and discussing Communism and the Three Gorges Dam. ||
 * 3/26 || Today, I received Mr. Crabtree's students and we began looking at the most populated country in the world, China. After looking at China's population pyramid, I assigned chapter 30. The students are to read the chapter and take Cornell Notes on the content. In the summary section of the notes, they should explain the difference between Communism the economic system and Communism the government. If students prefer, they complete the ISN pages instead of their Cornell Notes. ||
 * 3/27 || Mr. Crabtree's students received time to work on Chapter 30. For homework, please read the following article and review the pros and cons of the one child policy so that you can participate in our class discussion on Monday.

http://nlcatp.org/8-major-pros-and-cons-of-the-one-child-policy/ ||


 * Date || Class Log ||
 * 3/16 || The students received time to continue to work on their reading and notes for Ch. 30. After completing the notes (or for homework if they did not finish the reading and notes in class) they should read and watch the video associated with the following article.

http://nlcatp.org/8-major-pros-and-cons-of-the-one-child-policy/

This will help them prepare for tomorrow's class discussion on the one-child policy. ||
 * 3/17 || Today's class was spent discussing the moral issues of China's one child policy. The students are aware that the policy has worked to help slow China's population. We spent our time discussing the pros and cons of the policy and thinking about how that impact our own lives. The students then started a type 2 writing that they will finish in class tomorrow. The Cornell Notes for chapter 30 are also due tomorrow. ||
 * 3/18 || The students completed their type 2 in class today and turned in this assignment along with their Cornell Notes from chapter 30. We also discussed how China has compromised the economic system of Communism by infusing capitalism into their economy through the SEZ's (special economic zones). I also took some time to review the reflection questions from our world shipping project, as this seemed to be an issue for many students. We discussed test taking strategies and the importance of reading questions carefully. For any students who missed it, the type 2 prompt was:

Given what you have learned about China’s one child policy, explain why you feel that this was the right or the wrong decision to make for the people of China. In your explanation, include at least two details that support your position, and one refutable statement recognizing the opposite view. 6-8 sentence min.

Highlight your reasons and refute statement.

Reminder to students that you are reporting to Mr. Crabtree for the next 4 classes to learn about Japan. ||
 * 3/19 || Today, Mr. Mackley's students came to my room to begin discussing chapter 30. This chapter focuses on the country of China. We began by looking at the population pyramid for China's past, present, and future. I then assigned the chapter for reading and note taking. My students are currently with Mr. Crabtree learning about Japan and population density. ||
 * 3/20 || No school for students. ||


 * Date || Class Log ||
 * 3/9 || The students worked on finishing the guided reading questions for the Renaissance and Industrial Revolution or completed the balance sheet quiz depending on whether they have class in the morning or afternoon. ||
 * 3/10 || I went over the details of the Industrial Revolution with the students, focusing on the role of Child Labor and how the Industrial Revolution increased world population. Over the next two days, I will be conducting this same lesson with the students from the other teams in seventh grade, while my students rotate to Mr. Mackley and Mr. Crabtree to learn about the Renaissance and Population Pyramids. ||
 * 3/11 || See comments above ||
 * 3/12 || See comments from 3/10 ||
 * 3/13 || The students came back to me and we began looking at the most populated country in the world, China. After looking at China's population pyramid, I assigned chapter 30. The students are to read the chapter and take Cornell Notes on the content. In the summary section of the notes, they should explain the difference between Communism the economic system and Communism the government. This will be due on Wednesday, 3/18. ||


 * Date || Class Log ||
 * 3/2 || The students continued to work on reading and taking notes on the historical information that will lead to population explosion. The section on the Renaissance was started last week (reading is attached below) and today the section on the Industrial Revolution was added. The students are to read and take notes using the recommended method described in the prepare to read section. Tomorrow will be the reflection question portion of the World Shipping Quiz followed by the balance sheet portion on Wednesday.

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 * 3/3 || World Shipping reflection questions ||
 * 3/4 || World Shipping balance sheet quiz ||
 * 3/5 || Snow Day: Reading Questions for tomorrow and the weekend

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 * 3/6 || The students are engaged in finishing the assessment for the world shipping simulation. Obviously, the weather has played havoc with our plans but we should be finished with the assessments on Monday. The students will then begin a rotation of topics with all three social studies teachers to learn about world population. That rotation is posted above. ||  ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||


 * Date || Class Log ||
 * 2/23 || The students returned to the LGI today to continue the simulation. We started the class by reviewing the practice reflection question that we introduced on Thursday of last week. The students will have several reflection questions on their final assessment. The rest of the time was spent reviewing the balance sheets. Attached below is a document that has the links for all of the videos we have used during the simulation. These videos make excellent topics for reflection questions.

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 * 2/24 || We are approaching the end of the simulation. The kids will be processing their final days by Thursday and taking the balance sheet quiz on Friday. Here is the rubric for the entire project.

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 * 2/25 || Students,

Many of you have turned in the assignments for chapter 32. I need those so that I can grade them and post your scores. Until I receive them, an NHI will appear in the grade book, which is counted as a zero. Those assignments as they appeared on my board are:

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 * 2/26 || The final day for the kids to complete the simulation. Students turned in their journals and balance sheets for grading. ||
 * 2/27 || Our balance sheet quiz was postponed due to our copies not coming in from print. Because of the no homework weekend, the quiz and reflection questions will now be given next Tuesday and Wednesday. The students began moving forward with the unit by looking reading the following section and taking notes.

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 * Date || Class Log ||
 * 2/16 || No school, Presidents Day ||
 * 2/17 || Two-hour delay. Students continued to work on their World Shipping simulation. At this point the students are half-way through the simulation. ||
 * 2/18 || The students were permitted to process up to day 10 of the simulation today. Outside of class, the students should be working on the countries and capitals, rules of the games, and reflecting upon additional topics we have discussed in class. (Somalian Pirates, developed and developing nations, workers strike on the west coast etc.) These topics would be excellent reflection questions for the quiz. ||
 * 2/19 || In class today we provided the students a sample reflection question. Reflection questions are part of the final assessment. We will share an answer to this question as our bell ringer for tomorrow's class.

Sample Reflection Question:

In your opinion, on which continent can a company make the most amount of profit? To prove your point, be sure to mention specific commodities and their values. What does your answer tell you about the level of development for the continent you chose?

Please read the following chapter on the Industrial Revolution to continue the background knowledge for our study of World Population trends. In Seven Billion and Counting, you learned that the Industrial Revolution was a huge factor in the population explosion. This chapter will provide you with additional information on the Industrial Revolution. Read it and take Cornell Notes.

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 * 2/20 || No school. Cold Day ||


 * Date || Class Log ||
 * 2/9 || The students completed their strategy sheets and were permitted to begin the first day of the simulation. The students are having their balance sheets checked every simulated day by the teachers. This will help them with accuracy and prevent mistakes that carry throughout the game. ||
 * 2/10 || The students were permitted to complete the second simulated day during the shortened period. The students were also reminded that Current Events are due on Friday. This is the deadline for the project. ||
 * 2/11 || The students were permitted to complete days 3 and 4 today of the simulation. ||
 * 2/12 || Today I administered a practice quiz to the students who have been struggling to pick up "how to complete a balance sheet" during the simulation. The rest of the class continued to work with Mr. Mackley and Mr. Crabtree. ||
 * 2/13 || [[file:Seven Billion and Counting.pdf]] For class today, read the following article to begin to build background knowledge. ||


 * Date || Class Log ||
 * 2/2 || 2 hour delay schedule: The students started planning the route that they will take for the economic simulation called "World Shipping." If they are attempting to truly maximize their profits and do their best in the simulation, they will try many and make many adjustments before they are satisfied with the route. This may take them several class periods, especially since we seem to be losing time right now due to the weather. Posted on this date is the rubric for scoring the project and the abbreviations for the commodities as well as their costs.

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 * 2/3 || Our students participated in a kahoot quiz so that we could see if there were any glaring holes in their understanding of the rules or the math involved with the simulation. The rules were clearly understood although some review on the rules and locations to purchase fuel are needed. The math was also a concern and was reviewed with the entire group. After the kahoot quiz, the students continued to work on their route and strategy for the game. ||
 * 2/4 || The rubric for grading the simulation was reviewed with the students again and the students were encouraged to challenge themselves to improve their route after their first and even second attempts. The total dollar amount that they earn is a small portion of their grade, so we are hopeful that this will motivate them to put forth the effort to review and improve their route. ||
 * 2/5 || The students continued to work on their different routes in class today. Many are beginning to see that their first attempts might not get them to the amount of profit that they were hoping for, so they are starting over or changing parts of their routes in an attempt to increase their earnings. The simulation is really making them think and that's what we love to see. Reminder that the early turn-in date for current events is tomorrow. The deadline is next Friday. ||
 * 2/6 ||  ||


 * Date || Class Log ||
 * 1/26 || Snow Day, no school ||
 * 1/27 || Today we started our world shipping simulation. Please read the attached booklet for the rules and description of the game.

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 * 1/28 || Day two of our simulation was spent explaining to the students their responsibility to fill out a daily journal consisting of what they learned and what they did each day of the simulation. This is part of their grade and will help them with their understanding of the project. In addition, we answered the students' questions concerning the rules and procedures of the game. ||
 * 1/29 || Posted below are the imports and exports sheet for world shipping as well as the map used for the game. For practice, start learning which capitals are in each country. If you feel like you are understanding the concept of the game well, you can start thinking about a route to take in the game.

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 * 1/30 || The students received the final instructions for how to play the simulation. They formed groups and were given hard copies of the map, imports and exports sheet, and secret strategy sheet. These hard copies will be kept by the social studies teachers in the event that a group member is absent. The students will begin to plan their routes on Monday. ||


 * Date || Class Log ||
 * 1/19 || No School for students; Happy MLK Day! ||
 * 1/20 || Today I will be touching base with the students to see if there is any missing work for the second marking period. While I meet with the students, the class will begin reading about the three different types of economic systems. The assignment will be, to read and take Cornell notes on the pages posted below. Some of this material is review. In the summary section, decide which type of economic system that you would most like to live in. In addition, the writing activity found at the end of the reading, should be completed.

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 * 1/21 || The students continued to work on the assignment posted above. In addition, the ISN pages and reading for Chapter 32 were assigned. This chapter is related to world trade. It follows the production and distribution of a sneaker. This will relate directly to our simulation that will start next week.

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 * 1/22 || 2 hour delay, students will continue to work on the above assignment. The work is due at the beginning of class on Monday. ||
 * 1/23 || This was the final class day to work on the assignments listed above. By Monday, the students should have completed reading and taking Cornell Notes on economic systems and world trade. They should have completed the writing activity "letter to my investors" found on page 79. They also need complete chapter 32, including all of the ISN pages 262-267. ||