Springing Ahead

The calendar is quickly turning pages and spring is creeping in on winter. There are many great things happening in Newell-Fonda Social Studies.

In World Geography, students are studying the continent of Africa and learning about the different environmental challenges that the continent is dealing with. We will be hearing from people who have visited Africa as well as from someone who is currently there in Morocco. The students always enjoy getting to interact with people who have lived what they are learning about. The students have also been using cool applications like www.prezi.com and iMovie to make projects about the places they are studying.

In U.S. History class, students have been creating movies and podcasts about World War I. The movie project was based off of the start of World War I. I saw a lot of creativity and the students technology skills have shown great improvement since the beginning of the year. Their podcast project is to create a World War I radio show. Students have been researching events, creating commercials, and practicing their radio voices in order to make a creative and informative project for the class to listen to.

In Contemporary Issues class, the students have just finished their 3rd episode of "The Mustang Report." Each episode is packed with world news stories, national news headlines, and the latest happenings from the Newell-Fonda community. There is also a sports report and the Mustang Moment of the Week that always brings a laugh.

In World History class, students have been studying the Renaissance and Reformation. They have really gotten into the material and have realized what a period of transition this was for the world. We have taken a Renaissance art tour in our classroom, watched a real printing press being used via YouTube, and tested out our own art skills that Renaissance painters had developed. Currently, the students are finishing up research projects on some of the most influential people from that time period.

It's a great time in Newell-Fonda Social Studies and much of it has to do with the hard work and creativity that the students are putting forth.