Winter Trimester Integrated Studies

• We go to Mars to create a country & constitution (we learn about laws, government & constitutions along the way via We the People, iCivics, & my lessons).
• We study Ecosystems by growing plants, identifying which animals would eat them, citing the sun as the sources of all energy for plant growth & completing the lessons from Science Companion. Our setup is hydroponic/aeroponic and represents a similar approach to that on our trip to Mars.
• We transform our plants into edible creations that others want (salads, snacks, recipes, pickles, jams, etc.) in order to learn about synthesizing individual components into specific desirable/sellable products.
• We sell our products to people in the community in order to learn about business skills (entrepreneurship, financial literacy, making change, projections, customer service, advertising, marketing, etc.). We use EverFi's Venture program, RWS's support & resources, and my lessons to learn about these skills.
• We invest our money to try to grow it, all with the idea that we will donate some of it to a worthwhile charity that students select after researching and discussing. Some should go back to our original investor. And some should be reinvested in the company.
• Math connections galore! (see above bullets).
• Reflective/Synthesis Writing after certain experiences (on our ePortfolios) will help students preserve the information, long-term. Writing from the perspective of their persona on Mars will help with creative writing, mechanics, grammar, etc. Informational Writing & Persuasive Writing comes via brochures & advertising materials (including our website, social media, etc.).
• Performance skills can be fine-tuned as we produce commercials & Vine's. We should maintain a YouTube channel and set it up for advertising.
• Students will be reading non-fiction via Schoolwide, online resources, and We the People in order to help understand all of these processes and I will provide them with materials that help clarify Ecosystems and Government. We will continue to read fiction during Literature Circles and will focus on common core standards for reading while completing these activities.