Visible Learning , 7th Grade Social Studies

What does learning look like so far in 7th grade social studies at Saigon South International School?

It’s been a wonderful start to the school year and I’m absolutely thrilled to be at SSIS. The students are kind, respectful, attentive and warm. As a new teacher, the transition has been smooth. We have a fantastic community here making everyone feel welcome.

Here’s what my seventh grade learning environment looks like so far…

We launched the year with sketchoting and students have approached visual notetaking with an open mind and a keen desire to experiment, as they develop skills expressing their ideas visually.

In our study of the Origins and Spread of Christianity, we have been looking through the various lens of ICGRAPES (Intellect, Culture, Religions, Arts, Politics, Economics & Society).

Here’s a quick map of our unit that I created to post on our bulletin board to guide our learning and help us visually navigate the historical narrative.

Students have been exploring their critical thinking and making connections to historical events using sketchnoting as a vehicle to capture the big ideas, relevant details and demonstrate their understanding.

We’ve had mini-workshops on sketchnoting and discussed our next steps as visual communicators.

Here are some of their learning takeaways…