Mrs. McDonough
Welcome to the 7th grade!
My name is Jennifer McDonough and I will be teaching Social Studies and Content Literacy on team Maple this year. This is my 21st year at Woodbury, however, my first year in 7th grade. I look forward to teaching and learning along-side the students. I truly enjoy the middle school years and strive to bring the same excitement and joy to the students in class.
In my free time, I enjoy going to the beach, reading, and spending time with friends and family. I have three lovely boys and a wonderful husband. I also love the Red Sox, painting and all kinds of crafts.
I look forward to a wonderful 2019-2020 school year with everyone!
Google Classroom
Google Classroom Codes
Core 1: lehkt3
Core 2: ajv3wn
Core 3: cts8t3
Core 4: ydjfj3k
Content Literacy: ic3e7ho
What We Study
Grade 7 World Religions and European History Through 1700
In Grade 7, students focus on the development of Western Culture and history beginning with an overview of the Abrahamic Religions, the growth and development of the Islamic World, a study of Europe after the Fall of Rome and into the Middle Ages, and culminating with a study of the Cultural, Political, and Religious shifts of the Renaissance and Protestant Reformation. Students contend with questions such as the following: “How do belief systems influence the behavior of individuals?”, “What happens when Empires collapse or collide?”, “What causes the establishment and destruction of social/political systems?”, and “How does material culture demonstrate the values/understandings of a culture or society?”.
Quarter 3 Topics
- The Crusades
- Were the Crusades *really* about Religion?
- What were the Crusades? [H]
- What motivated the call to the Crusades? What motivated the Crusaders? [H, E]
- Did the actions of the Crusaders really align with their causes? Which groups benefited from the Crusades? Which groups suffered? [H, E]
- The Black Death
- Did the Black Death kill the Middle Ages?
- What was the disease known as the Black Death? [H]
- What was the social, political, and religious response to the plague? [C, H]
- How did the course of the Black Death affect medieval society? [H, E]
Quarter 2 Topics
- Why was Islam so successful in terms of expansion and empire building
- Why was Islam attractive to the people of Western Asia and Northern Africa?
- Describe the factors that led to the rapid rise and growth of Islam. [H, E, , G]
- Explain the lasting contributions and developments made possible by the spread of Islam [H, C]
- (Science, Math, Literature, Art, Bathing, Writing, Reading, Knowing Stuff, Not burning witches)
- How does Islam go from a small fringe group to a major world power in less than 100 years?
- Construct a map to show the patterns of the growth of Islam from the early days of Muhammad to the establishment of the Umayyad and Abbasid Caliphates. [G, E]
- Trade routes = new converts
- How did economics and trade promote the spread of the Islamic Empires?
- Describe the barriers to trade in the region and how the Islamic Empires over came those barriers [E]
- “Hey, wanna buy our stuff? Better also worship our God while you’re at it!”
- Mansa Musa, Persians, etc.
- “Hey, see all that not being very rich and successful you have? If you follow *our* God, you can have some being super rich and ultra-successful!”
- Explain the costs and benefits of trading with the Muslims for non-Muslim groups in North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula [E]
- Barbarians & The Fall of Rome
- How ‘barbaric’ were the ‘Barbarians’?
- What is the history and meaning of ‘barbarian’? [H]
- Who were the ‘barbarians’? [H]
- How did the barbarians impact Europe? [H, E]
- Feudalism & The Middle Ages
- Was Feudalism fair?
- What was the Feudal system? [C, E, H]
- What were the benefits and drawbacks of the Feudal system? [E, C]
- What were the roles and responsibilities of the different social classes? [C]
Quarter 1Topics
- Why is Jerusalem the center of so much global conflict?
- What is Jerusalem?
- Describe the city of Jerusalem in terms of geography [G]
- Explain how the geography of Jerusalem impacts the lifestyle of the people who live there. [G]
- Who lives in Jerusalem today?
- Describe the various religious groups living in Jerusalem [H]
- Compare and contrast the beliefs and practices of the groups living in Jerusalem [H]
- What factors have driven conflict and inspired cooperation throughout the history of Jerusalem?
- Explain how differences in beliefs and practices can drive conflict and inspire cooperation [H]
- Explain the connection between various events in Jerusalem’s history in terms of causing or preventing conflict. [H]
- Why was Islam so successful in terms of expansion and empire building
- Why was Islam attractive to the people of Western Asia and Northern Africa?
- Describe the factors that led to the rapid rise and growth of Islam. [H, E, , G]
- Explain the lasting contributions and developments made possible by the spread of Islam [H, C]
- (Science, Math, Literature, Art, Bathing, Writing, Reading)
- How does Islam go from a small fringe group to a major world power in less than 100 years?
- Construct a map to show the patterns of the growth of Islam from the early days of Muhammad to the establishment of the Umayyad and Abbasid Caliphates. [G, E]
- Trade routes = new converts
- How did economics and trade promote the spread of the Islamic Empires?
- Describe the barriers to trade in the region and how the Islamic Empires over came those barriers [E]
- Mansa Musa, Persians, etc.
- Explain the costs and benefits of trading with the Muslims for non-Muslim groups in North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula [E]
7th Grade Topics
Topic 1: World Religion
Topic 2: Growth of the Islamic World
Topic 3: Middle Ages
Topic 4: Renaissance
Topic 5: Reformation