Mr. Wieme Teaches Social Stratification Through Monopoly in 11th Grade Behavioral Science

Mr. Wieme’s 11^th Grade Behavioral Science students are learning to understand social status and social change through stratified Monopoly. Students play a game of Monopoly in which each student is assigned a specific social class, with each social class having a different set of rules (and amount of income) applied to them. They will then use the results of the game to discuss class structure as part of their Social Stratification Unit.

Social Stratification refers to a system that ranks categories of people according to their wealth, social status, occupation, or power.

One of the goals of this unit is for students to understand that in developed nations around the world, all people have to start somewhere when it comes to social class. Also, the ability of individuals to move up or down within the class system is impacted greatly by the opportunities and advantages/disadvantages provided them as part of the class they're born into. This unit also impacts conversations in the classroom about real life and what impact social class has on societies globally.

Mr. Wieme observes that the biggest challenge that students have with this unit is FRUSTRATION!!! Since rules and incomes are different for each class of people, students often complain about the unfairness they see within the game. The class can then extrapolate this to conversations about why some people in society feel like the system is unfair.

Teaching Standard:

SS.9–12.BS.5 - Understand how social status, social groups, social change, and social institutions influence individual and group behaviors.

The Power of Play

Some of you may wonder….what do students do all day in preschool? The answer is, A LOT!! Preschoolers learn new skills, create using their imaginations, socialize with peers and adults, use their brains to solve problems, listen to and engage in book readings, explore creative movement and exercise their bodies outside.

In preschool, about three hours of the day is devoted to play. Play, for preschool-age children, maximizes and supports the development of the whole child – a person able to sense, move, think, relate to others, communicate and create. Children work best, generally feel most comfortable, and are the most engaged within the environment of play.

This environment allows children to freely choose and explore various activities such as dramatic play experiences, building structures with blocks or other materials, using instruments to make sounds, creating pieces of artwork or narrative stories using pictures and labels, reading books, playing games to practice appropriate social skills, and many more.

The environment of play also provides teachers with an ideal opportunity to assess children. When a child is assessed in such a rich environment, then instruction based on individual and group needs can occur and effective learning can take place. Play is a vital part of any quality preschool program

Missouri Valley Student Participates in Global Youth Institute

Missouri Valley Sophomore, Lilly Dooley, was one of 200 students selected to participate in the three-day Global Youth Institute hosted by the World Food Prize Foundation. She participated in the three-day event where she met and listened to the World Food Prize Laureates and international experts discuss agriculture and food security.  

       

Lilly participated in the Iowa Youth Institute in the spring where she wrote a research report on HIV/AIDS in Columbia and how it impacts food security. She presented her findings to a group of peers and experts where she was then selected to participate in the Global Youth Institute.

At the Global Youth Institute, Lilly connected with other students from around the world and took part in symposium discussions with global leaders in science, industry, and policy. GYI participants were able to tour research facilities and participate in a service project, where students packaged meals for Haiti. They attended the Hunger Banquet where meals were randomly given out based on current hunger status of the world.Delegates also attend the World Food Prize Laureate Award Ceremony in the Iowa State Capitol, as the “Nobel Prize for Food and Agriculture” was awarded to individuals who have improved the quality, quantity or availability of food in the world.

High School teacher, Mrs. Whitney Reisz, supported Lilly along the way. 

Read a Q & A with Lilly and Mrs. Reisz below!!  

Q: Lilly, how did you become interested in HIV/AIDS and/or food security? 

I became interested in HIV/AIDS because I have always loved biology and human anatomy so I thought writing my paper on a human disease would be very interesting to learn and talk about. 

Q: How do students get chosen for the Iowa Youth Institute? Was there a theme for student entries? 

Students in Iowa submit their research papers and attend the Iowa Youth Institute. Students select a specific factor that could affect food security around the world, and then a country is researched that has the chosen factor. Lilly chose human disease in Colombia and then narrowed her factor to HIV/AIDS in Colombia. After researching, students write a 3-5 page paper on their topic and present it at the Iowa Youth Institute. 

What is Iowa Youth Institute? 

The World Food Prize Iowa Youth Institute (IYI) is a transformative experience for students held at Iowa State University each April. During this day long event students are able to immerse themselves in the world of food security while presenting their ideas and findings to professions. 

After the Iowa Youth Institute, which had over 300 participants, about 50 were chosen to attend the Global Youth Institute with other students around the nation and world. 

Q: Mrs. Reisz, what steps have you taken to support Lilly along the way?

Lilly has had the motivation to do all the research and work in writing the paper. I have only been there to offer ideas, proof read, and help her in being prepared to present her factor to her discussion panel. She took the initiative to get all parts of the paper completed before the deadlines without much guidance from me. 

Q: Lilly, do you have future plans around this topic and what are your "next steps"?

My future plans with this program is to most likely do it again and encourage others from Missouri Valley high school to also go to the Iowa Youth Institute next year. In college, I want to focus more on things relating to my paper like biology and go into something like pathology.

Mrs. Dickinson's Second Graders Are Having a Great Start to The Year!

Since the beginning of their second grade year, students in Mrs. Dickinson's classroom have had many opportunities to learn about teamwork. They have been communicating, collaborating, and making bigger strides in their learning. Second grade students are also gaining independence, practicing responsibility, and following their classroom contract. 

During their first week of school, students worked in teams to plant their class indoor garden. They also created pet rocks that were later used in construction projects. Their pet rock and construction STEM projects encouraged students to brainstorm, make a plan, create models, and then evaluate what worked and what they would do differently next time. 

"I enjoy seeing the enthusiasm and creativity the students show while working together. They have so much fun." - Mrs. Dickinson 

Enjoying our Kids Scoop News!! 

Problem solving, thinking creatively, listening to others’ ideas, and communicating were the keys to success for this STEM project! 

Next Generation Science Standards: 

K-2 ETS1-1

Ask questions, make observations, and gather information about a situation people want to change. Define a simple problem that can be solved through the development of a new or improved object or tool. 

K-2-ETSI-2

Develop a sketch, drawing, or physical model to illustrate how the shape of an object helps it function as needed to solve a given problem. 

SC P.4.3

Understand and apply knowledge of the basic needs of plants and animals and how they interact with each other and their physical environment.  

 Another activity students worked on recently helped them to better understand place value. This Clip Board math activity provides practice plus active learning. The importance of practice is one of the key concepts in our school's Olympic theme this year.  Mrs. Dickinson said, "It is always exciting to see a group of children come together and form a strong, happy class, this year's group of second graders is doing a great job. I'm so proud of them."

Students also made applesauce to celebrate Johnny Appleseed's birthday. Hannah Wendt was so excited about the tasty warm applesauce served at the end of the day she said, " I can't believe we made it ourselves! I think it tastes better because we all worked together." 

Snacks in The Stadium

Missouri Valley Elementary hosted Snacks in The Stadium on Monday, October 3rd. Over 100 students, parents, and guests attended this event centered around reading. MV families and teachers came together to read in the football stadium while they enjoyed snacks. Information was provided for attendees on the importance of reading at home, as well as, important information regarding schoolwide reading programs at MVE. 

Throughout the evening, attendees watched this video put together by MVE teachers. 

Additional Resources:

• Early Literacy Implementation Act (ELI)
• Iowa Reading Research Center
• PBS Parents
• PBS Parent Reading Activities
• ReadWriteThink Parent Resource

Thanks to all who attended!