Future San Francisco
Students will learn about the history of San Francisco, including the devastating effects of the 1906 earth quake and fire, then focus on ways to improve the City by the Bay. They will work in teams to design concepts for future San Francisco. Students will learn about this design process from Patrick Tubach, a visual effects supervisor from Industrial Light and Magic (George Lucas' special effects company), who designed a futuristic SF from the Seat Trek film. Teams will use TinkerCad and other digital respires to create their designs.
New Project 2027!
There are THREE large-scale collaborative projects planned for this FALL: Project 13 which focuses on self-discovery and unique teenage experiences, Project ROADS, which is a thematic history project based on the idea of Silk Roads, and Project CAROL, a script-to-stage project that includes service learning goals. We also have FOUR projects planned for this SPRING. Project PRISONS, which asks several core questions about incarceration and is based on critical thinking, Project DPS with poetry and creative writing at its core, Project HOPE which focuses on immigration and diversity in the United States, and Project MAYA which is about the past, people and future of Mayas in Central America and beyond. Each project has a PBL page with more information for students, families, educators, and community members. They also have associated field trips, and optional family trips on weekends.
August/September: Project 13
September/October: Project ROADS
November/December: Project CAROL
January/February: Project PRISONS
March/April: Project DPS
April/May: Project HOPE
May/June: Project MAYA
July: MAYA TRIP
Students will also complete several unique writing projects, including: song analysis essays, flash fiction, script writing, film reviews, argumentative essays, illustrated nonfiction narratives, and poetry books containing 10+ original poems.
As a class, we will have three core books this year. The first one is Batman: The Long Halloween by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale, a murder mystery where students will work with partners to create timelines, detective boards in order to solve the mystery. They will also work independently on a 1,000+ word essay. Next, we will read Mr. Tubach's all-time favorite book, A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. This extends to a large scale project. The last book is The Crossover, but Kwame Alexander, which coincides with our student of poetry in the spring.
Our 7th grade world history curriculum will focus on thematic history, through a project called "Silk Roads." Students will learn about The Catholic Church in Medical Europe, The Renaissance, the history and teachings of Islam, Chinese innovations and inventions, Mayan history, The European Enlightenment and Scientific Revolution, and more. All of our world history curriculum focuses on culture and connections to the modern world.
There is a WEEKLY assignments that will run throughout most of the school year. It is the dedication to reading and the composition of a WEEKLY READING LOG. Logs will be submitted to Mr. Tubach on Fridays by 5PM. When reading logs are "on", students are expected to read 2+ hours per week. I will spend a great deal of time on recommendations and book talks, but at the end of the day, voice and choice will prevail in 7th grade. When reading logs are "off", it usually means that students are expected to work on a project at home. Parents are encouraged to communicate any concerns via students, or directly to Mr. Tubach ttubach@csmh.org
As an OPTIONAL enrichment activity, students will be given the opportunity to participate in an optional book club focusing on BATMAN. Students will have discussion meetings with Mr. Tubach outside of regular class hours (days and times TBD) that will include light snacks and refreshments. Participants will work on a 1,000+ word essay after reading several Batman stories. More information can be found on the BATMAN webpage.