Congratulations on your child's successful promotion to 6th grade. I hope your child is looking forward to an exciting year. I am looking forward to getting acquainted and working with you and your child to make this year a successful year. In 6th grade Social Studies we study ancient history. We begin our studies learning about prehistory. The first civilization we cover is that of Ancient Mesopotamia. From Mesopotamia we move on to Ancient China, then to Ancient India, Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome, the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. We cover a lot of information in only a year's time. This means we really only get a taste of what each culture and civilization was like. Even though we only scratch the surface, your child will come away with a general understanding of the uniqueness of each culture and its contribution to our society today. We have a lot of fun in class, and we will get to do a variety of hands- on projects throughout the year. The first project will be to make model Ziggurats when we study Ancient Mesopotamia. We will make paper mache Egyptian sarcophaguses when we study Ancient Greece. We will try our hand at Roman mosaics and finally we will make model castles for our Castle Fair. There will be a Castle Fair night in May where everyone can come and see all the different creations the students have made. One of the student’s favorite activities is a field trip to the Renaissance Festival in Apache Junction. They get to experience first hand life during the Renaissance. There is jousting, falconry, glass blowing, theatre shows, a museum of torture devices (always a favorite), and a peasant’s village just to name a few. This trip would not be possible without the generous donation from the White Elephant. Please thank them when you are in there to let them know that we appreciate all they do for our community. This is going to be a great year for your child. Remember, if ever you have questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact me. Meribeth Bosse 625-3502 X 1400 mbosse@sahuarita.k12.az.us