My name is Mrs. Zivilik and this is my 15th year at Viking Middle School. I was the Reading Enrichment teacher for Viking school for 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students my first year. During my second year, I was the 7th grade composition teacher and in my third year I was offered the opportunity to teach 6th grade social studies. This being a subject that I am passionate about, I was thrilled to accept the opportunity and I am ecstatic about being able to teach it. Prior to teaching at Viking, I received my Bachelor’s Degree in social services at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut, where I was also able to play college softball. After that, I returned to Illinois where I received my teaching certificate from National Louis University. I have always known that I wanted to be a teacher and I am excited to be living out that dream. I recently received my Masters in Educational Leadership with a Principal's Endorsement at Northeastern University. In my free time, I love playing softball, volleyball, scrapbooking, and spending time with my family. My husband and I love watching our children, Tyler, Brett, and Peyton, grow up. I am looking forward to a great 2022-23 school year. Please, contact me anytime if you have any questions, comments, or concerns.
Zivilik, Brandi - 6White Social Studies
6W Social Studies-Mrs. Zivilik & Mrs. Boswell
SOCIAL STUDIES REDEFINED
Welcome to 6 White Social Studies! We are looking forward to a wonderful year together. With the use of technology, we have been able to create a classroom that places the learning into my students' hands. Through a self-paced, personalized learning environment, students are encouraged to take risks, create projects, and explore their interests and ideas. This year students will access all of their work through Google Classroom. They will work at their own pace to discover amazing facts about the Ancient Civilizations. The goal of changing the social studies atmosphere is for students to know that their objective is learning, not just completing work. We want them to apply their skills, develop new ideas, ask inquisitive questions, and incorporate technology. We can't wait for the great year we have ahead of us!
This year we will be using a Standards-Based Grading rubric to determine your child's grade. The areas that we will be focusing on this year are: Geography, Culture, Government, and Comprehension of Information-Based Text. In every class, your child will also have a Characteristics of a Successful Learner standard which addresses if your child was safe, productive, responsible, and respectful throughout the week. Throughout the school year, we will participate in engaging activities to address these standards.
About Us
Mrs. Zivilik-6 White Social Studies
My name is Mrs. Zivilik and this is my fifteenth year at Viking Middle School. I was the Reading Enrichment teacher for Viking school for 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students my first year. During my second year, I was the 7th grade composition teacher and my third year I was offered the opportunity to teach 6th grade social studies. This being a subject that I am passionate about, I was thrilled to accept the opportunity and I am ecstatic to being teaching it. Prior to teaching at Viking, I received my Bachelor’s Degree in social services at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut where I was also able to play college softball. After that, I returned to Illinois where I received my teaching certificate from National Louis University. I have always known that I wanted to be a teacher and I am excited to be living out that dream. I recently earned my Masters in Educational Leadership with a Principal's Endorsement at Northeastern Illinois University. In my free time, I love playing softball, volleyball, scrapbooking, and spending time with my family. My husband and I love watching our children, Tyler, Brett, and Peyton, grow up. I am looking forward to a great 2022-23 school year. Please, contact me anytime if you have any questions, comments, or concerns.
Mrs. Boswell-6 White Social Studies
Hi, I'm Mrs. Boswell! This is my 7th year teaching 6th grade Social Studies at Viking Middle School. I have a bachelors degree in Secondary Education from DePaul University. I also have my Masters Degree from Arkansas State University. My favorite subjects are History and Psychology. I love learning new things, especially stories of the past. My favorite sports are cheerleading and dance. I did both throughout middle and high school and I coached the cheerleading team here at Viking for 4 years! I took a pause coaching cheerleading because last year I welcomed my first child with my husband! Spending time together has quickly become my favorite way to spend my time outside of school. I also love dogs (but don't have one of our own yet!) so be sure to show me all of your favorite pet pictures! I can't wait for a fantastic school year with all of you!
Monthly Newsletter
We are working on our Hispanic Heritage Project this month. Students choose to work independently or with a partner to research and create a presentation on a Spanish-Speaking country. Students were given a list of countries to choose from and are investigating the country using G.R.A.P.E.S: Geography, Religion, Achievements, Government, Economy, and Society. With the conclusion of these projects, we will begin our first Ancient Civilization Unit: Mesopotamia.
By the end of October, students will be able to:
- Evaluate, research, & present information about a chosen country using G.R.A.P.E.S
HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTS
Today’s Homework
Notecard News Week 14 is due Friday, February 24th!
Remember, in order to get your Notecard completed, you must go and download your Notecard News document from the Notecard News section in Classwork in Google Classroom. Make sure to read an article of your choice and fill out the Notecard News form. If you need help, please let me know.
NOTECARD NEWS!
Every Friday, in Social Studies, class we will be discussing current events that happen in our country and world. Every Monday, students will select an article of his or her choice to read and complete a Notecard News form. This form is due by 8 am on Fridays so that we can have a meaningful discussion about what is happening in the world. The websites below can be used as a current events article as well as news watched at home. On Friday, we will discussing the different articles read by our class and watching a CNN-10. Students will be graded on their Notecard News sheet and class participation in the discussion.
*All Notecard News documents can be found in Google Classroom. Students must go to their Social Studies class period, click on Classwork, and then click on the current week's Notecard News form. When finished, make sure to click "Turn In" in Google Classroom.*
DOGO News
Current Events--Kids News
Fun articles for kids on current events, science, sports, and more!
CNN-10
Daily Newscast explaining current events and news in just 10 minutes.
Tween Tribune
Features topics about animals, fashion, entertainment, school, science, technology, national and world news, written by kids and professional journalists arranged by grade level.
GOOGLE CLASSROOM
Google Classroom will be the platform used to communicate with students daily. Every day, students should log into their Google Classroom page to find the announcements and the plan for that day's class period. All of the activities that we will work on this school year will be located in the CLASSWORK section of Google Classroom. Daily announcements will be posted with specific directions as well in case any student is absent.
eLearning Day
As we discussed in class, you will go to GOOGLE CLASSROOM to get the directions for today's lesson!
Lesson Overview:
It should take about 30-40 minutes to complete this lesson.
What you will need:
*Google Classroom
Directions to Students/Supervising Adult:
1. Go to your class period's Social Studies Google Classroom page.
2. Click STREAM and read the instructions for today.
3. Complete the step(s) listed for today. If you are ahead of the step assigned, complete the next step(s) in your course.
4. If you have any questions please email us at bzivilik@d56.org/kboswell@d56.org
Here is how to turn your work in for class credit:
Please turn in your work via Google Classroom.
Contact Information
Email Mrs. Boswell
Phone Number: 847-336-2108 Extension 1104
6 White Team Meeting Time: 12:10-1:40