29 March 2015

Week of 30 March - 2 April

Monday: We will take our Common Assessment Post-Test for our last two units to see how much we've learned since our Pre-Test. Grading will go as follows: Option 1 - If the class average on the test is above an 80, the assessment will be counted as a test grade (50 points!). However, Option 2 - If the class average is below an 80, then anyone who achieves a 90 or higher will receive 5 bonus points, an 80-89 will warrant 4 bonus points, and so forth. If we have any extra time after the test, we will watch CNN Student News. Homework for tonight is to fill out Map HW #3, on states 27-38, due tomorrow. Also, current events this week, due Friday - the topic is anything you want. But beware, serious news topics only!
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Once upon a time a daughter whined to her father that their life was miserable and that she didn’t know how she was going to survive like this. She was sick and tired of struggling constantly in life. It always appeared that as soon as one predicament was resolved, another one quickly followed.

The little girl’s father, a cook, took her to the kitchen. He filled 3 pots with water and put each on a high fire. Once the 3 pots began to boil, he placed potatoes in one pot, eggs in the second pot, and ground coffee beans in the third pot.

Then he allowed them to boil, whilst saying nothing to his daughter. The little girl whined and anxiously waited, speculating what her father was doing. After about twenty minutes he turned off the burners. He took out the potatoes from the pot and placed them in a bowl. In the same way he pulled out the eggs and placed them in a bowl as well.

Then  he ladled the coffee out and poured it in a cup. Turning toward his daughter he asked. “Daughter, what do you see?”

“Potatoes, eggs, and coffee,” she replied quickly.

“Look closer,” he said, “and feel the potatoes.” She touched the potatoes and observed that they were soft. He then requested her to take an egg and break it. After peeling off the shell, she noticed the egg was hard-boiled. Lastly, he asked her to sip the coffee. Its rich aroma was soothing and she felt relaxed after having a few sips.

“Father, what does this mean?” she inquired.
He then told her that the potatoes, the eggs and coffee beans had all faced similar harsh conditions and misfortune, which is the boiling water.

Yet, each one reacted in a different way. The potato went in sturdy, hard, and implacable, although in boiling water, it turned out to be soft and weak.

The egg was fragile, with the thin outer shell shielding its fluid center till the time it was placed in the boiling water. Subsequently the interior of the egg became solid.

On the other hand, the ground coffee beans were completely unique. After they were immersed into the boiling water, they altered the water and produced something new.

Now he asked his daughter, “Which one are you my dear,” he asked “When hardships knock on your door, how would you act in response? Are you a potato, an egg, or a coffee bean? “

So: Which one are you?____________

Tuesday: Today we are going to talk about what it means to be a hero. And that's that.



Wednesday: Unfortunately, we're taking another test today! However, it's just a pre-test for our next unit on the Constitution, to see how much we already know before we begin. We will spend the rest of class taking a sneak peek at the new unit.

A man called Porky Bickar, and not just because he was a man called Porky Bickar.

Thursday: Students will have a substitute. Today students will take Map Quiz #4. Also, students will begin watching the video "A Healthy Constitution" from the Founding Fathers series. No homework!

Friday: No school today! Enjoy your three-day weekend. :)

24 March 2015

Week of 23 - 27 March

Monday and Tuesday: Today we have alternating periods due to PARCC testing. In class, we will be finishing up the section on Federalism and Ratification, then spending the rest of class playing Jeopardy!
Homework tonight is to fill out a 3"x 5" index card for use on the Unit Test on Wednesday. 



Wednesday: Today is a half day. We will have our Unit Test on the Constitutional Convention, worth 50 points. Be sure to have your index card prepared so you have a leg up on the test! Study hard, sleep well, and breathe easy, and you'll do just fine. :)

A contemporary cartoon showing the states as pillars that form a foundation. As each state ratifies the Constitution, the country becomes stronger, and after New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify, the Constitution became official. But the fight was not over - eventually, the remaining 4 states would be persuaded, as well. "If it is not up, it will rise" indeed.
Thursday: More PARCC testing in the AM, and we will be playing more Jeopardy! in preparation for our Common Assessment on the Articles of Confederation and the Constitutional Convention. Assessment will only count as a quiz grade, but it is still important that you do your best!!!


Friday: Today we will (tentatively) have our Common Assessment and perhaps watch some CNN Student News. Happy Friday!!!

17 March 2015

Week of 16 - 20 March

Monday: Today we will finish the Constitutional Convention play and have a discussion about the compromises reached. If we have some time, we will watch the CNN Student News, and if we STILL have time, we'll play some of the trivia game! Tonight's homework is to study the first 26 states of the Union in preparation for the quiz on Friday. Also, the current events topic for this week will be Russia. Choose any current event from Russia this week and report on it. 

Tuesday: Happy St. Patrick's Day! Let's learn something new:



Today we will learn a little about the history and culture behind St. Patrick's Day, and then we will pick up where we left off yesterday after the end of the Constitutional Convention. The Founding Fathers have completed a momentous task by writing the Constitution, but now they face the arguably tougher task of convincing each state to ratify (or approve) it. We will discuss two new concepts, Federalism and Anti-Federalism, and how they fought each other over approval of the new federal government. Homework tonight is the Convention WS passed out in class. Worth 2 homework grades, due tomorrow!



Wednesday: Today we're discussing Federalism with some help from Disney.



We will be talking about the argument over federal power: Exactly how much control should the government have??? Some say all, others say none, so we'll have to find a middleground. We'll complete a venn diagram to define exactly what powers the federal government does and does not have. For homework, students will complete a worksheet on Federalism from iCivics, available here.

Thursday: Today we will finish talking about the state of affairs with no adults around. Will we be able to maintain a stable society, or will everything fall into complete chaos? We will then take a look at the different powers of the federal and state government, using a venn diagram. For homework, students must complete the Current Events for this week (on Russia), and study the first 26 states of America for the map quiz tomorrow (worth 25 points!). 



Friday:

08 March 2015

Week of 9 - 13 March

Monday: Today we will begin a Jigsaw activity on the issues addressed at the Philadelphia Convention in the creation of the Constitution. Each student will be assigned one of the three issues to become an expert in, and then collaborate with the other "experts" on that issue to discuss what they learned. Then, new groups will be formed with one "expert" on each issue, and each student will teach the others about their issue. For homework, students will complete the second US map in preparation for the quiz on Friday, on the next 13 states added the Union, up to the year 1837.



Tuesday: Today we will complete the Jigsaw activity from yesterday, discuss the three big issues as a class, and look at a handout on the different compromises made. For homework, students will complete a worksheet on the Great Compromise. Due Thursday.





Wednesday: Today is Career Day! We will be hearing presentations from specialists in numerous career fields. It is also a half day, woohoo!

Thursday: Today we will begin an in-class play in which students will take the intricate roles of atendees at the Constitutional Convention. For homework, students should study their map study guide in preparation for the Map Quiz tomorrow.



"Men Wanted: For hazardous journey, small wages, bitter cold, long months of complete darkness. Constant danger, safe return doubtful. Honour and recognition in case of success."



Friday: Map Quiz. We will continue acting out the play for the rest of class.

02 March 2015

Week of 2-6 March

Monday: Today we will begin exploring the origins of the US Constitution, as a precursor to our unit ont he Constitutional Convention. We'll begin the discussion with help from Robin Hood!


(0:20 -2:36)
We will read a short section from "American Adventures" about the origins of the Constitution and answer some comprehensive questions. Tonight's homework is simply the Current Events for this week, the topic of which will be "Missing UK Teens," due Friday at the beginning of class. Also, we will have our first map quiz on Friday, on the 13 original states, so begin studying!

Tuesday: Tour the states!




Here's the sped-up version of our next unit.
Today we will talk more about the ideas behind the Constitution and some of the main characters involved. D Period will be doing Course Selection with the guidance counselor, Mr. Canavan. For homework, students will complete a map of the 13 original states.

Wednesday: Let's hear what John Adams and Thomas Jefferson think about a Constitution.

Today we will do some reading in History Alive! about the Convention, then we will begin reading a story about the Convention, titled Legacy. The story is available here. For homework, students will finish reading the story in preparation for a short quiz tomorrow. Read ACTIVELY - underline what you think is important, use a highlighter, annotate in the margins, whatever you have to do! B and C periods will be doing Course Selection with the guidance counselor, Mr. Canavan.

Thursday: G period will be doing Course Selection with the guidance counselor, Mr. Canavan.

Friday: