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.



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. :)