Wednesday, January 26, 2011

State of the Union - Video links

If you missed the State of the Union, and want to watch it and/or complete the second extra credit option, here are some places you can watch the speech in its entirety.

The "enhanced" version from the White House, including maps, charts, and graphs:


And here is a video of the speech (also from the White House, posted on YouTube) :

Let me know if you have any questions - and feel free to leave a comment on this post telling us what you thought of the President's Speech!

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

State of the Union - Extra Credit

The State of the Union Address

- Tonight, January 25th, 8pm CST
- All major news networks

Assignment / Extra Credit Options:
1.Do TONIGHT, during the speech and turn in TOMORROW:
a.Two column notes on looseleaf (up to 6pts)
i.Left side: Observations of event (people, clothes, decorum, behavior, etc)
ii.Right side: Speech. (What did Obama say?)


2.By FRIDAY:
a.Two paragraph review of the speech (up to 10pts)
i.Do you agree with what he said?
ii.What opinions do you have about the speech?

Saturday, January 22, 2011

Extra Credit, you say?

This week's Extra Credit Opportunity is available to all students, Middle and High School.

Last month, there was a writing contest about how technology has changed, and continues to change, our lives. This month, there is another contest and a new topic:

WhoWhatWhereWhenWhy?

If you could spend a day with anyone alive or dead, real, fictional or imaginary…

Who would you pick?
What would you do with them?
When would you meet: in the past, present or future?
Where would you meet them?
Why would you pick them?

Tell us in 100 words or less, and you may win $100 in TweenTribune's second 100-word essay contest.

Be careful - you only have 100 words!

Check out some of the last contest's winners: here

And take a look at some of the entries that have already been posted for this contest: here

* IMPORTANT! Do NOT enter your contest entry directly to the website - you need to email me your entry and I will enter the best of the best into the contest.

If you have ANY questions, look at the contest website first, then email me. Good luck, and be creative!

Weekend Homework and upcoming tests...

Happy (snowy) Saturday :)

6th Grade:
- 9.3 notes due on Monday
- Current Event due Wednesday. (Check out the Gale Student Resource we were using in class on Friday - it's a great resource to get an article from!)

7th Grade:
- Ch 9 Review, Pg. 334 #14, 15, 18-20, 23
- Ch 9 Test is on Wednesday

8th Grade:
- Ch 23 Review, Pg. 748 #9-16 Even OR Odd
- Ch 23 Test is on Tuesday

AAS:
- Ancient African Kingdom Brochure is due on Monday - Final copy, including Works Cited Page (in MLA format). Please turn in the rubric as well.

Have a great weekend everyone! Parent Teacher Conferences are less than two weeks away!

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

8th Grade Social Studies - HW for 1/20/11

8th Graders, here are the homework questions for tonight. They are all based on the information in 23.3. Please read the section first, then answer the questions on looseleaf paper - you should be ready to hand them in at the start of class tomorrow!

23.3 Questions: Pushing the Germans Back

1) True or False (and give a fact to verify your answer)
a.More soldiers died than civilians in World War One
b. African American combat units spent little time on the front lines.

2) What was the turning point of the war, and when did it occur?

3) Explain why the battle from #2 can be considered a “turning point.”

4) What happened two days after Germany’s Kaiser stepped down? Describe what that “thing” means.

5) What was the effect of the war and the flu epidemic in terms of human lives lost?

Saturday, January 8, 2011

Last chance for this extra credit option!

ALL of my students - Middle or High School - can use this as an extra credit opportunity, but your entries MUST be emailed to me by 5pm TODAY (Saturday, January 8th).

This is a writing contest, but your entry can only be 100 words - no more! The question is
“How does technology make the world a better place?”


Check out some examples of clear, effective, but short writing here:
http://tweentribune.com/100words

To enter / complete this extra credit, you should answer that question (in your own words - don't steal anyone else's idea!) in 100 words or less and email it to me today. Don't enter it on the contest website, I'll take care of that ...

I've gotten many submissions, and they are good writing, but so far none of them are SUPER creative ... they're well done, but not yet standing out far above the rest. So take a look at the website and get your creative writing ideas flowing!

Other Homework:
6th Grade: 8.3 notes
7th Grade: 8.3 notes
8th Grade: Chapter 22 Review, Pg 714 #9-15 ODD.  Study for Tuesday's test!
AAS: Chapter 1questions # 1-5 (on looseleaf)

I'm here for Saturday Tutoring until noon ... come see me in the computer lab or email me if you have any questions!