South Asia Mini-Project Assigned

The students were given the instructions for their mini-project over South Asia today. The instructions for the project are attached below. We will be working on the project during class this week. The likely due date is the end of the period on Friday 5/6.

Mini-Project Over Africa Due Today, Chapter 25 Vocabulary Over South Asia Assigned

The mini-project (brochures) over Africa was due today at the beginning of class. While almost all of my students turned in this important summative grade, a few did not. This counts as a major test grade and any student receiving a grade of "0" on it will almost certainly fail for the 9 weeks. Please check with your student to make sure this important assignment was completed and turned in on time. If not, please make sure they have it ready to turn in tomorrow.

The vocabulary assignment over Chapter 25 (South Asia) was assigned today. This assignment is due at the beginning of the period tomorrow. I have attached the assignment below.

Mini-Project Over Africa Assigned

The students began work on a small project over Africa today. Full instructions are below. I would also add that NO MAGIC MARKERS should be used since they bleed through paper and make a mess and that the assignment is due on Friday 4/29.

Take Home Test Turned in Today, Africa Vocabulary Assigned and Due Tomorrow

The first item of business today was to have the students turn in their take home tests. The students were given time in class last Friday to work on these tests and allowed to take them home this past weekend if they needed more time to complete them. The test was open book/study guide so I am hopeful the grades on this exam will be good.

We will be combining the last three regions of Africa into one unit. We will be doing a mini-project over these regions. First, however, the vocabulary was assigned. This vocabulary is due tomorrow at the beginning of class. I have attached the assignment below.

*IMPORTANT* - Take Home Test Over East Africa Due Monday

The students started working on the chapter test for East Africa today in class. This is an open book/notes/resources test. This being the case, I sent the test home with the students. This test is a very important summative grade that could drastically affect their averages in my class. Please make sure that not only your student completes the test to the best of their abilities but also remembers to bring it back and turn it in on Monday. I have attached a copy of the test below just in case any student forgets to bring it home or loses their copy.

Halfway There and Quiz 2 Due Tomorrow

We are now about halfway through this fourth, and final, grading period. As they saying goes, it will get late early from this point on. I have many students who are behind in their assignments or who have failed to make up poor grades. Please check your student's grades online and question them on anything that is missing or below passing. For some, the difference between promotion to the next grade or retention/summer school will come down to the grade this nine weeks.

The quiz/worksheet for Lesson 2 over the chapter covering East Africa is due tomorrow at the beginning of the period. I have attached a copy of this assignment below.

Chapter 19 Vocabulary and Lesson 1 Quizzes Due Tomorrow

We started the chapter over East Africa yesterday. The vocabulary assignment for this chapter, along with the Lesson 1 quiz/worksheet are due tomorrow at the beginning of the class period. Please make sure your student has completed these assignments and has them ready to turn in to me (if they have not already done so).

I have attached both the vocabulary assignment and quiz 1 below.

Test Over North Africa Tomorrow!

Tomorrow, the students will be taking their chapter test over North Africa. This is a major summative grade and will greatly affect their averages. Please make sure your student prepares properly for this test.

I will be out tomorrow so a substitute will be administering the test. Please discuss proper behavior with a substitute with your student.

Below is a "study guide" that I think will be VERY helpful to the students for their test tomorrow. If your student can answer these questions successfully, they will do very well on tomorrow's exam.

Chapter 18 Lesson 2 Quiz Turned in Today, Lesson 3 Quiz Due Tomorrow

The students turned in the quiz/worksheet over Chapter 18, Lesson 2 at the beginning of the class period today.

After turning in the Lesson 2 assignment, I returned the graded papers for Lesson 1. We then went over the answers for the Lesson 1 assignment, and the strategies for finding them, in the study guide. Upon completion of this exercise, I assigned the Lesson 3 quiz/worksheet. It is due tomorrow at the beginning of the class period. I have attached a copy of the assignment below.

Chapter 18 Lesson 2 Quiz Due Tomorrow

The students worked on the quiz/worksheet for Lesson 2 on North Africa today during class. This assignment is due tomorrow at the beginning of the class period. I have attached a copy of the quiz/worksheet below.

Please make sure your student has this assignment completed so it can be turned in on time tomorrow.

Chapter 18 Vocabulary Due, Lesson One Worksheet Due on Monday

The vocabulary assignment for the Chapter 18 vocabulary on North Africa was due today at the beginning of class. Please check your students grades online as several failed to turn in this assignment.

The students were assigned a guided ready worksheet on Lesson One. The kids are to read Lesson One on North Africa in their study guides and answer the questions. All answers should be found in Lesson One. This guided reading sheet is due on Monday and a grade will be taken on it. I have attached a copy of this short assignment below.

Chapter 17 Tests Graded, Chapter 18 Vocabulary Assigned

The take home open notes/book test over SW Asia was due today at the beginning of the period. I have graded all of the exams that were turned in yesterday to the substitute or today to me. You can check to see how your student fared on this test by checking the online grade book.

The vocabulary on Chapter 18 - North Africa was assigned today. The students had the period to work on the assignment. The vocabulary is due tomorrow (4/8) at the beginning of the class period. I have attached the vocabulary terms and instructions below.

Take Home/ Open Note Test Tomorrow

Tomorrow, I will be out attending training at Region 12 in Waco. The students will have a substitute. Please discuss proper behavior with a substitute with your child.

The students will receive their test over Chapter 17 - Southwest Asia tomorrow. This will be an open note/book exam. The students will be allowed to use all of their resources in order to answer the questions on the test. Please make sure your student gets to school with all of their notes, vocabulary, study guides, etc. so they have what they need to do well. Any student that does not finish the exam during class tomorrow may take the test home to finish for homework. This test MUST BE RETURNED AT THE BEGINNING OF CLASS ON THURSDAY in order to receive full credit.

Chapter 17 Vocabulary Builder Worksheet Due, Additional Notes, and Take Home Test Coming Wednesday,

Today, the students turned in the vocabulary builder worksheet for Chapter 17. This was assigned last Friday and due today. I had quite a few fail to turn in the assignment. I have attached a copy of the vocabulary builder worksheet for any students that might have lost their copy and need to redo it.

I have also attached a summary of Chapter 17 for the kids. If they know the information on the summary, along with the notes and vocabulary done in class, they should do fine on the exam. This summary is below the vocabulary builder assignment below.

Chapter 17 - Lesson 2, Modified Schedule the Next Few Days

The next couple of days, we will be on a modified schedule. The 7th and 8th graders are taking STAAR Tests which makes it necessary for my classes to meet in an alternate location. My classes will meet in an alternate location (room 303) for the next two days. Please let your student know this as the plans have changed since I talked to them this morning.

Below are the notes from Lesson 2 of Chapter 17 over Southwest Asia or the Middle East. The students need to have these notes copied or printed and ready to go over on Wednesday of this week. Any student that has the notes copied or printed in their entirety will receive a bonus of 5 points on their next chapter test.

Reviewing Access to Resources, Vocabulary Due Tomorrow, Chapter 17- Lesson 1 Notes

Today, I took some time to review the kids on how to get to this blog and how to log on to the online version of the textbook. These are two important resources that can really help the students keep up with what is going on and help them get their work done. The students who have been here all year should have known how to access these resources but many did not. I have also had several new students move in so I felt it was a good time to review.

HOMEWORK ALERT: The Chapter 17 vocabulary assignment is due tomorrow at the BEGINNING of class. Please make sure your student has this assignment complete and ready to turn in to me. The vocabulary terms can be found in the post from yesterday 3/21.

Below are the notes from Lesson 1 of Chapter 17. We are beginning a study of Southwest Asia (better known as the Middle East). Please make sure your student prints a copy otherwise, they will have to hand write the notes in class tomorrow.

Welcome Back, Chapter 17 Vocabulary Assigned

Welcome back from what I hope was a great Spring Break. We are truly in the home stretch now and this final grading period is going to fly by before we know it. Please make sure and keep up with your child's grades and assignments.

Speaking of assignments, the vocabulary for Chapter 17 over Southwest Asia was assigned today. The assignment will be due on Wednesday 3/23 at the beginning of class. The vocabulary terms and instructions can be found below.

9 Weeks Test Tomorrow, Now or Never for Late/Make-up Work

The 9 weeks exam for geography/history is tomorrow. Please double check with your student to make sure they are as prepared for the test as possible. I did allow the kids to take home their study guides and reviewed them in class last Friday and again today.

Time is quickly running out for getting any late or make-up work in to me. Basically, tomorrow is likely it as I will have to turn in my grades for report cards on Wednesday. Please stress to your student that it is now or never for make-up/late work.

Review on Monday, 9 Weeks Test on Tuesday

Monday (3/7) marks the beginning of 9 weeks testing. The order of tests is easy to remember, just use the initials of our school:

E - English test on Monday 3/7
H - History test on Tuesday 3/8
M - Math test on Wednesday 3/9
S - Science test on Thursday 3/10

Please make sure your student is present and ready each of these days so that they can get these tests taken.

The final day to turn in late or make-up work for this 9 weeks will be Tuesday 3/8. I have to get my grades turned in after giving the 9 weeks test. Please make sure your student has everything done prior to this date.

Friday will be an early out for the students and kick off our spring break.

Back in the Saddle, Chapter 15 Worksheets Due, 9 Weeks Testing Next Week

I am back after being out of the classroom for the last few days for training. I really don't like being out and, hopefully, will not be out absent again for a while.

The students turned in their Chapter 15 Vocabulary Builder worksheets today. There were a few who failed to turn in their worksheets. Please check with your student to make sure they turned in this assignment and are caught up on their work. I am available for tutoring/make-up work every day after school.

Time is quickly running out on this grading period. Our 9 weeks test is next Tuesday 3/8. Please stay on top of your students so that they prepare properly for this exam.

Chapter 15 - Lesson 1 Notes

Below are the notes for Chapter 15 - Lesson 1 over Russia.

Chapter 14 Tests Returned, Progress Reports and Chapter 15 Vocabulary Assigned

The students took their test over Chapter 14 last Friday. These tests have been graded and returned to the students. Please make sure and ask them about their grades and have them do test corrections so they can get the highest grade possible.

Progress reports also went home on Friday. If you have not seen the progress report for your student please ask them about it. You can always check the grades of your student online at the Eastern Hills website as well.

The vocabulary for Chapter 15 was assigned today. It will be due on Wednesday 2/24/16. I have attached a copy of the vocabulary terms and instructions below.

Chapter 14 - Lesson 3 Notes, Chapter 14 Test Moved to Friday, Grade Check

Today we completed the notes on Chapter 14 over Eastern Europe. You will find the notes in their entirety below. Please make sure your student has these notes, along with the notes for Lessons 1 and 2, so that they can study for their test on Friday.

Speaking of the test, I have decided to bump the exam over Chapter 14 back to Friday. I wanted to make sure we had a solid day of review and giving the test on Thursday just seemed like rushing things. Please help your student remember to prepare for the test.

I will be sending out emails to the parents of students with a failing average in my class by the end of the week. The end of the grading period is quickly approaching and those who are failing do not have much longer to dig out of that hole. Please go online and check your student's grades to make sure they are up to your standards. The emails will only go out to the parents of those students who are failing but anyone can access the grades and make sure their student has no missing assignments.

I have graded everything in my possession so the grades are accurate. They will remain so until the test on Friday is graded.

Chapter 14 Worksheet Turned In, Lesson 3 Completed, Test Coming Up

After being off line for a few days due to training and illness, I am back. I apologize for the lack of posts over the last few days.

Today, the Chapter 14 worksheet was due. After taking up the worksheets I went over Lesson 3 in the Study Guide with the students. I will be posting notes over Lesson 3 either tonight or tomorrow. The test is scheduled for Thursday 2/18.

Chapter 14 - Lesson 2 Notes, Chapter 14 Worksheet, Behavior Expectations

Today, we finished up the "notes with holes" for Lesson 2 of Chapter 14. If any student is missing any part of these notes, they can be accessed in yesterday's post.

Tomorrow, I will be out and the kids will have a substitute. The students will be working on their worksheet for Chapter 14. The worksheet will be due on Friday 2/12.

Please remind your students that just because there is a sub in the room does not mean that behavioral expectations change. If anything, I expect the kids to behave better when there is a guest in the room. Please reinforce this with your student.

Technical Difficulties, Notes with Holes for Chapter 14

I apologize for not posting updates on the blog the last couple of days. I was having some sort of technical issue. I wish I could tell you that I had figured it out and fixed it but, basically, it was all working this morning after not working since late last week. I decided to just be grateful and move on.

I have attached the notes for Lessons 1 and 2 of Chapter 14 - Eastern Europe. You will notice that the notes have blanks or "holes" in them. The student were told to copy the notes in class and then attempt to fill in the blanks/holes while reading the text of the chapter in their study guides. Please check with your student to make sure they are keeping up and have both the Lesson 1 and Lesson 2 notes copied down.

Chapter 14 Vocabulary Assigned, Chapter 13 Tests Returned

I started class today by returning the Chapter 13 tests that the students took yesterday. The grades were not particularly good overall so please check with your student and make sure they do test corrections. By correcting the tests, students can earn half of the points they missed back. For example, a 60 can become an 80, a 70 can become an 85, etc.

The vocabulary for chapter 14 was also assigned. This assignment will be due on Friday 2/5. The vocabulary terms and instructions are below.

Chapter 13 Test Taken Today

The students took the exam over Chapter 13 today. It should have looked familiar as it was the exact same test form I gave them as a worksheet (see post below from 1/ 29). Despite the fact they had seen the test before, the grades were disappointingly low overall.

Please double check your students grades (in all classes) by visiting the EHMS school site and clicking on the grade access center link on the upper left portion of the home page. It is a fairly straight-forward set of steps that allows you to view your child's grades.

Stress to your student that time is starting to become short. We are no longer in the early stages of a grading period but in the middle of it. Soon, I fear, some will have dug a hole too deep to get out of before report cards come out.

Chapter 13 Worksheet Due, Chapter 13 Test Tomorrow

The students turned in their Chapter 13 worksheets at the beginning of the period today. Well, some of them turned in their worksheets. Far too many students failed to turn in this assignment and will be receiving a grade of "0" on it. Please check with your student and see if they turned in this assignment on time. If they did not, a copy of the worksheet is available for printing out on the post below. Have the student print it, complete it and turn it in ASAP.

The test over Chapter 13 is tomorrow. Please make sure your student does everything he/she can do to be as prepared as possible.

Chapter 13 Worksheet Due Monday

The students were given a worksheet for Chapter 13 today. This worksheet is due at the beginning of the period on Monday 2/1. Please check with your student to make sure they have the assignment completed and ready to turn in on Monday.

I have scanned the worksheet and attached it below. That way, if any student loses it, they can print a new copy and still get it turned in on time.

Finishing up Chapter 13

Today we finished up the final lesson of chapter 13. Tomorrow the kids will work on the vocabulary builder worksheet for this chapter. The vocabulary builder will be due on Monday 2/1.

The plan is to review on Monday and test over chapter 13 on Tuesday 2/2.

Chapter 13 - Lesson 3, Notice of Failing Grades, Quiz Tomorrow

In class today we started reading and working on Lesson 3 from Chapter 13 in the study guide. We got about halfway through the lesson and will likely finish it up tomorrow or Thursday.

I have now emailed the parent/guardians of all students with a grade below 70 after the first two weeks of the grading period. If you did not receive an email it likely means your student is currently passing. I did have a couple of emails bounce back so please check to make sure your current email address is in the system.

We will have a short quiz tomorrow over the first half of Lesson 3 (the part covered today). It should be a great chance to raise some of those averages. Please double check with your student to ensure they are properly prepared. The questions will come directly off of the Self-check quiz at the end of Lesson 3 in the online textbook.

Chapter 13 - Lesson 2 Started, Chapter 13 Vocabulary Due and UIL Grade Check

We started work on Chapter 13 - Lesson 2 in the study guides today. In the lesson, we discussed some of the empires that ruled Northern and Southern Europe and other parts of the ancient world. Included in the discussion were the Greeks, Romans, Macedonians and Vikings.

About halfway through the period, I had the students complete work on their Chapter 13 vocabulary which was due at the end of the period.

The grades for the UIL grade check were due this afternoon. Whether or not your student is participating in an extracurricular activity or not it is a good time to take stock of where they are as far as their grades. I am sorry to say that I have far too many students with missing work for which they have received a grade of "0." This has led to some very poor, and failing, averages at the 3 week mark. Parents of students with an average below 70 to this point will be receiving an email at some point this weekend. Please check the KISD system and make sure there is an accurate email address available for me. Thanks.

Chapter 13 Vocabulary Assigned

Today, we wrapped up Lesson 1 from Chapter 13 in the Study Guides. I also assigned the vocabulary for Chapter 13. Below are the vocabulary words, instructions and due date for this assignment.

Wrapping Up Chapter 12 Test

Today, the students completed the exam over Chapter 12 - Western Europe. We started this test last Friday but more than half of the kids did not finish before the end of the period. That being the case, I gave them the period today to wrap it up. There were still a few students who did not finish today. I allowed those students to take the test home (it was open book/notes) to finish it tonight. Please check with your student to see if they finished the test in class or if they need to do it for homework tonight.

Tomorrow, we will begin work on Chapter 13 - Northern and Southern Europe.

Test Today, Crossword Assignment Altered

Today, the students began work on their Chapter 12 tests. After thinking about things, I decided to allow the students the use of their study guides. This essentially made the test an open book test. I decided that the, due to my absence yesterday, the review process had suffered and I did not want the students to pay the price for that. Most of the students did not finish the test so I will let them finish up on Tuesday.

On a different note, the crossword puzzle assignment really has not gone off as planned. It has taken MUCH longer than I ever would have guessed it would. Since we are on a very tight schedule, I've decided to just give the students a participation grade on the assignment and move on. Hopefully, we can try this again later and it will go smoother.

Remember, there is no school on Monday as the KISD observes Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

Out Today, Test Tomorrow

Today, I will be out of the classroom attending a training workshop in Waco. In my absence, the students will be watching a video about the events leading up to the Texas Revolution. This video dovetails nicely with what we have been studying in Chapter 9 (The Road to Revolution). Students will be required to take a few notes during the presentation.

*TEST REMINDER*- The test over Chapter 9 will be tomorrow (Friday 1/15). Please make sure your student is prepared for this first exam of the third 9 weeks grading period.

Wrapping Up Chapter 12, Vocabulary Builder Due, Crossword Assignment and Test Review

Today, we finished up Lesson 3 of Chapter 12 in the Study Guide. This completes the study guide work for Chapter 9. The exam over Chapter 12 is scheduled for this coming Friday. We will begin reviewing for the test tomorrow.

The students turned in their Vocabulary Builder Worksheets today as they were due.* Please check with your student to ensure that they did get this assignment turned in on time. If not, press them to get it in to me ASAP as they will have a grade of "0" on it until it is made up.

The crossword assignment I mentioned in yesterday's post was worked on just a bit today. The kids will likely have most of the period on Thursday to complete it (I will be out on Thursday attending a training session).

* The exception is my 4th period class. Due to reasons explained in yesterday's blog post, they will not need to turn in the Vocabulary Builder worksheet until tomorrow at the beginning of class.

Kahn Review, Crossword Creation Assignment Given and Chapter 12 Vocabulary Builder Due

Today, the students went through a review over Lessons 1 and 2 of Chapter 12 via Kahoot. Kahn is an online program that allows me to create quizzes and reviews. Each student can access the quiz via their smart phone, tablet or other device. Students without a device were allowed access to the class iPads for the review, though they likely had to share.

After the conclusion of the Kahoot review, the students were assigned a crossword puzzle creation assignment. Basically, the students were broken into groups and given the task of creating their own crossword puzzle over Lessons 1 and 2 of Chapter 12. The complete instructions for the assignment are attached below. I have not decided on a due date for the assignment yet but will post it here once it is set.

*HOMEWORK ALERT*- Finally, the Chapter 12 Vocabulary Builder worksheet is due tomorrow at the beginning of class. This worksheet was assigned last Friday. Please check with your student to make sure the assignment is complete and ready to turn in at the beginning of class.

*HOMEWORK ADDENDUM*- My 4th period class will be given one extra day to complete the Vocabulary Builder assignment as I did not manage to get their graded vocabulary returned to them today. Their worksheet will be due on Wednesday.

Catching Up and Chapter 12 Vocabulary Builder Assigned

Friday, we had a "catch up day." Considering that this was only the end of the first week of the grading period, no one should really be behind; however, my goal is to give each student every opportunity to avoid that situation. Students took the class period to finish up Lessons 1 and 2 over Chapter 12 in their study guides.

I also assigned the Vocabulary Builder worksheet for Chapter 12. The students were to begin working on this assignment if they finished the work in their study guides. The Vocabulary Builder worksheet will be due on Tuesday, January 12.

A Few Reminders and a New Strategy

I wanted to take this opportunity to refresh everyone on how to get to the online version of our textbook. The steps are as follows:

-  Open your internet browser and type in connected.mcgraw-hill.com
-  The user name will be the letters kisds followed by your child's ID # (for example, kisds123456)
-  The password will be the first three letters for your child's last name followed by the ID #. For example, if your child's last name is Smith the password would be SMI123456.
-  Once the site is open, your child should have access to the grade level math, science and social studies textbooks.

I am also shifting strategies a bit in the hopes of helping my students be more successful. We will be working out of some study guides meant to accompany our textbook. The guides provide a somewhat abbreviated version of each chapter and is easier to read. Those giant textbooks can be a bit overwhelming so I'm hoping using these guides will help make the students more likely to read the information.

For the most part, the study guides will stay in the room and not go home. There may be some exceptions on the night before tests and the like but I have learned that, for most of my students, very little studying is taking place at home. If the work/studying/review does not happen here in class, it just isn't happening. That being what it is, I am trying to simplify and make sure the students are exposed to as much of the information as possible in class. This will leave less to do at home. Anything that needs to be done at home can be done using the online textbook.

Back in the Swing of Things, Chapter 12 Vocabulary Assigned

Well, it is time to get back at it. Please make sure and be diligent with your student regarding school work. Often, students have a tough time readjusting to the grind right after the holidays. Please do all you can to ensure your student gets off to a great start this nine weeks.

The vocabulary for Chapter 12 was assigned yesterday. It is due on Thursday (1/7). The vocabulary terms are below.