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.