Welcome Back!

Welcome to the 2018-19 school year. I know summer is a great time and a lot of fun, but there is something about getting back in the routine that is nice, too.

Some important information:

- I expect students to be prepared for class. Each student should have a pen or pencil with which to write and some paper (notebook, spiral, etc.). I do not have a long supply list of required items, so I feel this is a reasonable expectation.

- I expect students to treat each other and me with courtesy and respect.

- I expect students to come to class mentally prepared to do school work. Summer was great, but it is over. A student should not be offended or surprised that I expect them to do school work while they are at school.

*IMPORTANT INFORMATION*

- Class blog: Mayeshistory7.blogspot.com (if you are reading this you already have the address). Bookmark or save this site as a favorite for easy reference. This is where I will post assignments, due dates, and other information. It is a great source for students who have been out  sick or for parents who like to keep up with what we are doing in class.

- My email address: Michael.mayes@killeenisd.org

- Phone: EHMS main line is 254-336-1100. Ask for me and the secretary will connect you.

- Reminder.com: I will be sending short messages/reminders to parents via Remind.com. You have already been loaded up on my lists. This is a great way for you to stay on top of your student and make sure they are doing their work in a timely manner. You will receive messages via text or email depending on the contact information provided to the school. You may upload the Remind app if from the App Store, but it is not necessary. If you want to opt out of this Reminder.com list, just let me know.

I'm looking forward to a good year and counting on the support of the parents/guardians in this endeavor. Please feel free to contact me with any questions you may have.

My best,

Michael Mayes
EHMS History/Athletics

Shutting Down the Blog

As the very few of you who visit the blog have no doubt noticed, I have stopped posting assignments and updates here. I will be shutting down the blog for the remainder of the school year.

The reason for this is very simple: nobody is using it. At least not enough people are using it to justify the effort it takes to keep it up. I have a counter on the blog and I am averaging less than two visits to the site per day. Frankly, students are not using it as a resource and neither are any parents. The amount of time I spend updating it is no longer validated by the amount of good it is doing students/parents.

If you need to contact me for any reason, please email me at michael.mayes@killeenisd.org

Thank you.

Finishing Up Chapter 12, The Holocaust Letter

Today we finished up Chapter 12 which covered Western Europe. While we discussed events going back to Medieval times, I stressed the events of World War I and World War II strongly. I gave particular emphasis to the Holocaust. In fact, in lieu of a standard test over Chapter 12, I have assigned the students another project that will count as their Summative grade for the Chapter (see instructions below). I have also provided a link to a short Holocaust documentary we watched in class that may be helpful to students as they complete this assignment.

Chapter 12 - Lesson 2

Today we continued our notes and discussion on Chapter 12 - Lesson 2 (Western Europe). There is a whole lot to discuss in this chapter so we are taking out time. The influence of Western Europe on Western Civilization as a whole cannot be overstated. Below are the complete notes from Lesson 2 as well as links to some of the videos we are watching in class discussing the Black Death, Protestant Reformation, and the Holocaust.

Chapter 12 - Lesson 2 Guided Reading and Quiz

For the last two days the students have been working on a Guided Reading sheet that covers the information in Chapter 12 - Lesson 2. Tomorrow the students will take an quiz. The kids will be allowed to use this guided reading sheet on the quiz. The guided reading sheet is the ONLY information that may be used. Please make sure your student has this sheet filled in correctly and is ready for the quiz.

*HOMEWORK ALERT*- Open note quiz (use Guided Reading Sheet) tomorrow over Lesson 2 of Chapter 12.

Chapter 12 - Lesson 1 Notes, Reading Assignment

Today we started the notes for Chapter 12 - Lesson 1. I started working with the students on how to create their own notes from the written text. Students should compare the notes taken in class today to the notes attached below to make sure they did not miss any important information.

*HOMEWORK ALERT* - Read pages 388-392 (textbook) / Pages 1-4 (online textbook) of Chapter 12

Chapter 12 Vocabulary and Vocabulary Builder Worksheet Due

I was off campus for training today so the students had a sub. The sub gave them the Vocabulary Builder worksheet for Chapter 12. They were to work on this in class. The sub SHOULD take this up (finished or not) at the end of the class period. I will give the worksheet back to any students who did not finish tomorrow (Friday) so that they can finish it up over the weekend.

Yesterday, the kids were assigned the standard vocabulary assignment (attached below). It is due at the beginning of the class period tomorrow (Friday). This assignment is attached below.

Lesson 3 Notes, Brazil Acrostic Assignment

We started wrapping up Chapter 9 over Brazil today with the Lesson 3 notes. These notes are attached below. The students also received an assignment (Brazil acrostic). Full instructions for this assignment are below. The due date for the Brazil acrostic assignment is Friday 1/12.

Vocabulary Builder Worksheet Due, Lesson 2 Notes

The students continued working on the Chapter 9 - Lesson 2 notes today. The full notes for Lesson 2 are available for printing or copying below.

*HOMEWORK ALERT* - The Chapter 9 Vocabulary Builder worksheet is due at the beginning of class tomorrow (1/9/18)

Today we completed the notes over Chapter 9 - Lesson 1 (Brazil). These complete notes can be found on yesterday's post. We then watched video that gave a nice synopsis of the geography of Brazil. That video can be viewed below. The vocabulary assignment for Chapter 9 was due today at the beginning of the class period. Please check with your student to make sure they turned in their assignment. Many did not and are starting the new grading period with a "0."

*HOMEWORK ALERT* 

- Read pages 299-301 (textbook) or the final three pages of Chapter9 - Lesson 1 on the online textbook.

Chapter 9 - Lesson 1 Notes, Reading Assignment, Vocabulary Due

Today we started the notes on the South American country of Brazil. The full notes for the lesson and a couple of videos I shared with the students about the Amazon River and uncontested people groups in the rainforest are attached below.

*HOMEWORK ALERT*

- Read the first three pages of Chapter 9 - Lesson 1 in the online textbook.

- Chapter 9 vocabulary due tomorrow (see yesterday's post for the assignment).

Uncontacted Amazon Tribe Video

Welcome Back, Chapter 9 Vocabulary Assigned

Welcome back! I hope everyone had a great Christmas break. I am trying to ease the students back into the school routine by giving them an easy to do assignment for their first grade of the new nine weeks - The Chapter 9 Vocabulary. The vocabulary terms and full instructions are below.

*HOMEWORK ALERT* - The Chapter 9 Vocabulary is due on Thursday 1/4/18.

Welcome Back, Chapter 8 Vocabulary Assigned

Welcome back! I hope everyone enjoyed their Christmas break and are rested up and ready to knock out the second semester of the 2017-18 school year.

I tried to ease the students back into the school routine by giving them an easy vocabulary assignment that covers important terms from Chapter 8. The full assignment and instructions are below.

*HOMEWORK ALERT*- The Chapter 8 vocabulary assignment is due on Thursday 1/4/18.