Monday - September 30, 2013

My apologies for getting this up so late today.  I was home with sick kids today, and now I'm just home sick.  I'll be gone again tomorrow (Tuesday) and will try and post earlier in the day for anyone looking for assignments.  Here are the day's plans for each period.

1^st, 2^nd Periods:  Remind students to study week 6 on their spelling lists this week.  There is a vocab/spelling worksheet the kids need to fill out each week. 

Have the students read to themselves the 4 short stories beginning on page 78 (including all the instructions before the stories begin, as that will help them know what to look for when reading, and will assist them in doing the homework) and answer ALL the questions through page 97.  It is one assignment, but have them label each section of questions separately.  Due tomorrow. 

3^rd Period:  Remind students to study week 6 spelling.  .   Tell students they are doing a timed 5 paragraph essay prompt today.  They will have 40 minutes total, and the essay will be due at the end of class.  We have been practicing these and they will be graded on how well they follow the five paragraph format, rather than on what they say, or which side they choose to argue. 

Prompt:  Should everyone be forced to stay in school until they are 18/graduated, or should kids be able to drop out at 16?

4^th Period:  Remind them to study week 6 spelling.  Continue reading as a class in the story “Song of the Trees” on page 50, letter I in the yellow literature book.  If you finish reading, have the students answer questions 1,2,3,5,6,8,10 for Wednesday.

5^th Period:  Prep

6^th Period – Same as 3^rd.

7^th Period – Learning Lab.  Students generally work quietly on various projects or homework. 

8^th period:  Go to the Library and check out the movie documentary about Pocahontas/Jamestown.   The librarians can help you if need be.  Have students take ½ page of notes to turn in at the end of class.  If students are absent, they may check out the video on their own time. 

Friday - September 27, 2013

7th Grade - No class.  B schedule

8th Grade:
Mad Libs instead of DOL today.
Notes, examples, and practice with misplaced and dangling modifiers.  A schedule students will get this lesson next Friday.

10th Grade:  No class.  B schedule

History:
We turned in all the assignments due today for English and History
Current Events discussions. 

Have a great weekend!  Good luck to all participating in the many various activities taking place this weekend!

Thursday - September 26, 2013

READING LOGS FOR SEPTEMBER ARE DUE ON FRIDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

7th Grade: 
Spelling Test week 5.
Continue on with reading "Song of the Trees." 
No Homework

8th Grade: 
Spelling Test week 5
Work day to catch up on all that was assigned this week.


10th Grade:
Spelling Test week 5
Read Act II, Scene 1 in Julius Caesar for Monday.  Also, go online and read the more modern version so you understand what is happening in class when we begin covering it together on Monday.


History:
Read chapters 8 and 9 in My Brother Sam. 
Read pages 64-70 in history textbook. 
There will be a quiz on both of these readings on Monday.
Don't forget to prepare a current event for class tomorrow.  Sign up early to share yours with the class if possible.  You need to read two each quarter, and it is not always easy to get this done with everyone else sharing, and the classroom discussions we have about them.  Don't procrastinate!

Wednesday - September 25, 2013

7th Grade:
DOL
We began reading "Song of the Trees" today, with a focus on background knowledge.
Homework due tomorrow from page 30 questions 1,2,5
Don't Forget Reading Logs are due this week!


8th Grade:
DOL
Homework:  Algernon section 1 questions on page 72.  Answer questions 1,2,3,4,6,7,10 and 11.  Also, don't forget that the homework from page 406 "The Circuit" questions 8,9,10, 11 and 13 is due tomorrow. 
Reading Logs due Friday.
Spelling Test week 5 is tomorrow.
There is lot's to keep up with this week.  Don't get behind!


10th Grade:
Julius Caesar Act I test today.


History:
www.usdebtclock.org has a really informative series of charts and numbers listing all kinds of numbers about personal, family, state, and national debt. 
Homework:  Worksheet asking questions about these numbers.  See Mr. Hawley for extra copies.  Due Thursday.
Also due Thursday:  Page 60 in the Text book.  Answer questions 1-4, 5a,6a,7a,9b, 13-17.
Current Events are due again this Friday, and since it is a B schedule, I will give you the period to read them for the class. 

Tuesday - September 24, 2013

7th Grade: 
DOL focusing on Passive and Active voice.  passive voice uses extra helping verbs and shifts the focus of a sentence to the object.  The knives were sharpened by the cook. (passive) vs. The cook sharpened the knives (active)  We took a few notes on the two types of writing.  See Mr. Hawley for copies. 

Homework:  Finish reading the story on page 30 (An unforgettable Journey).  At the end of the story, answer questions 1,2, and 5 in complete sentences.  Then write a 1/2 page journal entry on a time you felt weird, out of place, or strange.  Due Thursday


8th Grade:
DOL focusing on Active vs passive voice, and transitive verbs, or sentences that have  a direct object, vs sentences that don't. 

Homework:  Read the story "The Circuit" on page 406 and answer questions 8-12 at the end of the story.  Please use short essay answers for these questions.  One sentence answers will not suffice.


10th Grade:
DOL
Julius Caesar test has been postponed till Wednesday.  You are welcome!
Homework:  Read the story "By the Waters of Babylon" on page 61.  Write a 1 page response to the prompt:  In what ways do people still allow superstition/mythology to influence or guide their lives.  Due Wednesday.

Don't forget to do your character plot map for Act I of Julius Caesar.


History: 
Almost all the students were gone today for games, so please answer questions 1,2,3,4, 5a, 6a, 7a, 9b, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 from the chapter review (chapter 2 in the history textbook) on page 60.  Due Thursday.    Those 5 who stayed in class got to look at political cartoons and have a good discussion with each other.  Good luck teams!

Monday - September 23, 2013

7th Grade:
DOL - Focus on participles today.  A participle is a verb that ends with ED or ING and has a helping verb with it.  I am walking is a present participle vs. I walk is present tense.  Don't worry.  We will get lots of practice with these verbs.

Begin reading the story "An Unforgettable Journey" in class.  No homework tonight.


8th Grade:
DOL - Focus on Infinitives (Verbs that still have the "To" in front of them.  To eat, to walk, to run, etc.
Continue reading Algernon. 


10th Grade:
DOL - Fix the sentence today. 
We finished reading Act I in Julius Caesar.  There will be a test on this act tomorrow in class.


History: 
We finally finished our discussion on Globalization.  We took notes on the Spanish Hierarchy in the New world, and who got which kind of jobs, based on parentage, race, and gender.  See Mr. Hawley or a classmate for notes.  Then we turned our attention to the looming fight in congress over the debt ceiling.  The debt clock is up on my screen saver.  We will do an activity tomorrow with these numbers.  Scary stuff!

Thursday - September 19, 2013

7th Grade: 
Writing Prompt today instead of DOL
1/2 page (or more) about the following: 

• On this day in 1830, the first locomotive, the Tom Thumb, lost a nine-mile race with a horse - between Riley's Tavern just outside Baltimore, Maryland, and a spot inside the city.  In fact, a boiler leak kept the train from ever finishing the race.  So the "Iron Horse" (and early nickname for trains) was outpaced by a horse!
• Prompt:  Think for a moment about life in America in the 1700's.  Now think about life today.  How many different kinds of things do we use that weren't available to our ancestors?  How have these devices changed your life?  Write about a few that have had the biggest impact on your life. 

We went on to discuss the dreaded RUN ON sentence, and his evil sidekick, Comma Splice!  No homework - Yet.  More on this to come tomorrow.

8th Grade:
Writing prompt today instead of DOL
Write 1/2 page (or more) about the following prompt:

• On this day in 1783, the Montgolfier brothers sent up the first air balloon with live creatures on board:  a sheep, a rooster, and a duck
• Prompt:  Why do you think the Montgolfier brothers sent up animals before they tried to go up in the balloon themselves?  Do you think this was fair?  How does this tie in with our reading "Algernon" in the textbook right now?  Due Friday.

We read through page 62 in Flowers for Algernon in class today.  No additional homework.


10th Grade:
Writing prompt today instead of DOL
Write 1 full page about the following prompt:

• Mickey Mouse was introduced for the first time on this day in a 1928 cartoon called "Steamboat Willie" at the Colony Theater in New York.
• Prompt:  What is it about Mickey Mouse that has kept him popular all these years?  Discuss his qualities and attributes as you see them. 

We finished reading Act I Scene 2 in Julius Caesar.  We will read Act 1 Scene 3 tomorrow and have a test on Act I on Monday. 

History: 
Discussion of 2 articles from the internet
1.  Can the State of New Jersey force a lower court judge to give up his part time job as a comedian?
2.  Can the ACLU sue to force a school in California to allow a transgender (born a boy) student to use the girl's bathroom?  He is claiming his/her? rights have been violated.

Continue power point on Spanish Colonization and Conquest of the New World.  Look up 5 countries in the Caribbean, Central, or South America on the CIA World Fact Book website.  https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/  Find the demographics section (listed under "people and society") on these countries and report back on the percentage of residents of African vs European or Indian blood. 

Homework:  Read pages 49-58 in the history textbook on European colonization in the Americas.  Read My Brother Sam chapters 6 & 7 for class on Monday.  Be prepared for a quiz over both readings on Monday when class starts. 

Wednesday - September 18, 2013

7th Grade: 
-DOL
-We discussed the Plot, Conflicts, and made a Venn Diagram for the story "Amigo Brothers." 
-Homework (Due Friday):  Write a 1 page journal entry describing a time you had to overcome conflict in your life.  Include things like when, where, why, how it happened, and then DISCUSS how you OVERCAME the conflict.

8th Grade:
DOL
FINALLY, we are getting into our story "Flowers for Algernon".  Lots of good discussion today.  If you could be the smartest person in the world, how would that change your life?
No Homework

10th Grade:
DOL
Back into Julius Caesar today.  We will finish Act I, Scene II by tomorrow.  Plan on having a test on Act I on Friday.
No Homework.

History:
What is globalization?  How is the planet interconnected today in ways it has never been before?  How did the Spaniards (and other colonizing European countries) change the world as we know it today?  Tomorrow, we will discuss Bonaire, an island where I lived many years ago, and the heritage that is still there from colonial times.

Tuesday - September 17, 2013

7th Grade: 
Mad Libs today instead of DOL
Continue reading Amigo Brothers from the text.  Finish reading the story tonight for homework.  come to class tomorrow ready to write about the story.

8th Grade:  Maps testing.  Last day!!!

10th Grade:  No DOL because of Maps testing
Homework:  Read the story "The Trip" on pages 46-56.  At the end of the story, answer questions 5, 8, 9.  Give 4 examples for number 5, and answer 8 and 9 in short essay (4-6 sentences) format.  Due Wednesday. 

TURN IN FLASHBACK ESSAYS TODAY!!!!!!

History:  Define Globalization.  Powerpoint and class discussion on what it means.  No notes.  We also began talking about Mexico's colonization of the New World.  No homework tonight.

Monday - Sep 16, 2013

7th Grade: 
DOL - Fix the sentence today. 
Review of Pronoun worksheet homework.

8th Grade:
DOL - Fix the sentence
Students took a few notes on Alliteration.  See Mr. Hawley for copies.
Moostache story - Great example of alliteration.
No homework

10th Grade:
DOL - Fix the sentence
Continuing discussion of Julius Caesar Act I, Scene 2.  We are going slowly through this act because of the Maps testing, and other scheduled interruptions, but also because it is critical to understanding the rest of the play.
No Homework today.

History:
Final Map test - Identify all 50 states and their capital cities.
Homework:  Read pages 44-48 in the history textbook.  Come to class tomorrow prepared to answer a question to get in the door, and have a question to ask your classmates.  Also read chapter 6 in My Brother Sam for tomorrow. 

We have finished our unit on politics.  We will be shifting into European exploration and conquest of the Americas next, with a strong focus on Jamestown and Plymouth Rock.

Thursday - September 12, 2013

7th, 8th, 10th grades all maps testing today.  No homework.  The spelling tests will be given on Monday when we return to school.

History - current events.  We had some good discussions today.  Lots of good participation.  See you all Monday.

Wednesday - September 11, 2013

7th Grade:
DOL - Still working on Pronouns. 
Homework:  Pronoun Worksheet - Due tomorrow.  See Mr. Hawley for extra copies.  This one focuses on Indefinite and Relative pronouns. 
We also started the introduction to our next story "Amigo Brothers"  We will be focusing on compare and contrast with this story, as well as the elements of a short story like Plot, setting, Rising action, climax, falling action, and denouement (the "And they lived happily ever after moment in the story.)

8th Grade: 
DOL - Nice short one today.
Discussion of Maps testing and reasons why you should try to do your best.
New story we will begin reading in the textbook - "Flowers for Algernon".  This story will focus on parallel episodes and subplots within a story.  Be warned, it is a sad tale.  No homework.

10th Grade: 
DOL - Still working on those pronouns.
We finished reading the story "The Leap"
Essay:  Flashback.  Instructions below.    This will be due next Tuesday, Sep 17.

 GUIDELINES FOR FLASHBACK FLASH-FORWARD STORY

DUE DATE:

LENGTH: 1½ - 3 pages typed (double spaced)

ALL PAPERS MUST HAVE THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION:

Title of the story

Your name

 

Did you notice that The Sandlot was told as a flashback story? Smalls was walking into the baseball stadium to begin his job as an announcer at the beginning of the story, and at the end of the story he is announcing the game. What happens in between those two scenes is a flashback about the greatest summer of his life.

Start your story in the present day--only your present day is 10 years from now.

 

FIRST PARAGRAPH

This paragraph should include the following information in narrative form (Not just a list of information, but actually told in the way a story would sound.) 

Your age

Your occupation

Single or married?

Any kids?

House you live in

Car you drive

Tell me a little bit about yourself.

Explain what happens on your job to make you think of the past. Your last sentence in your first paragraph should read, “I remember when…”

 

BODY

Tell me about a TRUE incident that happened to you that you will never forget. The more details, the better the story. Explain and describe EVERYTHING.

 

LAST PARAGRAPH

Come back to reality and end your paper in the present (which is really your pretend future) by tying the story together for the reader.

Tuesday - September 10, 2013

7th Grade -
DOL - Very complex sentence today.  Good work, guys.
Review 5 paragraph essay and turn in for grade.

8th Grade -
Same as 7th grade today.  Remember your pronoun types.
Personal
Possessive
Reflexive
Intensive
Interrogative
Relative
Indefinite

Finish writing 5 paragraph essays on Govt vs. Flower shop.

10th Grade
DOL - tough one today!
Finish speeches.  Lots to think about for the next one coming up and how to improve.
Homework:  REad the story "The Leap" on page 36.  Come to class tomorrow ready to discuss and do a writing assignment on this. 

History.
Most kids were testing this period, and most of the girls were gone, so today was just silent reading. 
Homework:  Read pages 36-43 in the history text.  Also, read My Brother Sam chapters 4 & 5 (46-76) for tomorrow.

Monday - September 9, 2013

English 7 -
DOL - Fix the sentence
Students need to write a 5 paragraph essay: 
Thesis:  Mr. Hawley is a grammar Nazi!
A.  English teacher
B.  Social media editor
C.  Environment of those he is around

We'll see how well you did tomorrow.


English 8: 
DOL
Timed writing prompt - Can the Govt tell you who you can and can't sell things to?  Can they force you to sell something to someone that is against your religious beliefs?  For example, can they force a Christian bakery produce a cake for a gay wedding?  Argue one side or the other. 


English 10:
DOL
Hopes and Dreams speech.  I was pleased with the efforts from 2nd Period for the most part.  1st period needs to work on some presentation skills. 


History:
50 States Test
Quiz on My Brother Sam - Ch 3
Quiz on Textbook sections 1.4 and 2.1

Begin discussion of Political platforms and the planks that make up a platform. 

September 5, 2013
OK, we're back for another school year! 

English 7 - Grammar, grammar, grammar!!!  Parts of speech, and punctuation/spelling will be a huge focus for us this semester.  Spelling Test tomorrow.  Study!

English 8 - Read the stories you finished reading for "Inn of Lost Time."  Stories due today.   Finish reading the story to discover the other plot twist!

English 10 - Read through J.C. Act 1 Scene 2 for class tomorrow.

History - Notes on why we should all obey the laws, at home, school, and in society at large. 
Response to Cartoon #1.  Forms are available in class.  Map test for all 50 states has been moved to Monday.  Homework - Read chapter 3 in My Brother Sam, and read the sections in your textbook starting on pages 22 and 32 for Monday.  There will be some sort of quiz over this reading.