Updated through January 20, 2011
You can email me at jspeck-sherson@shschools.com
Parents please be sure to check the student's planners and score sheets to keep up with their assignments, grades and if homework has been an issue. We do all this to keep communications with you clear and as immediate as possible. Thanks.
ONLINE TEXTBOOK INSTRUCTIONS:
The primary textbook is on line, and if you push the little speaker button, it will read it to you!! There are also many interactive review resources on the texbook website: www.classzone.com I’ve given instructions on my website on how to access the textbook and resources on my homework link. All you need to do is create an account and input the ISBN# (0618556710), and the activation code 2606284-10, to have web access. For those of you who don’t have access, you can make arrangements with teachers to stay after, or access it in the Homework Club.
I STAY AFTER ON TUESDAYS UNTIL 4PM FOR EXTRA HELP.
A students sincerely wanting to improve are welcome.
And thus begins Quarter 3!!
Jackson Editorial Packet passed out in class with all instructions on 1/27/12. In that packet, you have all the materials you need to do well on the editorial and the steps leading up to turning in your final draft. All primary sources can be seen on line at http://www.pbs.org/kcet/andrewjackson/edu/primaryresources.html so you can get ahead on SC3 or catch up. Be sure to use the first Jackson packet (where we answered all the review questions and did content graphic organizer) as well to help you with the editorial process.
1/30/12 SC3 for 1st primary source due at the end of class.
1/31/12 SC3 for 2nd primary source due at the end of class.
2/2/12 ELA graphic organizer due at the beginning of class today.
2/3/12 Rough Draft (written in pencil) due today for bonus.
2/6/12 Rough Draft due without bonus. Final draft will be determined later, after I finish editing rough drafts).
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Due 1/20 read chapter 12 section 1 in the textbook.
Due 1/23 read chapter 12 section 2 in the textbook.
Due 1/24 Andrew Jackson Map for B and C block if they didn't finish it in class already.
Due 1/26 Read Chapter 12 section 3 in the textbook.
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Due 1/9/12- 10-3 notes (pp. 353-358). Take notes by writing red headings and under each red heading, take bullet-style notes.
Due 1/10- map worksheet we started in class. Remember you need your book, and all the information is on page 355. Ft. McHenry is tricky, it's represented on the book's map with a fort at the top of the Chesapeake Bay.
1/10 I was told 1/9 that there is a faculty meeting 1/10 and the late bus is not happening, so my after school help day is rescheduled for Wednesday 1/11.
1/11 I will be staying after for extra help.
1/17/12 I will be staying after today to follow up with students who came after school on 1/11 and asked for additional assignments, and to help students prepare for Thursday's test. You guys had great plays and props today, bravo.
On 1/19/12 we'll have a Quiz on the War of 1812 which will be based on 10-3, the visuals and primary sources we will work with in class.
Next, we will move on to 12 with Andrew Jackson as President.
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I won't be able to stay after on Tuesday 1/3, as there is a meeting I have to go to with the Curriculum Facilitators. Tuesday, we will be playing a review game as a class, I have made questions from the exam for the game, and students were encouraged to take notes on the bits they realized they were weak on during the game.
I won't be at school on Wednesday 1/4 as my son is sick, so the objective part of the Midyear Exam will now take place on Thursday 1/5.
The Open Response part of the Exam will be on Friday 1/6.
The open response will as you to look at the quotation statement, identify which document it came from, interpret it and finally say why it is significant. The possible quotes that will appear are the part of the Declaration that states "We hold these truths to be self-evident...and to institute new government", on page 184 of your textbook. The second possible quote is the Preable to the Constitution which is on pg. 266, and was on your pretest we went over as well. The third possible quote could be Jay's Treat referring to what we got out of the Treaty, namely England's troops leaving the NW Territories, and their not attacking out ships.
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I won't be able to stay after 12/20 due to a doc appt., my apologies. Students can see me at lunch, and students who have Ms. Deal can see me during B Block.
After the break, we will be having a midyear exam. So far we have studied the causes of the Revolution, the lead up to the creation of the Constitution, what's in the Constitution and the actions of the first 3 Presidents. You should study the materials you've been saving in your binder through out the year and the book, Chapters 6-10. We will be reviewing over the week before break to prep. Please study over the break.
Study guide was passed out 12/21/11. It is also to the left of this area of the site under "FILES", entitled "Midyear Exam Review Sheet". It's a PDF, so it should be easy to open.
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Due 12/13 rewrite on George Washington Paragraph if you got any less than you were hoping for on your score. Remember to follow the scoring sheet for that which I've stapled to the top of your packet.
Due 12/15 I'm hoping your 30-questions board game on the 1st 3 Presidents is done so we can play the games Thursday during class to review for Friday's quiz. All of the answers to the questions you create for the game will have the answer of a name of one of the first 3 Presidents. Remember, your questions have to have meat to them. Don't simply ask "Which President was in charge during the Whiskey Rebellion?". Instead, ask "Which President decided to send 13,000 troops to Western Pennsylvania to stop the Whiskey Rebellion?"
On 12/16 you will have a quiz on the first three Presidents. Remember to study the 3 pieces: 1. your 3 presidents chart which we finished on Tuesday, 2. your George Washington Chart which was with your GW paragraph packet, and 3. the yellow Marbury v. Madison and Judicial Review sheets you got on Tuesday. We stapled all three of these pieces together on Tuesday. This is what you use to make your board game, and what you use to study. Most of the questions on the quiz will be identifying which President was involved with what in history, but there will also be a open response asking you to evaluate at least one of the Presidents' leadership.
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Due 12/7 at the beginning of class, your graphic organizer answering the question about your evaluation of George Washington's leadership. We will start it in class on Monday 12/5. You will need your chart and your GW book notes to do this assignment. You will have all of Tuesday's class to finish getting the three quotes and work on your graphic organizer.
On Tuesday 12/6 I'll be out, and I have made arrangements to be able to stay after on Thursday (12/8) to give extra help until 4PM. Please come if you are struggling on the GW assignments due this week.
Due 12/9 is your open response. We will have some time to work on this in class on Thursday, but only to have questions answered. You will need to do the bulk of this on your own, but with a well completed and thoughtful job on your graphic organizer you should be fine. Again, if you need help, I'll be here after school on Thursday.
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Due 11/29 notes on George Washington- the challenges he faced, how he faced them and your evaluations of those methods he used to face those challenges. We did the first two together, use the pages 212 to 328 to finish the remaining 4 I mentioned in class.
11/29 or 12/3 (your choice) map quiz on the first 13 states, use the maps we went over in class to study for that.
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11/14- Students can do the optional retake on the Separation of Power quiz. Graded quizzes were passed back on Friday 11/10.
11/14- Students can pass in optional worksheet on Article II - use Constitution to find answers.
11/23- DC Packets Due by today.
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11/4-Sorry about the delay in updates, I'm at UMASS updating my website because we still don't have power in Belchertown...
New due dates due to the storm and cancellations:
11/9 Separation of Powers Quiz
11/9 Pass in Poster Project if you want bonus, be sure to review "poster tips" I gave you in class on Friday 11/4/11.
11/10 Pass in Poster Project for full credit.
After this, we will examine the Whiskey Rebellion and compare/contrast with Shays' Rebellion.
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Due 10/27 notes on first topic for Constitution Poster Project.(See Project explanation passed out in class 10/25)
Due 10/28 notes on second topic for Constitution Poster Project.
Due 10/31 notes on third topic for Constitution Poster Project.
Due 11/2 notes on fourth topic for Constitution Poster Project (if you have a 4th topic)
Due 11/4 Constitution Poster Project if you want bonus points.
Due 11/7 Constitution Poster Project if you need more time to work on it.
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Due 10/25/11
Finish the Constitution Introduction sheet that we started in class. Many finished in class, so hopefully this won't take you more than a few minutes to finish up. Remember to write all answers in complete sentences on lined paper, and turn in answers with your question sheet. Parents, I got a few finished assignments in my A Block class, none from my B or C, so all in these classes still need to finish. About 8 students in D and about 5 students in E Block finished.
Due 10/19/11 Declaration Paragraph-
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Using the "Declaration of Independence Excerpt" given in class on 10/18, you are going to write paragraph on the Declaration. At the bottom of the "Excerpt" it poses a question- "Do you think these complaints are worth fighting a war over?"
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To write the paragraph, you need to begin by indenting. The first sentence should answer the question asked. The next 4 sentences should each have an example of why these issues would or would not be worthy of having a war. (Again, use your "Excerpt"). The last sentence should wrap it up, and please don't use the words "In conclusion...". Then edit (especially for spelling and capitalization).
Optional Assignments, due Thursday 10/20/11 Create a rap, by interpreting either the shorter version of the introduction of the Declaration or the longer version (provided in class). You can also perform the rap for bonus. If you are working with a partner, you have to perform it.
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We have been working on looking at primary sources on the Articles of Confederation and will now be going on to the Declaration of Independence. There has been no homework since our Saratoga work. I haven't been able to log in to update this site because of technical issues with the school's technology. There won't be homeowork for a while, all the work has been in class for me to help the students navigate through these thick 18th Century documents. The worst thing would be to have them take these bits home and panic when I'm not there to help them.
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We are prepping for a debate on the real reason why the Americans won at the Battle of Saratoga, (really the series of battles that led up to the surrender at Saratoga). Starting 9/28 we've been gathering information from the textbook (pp. 200-201), and then onto some great websites which have primary and secondary sources. I am linking them to this site, so that if you are absent, or fall behind, you can catch up with your information gathering. Use the yellow sheet(s) we started in class to record your findings. We will start the debate on Tuesday 10/4. You only need to do the work at home if you've been absent, fell behind in class, or want to get even more to help your side during the debate. The debate will last one day, possibly two days if it's going well.
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We've started the Revolution Timeline Project. Please refer to your instruction sheet for details on this.
Due 9/13- Step 1
Due 9/15- at the beginning of class, Step 2.
Due 9/15 In class, Step 3.
Due 9/16 at the beginning of class, Step 4
Due 9/19 at the end of class, Step 5
Due 9/21 at the end of class, Step 6
Due 9/27 at the end of class, Step 7
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Due 9/6 Filled out intro sheet.
Due 9/9 textbook covered my way
Due 9/13 paragraph on the Boston Tea Party from SC3 notes). See assignment sheet for guidance. Be sure to use your "Edit Sheet" in your Reference section of your binder before you consider it finished. You will pass the following in, and in this order...
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Instruction Sheet (be sure to read over this sheet before you turn this in).
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Your paragraph (be sure to write source numbers and authors you used at the bottom of the paragraph- for the secondary source which covered the taxation without representation, tax monies only paying tax collectors, and the monopolies- you can name that source simply as "Carp".)
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Your graphic organizer
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Your yellow SC3 sheets, and any photocopies given for the yellow sheets.
Due 9/14-Due to school interruptions, C Block will pass in their Tea Party assignment a day later.
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Textbook on line
1. Go on line to website listed on your book’s inside cover: classzone.com
2. In step one on the site, click on Social Studies and Middle School button
In step two, click on Massachusetts
In step three, click on GO
3. On that page, click on the first picture of our textbook in the upper left.
4. Then scroll down to “On Line Book”
5. At this point it will prompt you to put in the ISBN number, and ask you to create a Username and Password.
6. After that, it should show you the text and other support activities.
If you have any problems, email me, or ask me in school tomorrow.
Have Fun!
