Unit+One+daily+log+2012-2013


 * Class Log || 2012 ||
 * Monday 8/27 || WELCOME BACK!! In class today the students received a homework journal and were directed to compose a type 2 writing assignment in that journal. The assignment was to select a country from the Eastern Hemisphere that they would like to know more about and to provide 3 reasons why. Check the homework page for tonights assignment. ||
 * Tuesday 8/28 || Today some of the students shared their type 2 writings from the previous class as well as their results from the homework assignment. We used this as a springboard to review the Cornell Note taking method and to start taking notes on ten types of governments. Students will be given time to complete the notes tomorrow in class. No assignment was given. ||
 * Wednesday 8/29 || Today the students were given time to complete the notes on the 10 different political systems or type of government that we will use this year in geography class. The students also created a graphic organizer to help them start to think about which systems provide a lot, a little, or no freedom to the citizens living under them. The pages for reading, the power point, and the graphic organizer are located on the assignments page for anyone who didn't complete the work in class today. ||
 * Thursday 8/30 || Today we had a class discussion about the amount of freedom that citizens have under the various types of political systems. As a class we discussed how sytems could move from one category to another based upon your point of view. To prove this point, the students completed a type 1 list of the "things they do that the government has no control over." I played "devil's advocate" and tried to convince them that the government had more control then they thought. The first learning goal was then introduced (see below) and I explained that what really mattered was how they defended their position on the political systems, not that their graphic organizer looked exactly like mine. No new assignment was given. ||
 * Friday 8/31 ||


 * Class Log ||  ||
 * Monday 9/4 || No School ||
 * Tuesday 9/4 || Students were given a practice quiz today on the different types of political systems. They were permitted to use their notes on the quiz. The quiz contained different scenarios with key words that would help them identify the type of government being described. No homework was assigned. ||
 * Wednesday 9/5 || Today we began with a writing exercise in which the students were asked to pick a type of government they would choose to live under if they had to. We shared answers and then turned our attention to ecomonic systems. The three types of economic systems were presented in our textbook and the students took notes on those terms, as well as, the difference between developed and developing nations. A writing assignment was given. Please check the assignments page for that. There will be a quiz on political and economic systems on Monday, September 10th. ||
 * Thursday 9/6 || In class we reviewed the notes on economic systems and developed vs developing nations. Homework from last night was shared. My notes on political systems, economic systems, and developed nations are all on the assignments page. Please review them prior to the quiz Monday. ||
 * Friday 9/7 || To provide some background knowledge on the Industrial Revolution, we watched a short video about the mill towns that developed in New England in the late 1700's and early 1800's. Industrialization is essential to a country's ability to move from a developing nation to a developed nation. After the film we discussed what we watched and I answered the students' questions. ||

link for the CIA world factbook. [] Link for Nation master [] * Details [] ||
 * Class Log ||  ||
 * Monday 9/10 || Quiz on Political and Economic systems ||
 * Tuesday 9/11 || In class we started a new mini-project called Ranking Developing Nations. The students were given a list of 20 countries from around the world and asked to find 5 statistics that could be measured about each country. The statistics also needed to align with the different characteristics of a developed nation which we had learned about last week. Those characteristics included wealth, healthcare, education, technology, industry, and urbanization. The students were given the statistic of life expectancy as an example. Life expectancy is measurable and it connects directly to the characteristic of healthcare. The students then spent time selecting characteristics and collecting data. The project is intended to be worked on and completed in school, so no homework assignment was given. For the students in my homeroom, please remember to return your signed AUP forms by Friday. ||
 * Wednesday 9/12 || Today we continued to work on the Ranking Developing Nations project. I provided the following resources for the students to find data to complete their charts. I also explained how to complete the scoring section of the project (page 2). Most students were close to completing the data collection by the end of class today.
 * [[file:Ranking_Developed_and_Developing_Nations_2010.doc|Download]]
 * 94 KB ||
 * Thursday 9/13 || Today was an advisory day so our classes were roughly 30 minutes. The students continued to work on the RDN project. Most students are now on to the scoring section of the project, so they are working through their data to see which countries had the best results. Tomorrow's class will be given to complete parts 1,2, and 3. Any finishing touches should be completed over the weekend. Next week we will work on a type 3 writing assignment where we will examine our results. ||
 * Friday 9/14 || In class today, directions were given on how to complete the final page of the Ranking Developing Nations packet. This was the last day to work on the data collection activity. Next week I will guide the students through a Type 3 writing assignment using their data to determine why some of the countries are not currently developed. Any unfinished work from the RDN packet should be completed by Monday. On a related note, recently while discussing economic systems I had mentioned to the students that one of the benefits of capitalism, is that there are no age restrictions to good ideas. Below is a link to a web article about young successful business people that students may find enjoyable to read. Have a nice weekend!

In class we finished our discussion on the political parties and looked at the electorial college system. Below are two links we used in class that the students can use in the future or that parents can look at. [] [] I also collected the Ranking Developing Nations data and the Type 3 writing assignment. If any students need to access their saved work on their student directory and send it to me, the directions for accessing the directory are posted below. No new assignments were given. * Details
 * Class Log ||  ||
 * Monday 9/17 || Our time today was spent beginning a Type 3 writing assignment. The topic of the assignment was to look at the results of the Ranking Developing Nations project and to reflect upon the countries that scored in the middle of each student's list. I shared with the students the FCA's and explained what they are and how I will be looking for those specific criteria when I grade their work. I then shared a guide for the students to follow to help them write the essay. That guide and the FCA's are posted on the assignments page. The students had the rest of the class (about 30-35 minutes) to begin the Type 3 essay and will have tomorrow's class to work on it as well. The assignment is due to me by Friday. ||
 * Tuesday 9/18 || The students had this time to continue working on their Type 3 essay tied to learning goal three (see below). While they worked on the essay, I was able to meet with each student and look at the results of their Political and Economic systems quiz. Students who scored below a 70% of the quiz have the opportunity to fix their mistakes and to improve their score up to a 75%. The grades will be posted after the students have that opportunity, however the quizzes were returned today, so check with your child to see how they did. Tomorrow we have the opportunity to use real voting machines to perform a mock Presidential election. To prepare, the students were assigned an article to read. This is found on the assignments page. ||
 * Wednesday 9/19 || Today and tomorrow students will have the opportunity to vote in a mock presidential election. We also had a reading check for Wednesday night's assignment and looked at some of the beliefs that Democrats and Republicians have. This lesson is spread out of the next few days so that we can share the voting booths. ||
 * Thursday 9/20 || Happy back to school night! See yesterday for the details of today's lesson. ||
 * Friday 9/21 || Parents,My apologies for missing you at our Back to School Night event. As you may have heard, I am also involved with high school girl's soccer and we had a game on City Island last night. I know that my teammates on team Jupiter shared the many ways to communicate with us if you have any questions or concerns, but I would also like to make myself available for a face-to-face meeting since I was not at the event last evening. I will be in my room (C169) on September 26th from 5-6 PM. If you would like to stop by and chat, simply email and let me know.
 * [[file:accessing your home directory.doc|Download]]
 * 24 KB ||


 * Date || Class Log ||
 * 9/24 || Today we started the fourth learning goal of unit one. The fourth goal will focus on learning the beliefs of five major world world religions. I gave the students a pre-quiz (for no grade) to see what they already knew about world religions and then showed them a short video on religion in general to supply some background knowledge. ||
 * 9/25 || In class I showed the students my moodle site where I have posted for them videos from the same series that we watched yesterday. Each video focuses on one of the five major world religions and provides some details about the beginnings and beliefs of each religion. The students watched the videos and in small groups, focusing on just one of the five. On Thursday I will jigsaw the students in new groups so and have each student share what they learned. ||
 * 9/26 || No class for students, inservice day ||
 * 9/27 || The students finished watching the videos on one of the five world religions and compiled their notes to prepare for tomorrow's class. Tomorrow they will share their information with a new group of students and collect the information from the videos they did not get to see. ||
 * 9/28 || Students "jigsawed" into new groups to share their notes on the five major world religions. ||

[|http://upfront.scholastic.com/issues/04_02_12/book#/1] ||
 * Date || Class Log ||
 * 10/1 || Today I started to review the notes on world religions that the students shared with each other last week. We began with Christianity. I reviewed the answers that should appear in their notes and we expanded upon their knowledge by looking at the branches of Christianity as well as why this religion is found in so many parts of the world. No new assignment was given. ||
 * 10/2 || In class today, the students read two short sections from our "Medieval Times" text and completed some review questions. The sections focused on the origin and beliefs of Islam. This also provided the students with the opportunity to check their notes on Islam to make sure they were accurate. The assignment will be completed in class tomorrow. No new assignment was given for homework. ||
 * 10/3 || Today students were given time to complete the reading and questions that were assigned yesterday. Some students finished early and were able to move onto two articles from the April 2, 2012 edition of Upfront Magazine. These articles deal with the history and conflict in the Middle East. We will discuss these articles tomorrow in realtion to Islam and Judaism. For students who did not get to or finish the articles, a digital link is provided below and should be completed for home work. The articles are on pages 14-19.
 * 10/4 || In class I was able to go over the graphic organizer for Judaism and Islam and answer questions that the students had. I also went over the schedule for the next couple of weeks with the kids which includes our world religions quiz on 10/15. ||
 * 10/5 || I was not in school today. A subsitute completed an activity with the students where a Venn Diagram was used to compare Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The students were then instructed to complete a Type 2 writing assignment answering the following prompt: "Identify three beliefs that Christianity, Islam, and Judaism have in common and three beliefs that make them unique." Students who did not finish were instructed to complete the writing for homework. ||

* Details
 * Date || Class Log ||
 * 10/8 || No school, In service day ||
 * 10/9 || In class today, I introduced the first current events project of the year. This project is mostly completed with extra time that students may have when they finish other assignments or activities early, during flex, or at home. While the focus of the assignment is on current issues, there are also writing standards and students skills being taught. Today, modeled for the students how to put together a summary and a reaction or opinion paragraph. Tomorrow I finish going over the requirements and due dates for the project and the students will have an opportunity to begin looking for their first article. To see the current events requirements, click on the assignments link above and click on the current events tab to see them. ||
 * 10/10 || Continuing with the lesson from yesterday, I finsihed reviewing the requirements for the current events project. These requirements are listed on the assignments page under the current events tab. I also shared with the students a timeline that will help them "chunk" the assignment in to smaller parts. That timeline is available on the current events page as well. Finally, there is an early turn-in date for the students. Students who turn-in their project by the early turn-in date will have the opportunity to fix mistakes that they made and to improve their scores. Students who choose to wait will not have that opportunity. The early turn-in date is 10/29/2012 and the overall due date is 11/09/2012. ||
 * 10/11 || Since the classes were shorter today due to the advisory schedule, I gave the students a class period to work on the current events project I assigned this week. I had many questions from the students so I put together a reference sheet for them, which I will give them once it has come back from printing. Parents can look at it or print one here.
 * [[file:Current Events Project Reference Sheet 2012.docx|Download]]
 * 15 KB ||
 * 10/12 || In class we had an opportunity to see the commercials from our candidates running for team president, while the students worked on a map of the world religions that they will use for the quiz. Since we didn't finish the map, the quiz will now be Tuesday. I am going to post my copy of the religions graphic organizer as well as a link for students who wish to complete the map over the weekend. I will post those resources on the assignments page. ||


 * Date || Class Log ||
 * 10/15 || I was not in my classroom today. The sub went over the connections that could be made between religion and culture. This excercise was practice for our quiz tomorrow. Students should bring their completed world religion maps to class tomorrow. ||
 * 10/16 || Students were given the world religions quiz ||
 * 10/17 || Today we moved into the final part of the our first unit. The last learning goal is tied to climate. This should be a review fro the students as they were introduced to climate and climate graphs last year. We will not spend a lot of time on this learning goal, so the Unit 1 test is fast approaching. On this exam, I will expect the students to be able to demonstrate their understanding of all five learning goals. If we stay on schedule, the Unit 1 test will be November, 2, 2012. I will allow the students to prepare one page of notes that they may use on the test. More details will follow. No new assignment was given for homework. ||
 * 10/18 || Continued the work started yesterday on climate. ||
 * 10/19 || Team election! See the home page for the results. ||

* Details 2) Climate Graphs (the kids each made one of their own and we reviewed them yesterday) 3) Climate Zones (I gave each kid a graphic organizer with the climate descriptions included. The kids should know these descriptions and be able to use them to identify each climate zone). || 1) Identify what is going to be assessed on the test 2) Evaluate what material you do not know 3) Analyze what it is you do not understand about the material 4) Work with the material to understand it better For the unit test I will allow the students to create and use 1 page of notes. The notes may be typed but the font should be no smaller than 12 font. Remember that the climate quiz for learning goal five is tomorrow. ||
 * Date || Class Log ||
 * 10/22 || We continued our review work on world climate types by giving the students time to complete their climate graph for Charleston South Carolina. I also provided a garphic organizer that had descriptions of the 12 types of climate zones. To practice using climate graphs to identify climate zones, I gave the students 12 unidentified climate graphs and had them use their descriptions to identify them. The climate quiz is on schedule for Friday. I also returned the World Religions quiz. Students who received a score below a 70% can fix the mistakes that they made on the quiz and show them to me to improve their score up to a "C." ||
 * 10/23 || In class we reviewed the factors that influence climate and looked at the different climate zones that exist by looking at climate graphs for each zone. Some students progressed to a climate map of either Africa or Southeast Asia. This map will be used on the quiz. The quiz is Friday. ||
 * 10/24 || Today I went over the climate graph descriptions and answered any questions that the students had from our review of climate. I posted the following items for them to study for the quiz Friday. 1) Reading assignment from pages 40-47 in the text book and the answers to the questions I gave them.
 * [[file:Section 3 Climate and Weather.doc|Download]]
 * 233 KB
 * 10/25 || We used our time today to start preparing for the Unit One Test that will take place next week. I asked the students to look at the five learning goals (listed below in red) and to give each one a score of 1-5 based upon how confident they felt they could answer or complete each task. I then had the kids think of questions they about any of the learning goals that they did not score a 5. I used this activity to explain to the students how they should go about studying for a test. The process I shared with them was to:
 * 10/26 || Climate Quiz ||


 * Date || Class Log ||
 * 10/29 || No school Hurricane Sandy ||
 * 10/30 || No Scoool Hurricane Sandy ||
 * 10/31 || The unit test that was scheduled to begin today has been pushed back to Monday, November 5th. I gave the students time today to prepare one page of notes that they may use on the test. I also gave them some study tips for how they could work with the material while they were studying. ||
 * 11/1 || The students received time to preapre their notes for the unit test on Monday and Tuesday. ||
 * 11/2 || Students graded the Climate quiz and were able to take the quiz with them to study for next week's unit test. Also, some of the student's have pointed out that I left out any holidays or celebrations for Buddhism on my world religions chart. My apologies. Here's a link that should provide plenty of examples for them. [] ||

* Details Students who needed this time to finish their current events will need to finish the work on chapter 35 for homework. Parents should be aware that the current events assignment was given a month ago. Along with this, each student was given a check list with dates to help them chunk this assignment. If your child was spending a large amount of time on this project this week, they did not follow the plan that they were given. || __**Unit One Learning Goals:**__ I can defend which political system(s) give its citizens the most freedom. I can analyze the benefits and negatives of each major economic system. I can use data to support my conclusions about the level of development for any country in the world. I can compare and contrast the five major world religions and draw conclusions about their impact on people's lives. I can create a thematic map or climate graph to show the conditions that exist in any place at any time.
 * Date || Class Log ||
 * 11/5 || Day one of the unit test. The test will continue tomorrow. ||
 * 11/6 || Day two of the unit test. About half of the students did not complete the unit test so I am extending the time into tomorrow. ||
 * 11/7 || During our class today, some students needed to finish their test. Once finished, I had all students go over their test and highlight the sections of their answers where they specifically answered each part of each question. This was a good activity for the kids to do, as it provided reflection for them to see if they did indeed answer all parts of the questions. ||
 * 11/8 || Today we started the work on a new unit. The unit will begin by looking at the theory of global warming. Our textbook provides a chapter on this topic. I like this chapter because it gives both sides of the theory and allows the students to decide what they think is happening. That chapter is posted here for students who did not finish this week in class.
 * [[file:Ch 35 Reading.docx|Download]]
 * 3 MB ||
 * 11/9 || In class, I allowed time for students to do two things. 1) complete the reading and questions for chapter 35 2) complete finishing touches on their current events that are due today.