Unit+Two+Daily+Log

**Geography assignments are available here.**


 * The Geography Moodle site is available [|here].**

[|Click here] to email Mr. Repsch. 11/12 || Thank you to all the veterans who were able to attend our breakfast this morning! It was an honor to serve you! In class, I reviewed the answers to the reading questions that were assigned last week. Although I did not collect this assignment, I did have the students score it as a formative assessment. The second half of class was spent on a web quest to gather more facts about climate change. Additional time will be given tomorrow to work on the web quest. || 11/13 || In class today we continued the work on the web quest. The students are experiencing some frustration with finding answers on the various web sites. Rest assured that I am aware of that. I have already reminded them that this is called a web quest not a web drive-thru. Any work not completed in class was assigned for homework. Here are the two links to the videos that are used for questions 3 and 4. Some students were having trouble getting them to play in class today, probably because of the number of students attempting to open them at the same time.
 * Class Log || 2012 ||
 * Monday
 * Tuesday

[]

[] || 11/14 || In class today, we are going to use our notes to write a letter to the President about our opinions on global warming and climate change. Open the document that is posted below and follow the directions. Of course, you may type your answers and submit them to me through googledocs.
 * Wednesday

|| 11/15 || In class today, students should complete the letter to the President assignment and then open the unit check list below to see the assignments for the rest of the unit. Our approach with this unit will be for students complete assignments at their own pace while big topics will be reviewed in class together.
 * Thursda

|| 11/16 ||
 * Friday


 * Date || Class Log ||
 * 11/19 || Students were given time to work on the requirements for chapter 11. This chapter focuses on hurricanes as way of learning about natural disasters and how humans deal with them. The unit check list is posted above. ||
 * 11/20 || A formative pre-test was given on some of the vocabulary for the unit. These terms came from chapter 11. The students are being directed to recognize that the Geo-terms are not the only vocabulary that is found in each chapter and to remember that they are responsible for all vocab words. To assist with this, I'm posting a list on today's date, for the enitre unit. Students may reference the list at any time or print a copy for themselves.

||
 * 11/21 || Turkey Trot, no class ||
 * 11/22 || Happy Thanksgiving! ||
 * 11/23 || No school ||

||
 * Date || Class Log ||
 * 11/26 || No school ||
 * 11/27 || I returned the Unit One test in class today. I went over some common mistakes that I found with the students and advised them to speak to me about any questions they had with their individual tests. Students who earned less than a 7/10 on any learning goal will have an opportunity to find their mistakes and improve their scores up to a 7. The rest of the time in class was spent working on the list of assignments for unit two. Most students have completed the work for chapter 35 and are working on chapter 11. I started meeting with small groups of students to work on reading strategies and note taking. I am posting additional chapters for the unit here.
 * 11/28 || Students continued to work on the assignments for unit number 2. By now, most students have completed chapters 35 and 11. I met with most of the remaining students today in small groups to discuss note taking and study tips. I also gave a mini-lesson with tips for creating the physical maps that the students will get to use on the unit two test. ||
 * 11/29 || Open the following link and complete the reading check questions from chapter 11. The answers will be reviewed later in class.

||
 * 11/30 || At the beginning of class I went over the reading notes for chapter 17 and explained how to complete the activity. I encouraged the students to work together on this activity because it requires a good deal of logic and reasoning skill and I felt they could perform this better if they discussed it with someone else. I also let the students know that on Monday they will have an opportunity to imrpove any learning goal questions that they scored below a 7 on the unit one test. Students who scored a D or F on the unit test should really be reviewing their notes and their test over the weekend. ||


 * Date || Class Log ||
 * 12/3 || In class today, the students had an opportunity to improve their scores on the first unit test for any learning goal that they scored below a 7/10 on. Students who did not need to take advantage of this opportunity were allowed to continue to work on their unit 2 work.

||
 * 12/4 || In class we today, I am going to attempt to help the students work on some multi-tasking by allowing them to listen to music while they continue to work. The tip I am providing them with for today's class is to select music that is not new to them. They should select music that they know well so that they can focus learning the geography materials and not the lyrics of the latest and greatest pop song. I am also posting the rubrics for the project for unit two. Some students are getting close in their work to the point where they could start working on the project. I will go over the project with the class but some students are capable of getting started on their own.

|| [] [] [] [] [|http://www.thenation.com/article/170894/we-are-all-new-orleans-now-climate-change-hurricanes-and-fate-americas-coastal-cities#] [] ||
 * 12/5 || The following resources should be used to help answer the questions found in the project above. I will go over the rubrics in class this week.
 * 12/6 || Unit Two work ||
 * 12/7 || I reviewed the rubrics for the project (see above) and fielded any questions the students had about them. ||


 * Date || Class Log ||
 * 12/10 || I reviewed with the students the plan for the next two weeks. All work on the unit check list should be completed by the end of this week. The Unit Test will be given on 12/19. Students are being given time to complete this work and to work on the project. The project is due upon return from the holiday break. I am encouraging the students to get the work done prior to the break. ||
 * 12/11 || At this point students should be wrapping up the four chapters that were assigned for Unit Two. Those chapters are all posted on this page and the majority of the work has been out of the student ISN. I have also been sharing with students tips for studying for the unit test. An example would be to apply one strategy used in one chapter to another chapter. Chapter 11 focused on the skill of summarizing. The students could summarize the reading in chapter 17 into some new notes and use that to study for the test. ||
 * 12/12 || As the test for Unit Two approaches, use these practice quizzes to help you prepare for the 19th.

||
 * 12/13 || In class I went over the answers for the practice map quiz. I explained the different types of questions that could appear on the test related to the maps. Most students scored a 7/10 or higher on the practice quiz. It seems that they struggled the most with application questions. The purpose of the practice quiz was to prepare the students for the test next week on Wednesday, the 19th. ||
 * 12/14 || Today I discussed the four different physical processes that shape our planet (ch. 17). I went over the reading notes assignment from the students' ISN notebooks that required them to look at 12 different pictures and identify which process was on display. This was a very challenging activity for the kids but even when they had incorrect answers, they often had sound reasoning why they put the answer they did. The activity was not graded but I think it was very helpful for them to understand chapter 17. Test next week on Wednesday, the 19th. ||

Unfortunately I am unable to be in school today. Despite that, our class will remain on the schedule we have been preparing for. That means the work you have been doing for Unit Two is going to be due on Wednesday when you take the Unit Test. In class today, you should be finishing the work for Unit Two, which I will collect on Wednesday. If you are finished with that work, then you should be either working on the Hurrican Brochure project or studying for the test Wednesday. I am posting another practice quiz here for you and the answers to the practice quiz I posted on 12/12. You should take advantage of these practice opportunities to help you prepare for Wednesday.
 * Date || Class Log ||
 * 12/17 || Students,

||
 * 12/18 || This was the final class period to complete the work assigned for Unit Two, with the exception of the brochure project. I will be collecting the unit work tomorrow following the Unit Test. The brochure project will due January 4th. ||
 * 12/19 || Unit two test ||
 * 12/20 || Classes were given the choice to either grade the unit test or work on the project. Two classes chose to grade and two chose to work on the project. ||
 * 12/21 || no class ||

||
 * Date || Class Log ||
 * 12/31 || no school ||
 * 1/1 || no school ||
 * 1/2 || Students were given a preview of our next unit and then received time to complete the project due on Friday. Starting tomorrow, the students will begin a new unit and will also receive instruction for how I use cooperative learning in my classroom. ||
 * 1/3 || In advance of our new unit, I presented the PALS method of cooperative learning to the students today. This focuses on four skills that the students need to use to be successful. They are: Participation, Attending, Listening, and Staying on task. As a class, we identified what all four skills would look like and sound like. I explained to the students that the next unit would be about human-environment interaction but also about learning to work together as a small group. The students will be graded on their ability to use the PALS skills. A reminder that the unit 2 project is due tomorrow. ||
 * 1/4 || The students began the work for Unit 3 today. I reviewed with them the jobs that they will have while working togther in their groups and assigned the first task. The groups are to read pages 14-23 from the Ancient World text and answer questions 2,3, and 4 on page 23. Those pages are linked here.


 * Date || Class Log ||
 * 1/7 || In support of the reading we did last week (see above on 1/4) I showed the kids a video with some research related to the first farmers. This video showed how hunters and gathers may have made the transition from Nomads to civilized farming communities. At the end of class we discussed what evidence appeared in both the reading and the video. I explained that when we look at history this far back, much of what we talking about is theory, so the more evidence we can find that is in agreement, the more likely that information is accurate. ||
 * 1/8 || The student were given time to complete the group questions from last Friday and to start a new activity. This was also the first day that I evaluated the students on the interpersonal skills that we went over last week. The PALS skills are described above on 1/3. The assignment and the pages that go along with them are linked here:

|| After each member of your group has completed the reading and note taking for the different sections, it is time for each member to share what they have learned. Each member of the group should explain the main ideas and details they learned from the section. The other members of the group should push each member to explain what they learned clearly and so that you understand. While eachmember of the group is presenting, think of them as a teacher. You ask your teachers questions when you do not understand so don't be afraid to ask your group members questions. If they can't answer them, the information either wasn't in the reading or your group member didn't read it very carefully and doesn't understand it either. Ask them about the vocabulary or the "questions to explore" found at the beginning of each section. (how many of you skipped right over them?) Remember that quiz questions often come from these places since these are the key words and main ideas of the section. This discussion should make both the group and the person explaining understand each section better.
 * 1/9 || __**Group Assignment Number One: Part Two**__

While you are discussing, remember to use the PALS skills we discussed. Interact with each other politely, use the 6-inch voice, stay on task, and listen. ||
 * 1/10 || Once your group has finished sharing information about each section of the text and the group is satisfied that you all have a good understanding of the material, send the gopher to get the green textbook and complete the following activity together.

Making Connections: Look at the map on pages 452-453 and compare it to the map on pages 296-297. Identify where there are both major river systems and large areas of population. In areas where the connection is not evident, hypothesize why this may be the case. As a group, compile a list of rivers/cities with major population and a list of rivers without major cities and major cities without rivers. Your hypothesis should be in paragraph form. This is a Type 2 writing assignment so it set it up correctly on either paper or googledocs. ||
 * 1/11 || Students were given an opportunity to work on the assignment listed above. ||


 * Date || Class Log ||
 * 1/14 || The first activity that each group needs to do is to check their individual Geo Bee results. Use the answer sheet in your folder to double check your own results. I will be around to record your scores. Once you have finished that, groups who need to complete the assignment from last week may work on that. Remember that it is due on Wednesday. Groups who are finished may start the next assignment. Our first assignment focused on how people adapted to the environment in places where the resources were plentiful. Our next assignment focuses on how people adapt to areas where resources are not plentiful. Your group is responsible for the following reading assignments and questions:

Chapter 20 from the (green TCI text): complete reading, reading notes from ISN, and processing activity Prentice Hall Text pgs 466-470: complete reading, section 2 assessment questions 2, 3, and the writing activity Prentice Hall Text pgs 498-502: complete reading, section 3 assessment questions 1, 2, 3 and the writing activity ||
 * 1/15 || The students received time to continue working on the assignment that was given yesterday. I also returned the Unit Two Test. Any students who earned a grade lower than a 70% have the opportunity to improve their grade. The students were instructed to come and talk to me so that we could look at their work for the unit and their test, to figure out where they struggled. For many students, the problem was the multiple choice questions. These questions were directly from the book, however I believe the problem lies with the way the kids are approaching the reading assignments. They tend to just skim reading assignments looking for answers to questions or their reading notes. This hurts when questions come from the details of the reading, so this is something we will continue to work on. ||
 * 1/16 ||  ||
 * 1/17 ||  ||
 * 1/18 || [[file:Algeria Reading - Chapter 14 section 2.pdf]] [[file:Mali Reading - Chapter 15 section 3.pdf]] ||


 * Date || Class Log ||
 * 1/21 || No school ||
 * 1/22 || Introduce the new current events topic for the second project of the year. ||
 * 1/23 || Review the requirements for current events with your group. Open the document posted here and read over the requirements. Have the recorder make a list of questions that you have about the assignment.

||
 * 1/24 ||  ||
 * 1/25 ||  ||

11/12 || Thank you to all the veterans who were able to attend our breakfast this morning! It was an honor to serve you! In class, I reviewed the answers to the reading questions that were assigned last week. Although I did not collect this assignment, I did have the students score it as a formative assessment. The second half of class was spent on a web quest to gather more facts about climate change. Additional time will be given tomorrow to work on the web quest. || 11/13 || In class today we continued the work on the web quest. The students are experiencing some frustration with finding answers on the various web sites. Rest assured that I am aware of that. I have already reminded them that this is called a web quest not a web drive-thru. Any work not completed in class was assigned for homework. Here are the two links to the videos that are used for questions 3 and 4. Some students were having trouble getting them to play in class today, probably because of the number of students attempting to open them at the same time.
 * Class Log || 2012 ||
 * Monday
 * Tuesday

[]

[] || 11/14 || In class today, we are going to use our notes to write a letter to the President about our opinions on global warming and climate change. Open the document that is posted below and follow the directions. Of course, you may type your answers and submit them to me through googledocs.
 * Wednesday

|| 11/15 || In class today, students should complete the letter to the President assignment and then open the unit check list below to see the assignments for the rest of the unit. Our approach with this unit will be for students complete assignments at their own pace while big topics will be reviewed in class together.
 * Thursda

|| 11/16 ||
 * Friday


 * Date || Class Log ||
 * 11/19 || Students were given time to work on the requirements for chapter 11. This chapter focuses on hurricanes as way of learning about natural disasters and how humans deal with them. The unit check list is posted above. ||
 * 11/20 || A formative pre-test was given on some of the vocabulary for the unit. These terms came from chapter 11. The students are being directed to recognize that the Geo-terms are not the only vocabulary that is found in each chapter and to remember that they are responsible for all vocab words. To assist with this, I'm posting a list on today's date, for the enitre unit. Students may reference the list at any time or print a copy for themselves.

||
 * 11/21 || Turkey Trot, no class ||
 * 11/22 || Happy Thanksgiving! ||
 * 11/23 || No school ||

||
 * Date || Class Log ||
 * 11/26 || No school ||
 * 11/27 || I returned the Unit One test in class today. I went over some common mistakes that I found with the students and advised them to speak to me about any questions they had with their individual tests. Students who earned less than a 7/10 on any learning goal will have an opportunity to find their mistakes and improve their scores up to a 7. The rest of the time in class was spent working on the list of assignments for unit two. Most students have completed the work for chapter 35 and are working on chapter 11. I started meeting with small groups of students to work on reading strategies and note taking. I am posting additional chapters for the unit here.
 * 11/28 || Students continued to work on the assignments for unit number 2. By now, most students have completed chapters 35 and 11. I met with most of the remaining students today in small groups to discuss note taking and study tips. I also gave a mini-lesson with tips for creating the physical maps that the students will get to use on the unit two test. ||
 * 11/29 || Open the following link and complete the reading check questions from chapter 11. The answers will be reviewed later in class.

||
 * 11/30 || At the beginning of class I went over the reading notes for chapter 17 and explained how to complete the activity. I encouraged the students to work together on this activity because it requires a good deal of logic and reasoning skill and I felt they could perform this better if they discussed it with someone else. I also let the students know that on Monday they will have an opportunity to imrpove any learning goal questions that they scored below a 7 on the unit one test. Students who scored a D or F on the unit test should really be reviewing their notes and their test over the weekend. ||


 * Date || Class Log ||
 * 12/3 || In class today, the students had an opportunity to improve their scores on the first unit test for any learning goal that they scored below a 7/10 on. Students who did not need to take advantage of this opportunity were allowed to continue to work on their unit 2 work.

||
 * 12/4 || In class we today, I am going to attempt to help the students work on some multi-tasking by allowing them to listen to music while they continue to work. The tip I am providing them with for today's class is to select music that is not new to them. They should select music that they know well so that they can focus learning the geography materials and not the lyrics of the latest and greatest pop song. I am also posting the rubrics for the project for unit two. Some students are getting close in their work to the point where they could start working on the project. I will go over the project with the class but some students are capable of getting started on their own.

|| [] [] [] [] [|http://www.thenation.com/article/170894/we-are-all-new-orleans-now-climate-change-hurricanes-and-fate-americas-coastal-cities#] [] ||
 * 12/5 || The following resources should be used to help answer the questions found in the project above. I will go over the rubrics in class this week.
 * 12/6 || Unit Two work ||
 * 12/7 || I reviewed the rubrics for the project (see above) and fielded any questions the students had about them. ||


 * Date || Class Log ||
 * 12/10 || I reviewed with the students the plan for the next two weeks. All work on the unit check list should be completed by the end of this week. The Unit Test will be given on 12/19. Students are being given time to complete this work and to work on the project. The project is due upon return from the holiday break. I am encouraging the students to get the work done prior to the break. ||
 * 12/11 || At this point students should be wrapping up the four chapters that were assigned for Unit Two. Those chapters are all posted on this page and the majority of the work has been out of the student ISN. I have also been sharing with students tips for studying for the unit test. An example would be to apply one strategy used in one chapter to another chapter. Chapter 11 focused on the skill of summarizing. The students could summarize the reading in chapter 17 into some new notes and use that to study for the test. ||
 * 12/12 || As the test for Unit Two approaches, use these practice quizzes to help you prepare for the 19th.

||
 * 12/13 || In class I went over the answers for the practice map quiz. I explained the different types of questions that could appear on the test related to the maps. Most students scored a 7/10 or higher on the practice quiz. It seems that they struggled the most with application questions. The purpose of the practice quiz was to prepare the students for the test next week on Wednesday, the 19th. ||
 * 12/14 || Today I discussed the four different physical processes that shape our planet (ch. 17). I went over the reading notes assignment from the students' ISN notebooks that required them to look at 12 different pictures and identify which process was on display. This was a very challenging activity for the kids but even when they had incorrect answers, they often had sound reasoning why they put the answer they did. The activity was not graded but I think it was very helpful for them to understand chapter 17. Test next week on Wednesday, the 19th. ||

Unfortunately I am unable to be in school today. Despite that, our class will remain on the schedule we have been preparing for. That means the work you have been doing for Unit Two is going to be due on Wednesday when you take the Unit Test. In class today, you should be finishing the work for Unit Two, which I will collect on Wednesday. If you are finished with that work, then you should be either working on the Hurrican Brochure project or studying for the test Wednesday. I am posting another practice quiz here for you and the answers to the practice quiz I posted on 12/12. You should take advantage of these practice opportunities to help you prepare for Wednesday.
 * Date || Class Log ||
 * 12/17 || Students,

||
 * 12/18 || This was the final class period to complete the work assigned for Unit Two, with the exception of the brochure project. I will be collecting the unit work tomorrow following the Unit Test. The brochure project will due January 4th. ||
 * 12/19 || Unit two test ||
 * 12/20 || Classes were given the choice to either grade the unit test or work on the project. Two classes chose to grade and two chose to work on the project. ||
 * 12/21 || no class ||

||
 * Date || Class Log ||
 * 12/31 || no school ||
 * 1/1 || no school ||
 * 1/2 || Students were given a preview of our next unit and then received time to complete the project due on Friday. Starting tomorrow, the students will begin a new unit and will also receive instruction for how I use cooperative learning in my classroom. ||
 * 1/3 || In advance of our new unit, I presented the PALS method of cooperative learning to the students today. This focuses on four skills that the students need to use to be successful. They are: Participation, Attending, Listening, and Staying on task. As a class, we identified what all four skills would look like and sound like. I explained to the students that the next unit would be about human-environment interaction but also about learning to work together as a small group. The students will be graded on their ability to use the PALS skills. A reminder that the unit 2 project is due tomorrow. ||
 * 1/4 || The students began the work for Unit 3 today. I reviewed with them the jobs that they will have while working togther in their groups and assigned the first task. The groups are to read pages 14-23 from the Ancient World text and answer questions 2,3, and 4 on page 23. Those pages are linked here.


 * Date || Class Log ||
 * 1/7 || In support of the reading we did last week (see above on 1/4) I showed the kids a video with some research related to the first farmers. This video showed how hunters and gathers may have made the transition from Nomads to civilized farming communities. At the end of class we discussed what evidence appeared in both the reading and the video. I explained that when we look at history this far back, much of what we talking about is theory, so the more evidence we can find that is in agreement, the more likely that information is accurate. ||
 * 1/8 || The student were given time to complete the group questions from last Friday and to start a new activity. This was also the first day that I evaluated the students on the interpersonal skills that we went over last week. The PALS skills are described above on 1/3. The assignment and the pages that go along with them are linked here:

|| After each member of your group has completed the reading and note taking for the different sections, it is time for each member to share what they have learned. Each member of the group should explain the main ideas and details they learned from the section. The other members of the group should push each member to explain what they learned clearly and so that you understand. While eachmember of the group is presenting, think of them as a teacher. You ask your teachers questions when you do not understand so don't be afraid to ask your group members questions. If they can't answer them, the information either wasn't in the reading or your group member didn't read it very carefully and doesn't understand it either. Ask them about the vocabulary or the "questions to explore" found at the beginning of each section. (how many of you skipped right over them?) Remember that quiz questions often come from these places since these are the key words and main ideas of the section. This discussion should make both the group and the person explaining understand each section better.
 * 1/9 || __**Group Assignment Number One: Part Two**__

While you are discussing, remember to use the PALS skills we discussed. Interact with each other politely, use the 6-inch voice, stay on task, and listen. ||
 * 1/10 || Once your group has finished sharing information about each section of the text and the group is satisfied that you all have a good understanding of the material, send the gopher to get the green textbook and complete the following activity together.

Making Connections: Look at the map on pages 452-453 and compare it to the map on pages 296-297. Identify where there are both major river systems and large areas of population. In areas where the connection is not evident, hypothesize why this may be the case. As a group, compile a list of rivers/cities with major population and a list of rivers without major cities and major cities without rivers. Your hypothesis should be in paragraph form. This is a Type 2 writing assignment so it set it up correctly on either paper or googledocs. ||
 * 1/11 || Students were given an opportunity to work on the assignment listed above. ||


 * Date || Class Log ||
 * 1/14 || The first activity that each group needs to do is to check their individual Geo Bee results. Use the answer sheet in your folder to double check your own results. I will be around to record your scores. Once you have finished that, groups who need to complete the assignment from last week may work on that. Remember that it is due on Wednesday. Groups who are finished may start the next assignment. Our first assignment focused on how people adapted to the environment in places where the resources were plentiful. Our next assignment focuses on how people adapt to areas where resources are not plentiful. Your group is responsible for the following reading assignments and questions:

Chapter 20 from the (green TCI text): complete reading, reading notes from ISN, and processing activity Prentice Hall Text pgs 466-470: complete reading, section 2 assessment questions 2, 3, and the writing activity Prentice Hall Text pgs 498-502: complete reading, section 3 assessment questions 1, 2, 3 and the writing activity ||
 * 1/15 || The students received time to continue working on the assignment that was given yesterday. I also returned the Unit Two Test. Any students who earned a grade lower than a 70% have the opportunity to improve their grade. The students were instructed to come and talk to me so that we could look at their work for the unit and their test, to figure out where they struggled. For many students, the problem was the multiple choice questions. These questions were directly from the book, however I believe the problem lies with the way the kids are approaching the reading assignments. They tend to just skim reading assignments looking for answers to questions or their reading notes. This hurts when questions come from the details of the reading, so this is something we will continue to work on. ||
 * 1/16 ||  ||
 * 1/17 ||  ||
 * 1/18 || [[file:Algeria Reading - Chapter 14 section 2.pdf]] [[file:Mali Reading - Chapter 15 section 3.pdf]][[file:Chapter 20 pages for reading.pdf]] ||


 * Date || Class Log ||
 * 1/21 || No school ||
 * 1/22 || Introduce the new current events topic for the second project of the year. ||
 * 1/23 || Review the requirements for current events with your group. Open the document posted here and read over the requirements. Have the recorder make a list of questions that you have about the assignment.

||
 * 1/24 || On this date we returned to work on Unit Three. The next learning goal ( I can form my own opinions about the impact that humans have had on the environment) will have us look at the events surrounding the Aral Sea. To understand these events, the students needed to understand who the Soviets were. I used half the class to provide some background on WWII and the Cold War. I told the students that those who were interested in the events would have an opportunity for a more detailed lesson on another date. The rest of the time was spent on Chapter 26. [[file:Chapter 26 Reading.pdf]] ||
 * 1/25 || Time was given in class to work on chapter 26 within our PALS groups. The work for chapter 20 and the sections on Algeria and Mali was to be completed by today. A quiz will be given on this material on Monday. ||

Reflection Questions for Chapter 26 1) Why did the Aral Sea shrink? 2) What do you think motivated the Soviets to make the decisions that they did? 3) Do you think that the Soviets were justified in making these decisions? 4) What kind of consequences resulted from their actions? 5) What possible solutions are there to the problems that exist in this region today? 6) Look at the map on pages 386-387. What other areas or regions should be concerned about water stress? Would any of these regions impact your life if they ended up like the Aral Sea?
 * Date || Class Log ||
 * 1/28 || No school, Snow Day ||
 * 1/29 || Quiz on Chapter 20, Algeria and Mali ||
 * 1/30 || In class today I had the students set-up their assignment books to chunk the new current event assignment. I explained to them that the dates I gave them was only to create a goal for each section of the project. It would be up to them to (and their schedule) to work back from those dates and decide when they would actually complete the work. The early turn in date for current events will be 2/22 and final due date will be 3/1. Students who make the early deadline will have the opportunity to fix any major errors that they have. We also graded a portion of the quiz from yesterday. ||
 * 1/31 || In class today, the students could work on chapter 26 (if they had not finished it) or current events. While the students worked, I met with every group of students in the hallway to discuss how things had been going in their cooperative groups. We also discussed what I had observed and graded under the PALS system. ||
 * 2/1 || In class today, the students answer the following reflection questions related to chapter 26:

Then groups were asked to watch the following video and make connections between what they learned about the Aral Sea region and the Colorado River. []

Some groups didn't finish with this activity and will need to do so on Monday.

[] ||

[]
 * Date || Class Log ||
 * 2/4 || In class today the students received time to finish the reflection questions from chapter 26 and to view the video and article posted above on Friday, the second. The Quiz for chapter 26th will be on Friday. ||
 * 2/5 || In class today we went over the reflection questions for chapter 26 and discussed how the events of the Aral Sea could be similar to what is currently happening with the Colorado River. We also introduced the last learning goal (see below) and discussed what resources humans are dependent upon today other than water. This discussion led to fuels such as oil. We then started watching the video linked below that provides a look at what might happen if the world ran out of oil.

Listed below are some resources to view to make you think about the difference between need and greed. Overfishing video []

Overfishing []

Logging the Rainforest []

Oil Drilling []

Industrial Pollution [] || -Re-read the chapter (pages above on 1/24) -Pay attention to maps, graphs, diagrams, and pictures (students often skip these and quiz questions often come from these) -Review your ISN notes and reflection questions ||
 * 2/6 || In class we finished watching the video "World Without Oil." These classes were shortened due to the Thon assembly. ||
 * 2/7 || To wrap-up the video and explore the last learning goal, the students discussed four reflection questions related to the video and then we had a class discussion where we shared our questions and ideas. With the last 15 minutes of class, I gave the students time to study for the quiz tomorrow. Students should focus on the follwoing tips:
 * 2/8 || Chapter 26 quiz ||


 * Date || Class Log ||  ||
 * 2/11 || In class I returned the chapter 20 quiz. The performance overall was down on this quiz. The students and I had a discussion about why that may have been and most agreed that groups who worked through the material together achieved higher than those who work alone and tried to shre information. We also agreed that the students are still not using careful reading strategies when covering new material. I agreed to round the test scores (roughly 5 points) however I did make the students go back to the material and find the answers to the questions they missed. I did this to show them that the answers were indeed in the the reading. ||
 * 2/12 || I was out today at the PETE&C conference. A sub had the students finishing test corrections, reading a review section for the unit test, and working on current events. ||
 * 2/13 || Unit Test part I ||
 * 2/14 || Unit Test part II ||
 * 2/15 || No school, in-service day ||


 * Date || Class Log ||
 * 2/18 || In class the students were given time to complete their unit test. Students who were already finished moved on to our next activity.

If you did not get a chance to go to the LGI or if you did not finish reading the rules and descritptions for the World Shipping activity, the materials are listed/posted here.

||
 * 2/19 || In class today, students selected their own groups and began to plan a strategy for playing the world shipping simulation. A reminder that the early turn-in date for current events is Friday the 22nd. ||
 * 2/20 || The students continued to work on their strategy for the world shipping simulation. I am posting some of the resources here for the game in case students wish to work on their strategy outside of class.

||
 * 2/21 || In class today, the students were shown how to complete a balance sheet. The balance sheets are how each company actually plays the game. The balance sheet displays where the group traveled, what products were bought and sold, and the amount of profit that was made. I have posted a copy of the balance sheet here.

||
 * 2/22 || Work On world Shipping Simulation ||


 * Date || Class Log ||  ||
 * 2/25 || Students will receive time this week in class to complete their world shipping simulation. A quiz on the skills and concepts learned from the simulation will be next week. ||
 * 2/26 || same as above ||
 * 2/27 || same as above ||
 * 2/28 || same as above ||
 * 3/1 || Same as above, collected current events ||

||
 * Date || Class Log ||
 * 3/4 || The students must complete and turn in their balance sheets at the end of class today. Tomorrow, there will be a quiz on the skills and concepts learned during the simulation. ||
 * 3/5 || World Shipping quiz: Balance sheet portion, part two: reflection will be given tomorrow. ||
 * 3/6 || No school, snow day ||
 * 3/7 || Completed reflection questions for the World Shipping project ||
 * 3/8 || Went over the requirements for the Current Events III project.


 * Date || Class Log ||
 * 3/11 || Today was the beginning of unit number four. This unit will focus on the challenges that nations face with population. To introduce the unit, a pre-quiz was given to assess the students' prior knowledge. The article posted below was assigned in class.

|| __**Unit Three Learning Goals:**__ I can explain how natural resources influence where people live. I can evaluate the effect of physical geography on how societies develop. I can form my own opinions about the impact that humans have had on the environment. I can judge the difference between greed and need.

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