Week of Feb 22nd

9th:  Freshman Project is the main focus.  We had Monday to begin working in the library.  We are looking at reference materials such as Encyclopedias to identify keywords such as people, places, events, and ideas related to the conflict.   By the end of the week, we will be turning those keywords into questions that students will use to guide their research.  Students should be researching as much as possible right now, and taking notes.  I would say that for every hour of research they do, they'll need about 30 min with their research notes to make sense of what they find.  Students should see me or their SPED/English teachers if they have questions.  Students should expect to work about 1 hr per night on research.  (Or accumulate that time for a fun 7-8 hrs on the weekend.)  For more info, check out the Freshman Project blog here:  http://kwfreshmanproject.blogspot.com/

11th:   We are working on the causes of WWI.  We will be completing a group activity to determine the causes of the war, and to define which were the most influential in leading America to get involved in the war.  We will then study the war itself, focusing on the role during the war of new immigrants in America's military and of new technology.  Expect 1-2 assignments this week that may need to be completed at home.

Week of Feb 17-19

9th:  Students in periods 1 and 2 will be watching a video on Saddam Hussein and the Iran-Iraq War as part of their Freshman Project.  They will complete a worksheet as they watch.  After the video, they will make a map of the Persian Gulf region.  Students in periods 3 and 5 will be completing a book assignment as an overview of the Vietnam War for their Freshman Project.  They will make a map of the Southeast Asia region.  All 9th grade classes will meet for our first day of research in the library on Monday, February 22nd.  Some students have yet to return their parent signature sheets regarding the change to the grading scale for Sem 1.  Check Skyward to see if your child showed me their signed sheet.

11th:  We will be wrapping up our study of the Progressive Era by watching a biography on Theodore Roosevelt, and answering questions that accompany the video. 

Week of Feb 8th

9th:  Monday students will get back all graded Sem 1 assignments and a grade printout, including a list of missing assignments.  Students will have the period to identify missing assignments and turn them in for partial credit.  Tuesday through Friday we will be giving an overview of the Freshman Project, including the rubric.  We will be introducing the topics for the project, and begin discussing these conflicts and the major people involved.  We will also practice MLA bibliography citations when possible.  On Friday, their Enlightenment One-Pager assignments (given Feb 4th and 5th) are due.

11th:  Monday students will get back all graded Sem 1 assignments and a grade printout, including a list of missing assignments. Students will have the period to identify missing assignments and turn them in for partial credit. Tuesday through Friday we will be talking about Theodore Roosevelt and the Progressive era, as well as the causes of WWI.