Week of January 23rd – January 27th

January 22nd, 2012

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Monday starts Literacy Week. Please make sure your child has something to read every day this week. Each day they will spend roughly 20 minutes in one of their classes reading. Monday is social studies so we will spend the first half of class reading. During the second half of class students will finish their amendment posters that they started last week. Tuesday will be the review day for Thursday’s test. Wednesday I have set aside to give students their 2nd quarter grade, goal setting etc. On Friday our focus will be on the electoral college and how we elect the President of the United States.

Homework

Monday 1/23
Amendment posters due tomorrow

Tuesday 1/24
Study for test

Wednesday 1/25
Ticket-to-Test for bonus points – Students create their own test with 10 questions and answers

Thursday 1/26
Test Today – No Homework

Friday 1/27
No Homework

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Week of January 17th – January 20th

January 15th, 2012

Hope everyone had a nice 3-day weekend…

This week in social studies we will wrap up most of our unit on the U.S. Constitution by examining the rights protected under the Bill of Rights.

By next week, students should be ready for their test on the Articles of Confederation & the U.S. Constitution.

Also, students have the opportunity to recite the Preamble to the Constitution any day this week for 5 bonus points on the test.

Have a great week!

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Week of January 9th – January 13th

January 8th, 2012

Hi,

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

It’s Mid-Term Week!

We will spend the first half of the week reviewing for the mid-term exam which is on Thursday. Students will receive a review packet in class on Monday. Remember, the exam is cumulative so it will cover content from each unit we have studied this year. Along with any homework the students may have this week, they should spend time each night studying the terms in the review packet.

Once the exam is over we will get back into our unit on the U.S. Constitution.

Homework

Monday (1/9)
Complete Crossword Puzzle

Tuesday (1/10)
Create a 4-term “picture test”

Wednesday (1/11)
Study for Mid-Term Exam

Thursday (1/12)
No Homework

Friday (1/13)
No Homework

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Week of January 2nd – January 6th

January 2nd, 2012

Hi,

Hope everyone had a great vacation!

We will start this week with the Constitutional Convention and the many compromises that took place in order to ratify the U.S. Constitution. The rest of the week will be spent on the Preamble and Articles 1-7 (the 3 branches) of the Constitution.

Next week is Mid-Term week. The exam is scheduled for Thursday, January 12th.  The exam is cumulative so it will cover content from each unit we have studied this year. Students will receive their review packet on at the beginning of next week.

**History Fair (Advanced Classes Only): Projects are due NO LATER THAN FRIDAY. Please see this post for more details: http://www.mrwaxlersclass.com/history-fair-information/

Homework

Monday (1/2)
No school for students

Tuesday (1/3)
Complete “picture-it” activity

Wednesday (1/4)
Complete #s 1-13 in packet: The United States Constitution

Thursday (1/5)
No Homework

Friday (1/6)
No Homework

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History Fair Information

December 19th, 2011

Hope everyone has had a great start to their winter break!

I know that many of my students will be spending at least part of their break working on History Fair (Advanced Classes Only). The final project is due no later than Friday, January 6th.

All the students should have the link to the rule book written down on their History Fair Checklist, but I thought I’d post it here as well.  The rule book is long, but if you go to the table of contents you can look up the specific information needed for each type of project. It is important that the students complete all the required written material and the information for that can be found on p. 10 in a section called “Required Written Material for All Entries”…this will tell you what is needed on the title page as well as the annotated bibliography and process paper.

You can download/read the rule book here:

http://nhd.org/images/uploads/2010rulebook.pdf


http://nhd.org/images/uploads/2010rulebook.pdf

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Week of December 12th – December 16th

December 11th, 2011

 This week in social studies we will continue with our unit: The Constitution in a New Nation. The main focus of the week will continue to be the failure of the Articles of Confederation (the first written plan of government in the United States).  By the end of the week students will learn about the Constitutional Convention and the many compromises that took place in order to ratify the U.S. Constitution.  After the break, we will be analyzing the actual Constitution by examining the various amendments as well as the responsibilities and duties of the three branches of government.

**History Fair Update: Remember, History Fair projects (Advanced Classes Only) are due the week students return from break. If you have any questions about the rules please read the fo9llowing: http://www.MrWaxlersClass.com/RulesDiscussionFlyer2012.pdf 

**Winter Clothing Drive: The Haile Middle School Builders Club is running a Winter Clothing & Blanket Drive! The Social Studies class at each grade level that collects the most items will win a special party! Click the link for more info: http://www.MrWaxlersClass.com/WinterClothingDrive.pdf

Have a great week!

Homework

Monday (12/12)
No Homework

Tuesday (12/13)
No Homework

Wednesday (12/14)
Read: Native American Forms of Government and determine if the statements on the back are true or false.

Thursday (12/15)
Complete the “your compromise” column of Constitutional Convention packet.

Friday (12/16)
No Homework

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Week of December 5th – December 9th

December 4th, 2011

This week we will wrap our unit on the Revolutionary War.  On Monday, we will review for Tuesday’s exam on the American Revolution.

Following the exam we will start our next unit: The Constitution in a New Nation. The main focus of the week will be on the failure of the Articles of Confederation (the first written plan of government in the United States). 

However, on Thursday, we will take a break from this unit to participate in an activity sponsored by the Manatee County Chamber of Commerce’s Education and Workforce Partnership Committee.  The name of the program is Real Life 101 and it utilizes business volunteers who present a hands-on activity that stresses work ethics such as teamwork, reliability, accountability, and communication through the simulation of a t-shirt company.  They will be presenting to every 8th grade history class in Manatee County for 1 period.

**Note: Periods 1 & 2 will be participating in Real Life 101 on Monday rather than Thursday.  Therefore, Periods 1 & 2 will review for their test on Tuesday, take the test on Wednesday, and start the next unit on Thursday.

Homework

Monday (12/5)
Periods 3,4,5,7
* Study for test
* Ticket-to-the-Test: This is an optional homework assignment. Students are to create their own test questions AND answers (minimum of 10) based on the content of the unit. Those students who create the Ticket-to-the-Test can hand it in BEFORE the test and receive 3 bonus points.

Periods 1,2
Real Life 101 ~ No Homework

Tuesday (12/6)
Periods 3,4,5,7
Test Today ~ No Homework

Periods 1 & 2
* Study for test
* Ticket-to-the-Test: This is an optional homework assignment. Students are to create their own test questions AND answers (minimum of 10) based on the content of the unit. Those students who create the Ticket-to-the-Test can hand it in BEFORE the test and receive 3 bonus points.

Wednesday (12/7)
Periods 3,4,5,7
Based on today’s lesson, list the five most serious weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation

Period 1 & 2
Test Today ~ No Homework

Thursday (12/8)
Periods 3,4,5,7
Real Life 101 ~ No Homework

Period 1 & 2
Based on today’s lesson, list the five most serious weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation

Friday (12/9)
No Homework

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Week of November 28th – December 2nd

November 26th, 2011

Hi,

Hope everyone is having a great Thanksgiving weekend!

This week in social studies we will wrap our unit on the Revolutionary War.  On Monday, we will focus on Valley Forge, the Battle of Saratoga, and the Treaty of Alliance.

On Tuesday, students will complete their “major battles” map.

On Wednesday I will give students their 5-week grade for social studies (the grade they will receive on their Progress Report).  Students will then revisit their 2nd quarter goal and revise (if necessary) their plan to achieve their 2nd quarter goal.

Thursday will be spent on the treaty that ended the war (Treaty of Paris: 1783) as well as the role that African-Americans played in the Revolutionary War. 

On Friday, students will work in class to create a “comic strip timeline” using 8 different events from the American Revolution.

Homework

Monday (11/28)
Pretend you are a soldier in the Continental Army encamped at Valley Forge.  Write a letter back home telling about your experiences at Valley Forge. (Click here for Valley Forge reading and assignment)

Tuesday (11/29)
* Complete Geography worksheet: The Siege of Yorktown
* Complete worksheet reading and questions: The End of the War
(Click here for both assignments)

Wednesday (11/30)
No Homework

Thursday (12/1)
Complete reading and questions: African Americans and the American Revolution

Friday (12/2)
Complete Timeline

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Week of November 14th – November 18th

November 12th, 2011

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Last week students took their test on the causes of the American Revolution and this week we will get into the war itself.

On Monday, students will compare the strengths and weaknesses of the British and the Colonists at the beginning of the war.  The rest of the week, students will examine various battles, major events, and people of the Revolutionary War.  Students will work on a “Major Battles” map over the course of next couple of weeks.  As we complete the map we will stop to view various video clips, analyze important primary source documents, and evaluate the decisions that were made during the war from both the American and British perspective. Please make sure you child brings colored pencils to class everyday for the next couple of weeks.

**History Fair Update:
By the end of the week all students taking Advanced American History should have decided on the type of project presentation (historical paper, web site, exhibit board, documentary or performance).

Homework

Monday (11/14)
Write a battle strategy for either British or Colonists based on three areas of comparison from today’s lesson.

Tuesday (11/15)
No Homework

Wednesday (11/16)
Answer questions on handout based on the Declaration of Independence.

Thursday (11/17)
No Homework

Friday (11/18)
No Homework

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Week of November 7th – November 11th

November 6th, 2011

This week we will wrap our unit on the Causes of the American Revolution.  On Monday, we will focus on the final even that leads to the American Revolution…the fighting at Lexington & Concord.

On Tuesday, we will be analyzing the primary source document Common Sense written by Thomas Paine at the beginning of the Revolutionary War.  This important document convinced many Loyalists to become Patriots and fight for independence. Wednesday we will review for Thursday’s test on the Causes of the American Revolution.  Thursday’s test will include an essay in which the students will have to make an argument whether or not they think the colonists were justified in starting a revolution.  Students will have to support their argument with specific events that caused the Revolution.

**History Fair Update: I pushed back the due date on the thesis statement because I didn’t have time to thoroughly explain it in class.  I am hoping to have time on Monday to work on it with the students. The thesis statement will now be due next Monday, November 14th. Also, due to the test on Thursday plus the shortened schedule for the Veteran’s Day assembly on Thursday, the rough draft of the bibliography will be pushed back to Monday November 14th as well.

Homework

Monday (11/7)
Read textbook pages 142-144 (The First Battles) and answer the following questions:
1. Why were British troops marching to Concord?
2. Who warned the colonists?
3. Where were the first shots fired? Who shot first?
4. How many British were killed or wounded on their way back to Boston?

Tuesday (11/8)
Complete questions based on Thomas Paine’s pamphlet Common Sense.

Wednesday (11/9)
* Study for test (Review Sheet)
* Ticket-to-the-Test: This is an optional homework assignment that I give the night before EVERY test. Students are to create their own test questions AND answers (minimum of 10) based on the content of the unit. Those students who create the Ticket-to-the-Test can hand it in BEFORE the test and receive 3 Bonus points on the test.

Thursday (11/10)
**Test Today
**Next two items on History Fair Checklist (Thesis Statement and Rough Draft of Bibliography) due on Monday, November 14th

Friday (11/11)
Veterans’ Day ~ No School

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