Week of January 13 - 17, 2014

Friday HW
I do not usually assign weekend homework.  A substantial number of students will have little or none this weekend.  However I want to assure that all of the class have reached a minimum level of being "caught up" for Monday.  The Create-a-Country assignment is targeted for a Wednesday  3 PM due date.  We will use a few more periods on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday next week to wrap it up.
1.  PSA poster due Monday in good copy form on the 9 X 12 manila paper I provided.  We worked on it in class today for one period in rough form.  6 of 24 students creating it finished the good copy as well in class today.
2.  Students should have 4 rough draft pages done in the Social Studies booklet for Monday.  I've previously assigned three to be done.  We had 2 periods today to work toward that goal.  Students should not leave this booklet at home on Monday morning.  We will be working it in that day.


Thursday HW
1.  Finish rough draft page for Social Studies that was started in class today.  Be sure to bring the Social Studies booklet back to school tomorrow since we will be working on it again.
2.  Unit 4 Decimals quiz on Lessons 1,2,3,4, and 5 on Friday January 17.
3.  Chess Club starts next Wednesday, January 22 at lunch time in my class.  Students who are interested can sign up and pick up an information sheet this week.
4.  Do some simple research about the basic facts of an issue so that you can create a poster advertising for a change.  We brainstormed several issue possibilities today after reading about Craig Kielburger's Free the Children movement today in class.  Some possibilities the class generated included Child Poverty, Girls rights, Education Equality (i.e., Malala's Story), Forms of Pollution (exhaust, water, oil sands), Road Safety (speeding, seat belts, road age, distracted driving), Streetproofing, Consumerism and waste, Anti-smoking, Anti-drugs.  The knowledge about the issue doesn't have to be University level, but more of a basic understanding of the parties involved, the issue at stake, and a suggested change.

Wednesday HW
1.  MMS pages 56-57.  Try to play the game if possible.  it is not necessary if you do not possess dice at home.  All homework practice has been corrected in class up to page 55.
2.  Finish at least one rough draft page in class.  Be sure to bring the Social Studies booklet back to school tomorrow since we will be working on it again.  One student is completely done and several have completed more than one good copy page so far.
3.  Unit 4 Decimals quiz on Lessons 1,2,3,4, and 5 on Friday January 17.
4.  Chess Club starts next Wednesday, January 22 at lunch time in my class.  Students who are interested can sign up and pick up an information sheet this week.

Tuesday HW
1.  MMS pages 54-55.  Almost all students are completing this homework regularly at this point . Well done!
2.  Unit 4 Decimals quiz on Lessons 1,2,3,4, and 5 on Friday January 17.
3.  Social Studies organizers for the Create a Country assignment should be complete for tomorrow so we can all be working on rough drafts.  In my conferences with students today only a couple were significantly behind, meaning that the majority of the class is in good shape for this assignment's timelines.
4.  Chess Club starts next Wednesday, January 22 at lunch time in my class.  Students who are interested can sign up and pick up an information sheet this week.

Monday HW
1.  MMS pages 52-53.
2.  We are working on finishing up the "Create a Country" Social Studies activity we began several weeks ago.  This was not a home project.  We used organizers to gather ideas on three general topics about our invented country (geography, political system and social features) as well as some background on a pair of invented citizens and the Olympics in the nation.  Many students have fully completed organizers and have started rough drafts of the final copies.  These rough draft pages are in the back of the Social Studies Government booklet.  I will provide good copy paper at school when the drafts are done.

There are a few students who have used their time poorly or been absent, and are faced with partially complete organizers.  These students will have to apply themselves consistently in the coming days to finish by early next week.