Jury Duty Continues, Chapter 10 Exam Tomorrow

I was out serving on a jury again today. I will also be out tomorrow as the trial continues. I am very hopeful that it will wrap up tomorrow and I will be back in the classroom on Thursday (fingers crossed).

In the meantime, we have to stay on something resembling a schedule. That being the case, the Chapter 10 Test will be given to the students tomorrow. The sub today should have reminded the students about the test. Students should do very well if they are familiar with the vocabulary terms and their meanings, how to use those terms (vocabulary builder worksheet), the Guided Reading worksheets from Lessons 1, 2, and 3 of Chapter 10 and the Lessons 1, 2, and 3 Self-check quizzes found in Chapter 10 on the online textbook.

Please do all you can to ensure your student is ready for this test tomorrow.

A, B, C's of the Texas Revolution Book, Test Coming Up Wednesday

I was out today due to a jury duty summons. As luck would have it, I was selected to serve on a jury and will be out for an additional couple of days (at least). I am going to be depending on the students to be on their best behavior and take a bit more responsibility for their own learning. Here is what I've got laid out for the next two days.

TUESDAY: Students will continue to work on their A, B, C's of the Texas Revolution book. The students were briefed on this assignment last Friday as I knew I would be out on Monday. The students received a handout today with the full instructions. I have attached this handout below in case anyone misplaces their copy.

Additionally, students will be taking their Chapter 10 exams on Wednesday so they will need to prepare accordingly. Normally, I would put them through a review the day before an exam but that will not be possible this time around due to my jury service. The students are going to have to take the responsibility of preparing for the exam on themselves. Students should be familiar with their vocabulary terms and how to use them (Vocabulary Builder worksheet), the Guided Reading exercises for Lessons 1, 2, and 3 of Chapter 10 and the questions/answers to the Self-check quizzes for Lessons 1, 2, and 3 of Chapter 10 (online textbook). If they are familiar with this information they should be fine on the test.

WEDNESDAY: Students will take the Chapter 10 exam. No notes or extra materials of any kind will be allowed for this exam.

Hopefully, I will be back in the classroom on Thursday. Please continue to check the blog for updates.

Out Today, TAG/PAP Concept Poem Assignment

I apologize for not getting the blog updated earlier. A day off to run various errands and attend a doctor's appointment got considerably more serious due to an unexpected death in the family. I have been a bit distracted due to having to handle some details due to this event.

In any case, I was out today and the students had a substitute. The students should have been issued a Guided Reading assignment that covers Lesson 3 of Chapter 10. The plan is to finish that up tomorrow and begin the process of reviewing information from Lesson 2 and 3.

My TAG/PAP classes received an assignment on Tuesday which is detailed below. The assignment is to write a concept poem from the perspective of a Texas colonist turned citizen soldier in the war for independence against Mexico. The full instructions, and an example of how to use the concept poem format, is below. Each TAG/PAP student present this past Tuesday received this exact handout. I did tell the students to change the due date to Thursday, January 26.

Chapter 10 - Lesson 1 Quiz Tomorrow, Lesson 2 Guided Reading Completed in Class

The students will be given a short quiz over Lesson 1 of Chapter 10 tomorrow. The quiz will include questions from the Lesson 1 Self-check quiz located in the online textbook and from the Lesson 1 Guided Reading sheet. I will allow the students to use their guided reading/notes for this quiz. Please make sure your students have looked over this material prior to taking the quiz tomorrow. The Lesson 1 - Guided Reading sheet is attached below.

The students worked on the Lesson 2 Guided Reading sheet in class today and should be finished, or almost finished, before arriving in class tomorrow.  I have attached the Lesson 2 - Guided Reading sheets below.

Chapter 10 Vocabulary and Vocabulary Builder Worksheet Assigned

Today the students began their work on Chapter 10. Two separate assignments were given to the students. The first is the normal vocabulary assignment. The terms and instructions can be found below this post (please omit #8 as I inadvertently used the term "adopt" a second time ). The vocabulary is due tomorrow (1/19. The second assignment is the Chapter 10 Vocabulary Builder worksheet. This assignment goes hand in hand with the regular vocabulary and, hopefully, will help the students better understand the terms used in their reading. This worksheet is found below as well. The Vocabulary Builder worksheet is due on Friday 1/20.

Chapter 9 Test Administered Today, Check Your Student's Grades

The students took their exam over Chapter 9 today. The grades were disappointing, overall. Please go online and check your student's test score. Students that made a grade below 70 can take a re-test. They will need to schedule a time after school to come in and take it. This must be done within 10 school days.

Also, while on the subject of grades, I have several students already behind on their work. Please make sure your student is caught up. If not, have them see me for any make-up, late work, re-testing, etc. I am here most afternoons for tutoring but not always so make sure they let me know they are coming.

Chapter 9 Test on Tuesday 1/17/17

The exam over Chapter 9 will be given on Tuesday 1/17. I do not normally give exams the day after a weekend or holiday but in order to stay on schedule I will need to do so this time. If the students are familiar with the following, they should do well on the exam:

- Know the vocabulary terms, meanings and be able to use them in a sentence

- Know what caused the initial trouble at Anahuac between Texas settlers and the Mexican government

- Know the difference between the two political parties in Mexico (Federalists and Centralists) and what they believed

- Know what the Turtle Bayou Resolutions were and what they said

- Know what the recommendations of Mier Teran were and how they led to the Law of April 6, 1830

- Know the provisions of the Law of April 6, 1830

- Know the things Texas requested of new President Santa Anna

- Understand how and why Stephen F. Austin was arrested in Mexico and how long he was imprisoned

- Know the answers to the questions on the Self-Check quizzes for Lessons 1, 2, and 3 of Chapter 9 on the online textbook.

If the students have a good grasp of the details above, they should have no problems with the exam.

Chapter 9 - Lesson 3 Guided Reading and Vocabulary Builder Worksheets Assigned

The students watched a short video on the arrest of Stephen F. Austin today. The video covered the Conventions of 1832 and 1833, the resolutions adopted there, Austin's request that Texas become an independent state separate from Saltillo, and the misunderstanding that led to his arrest and year-long imprisonment.

The students were assigned the Guided Reading sheet for Lesson 3. This sheet will serve as the notes for Lesson 3 and needs to be filled out and ready at the beginning of class tomorrow. It is short so it should not be too much trouble for the students to get it done. The Guided Reading sheet is below should any student lose or misplace the copy I provided in class.

Also, the student received their Vocabulary Builder worksheet for Chapter 9. This, too, will be due at the beginning of class tomorrow. The students may omit questions 12-17. The pages required are also found below in case a new copy needs to be printed.

*HOMEWORK ALERT*- The Chapter 9 Guided Reading sheet for Lesson 3 and the Chapter 9 Vocabulary Builder worksheet are due at the beginning of class tomorrow (1-12-17). The will count as two separate formative grades.

Chapter 9 - Lesson 2 Guided Reading Assigned

During the first part of the period I went over how to find information in the online textbook. We have done this many times over the last semester but thought it would be good to go over as we have had several new students move in and much is forgotten over the long Christmas break.

After reviewing the online textbook information, I assigned the Guided Reading worksheet for Lesson 2. This worksheet will not be done for a grade but will, instead, serve as the notes for Lesson 2 of Chapter 9. Please make sure your student completes the worksheet and has it ready to go over for class tomorrow. I have attached a copy of the Guided Reading worksheet below just in case your student misplaced his/her copy.

Chapter 9 Vocabulary Due, Lesson 1 Notes, Bullying Presentation

Today, half my classes attended a presentation presented by Bell County officers about bullying. The presentation is informative and well done. Ask your student about it and open up the topic for discussion. The classes that did not attend the presentation today will see it tomorrow.

Notes for Chapter 9 - Lesson 1 were given to the students today (those who did not attend the presentation). These are the "notes with holes." The students were given (or will be given) class time to work on filling in these blanks. The answers can all be found in Lesson 1 of Chapter 9. The students will be responsible for having the information and should have these notes completely filled in no later than Monday 1/9. The notes are available below.

*HOMEWORK ALERT*- The vocabulary assignment for Chapter 9 is due tomorrow at the beginning of class. The vocabulary assignment can be found on the blog post from yesterday.

Kicking Off the 2nd Semester, Chapter 9 Vocabulary Assigned

Welcome back to the 2nd semester! I started class today by stressing the importance of the number "280" to the students. 280 is the total number of points the students need to get to in order to pass the course for the year (adding up the four report card averages). By keeping this number in mind, students will know exactly what they need to do in order to pass the course.

I also assigned the vocabulary for Chapter 9 today. The assignment will be due on Friday 1/6 (the date on the document below is a typo) and will be the first grade of the new 9 weeks. Please make sure your student gets off to a good start by completing and turning in this assignment. The vocabulary assignment is below.