Author: litalive

litalive

Assignments for 12/09/2024

Artistic scene of winter village

Assignments for December 9th, 2024

Quick Looks at Great Books

Today, we finished discussing through Part 1 and took the second quiz. You should have already finished the rest of the book. Don’t forget to complete the Chronolog on page 22 of your study guide. (Events of book in chronological order) Since you should be done with your reading, complete the following pages in your Literary Terms notebook: Conflict (pages 54-56), Dialogue (pages 60-61), Genre (pages 66-68), Irony (pages (69-71), and Plot (pages 81-82). We will finish the book discussion, take Quiz #3, do a game review for the test, and then be ready to actually take the final test.

Here is a brief summary of the book.

American History

Today, we went over Chapter 13 and talked about the major inventors of that time. We also went through the terms they needed to know for the test in January. For next week, read Chapter 14. We will go through the important events and talk about the meaning of Manifest Destiny. We will also go over the important people and terms on the Chapter 14 Review page.

Watch the following brief video on The Alamo. (In this week’s lesson)

Listen to the Ballad of Davy Crockett from the Disney TV show about his many accomplishments. You will see why he became a tall tale hero and legend.

U.S. Government

We passed back and went over Test #2. The students did amazingly well and set new records for our grades! We went over Lesson 18 (State Government). I also gave them terms to study from that lesson for our final exam in January. We went through Lesson 19 on our City Government and then began the lesson on our Post Office (a federally-owned business). We will finish that lesson next week as well as go over this week’s assignment. Here are the answers for Lesson 21 Army and Lesson 22 Navy. We will talk about the Coast Guard and the new Space Force branches of the U.S. military as well.

Watch this brief video explaining our postal system—amazing!

PSAT/SAT/ACT Test Prep

We practiced today for the various types of passages on the ACT Science test. You do not have to be a scientist to do well. It tests your ability to logically read and understand experiments, charts and graphs, and scientists’ opinions. All the answers are in the passages, so it is not about how much you remember from classes. They seemed to understand and do really well! Next week, we will actually take our last test.

Adventures in American Literature

Today, we reviewed the entire book with game reviews including two rounds of a Jeopardy game. Next week, we will review the Chronolog (page 17) in your study guide and take our final test. (The games went really long, but they know the events well!)

For next week, read the Frontier Hero (page 52), Cooper’s Deerslayer (pages 53-54), and Washington Irving’s Early Life in Manhattan (pages 56-61). Also, answer in your American Literature text the twelve questions to the right of your reading in Early Life in Manhattan.

If you need to review for your test on The Scarlet Letter, please do so. You did a fantastic job on the games today! We will go over the Chronolog next week and answer any questions you may have.

Previous Assignments for School Year 2024 – 2025:

litalive

Assignments for 12/02/2024

Happy Thanksgiving - sending blessings

Assignments for December 2nd, 2024

Quick Looks at Great Books

We discussed at least the first seven chapters of Silas Marner by George Eliot. I spent a lot of time going over the background of the book, and I think they all understand that well. We took a quiz over the first seven chapters and will finish the discussion of the rest of Part 1.

Then we can start on the rest of the book in Part 2. For next week, read Chapters 16-21 and Conclusion. We will discuss the rest and prepare for the final test before we celebrate a “Victorian Christmas” that last day of class before our break.

American History

Today, we went through the rest of Chapter 11 and circled certain items on the Chapter Review page. We then had our first reports, beginning with the first five Presidents. Each of the students was very thorough and did an excellent job! Even though they were already familiar with most of these founding fathers, we learned even more about their lives. As we go through the Presidents in order, hopefully they will remember at what time they were serving us. Our next set of reports will be due on December 9 on John Quincy Adams through James K. Polk. I’m excited to hear what those students have for us on these Presidents.

We then went through the reading for today—Chapter 13. This chapter focused on Revival and Missions throughout the 1800s. There is not as much to remember in this chapter referring to the events in history. Then we went over the Chapter Review for Chapter 12. For next week, read Chapter 13 which focuses on the development of education, technology, and culture in the 1800s. There will be a lot of inventors in this section (a matching section on the test later).

Watch a 60 second preview of three of our next Presidents.

John Quincy Adams

Andrew Jackson

Martin Van Buren

U.S. Government

Today in class, we watched a Powerpoint to learn more about the Supreme Court before our test. It covered many things in our lessons, but also many things we did not know. Then we did a review game to prepare for our test on Lessons 13-17. After that, we took our test and went over the Citizenship tests. Over half of the students passed the test (Citizenship Test), and one person even made a perfect paper!! (This is not for a grade—just a chance to see what process non-citizens have to go through to achieve U.S. Citizenship. For next week, complete one lesson only—Lesson 20 on the U.S. Post Office. (Did you know that was an arm of our government?) Here are can find the answers to the Lesson 20 the U.S. Post Office crossword on page 77.

PSAT/SAT/ACT Test Prep

Today, we did two practice Reading tests before taking the 35 minute ACT Reading test. The students did well on the SAT Reading test, so they will be familiar with this. There is no homework for next Monday. We will go over the ACT Science test and what it covers. Then we will do some practice tests that will be on the test itself. We will actually be taking the ACT Science test the following week. Next week we will learn how to read charts and graphs.

Adventures in American Literature

We finished our discussion of the rest of the book and had our final quiz. I think everyone understood what happened in Hawthorne’s story. (The students have now finished the most difficult book of the year!) We will continue with our game reviews of the book next week. Students should complete the Chronolog on page 17 of your study guide. We will have our final test on the book after we finish our competitive review next week.

Watch the following 60 second recaps of the book you just finished.

Previous Assignments for School Year 2024 – 2025:

litalive

Assignments for 11/25/2024

Hello November

Assignments for November 25th, 2024

Quick Looks at Great Books

We not only reviewed the events of the book again before our test, but we also reviewed a few of our literary terms. (dynamic and static characters, protagonist and antagonist, and theme) After reviewing a number of events in various chapters, we then took our final objective test on A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. I think the students will do really well on the test. We then reviewed the lives of the authors and took a quiz on Charles Dickens and George Eliot. For next week, read Book One of Silas Marner — Chapters 1-15. It will be much easier reading than Dickens even though they both wrote in the Victorian Age. In the study guide, there are many more questions for each chapter than our last book. You don’t have to write them all out, but look over the questions for each chapter to make sure you don’t have questions or trouble understanding a particular section.

American History

Today, we covered Chapters 10 and 11 in a story format and went over the most important points. The students were given a list of terms and people they should know from Chapter 10. We were at the Chapter Review at the end of the period, and I will give them a list of terms for Chapter 11 at the beginning of our next class. For next week, read Chapter 12, and we will go over what you need to know from that chapter. Next week, we will have reports on our first five Presidents. We will have a test on the first 24 Presidents when we have finished with those, which will be into second semester. I will review again then what you should know about each President.

Watch these one-minute videos about our first five Presidents.

George Washington

John Adams

Thomas Jefferson

James Madison

James Monroe

U.S. Government

Today in class, we went through the three lessons on the Supreme Court, The Law, and Trial. I passed around pictures of the nine current justices, so that they could recognize them. Chief Justice John Roberts will administer the oath of office to President-Elect Trump on Inauguration Day. (January 20) Next week, we will have our second test on the following lessons: Immigration, Citizenship, Supreme Court, The Law, and Trial. (Lessons 13-17) Also, for next week, complete Lesson 18 on State Government and here are the answers to the crossword for Lesson 18 State Government. We will also have a review game on the five lessons on the test before we actually take the test.

PSAT/SAT/ACT Test Prep

We went over last week’s grammar test before we took the Writing (grammar) portion of the ACT test. Students received their graded quizzes back. We then took the longest of our remaining tests—ACT Math. I think the students will find the math on this test very similar to the work they have done in their classes.

Next week, we will take our Reading test (35 minutes). Check page 37 to be sure of what will be covered. Then read pages 43 and 44 on The ACT Reading test. There are tips given for taking this test. We will also go over some practice exercises just so you are familiar with the format on this test.

Adventures in American Literature

We discussed the third section of this book, (Chapters 13-18) We now see how both Hester and Dimmesdale are affected as Hester offers “an escape” or a plan for both of them. Hester has taken charge of the matter. As you read this week’s conclusion (Chapters 19-24) and answer questions 43-50, you will see Hawthorne’s conclusion to the matter. Next week, we will go over the study guide questions and your character analysis.

Watch this 60-second recap of the main characters.

Previous Assignments for School Year 2024 – 2025:

litalive

Assignments for 11/18/2024

Hello November

Assignments for November 18th, 2024

Quick Looks at Great Books

We spent time today going over the genealogy sheet I gave the students last week. Then we went over the entire Chronolog to review for our test. We played a really close game to review all the details of A Tale of Two Cities. We didn’t have much time left, so we will take the test on the book at the beginning of class next week. Just remember all that we reviewed today and ask any questions you may have before we begin the test. Students also received a new study guide for our next book—Silas Marner by George Eliot. Because we will be taking our test on the first book next week, we will not start on our new book yet. We went over the lives of Charles Dickens and George Eliot. We will have a short ten question quiz on their lives next Monday. Also, complete the following three terms in your Literary Terms notebook:

  • Characters and Characterization (pages 52-53)
  • Flashback (pages 62-63)
  • Foreshadowing (pages 64-65)

You have no assignment yet in Silas Marner, but if you want to begin reading the first two or three chapters, you will have fewer to read next week!

Watch this last 60 second recap on the last of the plot in A Tale of Two Cities.

American History

We did a review game of Chapters 7-9 and included questions for the Review portion of the test. There were 50 questions (as usual) for the test on Chapters 7-9 and 25 questions to review all the important facts we have learned so far. Students will receive their graded tests back next week, and based on our review, I think they did really well! We assigned (volunteer) oral reports on the first five Presidents. They can do those next week if they’d like. If not, they will be due the following week on November 25. If you would still like one, please email me. We have one left. For next week, read Chapters 10 and 11. I will talk them through and give you what you should know on the Chapter Review pages. (These chapters are a little shorter than the normal ones!)

Watch the following short video about the Era of Good Feelings.

U.S. Government

The students handed in their election worksheets, and we had a great discussion of the various aspects of the election. They had great insights! We then went through the lessons on Immigration and Citizenship. We took a sample Citizenship test which all aliens must take in the naturalization process. It’s not for a grade, but I’m eager to see how they did and if they “passed” as a U.S. citizen! Of course, they are natural born citizens, but it’s fun to see what has to be done and what they must know about our history and government to become a naturalized citizen. For next week, complete Lessons 16 (The Law) and Lesson 17 (Trial) We will then cover the last of the three branches of government—Judicial. The answers are here for the crossword pages on for Lesson 16 The Law and Lesson 17 Trial. The Law and Trial definitely go with the Supreme Court since all of our justices are lawyers!

PSAT/SAT/ACT Test Prep

Today we went over the quiz they received back from last week, took questions, and took one more grammar quiz today. They have learned lots of rules, and I hope it helps on our upcoming test. We went over the results of the grammar quiz before we took the final test to make sure they would not miss anything that was on that quiz.

For next week, we will take the ACT Math test. I think they will find it more like what they have studied in math classes in school. On page 37 in your notebook, look over exactly what the Math Test covers. If you have not had some classes, just guess and move on! Also, look over the formulas that are covered on the test on page 47. If you find you’re not sure of how to do any of these, ask your math teacher. You will not be given the formulas on the test.

Adventures in American Literature

The students received last week’s quiz back, and they all did an excellent job! For next week, read Chapters 13-18 in The Scarlet Letter and answer questions 30-42. We will again discuss all the chapters before we take the quiz. We are nearing the book’s conclusion, so be prepared!

Watch this 60 second recap on the symbols in The Scarlet Letter.

Previous Assignments for School Year 2024 – 2025:

litalive

Assignments for 11/11/2024

Hello November

 

Collage of the US Constitution, flag, and bald eagle

DON’T FORGET TO REMIND EVERYONE TO VOTE THIS TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 5!! Voter information for parents and adults.

Assignments for November 11th, 2024

Quick Looks at Great Books

We finished our covering of Chapter 10 and how it is that Dr. Manette is the third person to denounce Charles Darnay. Why did this happen and how was Dr. Manette’s letter found in the first place? After taking Quiz #5, we talked about what happened in the remaining chapters.

If students had questions, they were to ask, but I wanted to make sure that everyone understood exactly what had happened. Students were given a review “Chronolog” to complete for next week’s review. They were also given a genealogy to peruse in case they didn’t get all of the connections of each of the characters. We will have a final review next week and our final test. Please have your questions ready and listen to each person’s question in the game. We will also discuss the novels by Dickens and his life.

Watch this scene from the finale of the story.

Watch this 60 second recap of the characters of this story.

American History

We discussed Chapter 9 today and Thomas Jefferson’s 2 terms. We ended with the War of 1812 and James Madison’s Presidency. I gave them the terms they needed to know for Chapter 9. For Chapters 7-9, study just the Chapter Review terms I gave you. We will also have a review of Chapters 1-6. Those questions will come directly from Tests One and Two. Please study those two tests as a review, concentrating especially on any you missed. The Jeffersonian Era was an exciting time as was James Madison’s Presidency!

Watch this song that tells of the Battle of New Orleans.

U.S. Government

Just a note to parents—students should ask the same questions they answered on the different views of conservatives and liberals to their parents. Of course, there was no grade on this—just their opinions. It will be fun to compare the parents’ vs the students’ answers!

They all received their first test back in class today. (Voting, Electoral College, Political Parties, President, and Vice-President) Happily, we had over half of the class make some kind of A!! (Three actually made a perfect paper—many missed just one!!)

We then planned for Election Night. (Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024) Please, if at all possible, watch the election returns with your student. They have an Election Map with all the current Electoral votes listed for each state. Once a state has been called (winner has been announced), they should color that state as red or blue (like they see on TV). They also have one other sheet to complete (both sides). On the first side, there are seven states that have been called “swing states” for the 2024 election. (Battleground states—these have been visited repeatedly by the candidates.) They should check the winner for each of these states, and they should also complete the total popular vote when that total is announced. On the back of that sheet is listed important Senate races that are too close to call. It is very important which party has a majority in the two houses of the Legislative Branch of our government. Watch these races particularly, and complete which of each house as the majority. One-third of the Senators are up for re-election every two years. Please email me if you have any questions at all on what to do on Election Night. If some of the decisions are not made by the time students go to bed, they can check any channel the next morning. Even though these are tight races, they will be sure to be done and tabulated by next Monday! Be sure the name of each student is on the paper and that it is turned in to me on next Monday.

Make this as fun as possible for your students. A special or favorite meal or something red, white, or blue is always fun. Also, have favorite snacks available throughout the night as they gather information. The election will be covered on all the channels. If you don’t have cable, you can always use the internet or Youtube.

The students turned in a prediction of who will win along with the candidate’s electoral votes (270 to win). We will have a prize for the one who is the closest. What a great election to be a part of! Have fun together as you go through this Presidential season.

Parents, don’t forget to vote on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024 if you have not done so already. Every vote DOES count, especially in a battleground state like Michigan!!

PSAT/SAT/ACT Test Prep

Today we spent the entire period doing a quiz and Practice Test English exercises. We took a grammar quiz as well, covering the ACT’s 12 Most Frequent Errors. The students were also given several sheets of grammar rules. Study pages 24-27 in your notebooks. (lists of PSAT grammar rules) We will have one last quiz next week before we take the ACT Grammar Test. (45 minutes) Then we will go on to review for the Math test the following week.

Adventures in American Literature

The students received their introductory quiz back from last week, which they all did very well on. We then went through all the assigned study guide questions on the chapters of the book (The Scarlet Letter) that they read for today. They seemed to understand everything really well, despite the 1600’s language and wordiness! For next week, read Chapters 7-12 and answer the study guide questions 15-28. We will discuss the chapters and study guide questions before we take the quiz.

Watch this reinforcement of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s life.

Previous Assignments for School Year 2024 – 2025:

litalive

Assignments for 11/04/2024

Hello November

 

Collage of the US Constitution, flag, and bald eagle

DON’T FORGET TO REMIND EVERYONE TO VOTE NEXT TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 5!! Voter information for parents and adults.

Assignments for November 4th, 2024

Quick Looks at Great Books

We discussed Chapters 1-9 today and will begin with the last chapter they read (Chapter 10) next week. We went over lots of explanations and examples of literary terms. For next week, finish the book (Book 3—Chapters 11-15).

As we discuss the revelation of third accuser, we find Dr. Manette going to look for his shoemaking bench! Sydney Carton has blackmailed John Barsad (Solomon Pross) with the help of Jerry Cruncher. The plot thickens, and things move very quickly to their conclusion. We will cover Chapter 10, take Quiz #5, then move on to the book’s conclusion. Enjoy the surprises and your reading. Did you expect the ending?

American History

We went over Chapters 7 and 8 and the problems occurring in the colonies. I gave the students a list of things to know from the Chapter Review page. For next week, read Chapter 9. We will then be ready for Test #3 on Chapters 7-9, plus a review of the first six chapters.

Watch this short video on the Louisiana Purchase.

U.S. Government

We passed back last week’s two quizzes and took any questions. I wanted to make sure they could look over their papers so that they should not miss the same things again! Then we played a game review (with two teams) before we took our test on Voting, the Electoral College, Political Parties (Republican and Democrat), President, and Vice-President. Then we took our test over the material. I expect them to do well. They were very attentive during the game review! Next week, we will pass out sheets to complete during the Election coverage next Tuesday, November 5. Your homework then will be to watch the election and fill out the sheets you were given. Hopefully, your parents will help you with each project.

For next week, complete Lesson 15 on the Supreme Court. Here are the answers to Lesson 15 the Supreme Court.

Watch this tour of the Supreme Court building in Washington, D.C.

PSAT/SAT/ACT Test Prep

Today we did practice tests for the ACT English test. After that review, we took a quiz practicing the 12 frequently missed errors on the ACT test. (The students received their final PSAT math tests back, along with answer explanations for each question. They also received their answer sheets and final score.)

For next week, study pages 24-27 in your notebooks (grammar rules of all kinds). We will have a quiz on these specific rules. Also, you were given a practice English test to do at home this week. Bring that back with you for us to go over in class. After our quiz, we will go over all the correct answers so that you won’t miss the same things on the standardized test. Each student will receive a new answer sheet for the ACT tests, and we will begin with the grammar test. (The most easily improved test we take.)

Adventures in American Literature

The students received their graded tests from last week, and all questions were answered. Then before the introductory quiz on “The Custom House” summary and pages 2-10 in your study guides, we went over every page. After the quiz we finished some work in our text.

For next week, begin The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Read Chapters 1-6 and answer the study guide questions 1-14. We will discuss the chapters and questions before we take the quiz. Enjoy your trip to the 1600s in Boston!

Previous Assignments for School Year 2024 – 2025:

litalive

Assignments for 10/28/2024

Country path in fall

Assignments for October 28th, 2024

Quick Looks at Great Books

We finished going over the majority of last week’s reading so that they could take the quiz. After the quiz, we started on today’s reading. We went through Chapters 20-24 in the study guide, the book, and added information. Then we took Quiz #4 after answering questions. For next week, begin Book 3 (final book) Chapters 1-10 and answer the study guide questions 59-72. The plot hastens and a lot happens as Darnay makes his way back to France amid unexpected response from the French Revolutionaries.

American History

We did a game review of Chapters 4-6. Students did a great job with only one point separating the two teams! Then we took Test #2 on those chapters we had reviewed.

For next week, read the rest of Chapter 7—pages 97-103. Then read Chapter 8—The Federalist Area.

Watch this brief video about an event that led to the writing of the Constitution.

U.S. Government

We reviewed for our two quizzes and then took both Quiz #3 and the quiz on the Electoral College. Then we began to cover all the lessons on our test next week—Voting, Electoral College, Political Parties (Republican and Democrat), President, and Vice-President. Next week, we will review with a game those same lessons before we take our test. In addition to reviewing for the test, also complete Lessons 13 and 14. Here are the Crossword answers for those two lessons on Immigration Lesson 13 and Citizenship Lesson 14 —a common area of discussion currently.)

PSAT/SAT/ACT Test Prep

Students received their PSAT Math tests back along with an explanation for all the correct answers to file for later review. Then we took our final PSAT Math test. (No Calculator, shorter version) Then we began studying and reviewing for the grammar portion of the ACT test. We began a practice ACT test (to get used to the format) and went over pages 41 and 42, which cover the TWELVE CLASSIC GRAMMAR ERRORS ON THE ACT. These rules are ALWAYS on the tests and are the most frequently missed. Students can raise their overall score by improving their ability to recognize and deal with these common errors.

Adventures in American Literature

We reviewed all the legendary characters from our reports last week. We then watched a Disney video which had a version of the American folk heroes. Then we took our first test on all that we have covered so far—people, works, literary terms, and tall tale figures.

For next week, read the summary you were given on Hawthorne’s Custom House and the first ten pages in your new red study guide for The Scarlet Letter. After thoroughly discussing both, we will have a short quiz on the author’s life and the background of the novel.

Watch this video about Casey Jones, one American hero we did not have time to watch today.

Previous Assignments for School Year 2024 – 2025:

litalive

Assignments for 10/21/2024

Country path in fall

Assignments for October 21st, 2024

Quick Looks at Great Books

We finished our discussion of the last two chapters of last week’s reading and started on today’s. It’s the shortest reading yet, including the conclusion to Book 2—Chapters 20-24. Answer the study guide questions 53-58. We will make all the connections possible and discuss the uses of the literary terms we have discussed.

American History

We quickly reviewed for our quiz on Chapter 4 and then took the ten-point objective quiz. We then discussed the last half of Chapter 5 and all of Chapter 6. The War for Independence has been won! Next week, we will do a game review of Chapters 4-6 and take the test on these chapters. The students did a good job on our first test on Chapters 1-3. Read half of Chapter 7 pages 88-07. (through 7.2)

Watch the Continental Army as it spent the winter of 1777-1778 at Valley Forge with General Washington.

U.S. Government

We had the Powerpoint on “Understanding the Electoral College” at the beginning of our class. Then we passed back quizzes and Conservative vs Liberal sheets. We reviewed for our Quiz #3 and all that it covered. We ran out of time to take the quiz itself, so we will do that at the beginning of our next class. The two new questions added to this quiz are as follows: the number of years in a Presidential term and the term for Supreme Court justices.

Next class, we will also have a short ten-question True/False quiz on the Electoral College. Study the sheet from which you took notes today from the Powerpoint and watch the following video. The quiz will come from those two sources.

Also, for next week, complete Lessons 11 and 12 in your text. (President and Vice-President) These are the answers for the Crossword Lesson 11 page 41 and Lesson 12 page 45. Next week, we will catch up on the lessons you have done that we have not yet gone over.

PSAT/SAT/ACT Test Prep

The students received the first half of the PSAT verbal section with a scaled score. They also received a list of correct answers with an explanation of how to come to that conclusion for their future reference and study. We then took the “With Calculator” Math test after we had gone over the directions, formulas, and “Grid-in” procedures. It was a 45-minute test, so they have now completed the long portion of this test. Next week, they will do the second half of the Math test, which is the “No Calculator” section. There are 13 questions with 4 “Grid-in” your own answers. Then students will be able to see their scaled score for the entire test. On page 36 in your notebook, a website is given to practice for the math test. Do practice questions in each of the four areas: heart of algebra, problem-solving and data analysis, passport to advanced math, and additional topics in math.

Since next week’s test is only 25 minutes, we will review and have a quiz on the correct usage of verbs. Look over page 38 on “Using Principal Parts of Irregular Verbs.”

Adventures in American Literature

The students did a great job today telling about a number of legendary “tall tale” heroes and heroines of American literary history. Next week, we will have a test on the same characters and descriptions as last time (Study the previous test you got back today.) as well as the literary terms we have had thus far, and the “tall tale” characters we talked about today. This last section will be matching as well. We will do the Acrostic in your text to review what we have covered thus far. You will need to secure a copy of The Scarlet Letter by two weeks from today. (Oct. 28)

I will give you a summary of “The Custom House”. You will just need to read the summary—not the entire 50 pages if that is in your book.

Watch another short video about one of our tall tale heroes.

Previous Assignments for School Year 2024 – 2025:

litalive

Assignments for 10/14/2024

Country path in fall

Assignments for October 14th, 2024

Quick Looks at Great Books

We continued the discussion of our book with Book 2 Chapters 1-9. It is now 1780 — five years later than when the book began. We met some new characters and reconnected with others five years later. We will finish our discussion of the last two chapters and then take Quiz #2. For next week, read Chapters 10-19 and answer the study guide questions 32-52. We will continue to discuss the chapters and continue to watch sections of the DVD. Quiz #3 is our next check on your reading.

American History

We reviewed for air test today by going over all the designated items in the three Chapter Reviews. Then we took our test on the first three chapters of our history text. The students were given what they needed to know from each chapter. Then we went over Chapters 4 and 5, focusing on the terms they needed to know. We will have a ten-question multiple choice quiz on Chapter 4. When we went over those things to know, we mentioned any important events they may need to know from Chapter 5. Also, for next week, read the last of the next three chapters — Chapter 6. We will go through that chapter and begin to prepare for our test. (Chapters 4-6)

Watch the following video of an important battle in the American Revolution — The Battle of Trenton.

U.S. Government

We briefly reviewed the material for Quiz #2 and then took the quiz. I forgot to have them put on their test, whether or not they watched last week’s Vice-Presidential debate. I was pleasantly surprised that nearly the entire class had seen it, and I hadn’t even reminded them of it! We discussed what they learned from the debate and some of its highlights. We began the lesson of Voting and will finish it next week. They did fill out a sheet that I will give them back next week to determine their views on a variety of subjects. We will also cover next week the Electoral College and how it works. They really need to know this as they will see it in action in a very few weeks. We talked about the seven swing states that will decide this election. They are extremely informed, and that is a credit to you, their parents! Look for next week’s video on the Electoral College and swing states as well. This will build upon our PowerPoint presentation in class. Next week, complete Lessons 9 and 10 on the Political Parties of the United States. See the crossword answers for Lesson 9 “The Republic Party” and Lesson 10 “The Democrat Party” are here.

We will also have Quiz #3 next week. It will cover the ten amendments they were given to learn (matching), the seven articles of the Constitution (matching), and a number of other key facts that we have continually covered.

Watch this video about how the Bill of Rights was added to our Constitution.

PSAT/SAT/ACT Test Prep

We reviewed last week’s quiz on irregular verbs and answered any questions they had. We then completed a page practicing troublesome verb usages. We went over the Practice Tests in their notebooks so that they would know exactly what to expect on the test. We took a quick quiz on the verbs again, and they showed much improvement! Then we took the second test on the English half of the PSAT test. (35 minutes) Next week they will receive the test back as well as a scaled score (200-800) for that half of the test. They also will receive a list of correct answers and explanations to file for future study for that test. Then we will go over the expectations for the Math test and how to grid in your own answers before we begin that test. You have no homework due next week, unless you want to review some of your math formulas.

Adventures in American Literature

We reviewed all of Ben Franklin’s inventions and even talked about the “orderly” 13 virtues of this man as well. We then watched 2 scenes from the musical 1776 and how it portrayed our founding fathers. We took the first quiz, which was entirely matching. The students will receive these back next Monday. We then went over Phillis Wheatley (the first female black poet) and the essay by J. Hector St. John de Crevecoeur, “What Is an American?” We will review with the Acrostic next week.

For next week, read pages 47-51 and answer those questions that follow each section. Also, be prepared to present orally to the entire class the report on the “tall tale” hero or heroine that you were assigned in class. (If you cannot remember that character, email me.)

Watch this brief video song about one of the assigned characters.

Previous Assignments for School Year 2024 – 2025:

litalive

Assignments for 10/07/2024

Country path in fall

Assignments for October 7th, 2024

Quick Looks at Great Books

We discussed all of the chapters that you read and answered the study guide questions. We even referred to the book itself for many descriptions. Then, we watched the DVD of Book 1. We ran out of time to take our quiz! We will take the quiz next class at the beginning of the hour. Then we’ll discuss the next chapters. For next week, read Book 2, Chapters 1-9 and answer questions 15-31 in your study guide. We will list the main characters and take the second quiz on the book.

American History

We finished Chapter 3, and I gave the students all the things they needed to know from the Chapter Review. We then reviewed the numbers to know in the Chapter Reviews of Chapters 1 and 2. Study for our first test on Chapters 1-3 for next week. (You have already studied Chapter 1 and part of Chapter 2 for today’s quiz. You’re over half-way there!) Also, read Chapter 5 in your text, and we will go over Chapters 4 and 5 after your test. In Chapter 6, we will read about the Revolutionary War itself.

Watch this video about the French and Indian War.

U.S. Government

Today, we went over the lessons on Congress, the Senate, and the House of Representatives. We also went over the Bill of Rights and a sheet outlining each of Amendments 11-27. The students were given the ten amendments they need to know for our quiz two weeks from today. Next week, we will add the seven articles of the Constitution and what each of the articles is about. Next week we will have a quiz on Lessons 3 and 4, but not on the amendments, just on the terms in the lessons other than that. There will also be the same fill-in-the-blanks questions as on our first quiz, with the addition of 3 new questions: the number of U.S. Senators, the number of U.S. Representatives, and the number of Supreme Court Justices. You can study all of these from your last quiz or from the blue sheet you were given to add to your notebook on the three branches of government. Also, complete Lesson 8 on Voting. As we cover that, we will also have a slide show on our Electoral College.

Lesson 8 Crossword Answers (PDF)

Watch the following video to review the Senate and the House of Representatives.

PSAT/SAT/ACT Test Prep

We reviewed the Principal Parts of Verbs once again and then took the quiz to review for our upcoming PSAT Writing test. We will then go over the graded quizzes next week before we take the final English test. We will also have another quiz on the grammar rules in your notebook and the verb errors. We will make sure the students understand these before we take the test. Please complete the sample grammar PSAT test in your notebook: Electroconvulsive Therapy on pages 31-33 and Resumes on pages 34 and 35. (Answer the questions following each passage.) After we have gone over these two practice tests, we will be ready to take the PSAT Writing Test. (35 minutes)

Adventures in American Literature

We started with the ballads for the Revolutionary War.  Ballads are poems that are written to be sung.  You can see why these would incite enthusiasm and excitement for freedom!  We then started with Ben Franklin and his organizational skills.  Maybe he accomplished so much because of his orderly life!  We talked about his almanack as well. I collected the aphorism assignment, and I’m excited to go through them!  Also, for next Monday, we will have our first quiz, which will be all matching.  Just review from the beginning of your text:  John Smith was in charge of the Jamestown colony, William Bradford was in charge of the Plymouth colony and wrote the first history book, Edward Taylor was the first major poet even though his poems were not published until the 1930s, Anne Bradstreet was the first female American poet, Jonathan Edwards was associated with The Great Awakening with his famous sermon “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”, Abigail Adams was famous for the legacy of letters she left, Patrick Henry was famous for his speech, “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death,” and Thomas Paine for his pamphlets, particularly Common Sense.  Also, review the first four literary terms that we went over as well as alliteration.

Also for next week, read the following selections in your text:  Phillis Wheatley’s poem and questions on pages 37-40, “What Is an American? by Crevecoeur and the subsequent questions on pages 41 and 42, and the Acrostic on pages 44 and 45.  We will do a lot of the pages in class together. Be ready to explore the “tall tales” that Americans created to explain many things they had no explanation for and secure a copy of The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne.

Previous Assignments for School Year 2024 – 2025: