Author: litalive

litalive

Assignments for 01/20/2025

Winter cottage

Assignments for January 20th, 2025

Quick Looks at Great Books

Today, we worked on the Grand Gestures on page 7, Acts I-III. We also talked about the events of the three acts and what was not understood. For next week, read Acts IV and V. If possible, finish Acts IV and V on page 7. We will go over those and many more pages in the study guide. We also will take our first quiz on Acts I-III since we ran out of time today. I will warn you that Act IV is a “tear-jerker”! Act V takes place 15 years later.

American History

Read Chapter 17 for next week and complete the Crossword Puzzles on Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln. The following week, we will have our test on Chapters 10-17. You will only be tested on the circled terms at the end of each chapter.

Watch these videos to review their lives.

President Thomas Jefferson

President Zachary Taylor

President Millard Fillmore

U.S. Government

We played a review game today before we took the final exam. Then we took the exam itself! No homework. Next week, we will begin No-Spin Economics. This is in the news so much and will fit exactly our study of economics. The economy always plays a major role in any government policies. Come to class with a three-ring binder and secure a copy of Whatever Happened to Penny Candy? by Richard Maybury. I can’t wait to grade the exams and see how they did!

PSAT/SAT/ACT Test Prep

We reviewed a sheet of Tips to Remember when you take a standardized test. Then we divided into teams and played a game to review all we have covered this semester, including vocabulary and English particularly.

Next week, we will begin our Practical Public Speaking class, with the addition of several new students. This is a perfect companion class to Test Prep. They have spent lots of time taking tests, but now, they will take no written grades, only public speaking. We will really get to know these students! No homework. All you need to do is bring a three-ring binder to class with you to hold the text pages I will give you.

Adventures in American Literature

Today, we covered all of the homework and the life of Edgar Allan Poe. (Listened to his famous poem, The Raven) For next week, read the excerpt from Redburn by Herman Melville on pages 79-82. Answer the questions on page 83 and 84. After that, read the excerpt from Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Be prepared to discuss the meanings in this story. You need to read one other story by him, The Minister’s Black Veil. Answer the questions on page 85 about the symbolism in this story. On page 88 answer Yes or No to each statement found in Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment and tell why you gave that answer.

Next week, I will give you the pages for second semester to add to what you already have.

Watch this brief plot summary of Thoreau’s book

Previous Assignments for School Year 2024 – 2025:

litalive

Assignments for 01/13/2025

Winter cottage

Assignments for January 13th, 2025

Quick Looks at Great Books

We did the first few pages in their study guides. We will work on the questions in this study guide together in class. For next week, complete pages 5 and 6 to better understand Act I of our new book/play. Also, read Acts 1-3 in Cyrano de Bergerac. We will have a quiz after we have discussed the reading.

American History

We talked about the First Ladies of the Presidents we have studied so far. Then we played history games and rotated after fifteen minutes. For next week, please read Chapter 16 in your text on The Civil War. We played games based on the Civil War and its battles. We will have a test over Chapters 10-17 on January 27. You can begin studying any time. We will have a review game the day of the test.

Watch this short video about the first battle of the Civil War.

U.S. Government

We played a game today that we played on the first day of class. The students knew so much more than they did then!! Next week, we will have our final exam for Government. Students should study past tests and quizzes as well as review the circled terms in the last seven lessons. There will be 100 questions, and most are objective. (Multiple choice, True/False, and Matching) The game today was also a great review of what we have studied.

PSAT/SAT/ACT Test Prep

This week, we played an ACT game to review principles of Math, English, Vocabulary, and Science. Next week as your final assignment, you should turn in a writing plan for when you have writing on a standardized test. Firstly, choose ten vocabulary words and definitions that are very general and easy to use in any situation or writing plan. (You did this today when you had the Vocabulary cards. I also added the SAT Vocabulary cards we have practiced with.) Secondly, you should list two personal experiences you could incorporate into your writing. (Lessons you have learned) Thirdly, list two historical or literary situations you could use to teach a lesson as you write. (You may choose two literary, two historical, or one of each if you’d like) You may try some of them out in your writing class if you are taking one!

Adventures in American Literature

In class today, we learned about the sad life of Edgar Allan Poe. We did a page together on the brief biography they had read. Then we watched a movie of an actor telling Poe’s story of “The Tell-Tale Heart”. We then had a glimpse of the man who had so much tragedy in his life. We studied some of Poe’s poems, which we will listen to later.

For next week, read “The Black Cat” by Poe and answer the questions on page 70 on the text you were given. We will do some of the pages together in class. Ralph Waldo Emerson was the founder of Transcendentalism in America and was a mentor for Henry David Thoreau. Pick three of his sayings on page 73 and 74 and be ready to tell us what he is saying in your own words. Read an excerpt from his famous essay “Self-Reliance” on page 75. Answer the questions on page 76 about this essay. Pick three quotes by Thoreau on page 77 and give them to us in your own words and tell us if you agree or disagree.

Watch this video about Thoreau’s book Walden, written as he chose to live simply with no help from others!

Previous Assignments for School Year 2024 – 2025:

litalive

Assignments for 01/06/2025

Merry Christmas and Tree

Happy New Year 2025

Assignments for January 6, 2025

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

See you back in class on Monday, January 6. Quick Looks at Great Books, don’t forget to bring your Cyrano study guide and your Literary Terms notebook to class.

Everyone else, bring your textbook for class with you. Have a great break with your family!

Previous Assignments for School Year 2024 – 2025:

litalive

Assignments for 12/16/2024

Artistic scene of winter village

Assignments for December 16th, 2024

Quick Looks at Great Books

We went over the rest of the book today, answered the study guide questions, and took the last quiz. We then began our review of the entire book (along with watching cute scenes of Eppie as a child in the BBC version). We had two rounds of Jeopardy, but we didn’t have time to do the second round! We will do it at the beginning of next week’s class, and then take the final test. The students can finish the Chronolog they were given today, and we will quickly go over it before the test. With the time we have left, we will celebrate our Victorian Christmas!

Watch this short explanation of a Victorian Christmas.

American History

We used Quiz #3 as a review sheet, rather than a quiz. We went over all the answers. Almost all of them were very important, and ones they will surely see again. They were told to keep the sheet to study for our final exam in the Spring.

We then started our Presidents’ reports. We will do one next week, but we talked about each of their lives and also issues and instances that were unique to them. We will review these men again before our test when we cover the first twenty-four.

We then went over Chapter 14 and those things they would need to know. “Manifest Destiny” was covered in this chapter, and they saw the famous painting illustrating it. James K. Polk’s Presidency accomplished so much in one term!

Watch the following videos for our quiz next week.

James Monroe

John Quincy Adams

Andrew Jackson

U.S. Government

We finished covering the U.S. Post Office and then went on to the first two branches of the military—the Army and the Navy. For next week, finish our workbook by doing Lessons 23 and 24—the Marine Corps and the Air Force. Students were given the answers for the Crosswords in class today,

Watch this medley of songs that represent the branches of the U.S. Military.

Meet the newest branch of the U.S. Military.

Space Force official song

PSAT/SAT/ACT Test Prep

We reviewed once again that the Science section of the ACT is not dependent on your mastery of science class, but instead on your ability to get information from charts and graphs, analysis of experiments, and the comparison of two opposing views of scientists. Next week, we will do our final review of what to expect on the writing section of standardized tests, We will make a plan or strategy when we return from Christmas break. If time permits, we will learn more vocabulary often found on the SAT or any standardized test.

Adventures in American Literature

In class today, we went over the Chronolog for review and then took our final test. Students also made up any quizzes missed. Then we began work on the Frontier Hero, James Fenimore Cooper, and began an excerpt from Washington Irving’s History of New York. We will finish that next week and also discuss Washington Irving and other Americans who influenced our celebration of Christmas.

Read the story of Rip Van Winkle by Washington Irving for a quiz next Monday, December 16.

Previous Assignments for School Year 2024 – 2025:

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: