2024

Field of tulips

Assignments due for the week of April 22nd, 2024

Quick Looks at Great Books

We took our second quiz on the novel and continued to finish going over the questions in the study guide. I think everyone had a good understanding of what they read. Next week, we will have a Jeopardy Review game of the entire book and take our final test. Make sure you obtain a copy of our last book, The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway. Also, for next week, complete page 16 in your study guide as a review. (Chronolog—events in chronological order) Be prepared to take our final quiz on the background material. It will all come from page 2 in your study guide and pages 18-26. (lots of pictures)

Watch the following scenes from the ending of this book.

Public Forum Debate

Great job today on our real debate!! Next week, I will pass back your evaluations from this debate and begin plans for our May 6 debate. Thanks to all the parents who came to support and judge. Hopefully, you can help us on Monday, May 6 as well—just let me know. We’d love to have you. We will work next week on our May 6 debate, assigning teams and subjects.

American History

We did a review game on Chapters 21-24 and then took our test. We began going over Chapter 25 and all the important details of World War II. We will finish that next week and then have a quiz on just that chapter on April 29.

We are scheduled for reports on eight U.S. Presidents next week. If you’re not sure when yours is due, check the assignments from last week. (at bottom of this page) We also reminded everyone in class today. Read Chapter 26 and how the Cold War started.

Watch the following 60 second videos on our Presidents.

John F. Kennedy

Lyndon B. Johnson

Richard Nixon

Gerald Ford

Jimmy Carter

No-Spin Economics

We took our quiz on Penny Candy Chapters 7-9 and Crash Course Economics #7. Then we went over the handout on Crash Course Economics #9 on Deficits and Debt. Deficits, Debt, and Default are important “D’s” in Economics! We will finally cover the Federal Reserve Bank. Complete the handouts you were given and watch videos #10 and #11. Next week, you will receive a map of The Federal Reserve districts in the U.S. (We talked about these a lot when we examined our currency.) Watch the following videos.

Monetary Policy

Money and Finance

How Much is a Trillion

Explorations in British Literature

We covered all of today’s assignments in class as well as other novels to review for our final exam. Remember exactly what a limerick is since you will be writing one in the next two weeks! We will have our final test on Animal Farm by George Orwell on Monday, April 29. Look over page 152 to see all of Rudyard Kipling’s works. He was quite a versatile writer! Read excerpts from his works on pages 153-155. Match the description with the titles of the excerpts you read. H.G. Wells specialized in science fiction. Read the excerpt from The War of the Worlds on pages 157-159 and answer the questions on page 159. Lastly, read T.S. Eliot’s poem on Cats. We will talk about it and the musical it inspired.

Watch this excerpt from the musical Cats. Follow on page 160 in your text.

The Pirates of Penzance by Gilbert and Sullivan

Gilbert contributes to the humor by speaking fast and nonsensically!

Previous Assignments for School Year 2023 – 2024:

April 16, 2024April 16, 2024 litalive

Assignments for 04/15/2024

Field of tulips

Assignments due for the week of April 15th, 2024

Quick Looks at Great Books

We finished our quiz on Chapters 1-14 in To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee today. We then went over the study guide questions. We will talk more about each character. Complete the book this next week, (Chapters 15-31) We will discuss our completed book in our next class.

Watch the following scenes in the movie taken from the book. The funny thing is that Harper Lee helped cast the characters in the movie!!

Atticus and Scout

Dill, Scout, and Jem playing with the tire

Mrs. Dubose

Public Forum Debate

We played “Triple Speak” today, a debate game to improve your thinking on your feet and utilizing your creativity! Then, we spent time in our groups preparing for next week’s debate. We will have two debates—one on minting or ceasing to mint the U.S. penny and one on whether states should or should not ban self-driving cars. We need to start as soon as possible in the class since we have two debates to complete. Our three major debates for this semester will be next week, April 15, Monday, May 6, and Monday, May 20. All debates will be from 9:30-11:00. We will ask parents to come and be our judges. (to decide which side is more persuasive) The two teams NOT debating during the first one will also vote on a winner. We will begin with the Penny Debate, and then end with the Self-Driving Car Debate. Even if our judges have an opinion on each subject, you are voting on the team which was most confident and persuasive.

American History

We went over our schedule of events for the rest of the school year. We have two sets of Presidents’ reports left.

April 22

Herbert Hoover — Maille
Franklin Roosevelt — Zach Snell
Harry Truman — Hannile
Dwight Eisenhower — Brady
John Kennedy — Erica
Lyndon Johnson — Nathan
Richard Nixon — Lainey
Gerald Ford — Finley

April 29

Jimmy Carter — Elizabeth
Ronald Reagan — Vlad
George H. W. Bush — Zeke
Bill Clinton — Joy
George W. Bush — Maks
Barack Obama — Avalyn
Donald Trump — Dan
Joe Biden — Emery

On Friday, May 6, we will have our States and Capitals test, on May 13, the 2nd Presidents’ test, and on May 20, our final exam. Students will know exactly what to study for each of these. Next week, we will have our test on Chapters 21-24. (We will do a brief review game before the test.) Also, read Chapter 25 on World War II.

Watch the following 60 second videos on our Presidents.

Warren Harding

Calvin Coolidge

Herbert Hoover

FDR

Harry Truman

Dwight Eisenhower

No-Spin Economics

Today, we took our test on Crash Course Economics videos 1-6. Then, we covered the handout on Crash Course Economics #7. Next week, we will have a quiz on Penny Candy Chapters 7-9 and Crash Course #7. Just study the handouts you were given for each of these.

Also, read Chapters 10-12 in Penny Candy and watch the video on Crash Course Economics #9. Complete the handout for this video that you were given today.

View the current debt at U.S. Debt Clock.

Deficits and Debt

Explorations in British Literature

In addition to taking our quizzes on Animal Farm by George Orwell, we also finished our study guide for this book. We did it in class together. (We also watched today’s solar eclipse in Michigan.)

Because we will have half our class gone for HPA for the next two weeks, we will do our Jeopardy review and final test when they return. We will continue with other work in our text.

Queen Victoria’s kingdom turned into “topsy-turveydom” when the nonsense writing of Lewis Carroll and Edward Lear came into vogue. Complete pages 148-150 on Lewis Carroll’s writing and answer the questions. Then, read page 151 with a few of Edward Lear’s limericks. Then meet George Orwell (real name of Eric Blair) and read pages 165-167 and answer the question on p. 167.

Watch the Muppets version of Jabberwocky, a nonsense poem by Lewis Carroll.

Previous Assignments for School Year 2023 – 2024:

April 9, 2024April 9, 2024 litalive

Assignments for 04/08/2024

Field of tulips

Assignments due for the week of April 8th, 2024

Quick Looks at Great Books

We talked about our new book, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee and went over parts of the new study guide. The historical background is that of The Great Depression and the American South in the 1930s. Then we went over many of the terms in our Literary Terms notebook, particularly ones that applied to our new book. For next week, read Chapters 1-14 and answer the study guide questions 1-34. We will go over any confusing points, so have your questions ready before we take our quiz.

Public Forum Debate

We played two rounds of a “Balloon Game” in which students practiced quick thinking skills and debate rebuttals that would aid them in the future. After that, the students spent the second half of the class period working in their new groups and on their new debate topics. Next week, each speaker should come with a written statement of what they plan to present for their side. Team members should weigh in on anything they feel should be included. Also, practice reading your presentation and get input from your team on how you could improve. Research members should have lots of research on both sides of their issue.

American History

We finished our Presidential reports today with great coverage of Woodrow Wilson and Warren G. Harding. Harding and Hoover were in our chapters we reviewed today. For next week, complete Chapter 24 on The Great Depression. The following week, we will have a test on Chapters 21-24. (April 15)

Watch the following Presidential recaps.

William McKinley

Theodore Roosevelt

William Taft

Woodrow Wilson

No-Spin Economics

We reviewed Crash Course Economics 1-6 for our test next week with a competition between the boys and the girls. Study the handouts you were given for each video. Also, watch Crash Course Economics #7 and complete the handout you were given. We will go over the handout after we have taken the test.

Inflation, Bubbles, and Tulips

Explorations in British Literature

Today we watched a video of Simon Callow as he reenacted “The Death of Nancy” in Oliver Twist. He gave us a good idea of the way Dickens portrayed his scene and how much he put into his presentation. Then each student received a study guide for our last novel this year, Animal Farm by George Orwell. We went over a number of pages in your study guide, background for the novel, and information on Orwell himself. We will do the remainder of the study guide together in class. For next week, read Chapters 1-10 (the entire book) of Animal Farm and come with questions about any characters or events that you might not understand before we take our quiz.

Previous Assignments for School Year 2023 – 2024:

April 2, 2024April 2, 2024 litalive

Assignments for 04/01/2024

Happy spring break!

Assignments due for the week of April 1st, 2024

Enjoy your week off. See you on April 1st!

Quick Looks at Great Books

Everyone is completely caught up with quizzes and tests. When you return to class, don’t forget to bring your Literary Terms notebook and your To Kill a Mockingbird study guide. Be sure to secure a copy of To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee by the time we return to classes.

Public Forum Debate

Great job on your first Public Forum Debate! We will have three big debates during the rest of the semester. You will be with different team members each time. For our first debate, the teams and subjects will be as follows:

The Government should cease the minting and circulation of the U.S. penny: Huck, Yuna, Ellie, Austin
The Government should continue the minting and circulation of the U.S. penny: Zach, Adam, Erica, Keely, Cody
Each state should have the right to ban self-driving cars on their state highways: Ben, Alura, Ian, Paul, Rocky
Each state should NOT have the right to ban self-driving cars on their state highways: Scott, Zeke, Autumn, Eda, Wyatt

American History

We will continue covering Chapter 23 in your text and finish our Presidential reports with Lainey and Shota. No homework is due, but come to class with your text and ready to play games to review.

No-Spin Economics

We covered Crash Course Economics #6 and went over notes for Penny Candy Chapters 7-9. No new homework.

Explorations in British Literature

We played a Jeopardy game to review and took our final test on Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens. Don’t forget to bring your British Literature text with you on April 1.

Previous Assignments for School Year 2023 – 2024:

March 19, 2024March 19, 2024 litalive

Assignments for 03/18/2024

Clover leaves

Assignments due for the week of March 18th, 2024

Quick Looks at Great Books

We discussed all the characters and their fates at the end of the book. We took our final quiz, answered all the study guide questions, and then played a Family Feud style game for team competition to review the book. We will do a Jeopardy review next week before we take the final test. Make sure you secure a copy of To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee by the time we return after Spring Break.

Also, for next week, complete the following lessons in your Literary Terms notebook:

Parallelism (pages 34-36)
Dialect (pages 57-59)
Local Color (pages 72-73)
Narrator/Point of View (pages 79-80)
Plot (pages 81-82)

Public Forum Debate

We continued with our One-on-One Debates and then met as teams to prepare for the JFK debate next week. Make sure you contact any one not there today about what you want them to research or what they should send you to preview. We will judge the debate and know where we’re going after Spring Break.

American History

We passed back the two tests from last week and went through the important events in Chapter 21 and the first half of Chapter 22. Our next test will be on Chapters 21-24. We will have a quiz on Chapter 21 and Chapter 22 through page 341 next Monday. (March 18) Students were given the things to study from the Chapter Reviews. This will be a practice and help you be familiar with a few of those terms for next week. Read Chapter 22 (pages 342-351) and Chapter 23.

We will also do our Presidential reports as follows:

William McKinley—Elizabeth
Theodore Roosevelt—Avalyn
William Taft—Zach
Woodrow Wilson—Lainey
Warren Harding—Shota
Calvin Coolidge—Hannah

Watch this brief video on the Zimmermann Note and the sinking of the Lusitania.

No-Spin Economics

We completed two quizzes today—the Quiz on Crash Course Economics #3 and #5 and the Quiz on our Coins and Currency. For next week, read Chapters 7-9 in Whatever Happened to Penny Candy? and watch Crash Course Economics #6.

Explorations in British Literature

We finished going over the fates of all the characters at the end of Oliver Twist. We went through the study guide questions and explained any misunderstandings. Next week, we will finish with a Jeopardy game review and our final test on Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens.

For next week as well, read “The Lady of Shalott” by Alfred Lord Tennyson on pages 133-137 and complete the questions on page 137. Read the excerpts of “Aurora Leigh” by Elizabeth Barrett Browning on pages 138-141. Then answer the four questions on page 141.

Watch this brief review of the themes in Oliver Twist.

Previous Assignments for School Year 2023 – 2024:

March 12, 2024March 12, 2024 litalive

Assignments for 03/11/2024

Clover leaves

Assignments due for the week of March 11th, 2024

Quick Looks at Great Books

We discussed in detail the letter Noirtier had for Franz and exactly what that meant. We also clarified the Ali Pasha affair so that there would be no misunderstanding of that. It was a bit difficult to understand all that happened. We will finish the book for next week, and the Count’s revenge will be complete. Everything is resolved, but not in the way you may think! (Definitely different from the movie version!) The assignment for next week is as follows:

—Abridged version Chapters 64-71
—Unabridged version Chapters 104–117
—Questions in Study Guide 94-105

We played one of the three games for this book today (Charades) and will play the other two to review for our final test on March 18. We will be ready to start To Kill a Mockingbird when we return on April 1. (Study guides will be available before the break, but nothing will be due when we return. (If you are planning to take a trip then)

Public Forum Debate

We discussed the one-on-one debates, gave the winner for the last candy bar debate, and watched three more one-on-one debates. The students had so many questions after each debate that we barely had time to meet with their JFK teams! If you are one of the four speakers for your team, come, next week, with your written presentation so that your team can give input on anything you should add or ways to improve. If you are not one of the four speakers, come with more research so that you can definitely give help to your speaking teammates. We will also continue with our one-on-one debates and plan to be finished completely on March 18. The JFK debates will be presented on that same day as practice for our upcoming team debates

American History

We finished our review game, reviewed the Presidents’ lives (first 24), and took our two tests. For next week, read Chapter 21—The Progressive Era (1900-1920) and part of Chapter 22—World War I (1914-1918) through page 341. If you have a President’s report, it will be due on March 18.

Watch this video to learn more about the sinking of the Titanic, an important event during this time.

No-Spin Economics

We spent our time today looking at all the new features on our updated currency. This is all done to prevent counterfeiting! Next week, we will have two quizzes: one on Crash Course Economics #3 and #5 and one on our coins and currency. Study your Crash Course handouts for the quiz on #3 and #5. For the other quiz, study the sheets you were given in class—Coins and Currency handout, One dollar bill handout, and the $100 bill handout. This quiz will be matching on the obverse and reverse sides of our coins and currency and some True/False questions based on other information on those sheets. Also, read Chapters 5 and 6 in Whatever Happened to Penny Candy? (These chapters are extremely short.) Next week, I will give you handouts to study all the major points.

Watch this brief summary of the one dollar bill.

Watch to learn again how to know if a $100 bill is real.

Explorations in British Literature

We answered lots of questions today and reviewed for our second quiz. We took two quizzes today, so now we are all caught up with our reading. For next week, we will finish the book (through Chapter 53) and also the remaining study guide questions. Before we take the last quiz, I will answer any questions you may have or clear up anything you did not understand. Everything is resolved in a typical Dickens fashion—rewarding the good characters and punishing the evil ones! If you haven’t figured out Oliver’s identity, it will be explained to you, and you may be surprised! We’ll talk about Dickens’s ending as well. We will continue watching our DVD and see how the Bumbles treat each other after their wedding day! This, too, clearly illustrates Dickens’s view on marriage. We will play a special Jeopardy game to review the characters and events for our final test on March 18 before our Spring Break.

Previous Assignments for School Year 2023 – 2024:

March 5, 2024March 5, 2024 litalive

Assignments for 03/04/2024

Clover leaves

Assignments due for the week of March 4th, 2024

Quick Looks at Great Books

We discussed the section the students read today and went over the study guide questions. Make sure you are completely caught up with your reading for next week since this is definitely a shorter assignment. The assignment for next week is as follows:

—Abridged version Chapters 54-63
—Unabridged version Chapters 82–103
—Questions in Study Guide 84-93

Public Forum Debate

We finished our last “Candy Bar” debate and began our one-on-one debates. We had lots of questions, most likely because they were topics about which most of the students had a definite view! We will hopefully finish these next week. You have already been divided into two teams for the JFK debate. The teams are as follows:

Option #1— Huck, Wyatt, Eda, Erica, Scott,
Ian, Zachary, Alura, Keely, and Rocky

Option #2 — Cody, Austin, Ben, Autumn, Yuna, Ellie, Zeke, Paul, and Adam

Option #1—Watch clips of Oliver Stone’s 1991”s JFK, specifically Donald Sutherland’s park bench scene, the “magic bullet courtroom scene, and Jim Garrison’s closing argument scene.

Option #2 — Do online research using any of the following phrases: JFK assassination, grassy knoll theory, Oswald patsy, lone gunman, and single bullet theory.

I will give you time in class to meet with your team and share your research. Also, decide on four speaking roles as given on page 33 in your notebook. The rest of the team will be responsible for research, ideas during the debate, and subbing for any sick team members. g the actual debate.

American History

We finished our Presidents’ reports today and went over everything for the Presidents’ test next week. (Presidents 1-24) We also began our game review for Chapters 18-20, which we will finish next week. Continue studying for the test on these chapters. We will have both tests in class next Monday.

Watch this video of our first 24 Presidents.

No-Spin Economics

We had fun today examining all our coins and the one dollar bill. We divided into small groups and saw examples of reeded and clad coins. DON’T FORGET TO BRING YOUR MAGNIFYING GLASS AGAIN NEXT WEEK!

Watch Crash CourseVideo #5 on Macroeconomics and complete the worksheet you were given today.

Explorations in British Literature

We finished going over all of our study guide questions in class. We also were introduced to Noah Claypole, Charlotte, and the Sowerberrys on our BBC DVD. We then were able to take the first quiz and will take our second one at the beginning of our next class. Be sure to ask questions about anything that you didn’t understand in your reading. We will also take Quiz #3 and discuss these chapters. We left Oliver wounded in a ditch and as yet have no idea of his condition. We will answer questions, discuss the study guide, and watch more of our DVD. Read Chapters 28-40 and answer the corresponding questions.

Watch this clip of Oliver’s encounter with the Artful Dodger and his journey to Fagin’s lodging.

Previous Assignments for School Year 2023 – 2024:

February 27, 2024February 27, 2024 litalive

Assignments for 02/26/2024

Valentine Day hearts

Assignments due for the week of February 26th, 2024

Quick Looks at Great Books

We took questions before the quiz and then discussed the chapters. We will finish the questions next week and take questions again before our quiz. We also went over pages 11 and 12 in your study guides.

—Abridged version Chapters 42-53
—Unabridged version Chapters 63-81
—Questions in Study Guide 78-83

Public Forum Debate

Great job on the Sylvia Snidely commercials! We will pass back grades next week. We were able to finish one of our “Candy Bar” debates. I will let you know the results of that next week as well. On Monday, we will finish with the last “Candy Bar” debate—Snickers vs. Nestle’s Crunch. Then we will begin our one-on-one debates and do as many as possible next week. Great job choosing a subject and finding someone to take the opposing view!! We will practice a real debate after that with only two teams. For our regular debates, we will have four teams of five (one with four). We will have new judges each time. For the one-on-one debates, we will have 4 minutes for each side with a 3-minute Crossfire. (between the two individuals)

American History

We will finish our Presidents’ reports next week. We will do Brady and Jessica, who were sick today. Then we will finish with Dan and Zach. I will give you everything you need to know about the first 24 Presidents, and then all you will need to do is study your notes. The test will be Monday, March 4.

For next week, study the terms you circled for Chapters 18-20. We will do a game review before we take the test on these chapters next Monday.

No-Spin Economics

Next week we will have a short quiz on Crash Course Economics #4—Supply and Demand. You also read about this basic Economic principle in Chapter 3 of your Penny Candy book. Then we will spend the rest of our time examining in depth our dollar bill and all our coins.

DON’T FORGET TO BRING A MAGNIFYING GLASS TO CLASS WITH YOU NEXT MONDAY. We also played a game to illustrate the benefits of free trade. Watch the following video about the holiday celebrated in the U.S. (today—3rd Monday in February)

Explorations in British Literature

We watched a few scenes from the BBC version of Oliver Twist today in class. We also answered many of the questions you did in your study guides. We will finish the few left and then take the first quiz at the beginning of our next period. After this first quiz, we will take questions, if you have any, and then take the next quiz before we discuss all the questions and watch the video. The quizzes are just a way to keep each student accountable and up-to-date with his/her reading. I think you can already see how Dickens is a master at developing our sympathy for his characters. For next week, read Chapters 15-27 and answer the study guide questions from those chapters.

Watch this short rendition of a scene you read for today.

Previous Assignments for School Year 2023 – 2024:

February 20, 2024February 20, 2024 litalive

Assignments for 02/19/2024

Valentine Day hearts

Assignments due for the week of February 19th, 2024

Quick Looks at Great Books

We discussed and explained all of your reading thus far. Continue your reading in this exciting book.

—Abridged version Chapters 28-41
—Unabridged version Chapters 36-62
—Questions in Study Guide 52-77

Watch this video about the Carnival celebration today.

Public Forum Debate

We discussed Inductive Reasoning today and how detectives use this means of gathering evidence to solve crimes. Remember, next week your Sylvia Snidely commercial is due. Plan to set up your video if you taped it or plan to present it to us live.

Also for next week, research the candy bar your group chose as well as your opponent’s choice. One person will present all the arguments for each group. We will decide who is the most passionate and persuasive.

American History

Remember next week begins the rest of our “first half” Presidents’ reports. Here is the order in which we will go.

Andrew Johnson—Brady
Ulysses Grant—Wyatt
Rutherford Hayes—Elizabeth
James Garfield—Jessica
Chester Arthur—Lainey

Feb. 26

Grover Cleveland—Zach
Benjamin Harrison—Daniel

We went over Chapter 19—The Gilded Age. There are lots of inventors and people mentioned in this chapter. I was glad to see that our text spent a good amount of time on the moral character of our Presidents during this time. I went over what you will need to know for your test on chapters 18-20. (Chapter Review People and Terms) For next week, read Chapter 20. (1865-1902) This will be the last chapter included in our next test. Watch the video about Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show.

No-Spin Economics

We went over in depth your assignment for the day—Chapters 3 and 4 in Whatever Happened to Penny Candy? and Crash Course Economics #3. I filled in the blanks for you for Chapter 4, so study that for the quiz next week on Penny Candy Chapters 3 and 4. Also, continue with Crash Course Economics #4 on Supply and Demand. (A basic economic principle you read about in Chapter 3.)

Crash Course Economics #4—Supply and Demand

Explorations in British Literature

We had an introduction today to the life of Charles Dickens and the Victorian Age. We also went over some of the literary terms you will see in the book before we took our quiz. For next week, we will actually start reading Dickens’s famous book and watch parts in class next week from the BBC version on film. I love that much of the dialogue comes straight from the book! Read Chapters 1-14 and answer the corresponding questions in your study guide. Don’t get bogged down with the vocabulary of Charles Dickens—just enjoy the story and his memorable characters.

Previous Assignments for School Year 2023 – 2024:

February 13, 2024February 13, 2024 litalive

Assignments for 02/12/2024

Valentine Day hearts

Assignments due for the week of February 12th, 2024

Quick Looks at Great Books

We will continue in our new book, The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. Here is the assignment:

—Abridged version Chapters 13-27
—Unabridged version Chapters 16-35
—Questions in Study Guide 19-51

Watch this brief video about the current day Chateau d’If.

Public Forum Debate

We did one last Deductive Reasoning exercise, and the students seemed to do well. They needed to use one other method they had not used before. We also went over and analyzed Susan B. Anthony’s persuasive speech on women’s right to vote. We went over the Logical Fallacies on page 24 in your text. Then each student was given sheets of fallacies with specific examples of each. For next week, you have two things due. First, create a bumper sticker with a phrase that demonstrates one of the logical fallacies. Your bumper sticker must be illustrated!

Then, find an example of a logical fallacy used in an advertisement on television. If all else fails, you can describe an example of the Bandwagon fallacy (Ad populum) That is certainly an easy one to find. Indicate what the commercial was for and how the fallacy was used.

Two weeks from today, you will design a commercial to promote Sylvia Snidely’s run for U.S. Senate. She has enlisted your help to help her defeat her opponent. (See instruction sheet you were given.) You were divided into five groups today who will perform for the class or video and bring in to show to the class this commercial. All students must participate. Be creative and use your imagination! You will have 30 minutes next week to do final preparations since most of you cannot meet during the week. Hopefully, you have decided on what scenario you will use. One person can write the script, or each person could write his/her own lines. You were assigned a logical fallacy to use in your presentation. (Don’t tell the other groups since they will try to guess yours.) You may also use other fallacies if you want, but you HAVE to use the one you were assigned.

American History

Students received their tests back from last week, and almost all of the students did well. On February 19th and 26th, we will have reports on the Presidents before we have our test over the first 24. (March 4) It will be an objective test (Don’t leave any blanks!) with a few facts about each of our Presidents. After we finish our reports, I will review what you need to know for each President. We also discussed the American Age of Industry, and students were given what they need to know from the Chapter Review. (We also learned two pieces of trivia about Abraham Lincoln.) For next week, read Chapter 19 on The Gilded Age. (Make sure you know who “coined” this phrase.)

Watch this video about the history of our famous icon in New York City.

No-Spin Economics

We finished our coverage of last week’s handouts with some great proposals from our groups! Then we finished with today’s sheets. Next week, we will have our first test on The Law (summary video), Penny Candy Chapters 1 and 2, and Crash Course Economics #1. Just study the worksheets you were given on each of the three assignments. They have all the important facts!

Also for next week, read Chapters 3 and 4 in Whatever Happened to Penny Candy? and watch the Crash Course Economics video #3. Fill out the sheets you were given for each.

Watch the following video about what you learned today.

Crash Course Economics #3

Explorations in British Literature

We covered all the pages in our text that the students had done. For next week, we will have a quiz on the first seven pages of your study guide for Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens. We will talk about the life of Dickens and why he wrote this novel in the first place!! Also, read the “Victorian Voices of Protest”on pages 130-132. Finally, read an excerpt from one of Dickens’s novels (Hard Times) on pages 140-142. (“School Daze, School Daze) Answer the questions on pages 144-145.

Watch the following brief video to gain more information we recently read about the Plague of 1665.