Psalm of Life & End of WWI

Today we will be reading some poetry!  We will be reading Psalm of Life by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.  We will read together and you will annotate the poem.  Annotations are a way for you to take notes and understand what you are reading.  They allow you to translate difficult text into your own words.  Read and annotate the poem Psalm of Life

Once finished reading and your annotations.  Please fill out this sheet to organize your thoughts and write a short response to the prompt. Psalm of Life Planning and Prompt

Please staple all 3 of these sheets together (annotations, planning chart, and response) and turn them in when you walk into class on Wednesday (2/5)

For History we are finishing up our chapter on WWI.  Please take notes on section 4 of the chapter and have them ready to turn in on Friday (2/7) when you walk into class.

SAT Registration Deadline is this Friday
March2success.com is a free SAT prep site for you to create an account and practice for your SAT

Sat Writing and WWI

Happy Friday!  For history today we will first be reviewing the beginning of WWI, and then continue to take notes on section 3 from that chapter.  Your notes for section 3 will be due on Wednesday (2/5)

English SAT advertisement write up is due when you walk into class on Monday.  So make sure you are working hard on it and get any questions you have answered before you leave today.

Book Checks are today so please show me you book to receive credit before you leave today.

REGISTER for the SAT!!!  If you are planning to take the SAT in March (which is most of you)  Remember the deadline to register is fast approaching.  Please go to collegeboard to register

SAT Prompt Draft Due

Today your draft of your first SAT prompt is due.  I will try to edit them and give them back so you have some time today and Friday to finish and be ready to submit when you walk into class on Monday.

Take a look at this site on how the SAT writing section is scored and examples of what types of essays received the scores.  Take a look at some of the examples writers who got high scores used.
SAT Essay Scoring 

Remember deadline to register for SAT in March is February 7th.  See Mrs. Hosking about fee waivers.

For history, take notes on Section 2 of the Chapter on WWI, beginning on page 381.  You able to use notes for the upcoming quiz so make sure you are taking good notes.

Remember to get your master agreement signed by your Parents.

Finally, you need to bring a physical copy of the book you plan to read this 6 weeks to class on Friday.  This should remain in your backpack and brought to and from school so you can read during any "down time"

2nd Semester!!!

Today begins our 2nd semester!  Welcome back and lets get ready to start fresh.  All of our grades are starting with a blank slate so you have the opportunity to do better (or worse) than last semester.  Take advantage of this opportunity to start strong and get the grade you deserve in your final semester.  Remember, colleges want to see your grades improving rather than going down.  Lots of things to get to today so lets start the semester strong.

First thing I want to discuss today is your SAT's.  You should all register to take the SAT on March 8th.  Registration deadline is February 7th.  You can register on Collegboard.  If you are eligible for free or reduced lunch you need to see Mrs. Hosking, ASAP, to get a fee waiver.  If you are unsure if you qualify please check with her to make sure.

Here are some resources that are available to you for SAT tutoring.  Please look at Kaplan test prep as an option.
Free Flash Cards for your Cell!  There are also numerous free sources for twitter vocab and other SAT resources on social media
Free Turbo Test
Discounts for group or individual classes
These tests are very important so take the tests seriously and work hard to study

Speaking of our SAT's for English we will be working on a practice essay.  You will be given a prompt today and we will go over organization strategies.  you will turn in the paper on Wednesday (1/29) for editing and a final draft on Friday (1/31)
Prompt

For history we are beginning our section on World War I.  Today's section will discuss the causes of the war and its beginning.  We are going to take a more "traditional" route at studying this chapter.  I realize that some of us may need practice with our note taking!  So for Wednesday (1/29) you will be submitting to me detailed notes for Chapter 11 Section 1 (pg. 372)

I want to start the semester discussing book reviews!  I know how much you guys love your books!  Please start to choose your book ASAP.  For quick and easy points I will give you an assignment to bring in your book on Friday and show it to me.  This is to make sure we are getting started and avoid the rush at the end of the six weeks that many of you experienced at the semester.  Here is the list of books.  Please speak to me about books or recommendations today!  Book reviews will be due on March 7th.

Finally, I need you all to take home an ADA form for second semester to have signed by your parents.  Please return to me ASAP.

SAT Info and More!

Happy Friday Everyone!

We have a lot to get to as the semester is coming up so make sure we stay focused today.  We only have 5 days left before semester grades are to be turned in.

First, I would like to announce a program called the "Admit One College Prep Academy" hosted at the Logan Heights Branch Library.  This is a FREE 9 week program geared towards helping you achieve your college goals.  Classes on financial aid, SAT/ACT prep, and more.  You must apply by February 18th.

More Info
Application & Schedule

SAT's are coming up in March so you should start looking to see if you are eligible for a fee waiver and begin registering for the test.

Next, we have the rest of our exhibitions coming up next week.  Remember, presentations should run about 40 minutes long.  You should be going into details to explain work in each subject and demonstrate your knowledge in each area.  Your teachers from other classes and administrators will be stopping by to view your presentations so make sure you put forth a sincere effort.

If you are finished with your exhibition you should spend your time reading in class and writing your book review.  Many of you have a lot of reading left to finish and need to get started right away.  Completed book reviews are due on the 24th.

Your Age of Imperialism history presentation will be moved back to Friday the 24th.  With this extra time I want to ensure that you all are presenting QUALITY work.  Make sure your project has at least 10 slides.  Your projects focus should be placed on American intervention and its affects.  Since you will be providing your fellow students with this information make sure it is in depth and informational. 

Finally, LTI projects need to be turned in to me for ALL internships and essays for those without.  Make sure you have a hard copy to give to me which represents work or a project you have been working on at your internship, and can give an in depth explanation of the project.

Make sure you are staying on top of your grades before the semester.  Remember Monday is a holiday so have a good long weekend and make sure to take home any work that needs to be completed.

American Imperialism Project

Happy Monday!  This morning we have a few college presentations to finish up before we get started.

For our history project for this chapter we will work in groups of 2 to present the ways in which American Imperialism affected other countries/territories and benefited the US.  These presentations will teach us a about American foreign policy at the turn of the century.  The instructions for the project can be found below.

Age of Imperialism Project

For English you will spend your time working on and perfecting your exhibition project.  Mr. Ferguson has provided you with templates for your empirical reasoning section.

Biology
Chemistry

Finally, use any available time to finish up your novel and start writing your book review

College Presentations Today!

Today we will begin our college presentations.  Please be attentive and respectful to your fellow students who are presenting.  Remember to treat this as a practice for your exhibition, which is coming up.  Eye contact, pacing, voice control, etc. are all important parts of these presentations.

Speaking of Exhibitions, make sure you are getting prepared as they begin next Thursday (1/16).  Make sure you know exactly when you present and are ready to go at that time.  Those of you with internships need to notify your mentors that you will not be able to make it on your assigned day.  You must show up on the day of your presentation to view and assess ALL other students presentations.  As a reminder posted here is your schedule and the exhibition checklist.

Exhibition Schedule

Exhibition Checklist

You have an hour block for your presentation.  Exhibitions should run around 40 minutes or so.  You will have good timing if you spend about 5 minutes per topic: Intro, test scores, communications, social reasoning, quantitative reasoning, empirical reasoning, personal qualities, future goals, and conclusion.  Some parts, like the intro and conclusion, will be shorter than 5 minutes.  While others, like communications and types of reasoning, will probably run a bit longer than 5 minutes.  So be prepared to fully display knowledge of each subject.

Finally, we have a history assignment to begin today on America emerging as a major power and claiming an empire.  This assignment is a bit longer than usual but will not be due until Wednesday (1/15).  This assignment briefly covers the entire chapter.  However, you will go more in depth to certain sections when we begin a project on Monday.

America Claims an Empire

Teddy Roosevelt and Progressivism

Today we will take a look at Theodore Roosevelt and the Progressive Movement.

Teddy Roosevelt was one of America's greatest presidents, my personal favorite, and many believe he created the modern presidency.  He became incredibly famous and fought for the average man and much more.  We will talk a little about his legacy before we begin today.

Teddy Roosevelt and the Progressive Movement

Remember to start finishing up your college presentations.  We will start presenting when we walk in on Friday.  Please look carefully at the rubric and make sure you have everything completed.  PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO DETAILS.  Treat your presentation as a practice for the exhibition.

Exhibitions are coming up next week.  Please look at the checklist so you know what is required and double check the schedule to confirm when you are presenting.

Exhibition Checklist

Welcome Back!

Welcome back! I hope you had a great break and are refreshed to start again.  Remember we have three weeks until the semester grades.  Which are VERY important for colleges and your transcripts.

We are going to begin our new history unit on the Progressivism and the Age of Imperialism.  Please complete this hand out as an introduction to the unit.  It will be due on Wednesday (1/8)

Origins of Progressivism and the New Role of Women

For English we will begin a new college presentation project.  Please select a college that YOU are interested in applying to, and that is a REALISTIC option for you.  The powerpoint will be due to me this Friday (1/10) and we will present on Friday and Monday (1/13)  It will be a very detailed project.  Please take a look at all requirements before you begin.  Remember you will need to discuss colleges for your exhibition and this will be a good example to present.

College Powerpoint and Presentation Rubric 

This week we will begin preparing for semester exhibitions.  Take a look at the schedule here and make sure you are prepared for your presentation

Exhibition Schedule