7th Grade: DBQ Re-Do Opportnity

Hi 7th graders:

As many of you are aware, the DBQ that was due last week has been graded and returned to you...and some of you did less than stellar.

In an attempt to help you improve yourself (and your grade) I am offering the opportunity for you to re-do the work...

So, come to my class (tomorrow) Wednesday, December 1 at: 7:30 AM, Lunch, or 3:00 PM (tell your parents to come get you by 4) and bring your DBQ--I will go over with you what went wrong, and give you an opportunity to fix your errors...

DBQ re-dos will be due Friday, December 3 by the end of the day!

I hope many of you take advantage of this opportunity...

KF

Three weeks to break: Nov 29-Dec 3

Not that I'm counting down, but I figured you might be... (although I am rather excited because I will get to meet my new niece or nephew when I go home for the Holidays!! He or she is due on Friday!!!!)

Either way, we have 3 weeks left, and those three weeks are going to be {PACKED} with fun and interesting things!!

6th grade: Please remember that today, a week from today, and the final Monday of the semester we will be "dancing machines" with the 5th graders...I am very much looking forward to the final product at Songfest!!

Tomorrow we will begin our Native Americans unit: as you all requested no more packets, we are going to be doing a 2-person project with our table partners. Details to come. :) Your Native American quiz will be Wednesday, December 13.
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7th grade: You will also be starting a new project this week, the Ancient Africa group project. Working in the groups you had last week (it seemed to go well, I think) you will be completing a poster, 2 other projects, as well as an individual component. You will also have a quiz over Africa on Wednesday, December 13.
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8th grade: We will continue looking at Ancient Rome this week, beginning with a small research project to find historical anachronisms in some "Roman letters." Don't know what an anachronism is? Look it up! :) Later in the week we will look at what happened when the Republic collapsed (the Empire strikes back) and watch another dreamy David Macaulay movie :) Your Ancient Rome quiz will be Tuesday, December 12.
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Seniors: The speeches are coming, the speeches are coming!! This week we will spend Thursday working on our outlines in the lab, and Friday critiquing each others' speeches. Your demonstration speeches will be presented in class on December 9th and 10th, and your audience will be 3rd and 5th graders!
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Well, there you have it! Hopefully you have found something to look forward to in my class this week, and if not...well, there's only 3 weeks to Songfest! :)

KF

Senior Blog Post: 2 parts! 1st Due Wednesday, Dec 1, 2nd part due by class time on Friday, Dec 3

Hi Seniors:

Sorry sorry sorry...I mean, I know most of you do these on Sunday nights ;) but I meant to get this posted on Friday.

Anyway, here it is:

For Wednesday: I want you to have your introduction and conclusion written and posted on the blog. If you need a reminder of what that should look like, check out the outline template at this website.

For Friday: Bring a copy of your outline (introduction and conclusion plus whatever you have done on the body of the speech) to class on Thursday. ALSO you should bring short, written comments on two of your classmates' introductions and conclusions. Give suggestions on things you think they could improve, could expand on, could clarify.

Questions? BB or e-mail me.

KF

6th Grade Songfest Information

Here is a copy of a letter that should be sent home with all 6th grade students today:

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Dear 5^th and 6^th Grade Parents:

We hope this note finds you well. We would like you to know that for this coming Songfest, the 5^th and 6^th grade classes will be working together on a dance.

For the program we have chosen a mix of the songs “La Despedia,” “Coma Mi Niña Bonita,” and “We Speak No Americano.”

Today was our first meeting, and we talked about the clothing the student will wear for Songfest. The students decided to dress “normal, but cool,” which means jeans and any t-shirt of their preference. They are also welcome to wear a hat.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact either of us at school.

Sincerely,

Maricarmen Raunelli Kristen Fink

5^th grade teacher 6^th grade teacher

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To prepare for Songfest, the 6th graders will be dedicating 4 hours a week to practice. On Mondays I will take the students to 5th grade during my first hour class with them. On Tuesday they will meet with the 5th graders during 3rd hour, and they will practice together during afternoon classes on Thursday and Friday. In addition, please encourage your student to practice their dance moves at home.

Ms. Maricarmen and I see this collaboration as an excellent way to foster good relationships between the 5th and 6th grade classes, and are excited to see what our students achieve at Songfest!!

KF

Some Things to be Thankful For: November 22-25

Happy Thanksgiving Week, everyone.

I hope you are looking forward to turkey, stuffing, or at least a 4-day weekend. :o)

However, a short week ≠ a week with no learning, so here's what we will be doing for the next 3 days:

6th grade: We are going to start working on our Songfest dance with the 5th graders tomorrow. We will also put on our Incan fashion show for them, so be ready for that. Tuesday and Wednesday we will work on finishing up the Inca packet...you have done a really great job working on these...let's work hard to complete them, and maybe we will do something different for the next unit... :-D
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7th grade: I had ONE student e-mail me this weekend with a question about the DBQ, so I am going to assume you didn't have a problem with them?? I will look forward to hearing your thoughts tomorrow. We will spend this week looking at Africa, our final unit of the quarter (and semester). Monday we will complete a map and worksheet on the 4 regions of Africa, and on Tuesday-Wednesday we will complete an activity to learn about the traditional stores of these regions.
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8th grade: After the fall of the Etruscan (and Roman and Sabine) kings, Rome became a Republic. We will learn what that means, and oh, so much more, this week in class! :) You will get to check out my PowerPoint presenting skills and create a political cartoon (due Wednesday), as well as find out the advantage Hannibal had over the Roman army...(hint: it's big)
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Seniors: Once again, we will not have class this week...so hopefully you are keeping up with the blog, or you will be WAY behind (and not ready for your demonstration speeches) which will be presented December 9-10. Check in with me if you have any questions.
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I'm sure you were all sad to be out of school last Friday... ...but we teachers had a great time at the 2-day Conference at the Marriott. I attended 5 great sessions and presented at 2 sessions of my own, and I learned a lot! Hopefully you will see some new things being attempted in the class over the next few weeks...as always, your feedback is appreciated... :)

Have a great week!
KF

8th Grade: The Website you Asked For

Sorry we ran out of time today 8th graders:

The website you need to visit to finish your assignment from this morning is:

http://www.roman-empire.net/kings/kings-index.html

I hope you have a great long weekend, and please feel free to e-mail me if you have any questions.

KF

Senior Blog Post: Due Monday, November 22

Hi Seniors:

Since we didn't have class this week, you will have to do what you would have done in class on this blog post.

First, I want you to choose a topic for your speech. This is a demonstration speech, so your topic must be something you can 1) do, and 2) show others how to do. Remember that your primary audience (besides your classmates, Mr. Fenn, and I) will be a group of children much younger than you...use that information when you decide what do demonstrate.

FYI: Edible demonstrations are fine (as long as they taste good :), but please no peanut butter (not because I don't like it, but because some of the younger students may have an allergy.) Also, I am allergic to soy and nuts...but I love chocolate! :)

If you are having trouble deciding on a topic, a good place to start might be this website. For those of you who pay attention, yes, this is the same website I referenced during last week's blog post. I still think it's good. If you don't find anything there, feel free to look at the literally MILLIONS of other websites out there with demonstration speech topics.

Once you pick your topic you need to start planning the speech by forming an outline. As I said before, "Anyone without an outline will not be able to present. Period. This means you will get a zero on the speech." So, I want you to start thinking about your outline this week so you all get good grades. Check out this website for an excellent demonstration speech template.
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Your assignment for this week's blog post (using information from the template above):
1. Decide on a topic and explain why you chose it
2. Write the purpose of your speech (what do you want them to know/be able to do when you are done?)
3. Post a list of the supplies you will need to give your speech. (Remember, visuals are KEY to a successful demonstration speech)

Next week you will start writing your outline, and a rough draft will be due in the next class we have, Thursday, December 2.

Have a great long weekend,
KF

PS: The question was asked, how long should they be? Plan 5-7 minutes. Definitely no longer than 10, no less than 5.

UPDATE: No Communications this Week :(

Seniors:

Due to an unfortunate (and unintended) scheduling conflict, you will be attending a collegiate visit this Thursday from 1:15-2:07. While college visits are good, your not having class this week is bad, because that means you will not have my class again until the first week of December.

What this means for you: You have a demonstration speech DUE December 9th. (BTW: I am expecting that you will have all materials for your speech with you when you come to class that day, AS WELL AS YOUR OUTLINE. Anyone without an outline will not be able to present. Period. This means you will get a zero on the speech. So bring your outlines.) Without this week's class, you will have exactly 2 in-class periods to prepare for this speech, which means you will have a lot of preparation work to do outside of class. If you have questions/concerns/want me to look over your outline/want to practice/etc. you need to let me know, because I won't be seeing you much.

What this means for me: I will work to make myself as available as possible to you before and after school, during break, and at lunch, as well as by BB and e-mail (kfink@discoveryschool.edu.hn). I will also make the next two week's blog posts be "check-ins" for the speech. I'll put specifics up each week, but plan that for the next two weeks you will be updating me on your speech progress via your blog. I will comment/give suggestions where I think they are needed.

Sorry about this, but that's the way it has to be. KEEP READING THE BLOG. It will be your friend.

KF

First of two short weeks, November 15-18

Hello everyone:

It was nice to see some of you this morning planting trees and supporting the seniors and Discovery going green!

This week will be short and sweet (although not as short as next week) but there will be many new things happening, so it will be an important one.

6th grade: Are you ready to shift your attention to South America? This week we will focus on all-things Incan. I have a lot of fun activities planned, and I hope our conversation last week will inspire you to give 100% effort this week...some of the topics we will cover will be Incan religion, the status of Machu Picchu (you can still visit it in Peru!), and will design some Incan clothing!
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7th grade: Now we are two groups, there may come a time where we have 2 separate schedules (I hope not to do that, but sometime it may be necessary.) So, please keep your eyes peeled. If all 7th graders will be doing the activity, it will simply say 7th grade. If the classes are split, I will have the 7A/7B distinction, with different colors of blue, and will add a label for the classes.

However, this week I think we will stay together. You all got your first taste of primary sources on Friday (weren't they great?! don't you love them?!!), and will need to remember how important they are as we start our first DBQ (Document Based Question) this week. NOTE: Because I was gone for a week, and our study of Ancient India was so disjointed for other reasons, we will NOT be having a traditional quiz over Ancient India. Instead, your DBQ will count as a quiz :)
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8th grade: You asked, I listened. Greek quiz will be Monday. I hope you studied/have your notes page ready.

We will move onto Ancient Rome on Tuesday. We will (as usual) start with a look at the geography of Italy, then will use primary sources and Roman myths to focus on the city of Rome. We will finish out the week looking at the original government of Rome, the Etruscan Monarchy.
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Seniors: Don't forget I moved the blog post's due date to Wednesday. Sorry. (Because I'm sure you're very upset ;). We will only have one class this week, and we will spend it in the computer lab focusing on the demonstration speeches! Check out this week's blog assignment for an excellent website that you can use to help you decide what you want to speak about.

And that's that!

I hope you all have an excellent week (midterms go out on the 22nd!) and are ready to sprint to the finish of the quarter and the semester! (seriously, we only have 5 weeks! Where has this school year gone?!)

KF

:-D Senior Blog Post: Due WEDNESDAY, November 17

Sorry, Seniors!

I can't believe I forgot to do this until now...and I REALLY can't believe none of you reminded me to do it! ;)

However, we can't go two weeks without a blog post, so here it is (and notice, I moved the due date back to Wednesday!)

You just completed your first speech! Congrats!!

Please reflect on how you think it went...What was good? What was bad? Did you agree with the comments from the adults in the room? What will you do differently during the next speech?

I also want you to start thinking about your demonstration speech. You will be choosing/finalizing your speech topic in class on Thursday, but you may want to visit this site to give you some insight...(I especially like the 5 things to consider as you are choosing your topic).

Also, I really like chocolate, and am allergic to tree nuts and soy...just saying ;)

KF

PS: GREAT JOB today at the tree planting. Aren't you looking forward to coming back in the future and seeing your legacy at Discovery bloom?! :)

UPDATE: 8th Grade Quiz Moved to Monday

But now it's going to be a whole lot longer...

Things to study over the weekend:
-Something about each of the elements presented by your classmates: Architecture, Government, Mythology, Philosophy, Women, Education, Warfare, Sports, and Art.
-Similarities and differences between city states (I'd focus on Athens and Sparta, if I were you)
-Greek "firsts" (things the Greeks came up before anyone else)
-How the Greeks affect the modern world (SPECIFICS!)

You may use ONLY one half-sheet of 8 1/2 x 11 computer paper (both sides filled up with notes) for the quiz.

KF

History and Communications: November 8,9,10,11, and 12!

Hello everyone!

Well, I survived! :) And I am very much looking forward to getting back to the classroom this week! :)

Students, I hope you had a good week with the sub(s?) and were able to hit all the benchmarks I set for you...this next week will be important grade-wise.

6th grade: I think I had some pages missing from your Aztec packet (sorry!) so we will get all that sorted out first thing in the morning. My goal is to get you through the Aztecs and have some sort of wrap-up Maya and Aztec quizzy-type thing. We'll see tomorrow. No stress. We will start the Incas on Friday!
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7th grade: You covered a lot of ground with Ancient India last week, and were asked to start a timeline on Friday...hopefully you didn't spend hours working on that over the weekend (remember, I specifically said not to) because we are going to spend Monday and Tuesday working on it in class! Then we are going to look at the specific places Hinduism and Buddhism affected Ancient Indian culture through the end of the week. You will have your Ancient India quiz next Thursday!
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8th grade: I am very excited to see your Ancient Greece presentations tomorrow (and Tuesday, if we need to finish them up). Remember, the most important thing is to show us how the Greeks are still affecting our lives today. Your Ancient Greece quiz is going to be this Friday, and there will be a section on the effects of Ancient Greece on today's society. We will spend the rest of Tuesday and all of Wednesday looking at the Fall of Ancient Greece (oh those pesky Macedonians!), play review Trashketball on Thursday, then Quiz on Friday!
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Seniors: Are you ready to give your speeches? I sure hope so, because they are due on Thursday! If you have any last-minute questions, want me to look over your speeches, etc, please feel free to pop by my room any time this week. (I am always around no later than 7:15, and I am always here until at least 3:30...just so you know).

Looking forward to our last full week of school before December...wow this school year is flying!

REMINDER: Quarter 2 Midterms are NEXT MONDAY, November 15.
Students, think about what YOU can do this week to get your grade to where YOU want it to be!

KF