Final Week of School: Week of June 6-8

Hello everyone:

Well, we made it! I can't believe the school year is over!

I have had such a great first year at Discovery School, and I want to thank each and every one of you for everything you have done to make it so wonderful!

This week is all about winding the school year down...obviously the 6th and 12th grade graduates won't be at school, but I will look forward to sharing Tuesday's "Discovery Idol" and Wednesday's Awards Ceremony with any 7th and 8th graders who come to school.

Don't forget school is out at 11:45 on both Tuesday and Wednesday, so please make arrangements to have your student picked up promptly at that time.

Thanks again for a great year! I hope you all have a refreshing summer, and to see you all again next school year!!

My best regards,
KF

Congratulations, Graduates!!!

Many congratulations to the 6th and 12th grade graduates today!

Speakers, I thought your speeches were excellent...I didn't really understand the Spanish ones, but the English ones were excellent.

It has been a privilege to be your teacher this year.

Congrats!
KF

Second-to-Last Week: Week of May 31-June 3

Hello again:

I can't believe there are only 7 days left of school!!!

This week is a wind-down week for most of the students:

6th grade: you will be with Ms. Valencia for my class on Tuesday to practice for graduation. On Wednesday and Thursday we will be watching a movie about immigration so you can evaluate it for some of the trends we discussed earlier in the quarter. And, on Friday, you graduate!! :)
--

7th grade: Your DBQs are due Tuesday, so I hope you have worked hard on them over the weekend! On Wednesday we will review for the quiz, and on Thursday we will have your final social studies quiz of 7th grade!! Friday you will be attending the graduation ceremonies.
--

8th grade: Good luck on your final exams this week!!
--

Seniors: Congratulations on your graduation!! :)

Sprint to the finish everyone! :)
KF

Three More Weeks: Week of May 23-27

Hi everyone!

We're winding down the school year VERY quickly!

Just want to say a GREAT congratulations to Mr. Fenn and all the students who participated and won awards at the Chronicles of Discovery Gala last Friday...it was a great event and really showcased how AWESOME our Discovery kids are! Way to go!



















(By the way, if you want to get your hands on the Chronicles of Discovery magazine, let Mr. Fenn or myself know and we'll make sure you get a copy! What a great way to support our students' literary and artistic endeavors!)

Anyway...here's what's up for this week:

6th grade: CONGRATULATIONS to each of you for passing your National Anthem Exams!! I am so proud of you! You have just a week+ left as 6th graders...let's make them great! This week we will finish up our look at Westward expansion with various looks at the Mexican-American War...you will have your last 6th grade social studies quiz on FRIDAY!!!
--

7th grade: We will continue looking at African Imperialism this week with a second segment of the Queen Victoria movie and the resistance movements in Africa. We will also have a DBQ at the end of the week!! :) 7B...sorry for you, you have no class this Friday. :(
--

8th grade: Review review review, that will be the word for you this week. I hope you are ready for your first round of final exams next week...and I'm sure you will be after this week! We will be working on both your study guide and an artistic review activity as well...I hope it will be a fun but worthwhile review week for you. Also, don't forget, due to Friday's half day you will not have class on the 27th.
--

Seniors: I was very impressed with your multi-genre projects! Thank you very much for all your hard work this school year. It was a pleasure being your teacher, and I wish you all the best in the future! :)
--

Well, there you have it...3 more weeks! Sprint to the finish! :)

KF

Four Weeks Left?! Week of May 16-20

Hello everybody!

Here's what's happening in class this week!

6th grade: I know this is going to be a busy and stressful week for you with your National Anthem test coming up on Thursday, so this will not be the most tasking week ever, but we still have things we need to accomplish. SO, this week we are going to continue focusing westward, but we are going to shift our sights southward, to Texas. We will "Remember the Alamo" this week by doing some groupwork with primary source accounts of the seige of the Alamo, as well as looking at both the US and Mexican versions of the Mexican-American war. You will not have class on Thursday due to your National Anthem Test.

Your last Social Studies quiz of 6th grade will be next Thursday, May 26!
--

7th grade: Well, you're on the home stretch!! This week we will look at our final area where European Imperialism was heavily apparent, Africa. We will spend the week looking at both primary sources a movie that show different elements of African imperialism. 7B will only have class Monday-Tuesday and Thursday-Friday due to MAP testing.

Your last Social Studies quiz of 7th grade will be next Thursday, June 2!
--

8th grade: We will finish this week with a look at Calvinism, the English Reformation, and finally, the Catholic Reformation, all elements which were touched on in last Friday's movie...you will have your Reformation quiz this Friday, May 20!

Just FYI, next week we will begin reviewing for the final exams!
--

Seniors: You're almost there!! I know you have a big week ahead of you, but you can DO IT!!! You will not have class Thursday due to your National Anthem Test, and Friday your final version of the Multi-Genre project is due!!!

It has been a pleasure to work with you this year, and I wish you tons of good luck in the future!
--

Someone told me there are less than 20 days of school left...let's make sure we sprint to the finish here and and make the most of those days!!

KF

Senior Blog Post: Due Monday, May 16 (LAST ONE!!!)

Seniors!

This is your last blog post!!

Are you so excited?!

In this last post I would like you to reflect on the blogging experience...what did you think of it? Did you enjoy blogging? Do you think you will keep it up, or will you delete your blog the minute your final grade is posted? Do you think the blog was a good addition to the class, or just a waste of time (be honest, I don't mind!)

Thanks for your participation this year! Good luck on your National Anthem Quiz on Thursday!

KF

Five More Weeks: May 8-12

Hello everyone!

This school year has gone so quickly! Only five weeks left!

Here's what you can expect in room #4 this week:

6th grade: We are going to continue looking at westward expansion, starting with the Homestead Act of 1862...we will use a couple other "Little House" books to compare how this important legislation affected the Ingalls family. Later in the week we will look at the impact of Westward Migration on the Native Americans, again using the "Little House" books.
--

7th grade: This will be a funny week for some of you, because of the MAP test schedule. Either way, you will have a quiz on Friday, May 13, over Chinese Imperialism. To get ready for this quiz, you will be studying Chinese resistance movements and Western impacts on China during imperialism. (PS: your LAST SOCIAL STUDIES QUIZ [in 7th grade] will be Thursday, June 2. FYI)
--

8th grade: Hopefully you all did the "homework" from the weekend and know a little bit about Martin Luther's experience at the Diet of Worms...this week we are going to focus on this historical event by trying Luther ourselves in class. We will spend Monday and Tuesday researching and writing questions, and will have the trial on Wednesday. Thursday we will finish the Martin Luther movie, and Friday will move on to other Protestant movements from the Reformation.
--

Seniors: Guess what?! You have more time to work on your projects this week! :) Don't forget this Friday's deadline of your final 2 genres!
--

Keep working hard and don't slack off now!! There are still 5 more weeks to learn!

Sprint to the finish!

KF

Senior Blog Post: Due Monday, May 9

Hellooo, Seniors:

Some of you, I am sure, are very tired of me ;)

As you probably noticed, it's been a while since you've had a blog post assignment...so I figured I couldn't miss this opportunity today! (For those of you who are counting down: counting this one, only 3 more left!)

This week I want you to look to the future. Most of you have decided on your plans for next year, and I'm wondering what you are going to do to prepare this summer? Maybe you can use this blog post as a checklist, or just a place to organize your thoughts...

Have a great week.
KF

Believe it or not...6 Weeks Left: Week of May 3-6

Hello again to everyone!

Hasn't this year gone quickly!?! Wow! Only 6 weeks left!

REMINDERS FOR THIS WEEK:

Wednesday, May 4: Midterm. Remind your student to double-check for any missing assignments.
Thursday, May 5 at 6:00 PM: General Assembly. All Discovery School parents are highly encouraged to attend, because both the 2011-2012 budget and calendar need to be approved by a quorum of parents. The Discovery choir will also be performing, and works of art from all Discovery students will be on display at the Annual Art Exhibition (opens at 4:30). Activities will be provided by the Discovery School staff for any/all children who come along.
Friday, May 6: Half Day. Due to all of Thursday night's activities, the Discovery School administration has decided to make Friday, May 6 a half-day for students. Please arrange to have your child picked up promptly at 11:45.
Monday, May 9: MAP Testing begins. I will post the schedule as soon as I have it!
Wednesday, May 11: Progress Reports go home. Please be sure to ask your students for these important (and final) grade reports before the final grades of the year!!

Also, I want to CONGRATULATE! our Model United Nations team...this past weekend we participated in the ABSH Model UN Simulation at the Mazapan School in La Ceiba.

Seven Discovery students attended, and we came home with two Honorable Mention medals (2nd place) and a 4th place! Other prizes awarded to our delegates were Best Dressed Delegate, Best Alliance, and Encyclopedia (for knowledge).


I am so proud of the hard work our students put into this competition, and of all the positive comments I heard about ALL our students from other faculty advisers and students participating in the simulation. WELL DONE! :)

Now, for this week:

6th grade: This week we will continue looking at the idea of Westward migration through the eyes of people who experienced it. We are going to be reading selections from the books "My Antonia" by Willa Cather and "Little House on the Prairie" by Laura Ingalls Wilder to help you better understand why people went west and how it affected their lives. We will also be exploring the Homestead Act and looking at its impact as well. You will be with Ms. Campbell for an art activity on Wednesday.

**Due to Friday's half-day schedule, we will only have this class Tuesday-Thursday this week**

--

7th grade: Hopefully you worked hard on last week's assignments, because we are going to move right on to new topics this week. On Tuesday we will go back over the idea of imperialism, and read some primary source justifications for the practice. Then we will start looking at the effects of imperialism on China...this week we will look at important things like trade imbalances and wars over opium...can't wait!
--

8th grade: I hope you enjoyed the past few art-filled weeks! We are going to move from the Renaissance to the Reformation this week, and take a deep look at the man who started it all...Martin Luther. We will be watching the PBS movie Empires: Martin Luther and going through a timeline of the man's life on Friday.
--

Seniors: Please remember to keep meeting your project deadlines! We have 3 more genres due this Friday! Also, the goal for this week is to FINISH the yearbook!! I will be contacting you to get anything you are missing for me by the end of the week.
--

So that's that...another week!

Students, sprint to the finish!
Parents, please continue to support your students as they work hard to finish the year strong!

KF

Short and Sweet: Week of April 27-29

Welcome back, everyone!

I hope you are rested and ready to come back strong from Semana Santa.

Just so you know, I will not be at school this week, as I will be chaperoning the Model United Nations team to our Simulation at the Mazapan School in La Ceiba.

6th grade: You will be focusing on the motivations and routes of different people who moved to the western United States. You will be completing a packet all week, which has built-in extra credit if you finish early.
--

7th grade: I have broken you into 3 groups within your class and assigned you each a topic to study. Your goal will be to learn as much as possible about US and Japanese Imperialism, and will have a series of questions to answer and present to the class on Friday. Although I will not be at school, I expect you will give this project your utmost attention and work hard at it. I ask that any of you with BBs periodically send me visual updates of what you are achieving in class...but do not abuse this privilege. I want to hear only good things from the sub...
--

8th grade: You will be working on your portrait project with Ms. Campbell...don't forget your After Las Meninas artwork is due on Tuesday, May 3.
--

Seniors: You will be a class of 3 this week, but I expect you to work hard on your multi-genre project...please remember it is due in just 3 weeks, and you have deadlines each of the next three Fridays.
--

I hope you all have an excellent week!

Good Luck to the Model UN Participants!

KF

Enjoy Your Semana Santa!!

Hope you all have a safe and relaxing break!

KF

Another Great Week! April 11-15

Hi all!!!

Can you believe we're only one week away from Semana Santa (my first ever!) and just 8 (school) weeks away from summer?! This year has gone by so quickly!!

Anyway, even though it's a short week, we have a lot of things to do!

6th grade: This week you will be looking at the Industrial Revolution, but this time in the United States. You will find it's both similar and different than the IR in England...makes sense, right? You will also have a quiz on Thursday, April 14 (yes, that is the day before Semana Santa!), over life in the Americas after the revolutions, the Industrial Revolution, and Immigration.
--

7th grade: I hope you have enjoyed Lagaan this week--I know I have! :) Next week we will finish up talking about how English Imperialism affected India (and will have a wrap-up discussion of what happened in the movie), will review, and have an Imperialism in India quiz on Thursday, April 14 (yes, that is the day before Semana Santa!)
--

8th grade: Next week we are going to finish up talking about the Renaissance (and will have a mini-quiz--no more than 10 questions) on Tuesday. UPDATED: In the last half of the week we will be adapting the famous Renaissance work "Las Meninas" to our own unique artistic styles! Bring your art supplies staring on Tuesday! :)
--

Seniors: Guess what! You're going to be working on your Multi-Genre project next week!! :) Don't forget your deadlines...missing even one is going to really affect your grade!
--

I'm sure I don't need to remind anyone, but we don't have school on Friday, April 15th!

I hope you all have a safe and happy Semana Santa!

KF

Senior Blog Post: Due Monday, April 11

Hi Seniors:

I enjoyed snapping some pictures for you today...here's a few of the highlights:





















Now, to business:
Hopefully you have started working on your multi-genre project...right?

What are you struggling with? What is the hardest part of the project? What do you need help with so you can succeed?

Also, remember your deadlines for your project; be sure you're meeting them!!! :)

FIRST TWO ELEMENTS OF THE PROJECT ARE DUE
NEXT THURSDAY, APRIL 14!!!!

KF

I CAN'T WAIT For Next Week! April 4-8

Hi everyone:

So, next week is going to be a good one. I can feel it in my bones!

6th grade: You are going to have your first introduction to something I love, a DBQ (Document Based Question). Don't listen to anything the 7th and 8th graders say about them, you are going to love them! We will go through them, one by one, and and finis the week with a movie that will bring it all together! I can't wait!
--

7th grade: In order to help you understand the depth of issues between the British and Indians in India during the Age of Imperialism, we are going to spend next week watching one of my favorite movies, Lagaan. I promise, you are going to love it! I can't wait!!
--

8th grade: On Monday and Tuesday we're going to do one of my all-time favorite activities, the Discovery School Art Gallery. Using set criteria you're going to assess different works of art to evaluate whether they were created during the Medieval or Renaissance Eras...It's GREAT! You don't have class Wednesday, but on Thursday and Friday you will be researching one of the Renaissance works of art and creating a song about the background story of the painting. I can't wait!!!
--

Seniors: You will have time to continue working on your multi-genre projects next week. We will also have our first 1:1 conferences so I can see your progress, and you'll have your second day of peer conferences...and, you guessed it, I can't wait!!!!
--

Please remember that school will be dismissing at 11:44 on Wednesday so that we teachers can work on making our curriculum exactly what Discovery School students need to succeed!!

It's going to be a great week, I hope you are getting excited...I know I am!

I CAN'T WAIT!!!!! :)

KF

Senior Blog Post: Due Monday, April 4

Heya Seniors:

It's funny to be sitting here looking at you all and making your assignment at the same time :)

For your blog post this week I would like you to write down the most interesting fact you've found about your Multi-Genre Project subject so far, where you got the information, and why you think it is interesting.

Have a good weekend. Don't forget your next deadline is for the WORKING ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY on FRIDAY, APRIL 8. (Remember you have to have at least four sources, and one has to be a book.)

KF

Lots of Things to Look Forward To: Week of March 28-April 1

Hello all!

Another week is upon us, and I'm making sure my blog is done on Sunday night!

We have a full week ahead, and I have lots of fun (I hope!) and educational (I know!) things planned for us to do!

6th grade: This week we are going to change gears a bit and start looking at a revolution that came after those revolutions for independence...the Industrial Revolution! It started in Great Britain, which is where we will start...we will look at a lot of great primary source documents AND I have a movie that will illustrate nicely what life was like during that time...on Wednesday we are going to have a relaxing period with Ms. Campbell practicing the Japanese art of Sumi-e (ink painting), and then will move onto immigration to Latin America on Thursday and Friday.
--

7th grade: This week we will focus on the question WHY did the Europeans expand out and affect the Eastern World...we will look at maps and other readings to answer this question. On Thursday and Friday we will start looking at how Europeans (and especially the British) affected India.
--

8th grade: We will continue on with our study of the Renaissance this week by taking a closer look at Humanism and some of the writers and artists who subscribed to the practice. We will also look at some Renaissance innovations (like the printing press...)
--

Seniors: Please remember your topic outline sheet is due on Thursday, so you need to have your topic decided on by then...I will also be having you write in the name of the book you are using in your project, so you probably want to bring that along...feel free to bring your laptops on Thursday...we will be going to the computer lab to do some research, and Friday we will be working in class on the project!
--

As of right now, this is the plan. Obviously there are some events going on in the city that will hopefully not affect our school schedule, but please check all your teachers' blogs in case our week is disrupted.

Make it a great week!
KF

Senior Blog Post: Due Monday, March 28

Hi Seniors:

I'm not feeling particularly creative or introspective this week, so I can't think of anything exciting or meaningful for your blog post...

So, here's a long-awaited Free Post. Post whatever you want, just make sure you post something by the deadline. :)

KF

Quarter 4 Week 1: March 21-25

Hi everyone:

Please excuse my tardiness...my brain decided it was summer break over the weekend, and I just can't seem to get myself together today!

Anyway, here's what (I hope) you can expect in my class this week!

6th grade: We are going to look at what happened in the Americas after all those revolutions we had a quiz on last week...some of it was good, some of it was...not so good. We will also start looking at immigration to the newly-formed nations.
--

7th grade: This week we will be briefly reviewing some of the things we learned as long ago as second quarter, in order to bring you up to speed on the world in 1450...and then the Europeans are going to come in and mess it all up (you'll see what I mean soon!)
--

8th grade: We are starting the Renaissance this week with a quick overview film, then an in-depth look at what Renaissance means, the idea of humanism, and the elusive "Renaissance Man (or Woman)." We will spend the entire quarter on the Renaissance and Reformation.
--

12th grade: Multi-genre writing project time!! Please bring your selected biographies with you to class on Thursday!
--

Please remember the parent forum meetings scheduled this week:
Grade 6: Thursday, March 24, 8:00 – 9:00 a.m., Library
Grade 7: Thursday, March 24, 2:00 – 3:00 p.m., Library
Grade 8: Friday, March 25, 8:00 – 9:00 a.m., Library
Grade 12: Wednesday, March 30, 8:00 – 9:00 a.m., Library

Also, grades should be going out this week, and Friday afternoon I will be happy to receive any of you during Parent-Teacher Conferences!

Hope you have a great week! Let's start Quarter 4 off really well!
KF

Senior Blog Post: Due Monday, March 21

Hi Seniors:

(Tuesday again, are you impressed?!?)

Well, you made it! It's the final quarter of your final year of high school!!

For this blog post, I want you to:
1) Reflect: How has this year gone? Was it what you expected it to be? How have you done this year (academically, personally, professionally, whatever)

2) Plan: What are you going to do to make this last quarter the BEST of the year (again, academically, personally, professionally, whatever)?


Looking forward to your answers... :)

KF

Last Week of Quarter 3! March 14-18

Hi everyone:

I hope you had a productive week last week (or at least had fun on your respective trips...)

THIS week we all need to focus in and finish the quarter strong (and enjoy our Friday off)!!

6th grade: I sure hope you read and highlighted your Haitian Revolution assignment this weekend...after last week's pop quiz we are behind and still have to get through A LOT of revolutions...We will look at the revolutions of Haiti, South America, Central America, and Mexico in the next 2 days. On Wednesday the 5th, 6th, and 7th grade classes will have an Adolescent Growth meeting with the counseling department during first hour. Girls will attend the meeting in Ms. Maricarmen's room, and the boys will be in my room. Don't forget to return your permission slip to Ms. Julia by TOMORROW (TUESDAY).

Your revolutions quiz will be Thursday!
--

7th grade: You have one more day of in-class work for your project (Monday) and then presentations Tuesday-Wednesday...BE READY!!! Use your rubric!!! Thursday you will have a Middle East quiz (don't worry...it will be fine!)
--

8th grade: I know you lost one day last week, but hopefully you used your time well on the other two days and will have both a newscast and a play for me tomorrow...we will also find out about the fall of the Byzantine Empire this week, then use the rest of our time for review...your Middle Ages quiz is Thursday!
--

12th grade: We will finish up our journalism unit this Thursday and discuss next quarter's project...only 1 quarter left of your senior year!!! Sprint to the finish, make it the best quarter yet!
--

There you are...hope everyone has a really great week!!

KF