Cue the Music!

This weekend, I've spent some time watching the 2011 NFL Draft.  I'm a big football fan, so this is an important event.

Anyway, I just wanted to say that even though I didn't get to draft all of you to my classes I am glad to have had this year with you.  I hope you all have learned something this year--course content or even a life lesson.  Please continue to embrace learning in your lives.  There is always something we can learn from others and our experiences.  Do not pass up the opportunities that will surround you.

To my seniors, good luck.  You are all wonderful people and have very promising futures!  To the juniors, you're almost there.  Relax this summer and come back next year with a little energy.

Just a reminder that 4th Quarter interim grades are due next week.  We are really coming to a close for this school year.  Seniors have three weeks before final exams and juniors have five.  I'll try not to give you too much work if you agree to study a little!

April Showers Bring...

From my personal experience, April showers seem to bring a lot of cranky moods!  It's easy to look forward to the end of the year, but we need to make sure we're staying on top of things too.

In American Civics, we are discussing the 1950s and 1960s.  Topics include the Cold War, the Korean Conflict, and the Vietnam War.  Sociology classes are talking about social stratification.  We're going to discuss the different classes that exist in the United States and figure out where we should be placed.  Computer Applications has finished a unit on Google Documents.  Students have been able to see the different (and free) programs Google offers.

Hopefully we'll get into the swing of things again.  We have three full weeks to get through before Senior final exams.  In reality, that's nothing.  It won't be long before we're enjoying the summer sunshine.

Spring Break--Part II

Although we had our Spring Break a couple weeks ago, we have another chance for a little break.  We have off this Friday, April 22, and also Monday, April 25. 


Hopefully everyone has great success looking for Easter Eggs!  Enjoy the time off.  Remember when we return, we'll be that much closer to the end of the school year. 

We've Got to Keep On Moving!

Most of you are ready to check out for the year, but we're not quite there yet!  Seniors may only have 27 days left, but that means we have 27 days of work to complete!


In American Civics, we are going to discuss the Cold War, Korean Conflict, and Vietnam.  As a reminder, our final exam is going to be based on the citizenship test we took at the beginning of the year.  This final will be closed notes, so you should begin studying now.

Sociology is going to take the test over Crime and Deviance on Monday.  Our next unit focuses on Social Stratification.  This is an interesting subject as we will discuss the Caste system of India.  It's often difficult to grasp the idea that people can't change their social ranking with personal effort.

In Computer Applications, we'll continue our exploration of all the free tools Google has to offer.  Students have become bloggers in their own right and have explored Google Documents.  This is a great tool because students can access the items from any Internet source.  In addition, documents are saved to the Internet--no flash drive is needed to save information.  Students have been amazed to work on items at the same time too!


This is just what we have going on this week.  I promise to have tons of lessons and activities for our remaining weeks!  Plan on keeping busy.  It's not time to check out yet.

Caption Contest--Part Two

Last week, I ran a caption contest and thought some of the entries were pretty good.  If you're interested, take a stab at this one.  Again, those participating will earn 5 bonus points.  Simply type your entry into the box below the post!  Be creative and have some fun.

This caption contest ends at 3:00 on Friday, April 15th.

Test Time

Both my American Civics and Sociology students will be taking tests soon.  Are you prepared?

American Civics will finally finish up World War II.  Students have taken a lot of notes.  If you haven't taken as many as you should have, they are on my JVS website.  Be sure to check that out and be prepared for the test.

Sociology will finish the unit on Deviance and Crime on Tuesday.  They won't begin the final test until next week.  Notes for chapter eight are also on my JVS website.  Make sure you've copied them before coming in to take the test!

As we begin the fourth quarter, it is important to do well.  All of you have the ability to do well.  Be prepared and you will ace your test!

4th Quarter!

Tonight, I'm finishing up third quarter grades.  It's obvious that some of you have really put forth the effort needed to do well.  Others, not so much.  We're reaching the finish line folks; let's finish this out!

As we enter the fourth quarter, I have some important reminders.

• First, maintain good attendance.  Most of you don't have a problem with this, but as the weather improves it may be more difficult.  Your attendance has a direct impact on your grades, so show up!
• Second, complete those daily assignments.  It shouldn't be difficult to answer a simple question each day.  Five points a day may not seem important, but they add up.
• Third, remember that you need to pass both the third and fourth quarters or one quarter and the final exam.  If you already passed the third quarter, just pass the fourth quarter!
• Finally, I'm always here.  If you ever need additional help, please ask.

We can do this!

Caption Contest!

Are you interested in earning some final bonus points for the 3rd quarter?  Give me your best caption for this picture as a comment to this post.  Be creative and you will earn five points!

10...9...8...

The countdown starts!  We are close to the end!  We've almost made it!  We have four days left in the third quarter and then it's time for the last quarter of the year.  That means students have very little time left to raise grades before they're entered on Friday.

American Civics: We're going to finish up World War II.  We'll have two reading assignments that will count towards the third quarter, but we won't be ready for the WWII test until next week.  That means it will be one of the first grades for the fourth quarter.  Make sure you have all the notes copied from my JVS webpage.

Sociology: We are ready to start our next chapter.  Chapter Eight looks at deviance and crime.  We'll start off with an exploration of some newspapers for articles relating to crimes.  I'm going to take student advice and we'll complete the crossword puzzle as a review of the chapter before taking the test. 

Computer Applications: Students are going to sign up for a gmail account and we're going to explore all that Google has to offer.  In addition to checking out my blog every week, everyone is going to have the chance to create their own blogs!  It's going to be great.  Trust me!

If my count is correct, seniors have 35 school days remaining and juniors have 44.  If you think the year has gone by quickly, you're not alone.  Trust me that the rest of the year will go by even faster.  Mark your calendars and keep counting down; I know I am!