World Lit Week of August 29 - September 2

This week we will finish up with the Unit 1A on Gilgamesh, Genesis, Ruth, and the Qur'an. The test is tentatively scheduled for Wednesday. We will begin Unit 1B on other ancient texts. We will have a Vocabulary test on Friday, Sept. 2 on the Vocab from Ruth and the Qur'an. We will also share your biopoems on Friday, so make sure they are completed by then. Many of you are already finished which is awesome.

World History Week of August 29 - Sept 2

We began Unit III last week and plan to test on this unit on Friday, so that we can do it before the long weekend. This unit covers the Byzantine Empire and the rise of Russia, the Mongol Empire, the rise of Islam and the early African Empires.

US History Week of August 29 - September 2

We finished  with Domain 1 with a test on Friday. Several people were absent and some others didn't finish the test since we had a shortened block, so I will give time on Monday to finish or take the test. Also on Monday, the Road to the Revolution project is due. Some of you opted to do a Powerpoint Presentation, so we will begin viewing those. We will begin Domain II, covering the period from about 1800 up to the Civil War.

World History Week of August 22 - 26

Last week we learned about ancient Greece and Rome. The test over this material will be Tuesday, August 23. On Monday, we will review for the test. The next unit covers the Byzantine Empire, Islam, and Africa. Remember to complete the Extended Activity that was assigned previously. I have extended the due date to Wednesday, August 24.

US History Week of August 22 - 26

We will complete Domain 1 by the end of this week and have the Domain 1 test on Friday. Some topics we will focus on are the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation, federalist vs. anti-federalist ideas, Jefferson vs. Hamilton, and the ratification of the Constitution. Continue working on the Road to the Revolution Project which is due Monday, September 29.

To access the links to Schoology, use the code I gave you in class.

Domain 1 Study Guide
 New Nation Notes
Constitution Graphic Organizer

World Literature Week of August 22 - 26

Last week we finished reading the story of the creation and the flood from Genenis in the Old Testament. We completed a Venn Diagram comparing the flood in Gilgamesh to the flood in Genesis. For grammar, we've been working on run-on sentences since that is the main problem I've seen in your writing thus far. On Friday, we took a quiz over the vocab words from Gilgamesh and Genesis.

This week, we will continue with readings from this unit on ancient texts from around the world, starting with the Book of Ruth in the Old Testament. New vocabulary words will be introduced. I will assign a writing project called a Biopoem, which will be a biographical poem for each of you. This is consistent with the theme "I Matter" that I introduced in a quickwrite last week.

Important Points from Unit 1

What is an Archetypal Setting?

An archetypal setting is a time, place, or landscape that has similar significance for many different peoples. Such common settings arise across cultures because they apparently connect to the most powerful or universal human experiences

Here are some common archetypal settings:• a paradise, or ideal place where people live without strife or fear
• a universe made up of opposites
• a landscape that emerges from dark or watery emptiness or confusion
• a circle that symbolizes completion
• a giant tree that connects heaven and earth
• a great flood and a ship that survives it
• an underworld that people go to after they die

World Literature Week of August 15 - 19

We had a very full week last week. We completed the Logo Piece and shared it in class, we finished with The Epic of Gilgamesh and started on the Old Testament as literature. We also completed grammar exercises, vocabulary from the reading, and analyzed a song as poetry.

This week, we will continue with the Old Testament, focus on run-on sentences, and take a vocabulary quiz on the vocabulary from Gilgamesh and the Old Testament.

World History Week of August 15 - 19

Last week, we completed Unit 1 and took the unit test on Friday. We watched Mankind: The Story of Us, episode 2 and filled in the cloze notes for it. We will begin the notes on Unit 2, The Greek and Roman Empires on Monday, and will have the Mid-unit Benchmark quiz on Friday over Standard 3.

US History Week of August 15 - 19

Last week, we completed the notes and quiz over exploration and colonization. We watched the Brainpop on the French and Indian War, and began taking notes on the sub unit Road to Revolution. This week, we will take the quiz on Road to Revolution, probably on Wednesday. We will complete a mini-project called Declaration of Independence: Breakup Letter, watch another Brainpop about the causes of the Revolutionary War, and begin a major project: Road to Revolution, which will be due on August 26.
Revolution PPT
Revolution Quiz

World Literature Week of August 8 - 12

We started last week by reviewing the syllabus and discussing classroom procedures. We did a Getting to Know You activity, and took a Grammar Pretest. Twice during the week, we did 15 minute quickwrites. Remember, I want you to write for the entire 15 minutes. In anticipation of reading the Epic of Gilgamesh, we took notes from a Power Point about epic poetry and reviewed key vocabulary from Gilgamesh. We also saw a short video that gave a synopsis of Gilgamesh. On Friday, we learned about figurative language and did a mini quiz on figurative language. We then compared excerpts about the Great Flood from the Torah, Gilgamesh, and Hindu writings.

This week we will read and discuss Gilgamesh, read from the Bible and the Koran, and take a test over terms and vocabulary from these readings. I will also assign a small project called the Logo Piece. We will continue to have quickwrites as well as silent reading time during class.

World History Week of August 8 - 12

On week 1, we first reviewed the Syllabus and discussed classroom procedures. We did a Mining the Standards activity, took notes on Mesopotamia and Egypt, and defined key terms from Standards 1 and 2. We also completed a mini-DBQ on Hammurabi's Law which helped us learn about Babylonian culture. On Friday, we took a Mid unit Benchmark quiz over terms from Standard 1.

This week, we will finish notes on Unit 1, fill in a chart comparing different early civilizations, discuss Hinduism, Buddhism, and the Hebrew religion, and take the Unit 1 test on Friday. Busy!

US History Week of August 8 - 12

Welcome to ESOL US History. Last week, we started by reviewing the syllabus and classroom procedures. We also had a Label the States quiz on Friday. We began the Domain 1 notes, and watched the first episode of America: The Story of US.

This week, we will continue with Domain 1 notes, take a quiz on Exploration and Colonization, and continue filling in Word Wall definitions.

Welcome to 2016-2017

I am thrilled to be back at Wheeler in the ESOL program. This year, I am teaching World Literature, World History, and US History. It will be a fun challenge for me to teach World History, as it is my first time. I love my students and appreciate your dedication to learning. Let's make this a fantastic year.