Wednesday, September 28, 2016.

Classwork: First day of research with teams.  Know your side and gather facts!

Homework: Discuss with parents what side you're on and some of the facts you've gathered.

Today is the Club Fair at our school.  Please join a club!  They are free! 

Tuesday September 27, 2016

Classwork:  Brief discussion of last night's debates.  Start and hopefully finish Vocab Maps in Google Classroom.  Vocab words are:

1. ecosystem
2. food web
3. food chain
4. freshwater
5. watershed

We will listen to the Radio Broadcast, "The Sad States of our once Great Lakes", and answer the discussion questions either on Chromebook or paper.  We will go over the rules and structure for the debates.  Discussion questions from the radio broadcast will be:

• What problems did the Great Lakes face in 1969?
• How did the condition of the lakes get so bad?
• What actions might people have taken to better manage the lakes? Do you think any of these actions were taken?
• Do you think the Great Lakes are better or worse off today?

Homework:  Please discuss the Radio broadcast and some of your answers with your parents.  Tomorrow will be the Club Fair at our school at 2:30 in the gym.  Come learn about all the various clubs and join one!!  (I teach the Crossfit club).

Monday September 26, 2016

Classwork:  Today we started Day 2 of the Great Lakes Unit in Geography Alive.  We reviewed the Preview questions from Friday like which Lake is the biggest, smallest, deepest, and who touches more of it: Canada or the U.S.A.?  Today, we focused on the Essential Question and where we will be heading into this Unit.  We also read the Introduction to the Unit 4.2 in the book.

Essential Question:  HOW CAN PEOPLE BEST USE AND PROTECT EARTH'S FRESH WATER SYSTEMS?

Points of discussion:  How do humans interact with the environment in this area? How does that interaction affect the ecosystems of the Great Lakes?

Homework:  Discuss with parents all of these topics:

1. Do you know your street address?  (It's an example of absolute location).
2. How does the Preamble of the Constitution help Americans?  How can it help you?  (Feel free to look it up online)  This is a great topic to discuss with family members.  Why does the first line, "WE THE PEOPLE" mean so much?
3. Watch the debates tonight if you can.  We will be doing a debate on the Great Lakes soon! 
4. Can you tell your parents what we learned about the Great Lakes today?  Can you at least name all five Great Lakes?

Grades from the last quiz have been posted! Did you grow from the last quiz?  If not, please see me for a study session!