Final Week of 2012

7th Grade SS students are studying Ancient Greece and will conclude this week with a celebration/party on Friday! 8th Grade SS students are learning about the US Govt. Federalism, Branches and Powers of our Govt. be this week's focus.

Week of Dec. 10th

7th grade SS students are demonstrating their knowledge on Chpt. 26 with a small quiz on Tuesday. Students also have a conclusion writing assignment as homework on Tuesday. The remainder of the week will focus on Ancient Greece. GREAT NEWS!!!!! All 7th grade SS students passed their SW & Central Asia mapping quizzes with a 100% AWESOME! YOU GUYS ROCK! 8th Grade SS students are learning about the US Constitution. The students will focus on the Preamble/Goals and the Branches of Gov't.(Chpt.9)

Week of December 3rd

8th Grade SS: Students are learning about the weaknesses of our New Nation under the Articles of Confederation. They worked in groups to complete a "Articles" political cartoon. Students are now learning about the Constitutional Convention 7th Grade SS: Students are concluding their studies on SW & Central Asia. New studies will focus on Ancient Greece

Welcome Back!

Welcome Back to school.... 8th Grade: We have concluded the Amer. Rev. and students are learning about our new nation. Focus will be on the Articles of Confederation and our United States Constitution. 7th Grade: Students are finishing up Chapter 24 SW and Central Asia. They will be taking simple mapping quizzes Thursday and Friday on this region .

Happy Thanksgiving!

I would like to give thanks for all of your students in my classroom this year. 8th Grade SS classes will be taking their American Revolution Test (Chapter 7) on Tuesday. 7th Grade SS classes are finishing up working on their Southwest Asia mapping work. I hope you have a blessed Thanksgiving vacation. Mr. Toole

Conference Week Part 2

Just a reminder that our 2nd day of student led conferences is scheduled for this Tuesday from 4:00-6:30. 7th Grade SS classes are beginning their studies on Southeast Asia. They are learning about the influence of oil/wealth on world regions. 8th Grade SS classes are finishing up their studies about the American Revolution. A test review should come home later this week and students will test prior to Thanksgiving break.

Election and Conferences Week

Please make sure to VOTE on Tuesday, Nov. 6th. All of my students will participate in a classroom simulated election on Tuesday. 7th Grade SS students have their final copies of the Ancient Egypt Paper due Tues., 6th. 8th Grade is studying the American Revolution STUDENT LED CONFERENCES ARE HELD THURSDAY, NOV. 8TH AND TUESDAY, NOV. 13TH FROM 4:00 - 6:30 PM. I will be availble in the 8th grade Science Lab if you are interested in speaking/conferencing with me. Thank you for your support!

Election 2012

Help Support Your Local Schools! VOTE YES ON PROPOSAL 2!

Happy Halloween Week!

7th Grade Social Studies Classes have been actively researching Ancient Egypt. Students will be required to write a paper this week about their findings. Explanation of the paper will be given on Wednesday and the paper will be due Monday Nov. 5th. I will post a rubric/guidelines by the end of the day on Wed. 8th Grade Social Studies Classes have just completed their Declaration of Independence Projects. Wow! The projects were awesome! We have also been actively learning about the political candidates (mainly Presidential)and students are looking forward to voting next week Tuesday. We are beginning Chapter 7, the American Revolution, this week. Have a Happy and Safe Halloween!

Meap Week 2

Students are Meap Testing on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week. So class schedules will be adjusted on those days. 7th Grade social studies students will be studying Mesopotamia this week. 8th Grade social studies students will continue their studying of the Declaration of Independence. Students will need coloring utensils on Thursday and Friday. A Decl. of Indp. project will be assigned on Thursday and due next Monday. Students will receive a rubric and explanation to assignment/project on Thursday.

From the Sounds of The InFamous RoadRunner...."Meap-Meap"

This will be a brief post for Social Studies Classes this week. Our content schedule at school is adjusted and shortened as a result of the Meap Tests scheduled this week. Kids are off to a great start and I expect they will perform fantastically! 8th Grade Social Studies: Kids will get Chapter 5 Test scores by the end of this week. We are studying the Declaration of Independence (Chpt.6) 7th Grade Social Studies: Students received their Early Civilization Papers back so they could receive feedback and find out their score. I re-collected these papers so I can include them in their conference folders this fall. We are finishing up our Early Civilization studies and will be moving toward our Eastern Hemisphere Mapping/Geogrpahy Lab. No Homework this week:)

1st Week of October Update

Just a quick update for this week. 7th grade SS classes are working on writing a comparison and contrast paper about the Paleolithic and Neolithic time periods. This paper is due Wednesday. 8th grade SS classes will take their first test this Tuesday, Oct. 2nd. Students get extra credit if parents study with them. Next, we will study the Declaration of Independence. Have a great week!

7th Grade Paleo Vs. Neolithic Paper Research

7th Grade Social Studies Comparision Paper Research Sites. Students use the following websites to conduct your research for the comparison of the Paleolithic and Neolithic time periods. Use the following sites to complete your double-bubble prewrite for your paper. Your double bubble sheet should be full of information prior to organizing your paper. In order to access the sites, highlight the web address, copy it and paste it into a new tab to open it. ERA 1 Research Early Humans Stone Age (prehistory to300BC) http://ancienthistory.pppst.com/earlyman.html http://classroom.jc-schools.net/SS-units/PPT-games/era1-lesson.ppt Paleolithic http://www.ancientanatolia.com/historical/paleolithic.htm http://www.earth360.com/diet_paleodiet_balzer.html http://history-world.org/stone_age.htm http://matrixbookstore.biz/history_timelines.htm http://www.travelchinaguide.com/intro/history/prehistoric/paleolithic_age.htm Neolithic http://www.worldmuseumofman.org/neolithic1.htm http://www.ancientanatolia.com/historical/neolithic.htm http://www.travelchinaguide.com/intro/history/prehistoric/neolithic_age.htm Paleolithic Vs Neolithic http://daphne.palomar.edu/mhudelson/StudyGuides/PaleoNeo_WA.html http://mr_sedivy.tripod.com/prehist4.html Geography of Paleolithic Age http://etc.usf.edu/maps/pages/3500/3594/3594.htm

Social Studies Update

In 8th Grade Social Studies classes, students are learning about what led the colonists to declare their independence from Britain. Most of the information is available in Chapter 5, The Road to The Revolution. Students will be receiving a test review shortly and can expect the chapter test either next Tuesday or Wednesday....check their planners or ask your student for the specific date. I will also post review questions on this blog. In 7th Grade Social Studies Classes, students are finalizing their studies on comparing the Paleolithic and Neolithic time periods. Students will be conducting further research on these time periods and writing a compare contrast paper. This paper will be due next Tuesday. Specific paper criteria will be posted on this blog.

Hitting Our Stride

Well, we are finally hitting our stride in social studies class. After, handling all of the beginning of school year stuff, we are nearly full speed ahead. In 8th grade SS class, studens are investigating Chapter 5, The Road to The Revolution. We have been reading, discussing and working through a question packet. Our pre-Revolution studies will continue next week. In 7th grade SS class, students have been learning about early civilizations and the adaptations early man and society made in order to survive. Next week this will conclude with a comparison of paleolithic and neolithic time periods. Please, as always, feel free to email me with any questions you might have. Have a Great Day!

Welcome Back

(to the tune of "Welcome Back Cotter"). Welcome back, welcome back, welcome back! What an awesome start to the year! The students are great! It is going to be a fantastic year. This blog will be used to communicate with my 7th and 8th grade students and parents. Please check this blog in the beginning of each week as I will have the weeks general itinerary posted. Thank you for visiting the blog. Please make sure to sign your child's homework welcome sheet, they need to return it by Tuesday with both their signature and yours. Looking forward to a great year! Mr.Toole

End of May Plans for LA and SS

In both classes we are winding down to summer! This Friday June 1st is our 8th grade trip to MI Adventures. That will be a blast! LA Plans: Tuesday will be the students final work day for their book project. Book Projects are due Wednesday and students will present them on Wed. or Thursday. SS Plans: Tuesday students will complete their Reconstruction Vocab. work. Wed. and Thursday students will be reading the Reconstruction chapter and completing the corresponding reading notes. Vocab is due Wed. and Reading notes are due end of hour Thrs.

Plans for Week of 5/21

Our last full week of the school year: Wow! What a fun/fast year it has been. SS Plans: We are finalizing our study of the Civil War. The Test Review will be given out Tuesday (and posted on this blog). The Test will be Friday. LA Plans: We will finish the year with a book project. Students will be allowed to choose their own books and produce a book review poster as a final score. Monday students will have a chance to checkout books and projects will be due next Tuesday. Individual work/assignments will be assigned throughout the week. Enjoy the beauty that today holds! -Mr. Toole

LA and SS Plans for Week of May 14th

The sun is shining and the days are becoming long...and our days left here in school are quickly coming to an end. I hope that my efforts, partnered with yours, will benefit all students and help them end this school year on a successful note. LA Plans: We just took the Novel Test from the book Soldier's Heart. Students are actively reading "Bull Run" in the classroom. There will be limited homework this week. Students will take their second round of Discovery Ed. Testing in class on Tuesday. SS Plans: Students finished Chapter 20 and took the test. We are now studying the Civil War. Students will be completing a reading note packet as we use the book for a source of information. We will investigate strengths and weaknesses of each side, major battles, and changes throughout the Civil War. Homework will be assigned Tuesday night (vocab.) Possibly another assignment later in the week. Enjoy the beautiful week! -Mr. Toole "When the sun smiles upon you....smile back"

LA and SS Plans for the 1st Week of May

May is almost the last month of school....realistically, it is the last academic month for 8th graders. June is filled with MI Adventures, Handing in textbooks/classroom wrap-up and 8th Grade Recognition. I appreciate your assistance in helping your child exit 8th grade on a positive note....they might need some reminders along the way. SS Plans: Monday intro chpt. 20 and vocabulary. Vocab due Tuesday. Tuesday, Civil War and how it shaped America video. Wed. and Thursday will be Chpt. 20 group work. Their assigned reading notes should be completed in class, if any work is not completed in class, it will need to be finished at home. Possible Hwk. Wed/Thrs. night. Friday will be the early days of the Civil War. LA Plans: Monday we will go over Soldier's Heart Chpts. 4-6 work and vocab. and reading Chpt. 7. Tuesday, we are reading chpts. 8 &9 and they are assigned vocabulary for homework due Wed. Wednesday we will read the end chapters and have a class book discussion. Thursday will consist of a Soldier's Heart review assignment. Friday we will review and work in groups.

LA & SS Plans for Week of April 23rd

LA: Students have been actively working on writing their Realistic Fiction Stories. Students began typing their stories in class on Friday and will need to have the story completed and turned in by the end of the hour Monday 4/23. Students will have the entire hour Monday to complete the typing. The Realistic Fiction Story is counted as a test grade. Tuesday through Friday students will continue reading our new classroom novel, Soldier's Heart, written by Gary Paulsen. Homework will probably be assigned Tuesday and Thursday evenings. SS: Students will be taking their Reform (Cht. 18 Quiz) on Monday. They will need to be able to identify the major reforms, list at least 2 major leaders of the reforms, and describe what reforms/changes were made. Tuesday and Wednesday we will be reading and taking notes over Chapter 19. Vocabulary homework will probably be assigned for Wed. night. There will be no quiz on Chpt. 19. Thursday and Friday we will begin our Civil War studies (Chpt. 20)

LA and SS Plans for Week of Apr. 16th

FYI: This week, most students received their end of year Michigan Adventure Field Trip permission and information sheet. The trip is scheduled for Friday, June 1st. Students can secure their spot on the trip as soon as Monday.

LA: Students have been working hard at writing their realistic fiction stories. The rough drafts are due when they walk into class on Monday. Students will revise the work on Monday and Tuesday. Final drafts will be typed on Friday and are due Tuesday, Apr. 24th. Students will also receive their next classroom novel. They will be handed out on Wed. 25th.

SS: Students are finishing up Chpt. 17. There is no assessment given to this chapter. We will begin Chpt. 18, An Era of Reform on Monday. Vocab. will be assigned as homework on Monday and is due Tuesday. Tuesday and Wednesday will be Reading notes and chpt. investigations. Thursday and Friday will be review and Chpt. 18 Quiz will be on Monday, 23rd.

Happy Spring! and Post Spring Break Plans

Happy Spring! I hope all of you enjoy your Spring Break! May your days be filled with the right amount of fun and restfulness!

When we Return:

SS classes will be introducing Chapter 16 Life In The West. This chapter emphasizes the groups of people and their cultural influences on life in the western US.

LA classes will begin their prewrite and organization of their Realistic Fiction Papers.

Happy Spring! LA and SS Lesson Plans for the Week of March 19th

I have to admit.. I am not just thinking Spring... but these wonderful days have me thinking Summer! I hope you have made it a priority to get out and enjoy the beautiful Michigan days we have been having.

LA Plans: Monday and Tuesday: Word Study work. Word Study Homework due Tuesday.
Wed: 8th Grade students will take the Explore Test and Drop Everything and
Read.
Thursday: Discovery Education Test Shared With Students. Homework: Study
For Friday's Word Study Quiz
Friday: Word Study Quiz. Writing From Knowledge and Experience Paper
Reviews.

SS Plans: Monday and Tuesday: Intro to Chpt. 15. Monday Homework is to complete
the reading notes through 15.2. The remainder of the
packet is due for Thursday.
No SS class Wed. due to the scheduled Explore Test.
Thursday and Friday: Processing 15 Manifest Destiny Work

LA and SS Plans for the Week of March 12th

Plans for both LA and SS Classes will be a bit vague this week. We have just ended the 2nd trimester and putting the finishing touches on it will be the priority. Students will also be spending some time this week in SS and LA class with the high school counselors in order to prepare for next year.

High school counselors will be in to talk to the LA classes on Tuesday, and in on Friday with the SS classes. Students will take a walking tour of the high school on Thursday. Please ask your child about each of the days' after they have met with the counselors. In LA we are also wrapping up our "Writing From Knowledge and Experience Unit". In SS we are investigating Chpt. 14, The Jackson Era, and the theory of Manifest Destiny.

LA Plans for the Week of March 5th

Monday: Students will go over writing samples and work to add details and improve writing.

Tuesday: Students will receive their "Writing From Knowledge and Experience" papers back and partner with classmates to improve each other's writing.

Wednesday: Students will complete a final "Writing From Knowledge and Experience" Paper.

Thursday and Friday: Students will complete a word study mini lesson.

March is Reading Month, Students should be reading everyday for homework.

This is the final week for the 2nd trimester. Report cards will go home Friday the 16th.

SS Plans For The Week of March 5th

Monday: Students will finish up Chapter 13 with an open book/note assignment. No quiz on this chapter.

Tuesday and Wednesday: Intro to Chapter 14, the Jackson Era

Thursday: Chapter 14 Vocabulary Assignment. Due Friday

Friday: Chapter 14 Reading Notes. Due Monday.

This is the final week for the 2nd trimester. Report cards will go home the 16th.

LA Plans for the Week of Feb. 20th

Monday: Outsiders group work (preparations for Tuesday's chapter videos)

Tuesday: Outsiders groups videotape their chapter skits.

Wed: Watch the chapter skits. Homework: Study for Test

Thursday: Outsiders Review work Homework: Study for Test

Friday: Outsiders Test

SS Plans for Week of Feb. 20th

Monday: Happy President's Day! Learning about President Madison, Monroe, Quincy Adams, and Jackson.

Tuesday: Intro Chapter 13, the Different Worlds of the North and South. Homework: complete Chpt. 13 Vocab.

Wednesday and Thursday: Chapter 13 Investigations

Friday: North and South Mapwork

SS Plans For Week of Feb. 13th

2 Things First: Thank you for all the parents and students who attended Student led Conferences, your involvement in your child's education is extremely valuable and appreciated. I am sorry that there was no posting/update from last week; I have finally gotten over my week long cold. I missed 2 days of work and some of the extras had to be ignored while I was ill. I am glad to say, that I am near 100% and ready to be back on track and in the classroom.

So here are the plans for the week:

Monday: Students will continue to work through their Chapter 12 Reading Questions. This was handed out on Friday and it is due on Tuesday. Students will be able to use this question guide at the end of the chapter.

Tuesday/Wednesday: XYZ Affair, Louisiana Purchase, War of 1812

Thursday: Monroe Doctrine

UPDATE: STudents are completing a project for the Tuesday thru Thursday content. They have had class work time on Wed, Thursday, and it is due at the end of the hour Friday. Please see explanation under assinment links. Also, Friday's Chapter 12 Quiz Review is there.

Friday: Open Note Quiz on Chapter 12

LA Plans For Week of Feb. 13th

2 Things First: Thank you for all the parents and students who attended Student led Conferences, your involvement in your child's education is extremely valuable and appreciated. I am sorry that there was no posting/update from last week; I have finally gotten over my week long cold. I missed 2 days of work and some of the extras had to be ignored while I was ill. I am glad to say, that I am near 100% and ready to be back on track and in the classroom.

So...here are the plans:

Monday: Go over the Outsiders Plot/Story diagrams and continue The Outsiders review. Review was handed out on Friday and is due to be completed Tuesday.

Tuesday and Wednesday we will watch the movie, The Outsiders. Pop and Popcorn are welcomed:)

Thursday and Friday: Students will be in groups with assigned chapters from the Outsiders and their jobs will include: character quotations on our graffiti wall, and a video reenactment from assigned chapters.

SS Plans for Week of Jan 30th

Monday: Political Divisions: Hamilton and the Federalist Party Vs. Jefferson and the Republican Party; also Republican primary highlights video.

Tuesday: Alien and Sedition Acts and the Election of 1800

Wednesday: Student Led Conference Folder Prep

Thursday: Chapter 11 Review STUDENT LED CONFERENCES TONIGHT 4-6:30

Friday: Chapter 11 Quiz

Homework schedule will be added at the beginning of the week.

LA Plans Week of Jan. 30th

Monday: Outsiders Character Circle Map (due at end of hour Tues)

Tuesday: Finish Character Map and Read chpt. 6

Wednesday: Student Led Conference Folder Preparations Hwk: Chpts. 5-7 questions due Thrs.

Thursday: Outsiders Chapter 7 Think/Pair/Share and Readers Theatre. Happy GroundHogs Day! STUDENT LED CONFERENCES TONIGHT 4-6:30

Friday: Class Outsiders Read Along Chpts. 8-9

SS Plans for Week of Jan. 23

Monday: Focus on George Washington as President. Hwk: Chpt. 11 Vocab due Tues.

Tuesday: Check Hwk. Compare/Contrast A. Hamilton vs. T. Jefferson's views

Wednesday: Political developments/divisons (then and now)

Thursday: Federalists vs. Republicans views

Friday no school for students.

LA Plans for Week of Jan. 23rd

We have begun reading the Outsiders in LA class.

Monday: D.O.L. Discuss and summary writing for Chpts. 1&2. HWK: Outsiders Chpts 1 & 2Questions due Tues.

Tuesday: D.O.L. Check and discuss Vocab. HWK. Read Chpts. 3 & 4 for Wed.

Wednesday: D.O.L. Read Chpt. 5 and fill out FlowMap due Thursday.

Thursday: D.O.L. Soc's and Greasers Double Bubble and read Chpt. 6.

Friday No school for students.

Time To Take Some Political Action

Students and Parents,

Here's Your Homework: 2 Parts.

Part 1:
I encourage you to read the following article at Mlive: http://www.mlive.com/education/index.ssf/2012/01/senate_democrats_propose_free.html
(you will have to copy and paste the link to open it)

Part 2:
Contact our state officials and encourage them to make the education of our youth a top proirity in our state and support Michigan Plan 2020. Disclaimer: I do not know all the details of this plan, but I was encouraged by a plan that would remove some the special interest monies/credits and place it in the hands of our children and their continuing education. I shared the following with my students, "it can't hurt to have our elected leaders hear from their citizens (parents and students) and what we feel should be made a priority." Can you imagine if our state supported a $10,000/year grant for each graduating Michigan student? While you are at it, feel free to tell them to ear mark the remaining monies for k-12 education:)

The following names are those who you are encouraged to contact. (you will have to copy and paste the governor's link onto a new page to submit info./feedback to him)

73rd District State Rep. Peter MacGregor:

PeterMacGregor@house.mi.gov

State Senator Mark Jansen:

SenMJansen@senate.michigan.gov

State Governor Rick Snyder:

http://www.michigan.gov/snyder/0,4668,7-277-57827-267869--,00.html

Happy Snow Day! and LA and SS Plans for Week of 1/16

Happy Snow Day! Enjoy the long weekend and try to enjoy this winter wonderland....its been a long time coming.

Congratulations to our classroom/hour spelling bee winners: Hayden Wanhala and Leah Bristol. They did a fantastic job and will be the two 8th grade finalists from my LA classes. Great job Hayden and Leah!

Next week in LA we will get back on track with DOL (weekly spelling will the following week). We will spend Monday in the library checking out books and dropping everything to read. Tuesday we will begin DOL and continue the rest of the week with persuasive writing/writing from a prompt (positional writing). Homework should be expected Tuesday night.

Next week in SS we will review Monday for the Bill of Rights quiz (chpt. 10). Monday's Hwk is to study for quiz. Bill of Rights Quiz on Tuesday. Wed. we will watch a video on George Washington. Early Political developments will be the focus of Thursday and Friday. Homework will be given Thurs.

Have a Great Weekend and Week!

-Mr. Toole

LA Plans for Week of Jan. 9th

Monday, students will conclude giving their persuasive speeches. Tuesday and Wednesday will be individual class spelling bee competition (also resume DOL on tues). Thursday and Friday will be reading focus days.

PS....students have don a fantastic job with their persuasive speeches so far!

SS Plans for Week of Jan. 9th

Monday students will be videotaping their Bill of Rights skits. Tuesday, students will watch the videos and take notes. Wed. will be a review of Chpt. 10 and we will quiz on Thursday. Friday we will watch a video about George Washington.

This quiz (Bill of Rights) has been moved to Monday. Abbreviated review available on blog.

Change in LA and SS Plans for this week and next

Quick update...there is no Bill of Rights quiz today. Students are working in groups to organize a video/skit to demonstrate a right protected by our 1st ten amendments. Bill of Rights quiz will be next Thursday.

Students are still delivering their persuasive speeches in LA class. This will conclude on Monday.

Happy New Year SS Posting

Welcome back students! I hope you were able to enjoy your extended vacation. I enjoyed celebrating Christmas, ringing in the New Year, and spending each day with my family. Being able to sleep in was great as well.

This week in SS will bring our studies and attention to the Bill of Rights. Monday will be an introduction with the focus on the Preamble. Tuesday through Friday will be spent on the first 10 Amendments to the Constitution (Bill of Rights). We will quiz on Friday over the Bill of rights (Chpt. 10 in our book) and then move onto Chpt. 11 next week.

Happy New Year!

Welcome Back LA Plans

Wow! We are back to school already. I enjoyed the extended vacation immensely! My time off was spent enjoying Christmas, my Family, and the New Year, sprinkled with a few extra hours of sleep. I am recharged and looking forward to this new year with you all.

This will be a big week in LA class. Final drafts of student's persuasive papers are due on Monday. These papers will be checked for completion on Monday, but the actual papers are handed in after the students give their speech. We will review/practice speeches on Monday and students will be delivering speeches on Tuesday and Wednesday in class.

Thursday and Friday will be spent review speech and persuasive skills.

Happy New year!