September 28

IB 30/35

You wrote a current events quiz at the start of class. We started watching Episode 2 of Ken Burns' The Civil War today. Please make sure that you're reading your textbook The United States and Its People on the Civil War. Please go to the IB 30 wiki this weekend, and go to the United States Civil War section. Please find the handout "What was the Civil War about?", print it off and complete it for homework for Monday. We'll talk about the different perspectives of Abraham Lincoln, Jefferson Davis, and Frederick Douglass in class, so make sure that this is completed.

Social 10-1

You wrote your Unit 1 WRA I today in class, which took all of the period. Next week, we'll be doing a class debate on the following topic: "Be it resolved that globalization is harmful to the world's cultures". I will be sending you some documents and links to help you prepare for this debate, and I will also be splitting you into two teams as well by e-mail. Please make sure that you check your e-mail messages! Don't forget that you have your Unit 1 Final Exam on Wednesday, October 3rd. Please see the study guide here.

IB 20

You wrote a current events quiz today. I delivered a little more of the PowerPoint presentation "The American Revolution" today. We also started watching "America: The Story of Us" for a bit too. In your textbook "History of the Americas" you must read pages 22-26 and pages 30-34. Please complete the Historiography activity on pages 22-23 in that textbook (Thomas Paine's Common Sense)and the Activity on page 32 on the Declaration of Independence.

September 27

IB 20

We started looking at the American Revolution today with a PowerPoint lecture on the topic. I assigned some Section Reviews out of your The United States and Its People booklets. Those Section Review questions are due tomorrow.

Social 10-1

Today I introduced you to how to write a WRA I. We also looked at a sample WRA I. I have sent another sample WRA I from Unit 1 along with example response to that WRA I. Tomorrow you will be writing a WRA I for Unit 1. You will get 5 minutes to look over the sources and make notes, and then 60 minutes to write. Don't forget that your Unit 1 Final Exam is on Wednesday, October 3rd, please see the study guide here.

IB 30/35

We tied up some loose ends today. We completed the TOK Civil War Presentations today and finished off the first episode of Ken Burns' The Civil War as well. I also started delivering the PowerPoint on "The American Civil War" (it's on the wiki).

September 26

Social 10-1

We finished watching "Bend It Like Beckham" today. Please remember that your film study for "Bend It Like Beckham" are due tomorrow. You wrote your Chapter 3-4 Test today as well. I returned essays and homework check assignments today at the end of class. Your Chapter 5 Key Terms and Questions are due on Friday. Next Wednesday you have your Unit 1 Final Exam. Please see the study guide below.

Unit 1 Final Exam Study Guide:

Unit 1 Final Exam will be Wednesday, October 3rd. The format for the exam is entirely multiple choice. It will consist of 55 multiple choice questions, 60-65% of the questions will be "source-based" questions, while the remainder will be simply knowledge and comprehension style questions. In other words, the source-based questions will use political cartoons, timelines, a chart or diagram, a graph, a reading, a photo or a map, and you will have answer questions related to that source. The source-based questions will be difficult to prepare for. You must have a firm grasp of the concepts and key terms that were introduced in Unit 1, because that will allow you to apply the knowledge that you have to answer the multiple choice questions.

Please study your key terms from Chapters 1-5, and the topics covered in that unit.
1. Key Terms/Key Concepts in Unit 1:

• globalization
• pluralistic society
• transnationals
• society
• “the global village”
• United Nations
• G-8
• La Francophonie
• NATO
• individual identity
• collective identity
• traditions
• minority group
• official bilingualism
• universalization of pop culture
• hybridization
• media transnationals
• media consolidation
• CBC/SRC
• Official Languages Act
• CRTC
• Canadian Content (CanCon)
• homogenization
• monoculture
• assimilation
• marginalization
• accommodation
• secularism
• integration
• cosmopolitan
• acculturation
• cultural revitalization
• Charter of Rights and Freedoms

2. Know your case studies extremely well!
3. Be able to apply key concepts! (see comments above)
4. Please review the "Challenges and Opportunities of Globalization" PowerPoint

IB 20

We finished off the Thirteen Colonies presentations today. At the conclusion of the PowerPoint presentation I talked a little bit about "old" imperialism, "new" imperialism, motivations for the founding of some of the Thirteen Colonies, and mercantilism. I also talked a bit about taxation without representation, and finished off the PowerPoint on the French-Indian War. We're going to start looking at grievances that the American colonists had with the British government and how that atmosphere led to revolution.

IB 30/35

We continued with the TOK Civil War presentations today, which we didn't quite finish. We'll finish them off tomorrow. Also tomorrow we'll finish off the first episode of Ken Burns' The Civil War and then start looking at the Civil War itself. It would be a good idea to read the notes on the Civil War posted on the wiki, delve into your textbook The United States and Its People for more information on the causes of the Civil War and the key events in the Civil War as well.

September 25

IB 30/35

All of today's class was spent on the TOK Civil War Presentations. We'll continue with these presentations tomorrow. If you have presented already, please upload your PowerPoint presentation or Prezi link to the chart on the IB 30 wiki.

IB 20

All of today's class was spent on presentations for the Thirteen Colonies. We'll finish these presentations off tomorrow. If you have already presented please upload your PowerPoint presentation or Prezi link to the IB 20 wiki. I have sent you a link to the page on the wiki where you can find the chart to put

Social 10-1

We continued watching "Bend it Like Beckham" today and completing the film study that goes along with it. Please remember that you have your Chapter 3-4 Test tomorrow in class. Please see the study guide for this test below.

Chapter 3-4 Test Study Guide:

• Know the key terms from Chapter 3-4
• Be able to answer the Questions for Inquiry in Chapters 3-4 (they appear on p.49, p.53, p.58, p.73, p.80)
• Know relevant case studies from Chapters 3-4: the Francophones, the Aborigines and the Lubicon, as well as other relevant examples related to assimilation, marginalization, accommodation and integration

Citing Images in APA Format

This should help Social 10-1 students who are working on their Illustrated Concept Map assignments this weekend...

Image Citations in APA Format:

Step 1

Most of you will probably use Google for your image search. Just type in your image search term.

Step 2

A bunch of different images will pop up. Just click on one that you like. Go to the website where the image is hosted.

Step 3

Right click on the image and then click on "Properties" and then you'll get the address of the image.

Step 4

The pop up dialogue box will look something like this.

Step 5

This is where it's nice to have either Microsoft Word 2007 or 2010 because it has a built-in reference tab that makes it easy to cite your sources. Click on the References tab, make sure it is set to APA. If you click on Insert Citation or Bibliography, you'll get a pop up that will look something like this. I've put in the information for the image that I used in this example.

September 21

IB 30/35

We started watching Ken Burns' documentary "The Civil War" Episode 1: The Cause today in class. We'll continue with this episode on Monday. TOK Civil War Presentations start on Tuesday.

Social 10-1

You wrote your Chapter 1-2 Test yesterday. Please remember that your Illustrated Concept Map assignment is due on Monday. Your Chapter 3 and 4 Key Terms and Questions will be taken in at that time for homework check marks. Your Chapter 3-4 Test is on Wednesday, September 26th, please see the study guide below.

Chapter 3-4 Test Study Guide:

• Know the key terms from Chapter 3-4
• Be able to answer the Questions for Inquiry in Chapters 3-4 (they appear on p.49, p.53, p.58, p.73, p.80)
• Know relevant case studies from Chapters 3-4: the Francophones, the Aborigines and the Lubicon, as well as other relevant examples related to assimilation, marginalization, accommodation and integration

IB 20

You watched "The Story of Us" yesterday in class. We'll be looking at the French-Indian War as well on Monday. You will have an Enlightenment Thinkers Quiz in Monday's class. The thinkers to concentrate on are: Voltaire, Rousseau, Locke, Smith, Quesnay, and Montesquieu. You need to know their major works, major ideas, quotes associated with these thinkers. It is a matching quiz, but it will be very hard, especially if you haven't studied for it. If you study for it, using your notes, and the "Age of Enlightenment" PowerPoint that is up on the wiki under The Development of Western European Society, you should do well. I am still waiting for a few projects on your assigned Enlightenment and Scientific Revolution thinkers. These were due this week, but due me being away yesterday some of you may not have wished to hand it in to a substitute. Please send it to me ASAP, if you haven't done so already. If it's a Prezi, send me a link to the Prezi. The rest can be sent by e-mail, no more excuses! Presentations for the Thirteen Colonies will start on Tuesday.

September 19

Social 10-1

We talked about the CRTC, CanCon, CAVCO, and cultural protectionism. We also talked about the difference between media convergence and technological convergence. Remember that you have your Chapter 1-2 Test tomorrow, please see the study guide below.

Chapter 1-2 Test Study Guide:

1. Study your Chapter 1 and 2 Key Terms
2. Review the case studies from the textbook in Chapters 1 and 2, specifically the Metis, the Francophones, the Hmong, and the Maori
3. Be prepared to answer any of the "Questions for Inquiry" from Chapters 1 and 2 (they are on the following pages: p.9, p.14, p.20, p.29, p.35, p.39):

• How does globalization affect economic aspects of people's lives?
• How does globalization affect social aspects of people's lives?
• How does globalization affect political aspects of people's lives?
• What is the difference between individual and collective identity?
• What is the relationship between identity and language?
• How does cultural exchange shape people's identities?

4. Make sure that you can answer the questions from the Unit 1 Worksheet for these chapters.

Format for the test is matching and short answer questions.

IB 20

Today was spent in the library doing research for your presentations on the Thirteen Colonies. Your presentations will go ahead next week on Tuesday (and maybe Wednesday).

IB 30/35

Today's class was spent in the library researching for your TOK Civil War presentations.These presentations will happen on Tuesday and Wednesday next week. The length of presentation should be a maximum of 10 minutes.

September 18

IB 30/35

We watched a video from the U.S. History series called "The Causes of the Civil War" today after I returned some of your homework and quizzes. You also selected a topic to do your TOK Civil War presentation on. Tomorrow we're booked into the library to do some research. Presentations will happen next week.

IB 20

You had a current events quiz at the beginning of the class today. Some of you did short presentations on your assigned Enlightenment thinker. I broke you into small groups for the Thirteen Colonies presentations next week. We're booked into the library tomorrow.

Social 10-1

We had a discussion about "Whale Rider" today. We also talked about Thursday's Chapter 1-2 Test, please see the study guide on yesterday's post. We also looked at media TNCs as well today.

September 17

IB 30/35

All of today's class was spent looking at the "Causes of the U.S. Civil War". This PowerPoint presentation is already on the wiki under the United States Civil War section.

Social 10-1

We finished watching "Whale Rider" today, we'll be able to talk about it tomorrow. Hopefully you got some work completed on your Illustrated Concept Map assignments. You got the results back for your World Geography Test as well today. Please remember that your Chapter 1-2 Test is on Thursday, please see the study guide here (scroll down to find it).

IB 20

We finished off the PowerPoint presentation on the Spanish conquest of the Americas today, after I returned your current events quizzes. We watched a video from the U.S. History series as well today called "The Era of Colonization" which should have given you some insight into the formation of the Thirteen Colonies. Please remember that your Enlightenment Thinkers assignment is due tomorrow. You do have homework for Wednesday and Thursday. Please see the wiki, under Unit 3 for the assignment handouts.

September 14

I'm sorry that I didn't get a chance to actually post this on Friday. I was very busy with Model UN practice sessions after school yesterday...

IB 30/35

Today was a very light day in that we simply looking at some statistical information from the book "Time on the Cross" and answered some basic interpretation questions. Next week we'll be getting into the causes of the Civil War.

Social 10-1

You wrote your World Geography Test for part of Friday's class. We then started our film study of "Whale Rider", which we'll continue on Monday. I did a homework check on your Chapter 2 Key Terms and Questions as well. This weekend would be a great time to begin work on your Illustrated Concept Map assignments as well. Please remember that you have a Chapter 1-2 Test on Thursday, September 20th, the study guide can be found here.

IB 20

After some technical difficulties we watched a little bit of "When Worlds Collide". If you wish to watch the entire documentary (which we haven't done), you can do so below. I started looking at the Spanish conquest of the Americas as well with a PowerPoint presentation. Please remember that you have your Enlightenment thinker assignment due on Tuesday. Unleash your creativity on this project! As I said in class given some of your results on current events quizzes, you NEED to do well on this assignment!

Watch When Worlds Collide on PBS. See more from When Worlds Collide.

September 13

IB 20

We finished off the PowerPoint lecture on "The Age of Enlightenment" today. As I said to you in class today, I was thinking about rock stars, movie stars and athletes today and wondering why Enlightenment thinkers aren't as well known as some of them. After all, some of these Enlightenment thinkers have made greater contributions to society yet they don't enjoy the fame and notoriety as some these entertainment and sports celebrities. We're going to change that. I gave you some ideas in which direction this creative project could go (trading cards, magazine cover stories, Prezis, infographics, etc.), show me how creative you are! Just make sure that you present the information in a concise, fun, informative way, and that your project meets all of the requirements, which are as follows:

• Biographical Information (3 marks)
• Area(s) of Work (what fields did they work in?) (2 marks)
• Ideas Introduced (2 marks)
• Aspect of medieval society that they challenged (2 marks)
• Were they influential in their own time? (5 marks) 
• What were their contributions to modern society? (3 marks)
• Mechanics, spelling, grammar, and list of sources cited using a recognized citation system (APA, MLA, Chicago) (3 marks)

This assignment is due on Tuesday, September 18th.
We also started watching a documentary called "When Worlds Collide", which we will continue to watch tomorrow.

Social 10-1

I collected your "Global Connections Essay" at the beginning of class today. A large portion of today's class was spent working with small groups brainstorming the interconnections and interrelationships between the various key concepts that are part of the Illustrated Concept Map assignment. This assignment is due on Monday, September 24th. You also had some class time to work on your Chapter 2 Key Terms and Questions which are due tomorrow. You have a World Geography Test tomorrow, please see the study guide here. Next Thursday, you have your Chapter 1-2 Test, please see the study guide below.

Chapter 1-2 Test Study Guide:

1. Study your Chapter 1 and 2 Key Terms
2. Review the case studies from the textbook in Chapters 1 and 2, specifically the Metis, the Francophones, the Hmong, and the Maori
3. Be prepared to answer any of the "Questions for Inquiry" from Chapters 1 and 2 (they are on the following pages: p.9, p.14, p.20, p.29, p.35, p.39):

• How does globalization affect economic aspects of people's lives?
• How does globalization affect social aspects of people's lives?
• How does globalization affect political aspects of people's lives?
• What is the difference between individual and collective identity?
• What is the relationship between identity and language?
• How does cultural exchange shape people's identities?

4. Make sure that you can answer the questions from the Unit 1 Worksheet for these chapters.

Format for the test is matching and short answer questions.

IB 30/35

We finished the video today on "Freedom and Slavery" that we started yesterday. I went through a PowerPoint presentation on "The Antebellum South", which has been posted on the wiki already. I said in class that you would have an assignment on slavery tonight that would be posted on the wiki this afternoon. I guess we'll be doing that assignment in class tomorrow, so no homework tonight. We'll start the causes of the Civil War on Monday.

September 12

Social 10-1

We talked a little bit about the impact of media transnationals on everyday life today by doing a class survey of favorite TV shows, movies and music.We look further at media giants in the days to come. You also had class time to work on your Chapter 2 Key Terms and Questions. Your "Global Connections Essay" is due tomorrow. You have a World Geography Test on Friday, please see yesterday's post for the complete study guide.

IB 20

You wrote a current events quiz at the beginning of class today. We started watching a film called "The Age of Light" on the Enlightenment period in European history. I started the second part of "The Age of Enlightenment" PowerPoint presentation as well today, which I will be able to finish tomorrow.

IB 30/35

You wrote a current events quiz at the beginning of class. We started examining slavery today. We looked at a PowerPoint presentation on slavery in the United States, which I will put up on the wiki. You can find this presentation on the wiki in the United States Civil War page. We started watching a video from the United States History series called "Slavery and Freedom" which we will continue tomorrow.

September 11

IB 30/35

You wrote a Paper 1 on the Mexican-American War and manifest destiny in today's class which took most of the class.

IB 20

We looked at OPVL at the beginning of class today. We then started looking at material from Unit 2-The Development of Western European Society, more specifically a PowerPoint presentation on "The Age of Enlightenment". This presentation is already on the wiki under Unit 2 materials. We'll continue with it tomorrow, and start viewing a film called "Age of Light".

Social 10-1

You have a world geography test on Friday, September 14th. I gave you some more time to work on your first writing assignment: the Global Connections Essay. In this informative essay, you are to answer/address the following essay question:

• What are my effects on the world?
• You are really trying to personalize your essay by indicating what are some social, economic, political and environmental effects that you have on the world.
• What impact is globalization having on you, and what impact do have on globalization (in other words, how do you contribute to globalization)?

The Global Connections Essay is due Thursday. I also gave you your Unit 1 Worksheet today. Your Chapter 1 Key Terms are due tomorrow.

Social 10-1 World Geography Test Study Guide:

This test will take place on Friday, September 14th. It is simply a country and capital cities identification test. You will be given a world map with certain countries, capital cities, and places identified and you need to be able to write out what country it is. Here are the countries that may appear on the test:

• any of the EU countries (there are 27 countries in the EU)
• any of the NATO countries (there's some overlap here with the EU, but not all EU countries are members of NATO)
• any of the G8 countries: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United States, and the United Kingdom
• full members of MERCOSUR: Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and other associate members or countries that are achieving membership in MERCOSUR, such as: Venezuela, Bolivia, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador
• to ask you to know ALL of the countries in the African Union would be cruel, so we'll focus on countries that came up last year or will likely be in the news this year: Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Nigeria, South Africa, Sudan
• other very important countries that will be in the news this year, or that we'll be talking about, or get mentioned in your textbook: Cuba, Mexico, China, India, Myanmar (Burma), Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, Pakistan, Philippines, Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Israel
• **BIG HINT: if a country is a member of a few of these international organizations then there's a STRONG possibility that they will be on the test!!**

Please use the following links for studying for this test:
World Geography Games
Test Your Geography Knowledge
Maps.com Online Games (the "Find It" games are excellent!)

September 10

IB 30/35

We spent most of today's class in the library working on your IA. This may have been your only class period to work on the IA, so I hope you made it worth the trip to the library. Tomorrow you will be writing a Paper 1 on the Mexican-American War.

Social 10-1

I gave you some time to do a rough draft of the first paragraph of an informative essay on your global connections. Think of how you'd answer/address the following questions in your essay: what impact does globalization have on your individual identity? How do you affect the world economically, socially, environmentally, and technologically? Your final copy (good copy) of this essay is due on Thursday. You have a world geography test on Friday and the study guide will be posted here on the blog tomorrow.

I talked a little about your mapping assignment which is due tomorrow. Here are the instructions for your global connections map:

• your map must have a title ("Global Connections Map")
• you do not need compass directions on your map
• you do not need a border for your map
• you must have a simple key on the front of the map and a detailed key on the back
•  on the map your simple key will consist of the following: 5-6 colored boxes (depending on how many categories you had for your 25 item chart) which will be labeled- food, clothing, electronics, entertainment, household goods, miscellaneous AND you must also draw a colored dot and label it "people" (for the information from the Global Bingo game that we played)
• you will only color countries and label ones that you have a connection to through the 25 item chart (for example, you own a sombrero that is from Mexico, you would color Mexico and label it "MEXICO")
• there will only be 5-6 colors on the map, you don't need to have 25 different colors for each of your 25 items
•  you also have to label the 16 people that you talked to during our Global Bingo game, they will be represented by colored circles (pick a common color for all people) and numbers (1-16, if you didn't talk to 16 people, you label as many as you talked to)--you do not color the countries that are represented on your Global Bingo card, you simply draw a circle on the country, color the circle, put a number beside it, and label the country (for example, if the only connection you have to Australia is that one of your classmates went on a vacation there, you draw the circle, write the number beside the circle, and label the country "AUSTRALIA"-- you don't color the country)
• on the detailed key on the back of your map, you will be recreating your 25 item chart (make sure that you have the categories clearly colored and matching the simple key on the front of the map) and the information from the Global Bingo card (clearly identify people by number)

IB 20

We finished watching "Vantage Point" today. We had a little bit of time to talk about the various perspectives in the film and the limitations of each of the witnesses to the assassination. I want you to go through the Evaluating Sources PowerPoint on the wiki (it's in Unit 1 Historiography), as well as read over the Paper 1 and OPVL Document Analysis sections on the wiki tonight. Tomorrow we should have time to discuss OPVL a little bit more.

September 7

IB 30/35

You wrote an OPVL on the Mexican-American War for part of today's class. Have a look on the wiki for the Chicago Manual of Style cheat sheet. It's probably a good idea to have a copy for Monday's class. On Monday we're going to the Library for some IA research time.

Social 10-1

We played global bingo for part of the class. You have a homework assignment this weekend: find 25 items from around your house. Make sure that the 25 items are from 25 different countries. Please find items from categories like food, clothing, electronics, family, entertainment, household items and miscellaneous. You'll use the information on this chart and from the global bingo game to make a global connections map next week.

IB 20

We looked at definitions of history today and talked about limitations in reconstructing history. This discussion led to starting a film study on "Vantage Point".

September 6

IB 20

Please print off notes from Unit 1 Historiography tonight. Please make sure that you print off the 8C's of Historical Analysis, primary vs. secondary sources, and introduction to the study of history. With the "Why Study History?" reading please answer the following questions: You do have a homework assignment tonight, please read the article "Why Study or Write History?" and answer the following questions:

1. What is history? Summarize and explain three definitions of this concept. Do these different meanings of history contradict or compliment one another?
2. Why study history? How and why do historians seek to make sense of the human experience? List and summarize at least five reasons for studying history, rank them in order of importance and justify your ranking.
3. Identify and discuss the kinds of questions historians ask that guide their investigation into the past.
4. What are primary sources? What are secondary sources? Discuss at least three problems historians must overcome when they use different types of sources.

You also have your timelines due tomorrow.

Social 10-1

I did a homework check on your friendly letter homework assignment at the beginning of class. For most of today's class we went through an activity in which we looked at different definitions of globalization and classified those definitions as having a positive, negative or neutral view of the globalization process. We also looked at various images associated with globalization and what their connection was to globalization. Global bingo tomorrow!

IB 30/35

I told you about September 10th and how you're getting library research time on Monday for your IA, and for Diploma students your preliminary reading list is due for your Extended Essays. We briefly reviewed OPVL today. I talked briefly about the Mexican-American War. The PowerPoint that covers this topic has been posted on the IB 30/35 wiki and it's called "American Expansionism" (it covers other topics as well) and it can be found on the Nation Building and Challenges page. Also on that same page, I put up the PowerPoint presentation on the Monroe Doctrine and the reading on the Monroe Doctrine. Here's what you should be doing tonight:

• Review key requirements of an OPVL (check out the OPVL Document Analysis on the wiki)
• Review how to write a Paper 1
• Review the Mexican-American War using the notes you took last year and the aforementioned PowerPoint presentation
• Print off, read and answer questions on the Monroe Doctrine (on the wiki on the Nation Building and Challenges page)

September 5

Social 10-1

Our class period was cut a bit short due to the length of the homeroom period, so we didn't get to all that we needed to today. I provided you with an introduction to the course by looking at the course outline. I have also set up an e-mail distribution list, so you need to check your inboxes for a test message from me. If you got the message, please respond back. If you didn't get the message, let me know. We'll get into the course properly tomorrow. You do have a homework assignment tonight. You need to write me a friendly letter. Make sure that your friendly letter is in paragraph form too. The letter will probably be about 1 page in length (single-spaced). Please make sure that your letter demonstrates your writing ability and covers some of the following topics:

• family
• education plans (this year, and in the future; future career plans)
• post-high school plans
• favorite TV shows, movies, music
• hobbies
• extracurriculars sports

IB 20

We had a general introduction to the course and topics that will be covered in IB 20 History by going through the course outline together. We looked at the IB Academic Integrity Policy as well. You should have received an invitation to the IB 20 wiki, and if you didn't please click on the link here on the blog, and identify yourself in your access request, and we'll get you on the course wiki. We'll really get going with the course tomorrow.

IB 30/35

How many of you predicted a current events quiz on the first day? You'll have lots of opportunities to earn marks in IB 30/35 and keeping on top of global events is one way to do it. We went through the lengthy IB 30/35 Course Syllabus, and the differences between Paper 1, Paper 2 and Paper 3. I also gave you an idea of the flow of this year's course. We'll be reviewing the Mexican-American War tomorrow as it's necessary to understand the expansion of the United States that was a result of this conflict and how it contributed to the U.S. Civil War. Make sure that you understand how you will be evaluated in IB 30/35 and what topics will be covered in the course.

Classroom Rules and Expectations

Classroom Rules/Expectations of Behavior:

I think that I have very simple, straight-forward classroom rules and expectations. I will be discussing these in class tomorrow, but here's a quick recap:

• Please be on-task during classroom time (visit later)
• No cell phones (as per school policy; unless otherwise instructed); if your parents really need to get in touch with you, they should call the office. Please don't bring cell phones to class, or if you do, please remember to turn them off!
• Please don't listen to music on MP3 players or iPods during class time, unless I have given you permission to do so.
• Be polite. You should be listening during class lectures or when your classmates have questions to ask (you might have some of the same questions).
• Be on time. If you are late, please enter the classroom quietly and apologize for being late. If the door is locked, I have started the lecture or there is a class presentation in progress; I will open the door and let you in as soon as possible.
• Clean up after yourselves. Please don't leave garbage on the floor. I like my classroom fairly neat and tidy.
• Don't bring junk food to class. Healthy snacks only. Or you could always wait until lunchtime.
• You may chew gum in class on the following conditions: don't chew like a cow, I don't want to see the gum or hear you chewing it, that's just gross.
• Late assignments: 10% is deducted for every day an assignment is late. If you have an excused absence, then there is some flexibility with this rule.
• Please make sure that a parent or guardian calls the school to have absences excused. If you miss a test due to an unexcused absence you will be assigned a mark of "zero".
• I will be contacting parent/guardians if you have unexcused absences.
• Please adhere to the school's academic honesty policy which is on the back of your course outlines.
• It is Summer School: you are NOT allowed to take holidays or time off between July 3rd and July 31st. Every day of Summer School is the equivalent of 4-5 regular school days. If you were to miss a week of classes, it would be the same as missing 25-30 classes.

Posting on the Blog:

Here are some simple rules that I have established for using the blog, and some other informational items:

• Please post on the blog anonymously.\
• If you feel the need to identify yourself, or clarify which grade you're in, please use your initials and your class and section (for example, K.G. in Social 20-3).
• Some of you may have your own Blogger accounts. Please don't post on this blog using your Blogger ID, otherwise you may have people visiting your blog that you may not want to see what you're posting.
• Please be courteous, polite and respectful when posting comments on the blog. Don't be rude to your classmates on the blog.
• Please be patient with my response time.
• Please post comments and questions on the blog prior to 10 p.m.
• Between 6-8 p.m. I am usually not online.
• Please do not post links to questionable materials.
• Inappropriate comments will be deleted. Please don't do this, it's a waste of my time, I could be doing more productive things, like answering questions that you may have