September 30

IB 30/35

I collected your answers to the Episode 2 questions for Ken Burns' "The Civil War" today. I also talked a bit about current events on the IB 30/35 wiki and how I need to see a variety of contributors. We started watching Episode 3 of "The Civil War", we're almost finished with it, so we'll finish it off tomorrow and move on in the documentary.

Social 20-1

I started Unit 2 material with you today. I started a PowerPoint presentation on "The Causes of World War I", which I should be able to finish off tomorrow in class. Please remember that your Chapter 3-4 Test is on Thursday, you can find the study guide for it here.

Social 30-1

I gave back your Unit 1 WRA II Essays today. If you want to talk to me about them, please see me in tutorial (Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 8:15 a.m. to 8:55 a.m.). I showed you a couple of videos from the BBC 20th Century History series, one was called "Boom and Bust" and the other "FDR and the New Deal". We'll finish off the latter one tomorrow in class.

September 27

IB 30/35

You wrote a current events quiz at the beginning of class. We then finished watching Episode 2 of Ken Burns' "The Civil War", the answers to the questions on the Episode 2 sheet are due on Monday. I also continued with the American Civil War PowerPoint presentation. We'll continue with Ken Burns' Civil War on Monday.

Social 20-1

You wrote your Unit 1 WRA I today. I also did a homework check on your Chapter 4 Key Terms and Questions. Your Chapter 3-4 Test is on Thursday, October 3rd, please see the study guide below.

Chapters 3-4 Test Study Guide:

This quiz will be on Thursday, October 3rd. It will consist of a matching section (10 key concepts) and a short answer section.

• make sure that you study the PowerPoint presentation "Contending Loyalties"
• make sure that you have read Chapters 3 and 4 (it is all testable material)
• know the key concepts/key terms from Chapters 3 and 4 (please see the Unit 1 Worksheet for these)
• study your answers to the Chapter 3 and 4 questions from the Unit 1 Worksheet (all could potentially be on the quiz)

Social 30-1

I did a brief review of Keynesian economics today, and gave you some handouts on Keynesian economics which you were supposed to read, highlight and annotate. You had some time to work on your Chapter 4 Key Terms and Questions as well. Your Chapter 4 Key Terms and Questions are due on Monday.

September 26

Social 30-1

I did a homework check on "Philosophies of Industrialism" at the beginning of class. I went through the emergence of welfare capitalism and modern liberalism in response to classical liberalism. This is led to me covering the Great Depression briefly and Keynesian economics. We looked at the Keynesian economic responses (monetary and fiscal policy) to various stages of the business cycle. If you missed class today, you should get notes from a classmate.

Social 20-1

I went through how to write a WRA I three source analysis assignment with you today. Remember, you're writing a WRA I tomorrow on themes that we've covered already in Unit 1. Please have a look at the tips in the Scribd document below. One week from today (Thursday, October 3rd) you will be writing your Chapter 3-4 Test. Please see the study guide below.

Minor Writing Assignment Outline 2011

Chapters 3-4 Test Study Guide:

This quiz will be on Thursday, October 3rd. It will consist of a matching section (10 key concepts) and a short answer section.

• make sure that you study the PowerPoint presentation "Contending Loyalties"
• make sure that you have read Chapters 3 and 4 (it is all testable material)
• know the key concepts/key terms from Chapters 3 and 4 (please see the Unit 1 Worksheet for these)
• study your answers to the Chapter 3 and 4 questions from the Unit 1 Worksheet (all could potentially be on the quiz)

IB 30/35

I continued with "The American Civil War" PowerPoint presentation today, and we also started Episode 2 of Ken Burns' "The Civil War". After tomorrow's current events quiz, we'll finish off Episode 2.

September 25

Social 20-1

You had an opportunity today to work on your French Revolution DBA Assignment or your Chapter 4 Key Terms and Questions. The DBA is due tomorrow. I'll post the Chapter 3-4 Test Study Guide tomorrow on the blog. This test is on Thursday, October 3rd. I'll be re-teaching how to write a WRA I three source analysis tomorrow.

Social 30-1

You had a work period today. You should have completed the Philosophies of Industrialism in class. This booklet is due tomorrow. Your Chapter 4 Key Terms and Questions are due on Monday.
 

IB 30/35

We continued with our TOK Civil War Presentations today, and fortunately, we were able to get through all of the topics. We'll revisit the American Civil War PowerPoint presentation tomorrow. You will have a current events quiz on Friday, so make sure that you are adding events to the current events section of the wiki. You were supposed to hand in the following assignment as well today: What was the Civil War about? I also told you to read Chapters 11 and 12 in The United States and Its People.

September 24

IB 30/35

The entire class period was devoted to your TOK Civil War presentations. I really appreciated the creativity that went into some of today's presentations. Hopefully tomorrow's presentations will be just as good.

Social 30-1

I went through a PowerPoint lecture called "Responding to Classical Liberalism and Industrialism". This presentation is up on the wiki already under Unit 2 Presentations. In this lecture we looked at the development of different ideologies in response to classical liberalism. During the Industrial Revolution new political ideologies emerged in response to laissez faire capitalism and classical liberalism. The Industrial Revolution spawned new political ideologies on the left (socialism) and the extreme left (communism) and on the right (classical conservatism). You'll get class time tomorrow to work on your Chapter 4 Key Terms and Questions.

Social 20-1

I finished off the PowerPoint lecture on "Contending Loyalties" today. You had the remainder of class time to work on your Chapter 3 Key Terms and Questions (which are due tomorrow). Some of you opted to work on your French Revolution DBA Assignment (which is due on Thursday).

September 23

IB 30/35

I went through some comments I had after marking your Mexican-American War Paper 1 assignment this weekend. As I said in class, I'm generally happy with the results of the Paper 1. Keep in mind that you will be writing your actual Paper 1 on Prescribed Subject 1, so the one that you wrote on the Mexican-American War was mainly to help you familiarize yourselves with the format and structure of a Paper 1. I started a PowerPoint lecture on the American Civil War today, I will continue this presentation on Thursday. Please remember that we will be doing TOK Civil War presentations Tuesday and Wednesday. If we don't finish the presentations on Wednesday, we may have a presentation spill over on to Thursday. I will post the new presentation rubric on the wiki and soon as it is finalized.

Social 20-1

I started a PowerPoint presentation called "Contending Loyalties" today. I'll finish it off tomorrow. I gave you some time to work on your Chapter 3 Key Terms and Questions today as well. These key terms and questions are due on Wednesday. You'll get some class time tomorrow to work on them. Your Chapter 3-4 Test will be on Thursday, October 3rd, I will be posting the study guide a week in advance of the test.

Social 30-1

I continued lecturing today on some basic economic principles. I covered how a command, mixed and market economies answered the basic economic questions, and I introduced the business cycle to you. If you missed today's class, you need to get notes from a classmate. I recommend that you read Chapter 4 tonight. You will receive the Chapter 4 Worksheet this week.

September 19

Social 30-1

I went through a lecture today on the 19th and 20th century political spectrums, the Enlightenment and the Industrial Revolution. I also started lecturing on basic economic concepts. If you missed today's class, you'll have to get the notes from a classmate. Your Chapter 3 Questions are due on Monday.

 

Social 20-1

You wrote your Chapter 1-2 Test today, and you had the entire period to write it. Your French Revolution DBA Assignment is due on Thursday, September 26th, this weekend would be a good time to get it done.

IB 30/35

We continued watching Episode 1: The Cause of Ken Burns' The Civil War today. Your Civil War maps were due today as well. Your answers to the Episode 1 questions are due on Monday. I'd also like you to print off and complete a document from the IB 30 wiki this weekend called "What was the Civil War about?" which features quotes from Jefferson Davis, Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. Your responses to these questions will be due on Wednesday of next week.

September 18

Social 20-1

We watched a video from the History's Turning Points series on Napoleon's invasion of Russia. I then assigned the French Revolution DBA Assignment for next Thursday (September 26th) and gave you some additional instructions on how to complete this assignment. The assignment is in your Social 20-1 blue study booklets, and there's an electronic copy on the Social 20-1 wiki under Unit 1 Assignments. You are writing your Chapter 1-2 Test tomorrow, we went over the study guide in class today. Make sure that you prepare for this test! I think what I gave you in class might be better than what's published on the blog.

Social 30-1

You wrote your Unit 1 Final Exam today. You'll get the results of this test back tomorrow. Your Chapter 3 Key Terms are due tomorrow.

IB 30/35

Most of today's class was spent in the library doing research for the TOK Civil War Presentations. These presentations will happen on Tuesday and Wednesday, the 24th and 25th respectively, in class.

September 17

IB 30/35

You split yourselves in TOK Civil War Assignment groups today. Please come to class first tomorrow, and then we'll head down to the library for our research session. TOK Civil War presentations will be on September 24th and 25th. I also started the PBS documentary Ken Burns' "The Civil War" today with Episode 1 The Cause. We'll continue this episode on Thursday. You have a Civil War mapping assignment due on Thursday. You can find the assignment sheet and the maps on the IB 30 wiki in the U.S. Civil War section.

Social 30-1

You wrote your Unit 1 WRA II Essay today, which took the entire period. You are writing your Unit 1 Final Exam tomorrow, please see the study guide below.

Unit 1 Final Exam Study Guide:

The Unit 1 Final is a 55 question multiple choice test. It will be written on Wednesday, September 18th. Make sure that you study the following:

• Chapter 1 and 2 Key Terms from the Unit 1 Worksheet
• Study the Ideology Notes (Black Gold School District PDF file)
• Study the 19th Century Political Spectrum
• Study the 20th Century Political spectrum
• Study the political-economic grid
• Know the values and ideas associated with the various ideologies (on the 19th century and 20th century spectrums)
• Study the Individualism and Collectivism booklet
• you need to be able to apply your knowledge and understanding of these concepts/ideas
• there are a lot of source-based questions on this exam!

Social 20-1

We finished off the Napoleonic Age PowerPoint lecture today. I gave you some tips for the Chapter 1-2 Test which is on Thursday. Please see the study guide below.

Chapter 1-2 Test Study Guide:

This test will be on Thursday, September 19th. The test has a matching section and a short answer section.

• Make sure that you have read both Chapter 1-2 from your textbook Exploring Nationalism
• Study Chapter 1-2 Key Terms from the Unit 1 Worksheet
• Study your answers to the questions from the Unit 1 Worksheet for Chapter 1-2

Study the following PowerPoint presentations:

• "Nation and Identity" (Chapter 1 material + supplementary material)
• "Shaping Nationalism: The French Revolution" (Chapter 2 material + supplementary material)
• "The Napoleonic Age" (Chapter 2 material + supplementary material)

September 16

IB 30/35

We finished off the US History series video on the "Causes of the Civil War". I then delivered a PowerPoint presentation on "The Causes of the Civil War". This presentation is already on IB 30 wiki in the United States Civil War section. You have a Civil War mapping assignment due on Thursday. Both the maps and the instructions are on the IB 30 wiki. We'll be splitting you into TOK Civil War presentation groups in class tomorrow.

Social 20-1

We watched a video today from the A & E Biography series on Napoleon Bonaparte. While you watched this video you should have taken notes on the timeline sheet that I gave you. I went over the 19th century political spectrum (thanks for the reminder!) completely. I started a PowerPoint lecture on the Napoleonic Age. You can check out timeline of the key events of the French Revolution here and a timeline of the Napoleonic Age here. These timelines are hosted at TimeToast, and you can view them in timeline form (as they appear below) and in chart format on their website. Your Chapter 1-2 Test is on Thursday, you can find the study guide here (scroll down to find it).

Key Events of the French Revolution



The Napoleonic Age

Social 30-1

We finished watching "Sicko" today. We also started Unit 2 material today, by delving into "The Development of Classical Liberalism". This PowerPoint presentation is up on the Social 30-1 wiki under Unit 2 Presentations. While I was going through this lecture you should have taken notes on it. Please remember that you have your Unit 1 WRA II Essay tomorrow, please go directly to Room 104. Your Unit 1 Final Exam is on Wednesday, September 18th, you can find the study for this exam here (scroll down to find it).

September 13

IB 30/35

You wrote a current events quiz today. We continued the PowerPoint lecture called "The Antebellum South" and then we started a US History series video called "The Causes of the Civil War". You should have taken notes on this video. Please make sure that you begin reading the handouts on the wiki associated with the causes of the Civil War.

Social 20-1

You wrote your World Geography Test today, and I did a homework check on your Chapter 2 Key Terms and Questions. We finished watching the History Television documentary on "The French Revolution". Your Chapter 1-2 Test is on Thursday, September 19th, you can find the study guide below.

Chapter 1-2 Test Study Guide:

This test will be on Thursday, September 19th. The test has a matching section and a short answer section.

• Make sure that you have read both Chapter 1-2 from your textbook Exploring Nationalism
• Study Chapter 1-2 Key Terms from the Unit 1 Worksheet
• Study your answers to the questions from the Unit 1 Worksheet for Chapter 1-2

Study the following PowerPoint presentations:

• "Nation and Identity" (Chapter 1 material + supplementary material)
• "Shaping Nationalism: The French Revolution" (Chapter 2 material + supplementary material)
• "The Napoleonic Age" (Chapter 2 material + supplementary material)

Social 30-1

You wrote your Chapter 1-2 Test today. You also got your Unit 1 WRA II Essay question sheet today. You're writing your Unit 1 WRA II Essay on Tuesday in Room 104. Here's a link to your Unit 1 Final Exam Study Guide, it's been moved to Wednesday. Over the weekend I highly recommend that you check out a PBS documentary called "Sick Around the World". Here's the link to the companion website for the video. I'm also posting some files on the Social 30-1 wiki under Unit 1 that will help you understand health care in the USA and around the world, I will share that page with you so you can find the handouts. Here's a link to the PBS website where you can watch "Sick Around the World": http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/sickaroundtheworld/view/

September 12

Social 30-1

We didn't finish our film study of "Sicko" today, so we'll finish it on Monday. We'll bump the Unit 1 Final Exam from Monday to Wednesday as a result. You'll be writing your Chapter 1-2 Test tomorrow, please check out the study guide here. You'll also get your Unit 1 WRA II Essay question sheet tomorrow. You're writing your Unit 1 WRA II Essay on Tuesday in Room 104. Here's a link to your Unit 1 Final Exam Study Guide.

Social 20-1

We started watching the History Television documentary on "The French Revolution". We'll finish this film off tomorrow, after you write the World Geography Test. You can find the study guide for the World Geography Test here.

IB 30/35

We continued the US History video called "Slavery and Freedom". You should have taken notes on this video. I gave you some statistics from the book Time on the Cross for analysis. I also started a PowerPoint lecture called "The Antebellum South". We'll continue this tomorrow after the current events quiz.

September 11

Social 20-1

I finished off "The French Revolution" PowerPoint lecture today. This presentation can be found in your blue Social Studies 20-1 study booklets, as well as on the Social 20-1 wiki. I gave you the remainder of class time to work on your Chapter 2 Key Terms and Questions, these are due on Friday. Your World Geography Test is on Friday as well, and you can find the study guide for this test here. Your Chapter 1-2 Test will be on Thursday, September 19th. I will post the study guide for this test on the blog tomorrow.

Social 30-1

I finished off talking about WRA II Essays today. I'll post some sample essays up on the wiki prior to your Unit 1 WRA II Essay, which is happening on Tuesday, September 17th. Your Unit 1 Final Exam is on Monday (September 16th) and you can find the study guide here. Your Chapter 1-2 Test is on Friday, September 13th, please find the study guide here.

IB 30/35

We began to examine the nature of slavery in the United States. I went through the PowerPoint presentation called "US Slavery" which is on the IB 30/35 wiki in the United States Civil War section. I have also uploaded Mrs. Breadner's notes on different views of slavery as well in this section. It is also highly recommended that you print off and read the Slavery in the USA notes as well. We started watching a video from the U.S. History series called "Slavery and Freedom". We'll finish off this video tomorrow. We'll also look at some of the data tables from Time on the Cross, and begin looking at life in the antebellum South. You'll have a current events quiz on Friday, so please start adding events to the wiki.

September 10

IB 30/35

The first hour of class was spent writing a Paper 1 on manifest destiny and the Mexican-American War. I then stepped back in time to cover a "loose end" from last year, namely the presidency of James Monroe and introduced the Monroe Doctrine to you. You have a short homework assignment related to the Monroe Doctrine that is due tomorrow. It's important to understand the Monroe Doctrine and the message that it sent to European powers. The Spanish Empire was on the decline in the 1820s (as we saw last year when we studied Latin American independence movements) and the Monroe administration wanted to state that they would not tolerate any European interference in these newly independent states. As we'll see, when Teddy Roosevelt becomes president he will make an addition to the Monroe Doctrine called the Roosevelt Corollary. We'll talk about that when we cover the Emergence of the Americas in Global Affairs unit. In the time being, please complete the Monroe Doctrine assignment tonight, it's due tomorrow.

Social 30-1

I spent the entire class talking about writing an argumentative essay. You received a couple of handouts from me: the "recipe for success" (the formula for doing well on a WRA II Essay), and a handout that gave some advice of analyzing quotations. We'll continue talking about the WRA II Essay tomorrow. We'll also start a film study tomorrow. Your Chapter 2 Key Terms and Questions are due on Thursday. You have a Chapter 1-2 Test on Friday, please see the study guide below.

Chapter 1-2 Test Study Guide:

The Chapter 1-2 Test is on Friday, September 13th. It is a mixed format test, it will have a matching section and a short answer section. Here is what you should review/study for this test:

• Chapter 1 and 2 Key Terms/Concepts and the Supplementary Key Terms from the Unit 1 Worksheet
• be able to answer any of the questions from the Unit 1 Worksheet (hopefully you have quality answers to study from!)
• you must know the 19th century political spectrum and the 20th century political spectrum
• know similarities and differences between communism and fascism
• be able to label political and economic spectrums and the values associated with these ideologies
• be able to label the political-economic grid and know examples of the ideologies in the quadrants (study the Ideology Notes and the notes I gave you in class)
• know the differences between individualism and collectivism, be able to apply your understanding of these concepts
• know the key ideas associated with Hobbes, Locke and Rousseau (for example, view of the nature of human beings, etc.)

Unit 1 Final Exam Study Guide:

The Unit 1 Final is a 55 question multiple choice test. It will be written on Monday, September 16th. Make sure that you study the following:

• Chapter 1 and 2 Key Terms from the Unit 1 Worksheet
• Study the Ideology Notes (Black Gold School District PDF file)
• Study the 19th Century Political Spectrum
• Study the 20th Century Political spectrum
• Study the political-economic grid
• Know the values and ideas associated with the various ideologies (on the 19th century and 20th century spectrums)
• Study the Individualism and Collectivism booklet
• you need to be able to apply your knowledge and understanding of these concepts/ideas
• there are a lot of source-based questions on this exam!

Social 20-1

You wrote your Enlightenment Thinkers Quiz today at the beginning of class. I also started a PowerPoint lecture on "The French Revolution". Please read Chapter 2, and in particular the following pages: pgs. 43-47, 50, 52-53 in Exploring Nationalism. Your Chapter 2 Key Terms and Questions are due on Friday, so you could always work on that tonight as well. You have your World Geography Test on Friday, please see the study guide here.

September 9

IB 30/35

Most of today's class was spent in the Blenheim Room preparing completing Section A (Plan of Investigation) for your IAs. You are writing a Paper 1 tomorrow on manifest destiny and the Mexican-American War. Please review the Paper 1 format from the IB 30/35 wiki.

Social 20-1

I went through a PowerPoint lecture called "The Enlightenment". While I went through the presentation you could follow along using the Social 20-1 study booklet. You also have access to this PowerPoint presentation from the Social 20-1 wiki. You are writing an Enlightenment Thinkers Quiz tomorrow (matching format). Please make sure that you know the major works for each of the thinkers that you were introduced to today, and their major ideas. Your Chapter 1 Key Terms and Questions are due tomorrow. You are also writing your World Geography Test on Friday, please check out the study guide here (scroll down to find it).

Social 30-1

I finished off the "Identity and Ideology" PowerPoint presentation today, and gave you some additional notes as well. You have a couple of homework assignments due tomorrow. The Individualism and Collectivism tables (all of them) from the booklet I gave you today are due tomorrow. Also, your Chapter 1 Questions are due tomorrow. Your Chapter 2 Key Terms and Questions will be due on Thursday.

September 6

Sorry for the late post tonight...

IB 30/35

You wrote an OPVL on the Mexican-American War to start class today. Then we talked about writing your IA. Please make sure that you come prepared to class on Monday. We'll be heading down to the Library from our classroom on Monday to do some work on your IAs. By the end of class on Monday, you must have completed Section A of your IA. You will be printing off a hard copy of the IA for submission. You must know what your two key sources will be that you will be evaluating for their origins, purpose, values and limitations. This will allow you to not only complete your Section A but also give you an opportunity to work on your evaluation of sources.

Social 20-1

I finished off the PowerPoint lecture called "Nation and Identity" today. You have a hard copy of this presentation in your blue study booklets and you can also access it from the wiki. You had the remainder of class to work on your Chapter 1 work. Your Chapter 1 Key Terms and Questions are due on Tuesday. Please see the study guide below for the World Geography Test.

World Geography Test Study Guide:

This test will take place on Friday, September 13th. It is simply a country identification test. You will be given a world map with certain countries 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 28 countries in the EU, a map of the EU is in your textbook on page 265, of course, it's a bit out of date)
• 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: Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Libya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Zimbabwe
• 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, Jamaica, Serbia, Georgia, China, India, Myanmar, Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, Pakistan, 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!!**

Geography Games

• World Geography Games
• Test Your Geography Knowledge
• Maps.com Online Games (the "Find It" games are excellent!)

Social 30-1

I gave you some handouts today, including the Unit 1 Worksheet. Your Chapter 1 Key Terms are due on Monday, and the Chapter 1 Questions are due on Tuesday. I started a lecture today called "Ideology and Identity" that I'll finish off on Monday.

September 5

Social 30-1

I went through a PowerPoint lecture called "Introducing Government" which looked at the ideas of Hobbes, Locke and Rousseau. This PowerPoint is up on the Social 30-1 wiki already, so I'll make sure that you all get access to this wiki in tomorrow's class.

Social 20-1

You got your Social Studies 20-1 booklets today in class. I'll get the numbers on the booklets from you tomorrow. I started a PowerPoint lecture today called "Nation and Identity" which I'll finish tomorrow. I would start reading Chapter 1 tonight, and maybe start chipping away at the Chapter 1 Key Terms and Questions (which are due on Tuesday, September 10th).

IB 30/35

You wrote a quick quiz at the beginning of class. We also talked about the criteria that you used yesterday to determine the most important events that happened over the course of the summer holidays. You'll be getting regular current events quizzes this year again, so you need to add events to the wiki. I did a quick review of American expansionism and the Mexican-American War today. You'll be writing an OPVL on the Mexican-American War tomorrow and a Paper 1 on manifest destiny and the Mexican-American War on Tuesday. After you write the OPVL tomorrow we'll talk about the IA again, and look at how to write the Plan of Investigation.

September 4

Social 20-1

Most of today's class was filled with discussing the classroom rules and expectations and going over the course outline. You have homework which is due tomorrow: you must submit a friendly letter of introduction. Some topics that should be included in your letter might include:

• family
• extracurricular activities
• hobbies
• sports
• movies, films, books that you enjoy and why
• realistic academic goals for this school year, and for this course

Social 30-1

Most of today's class was filled with discussing the classroom rules and expectations and going over the course outline. You have homework which is due tomorrow: you must submit a friendly letter of introduction. Some topics that should be included in your letter might include:

• family
• extracurricular activities
• hobbies
• sports
• movies, films, books that you enjoy and why
• realistic academic goals for this school year, and for this course

Classroom Rules/Expectations of Behavior:

I think that I have very simple, straight-forward classroom rules and expectations.

• 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.

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