This is last year's blog...

Attention:

If you are reading this--and I know you are... :-) -- you are looking at my blog from 2008-09.
This year's blog (2009-10) is located at < mrordovensky.edublogs.org > , no "www." needed.
I'm sorry for any confusion.

See you next year

End of Quarter Assessment~Turn in Books

The end of quarter assessment is tomorrow, Tuesday, June 9.

Asian country cultrue projects are due Wednesday, June 10.
They will be presented on Wed, Thurs and Fri (if necessary).
Additionally, I am now collecting text books. The number of the book that you turn in must match the book number that I assigned to you at the beginning of the year

Important ~ Period 2 & period 6

Period 2 and Period 6-

In addition to the open map quiz on Monday, 6/1, you will have a portion of the quiz which is "closed map". For this you will need to know the location of the following countries/physical features:
Country-
China
North Korea
South Korea
Philippines
Vietnam
Laos
Indonesia
Thailand
Cambodia
Japan
Physical features-
Plateau of Tibet
Gobi Desert
Mekong River
Gulf of Tonkin
Hong Kong
Himalayas
Indian Ocean
Huang He River
Java Sea
Honshu

I'll select 5 from each column for you to identify on a blank map.

All classes HW due Monday, 6/1

All classes have a 3 map packet which is due on Monday, 6/1.
We will also be having an open map quiz on Monday, so students MUST bring their maps if they hope to do well.
ALL classes--4th quarter Asia projects are due on June 10th--they will be presented on June 10,11,12.

End of quarter assessment is on Tuesday, June 9. We will be reviewing in class, and students should pay particular attention to the *starred* drills.

Vocabulary due Monday--5/18 (as well as "Gandhi"--see below)

All classes got started with vocabulary today.
All words are in the new text (the book at home), but some are not in the glossary or index.
Check pages 600, 656, 683 and 703.

Homework due Monday, May 18

All classes are completing an organizer about Mohandas Gandhi, based on pages 611-613 in the textbook.
Additionally, most students have questions to answer based on Gandhi's quotes.
This is due Monday, May 18.

4th quarter Asia culture project--all classes

All students selected a country today to research for their 4th quarter project.
There are 24 countries available and they were assigned via a lottery system.

The five students who were absent will have to select from the remaining countries when they return.

The project focuses on the culture of these South, East,and Southeast Asian countries.
Specific directions and requirements have been provided (2-sided sheet, distributed today) for each of my classes.

HW--All classes-due Fri., 5/8

All classes are to finish the "caste system" pyramid that was begun in class.
3 sentences describing each level of the caste system should be completed already.
4-7 sentence paragraph on the back of the pyramid explaining how your life would be affected if you were a member at one of the levels (Things you could do, things you couldn't do, decisions that were automatically made for you, etc.)
NOTE: about 20% of my students have already completed and turned in their pyramid...so parents, if your son/daughter says they finished their HW in school, it's possible that they did... :-)

H-O-M-E-W-O-R-K---All classes-Due Tues., 5/5

H-
I-
N-
D-
U-
I-
S-

M-

All classes are to complete the acrostic using the notes that we completed in class--15.4-15.8.

The acrostic uses the word: "Hinduism", and students are to write a relevant phrase or sentence using one of the letters in Hinduism as the first letter.
Some students are permitted to write a word instead of a phrase or sentence--they have that designation on their "Hinduism" worksheet.

No homework over the weekend

No homework for all classes over the weekend.
We're are studying Hinduism and the creation of the caste system.
Next week we'll also look how Buddhism came to be.

This Just In....End of Quarter Assessment will be on Tuesday, June 9.

Homework--due Thursday, 4/30

All classes are studying the Indus River valley civilization of Mohenjo~Daro.
We began working on organizers with partners in class today, and some groups have already finished the note-taking portion of the assignment. This must be completed in class, due to the supplemental text book we're using (only 22 available).
All students are to complete a "Dig It" magazine cover for homework for Thursday, 4/30, using the 3 artifact drawing from their organizers.
A "Dig It" template has been distributed to nearly all students. Those who do not have it will receive it tomorrow.

All classes-MAP QUIZ on Monday

All classes will take the South Asia map quiz on Monday, 4/27.
Student MUST bring their map packets (3 maps) to help them on the quiz, as well as to turn them in after the quiz.
These are the same maps that I checked for completion on Friday--some students did not have their maps with them. PLEASE bring them Monday, you'll do much better on the quiz!

All classes HW, quiz update

Welcome to the 4th quarter!
We'll be covering a sizeable portion of Asia--24 countries---in just several weeks.

First, we'll examine South Asia--the region dominated by India.
In early May we'll shift our focus to East Asia (China, Japan, N. & S. Korea),and Southeast Asia (Indonesia, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Philippines, etc.)

All classes have a vocabulary puzzle for HW due Monday, 4/20. It is based on the definitions which we started last Tuesday. The vocabulary quiz is this Wednesday, 4/22--for all classes.
All classes have a 3 page map packet which we began on Thursday,4/16. The map packet is due Friday, 4/24.

All classes HW due Friday, 4/17

All classes have vocabulary words that are to be defined by Friday, 4/17.
We've been using several of the words in class and some we've used earlier in the year (archipelago and sediment).
Additionally, students will be given a crossword puzzle on Friday,with definitions simliar to the ones that will be on the quiz.
Vocabulary quiz for all classes was announced yesterday, (Tues.). It will be on Wednesday, 4/23.
Students are encouraged to study for 20 minutes each evening--not waiting until Tues. night!

Blog Only Extra Credit-- Name the man at the top of this post--(he's a "vocabulary word")--.
Send answer by 8 pm Sunday, 4/19 via email to
Mr. O's Extra Credit

Period 2 & 6 African Independence assignment

SPRING BREAK!

Due to technical difficulties we could not connect to the server today (Fri) to transfer .ppt slides relating to African independence (Pd 6).

I printed copies of Pd 2's .ppts but due to the "switched" schedule today--I did not see period 2 as originally planned--so these were not presented, but I will grade the printouts.

I will just consider these an ungraded assignment for Pd. 6.

Some days technology is great, and other days are like today...
Have a great spring break!

End of Quarter Assessment, Tues. 3/31

All classes will be taking the End of Quarter assessment on Tues., 3/31.
I provided a study guide to all students to complete for homework this weekend.
We will go over it on Monday, to make sure everyone has the correct information.
Answers can be found in the drill book, text book, or other worksheets that we completed this quarter. I will check my email several times this weekend--students may email if they have questions regarding the study guide.
(There are a few students who are taking a field trip that day who will make up the assessment on Wednesday, 4/1.)

Homework due tomorrow, Friday, 3/27

All classes: Economic "poster" (actually an 8 1/2" x 11" drawing).
This is a graded homework assignmnet, but several of the best--20 or 30--will be selected to be sent in the the MD Economic Education Council at Townson University. They conduct a calendar contest each spring, and a Patapsco 6th grader won last year! I'd like to keep the streak going! (see the sample in the post below).

Periods 1,3,4: African Countries Independence timeline.
On legal sized paper (provided in class today)
Include 6 dates/events from the reading--color illustration for each event drawing is fine--no need to print.
Started in class today, due tomorrow, Friday, 3/27

All classes--projects due Monday, 3/23

All classes' projects are due on Monday.

Periods 1,3,4: Sub Saharan Endangered Animal .ppt or poster
Periods 2 and 6: African tribe .ppt or poster.

Homework due next Friday, 3/27: MD Economic Concept "poster".
This is not really a poster, per se, but an 8 1/2" x 11" (horizontal) illustration of one of the 6 economic concepts that we've gone over in class.
Students had the opportunity to get started in class, rough drafts, ideas, etc., but it is to be finished at home. This will be completed for a grade in my class, and the best will be sent to Towson University to be entered in the MD Economic Education calendar contest. A $50.00 Treasury bond goes to the winner (16 winners) as well as publication in the 2009-10 calendar (see sample above-click to enlarge). Again, follow the directions for your best chance to win!

Homework Pd 2 and 6

Period 2 and 6 are working on a letter to persuade the President or a Congressman to abolish the Atlantic slave trade. It was begun in class today--students had an opportunity to use their Equiano reading and .ppt notes to do some prewriting.
The final, typed copy is due on Friday, 3/13. Please attach prewriting (outline, bullets,web, or rough draft) to your final copy.

No homework, Periods 1,3,4, however, the Endangered African animal project is due Mon. 3/23.
End of Quarter Assessment 3/31