Current Events Assignment Grading Rubric

Here is a copy of the Grading Rubric. 

Daily Geography Week 18 and 19

Weekly Assignments December 17, 2012

Daily Geography Week 16 and 17 Quiz Friday!

Sumerian Achievements Advertisment

This Project will be completed in class and will be due Tuesday December 11th. 

ADVERTISEMENT OF A SUMERIAN ACHIEVEMENT

Your goal in this assignment to design a poster advertisement that persuades others that your achievement was the most influential on our society today.  This is a competition!  Other teachers will judge each class and pick the advertisement that is the most informative and persuasive. 

The following are the requirements of your poster:

·         The name of your Sumerian achievement ______

·         A written description of what your achievement is.   5 Facts

·         A written description of how your achievement helped Sumerian society and improved it.

·         A list of VALID reasons why your achievement was the most influential to our society.  List ways that this achievement has helped us.  What do we have or use today because the Sumerians developed this achievement?  How would our lives be more difficult without it?  How do they make our lives easier?

·         A picture of your Sumerian achievement

Make sure you are checking the rubric on the following page to see if you have everything you need for a top score.  You should be aiming for scores of 100, so look over that column carefully to see what you need.

Making A Poster: Advertisement of a Sumerian Achievement

---

Teacher Name: Mr. Grove


Student Name:     ________________________________________

Requirement	Points Possible	Points Earned
The poster includes all required elements (title, descriptions of the achievement and how it helped Sumerians, list of reasons why your achievement was the most influential, and a picture).	50
At least 5 accurate facts are displayed on the poster.	25
Used time well during each class period. Focused on getting the project done. Never distracted others.	25

Weekly assignments December 3, 2012

Current Word Wall

Weekly assignments November 26-30

Daily Geography Week 15

Daily Geography Week 14

Daily Geography Week 13

Daily Geography Week 12

Daily Geography Week 11

Daily Geography Week 10

Daily Geography Week 9

Daily Geography Week 8

Daily Geography Week 7

Daily Geography Week 6

Daily Geography Week 5

Daily Geography Week 4

Daily Geography Week 3

Daily Geography Week 2

Daily Geography Week 1

7 Solid Resources for Geography Awareness Week

7 Solid Resources for Geography Awareness Week

Free Technology for Teachers

This week is Geography Awareness Week. On Saturday I shared a great resource for a geography lesson on interdependence. That lesson is called the Global Closet Calculator and it was developed by National Geographic. Here are seven other good resources that you can use in geography lessons this week or any week.

Stack the Countries is a fun geography app available for the iPad, the iPhone, and the iPad Touch. The game requires players to correctly answer a geography question in order to earn a game piece that they then place into a row. The object is to stack up pieces to reach a target height. When the target height is reached players move on to the next level.


Uncharted.fm offers a series of progressively more difficult geography lessons and quizzes. In the beginning you're limited to one region and or continent at a time. As you master each region or continent you earn badges and unlock new challenges. I really like the manner in which Uncharted.fm presents the lessons. In each lesson you're shown a country, the country's name is read to you, then you practice identifying it in two ways. You identify countries by choosing the name of the country that is highlighted for you. You also identify countries by selecting the one of the three highlighted that match the name you're given.

Overlap Maps is a free service that can be used to quickly compare the size of countries, states, provinces, and some bodies of water. To create a visual comparison of two countries select one country from the "overlap this" menu and select one country from the "onto this" menu. The comparisons you make are displayed on a map. You can make comparisons from different categories. For example, you can overlap Lake Erie onto New Hampshire. 

To help your students prepare for next year's National Geographic Bee, National Geographic offers the GeoBee Challenge. The GeoBee Challenge is a daily series of ten geography quiz questions. The challenges can be played in apprentice mode or in expert mode. Apprentice mode gives students two tries at every question. The expert mode gives just one shot at each question.

Harnu is an interesting whose is to enable you to discover news, videos, music and connect with people all over the world. To discover news, videos, and music sign-in to Harnu, select a media type, then select a country. Harnu will then give you a list of news stories, videos, or music from your chosen country. To connect with people all over the world sign-in to Harnu, select "send message," select the location to which you want to send a message, then write and send your message. People from that location can see you message and reply to you. And you can use Harnu to select location, find people sending messages from those countries then reply to them.

Place Spotting is a website of geographic riddles. Place Spotting is based on the Google Earth platform. Place Spotting users can create their own geographic riddles or try to solve riddles created by others. The search feature on Place Spotting lets users search for riddles based on level of difficulty, language, region, or creation date.

Geosense is a fun way to use and improve your knowledge of world geography. Players can play against the computer or challenge another player. Geosense can be played anonymously or you can register and have your scores recorded for you. There are four Geosense maps (US, World, Europe, or advanced) that players can select from. Geosense is also available as an iOS app.

Bonus Item! 21 Map Creation Tools for Teachers and Students

This post originally appeared on Free Technology for Teachers .

Men at Lunch: The Story of the Irish in New York City

Men at Lunch 
Director Seán Ó Cualáín, an accomplished documentary director for both TG4 and RTÉ in Ireland, comes to DOC NYC for the US premiere of his newest work, Men at Lunch. The film tells the story of the iconic 1932 photo of workmen sitting on a girder at the 69th floor of Rockefeller Center, calmly having their lunch. He uses the photo to explore the larger story of the immigrant (and often Irish) workers who built New York.

Weekly assignments for November 5-9

Current event 10 number 10 due on Friday. The topic is anything happening in Africa, Asia,Europe, South America, or Australia.

Weekly assignments for October 29th 2012

Week of October 24

Inside view of the Google data centers

Google recently produced some excellent web content about their Data centers, especially an inside look at the one in Lenoir.

I wanted to share it with you and possibly you can find a way to discuss it in your classes. It also shows images of employees.

Images:

http://www.google.com/about/datacenters/gallery/#/

Video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avP5d16wEp0&feature

Street View Walk through:

http://www.google.com/about/datacenters/inside/streetview/

Geography Bee and Chess Club Meetings

 

2012-13 Geography Bee Meetings and Chess Club Meetings.

All meetings are from 2.30-3.30

Geography Bee

Nov 8

Dec 13

Jan 17

Chess Club

Feb 14

March 14

April 18

The Choice 2012: Frontline

Watch The Choice 2012 on PBS. See more from FRONTLINE.

Fostering Tech Skills is School

Very interesting article describing how employeers need students with Computer Science degrees.

Letter Home with Progress Report #2 Sept. 24, 2012

                                                                                                            September 21, 2012

Dear Parents and Guardians,

On the opposite side of this sheet is your son/daughter’s progress report. In class we recently finished a unit on Megacities. These are the 21 cities in the world that have populations larger than 10 million people. We watched a few short clips that illustrated the differences between life in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Tokyo, Japan, Shanghai, China, London, UK and Mexico City, Mexico. The students compared and contrasted the cities’ differences and similarities. In class we discussed how many of the first-world megacities can learn from those of the third world and vice versa. The mini-unit helped the students see an unfamiliar to them way of life. If you are interested in watching the documentary it is called Andrew Marr’s Megacities and is available streaming from Amazon.com.

This week we are going to start a unit analyzing early human migrations from Prehistory to 1000 BC. Students will be able to identify the difference between BC and AD (Which is now called CE for “Common Era”). As a class we will be studying four river valley civilizations, the Mesopotamia, Nile, Indus and Huang He. The students will use their five themes of geography to analyze each of these civilizations.

I mentioned to the students that I am collecting used tennis balls to put on the legs of the chairs and desks to protect the floor, if you have any please send them with your student.

On the Progress Report, if a grade is shown as a 59, it was NOT turned in to me by your child. If a grade is shown as a 60, the actual grade scored by your child was BELOW a 60.

As always, feel free to contact me with any questions or comments.

Thanks for your time,

Mr. Grove

grovety(at )hickoryschools.net

828-327-6300 x108

Class Blog: www.grovesclass.blogspot.com

PS. If you want to see some really cool old historical photos embedded into Google Maps, check out www.historypin.com  

No Current Events this week! Sept 17-20th, 2012

Because it is a 4 day student week and we do not have school on Friday, students DO NOT have a Current Event Assignment for this week!


If student's have already completed the assignment it will be used for next weeks Current Event Assignment (CE 5)

Students will have a quiz Tuesday Sept 18th on Daily Geography Week 5 and 6.
Thanks
Mr. Grove

Current Events Weekly Form

Here is a link to a digital copy of the Current Events Form.


Here is a link to the NEW and Improved Current Events Sheet. Thanks Caroline! :)



Download File 

Andrew Marr's Megacities

We are watching a few short clips in class from this excellent Documentary.

For better or worse, tens of millions of others across the globe are making similar migrations, for a variety of reasons, to teeming metropolises, some of which have ballooned to over ten million residents. At that population point, the vaguely science-fiction term urban planners have coined is “megacity”. In BBC One’s recent three-chapter documentary Megacities, BAFTA-winning journalist Andrew Marr examines five immense cities – London, Dhaka, Shanghai, Mexico City, and Tokyo – to reveal their triumphs and tragedies, and discover what makes these unwieldy leviathans tick.
More information on the Megacities Documentary Episode synopsises   BBC Page

Wiki loves monuments USA Contest!

We are going to see if we can get images for every Historic Monument in Catawba County.
 Here is a link to a list of all the National Register of Historic Places in Catawba County, and which places need an image. I have already done four in Hickory, how many can you do?



Wiki Loves Monuments USA is a photo contest on Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons that will run throughout September, 2012. It is part of an international Wiki Loves Monuments competition organized by the Wikimedia Community in over 30 countries.

In the U.S., the contest will focus on sites on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP), which have been organized on Wikipedia by state and county.

To get started, you’ll need to set up an account on Wikimedia Commons and then find the historic sites in your area.

If you are ready to go, just click the ‘Get Started’ button in the header.

Cultural heritage is an important part of the knowledge Wikipedia collects and disseminates. To improve the number and quality of photos of historic monuments and places, the Wikipedia community started a photo contest in the Netherlands in 2010, which resulted in 12,500 freely licensed images of monuments that can now be used in Wikipedia, or by anybody for any purpose. In 2011, 18 countries participated in the contest, which resulted in 5,000 participants submitting more than 165,000 images.

From: Wiki Loves Monuments USA

Letter home with Progress Report 1

Dear Parents and Guardians,

This is Mr. Grove, and I just wanted to write a short note to accompany your child’s progress report. We have had a great start, and I look forward to the upcoming school year. In my Social Studies class we have been focusing on learning about the World’s geography. We have been learning where different countries in the World are located and how to find them using their coordinates of Latitude and Longitude. If possible, please allow your child to install Google Earth on the home computer. You and your child can use this program to take virtual 3D tours of many important locations around the world.

Usually we do not have daily homework in the class. However, if a student does NOT finish the class assignment, it will become their homework. We do have one weekly assignment. A current events assignment is due each Friday. We have discussed in class the expectations for this assignment, and the students have already turned one in.

On the Progress Report, if a grade is shown as a 59, it was NOT turned in to me by your child. If a grade is shown as a 60, the actual grade scored by your child was BELOW a 60. If you have any questions or comments feel free to contact me. Thanks for your time, and I look forward to an excellent year working with your son/daughter.

Thanks again,
Mr. Grove

grovety(at)hickoryschools.net

828-327-6300 x108
Grovesclass.blogspot.com

Word Wall week of September 4th 2012

5 Themes of Geography Culminating Activity

5 Themes of Geography Culminating Activity Students will create a paper tri-fold to show their understanding of the basic knowledge of the 5 themes of geography and the application of how the themes may influence the environments of the world today.

The tri-fold will consist of 6 sections. Section 1 will be the cover page. Each cover page must contain a title, student name, date, class and period, and teacher name. The cover may be decorated as creatively as the student desires, keeping in mind that the teacher must be able to read the above mentioned required items.

Section 2 will demonstrate the theme location. The section should include the theme name, a correct definition of the theme, and a minimum of one real world example and an accompanying illustration of the example.

Section 3 will demonstrate the theme place. The section should include the theme name, a correct definition of the theme, and a minimum of one real world example and an accompanying illustration of the example.

Section 4 will demonstrate the theme region. The section should include the theme name, a correct definition of the theme, and a minimum of one real world example and an accompanying illustration of the example.

Section 5 will demonstrate the theme movement. The section should include the theme name, a correct definition of the theme, and a minimum of one real world example and an accompanying illustration of the example.

Section 6 will demonstrate the theme human-environment interaction (HEI). The section should include the theme name, a correct definition of the theme, and a minimum of one real world example and an accompanying illustration of the example.

The tri-fold will be an in-class project on September 4 and 5. It will need to be completed at home if not finished by the end of class on the 5th. The tri-fold is due at the beginning of class on Friday the 6th of September.

Current Events Forms

Current Events Assignment Download .DOC Format HPS Server

Current Events Assignment Google Sites

Japan's Tsunami: How It Happened

On Friday 11 March 2011, an earthquake measuring 9.0 on the Richter scale triggered a tsunami that devastated parts of coastal Japan.

Japan's Tsunami: How It Happened investigates the science behind the earthquake and tsunami. The programme follows Professor of Geological Sciences Roger Bilham - who arrived in Japan days after the earthquake struck - as he sets off to view the devastation from the air. 

The earthquake moved Japan 12 feet closer to the USA. The earth was knocked off its axis and the rate of the earth's rotation was changed. This was one of the biggest earthquakes ever measured; the ground along the east side of Japan dropped by almost 10 feet, making the tsunami catastrophic. 

The documentary also follows renowned journalist Callum Macrae as he travels to the north, where the towns of Sendai and Ofunato used to be bustling fishing villages. Here he views the destruction first hand and meets the locals struggling to cope in the aftermath. 

Japan lies on the Pacific Ring of Fire where the Pacific Ocean plates meet the land. The ocean floor dives beneath the volcanic chain of islands that make up Japan. And when the tension builds up between the two plates the energy is released as a massive earthquake. 

The programme provides the science and analysis to explain why this happened where it did, and why it was so devastating, hearing from the scientists at the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre in Hawaii who tracked the deadly wave as it raced across the pacific, and scientists at the Tsunami research facility in Oregon who study the dynamics of earthquake-generated Tsunamis.

As Japan is lives with the consequences of this terrible force of nature, the film reveals how it has changed the country forever.

Fourth Period Questions:

For each question please use details from the Japan's Tsunami: How It Happened:

Please write at least one page (front side only) and turn in August 17^th

1. Based on what happened in Japan were they prepared for the tsunami?

Why or why not? Explain your answer.

2. In the Japan's Tsunami: How It Happened, explain what happened and why it happened.  

3. What surprised you the most about the Japan's Tsunami: How It Happened video and why?

4. How did watching the Japan's Tsunami: How It Happened video make you feel and why?

From Channel 4. 

Summer 2012

If you are interested in keeping up with my summer travels check out my other blog:
http://www.tylerg.blogspot.com/
Updated (almost) daily with pictures from the day

Flocabulary

Great test taking skills.
Can you name all 15?

Online Practice EOG Tests

These questions are very similar to those in North Carolina End of Grade (EOG) test for Language Arts.
Test Here

Here are some other excellent online test preparation material for End of Grade Tests.

Math
Reading/ Language Arts
Social Studies
Science

The Scientific Revolution Web Quest

The Scientific Revolution Web Quest


PLEASE READ CAREFULLY. Follow the web links EXACTLY to get information to answer the questions. You can write in your answers or you can copy and paste it into a Word document and type in your answers. You do NOT have to answer in complete sentences.

Copernicus
http://www.phy.hr/~dpaar/fizicari/xcopern.html

1. Where was Copernicus born and what did he do in his early life?
2. Besides astronomy, what did Copernicus study in school?
3. What different occupations did Copernicus engage in?
4. What was Copernicus’ Heliocentric Theory?
5. When did Copernicus reportedly receive a copy of his printed theory?

Kepler
http://galileo.rice.edu/sci/kepler.html

1. Where was Kepler born and where did he receive his education?
2. Who did he replace after serving as his assistant?
3. What was Kepler’s mother accused of being?

Galileo

http://www.lucidcafe.com/library/96feb/galileo.html

1. What invention did Galileo improve upon?
2. What did he discover with his new invention?
3. What accepted theory was he required to teach at the University of Pisa?
4. Whose theory was he exposed to at the University of Padua?
5. What was he convicted of and what was the disposition of his sentence?
6. Who was born in the year that Galileo died?

Francis Bacon
http://www.oregonstate.edu/instruct/phl302/philosophers/bacon.html

1. By today’s standards, Bacon did things at a young age.
        a. When did he enter college?
        b. When did he become a member of the House of Commons?
2. What was Bacon’s father’s role in the Queen’s court?
3. Describe Bacon’s “method.”

Rene Descartes
http://www.maths.tcd.ie/pub/HistMath/People/Descartes/RouseBall/RB_Descartes.html

1. What is the source of this account of Descartes’ life?
2. What was Descartes’ excuse for sleeping late?
3. What were Descartes’ chief contributions to mathematics?
4. Besides mathematics, what other science did Descartes delve into?

Isaac Newton
http://www.newton.cam.ac.uk/newtlife.html

1. What was Newton’s involvement with the English money system?
2. When did Isaac Newton become Sir Isaac Newton?
3. Besides his work with the law of gravity, what were Newton’s other interests?
4. What were Newton’s posthumous (after death) publications?

Strategies for success on the EOG tests

Word Wall April 30 -May 4

Word Wall April 23-27

Current Event Topic Week 26

Australia!

Word Wall April 16-20

David Macaulay's Cathedral

We watched this in class and answered questions:
Questions Link

Assignments April 2-5th

Word Wall March 26-30

Steve Jobs: One Last Thing

Watch Steve Jobs: One Last Thing on PBS. See more from Steve Jobs - One Last Thing.

The Lost Da Vinci

Watch Mystery of a Masterpiece on PBS. See more from NOVA.

Do you know your 23 Helping Verbs?

You better! Quiz this week in Language Arts!

Homework March 19-23

Word Wall March 19- 23

Current Events Assignment

Holes

Word wall

Roman Accomplishments: The aquaducts at Segovia, Spain

From Spain 2011 Part 1

Engineering Empires Rome: (we watched a bit of this in class but here is the entire version if you would like to watch it:

Greek Culture Webquest

Greek Culture Webquest

1. Go to the http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/primaryhistory/ancient_greeks/
2. Click on the homepage link on the left, and then click on “Find Out” in the middle of the page.

  Olympic Games Questions

1. Who do the Olympic Games honor?
2. How long did the Olympics last?
3. Did cities fight during the games?
4. What was the only event in the early games?
5. How many people could run at once?
6. Who could attend the games?
7. What was pankration?
8. What festival honored women? What goddess did it honor?
9. How many different athletic games took place in Greece?
10. What were the rewards for each game?

Athens Questions

1. What resources made Athens rich and powerful?
2. What building did Perikles build?
3. When was democracy started in Greece?
4. Were women allowed to be citizens?
5. How large were juries? How did they vote?
6. How were speakers timed in court?
7. Girls were usually educated to do what? Usually women were married by what age?
8. What kinds or work might slaves do?
9. What did the wealthy consider it an honor to do?
10. How many people could many Greek theatres seat?

Panama Canal National Geographic Assignment

Panama Canal

South America Physical and Political Maps

South America Physical Map South America Political Map (1)

Making a cool timeline.

Try to register with Time Toast and make your own Timeline.

Test your Geography Knowledge

Here are two places that have great games to test your geography knowledge:
Purpose Games
Sheppard Software

Enjoy, let me know how you do!

Aztec/ Inca Quiz

Aztec Inca Quiz

Webquest Aztec, Incas, Mayas Webquest

Today in Social Studies we worked on the following webquest in class:

Aztec Maya Incan Webquest Version 2.0