U.S. Update for the week of February 13th
Wetzel, William
Class webpage: www.district87.org/staff/wetzelw
I am usually available before school each morning by 7:20.
This week:
Tu: DV Quotes Test
Wed: Progress Report grades submitted to office
Fri: Chapter 11 Quiz/ Assessment
Coming up:
2/20: No School (President's Day)
2/20: MCMH Presidents' Day activities*
2/24: Learn & Teach Projects Due (no late submissions)
3/2: Q3 Reaction due
3/6: Quarterly Cumulative Test
3/9: Q3 Recital Due
*The McLean County Museum of History (the old courthouse on the downtown square) is hosting a one day event for students who are out of school on February 20th for President's Day to honor all the U.S. Presidents that have visited McLean County. I have a flier for the program that I can e-mail to you by request. Students of all ages are welcome and the museum is accepting applications from 8th graders who are interested in volunteering to assist with activities. If you have an interest in volunteering, I would be quite willing to submit your name along with a recommendation. This is a great opportunity to explore a unique community volunteer opportunity that would continue to be available through the summer and high school.
General 8B Team information:
Three final notes about parent-teacher conferences:
1) If you have any positive or negative comments or questions about the conference experience, please feel encouraged to share them. Parent input into the fall and spring conference processes helps us better understand what is working and what should
be altered.
2) If you wanted a conference, but were not able to make it. Please contact an 8B teacher
to arrange a conference. You are also welcome to request updated information by phone or e-mail.
3) I appreciate the opportunity the conferences provide to get feedback regarding specific students and situations, as well as a general sense of how the year is progressing. I will send out a formal request for input at the end of the school year, but please
let me know anytime you have comments or questions.
U.S. History Information:
The Deja Vu Quotes Test will be Tuesday this week in the computer lab. This test will be a significant part of the quarterly grade. The test will consist of questions from Quarters 1 (clues), 2 (Images), & 3 (Quotes). Practice tests and review activities are available from the class website.
There will be a Quiz and Assessment for Chapter 11 on Friday. I will send out the assessment prompt earlier in the week.
Except for three Learn & Teach projects, the Internet grades are up to date. Progress Report grades will be submitted this Wednesday and they will probably include the Deja Vu Quotes test on Tuesday. All the Quarter 3 Assignments are listed in the Skyward gradebook, so that you can keep track of what has been completed. A grade of zero will be entered for missing assignments once they are due until the due date, the assignments are only calculated in the grade, if they have been submitted.
The Learn & Teach due date (2/24) is fast approaching. Students with questions or concerns should see me ASAP. The Learn & Teach due date is final, unless students see me in advance for an extension.
Students who submit a quarterly assignment or the Learn & Teach early or on time will receive an opportunity to make additions and resubmit their work for increased credit. Students resubmitting work for increased credit should take the time and make significant changes to their work based on the assignment guidelines and the comments written on their paper or their score may not change and they will have lost the opportunity for grade improvement.
There was a problem with the link to the Reaction speeches that I have fixed-- thank you to the student who let me know. Information for completing the Q3 State of the Union Reaction is now available from the 'Audio Assignment Descriptions' webpage. Students who need to watch the speech at school can make arrangements with me to watch it in my room during RT or E&R (Wed & Fri).
Reruns from previous updates:
Learn & Teach Projects are due by February 24th. I strongly encourage students to submit these early, so that they have time available to improve their work before the final
due date. All the information for each step of the Learn & Teach, along with some examples of past projects, is posted on the Audio Descriptions webpage. I WILL NOT ACCEPT LEARN & TEACH PROJECTS AFTER THE DUE DATE, UNLESS A STUDENT HAS RECEIVED AN EXTENSION
FROM ME! Students who have not completed the Q1 and Q2 steps should do so as soon as possible so they are eligible to submit work for Q3 credit. The score you see listed for Q3 Learn & Teach is based on the following:
score status
0 no work was ever submitted
1 Q1 was started, but never finished
2 Q1 was finished, no work for Q2
3 Q1 was finished and Q2 was started, but not finished
4 Q1 and Q2 are finished-- eligible to submit a project by 2/24
5-22 Q3 project grade-- can be resubmitted weekly until 2/24
I would strongly encourage students who are planning to complete the Learn & Teach to get me a finished project by the end of January to allow time for revisions before the deadline. All the information for each step of the Learn & Teach, along with some examples
of past projects, is posted on the Audio Descriptions webpage.
Parent Action: If you are cleaning out a closet or have other items that are working, but unwanted, please consider donating them to 8B for our P3 Auctions that are held every other Friday.
Students who need extra time for questions or assistance before or after school should let me know. My schedule varies, but I am usually in the classroom by 7:20 in the morning. I have made arrangements for students to be able to come up to the room early without a pass. After school, my availability is much less consistent. When I know I will be available late on a given day, I will include that information in the update for the week.
If you send me an e-mail and do not receive a reply within 24 hours, please send me a follow-up. I try to reply promptly to the e-mails I receive, but occasionally one slips by without a response from me.
Students who miss an in-class assignment should check with me, but they are usually excused from the assignment. Students who miss a quiz, test or assessment need to make it up. A zero will be entered in the gradebook until the assignment is completed.
I usually grade all the papers I receive during the week on Saturday and update grades on Sunday.
The
class website provides access to resources to review, study, and explore areas related to the class. Here are several highlights:
'Déjà vu Spiral': link to the main location for content information and notes from throughout the year
'Weekly Updates': an archive of all the weekly update messages from the whole year
'1112 U.S. Introduction Materials': the on-line version of the course overview packet provided to students at the start of the year
'Audio Assignment Descriptions': instructions and an audio explanation for every assignment
'Student E-mail Access from Home': allows students to log into their school e-mail account from home
'1112 Weekly Logs': a day by day breakdown of resources used in class and activities
'On-line Practice Tests': location for practice tests for tests and quizzes throughout the year
'Quia Review Games': review games for chapter quizzes and tests
'Quizlet Review Games': review games for Deja vu and chapter quizzes and tests
'Déjà vu Terms Reviews': learning and review resources for Déjà vu terms
'Textbook': Link to the on-line text
The
category weighting and grading scale used to calculate quarterly grades is different in history class than other classes:
Categories:
21 Daily Work
(Done in class)
21 Tests & Quizzes
(Content knowledge)
21 Assessments (Content understanding)
21 Assignments (Skills/Comprehension)
11 Teaching (Content exploration & skills development)
5 Studio Habits (Engagement in learning)
Overall Grading Scale:
89.5 - 100 A
74.5 - 89.4 B
49.5 - 74.4 C
0 - 49.4 F
A quarterly grade of 'D' will be assigned to students who do not finish the quarter with a passing grade IF they develop and complete a plan to make up missed work by the deadline provided by the teacher at the end of the quarter.
Students who score poorly in a category or categories will notice a significant impact on their quarterly grade. The downside of this weighting and scale is that it is confusing to explain, but the upside is that it allows me to create a situation that challenges students and rewards excellent learning without creating a situation that is too difficult for those students who are not ready for such expectations.
The Bloomington Public Library offers a link to a service called tutor.com that has a great reputation as a source for help with all sorts of homework; however, I am not personally familiar with it. If any students are using this site and want to provide me with some guidance, I will try to spread that information to the other students.
Free Tutoring
by ISU and IWU students is available on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 4:00 - 6:00 at Mt. Pisgah Church (801 W. Market Street) for all subjects. This resource is available on a drop-in as needed-- no appointment or long term commitment required basis. If
anybody uses this resource and finds it to be helpful, please let me know and I will pass on your endorsement.
If you would like to add or drop an e-mail address for these updates, please let me know. All students receive these messages each week in their student e-mail accounts.
THIS TRANSMISSION IS INTENDED AND RESTRICTED FOR USE BY THE ABOVE ADDRESSEE ONLY. IT MAY CONTAIN CONFIDENTIAL AND/OR PRIVILEGED INFORMATION EXEMPT FROM DISCLOSURE UNDER FEDERAL OR STATE LAW. IN THE EVENT SOME OTHER PERSON OR ENTITY RECEIVES THIS TRANSMISSION, SAID RECIPIENT IS HEREBY NOTIFIED THAT ANY DISSEMINATION, DISTRIBUTION, OR DUPLICATION OF THIS TRANSMISSION OR ITS CONTENTS IS PROHIBITED. IF YOU SHOULD RECEIVE THIS TRANSMISSION IN ERROR, PLEASE CALL US IMMEDIATELY AT 309.827.6031, DELETE THE FILE FROM YOUR SYSTEM, AND DESTROY ANY HARD COPIES OF THIS TRANSMISSION. THANK YOU.
Bloomington Public Schools School District87
Bloomington, Illinois