Wow! We are almost done!

Hello everyone! This is an exciting week--Key Lime Cove was today, tomorrow is the FABULOUS RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM from 9:30-11:30, and then our field trip to Lake Street to see Apollo 13. I wanted to share this film's connections to our curriculum with you (see paragraph below).

Please note that I can only accept the last two assignments at this point (KTN and the Choice Board); they must be turned in tomorrow (Thursday) by class time (not after school).
Also, PLEASE be certain to turn in your History Textbook!

Hope you all enjoy this week!

Dr. Swartzbaugh


This film is being shown to students on Team 7-1 to connect to the final paper in Science class on the solar system. This film is a dramatization of NASA’s third lunar mission: the Apollo 13 mission. It provides a historical context for the history of space flight as well as the technology and scientific understandings of space exploration in the 1950s-1970s. Phenomena such as gravitational pull, inertia and orbit impact the engineers and astronauts as they plan and execute this mission. Finally, it is an excellent representation of the foundation of scientific investigation: the process of identifying and solving problems. The engineers on earth must work to bring the astronauts in space home using ingenuity, problem solving, creativity and, above all, team work, to save the astronauts. This movie truly makes science come alive in a dramatic, historically-accurate manner!

Finally, we wish to share this movie in order to support our students’ social and emotional learning, specifically the following themes: team work and leadership.

Last Full Week of School!Social Studies AND Science Syllabi are here!

Memorial Day Weekend Update:
To my core extension students: PLEASE remember that the final poster is due Tuesday. To see the layout for your poster, please click HERE.

Have a great weekend!

Dr. Swartzbaugh

Please find the weekly syllabus HERE.

Also, for this week's SCIENCE syllabus, please click HERE!

For next week's SCIENCE syllabus, click HERE!
Have a great week!

Dr. Swartzbaugh

Week of 5.16.11

This week is a BIG week in social studies! The final project is due FRIDAY --Thursday if you are going to Cleveland!

Please use your class time well this week. I know it can be challenging to stay on task during projects such as this, but I know you can do it!

Parents, please ask your children about their project--ask to see what they have done, and ask them to practice their presentations with you (they will be presenting next week, but it is a great idea to get started this week with practicing!)

This week's syllabus is HERE.
Have a great week!

Dr. Swartzbaugh

Weekly Syllabus 5/9/11

Hello there!! I apologize for posting my syllabus late this week; I was sick for a few days.

The big issue this week is the Civil War project and the final two google docs, which are due Friday May 13th.

Please ask your child about his/her project!

For this week's syllabus please click HERE.

Have a great week!

Dr. Swartzbaugh

Week of 5/2/11

Welcome back!

This week we will be working on our Civil War projects. We will continue research and start creating the projects. Much of this work will be done independently. You have TWO google docs due this Friday--please note--this is a CHANGE from the original syllabus.

Parents, please ask to see your child's project planning arrow. I encourage you to ask them how their work is going, and ask them what their plan is for this week. They should be making progress every day on their projects. If you need any of the documents for this project, please see last week's post.

Click here for this week's syllabus.

Have a great week!

Dr. Swartzbaugh

Welcome back from a looooong weekend!

This week Ms. Jury and I are introducing our FINAL big project of the year--and it is SUPER exciting! From now until almost the very end of the school year, each student will be working individually or with a partner on an project relating to the Civil War. During our work on this project, students will be expected to achieve small steps/goals each day in class. He/she will also be filling out weekly self-evaluations. A big part of this project is developing the ability to break down a large task into lots of little, manageable tasks. Another key feature is that each student will be CHOOSING his/her area of focus for the project, AND choosing the format of the final project itself. I am super eager to start this project!

For the Civil War project handout, please click HERE

For the weekly syllabus, please click HERE.

Have a great week!

Dr. Swartzbaugh

Homework tonight--Tuesday 4/19/11

Hi there!
There IS homework tonight for those students who did not complete the in class work. It is a packet on the economic, military, or diplomatic comparison of North and South at the onset of the Civil War.

Here is a link in case they forgot to bring the packet home (please note, they only have to fill out ONE section--either the economic, military, or diplomatic section of the packet).

http://edsitement.neh.gov/sites/default/files/worksheets/North-vs-South.pdf

Thanks!

Laura Swartzbaugh

Quiz Postponed until THURSDAY!

This will be a medium-sized quiz--not tiny, not huge. Attached is a chart to be used as a review guide. Please note that you should study all of your own notes from watching Ken Burns' "The Civil War" and also study this chart. You should know everything on the chart in bold for certain, and you should know some other details as well. There will be a set of questions that you must answer, and then there will be a set of questions in which you have a choice of which ones you answer.

Good luck! Studying will make all the difference!
If you are a visual learner--read and re-read the notes; rewrite the notes; make index cards
If you are a kinesthetic learner--walk around the room while repeating information aloud, or reading it in your notebook. Drum out a beat with a pencil while saying the information out loud. Play catch with someone while they quiz you on the notes.
If you are a verbal/aural learner--read notes aloud; have someone read them aloud to you; have someone quiz you verbally.
Best of luck!

This week in social studies and advisory!

Hello there,
I hope you all enjoyed the lovely weather over the weekend!

For the FIRST TIME EVER my advisory is going to Nick's on Wednesday! Please remember to bring your permission slip in by Wednesday, and to bring $5 for pizza on Wednesday.

For social studies, we have homework on Monday night, and a quiz on Wednesday (so Tuesday night you have homework too--study for the quiz!) Please see the weekly syllabus for further details. You can find it by clicking HERE.

Remember, if you wish to do the CROP WALK on Sunday, May 1st, you need to get a permission slip signed and bring it with you to the walk. You can find permission slips on the bulletin board just outside the C wing.

Finally, permission slips for Key Lime Cove are due April 20th! You can find these next to Ms. Pavlis' room on the bulletin board.

Have a great week!

Dr. Swartzbaugh

Advisory News!

Thursday, April 7, 2011
Interested in signing up for the CROP Walk? You can do so by clicking here. I will be participating in it, and I'd love to see you there, too! :)

Also, we will be going to Nick's Pizza on Wednesday, April 13, 2011. Permission slips will be coming home Friday, April 8th. Please be sure to get your permission slip in if you haven't done so yet; you may go ahead and download the file below, print it out, and get it signed. This permission slip must be turned in before we go to Nick's Pizza. Thank you!

Nick's Pizza Permission Slip

Welcome Back!

I hope you all had a WONDERFUL relaxing spring break!

I am looking forward to finishing the year with our study of the Civil War and Reconstruction! I am also really excited about our work in Core Extension working on the research projects and reading Bang and Chains.

If you need any extra time at the Media Center to work on any of your school work--or even just to have some time on the computer to practice your keyboarding skills!--I have made a special hand out with Media Center hours. Please click here to see this!

Have a great week!

Dr. Swartzbaugh

Week of 3.21.11

Here is the Weekly Syllabus


Let's have a great last week before Spring Break!

Dr. Swartzbaugh

Core Extension Today

Please click on this link for today's activity


http://www.esc.edu/esconline/across_esc/writerscomplex.nsf/0/f87fd7182f0ff21c852569c2005a47b7

Thanks!

Dr. Swartzbaugh

Week of 3.14.11

This week we are finally *finally* having our "we finished our first DBQ party"!

The party is on Thursday. Please bring a dish that is a family favorite! Please bring enough food to feed 15 students (at most!)

If it is not possible to bring something homemade, then please see me and I'll give you an alternative option.

This week's syllabus is HERE. We have homework Monday and Tuesday nights. Wednesday night's homework is to make the dish for the party!

Have a great week!

Dr. Swartzbaugh

This week!

Welcome back to class everyone! Today is the first day of your LAST trimester as a 7th grader! Congratulations! I am asking everyone to be certain that they come to class prepared, with all materials, and that you make sure that while you are in class you are focused on academics! The classroom is not the lunch room, nor is it the hallway. While you are in class, our entire focus is on learning. That's it!

Also, I wanted you to know that we will finally be having our party that got rescheduled due to the blizzard. Our party will be Friday March 18th. I've asked each student to bring a favorite home made dish that is a family tradition or favorite of some kind. Please only make enough for 15 students--we will have way, way too much food if you make more than that! I especially love it when students bring something in that they make themselves!

This is the FINAL week for health; next week we go back to having core extension.

You can find this week's syllabus by clicking HERE.

Have a great week!

Friday 2.25.11 Classwork

Today you will be looking for answers to your questions on your chart. Please use these websites in order to research your answers! Don't hesitate to ask Ms. Rowe for help with any of your work. There is an amazing amount of information in these sites, so I know that you are going to learn a lot. I cannot wait to hear what you found out on Monday! Good luck and have a great weekend!

Website A--Slave Life--this is an excellent website with huge amounts of details. If you get overwhelmed, switch to a different site. I like that this site has many direct quotations from slaves. You get to "hear" slaves' voices on this site.

Website B--Conditions of Antebellum Slavery--this is an excellent site with a TON of good information! I saw the answers to MANY questions here!

Website C--Antebellum Louisiana--be sure to scroll all the way through this site--there is a lot of information here! There are pictures too, which helps us visual learners understand material better!

Website D--South Carolina--The Price of a Human Being--this is an excellent site for any questions you have from the first category--"On the Auction Block"

Website E--South Carolina--Houses--this website will answer questions about slaves' homes, furniture, etc.

Website F--South Carolina--Slavery and Death--this site will answer questions relating to death, disease, and burials for slaves. Once you click on the link, there are 4 links to choose from. Don't be afraid to try any or all of these four choices to find your answers!

Website G--Slavery and the Making of America: Living Conditions--this website has many details, including information about work and meals. You don't need to worry about going back to the first page unless you have questions about slaves in cities.

Website H--Digital History--Slave Culture--This website includes a brief description of many aspects of African American culture during slavery.

Website I--Sweet Chariot--this is a wonderful website discussing the use of music by slaves for different purposes. Be sure to click on the links to explore the different reasons --codes, religious expression, etc--that slaves had for singing.

Website J--Slave Families--this is a very informative 2-page article about all aspects of family structure and life under slavery

This weekend's homework is CANCELED!!!

I have updated the weekly syllabus to reflect this. I am trying to give the students a bit of a break as we go into ISAT week. Please try to get sleep this weekend!

Dr. Swartzbaugh

This week--2.22.11--party on Friday!

This week we begin our investigation of the South. This is part of our continuing exploration of the ways that the North and the South grew more and more different in the decades leading up the the Civil War. There is once again homework that is assigned on Thursday, but not due until the following Monday. These assignments are a bit more challenging and also require a bit more responsibility in keeping track of your materials over several days. Remember, we are working towards 8th grade, and, eventually, high school!

The syllabus is HERE!

One VERY IMPORTANT activity this week is our class party. I promised each class that we would celebrate the end of the DBQ, but the party never happened thanks to the blizzard! So, we have rescheduled the party for this Friday. Please bring something delicious to share with about 15 other people. Thanks so much!


I hope you have a great week!

Dr. Swartzbaugh

Weekend Homework! Due Tuesday 2.22.11

Hi there! I have canceled homework for tonight, Thursday. There is NO homework due tomorrow, Friday.

However, there is an assignment for the weekend which I handed out today in class.

Here is the assigment:
1. Please finish reading the article we began in class today. You can find the article HERE.

2. Please answer the questions on the handout I gave you today. If you've lost the questions, you can find them HERE.

Please be sure to respond in complete sentences.

In addition! There is ALSO homework for those of you who did not finish your historybook work today (Friday). Please finish that work by Tuesday (2 questions using question stems, 3 responses of at least 4 sentences each; and updating your profile with a discussion of your nineteenth century reform movement.

I hope you all have a great three day weekend! See you Tuesday! Don't forget your homework!

Dr. Swartzbaugh

Industrialization Webquest

Today you will choose ONE of the following webquests. For ALL of these webquests, you will need your notebook and should answer all questions posed on the websites (with a couple of exceptions noted below). You will need the ENTIRE period to work on this. You will need your notes and responses for class Wed-Fri, so if you don't get your work done today because you lack focus or choose to mess around, then your work for the rest of the week will be impacted. I will be checking your work at the end of the period, and you will receive credit for work that is done carefully and consistently throughout the period.

1. http://www.uc.k12.in.us/New%20UCMS/Gutzwiller/webquest.htm
This webquest focuses more on technology, including the ways that the steam engine works. PLEASE NOTE: skip the steam ship link, it is NOT working.

2. http://www.scribd.com/doc/47882059/Industrialization-Webquest
This webquest focuses more on the impact of industrialization on women, specifically the women who worked in one of America's first "mill towns": Lowell, Massachussetts.PLEASE NOTE: only do the top portion of this webquest on the Lowell Mills. Do not do the bottom portion on the Cotton Gin. We will be doing this part soon, I promise!

3. http://invention.smithsonian.org/centerpieces/whole_cloth/u2ei/index.html
This is the challenge webquest. Please do choose this option if you consistently find the work in this class relatively easy, or if I've discussed doing challenge work with you and/or your parents. Otherwise, you should choose webquest 1 or 2, above.
Read the "scholarly article" and answer questions 1-7. Ask me to show you the teacher's notes, which will help you understand this challenging article.

This week--2/14/11

This week we are beginning our investigation of the differences between the North and the South that developed and expanded during the Antebellum era. Please ask your child what "antebellum" means--they should be able to answer!

The weekly syllabus is HERE.

Have a great week!

PLEASE be certain that you have turned in the BRIGHT GREEN permission slip relating to google app pilot program. Thank you to those who have turned it in!

Dr. Swartzbaugh

Little Book Instructions

Here are the details on the Little Book. Remember, this is a large homework grade, meaning it is worth 3x the normal amount of points. Please do your best work!

Cover Page--Laura's Little Book on Juvenile Justice Reform
4 Fast Facts!---just what it says
Picture It!--draw a picture that shows something about this reform movement
So What?--why should anyone care about this part of our history? Why is it important?
Question It?--write a specific question and the answer Q: and A: (this is another fact; don't repeat facts!)
3-2-1--6 total bullet points on this page! Write Very Small! 3 personal insights/or connections; 2 things you have learned (2 more facts--don't repeat facts!); 1 question you still have--you should not know the answer to this question.
Assumption Buster--write an assumption you had when you started Assumption: ; then write how it was "busted" i.e. proven untrue Busted:
Back cover--created by your name date period

In class work Tuesday 2/7/11--to see this week's syllabus click on "older posts" below this post

Here are the websites you may choose from in order to do today's work:

Digital History--has thorough, albeit somewhat dry, information on several different reform movements.


Juvenile Justice Reform

Abolitionism

Temperance (anti-alcohol movement)--click on "primary sources" and then be certain to read the background information and transcription on the left column

Women's Suffrage--scroll down and read. Be sure to look at images carefully!

Disability



Dorothea Dix

Juvenile Justice

This week!

NOTE: Weekly syllabus link was not working--thanks parents for letting me know! It is now fixed so click away!

I, for one, and hoping for a NORMAL week!

I am very excited about what we'll be learning this week. Some of it even relates to my dissertation--how cool is that? So, watch out, because Dr. Swartzbaugh is fired up about this week's learning materials!

For a sneak peak, and to know what your homework for the week is, check out the WEEKLY SYLLABUS
I hope we have a great week!

Dr Swartzbaugh

PS Once I have word on the parent teacher conference update from the district, I will let you know!
PPS Don't forget we are STILL involved in Chores for Change! It is the district's goal that each student will raise $10 through household chores in order to support the children's home in Haiti. Of course, many of our students have done far more! Julian has already raised over $1300 for the cause! Go Jayhawks!

This week!

Parent-teacher conferences are this week!
Half day of school on Thursday and Friday!
Don't forget Chores for Change!

We are finishing up our very challenging DBQ work this week. A SECOND rough draft is due tomorrow (Tuesday) and the FINAL draft is due Wednesday. I have been SO impressed with the work the students have been doing on this essay! Great job!

This week's syllabus is HERE!

The notes for the DBQ essay format are HERE!

This week!

Welcome back after ANOTHER three day weekend for you guys!

As you all know, we are deep in the thick of the season of illness. Please keep washing your hands with soap and water (try to sing "Happy Birthday" at least once while you are washing!) And use tissue, and please, please, stay home if you are sick! Get rest and fluids!

PLEASE return your Parent-Teacher conference forms ASAP! The forms are green, and came home over a week ago. If you need another one, just email any member of our team! Thanks!

This week we are doing a Document-Based Question. This is an essay assignment based on your interpretation of a set of primary documents. If you've lost your packet, click HERE for the first two pages (overview and timeline) and HERE for the DBQ packet.

This week's syllabus is here!

I hope you all have a great week!

Dr. Swartzbaugh

Weekly Syllabus 1/18/11

Please return your conference forms ASAP!
Don't forget about Chores for Change!

Weekly syllabus 1/18/11

Weekly Syllabus 1/10/11 and Announcements

Please click on link below to view this week's syllabus. Quiz tomorrow on the War of 1812! Study your double C chart! There is homework due on Wednesday and Friday.
Weekly Syllabus 1/10/11

Announcements and reminders: This week is MAP testing--please make sure you bring a book to read to testing on Monday and Tuesday morning.

Parent-teacher conference forms will be coming home this week. Please make sure your parents look at these forms and bring them back to me as soon as possible!

Don't forget! Chores for Change is still happening! Be sure to ask your parents if you can perform a few extra chores around the house in order to raise a few dollars for the orphanages in Haiti. If you want to share more with your parents, show them the youtube video on this blog: http://haitiexchangeofhope.blogspot.com/
Also, don't forget to consider forming a dodgeball team! I am happy to sponsor the first group of students who asks me! This is a fundraiser for the Make-a-Wish Foundation.

Have a great week!

Welcome Back!

Happy New Year! Welcome back to school!

Students and Parents! PLEASE check all supplies for school this week and purchase new supplies. I have completely run out of pens and pencils! I seem to be giving out more and more each day. Please check to see that you still have pages left in your Social Studies spiral notebook (or paper in your binder, if that is what you use)!

Below is this week's syllabus! Just click on the link!!! There is homework on Wednesday!

Weekly Syllabus 1.3.11

Have a great week!