We tried something new for music today. We did the worksheet in partners. Those strong in musical background helped to guide those who haven't perhaps had piano or band lessons. This seemed to work out fairly well. We also wrapped up our science unit on water erosion just in time to take the test tomorrow. The students were given a study guide to aid their studies. http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dg4drx7j_22rk5jhhdx They may also use the note taking worksheets that we have been doing as a daily assignment.

Geography:246-252, ws and quiz
Science: Test
Math: Set 50 evens and test
Algebra: Set 56 evens and test
Lit: Questions on chapters 1+2
Catechism: Test
English: ws 11-2b
Spelling: Nothing
Current Events: pages 2-5 and quiz
Health: Nothing
Music: Nothing
Memory Treasures: recitation

Wow. Today has been a hectic one. Due to may factors I did not get to this at school before I needed to vacate the room for Pastor. Unfortunately I do not have the Math or Geography assignments here at home. I apologize for any inconvenience.

A good part of my day was spent going over last week's spelling test and memory treasures. While many students continued their excellent work, there were enough who did poorly that I felt some review and redo's were in order. Students either got a chance to improve their grade or get some extra work done. I'd call that a win/win for the students. Every full week we have memory on Thursday and spelling on Friday. It seems pretty clear that a few students are simply not preparing themselves sufficiently for these. Please encourage your student to keep at them. I am making some adjustments intended to reduce the amount of homework a student needs to bring home if they are faithfully using their time at school. This should open some more time t0 work on spelling and the study of God's word.

We started Red as in Russia, Measles, and Love in literature today. We read through the first two chapters in class. I hope, as time allows, to do more of this novel in class as a group.

English: ws 11-1
Literature: ws for ch's 1-2 for Wednesday. (We read the chapters in class.)
Health: None
Current Events: Read pp 2-5 and be ready for a quiz
Memory: Christmas service recitation for Wednesday

Please remember to send money for tickets. We have 14 students that are either at 0 or into negative numbers for lunch and/or milk.

Today we saw the play at WLA. (Why yes, my children did make adorable munchkins, thanks for asking. Oh you meant how did my students in the orchestra do? They were good, too.) We had a good time. We also watched the end of Call of the Wild. Ask your student about the many differences from the book to the movie.

We also started practicing the Christmas service. Our two recitations will be due on Wednesday. They are listed on the side post.

Geography: Ws 85 and quiz, in book 2,3,5
Math: 48 evens
Algebra: 54 evens
Spelling: Nothing
Literature: Nothing
Music: Nothing
English: Nothing
Health: Nothing
Current Events: Pages 2-5 and quiz

Click on a link to read a Tall Tale by a student. The students had to choose one of four story starters. These are posted as the students wrote them with no, or very minor changes by me.
A Day at the Carnival by Emily http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dg4drx7j_6cm8dg6cg
A Big Bubble by Mitchell http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dg4drx7j_5f8pq4hc4
A Barren Cornfield by Tim http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dg4drx7j_4nmvgx6dd
Angie and the Big Bubble by Mikayla http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dg4drx7j_7fpfv7ths
Lighter Than Air by Kayla http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dg4drx7j_8cjd7sz7d
Monster Snake by Andrew http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dg4drx7j_98gz3tczq
The Big Wind by Mason http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dg4drx7j_10gpqv9xmr
The Bubblegum Contest by Dylan http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dg4drx7j_11cf7xjrgr
The Contest by Justin http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dg4drx7j_12fxx68gdv
The Girl Who Became Pink by Laura http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dg4drx7j_13dqmqwwdk
The Hungry Crows by Lee http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dg4drx7j_14gqnv69dr
The Hungry Crows by Lucas http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dg4drx7j_15kd984mf7
The Mystery by Rachel http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dg4drx7j_16hmj982g4
The Very Hungry Crows by Ben http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dg4drx7j_17dxggnhfj
There Once Was a Girl Named Jilby by Amber http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dg4drx7j_18dffphqcr

Today we typed some tall tales. I hope to get some posted here for you to read. Unfortunately, due to a misunderstanding, we lost some of them when another class used the lab. I will see how many I can salvage. Keep an eye open for those, they should be fun. Tomorrow is The Wizard of Oz at WLA. In the afternoon we will finish Call of the Wild and work on our song for Dec 7th when we sing in church. I have posted our singing schedule at the bottom of the page.

The Science tests did not go as well (as a class) as I had hoped. While we had several A's there were some grades that were lower than I would like to see. It seems that not everyone is using the study guide. I strongly encourage using it. We also took a break from chapter 9 to review some of the key terms for chapter 8. We made a "mind map" of some of the key concepts. I gave the students two worksheets to review the vocabulary terms. I want to make sure we get these terms before we move on, and it should be an easy grade as well. I plan on getting the tests back to the students tomorrow.

Journals will be due tomorrow. I plan on making this our last journal entry. While the English series strongly recommends doing them, I do not think that what we are getting out of them, in most cases, is worth the amount of time that the students are putting into writing them and the time I am putting into reading them. Students are welcome and encouraged to keep writing on their own.

Geography: In book 2,3,5 wsh 85 and quiz for Monday
English: Journal "If I could pick any other time to live in I would pick _."
Science: wshs 15 and 18
Math: Set 48 evens for Monday
Algebra: 54 evens for Monday
Spelling: Test tomorrow first thing
Current Events: pp 2-5 and quiz
Health: No assignment

We had a pretty good day today. The students handed in some good journal entries, and they did a better job quieting down during transition time. Let's keep up the good work!

We started talking about water as an agent of erosion. We will spend today and tomorrow working on tall tales. I hope to be able to post some here. We also got to watch part of a movie based on Call of the Wild. Unfortunately, it is pretty loosely based, but it offers a good comparison.

Geography: No assignment
Science: Read 238-248, wsh 9-1
English: Rough Draft of a tall tale and story outline
Spelling: 76-77
Math: Set 47 practice problems and evens
Algebra: Set 53
Health: No assignment
Current Events: Boys have a quiz on pages 16-19 tomorrow, Next week pages 2-5 and a quiz will be due on Wednesday for the girls and Thursday for the boys
Music: 37-40
C.L. Memory Treasures Tomorrow!
Journal for Friday: If I could live in a different time, I would pick __.

Greetings! Since I had corrected all of my late work I sent home updated progress reports today. Look for those. We took the Science test today, but did not have time to correct it. Due to some tests and coincidence it should be a fairly light homework day; however, we are still working on getting settled down and getting right to our work, so it could have been even lighter. Every minuet counts! If there is any extra time, keep plugging away at those AR books!

Geography: Map test tomorrow
Science: No assignment
English: Work on journal "If the world was going to end tomorrow, I would _ today."
Spelling: pp 74-75
Algebra: No assignment
Math: No assignment
Current Events: read 16-19 be ready for a quiz on the Supreme Court
Music: 37-40 for Thursday
Health: No assignment
Memory Treasures are due Thursday

Today we had a special presentation on how cheese is made. We got to sample bleu cheese. There was some debate about if that is a good thing or a bad thing. Ask your student what they learned about cheese.

We missed out on some study time this AM, but we had a very productive study time this afternoon.

The Call of the Wild test went well. The class averaged a B.

Geography: Map test Wednesday
Spelling: 74-75 for Wednesday
English: Worksheet 10-3 for Tuesday, journal for Wednesday "If tomorrow were the end of the world, I would ___ today."
Science: Test Study guide was handed out Friday and is available at the link below.
Math: Set 46
Algebra: 52 test
Current Events: Read pp 16-19 and be ready for a quiz
Music: wsh 33-36
Christ Light: Memory Treasures for Thursday

Happy Friday! Ask your student about working with the second grade today. A good time was had by all. We had a long and productive study time this morning. We took some time to work on journal entries. I am going to try setting more frequent due dates and giving the students topics on which to write. Hopefully this will improve our journaling efforts.

Progress Reports went home today. Some of the grades may change based on late work that I am working through. Call of the Wild has been a challenge for some students. The test on Monday will will consists of multiple choice questions. Most of these will be taken directly off of the worksheets. A few have been reworded and there is one trick question.

The science test will be Tuesday. The students were given a study guide today. The link below will bring that up as well.

Geography: Test Wednesday
Science: Review on pages pp 234-235
Literature: Test Monday
Math: Set 45 even, 5 problems you don't know
Algebra: Set 51
English: 10-2 A+B
Heath: 190 Column 1 1-11, p191 1-34 hand in asap
CE: pp 16-19 Quiz on the Supreme Court
Music: wsh 33-36 Tuesday
Christ Light: Memory Thursday
Journal for Monday: "If I won $50,000 I would . . . because. . .."

Click to view science study guides.

8th grade Science Test Ch. 8 Study http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dg4drx7j_2mkw8crfw

7th grade Science Test Ch 8 Study Guide http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dg4drx7j_3dh847fc7

I have received many complaints about students behavior in the bathrooms. I have started sending only a few students at a time at break and at lunch time. However, this takes up a lot of valuable time, and I have continued to get complaints despite this precaution. Unfortunately there is not enough time to be able to send the students one at a time. I have told the students that there will be no break on Friday. This is not something I am willing to continue long term. Please speak to your student and encourage them to use proper behavior while in the rest rooms. I appreciate your help.

On the positive side we had some very good study time this morning. The afternoons continue to be a bit rougher, but we seem to be making some progress in the mornings.

In an effort to reduce the amount of late work still outstanding, I am going to be having some mandatory after school study halls for anyone who has existing late work. I would like students with late work to stay after on any of these days when he or she does not have a practice. I have picked days when I will be around to help the student(s) if needed. Hopefully we can get the board cleared!

Geography: Read 223-224 quiz and ws are due for Friday, the test will be Wednesday
Science: ws 8-3 for Friday, the test will be Tuesday,
Literature: ch 7 and ws Friday, test Monday
Spelling: Test Friday
Math: set 44
Algebra: set 50
English: page 84 re-write the two paragraphs
Health: page 190 column 1 1-11, page 191 1-34
Current Events: pp 16-19 and quiz
Music: wsh 33-36 for Tuesday
Christ Light: Memory for Thursday

Glaciers and direct objects were the order of the day. Also, we are on chapter away from finishing Call of the Wild. If you get a chance, ask you student about the mouse in the room. (Part of the story I am reading to them.)

Geography: Read 218-228 and do the foldable
Science: Read 210-214, do wsh 8-2
Literature: Read Chapter 7 and do wsh for Friday
Spelling: Pages 70-71
Math: Set 43
Algebra: Set 49
English: Sentence flow on worksheet, one sentence following the pattern in lesson 10-1 and one improved sentence
Christ Light: Worksheets and memory for TOMORROW!
Health: p. Column 1 1-11, p.191 1-34
Current Events: Read 16-19
Music: 29-32 for TOMORROW!

Today in English we talked about personification. The students will write a narrative as an object. I look forward to reading some really creative paragraphs. We also started talking about agents of weathering.

Some students are still struggling with getting all of their work in on time, but over all the class seems to be improving. Please stay on top of this! We are also still working on quieting down during transitions so that we can get right to the next thing. This was particularly rough today.

Geography: Read 212-215, Work Sheets 61 and 85
Science: Read pages 210-219 and complete wsh 27
Literature: Wsh on ch 6
Spelling: pp 68-69
Math: Set 42
Algebra: Set 48
English: Writing Assignment 13, outline, rough draft, final copy, journals due this week
Christ Light: Memory and worksheets due Thursday
Health: p 190, column 1 1-11, p 191 1-34 hand in as soon as possible, no later than next health class
Current Events: read pp 6-9 be ready for a quiz
Music: wsh 29-32 for Thursday

We took the science test today and were plagued by technical difficulties, still are in fact. We corrected most of the test already, so your student should have a good idea how he or she did.

Geography: Read 209-211 and do the foldable
Literature: We listened to chapter 6 in class. Have the worksheet done by Wednesday
Spelling: p.p. 68-69 for Wednesday
Math: Set 41 for Tuesday
Algebra: Set 47 for Tuesday
English: Wsh 22-23 for Tuesday
Christ Light: Two worksheets and memory for Thursday
Health: p. 190 Column 1 questions 1-11, page 191 1-34 Due Monday 11-17 for the girls, Tuesday 11-18 for the boys.
Current Events: Read pp 6-9 be ready for a quiz, Wednesday or Thursday
Music: 29-32 for Thursday

Science Study Guide

Earth Science Test Ch 7 Study Guide
Soil is a mixture of weathered rock, mineral fragments, water, air and what?
The layer of soil that contains the most organic material is called the ___ horizon.
What factors cause mechanical weathering?
Litter often covers which horizon?
Chemical weathering is more rapid in what kind of climate?
Mechanical weathering is more rapid in what kind of climate?
Soil erosion can be slowed by what?
What is the organic matter in humus made of?
The rate of weathering depends upon an area’s what?
The rock and mineral fragments in soil come from rock that has been ___.
On steep slopes and mountains, what helps reduce erosion by creating level areas for crops? (Don’t say farmers, what do we call what the farmers do?

What is the difference between mechanical and chemical weathering?
Soils in what kind of area contain little organic material and are thin?
Plants cannot grow without what?
What regions are especially vulnerable to erosion because their soils are useful to farmers for only a few years before their nutrients are gone?

Ice wedging is brought about by what?
Minerals found in the B horizon were dissolved in water and carried there by a process called what?
Oxidation occurs when materials containing what are exposed to oxygen and water?
In bottomlands where water is plentiful, soil is often what?
Describe the B horizon.
Plants don’t grow as well when what has been lost?
Name the factors that affect soil development.
What horizon has smaller rocks and mineral particles than the other layers?
How does mechanical weathering work?
How does chemical weathering work?
In areas where freezing and thawing occur frequently, rocks weather because of the ___ of freezing water.

When water mixes with carbon dioxide gas in the air or soil, what forms?
Because desert soils contain little organic material, their soil profiles have ___ horizons.
What turns and loosens soil, improving it for crops, but leaving soil vulnerable to erosion?
What factors contribute to soil erosion?
What is it called when farmers leave plant stalks in the field to reduce soil erosion?
Label a diagram of the soil horizons.
What do we call all of the soil horizons together for an area?
Which horizon contains the most humus?
Which horizon is most like the parent material?
The most leaching occurs from which horizon to which horizon?
Topsoil is which horizon?
Which horizon has the least organic material?
Most plant roots grow in which horizon?
What do we call leaves, twigs, and other organic matter on the A horizon?
What do we call small pieces of rock such as sand, silt, and clay?
What do we call the pattern of weather that occurs in a particular area of many years?
Because plants do not grow well when topsoil has been removed ___ is harmful.
When farm animals eat the grass on land until there is almost no ground cover, it is called what?
What is made of dead plant and animal matter that has decayed due to bacteria and fungi?
Planting along the natural slope of the land to reduce soil erosion is called what?
Eroded soil can enter what, causing them to fill up with sediment?
Be able to identify which picture shows ice wedging.
Be able to identify which picture shows weathering involving carbonic acid?
Are animal burrows an example of chemical or mechanical weathering?
Describe the factors that influence the development and type of soil in a certain area.
What human activities lead to soil erosion?
Name three things farmers can do to reduce soil erosion.

Happy Friday! We started the day off with chapel where we heard about mission opportunities being all around us. We ended the day with a presentation on the African Medical Mission. Be sure to ask your students about both of these.

We continued to struggle with students not making the best use of their time. Too much time was spent waiting for students to quiet down at various places during the day. I am trying to impress on the students that every moment that is wasted at school is that much more homework for that night. Please try to reinforce this message.

Keep at those journals and AR books!

There is a great website I would like to recommend to you. It is called Librivox. Volunteers record themselves reading various public domain works. You are then able to download the mp3 file and listen to them for free. They work in conjunction with the Guetenburg project which supplies free text versions of various works as well. Since it is done by volunteers it is free. but the quality of the work varies. The web site is www.librivox.com. The site for Call of the Wild is http://librivox.org/call-of-the-wild-by-jack-london/. If you are interested check it out. I listen to the books while driving, exercising, or even cutting the grass.

Geography: Label Map
Literature: Chapter 5 read and do worksheet
Science: Test Monday
English: Wsh 21
Math and Algebra had a test
Health: 187 1-5 for Monday or Tuesday
Current Events: read pages 6-9 and be ready for a quiz Wednesday or Thursday
Music: wsh 29-32 for Thursday

We finished our study of soils today in science. The test will be on Monday.

We will continue with Call of the Wild in Literature tomorrow. I shared with the students today, that Chapter 4 has a section that many students find confusing. The author talks about Buck, the main character who happens to be a dog, is imaging sitting by a fire with a different man. This different man is a vision of man in the past. The author is trying to show how Buck is reverting to a more primitive state, going back to his instincts from many generations ago. Many students find this part confusing.

In Christ Light we started a discussion on what do we say to people who do not believe in Jesus as their savior.

The last two days we also had a good discussion about the election process, the electoral college, and we looked at a map that shows how each area of the country and state voted. You can find it at http://www.jsonline.com/news/president/33840019.html

Most of the students made good use of their study time today. We are continuing to work on improving transition time.

Geography: Study for Map Test
Literature: Chapter 4 and worksheet
Math: Pick any 10 problems from any Math set
Algebra: Set 46
Science: Review on pages 206 and 207 for Friday, the test will be Monday
Spelling: Spelling test at as close to 8:00 as possible
English: Worksheet 20, everything but the writting assignment-we are skipping the writting assignment
Health p. 187 1-5
Current Events: Read pages 6-9 and be ready for a quiz next week on pages 4-9
Music: Worksheets 29-32 for Thursday the 13th

We had a chance to see the 8th grade play today. It was very cute, be sure to ask your student about it. The class was vary talkative this morning, but they did an excellent job during the play. They were a good audience.

Geography: Review wsh
Lit: Read chapter 4 and do worksheet. (Several students are still having a very rough time with the multiple choice worksheet. Please encourage them read carefully and answer the questions carefully as well.) Due Friday
Math 8/7: Set 40 evens
Algebra: Set 45 1-30
Science: Read pages 196-199 and do wsh 7-3
Spelling: Pages 64-65
English: Personal Narrative - outline, rough draft and final copy
Christ Light Memory is due tomorrow!
Health p. 187 questions 1-5 Due Monday for the girls and Tuesday for the boys
Current Events: Read pages 6 - 9 in God's World News. Next Wednesday for the girls and next Thursday for the boys

Today was a mixed day. We had one very good study time after Science, but the students did not do as well at the end of the day. Part of that may have been that we switched desks. Encourage your student to resit the temptations that may arise due to a new seating arrangement.

We are in need of people to sign up to help out at Basketball games. Please sign up for as much time as you are able.

Everything is Due Wednesday unless otherwise noted.
Geography: p 198 - 202, worksheet 38, and a quiz.
Literature: Read Chapter 3 of Call of the Wild and fill out the worksheet.
Algebra: Set 44
Math: Set 39
Science: Read 188-194 and worksheet 7-2
Spelling: 62 - 63
English: Worksheets 18 + 19, 8-3 A and B
Health: page 187 questions 1-5 Due Monday the 10th for the girls, Tuesday the 11th for the boys.

We will be watching the 8th grade play tomorrow at 1:30. I hear it is a good one!
On Friday we will be having a guest speaker talking to the school about the WELS African Medical Mission.

Math: Set 38 do 25 problems for Tuesday
Science p. 182- 187 an wsh 7-1 for Tuesday
Geography: p.192-196 wsh 37 and Quiz for Tuesday
English: wsh 17, Chapter 8 lesson 2 for Tuesday
Reading: Call of the Wild Read chapter 3 and do worksheet for Wednesday
Spelling: Pages 62-63 for Wednesday

We started chapter 7 in science today. We are discussing weathering and soil formation. The grades for chapter 2 of Call of the Wild were not where we would like them to be. I encourage you to have your student tell you what is happening in the book. Make sure they are reading for comprehension and not just to say they read it.

The Memory Treasure are posted on the right. Encourge your student to be working on them a little bit every day.

Pastor will be gone this week so we will be using the Catechism time for other tasks. We will watch the 8th grade play on Wednesday at 1:30. There will also be another performance Thursday night.

Last week we started Call of the Wild by Jack London for literature. We will be working on that for the next few weeks.

Thank you to everyone for coming in for conferences. I found them to be productive and look forward to the fruits that will result.