What A Month!

Four weeks ago tomorrow, my son was born.  Two weeks ago tomorrow, my daughter came down with pneumonia.  Everyone is now happy and healthy at home.  Ms Drane did an excellent job of getting the geography of Egypt covered, and we are ready to start studying the Pharaohs of ancient Egypt!  

One thing to keep in mind as we study the Pharaohs and the monuments that they built is the fact that they had ABSOLUTE power over their people.  Absolute power means that nothing and no one had any control over the Pharaohs of Egypt.  They believed that they were gods on earth, and that they could do anything that they wanted, without fear of punishment.

Does the President of the US have this kind of power today?  Thoughts?

Are You Ready For Some Projects???!!!!!!

We start our Mesopotamian Museum projects tomorrow!  Is everyone excited?  I am!  This is a great opportunity for everyone to show their creativity and demonstrate how they have learned about one specific subject.  It's always been very rewarding for me to see what direction you have taken with your projects.  I don't know who it will be, but some of you will surprise me!

I hope that you have all rehearsed.  If not, grab a family member and run through your presentation tonight.  Projects are welcome in my room in the morning - come up when you arrive at school.  The project has to arrive tomorrow if you are presenting tomorrow, but Tuesday projects are welcome if they are complete.

Papers are not due until Wednesday, but if you are done - hand it in asap! You don't want to forget it at home on Wednesday!

Good luck, sleep well, and I'll see you tomorrow!

Monday or Tuesday?

Which day will you be presenting?  Here are the results.  Let me start by saying that about 20 people did not respond to the question (which was your homework on Tuesday night), so these people have been assigned randomly.

Blue Group

Monday - Noah, Charlotte, Nicholas, Jillian, Peter, Tristen, Chris and Michael C.
Tuesday - Cayley, Luther, Michael M., Ashley, Safe, Elizabeth, Kevin, and Samantha

Green Group

Monday - Evan, Jacob, Abby, Asmine, Courtney, Enzo, and Shekinah
Tuesday - Shane, Butaina, Tia, Bridget, Chrystie, Amer, Teofilia, Lakesha, and Joseph

Red Group

Monday - Mallika, Colleen, Phaidra, Gavin, David, Gabriella, Jackie, and Noemi
Tuesday - Sam, Niko, Julianne, Alexander, Ryan, Samantha, Evelande, Donovan, and Hannah

Yellow Group

Monday - Cadee, Alyssa, Audrey, Chris, Meghan, Gabriel, Michael, Nicole M., Shruti
Tuesday - Isabelle, Trinity, Matt, Karla, Krystal, Iman, Kevin, Nicole C., Valeri, Jovia

If the Yellow Group needs more time, I will probably ask the teachers to switch your double to Tuesday.  All projects will be presented by Tuesday.

If you don't see your name, please send me an email.  If your family is leaving early for Thanksgiving break, let me know - I will schedule you on Monday.  Papers must be submitted BEFORE you leave for the holiday weekend.  
 

This Week

Well my son arrived a little early, so I don't know when I will be in this week.  We were prepared with child care for next week, but this was a curve ball!  I am in contact with Ms. Drane, and I am sending in assignments from home.  The test is planned for Wednesday, and the corrected study guide is up on my site (Homework - Monday), so check your answers!

I will definitely be in school next Monday, which is the first day of presentations.  Tomorrow I will put homework up under the Tuesday tab, asking which day (Monday or Tuesday) you want to present.  Everyone can't present on Tuesday, so if I get 70 requests for Tuesday I'll have to assign days...

Remember that Friday is the deadline for returning permission slips and $30 for the December 6 field trip. My homeroom is about 3/4 of the way there.  If you haven't turned in your slip and money, please do so by Friday!

I am available by email or Google Hangouts for any questions that you have about the test or your projects.  I will have a laptop with me wherever I go, so my response time should be prompt.

Last but not least, here he is - James.

Projects and Field Trip

Your projects are due in less than two weeks at this point.  We will start presenting them on November 25.  You should be well underway (if not closed to finished) at this point.  Remember to rehearse your presentation before then.  Grab a family member or even a pet, and practice, practice, practice in front of them.  Rehearsal makes the real presentation go more smoothly.  I'm excited, are you?

The field trip is coming upon us quickly as well.  It is scheduled for December 6 which is less than a month away!  Permission slips and the $30 are due in homerooms by next Friday, November 22.  I know that 3/4 of my homeroom still hasn't turned anything in as of yet...

Quiz on Tuesday

You all did a nice job of exploring the difficulties faced by the ancient Sumerians, and figuring out how they solved those problems.  We'll cover the Key Terms/Places from this section as well as the problems faced by the Sumerians on the way to civilization!

Runny Noses

Such an exciting topic - I know!  I am an allergy sufferer, so I know that between the fall ragweed, winter cold and dust, and spring allergies, runny noses can continue all year with little relief.  Multiply that by 70 little noses, and tissues disappear quickly here at the McGlynn.

Early in September, each homeroom received some kind donations of tissues and other items needed in the classrooms, but the tissues (as always) were the first to run out.  I opened and used my last box of donated tissues last week.  The other classes are running low as well.  If any parents could grab and extra box or two of tissues while shopping, it would be greatly appreciated.  I would also recommend individual packages of tissues for your own student.  Always having some in your binder or pencil case makes life easier (and neater).

I never thought that I'd blog about tissues...

The End of Prehistory...

and the beginning of the Fertile Crescent civilizations.  Chapter 1 is behind us and we are moving into our first big (5 section) chapter.  This chapter also includes a project that will be completed by Thanksgiving.  As we move forward, remember the role geography plays in making a civilization successful.  That very same geography allowed people to enter into the Agricultural Revolution.  Agriculture may have meant more work for people, but it also brought incredible benefits (settled homes, surplus, population growth, specialization, trade, communities).  These things don't go away just because the chapter on prehistory is over, they are the foundations upon which all civilizations are built.  Keep that in mind, it will probably (hint) show up on most of your tests and quizzes....

"A Christmas Carol" on December 6th

Permission slips should be going home this week.  The presentation has been done by the North Shore Music Circus for years, and it is an excellent time! We will follow up the show with pizza for lunch at Prince Pizza in Saugus.  The price is $30.  This may seem expensive, but with help from the PTO, we were able to bring the cost down by $9 compared to what last year's class had to pay.   Hope to see everyone there!

Builders Club Joins the Fight Against Breast Cancer

The Builders Club has held it's first two meetings of the year, and we are also about to hold our first two fundraisers of the year.  Members decided that a fundraiser for Breast Cancer Research would be appropriate, as October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  Builders Club members will start selling pink pencils and bracelets reading "Join the Fight" next week during lunch periods.  Pencils will be $1.00 and bracelets will be $2.00.  The club hopes to raise $500 for breast cancer research by the end of the month.

The club will also be holding it's annual bake sale on Meet the Teacher Night, next Wednesday.  This fundraiser has been a good kick-off fundraiser for the past few years, and has raised money for club supplies throughout the year.  Gym bags, tee shirts and other items will also be available at the bake sale.

Chapter Test Next Week

We are wrapping up chapter one in class today, so it's time to start preparing for the chapter test!  I will distribute study guides today.  You will complete the study guide on your one (and from the notes in your binders), but we will go over them by the end of the week.  Try studying every night - cramming for the test isn't the best way to get things done.

We'll have the test next Wednesday, then it's on to The Fertile Crescent!

Homework

I didn’t get the homework up before I left today. I'll have it posted tomorrow.

Quiz on Thursday!

I am sure that you're already studying, but we do have a quiz on Thursday.  It covers pp. 4-8 in your binder as well as the Key Terms and Places from Section 2.  This quiz will be the last grade that makes it onto your midterm report.  So that's two quizzes, lots of homework, and class participation going into your midterm grade.  Oh, let's add in a binder check on Friday - we have 10 pages in the front section, at least two in the Key Terms section, and two glossaries in the Permanent File.  Make sure that they are in order and numbered properly!

Midterm reports go home with you on 10/15.  Meet the Teacher night in on 10/16.

Three Weeks Down!

Well, almost!  We have one quiz out of the way, and we'll have another next week (hint, hint).  It's a good time to check your binder and make sure that your sections are in order and all of your pages are in the right place.  Organization is something that you really should work on every day, but don't be surprised if we start having binder checks soon.

Builders Club Donates to Krystle Campbell Scholarship Fund

Thanks to everyone that participated, and thanks to Michael Barletta for coming up with the idea for the bracelets while still on his April Vacation!  If you'd like to know more, please Read the Article in the Medford Patch

Pictured: Builders Club Vice-President Anthony McKillop, Fund Chairman Jack Dempsey, Builders Club President Nicole Matarazzo, and Club Advisor Sean McGillicuddy 

Well, it's the middle of the summer....

and I hope that everyone is having a great time.  I know that my family has been enjoying time away from school.  I also hope that everyone is gradually preparing for the new school year.  I usually pick up things that I need for the classroom a little bit at a time (sharpeners, pencils, tissues, etc).  Putting your supplies together for next year is easier if you do it a little bit at a time instead of trying to throw everything together at the last minute (or even worse-after school has started).

It's not necessarily fun to think about these things during the summer months, but preparation is a year-round practice.  The start of the next year will go more smoothly if you've done some preparation over the summer months!

Builders Club Fundraiser- "Boston Strong 617" Bracelets

The Builders Club will be selling "Boston Strong 617" bracelets for $2.00 each, starting tomorrow.  The idea was proposed by seventh-grader Michael Barletta over April Vacation and the bracelets should arrive at the school today.  The McGlynn Builders Club donated the cost of these bracelets and we hope to raise $1000 to donate to relief funds set up for victims of the terrorist acts at the Boston Marathon.  Any additional donations (over the cost of the bracelet) will be added to the total.

The bracelets will come in blue and yellow and blue and red color schemes.  Please help us raise money for this important cause and wear your bracelets to show your support both for victims and for Boston!

How is Everybody?

It has been a crazy, sad twenty-four hours in the Boston area and we still have no answers.  I've heard from several students, just checking in to say that they are okay.  If you are checking this site during vacation, please leave a comment and just tell everyone how you are doing.

Projects Due Next Week

You have chosen topics, done your research and written your rough drafts.  Well, most of you have done most of these things.  If you haven't completed any of the preliminary steps try to get them done by the end of the week.

Next week, we begin presentations and final papers are due on Friday!  Students will be presenting on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday (we don't have school on Tuesday).  You will know which day is yours by the end of the week.

Since presentations begin in five days, I hope that you have your costume ready and have begun to prepare your props.  For your presentation, you will be speaking in the first person ("I am Socrates..."), so rehearse your part!  Practice in front of your family, your dog, your cat or your fish!  Practice will make it easier to stand up in front of the class, so practice as much as you can between now and next week.  You won't regret it.

It's going to be a great week with lots of amazing presentations.  I can't wait to see your work!

ELA MCAS Tomorrow

We have the first half of the ELA MCAS tomorrow (as if you didn't already know).  Try to go to sleep early, eat a good breakfast and get to school on time tomorrow.  First four periods will be dedicated to MCAS, so there is no rush on your part.  Take your time, follow the reading strategies that Ms. Sanford has given you, and you will do well!

You MAY use highlighters or pens during the MCAS, so bring some if you like to mark up passages as you read them. You will be given a pencil, but you should bring your own #2 pencil, as it never hurts to have extra pencils during an exam.

Good luck!

Snow

While I'm getting a lot of things done today, I'm ready for this snow to be over. At this point, we won't be getting out until June 27th.

I hope that everyone is spending at least a little bit of this day working on their projects!

Second Project Deadline is Tomorrow

If you've been checking your directions, you have noticed that tomorrow is the day your sources are due in class. What at I will be checking is to see if you have gathered together research material (books, articles, etc) that you can use to complete your reading notes. Those reading notes are are to be completed and presented in class next Monday. Once again, you can work on things ahead of schedule if you wish, but don't fall behind on your project!

Open House/Night of Excellence

Tonight is the 5th Grade Open House/Night of Excellence at the McGlynn Middle School. Team 6A is busy preparing for a rush of parents and students stopping in to see all of your hard work from this year. Take a look at how things are shaping up for tonight!

Blogging for Section 1

We are just about done with section one at this point. For those of you blogging, you should be working on entries about the geography of Greece, the isolation that led to city-states, and the access to the sea which led to trade and colonization.

The origins of Greek civilization are also important here, as the Minoan and Mycenaean civilizations provide the foundations of early Greek culture and are windows into the earliest days of Greek civilization.

 

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Projects Underway

The first deadline has passed-you all have a topic and it's time to do some research. The next deadline is next Monday, March 18. You will need to present your research materials in class, and we'll get a better idea of what you have as we'll as what you still need for your paper.You can always move FASTER than the pace that I've outlined in the directions but don't fall behind. If you keep up with the timelines that I've set, you should be able to submit a complete your project on time.

Remember, books are a good resource (imagine that), so go to the library or a bookstore, or check out some online bookstores to find some books on your topic. The Internet is a great resource, but the volume of information can be overwhelming! Don't trust everything that you read-confirm your information in more than one place. If you find conflicting information, check another source. We are dealing with ancient times, so experts might disagree about things. You may very well end up sharing more than one opinion on a subject. If this confuses you, talk to me and we'll figure out how to word things in your paper.

We will try to go to the computer lab during our double periods, but don't expect that to be enough time to complete your project. Think of it as extra time to work, but the majority of your work should be done at home.

 

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Half Way Through The Third Quarter

Progress reports are coming out soon, projects have been assigned, and the Night of Excellence is this week.

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