1. Nancy Jones nancy.jones@cobbk12.org

2.  917-746-8952  @hwhjones

3.  Yearbooks are currently on sale for $90 and will go up to $100 after Spring Break  To purchase a book, please see a staff member in room 111 or 112 OR order online at www.yearbookordercenter.comwww.yearbookordercenter.com  PSAT scores/booklets were given today!

4.  Synergy: Please make sure students have access to their grades via Synergy ◦ See Admin. 1 if they do not know their password ◦ I enter comments into Pinnacle as well as grades so check often  We will cover over 5,000 years of history so we will move quickly  Reading quizzes on assigned chapter material ◦ Generally, these are open note/open homework! ◦ Students retain more information when they gather it themselves.

5.  Primary/Secondary source readings ◦ Focus on writing school-wide ◦ DBQ’s – Document Based Questions ◦ Documents/Primary sources important for AP classes ◦ Use complete sentences ALWAYS! ◦ Be careful about text “lingo” B/C, &, 2, U, etc. ◦ Use supporting details, examples ◦ ALWAYS, ALWAYS explain WHY (never a yes or no) ◦ First DBQ today: How Great Was Alexander the Great? This is on the blog now.

6.  Summer Reading assessment Monday, Jan. 27 ◦ Given last Spring, 4 choices of books  Goal is to provide different learning opportunities to meet individual learning styles – writing, group projects, presentations, technology, web quests, visual projects, etc. ◦ Example: Bonus writing activity – write an epic tale! ◦ Athens & Sparta Body Biography - visual project  Focus on higher level thinking, analysis, application ◦ Historical facts and information are important but the concepts and themes are the most important

7.  Study guides are given at the beginning of each unit. ◦ Do not have to be turned in ◦ Use as a “mental checklist” to assess whether students understand the term ◦ Do not just memorize the words: ask yourself if you truly understand why this person, place, event is IMPORTANT in history ◦ Always look at the big picture surrounding the historical facts – i.e. WHY DOES THIS MATTER?

8.  Academic Support and Enrichment  25 minutes extra in each class one day per week  Review, test preparation, online practice, individual help  www.classzone.com www.classzone.com  www.usatestprep.com www.usatestprep.com

9.  Provide a challenging and fun environment for my students  Create a warm, welcoming, safe environment where students are free to ask questions, challenge themselves and each other, make mistakes, learn from their mistakes and move on  Encourage students to leave class with more knowledge than they entered with  Allow students to explore differentiated material suitable for their academic needs  Allow students to create learning processes and products that suit their individual learning style