Agenda: Week of May 24 - May 28, 2010

Quote of the Day:  "What is one to say about June, the time of perfect young summer, the fulfillment of the promise of the earlier months, and with as yet no sign to remind one that its fresh young beauty will ever fade."  ~Gertrude Jekyll

Agenda:
MONDAY:
1.  Goal of the Week - we'll work together in groups to do these and discuss them.
2.  Juniors will look at this video:

Sophomores will do a socratic seminar on the first chapter of their US History AP book for the summer: "Lies My Teacher Told Me."  They will annotate the text, ask and answer questions and read through the chapter in groups.  We'll discuss as a big group at the end.
3.  ALL - Plan tutor celebration on Tuesday.  Cards?

TUESDAY:
Last day of Tutoring for the year!
View our end of the year AVID Video with the tutors.

FINAL EXAM SCHEDULE

WED/THU:
Discuss final exam essays.  Give the students time to organize their essays.  They will do them in class for the final for a timed writing.

FINAL EXAM DAY:
We'll do our final exam timed writing essays over these choices:
1.  AVID Summer Institute Speech (The What has AVID done for me speech)
2.  Roadtrip Nation - Write about the experience and how it impacted you.  What did you learn?
3.  Life Goal.  This is the AVID Life Goal Essay.
4.  College Trip Essay - Students can pick a college trip from this year and write about the trip and what they learned.

Lauren and Angela - Former Tutors Guest Speak Today

So proud of Lauren and Angela, two of our former AVID Tutors.  They are doing a great job at Texas A&M and Boston U. respectively.  We were really pleased to have them come in on Friday and share their stories and advice about the freshman year with the AVID students.

Kingwood's new library

Beautiful

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Aidan @ our new library

Have you ever seen a library with a video game room?

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Meeting in Red LGI for AP/Dual US History Students for Next Year

Could you briefly tell your kids that Mark and I would like to see anyone signed up for AP/dual US in the Red LGI today, tomorrow, or Thursday after school? It will take about 5 minutes. Sorry for the short notice!

 

 

John Gillespie

AP Dual Credit US History

Social Studies Department Head

 

www.masterghistory.com

Agenda: Week of Monday, May 16, 2010 to Friday, May 21, 2010

Fact – As each bird flaps its wings, it creates uplift for the bird following. By flying in a "V" formation, the whole flock adds 71 percent greater flying range than if one bird flew alone.

Lesson Learned – People who share a common direction and sense of community can get where they are going quicker and easier because they are traveling on the strength of one another. [Source]

MONDAY:

Goal of the Week.  We'll work on goals in our tutoring groups and discuss them with the Geese Quotes and Teambuilding information from this site:  http://www.teambuildinginc.com/article_geese.htm

Socratic Seminar Project

Then we will do a small group socratics seminar on the following articles: 

Group 1:

New York Times article:  Plan B: Skip College By JACQUES STEINBERG

WHAT’S the key to success in the United States? May 14, 2010

Group 2:

US News & World Report article: 5 Do's and Don'ts for College Students Using Social Media

There are ways to use social media and ways not to--make sure you know the differences.

By Jeff Greer, May 12, 2010

Group 3:

US News & World Report article: Most High Schoolers Cheat—But Don't Always See It as Cheating

Study examines prevalence, perceptions of cheating May 13, 2010

Group 4:

Time Magazine: Why Do Women Still Earn Less Than Men? By Laura Fitzpatrick Apr. 20, 2010

Each group will read their articles (10 minutes), annotate the text and write at least 1 question (5 minutes), then they will discuss in their group.  One person in the group will write out the two most important things that they have learned from the article and write an overall summary of the article and reflection of their groups work.  

We will rotate these 4 articles through each group over the next week and then present the findings of each group to the class next week.  

TUESDAY:

Tutoring

WEDNESDAY/THURSDAY:

Tutoring first 1/2 of the period.  Then we will do our group socratic seminar project on the 4 articles above.  We will rotate the next article through the groups.

FRIDAY:

Socratic seminar: we will do our group socratic seminar project on the 4 articles above.  We will rotate the next article through the groups.

**We may have a guest speaker or two from college over the next couple of weeks.  AHS students are returning from colleges and universities all over the country and some have asked to come in to address our AVID classes. If we have a guest speaker, we'll postpone the socratic discussion groups until the next class period.

Agenda: Week of Monday, May 10 through Friday, May 14, 2010

Quote of the Week:  "The principal goal of education is to create people who are capable of doing new things, not simply of repeating what other generations have done."

Jean Piaget (1896-1980) Swiss cognitive psychologist.

May 10, 1992 - Mr. Duez graduated from Juniata College.  Beside July 4th, 1995 (My wedding) and October 27th, 2004 (Aidan's birth) it was one of my best days as a human.  I hope every one of my students experiences the same feeling of accomplishment that I was able to have that day.

AGENDA:

Monday - 

1.  Goal of the Week
2.  Timed Writing Essay for Aerie Yearbook:

From Guy Anderson, our Journalism teacher.  Here is the prompt . . .

From 2010 forward, all classes will have attended AHS for all four years. All students are welcomed to submit an essay, and all faculty are also welcome to submit an essay, not just those who have been here all four years.

Describe what it means to you to be Red, White & TRUE, to yourself, to your friends, to your teammates, to your school and community. Basically, what's it mean to be PURE EAGLE.

Two winning essays will be published in the opening pages of this year's Aerie Yearbook - the first thing readers will see and read when they open the annual.

Be creative. Let it flow. Good luck.

3.  After students complete their essay:  Students will work on completing their 4 year plan and also the reading of "The Gatekeepers" if they did not complete it for the sub last week.

4.  (if time remains) We will do a couple of team building activities:

First, Mr. Duez will pull up this website: http://www.teambuildinginc.com/article_geese.htm

We'll read and discuss how geese use teamwork and what we can learn from them.

Directions, Directions

Students work in groups of 4-6. One person starts, identifying and performing a small task (i.e. “Clap hands three times”). The next person repeats and performs the same tasks, then adds on one of their own (i.e. “Clap hands three time, stick out tongue”). Play continues around the group, with each person performing and adding a new task to the mix. Students who cannot complete the sequence correctly are out until the next round. This game requires students to follow directions, focus, listen carefully, and utilize memory skills.

Tuesday: TUTORING

Wed/Thu: TUTORING & then students will work on their second draft of their Life Goals.  

Friday:

Guest speaker  

OR Socratic Seminar over College Tips.

We'll divide into our tutoring groups and each group will have one article:

1)  http://education-portal.com/articles/Studying_101:_Guide_to_Studying_in_College.html

2)  http://education-portal.com/articles/Advice_for_Creating_Your_College_Class_Schedule.html

3)  http://education-portal.com/articles/Tips_for_Confronting_Your_College_Professor.html

4)  http://education-portal.com/articles/Tips_for_Saving_Money_on_College_Textbooks.html

Each group will read and discuss the article and annotate the text.  They will summarize it and then present it to the whole class at the end of the period.  Then we will discuss each groups findings.

Happy Mother's Day

SFA

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Permission Slip for SFA for Sophomores

Permission Slip Sfa

Agenda - Week of May 3rd through May 7, 2010

Quote of the Week:  "Great people talk about ideas. Small people talk about other people."
 Tobias S. Gibson

AGENDA:
Monday - 
1) Goal of the Week in Road Trip Nation groups.  Answer 3 questions - 1) Favorite part of the experience.  2) Things they learned 3) What they would do differently.  The video is what Mr. Duez will add to the class RTN videos that he'll put together this summer.
2) Pick up Embedded Speech applications, Summer School Applications, and also pass out Field Trip permission forms to sophomores for Friday.
3) Pass out "The Gatekeepers" - "The Tortilla Test" -- The first chapter of the book by Jacques Steinberg about the process inside the admissions office at a premiere college.  We will be using it this week to mark the text and also reflect on a prompt.
4) While students are reading "The Gatekeepers", Mr. Duez will conduct exit interviews from Road Trip Nation in their groups.

Tuesday - 
TUTORING

Wednesday/Thursday - 
TUTORING first 1/2 of the period
Then we'll get "Analyzing a Writing Prompt" - it's an AVID Critical Reading packet that will help students analyze different writing prompts that they may see in college.

Friday - 
Sophomores are at Stephen F. Austin University for their field trip.
Juniors will continue to read and mark the text on "The Gatekeepers."  They will write a reflection about the chapter and discuss in class.
The substitute will also show the 2nd half of the Road Trip Nation documentary.

Roadtrip Nation Swag II

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Road trip swag

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Agenda: Week of April 26 through April 30th, 2010

This is TAKS Week.  We will meet just a couple of times this week.

See the TAKS Week Schedule here.

Quote of the Day:  "Science has made us Gods even before we are worthy of being human beings." - Jean Rostand


This week we will focus on team building and poetry.  AVID Students will complete their "I Am" poems on Monday in class.  We will perform them in class on Monday and on the other day we meet.  


We will also be working on completing the "Three Ball Toss" in record time.  More on that later.


The only other thing on the agenda is finishing our student Road Trip Nation videos and viewing those.  They have been great so far!

Clarification on Comm Apps Credit through AVID

Here is the policy regarding receiving Embedded Communication Applications (Comm Apps/Speech) credit through AVID:

Students (current freshmen, sophomores and any junior who has not previously earned credit) who have been in AVID for one year are eligible for the credit if both the AVID teacher and Comm Apps certified teacher agree that this student has met the TEKS.  The form must be signed by the AVID elective teacher prior to submitting to the counselor for her signature.  Prospective candidates will then return the form to the AVID elective teacher.  The AVID elective teacher and speech teacher will grant credit on June 2nd.  The list of students receiving credit will be submitted to the registrar and counselor for credit to be placed on the transcript.

 

Students should turn their triplicate form into Mr. Duez when they are finished meeting with their counselor.  The sooner the better.

Kaplan SAT/ACT course for $45 for Juniors

This is a note about the program from Kaplan:

At Kaplan, helping students succeed is what we do.  We’ve been inspired by the Texas Education Agency’s commitment to increasing college preparation efforts, as demonstrated by their recent initiative to make free college admissions tests available to all Texas public high school juniors.

To play our part in supporting the effort, Kaplan will offer comprehensive Live Online SAT and ACT prep courses, normally valued at $499, for just $45 to cover material and shipping costs.  All Texas public high school juniors registered for the May or June 2010 SAT or ACT are eligible for these courses.  Our SAT and ACT Live Online programs provide the same rigorous preparation as our traditional classroom courses and are taught by our top instructors using streaming video delivery.  Our Live Online classrooms come to life with full online whiteboard capabilities, polling and instant chat.  Students experience all of the same rigors and demand of a live classroom, and are able to ask questions of their instructor in real time during each lesson, as well as interact with their fellow peers!

Kaplan’s programs have helped millions of students get into the school of their choice, and we hope to help more Texas juniors succeed on the road to college. We appreciate your help in making students aware of this special offer, as we know your students will benefit from participating in Kaplan’s SAT and ACT Live Online program.  Students interested in enrolling in this program can do so at www.kaptest.com/college, using promotion code TXSATPREP for SAT or TXACTPREP for ACT, between now and May 1.

We are proud of the fact that this year alone, we have helped thousands of students get into their top choice schools, and with your help, we look forward to helping many more.

What will computers look like in the future?

Agenda: Week of Monday, April 19th - Friday, April 23rd 2010

Quote of the Week:  Success without honor is an unseasoned dish; it will satisfy your hunger, but it won't taste good.  ~Joe Paterno

AGENDA:

Monday - Watch class interviews of Road Trip Nation.

Tuesday - Tutoring

Wed/Thu - Tutoring first 1/2 of period; then we will finish watching Road Trip Nation interviews from class (or the original RTN documentary - we are about 1/2 finished with it)

Friday - Socratic Seminar over this text:  http://thechoice.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/04/14/envelope-bose-5/?pagemode=print "Mom, We Did It!" An article from "The Choice" from NYTimes.

Arizona plane

What else would a plane look like in arizona?  :)  on my way home.  Can't wait.

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Great day in San Diego

Looking forward to coming home.  We had a great time.  Met some terrific people.

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A great day - AVID Staff Developer Training - San Diego

I have been looking forward to this day for over 3 years.  Today I officially became a national AVID Staff Developer.  Now I can give back to teachers just like I was supported these past few years.
Very excited about this whole new world of opportunity and I can't thank everyone enough.
My students, parents, principals, colleagues, and district have always believed in me.  But mostly the thanks goes to my best friend and most supportive force in my life - my beautiful wife.  Thank you honey.  Can't wait to see you and Aidan.

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Avid staff developer training

Having a great time and meeting wonderful people in San Diego.

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Saturday Service to the Community - ECOBOT Competition

Location is at Reliant Center.

The bus will leave from Maplebrook Elementary at 7:20 Saturday morning.


There are three elementary teachers riding the bus. Ms. Isbell, Mr. Jeffery, and asst. principal April Maldonado. Please give these teachers your names and cell phone numbers. If your parents decided to pick you up early, they must locate one of these teachers to let them know. The busses will depart immediately after the awards ceremony.

District champ

Our tennis queen Olivia!

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Monday Motivation: "How to Train Your Cat"

We'll watch this video on Monday.  I find it inspirational that my cat loves to play as much as she does.  We can learn a lot from Suki.

Agenda: Week of April 5 - April 9, 2010

Quote of the Week:
"People are in a rush to start their lives, and it's sad...the rest of their lives, they're working at something they don't enjoy." - Al Merrick, Founder of Channel Islands Surfboards.


Monday:
First we'll write our Goal of the Week and we'll do it in our Road Trip Nation groups.  This will give groups a chance to touch base on where they are at in terms of RTN interviews.  Then we will read a blog posting by Anne Paik about the college application process:
APRIL 4, 2010, 7:30 AM A Sheaf of Rejections, But Still ‘Fabulous’  By ANNE PAIK
After reading and discussing her blog posting, we'll watch a tv interview with the writer that created "The Choice" on New York Times.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Tuesday:
Tutoring


Wed/Thursday:
Tutoring and Road Trip Nation Interviews.  We'll watch the Road Trip Nation interviews that have been completed so far.  Great job everyone!
If we have a gap in them, or finish them all, we will 
watch a finished Road Trip interview from the RTN Youtube site from Hoover High. 



About the video:  Hoover High School AOIT students embark on their own Roadtrip Nation projects.  Roadtrip Nation has evolved into a PBS series, three books, an online community, and a student movement. We send people on the road who are interested in exploring the world outside their comfort zone, talking with individuals who chose to define their own road in life, and sharing their experiences with our generation.


Friday:
We will spend the period writing our Life Goal rough drafts.  If there is any time at the end of the period, we'll see a portion of a group's Road Trip Nation video. 

Thanks to Ms. Diaz and Invisible Children

My classes want to say thank you to Ms. Diaz and the Invisible Children club for inviting us to the PAC this last week.  It was an incredible experience.

Pictures from Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Ecobot Challenge Judges - April 17 @ Reliant Center 9 to 5

Ecobot Challenge Volunteer Service Hours:

I received this email from the organizer of the Ecobot Challenge this week (below).  If anyone is interested, please see me immediately.

We were delighted by the participation of your high school students who acted in the role of Judges at the March 6 “Practice Day” in Humble ISD. We  made it clear to Alison how helpful it would be to have them serve in exactly that capacity on April 17 at Reliant Center from 9 am to 5 pm (we will take care of giving them the appropriate size T-shirt and we’ll feed ‘em too and provide special recognition for them and for Humble ISD).

We need to have an exact count of Judges. So we need to know – how many of these students will participate, their names, what are their T-shirt sizes?

We need to know if they can attend the Wednesday, April 14 Judge Training with the adult Judges? [6:15 pm – 8:30 pm – they would have to be driven here.]
To the extent that some cannot, we’ll have to spend time with them Saturday morning, April 17 at 8:15 am to get them refreshed but it would be super helpful for us and extremely helpful to them to have them on 4-14.

Link to news stories on the Ecobot Challenge:
Ecobot Challenge Main Website
The competition in March @ AHS
Example of the Ecobot Challenge at another middle school (w/video)

Voucher # for SAT for Juniors

If you are a Texas junior and have NOT received a voucher for the free SAT, they can call 866-756-7346 and they will give them a VOUCHER number so that they can register for the free SAT test.

Agenda: Week of March 29th - March 31st

Quote of the Week:  "The men the American public admire the most extravagantly are the most daring liars; the men they detest most violently are those who tell them the truth." - M.L. Mencken

Monday - Invisible Children Assembly
Tuesday - Tutoring
Wednesday - Thank You video for Ms. Diaz for inviting us to Invisible Children

Have a great Easter Weekend!

U OF H,,

Great time yesterday

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Great college road trip

Having a great time @ the U of Houston

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Service Opportunity - Science Circus Night @ Fall Creek Ele. 6-8pm on March 30th

Science Circus Night.
Next Tuesday, March 30th at Fall Creek Elementary from 6:00-8:00 pm.

They are needing students to help with serving as lab assistants at our experiment stations, they don't have to teach, just monitor and help if families are confused, face painters, popcorn and cookie servers, and other miscellaneous tasks. It's a fun night for those that choose to volunteer.

Please email or see Mr. Duez if you are interested to register.

Agenda for the Week of March 22nd - March 26, 2010

Quote of the Day:  "Luck is when preparation meets opportunity."  - Seneca

Targets:
* Work with primary sources (NY Times article), discuss in Socratic Seminar and deliver concise address to class to summarize speech.

Agenda -
Monday:
1.  Goal of the Week.  Also meet with RTN group to discuss interview progress.  They are due at the end of this six week's period. 
2.  View the TED Talk inspirational address:
John Wooden - On True Success

3.  Get handouts for the week.  Read the main article from the NYTimes about valedictorians 2009.
We are preparing for a Socratic Seminar on Friday.  This article is the beginning of that and it it will lead into a number of valedictorian speeches that we'll share and read in groups on Friday.

Tuesday:
Tutoring

Wed/Thu:
Wednesday - Mr. Duez will be out with Juniors on their field trip to the University of Houston.
Tutoring
Pass out the valedictorian speeches and have students read them and annotate them.  We will discuss them in groups on Friday.
Main Article that everyone will read:  "In Uncertain Times Valedictorians Look Ahead."
Speech 1: Muhammad Safa
Speech 2: Adam Sealfon
Speech 3: Adrienne Edwards
Speech 4: Christian Monsalve
Speech 5: Janae Williams
Speech 6: Jordano Sanchez
Speech 7: Kristina Arakelyan

Also, if time permits, show the DVD AVID Summer Institute Speeches.

Friday:
Socratic Seminar using the speeches from the NY Times article.

Top of the Class Socratic Seminar

Today we will be doing a socratic seminar that revolves around valedictorian speeches of 2009 New York City students.  There are 7 of them so we will have 7 small groups.  Each group will read the main article from the New York Times.  Then each group will be assigned a different valedictorian speech.

Your job as a group is to discuss the article and speech and to find at least two very important things that you learned.  You will bring that back to the class at the end of the period and we'll discuss as a whole group.

TOP SCHOLARS From left, Jenae Williams, Jordano Sanchez, Adam Sealfon, Kristina Arakelyan, Christian Monsalve, Adrienne Edwards and Muhammad Safa on Grand Avenue in Brooklyn.

The main article:  "In Uncertain Times, Valedictorians Look Ahead."  by By LIZETTE ALVAREZ

Published: June 26, 2009

Speech 1:  http://graphics8.nytimes.com/packages/flash/nyregion/20090628Valedictorians/Muhammad_Safa.pdf

Speech 2: 

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/packages/flash/nyregion/20090628Valedictorians/Christian_Monsalve.pdf

Speech 3:

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/packages/flash/nyregion/20090628Valedictorians/Adam_Sealfon.pdf

Speech 4:

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/packages/flash/nyregion/20090628Valedictorians/Adrienne_Edwards.pdf

Speech 5:

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/packages/flash/nyregion/20090628Valedictorians/Janae_Williams.pdf

Speech 6:

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/packages/flash/nyregion/20090628Valedictorians/Jordano_Sanchez.pdf

Speech 7:

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/packages/flash/nyregion/20090628Valedictorians/Kristina_Arakelyan.pdf

SAT Training Camp with the Rockets!

Here is a link to all the information:  http://www.nba.com/rockets/community/sat_training_camp_2010_02_26.html
I wanted to relay this information to you, sounds like a GREAT opportunity:

Students that Attend Receive:
o Twenty (20) students will win the chance to take the Princeton Review SAT Training Course
for only $50. This course is valued at $600. Students must submit essay to be
considered. Deadline for submitting essay is Tuesday, March 23rd. Details Attached.
o First 300 Students to Register & Attend will Receive Two (2) tickets to Rockets vs. Wizards
game on March 30, 2010.
o All students will receive Rockets/Comcast Memorbilia

The Houston Rockets, Comcast and the Princeton Review will again host the annual SAT Training
Camp for high school students and their parents. This FREE college preparatory workshop will be
held at Toyota Center on Sunday, March 28, 2010 from 12:00pm-4:00pm.

SAT Training Camp will present a full menu of information to help guide parents and students
through the college application process. Sessions will include financial aid and admissions
workshops, Princeton Review test taking seminar, as well as one-on-one discussions with
representatives from local colleges and universities.

Finally, students and parents will hear from Rockets players and education experts about “what it
takes” to succeed in college. Panelists will also answer personal questions.
The “SAT Training Camp” is FREE, but space is limited. Please distribute the attached
application to your students in grades 9-12. Registration forms are also available on-line at
Rockets.com. Click on Community/SAT Training Camp. Deadline to register is Tuesday,
March 23, 2010.

Permission Slip for U of H Field Trip for Juniors/Seniors

Here is the link to download the permission slip:
University of Houston - March 24th - 2010 Field Trip Permission Slip

More info on U of H:
Their Main Website uh.edu

From their site:

Every year, students come from all over the world to pursue graduate and undergraduate programs at the University of Houston. What do they find when they get here?

Our students find more than 100 undergraduate majors and minors and nearly 200 graduate degree programs, including some that rank among the nation's best. They find the opportunity to conduct world-class research with award-winning faculty, like Ioannis A. Kakadiaris, who is working toward early detection of heart attack risk, and Kishore Mohanty, developer of a technology that brings “dead” oil wells back to life.

And they find a picturesque 667-acre campus in Houston, Texas, the energy capital of the world. In this international city, UH students find limitless opportunities to practice job skills, build professional networks, launch your career and have a lot of fun.

UH graduates can be found in leadership positions from Capitol Hill to community nonprofits. Our alumni have done it all from walking in space to leading major corporations to winning Olympic gold.

Discover more of what you will find at UH.

AVID T-Shirts

Any feedback on these AVID shirts?
email me at: david.duez@humble.k12.tx.us
or leave a comment here at this blog.

Front 

Back

It is meant to resemble the rock video games Rockband and Guitar Hero and the fonts are similar to in game fonts.  What we are trying to capture is the college field trip aspect of the program.  

Agenda: Week of March 8th through 10th, 2010

Quote of the Day:  “Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration.”  - Thomas Edison (1847–1931)

Monday: 
Goal of the Week while working with your Road Trip Nation groups to schedule interviews.
Finish the Invisible Children documentary and discuss.
Also "Motivational Monday" - OK Go music video genius.

Tuesday:
Tutoring

Wed/Thu:
Tutoring
Then, Reflections on Invisible Children.  Watch the "Proof" video from the dvd to see how things are working now with the movement. We are preparing for the March 29th Invisible Children viewing and guest speaker from Uganda.
Also, More "motivation" with OK Go and their latest music video.  Also watch the Ted Talk Dance video:  The XLD

Friday:
Philosophical Chairs.  Discussion question will be chosen in class by the students.
We will also write a note to our "Teacher of the Year."  Each AVID student will write a quick note thanking a teacher, counselor or administrator for the work that they do for us.

Teacher of the Year Voting

Voting for Teacher of the Year at AHS takes place Wednesday and Thursday in Advisory. But, you can vote now if you'd like. The ballot is on the front page of the school website. Or at this link:

Vote for 2010 AHS Teacher of the Year

This is an award that I was very fortunate to win in 2006-2007, our first year at AHS.  It was a true honor to represent our school and to be chosen by students, faculty and staff.  We have so many fantastic teachers at our school and we are very lucky to have them.  The list of 13 nominees is an amazing group.  They come from each of the four subject areas and electives.  I am very proud of the social studies nominees:  Mr. Scalia (who won last year), Mrs. Diaz, Mr. Bingham, Mrs. Dunn, Mr. Fortenberry and (of course) Mrs. Duez.  It is amazing to see 6 of the final 13 teachers from our social studies team.  Just amazing to consider.  We are a lucky and very talented group.

Please do vote and spend a moment this week telling your favorite teacher how much they mean to you and how much they have helped you.  It means a lot and can really be a nice boost to someone's day.  Right around spring break everyone is exhausted, but it means a lot when a teacher is given a few words of encouragement from one of their students.

Here is a power point of the great nominees:

Toy

Motivational Monday - OK Go Inspirational Machine

This is something...

Motivational Monday - Dance Ted Talk

Invisible Children

On March 29th, our AVID classes are going to be able to see the new Invisible Children video.  We will also have the honor of meeting a Ugandan person who will be visiting our school.


On Thursday and Friday we watched the original Invisible Children documentary.


It brings to mind a book that I love called, "A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier."  So I thought I would highlight it here:

A Long Way Gone - Book Website


From the website, about the book:
"A gripping story of a child’s journey through hell and back.

There may be as many as 300,000 child soldiers, hopped-up on drugs and wielding AK-47s, in more than fifty conflicts around the world. Ishmael Beah used to be one of them. He is one of the first to tell his story in his own words.

In A LONG WAY GONE, Beah, now twenty-six years old, tells a riveting story. At the age of twelve, he fled attacking rebels and wandered a land rendered unrecognizable by violence. By thirteen, he’d been picked up by the government army, and Beah, at heart a gentle boy, found that he was capable of truly terrible acts. Eventually released by the army and sent to a UNICEF rehabilitation center, he struggled to regain his humanity and to reenter the world of civilians, who viewed him with fear and suspicion. This is, at last, a story of redemption and hope."

Agenda: Week of March 1st, 2010

Quote of the Day:  "I don't know how to put this, but I'm kind of a big deal. People know me. I'm very important and I have many leather bound books and my apartment smells of rich mahogany." - Ron Burgandy 


This week's Agenda:
Monday - 
1. Goal of the Week
2. Road Trip Nation - Due date for the interview to be completed:  End of this six week's period.  Book interviews now.  Spring Break might be a great time to do them.  
3.  Discuss Mock SAT that we took on Saturday.  Kaplan will be back on Tuesday at 3pm - 4pm to give the results.  Blue LGI.
4.  Invisible Children.  We will see the video for IC during 4th and 6th period on Monday, March 29th.  We will discuss IC and watch a video to prepare.


Tuesday - 
Tutoring & Binder Check!  5 pages of Cornell Notes.  You may use Friday's Guest Speaker and also 1 page from tutoring (as long as it's good Cornell).


Wed/Thu - 
We will be taking the English TAKS test during the day.  So tutoring will be light.  If a few students need tutoring we will create groups.  Rest of the class will discuss a topic on college - Is the Cost Worth it?


Friday - 
Invisible Children preview video.