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Week 12 of the First Semester
October 30 - November 3, 2006

Monday - Jay Day - October 30
- read this week's section of Guerrilla Season for the book blog project, through page 155
- CNN Student News
Homework - reading this week's section of Guerrilla Season, through page 155

Tuesday - Jay Day - October 31
- watch video from United Streaming on the Constitution and the Bill of Rights
Homework - reading this week's section of Guerrilla Season, through page 155

Wednesday - Jay Day - November 1
- handout Unit 4 Note Packet "Our Constitution"
- time to work on the Unit 4 note packet
Homework - have pages 2 and 3 completed in the Unit 4 Note Packet for class on Thursday

Thursday - Jay Day - November 2
- discuss pages 2 and 3 of the Unit 4 Note Packet in class - "7 Principles of the Constitution" and "How A Bill Becomes A Law"
Homework - have pages 4 and 5 completed in the Unit 4 Note Packet for class on Monday

Friday - November 3 - No School

Week 11 Parent Newsletter – October 23-27, 2006
Mr. Langhorst – 8th Grade American History
South Valley Junior High School

This Week in Class
We are currently finishing up our study on Unit 3 on the creation of the United States Constitution. Topics include the Constitutional Convention, The Federalist Papers, the Anti Federalists and the Federalists. Our test will take place on Friday and students will be turning in their Unit 3 note packets on Friday as well.

Unit 3 Test - Creating A Government
Friday, October 27th - students will be taking a test over the creation of the United States Constitution. A paper copy of the study guide was handed out to students on Tuesday in class. Copies of the notes, study guides and the audio studycast will be available on the classroom web site on Wednesday morning.

Guerrilla Season Book Blog Project
Would you like to join us in a great project and learn more about local Liberty history? This week we are starting a book club like project in reading Guerrilla Season by Pat Hughes. This historical novel tells the story of Clay County in 1863 as the Civil War starts to impact Missouri. The novel also mentions Liberty several times. A Spring grant has allowed us to purchase over 300 copies and each 8th grade SVJH student has a copy. We have 50 additional copies for parents to check out. If you would like to check out a copy and join us please send me an email at
elanghorst@liberty.k12.mo.us or send your student with a note saying that you would like to check out a copy. We are having discussions and comments at a blog online: www.guerrillaseason.blogspot.com At the blog web site you can discuss topics covered in the book, you can listen to the author describe how she researched the novel, find links to discover more about the historical events in the book and ask the author questions. We also have students in California, a teacher in Louisiana and other participants joining us from around the world. Please consider joining us - it's a great chance to read a novel with your student.

Friends Down Under - The Australian Podcast Project
Earlier this fall a teacher in Australia that listens to my Speaking of History podcast e-mailed me and asked if we would be interested in working on a project with his 8th grade aged students in his Australian History class. We called each other several times using a computer application called Skype and set up a project. We are created several podcasts here in Liberty about American history, our school, the life of an American 8th grader, etc. The class in Australia is creating podcasts to explain Australian history, their school, etc. We actually share several themes in history - we both gained our independence from England and both countries have had conflict with settlers taking land occupied by native people. Both groups will be finishing the podcasts in the next two weeks and then exchanging the audio files.

State Representative Tim Flook Visits SVJH
Last Friday State Rep. Tim Flook visited South Valley Jr High and discussed the process of creating a law in state government and the structure of state government in general. Mr. Flook spoke with each of Mr. Langhorst's and Mrs. Garvey's classes. We thank him for taking time out of his schedule to give us real world examples of the topics we are currently studying in our classrooms.

Online Parent Safety Workshop
Thanks to the parents that attended the Online Safety Workshop for Parents by Myles Perry. There were some great questions asked and I hope that all participants left with a little better understanding of the dangers online for our students and how to keep them safe online as they use the Interent. Thanks to Mr. Perry for taking time out of a busy schedule to help our parents.

Extra Credit Opportunity Coming Up on November 5th
There will be another opportunity for students to earn some extra credit by attending the City of Liberty Historical presentation at the Clay County Historical Society Museum on Saturday, November 5th from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM. The museum is located on the historical square in downtown Liberty, just a couple of doors down from By the Book coffee shop and bookstore. The topic will be getting to know your local museum. Parents are welcome to attend the presentation as well.

Site of the Week - Time and Date

How you ever tried to discover what time it is on the other side of the world? What to quickly find out what date it will be in 500 days? Ever wonder how many seconds old you are or how many weeks you've been alive? Then the Time and Date site is for you. This site has a variety of calendars, counters, maps, information on time zones, etc. We used this site this week when we tried to discover what the current time is in Australia for the class we are working with on our podcast project. Check it out at: http://www.timeanddate.com/

Week 11 of the First Semester
Ocotber 23 - 27, 2006

Monday - Jay Day - October 23
- Unit 3 Notes - Constitutional Convention and Compromises
- discuss start of the Guerrilla Season Book Blog Project
Homework - finish the Unit 3 note packet for class on Wednesday/Thursday depending on when you have class in the block schedule

Tuesday - Jay Day - October 24
- Unit 3 Notes - The Federalist Papers - Anti Federalists and Federalists
- handout Unit 3 Study Guide for Unit 3 Test coming up on Friday
Homework - finish the Unit 3 note packet for class on Wednesday/Thursday depending on when you have class in the block schedule - be studying for the Unit 3 test on Friday - be reading Guerrilla Season (this week read pages 1 - 76)

Wednesday - Blue Day - October 25 / Thursday - White Day - October 26
- review for Unit 3 test coming up on Friday
- time in the computer lab to work on podcasts for class in Australia, the Boston Massacre Video and the Guerrilla Season book blog
Homework - have Unit 3 Note Packet completed and ready to turn in Friday, study for the Unit 3 test on Friday, be reading and working on Guerrilla Season project

Friday - Jay Day - October 27
- meet in LMC computer lab
- hand in Unit 3 Note Packet - must be completed
- take Unit 3 Test "Creating a Government" and take Unit 4 Pretest
Homework - none, enjoy the weekend and read a good book

Week 10 of the First Semester
October 16-20, 2006

Monday - Jay Day - October 16
- watch first part of video on Shays' Rebellion - 10 Days That Unexpectedly Changed America from the History Channel
- discuss notes from Unit 3 Note Packet "Weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation"
Homework - have pages 2,3 and 4 done for class on Wednesday/Thursday

Tuesday - Jay Day - October 17
- meet in LMC computer lab
- presentation on how to use Audacity (to edit audio on the computer) and Writely (an online word processor)
Homework - have pages 2, 3 and 4 done for class on Wednesday/Thursday

Wednesday - Blue Day - October 18 / Thursday - White Day - October 19
- finish Shays' Rebellion video
- discuss notes from Unit 3 Note Packet "Northwest Territory", "Shays' Rebellion" and "Convention Delegates"
- second half of class meet in LMC
- work on final copy of the script for the podcasts for the Australian Project
- check out copies of Guerrilla Season for the Book Blog Project
Homework - have pages 5, 6 and 7 done for class on Monday

Friday - Jay Day - October 20
- visit from State Rep. Tim Flook who will discuss how laws are created and answer questions from students about how government works
Homework - have pages 5, 6 and 7 done for class on Monday

Week 9 Parent Newsletter – October 9-13, 2006
Mr. Langhorst – 8th Grade American History
South Valley Junior High School

This Week in Class – Finishing The American Revolution and Discovering What They Did Next
This week we had our Unit 2 test on the American Revolution on Tuesday and we also turned in a major project on Monday that was either a comic book or a journal about the war. We will now be starting work on Unit 3 – Creating a Government. As incredible as the winning the war was for the colonists, now in many regards they have even a more challenging task – creating a government that could function and be a democracy. Of course they failed – and then tried it again and wrote the Constitution which did work.

Parent Internet Safety Workshop – October 19th – South Valley Jr High – 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
You have seen the news articles on My Space and the dangers of teens on the Internet. Would you like to know more about how to keep your children safe online? I have organized a workshop for parents on Internet safety with Miles Perry – Assistant Platte County Prosecutor who works with cyber crimes. He has presented at many schools and organizations over the past couple of years. He will be giving a workshop on Thursday, October 19th at the South Valley Junior High School library media center from 7:00 PM until 8:00 PM. This workshop is for parents and students are not encouraged to attend since it will focus on parenting approaches to safety online. There is no registration required in advance. Hope to see you there.

Fairview Cemetery Tour Attended by 21 Students!

Thanks to all of the parents and students who attended the Fairview Cemetery tour last Saturday. We had a great student turnout – 21 students were able to make it for the historical tour of a local cemetery. I know that many of you were busy and I totally understand. Many have asked about another opportunity for a Saturday history experience and there will be one next month. On Saturday, November 4th there will be a “Get to Know Your Museum Tour” at 10:00 AM at the Clay County Historical Society Museum on the historic square in Liberty. More information will follow but you can mark the date if you wish. There is currently a picture from the cemetery tour on the classroom page at
www.liberty.k12.mo.us/~elanghorst

Parent Teacher Conference Reminder – Thursday from 4 to 8
I had a great turnout for the parent teacher conferences on Monday. I was able to visit with the parents of 51 students. Thanks to all that made the effort to stop by and say hello. If you weren’t able to make it Monday you will have another opportunity on Thursday from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM. I hope to see many of you Thursday night.

Site of the Week – Negro Leagues Baseball Museum
This past week Kansas City lost a true national treasure when Buck O’Neil passed away. I hope that many of you were able to see Buck in person at an appearance over the years. He was one of the most amazing speakers I have had the pleasure of hearing in my lifetime. He could tell a story in a way that made you think and feel in a way that no other could. We are very fortunate to have an incredible facility in the Negro Leagues Museum in our own backyard in Kansas City. If you have never been to this museum please check out the website and then make plans to visit it in the future. It would be a great tribute to Buck and I promise you won’t be disappointed. Negro Leagues Baseball Museum:
http://www.nlbm.com/

Have a great week. As always, if you have a question or comment let me know and send me an e-mail.

Mr. Langhorst

Week 9 of the First Semester
October 9-13, 2006

Monday - Jay Day - October 9 - Parent Teacher Conferences from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM
- hand in Unit 2 projects (comics and journals)
- play Jeopardy review game to prepare for the Unit 2 Test on Tuesday
- Homework - study for the Unit 2 Test on Tuesday and have the Unit 2 Note Packet completed and ready to turn in Tuesday

Tuesday - Jay Day - October 10
- meet in LMC computer lab
- turn in Unit 2 Note Packets
- take the Unit 2 Test online
- take the Unit 3 Pretest online (not graded)
- Homework - none

Wednesday - Jay Day - October 11
- grade and discuss the Revolutionary War constructed response paragraphs
- CNN Student News
- Homework - none

Thursday - Jay Day - October 12 - Parent Teacher Conferences from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM
- hand out Unit 3 Note Packets "Creating a Government"
- plan the podcasts for the Australian students
Homework - have the Unit 3 Note Packet section entitled "Articles of Confederation" completed for class on Monday

Friday - No School

Week 8 Parent Newsletter – September 25-29, 2006
Mr. Langhorst – 8th Grade American History
South Valley Junior High School

This Week in Class – The Heart of the American Revolutionary War
We are finishing our study of the American Revolutionary War this week. Students will have all their notes completed on Monday in class and we will be doing a constructed response writing project on the reasons why the Americans won the war. We will also be participating in an activity that demonstrates the economics of a colonial era market place. Economic topics such as bartering, the characteristics of currency and opportunity cost will be addressed in the activity. Students will be given a study guide this week to help them prepare for the Unit 2 test next Tuesday. Friday is an early release day due to Homecoming activities.

Cemetery Tour This Saturday at Fairview Cemetery – Students Can Earn Extra Credit For Attending
There will be an opportunity for students to earn some extra credit as well as learn a little local history on Saturday, October 7th. The city of Liberty will be hosting a historical tour of the Fairview Cemetery that begins at 10:00 AM and will last until roughly 11:00 AM. The Fairview Cemetery is located behind Franklin Elementary close to the square in Liberty. The walking tour of the cemetery will include information on the history of the cemetery, famous citizens of Liberty buried there, stories, etc. All students who attend the tour will be given an extra 25 points added to their Unit 2 test grade. Parents are welcome to attend and in the past have found it very enjoyable. It is open to everyone and typically there are around 30 people or more on the tours.

Unit 2 Projects – Comic Books and Journals
The student project for Unit 2 is to create either a comic book on the American Revolutionary War or a journal written from the perspective of someone from the time period of the American Revolutionary War. This project will be due on Monday, October 9th. Students were given handouts, scoring rubrics and information on this project about a week and a half ago. Many students are working on some amazing projects. To see an example of a comic book project turned in several years ago in my class check out this link:
http://www.liberty.k12.mo.us/~elanghorst/comicexample.pdf The project is worth 100 points and there will be a deduction on work turned in late.

Parent Teacher Conference Reminder – Next Week on October 9th and 12th
Just a reminder that conferences are coming up next week. Mark down October 9th from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM and October 12th from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM. See you then. Thanks.

Site of the Week – Ellis Island Genealogy and Passenger Record Search
Many of you may have relatives that passed through Ellis Island in New York as immigrants to America. My grandfather was one of those immigrants who passed through this historic site. He came to America as a young man from Germany after World War I in hopes of finding a better life. I am an American citizen today because of the great chance that he took. At the Ellis Island site you can research your relatives that passed through as immigrants. I found my grandfathers records and an actual photograph of the page he signed as he was processed into this country. It is FREE and a great way to learn more about your past. Check it out at:
http://www.ellisislandrecords.org/

Week 8 of the First Semester
October 2-6, 2006

Monday - Jay Day - October 2
- Discuss Unit 2.4 Notes "The Legacy of the War" in class
- Homework - working on the Unit 2 project (due October 9)

Tuesday - Jay Day - October 3
- brainstorm for constructed response on the Revolutionary War
- Homework - working on the Unit 2 project (due October 9) and be writing your Revolutionary War constructed response (due on Friday)

Wednesday - Blue Day - October 4 / Thursday - White Day - October 5
- write constructed response on Revolutionary War prompt
- colonial currency activity
- hand out Unit 2 study guides for test on Tuesday, October 10
- read aloud on the Revolutionary War
- Homework - working on the Unit 2 project (due October 9), stuyding for the Unit 2 test (due October 10) and finishing Revolutionary War constructed response (due Friday)

Friday - Adjusted Schedule for Homecoming - October 6
- turn in Revolutionary War constructed response
- CNN Student News
- Homework - working on the Unit 2 project (due October 9) and studying for the Unit 2 test (due October 10)




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