Thursday, November 29, 2007

Thursday, November 29 Assignments



Writing: Make revisions to your blog posts as noted in my comments. Post a comment to a classmate's blog about his or her writing using the holistic scoring chart as a basis for your comments.

Math: Triangle area cont'd., review textbook p.599 problems #4&6

Homework:
  1. Writing- Using the holistic chart as a basis for your comments, post a comment to a fellow student's blog.

  2. Math- Lines and angles, read textbook p.606. Try #1-6, p.607

Monday, November 26, 2007

Tuesday, November 27 Assignments



All in class and homework assignments same as Tuesday, November 20

Here is a real 4 (Perfect Score) Essay
Sample GED Essay Writing Prompt Topic
What is one important goal you would like to achieve in the next few years? In your essay, identify that goal. Explain how you plan to achieve it. Use your personal observations, experience, and knowledge to support your essay.
Reprinted with the permission of the GED Testing Service

Over the next few years, my main goal is to obtain a college degree from St. Johns University in Collegville. This goal will be very difficult to obtain and I will need to work hard at it. Three things that will affect the outcome of my goal are; how much money I can raise to pay for it, how much time I am willing to spend studying, and my dedication in training for football.

Before you can register at a college, you must consider how it is going to be paid for. This is especially an issue at St. Johns, because the tuition is around $22,000 a year. This is a huge sum of money. It is not made easier by the fact that my parents will be able to contribute very little towards my education. Thus I am forced to rely on scholarships, grants, and loans from the government and other agencies. I have already taken some action by applying for scholarships, but I will have to apply again next year. I received a $7,500 scholarship from St. Johns and they have also given me some grants. The rest of the money will have to come from student loans and an on
campus job.

The next area that will affect my goal is the classroom. This is important because the main point of college is to prepare meself for a successful career. In college, I will need to apply myself and take time to study every night. Sometimes, I may be forced to give up things that I would rather do, but I must if I am going to achieve my goal. I must create a relationship with my professors because they will help me obtain the information that is needed to be successful.

The third thing is my dedication in training for football. Football is my favorite sport and St. Johns has an excellent football tradition. They have150 players out for football each year. If I am going to be successful and contribute to the team, I am going to have to be dedicated to training. I must spend tireless hours in the weight room gaining strength and quickness.

I believe all of the hard work will pay off. If I can do these three things, I will successfully complete my goal of graduation from college. If this goal is achieved, I believe I will be well on
my way to a successful life
Reprinted with permission of the GED Testing Service

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Tuesday, November 20 Assignments

The Indian Nation that first celebrated Thanksgiving with the Pilgrims still exists today!

Writing: See Thursday, November 15

Math: Intro to Geometry based on PA Practice Test Math questions

Homework:
  1. Writing: Comment on a classmate's blog post, complete essay revisions.

  2. Math: GED Steck-Vaughn textbook p.599 #1-6 or find lessons online from the linklist on this blog about triangle area & perimeter

Thursday, November 15, 2007

Thursday, November 15 Assignments




Writing: Continue with Tuesday's essay question in one of three ways
  1. If you haven't done so already, begin writing a response to the prompt.

  2. If you have already written a repsonse, do revisions based on my comments.

  3. If you finish with your corrections and improvements, comment on others' writing directly on their blogs.

  4. For homework, finish 1-3 above by Tuesday.

Math: Finishing up with Algebra basic concepts

  1. Knowledge share: Students recommend math websites or online lessons to each other.

  2. Geometry essay to introduce next week's topic

  3. Equation word problems #1-6, page 572 of Steck-Vaughn GED textbook

  4. For homework, finish any problems from page 572 that we do not cover in class.

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Tuesday, November 13 Assignments


Writing - Revise and republish your response to Thursday's Essay question based on my comments. If you have not already published an initial response, please do so tonight in class.


homework: Answer this GED Essay question as a post on your blog:


What do you consider to be your best personal attributes and/or characteristics? Why? Give specific examples of what they are, and why you and/or others like those qualities.

Math - Review equations homework from GED-Steck Vaughn textbook:
page 566, problems 1-20 (substitution and the distributive property)
page 572, problems 1-6 (translating word problems into equations)


homework: balance of questions from the textbook not covered in class tonight.

Thursday, November 8, 2007

Thursday, November 8 Assignments


Math - Equations from McGraw-Hill Top 50 Math Skills Handout
Review last few problems on page 99. Identify homework in GED Steck-Vaughn book and/or online as a class.

Writing Discussion - What's Going On?
At least 15 students have set-up blogs, but no one's really posting much writing there. Let's talk about how we can increase the level of participation in class tonight. Feel free to post your response to this question here on my blog too.

Writing - Answer This GED Essay Prompt on Your Blog by Tuesday
What one experience has significantly changed your life for the better? Why? Use specific examples from your personal knowledge, experiences and observations to support your answer. Try to respond in about 250 words and/or five paragraphs, including an introduction, body and conclusion. Use the chart from my October 30 post to this blog for structural guidelines if you find them helpful. Remember, your writing will be scored holistically, not exclusively focused on punctuation or grammar.

Tuesday, November 6, 2007

Tuesday, November 6 Assignments

Math - Identify Practice Test Problems
We will continue to pick out and solve problems from the PA Practice Test as a class. Reinforcement work can be done at the links on this blog, and in the Steck-Vaughn GED textbook. Together, we will note the pages in the text that cover the material we choose in class tonight. Math homework will be assigned each period by student-driven requests from focus subject areas. The most common in the past have been: Algebra, Geometry, and fractions/percents/decimals.


Starting tonight, the math homework will always be selected from the Steck-Vaughn GED textbook, or from the math links under Resources on the right hand column of this blog.

Writing - Critique & Correct My Analysis Below as a Posted Comment:

Lyrics selection-
I don't mind leavin' here to show the world we have no fear 'Cause we're a winner and everybody knows it too, we'll just keep on pushin', like your leaders tell you to, at last that blessed day has come and I don't care where you come from, we're just go move on up (movin' on up)

-Curtis Mayfield and the Impressions "We're a Winner"

My analysis:

My song lyric about doing what u feel u should do when the time is right. Sometime other people might come around and to put you down. But you believe in yourself so they can't change you. You're one and only tru love will help you find a way in life, and that's to follow your own path to success! Keep goals in mind everyday and you will overcome the problems that life throw at you.

Corrected analysis:
This selection talks about the Civil Rights Movement, and the challenge of maintaing group self-esteem against huge odds. Curtis Mayfield says in the song that the cause is even worth the cost of his own life if it will "show the world we have no fear." It must have been a time of great inspiration, with the message to keep on pushing coming from leaders like Martin Luther King and Ralph Abernathy. The spirit of the movement expressed in the song reminds me of justice movements that I've participated in, like the Free Mumia and Anti-globalization movements and marches I've worked on.

Thursday, November 1, 2007

Polish Up Your Writing and Comment on a Blog


ASSIGNMENTS for TONIGHT & the REST of the WEEK:
Writing:
Tonight and during the next week you should review, correct, and improve your writing so far. If you have not yet written about your chosen set of lyrics please do so. Then relate the song to a movie, television show and/or real life occurence using specific details that link the two examples. Wrap it up with two sentences of conclusion. Also, please post a comment on at least one of your classmates' blogs regarding the writing assignments.

Math:
Use the Resources links on this blog to find math assignments you would like the class to study. You may print out work in class to bring home for the week, or work online. Just be prepared to share something you would like to study with the whole class next Thursday when we meet again.