To See the Forest from the Trees
These last few months in United States History and Government and Global History and Geography I tried to prepare for the Regents exams which took place in early June. Part of this preparation was to help the students see the forest from the trees.
What this means is that often students of history get bogged down in so many facts and details that they panic and think that there’s no way that they can remember so much information for the Regents exam. But the point is that the student is not supposed to remember so much information, he or she is supposed to see how certain general ideas and concepts can tie together facts.
For example, in U.S. History the term Cold War covers the Korean War, Vietnam War, Arms Reductions Treaties and other historical events. By putting these within the Cold War framework, students have an easier time putting historical information in context. In the case of Global History and Geography, the term Economic Interdependence covers the European Union and the North American Free Trade Agreement.
So with all of this in mind, study guides and review sessions for the Regents exams in Social Studies for 10th and 11th grades emphasized students being able to put historical facts and information into broad topics and categories. Hopefully the end result will be more positive results on the Regents exams for as great a number of students as possible.
Mr. Drake
Gender Roles
We have been researching gender roles in society over the past month. Each senior chose one of the following topics to make a visual presentation about: changes in gender roles over the last 100 years, gender biases, or individuals who have made a significant impact on society’s gender roles. They created posters, Power Points, etc. using the information they discovered. I was very impressed with the variety of presentation knowledge and how thought provoking their information was for the rest of the class.
Miss Stahler
Fire and Explosions
We have been learning about Fire and Explosions and how crime scene investigators, the FBI and firefighters investigate accidents, arson and terrorism. Students have identified forensic vocabulary as they have researched information on the recent Boston Marathon bombings. They have also discovered the chain of custody of crime scene evidence and a variety of search methods used to find the bomb seat or point of origin in a fire.
Miss Stahler
Algebra 2
We have been working on statistics and probability this quarter. The students have been using the Norm Curve Standard Deviation to calculate percentages based on standard deviations found from a set of data. We have incorporated real-life examples such as grades, income, and housing costs.
Miss Stahler
Advanced Geometry
We have been working with circles during this last month. Students are learning vocabulary and several formulas to calculate segment and arc lengths and angle measures without the use of a protractor. They are working together to solve complex problems by remembering theorems and definitions to prove facts.
Miss Stahler
Advanced Algebra
We have been working with probability during the last quarter. Students are learning how to calculate it through both theoretical and experimental examples. They have used spinners, dice, playing cards, weather forecasts, Apple-bee’s menu items, etc.
Miss Stahler
Integrated Algebra
Tenth graders spent several days reviewing trig ratios and Pythagorean theorem. They learned how to calculate surface area and reviewed area and volume formulas.
They then began a review of all topics covered in the last two years. They reviewed radicals, functions, and quadratics.
Mrs. Wong
Algebra 2 / Trig
Juniors completed this year with regents review. They reviewed all concepts from September and then saw how many ways these concepts can be assessed. In this last quarter they learned about normal distributions, standard deviations, and series notation.
Mrs. Wong
REDOX
Juniors finished this year with a study of REDOX reactions and acids and bases. They learned about red cat and an ox. They predicted which way electrons would flow in a cell. They also performed experiments to identify acid and bases. They soon discovered that many acids and bases are stored around their homes.
Mrs. Wong
Modern Physics
Seniors spent this semester studying modern physics. They learned about quarks, the nature of light, and the early models of the atom. They then began their regents review. They were amazed at how easy mechanics looked the second time around.
Mrs. Wong