FDR dedicates Hoover Dam on the Colorado River

September 30, 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt dedicated the Hoover Dam on the Colorado River.

Click here to visit the Hoover Dam homepage 

Today in my classes, the 6th, 7th, & 8th grade classes all worked on their Skills Iowa & Skills Tutor for the duration of the period.

Mr. Johnson

Space Shuttle Discovery lifts off on the first shuttle flight since the 1986 Challenger disaster

The space shuttle Discovery lifts off on the first shuttle flight since the 1986 Challenger disaster.
Also on September 29, 1892 in Mansfield, Pennsylvania, the first nighttime football game was played when Mansfield Teacher College faces Wyoming Seminary beneath twenty electric lights.
Assignments today in class:
7th grade- Took a pretest over 8 southern states & capitals, also watched an episode of CNN Student News and discussed healthy food choices that the students make at home and away from home.
6th grade- Finished discussing Ch 1 Section 1 pages 14-15 in class, then took a 5 point quiz over the section in class.  The students also watched an episode of CNN Student News and discussed healthy food choices that the students make at home and away from home.
8th grade- Since today was an in-service early out, I only met with one 8th grade class.  We discussed Ch 2 Section 1 over how North America was first settled and what the theories are of how the migration happened.

Mr. Johnson

American and French troops begin a siege of the British at Yorktown, Virginia

On September 28, 1781, in what would be the last battle of the Revolutionary War, General Cornwalis, surrounded by American troops and the French Navy, surrenders to General George Washington at Yorktown, Virginia.
Assignments given today:
7th grade- We reviewed Ch 1 Section 1 in class & had a quiz.  Assigned Ch 1 Section 2 to read for class on Wednesday as well as the Southern US states pre-test quiz in class.
6th grade- Discussed Ch 1 pages 8-13 in class, we need to finish 14-15 tomorrow and then we
will take a quiz over it when finished.
8th grade- Finished United States Presidentail Webquests in class, assigned Ch 2 pages 20-25 to be read for class on Wednesday.

Mr. Johnson

The Warren Commission releases a report concluding that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone in assassinating President John F. Kennedy

September 27, 2010 assignments in my classes today:

7th grade- Corrected 2 "Finding the Main Idea" practice worksheets.  Previewed Ch 1 pages 8-14 and assigned the South states pre-test for Wednesday.
6th grade- Corrected 2 "Finding the Main Idea" practice worksheets, an Introduction to Chapter 1 & assigned pages 8-15 to be read for class discussion for Tuesday.
8th grade- CNN Student News & discussion questions about the show.  Also continued with the United States Presidents Webquest presentations.

Mr. Johnson

Congress establishes the Supreme Court

The Judiciary Act of 1789 is passed by Congress and signed by President George Washington, establishing the Supreme Court of the United States as a tribunal made up of six justices who were to serve on the court until death or retirement.

Assignments in Mr. Johnson's room today:

7th grade- Practiced the skill of "Finding the Main Idea" on 2 worksheets and also commented on 2 stories of the students choice on Tween Tribune.  www.tweentribune.com

6th grade- Practiced the skill of "Finding the Main Idea" on 2 worksheets and also read 2 articles in the "Time For Kids" magazines.

8th grade- Field Trip to Fort Atkinson Rendezvous Days.  Students had to find facts about the fort itself and also take in 5 demonstrations of their choice and list 5 important details of each one.

Mr. Johnson

Lewis & Clark return to St. Louis from the Pacific Coast

September 23, 1806 United States Army soldiers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark return to St. Louis after a nearly 2 year expedition to the west coast.

Assignments done in class today:
7th grade- Discussed tic-tac-toe project options, watched a 60 Minutes story about American Samoa called "Football Island" and discussed it in class.
6th grade- Discussed tic-tac-toe project options, watched a 60 Minutes story about American Samoa called "Football Island" and discussed it in class.
 Here is the link for the "Football Island" story from 60 Minutes:
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=6882037n&tag=cbsnewsMainColumnArea.4

8th grade- Discussed Fort Atkinson Rendezvous Days & what we needed to bring & expectations for the field trip Friday.  Also had our Current Events game with the remainder of class time.

Mr. Johnson

"I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country"

September 22, 1776, near present day Central Park in New York City, Nathan Hale a member of the Patriot Army was hanged for spying against the British.  No American can ever forget the words he uttered before they slipped the noose around his neck.

Today in the 6th, 7th & 8th grade classes, the students worked on Skills Iowa & Skills Tutor.  A computer based formative assessment that gives immediate feedback.

Mr. Johnson

Benedict Arnold Commits Treason

September 21, 1780, General Benedict Arnold betrayed his country when he gave the British information that could allow them to capture the American fort at West Point on the Hudson River in New York.  Also on this date, Monday Night Football debuts on ABC (Browns defeated the Jets 31-21).
Assignments for today:
7th grade- Corrected 2 Reading for Details worksheets in class, also discussed project options for the class & also the epals connections that we have made so far.
6th grade- Corrected 2 Reading for Details worksheets in class, also discussed project options for the class. 
8th grade- Viewed CNN Student News & discussed how the recession has affected us.  Also corrected "How to use your textbook" worksheet in class. 

Mr. Johnson

President George W. Bush declares "war on terror"

September 20, 2001 In an address to a joint session of Congress, President Bush declares "war on terror." Also, Cal Ripken Jr. of the Baltimore Orioles ends his record-breaking streak of playing 2,632 consecutive baseball games spanning sixteen seasons.
In my classroom today the assignments were as follows:
7th grade- Students had 2 worksheets to work on dealing with Reading for Comprehension due Tuesday, also Chapter 1 pages 8-14 for Tuesday.
6th grade- Students had 2 worksheets to work on dealing with Reading for Comprehension due Tuesday.
8th grade- Students had activity "How to use your textbook" in class, and 2 posts to make on Tween Tribune by the end of class. Tween Tribune is a current events site that is geared towards tweens.

Mr. Johnson

8th Graders using computers for daily bell ringers

Constitutional Convention approves final draft of the U.S. Constitution

September 17, 1776 in Independence Hall in Philadelphia the Constitutional Convention approved the final draft of the United States Constitution which is still in force today. Also on this date, The American Pro Football Association- later named the National Football League- is formed in Canton, Ohio.

Assignments for today in class:
6th, 7th & 8th graders all wrote letters to the Veterans of this area who
are going on the Honor Trip to Washington D.C. Also, the 8th grade discussed the US Constitution as it is "Constitution Day".

Enjoy Homecoming 2010!

Mr. Johnson

Mayflower sets sail

On September 16, 1620 the Mayflower departs Plymouth, England, for the New World.
Assignments in Mr. Johnson's room:
7th grade-Finished the Atlas Activity on pages 6-7 in the text. Filled out a survey on "Bullying in America's Schools" and discussed Equity in our school.
6th grade-Finished the Atlas Activity on pages 6-7 in the text. Corrected 2 worksheets on summarizing information in class.
8th grade-We did our current events activity during the class periods.


Mr. Johnson

Marilyn Monroe skirt scene

In 1954 Marilyn Monroe films her famous skirt scene in Hollywood.
Today in class the following assignments were given:
7th grade: 9 Northeastern states map quiz, pages 6-7, #8-#10 in the book due for class on Thursday & also practiced our fire safety drill.
6th grade: 2 summarizing worksheets which are due Thursday Sept. 16, pages 6-7, #8 & #9 & also practiced fire safety drill.
8th grade: 8-1 presented their United States Presidents Webquest presentations during class, 8-2 did not meet due to the early out due to teacher inservice.

Mr. Johnson

Star-Spangled Banner

Today in 1814, Francis Scott Key wrote "The Star-Spangled Banner" after watching the British bombard Fort Mc Henry in Baltimore during the War of 1812. More recently, September 14, 1994 the Major League Baseball season is canceled after a players' strike.

In all classes today, we did our formative assessments on Skills Iowa and also used Skills Tutor for practice on our reading comprehension.

Mr. Johnson

Monday September 13, 2010

Back it for Homecoming week 2010, assignments given in class today:
7th grade- pretest over 9 Northeastern states & their capitals and used Time for Kids handout. Read & discussed the article over the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
6th grade- Corrected 2 worksheets "Great Apes" & "Buzzing Around" which worked on students comparison skills. Also did the Time for Kids handout, read & discussed the article over the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
8th grade- Students began presenting their findings from their United States Presidents Webquests, we will continue until all students are finished.

Mr. Johnson

Friday September 10th, 2010

Assignments given today in Mr. Johnson's class:
7th grade: Corrected the Activity Atlas that was done in groups. There will be a Northeastern states pretest on Monday in class.
6th grade: Corrected the Activity Atlas that was done in groups. Students have 2 comparison worksheets that are due Monday when they come to class.
8th grade: Did our current events activity in class. The United States Presidents Webquests are due Monday when the kids come to class. We will randomly present them to the class.

Mr Johnson

Thursday September 9, 2010

Thursday means one day closer to my favorite day- FRIDAY!!!

Assignments given today in my classroom:
7th Grade- students were randomly put into groups of 3-4 kids and worked on the Activity Atlas in the textbooks. We did the 1st question together as a class to give them an idea of what they were to be doing. This is do when this group comes to class in the morning.
6th Grade- students were randomly put into groups of 3-4 kids and worked on the Activity Atlas in the textbooks. We did the 1st question together as a class to give them an idea of what they were to be doing. Students will have 10 minutes to finish the assignment when they come to class in the morning.
8th Grade- We watched the CNN Student News podcast and had a class discussion on the question for the day, "When do you think schools should start?" (What date). Also students used our current event site Tween Tribune and commented on 3 stories of their choice by the end of the period. Reminder the US Presidents Webquest is due Monday September 13, 2010.

Mr. Johnson

Wednesday September 8, 2010

What a beautiful day today!
Assignments for the middle school today:
7th grade- Did our class started to class the period and then discussed what we know about the United States and what we want to learn about the US with a KWL chart.
6th grade- Did our class started to class the period and then discussed what we know about Europe & Russia and what we want to learn about these continents with a KWL chart.
8th grade- Class started to begin the period and then we had in class research for the students US Presidents Webquest which are due Monday Sept. 13.

Also, all of the students logged into their Skills Iowa sites to make sure all of the passwords work and they do.

Tuesday September 7, 2010

Welcome back from the Labor Day break!
Assignments for today:
7th grade: Students took a quiz over the 12 Midwestern states & their capitals. Also assigned the Northeastern region pretest for this Friday 9/10. Also started with page 1 in the textbook.
6th grade: Students had 2 two sided worksheets that were assigned on Friday 9/3 that were due for today. We checked those as a class & started in on page 1 in the textbook.
8th grade: Watched today's edition of CNN Student News & had class discussion over the United States economy. Students also received their textbooks and had the rest of the period to work on their United States Presidents Webquest which are due Monday September 13, 2010.

Mr. Johnson

Friday September 3, 2010

TGIF!!!!!
Assignments for 7th grade today: 7-1 we took a technology assessment that took until 9:30 to complete. This assessment will give our school district the data we need to know what areas we need to focus on in the technology area. 7-2 watched an episode of CNN Student News and discussed how involved parents are in their students education.
6th grade: Ch 1 Spelling Test, and 2 worksheets with an introduction to Latitude & Longitude and how to read a map. These are due Tuesday September 7th when the kids come to class.
8th grade: Today we worked on our current events activity during class.

Thursday September 2, 2010

Today's assignments in Social Studies
7th grade: Students took a pretest over the Midwest states & their capitals. Then the kids presented their geography terms power points.
6th grade: We did a writing activity in class and also took time to make sure students knew how to save files correctly and also how to save files & documents on to the Elementary/Middle School server. There are 3 ways for them to connect.
8th grade: Current events were due today for tomorrows current events activity. Also we researched our United States Presidents Webquest for the rest of the period. It is such a luxury to know that we always have the ability to research when we need to.

Wednesday September 1, 2010

September 1st already, where did the summer go to?
Assignments in the middle school for today are the following:
7th grade: Class starter, then had group work time to finish their geography terms
presentations. Will have Midwest States pretest Thursday.
6th grade: Class starter, Chapter 1 spelling pretest, beginning use of the textbook.
Final Chapter 1 Spelling test will be this Friday.
8th grade: Class starter, then time to research the United States Presidents Webquest
which are due Friday September 10, 2010.