Unit 6 Test

We have now started our last unit of the first semester. We will be unable to test until second semester, but we still need to get started. Unit 6 is titled the Age of Change, and it covers the Age of Exploration, the Early Americas, and the Scientific Revolution/Enlightenment. The test is scheduled for January 5, 2012. It will be difficult having winter break in the middle of this unit, but as long as students complete their study guide and review the material, they should still be successful on test day.

We will be doing a project over this unit that following week in January. More to come when it gets closer...

Good luck on finals next week!!!

1st Semester Final Exam Schedule

One slight change has been made to the schedule. We will begin school at normal time on Friday. The district changed the start time from 9:45am to the normal 8:45am so that we can make students aware of the new career center that KISD is building for the following school year. So make sure you get to school at regular time next week Friday! :)

Unit 5 Test

We have now started Unit 5.  Unit 5 covers the Renaissance and Reformation, Ch.12 in our history textbook.  We are scheduled to test on Wednesday, November 30th.  Student will receive a study guide that Monday to help them prepare for their test.  Please encourage them to complete their study guide and come to class prepared.  This test might prove to be difficult as it falls on the Wednesday we return from Thanksgiving break, so please be mindful of that.


Also, students will be given an extra credit opportunity on Tuesday before Thanksgiving break.  Please encourage them to take me up on this offer and earn themselves from extra points in class. 

Unit 3 Test

Unit 3 is all about the Middle Ages.  The test is scheduled for Wednesday, November 9, 2011.  Students will receive a study guide two days before the test.  Please encourage them to prepare and come in for tutoring as this will be a summative grade.  This will be our second test of the quarter.

1st Quarter Project

We will be starting our first quarter project tomorrow, September 27, 2011.  Students will be placed into groups to further study one of the early civilizations we've looked at in class this far.  In this group they will be creating an ancient newspaper.  Each student will be responsible for writing one article and creating one additional item for the newspaper (i.e. comic strip).  Students will receive each class period this week to work on completing their work.  The final project will be due at the end of their class period on Friday.  This assignment is worth two test grades and falls under our summative category (65% of quarter grade).  Please encourage your student to put together a quality piece of work.  Although it is a group assignment, each student will actually only be graded on their portion of the paper.  This means their grade is completely up to them!

If you would like a copy of the assignment emailed to you, please email me at Amy.J.Taylor@killeenisd.org and I will gladly reply with the attachment.

First quarter ends on October 14th!

Unit 2 Test

We will be starting Unit 2 this Monday.  Unit 2 covers the classical period of Ancient Greece and Rome.  In our textbook it is chapters four and five.  The unit test is scheduled for Monday, September 26, 2011.  The students will receive a study guide to prepare.  Please help remind them of the test the weekend before, so they come to class prepared.

Intertwined into this unit we will also be celebrating Freedom Week in commemoration of the 10th anniversary of 9/11.  We will focus on the foundation of our country as well as the sacrifices we have made since then to remain a free democracy.

Following Unit 2 we will have our quarter project.  This project will be worth two test grades.  Information to follow...

Open House

Please mark your calendars and plan to attend our annual Open House this upcoming Tuesday night from 6-8pm!  It will be a great opportunity to meet the teachers of your student and tour campus.  There is no set schedule for the event.  Teachers will be in their classrooms, traveling teachers can be found in the library.

We look forward to meeting all of you!

Unit 1 Test

The first unit test has been scheduled for Friday, September 9th.

This test will cover prehistoric times to ancient river valley civilizations.  This information can be found in chapters 1-3 of our world history textbook.  Students will receive a study guide two days in advance to prepare.


World Regions will also have a map test on the same day.


Make sure you prepare, tests fall into the summative category which equals 65% of your quarter grade!

Welcome!

Welcome to the 2011-2012 school year!  We all are very excited to be teaching world history.  

Here is a look at what's to come this year...

First Semester

First Quarter:

Unit 1: Early Civilizations (Approx. 10 Days) –Ch. 1, 2, 3
Unit 2: Celebrate Freedom Week (Approx. 5 Days)

Unit 3: Classical Civilizations (Approx. 12 Days) –Ch. 4, 5

Unit 4: Middle Ages in Europe (Approx. 10 Days) –Ch.9, 10

Second Quarter:

Unit 5: Middles Ages in Africa and Asia (Approx. 12 Days) –Ch. Ch.6, 9

Unit 6: Renaissance and Reformation (Approx. 20 Days) –Ch. 12

Second Semester

Third Quarter:
Unit 7: Scientific and Economic Revolutions (Approx. 14 Days) –Ch. 11, 13, 17, 19, 20, 21

Unit 8: Political Revolutions (Approx. 10 Days) –Ch. 14, 18

Unit 10: Global Conflicts, WWI to WWII (Approx. 15 Days) –Ch. 23, 24, 26

Fourth Quarter

Unit 11: Global Issues, Post WWII to the Present (Approx. 15 Days) -Ch. 25, 27, 28

Unit 13: Tying it All Together (Approx. 15 Days) –Ch. 29-32

There will be a test at the end of every unit (approx. three per quarter).  The semester finals will only be over information learned that semester.  So our final exam in June will only cover information from January to June, not the entire year.

TAKS Review Video Links

These are EXCELLENT TAKS Review videos.  They are a shortened version of our entire curriculum for World History and U.S. History.  Please watch them again before our test on Friday.

http://vimeo.com/3142016

http://vimeo.com/3233804


TAKS Schedule for Sophomores:
Tue - Math
Thur - Science
Fri - Social Studies

TAKS Practice Test

 http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/student.assessment/resources/online/2009/taks_g10_ss/10socialstudies.htm


1.  Click on the above link
2. Enter your name
3. Take test
4. Click "Score"
5. PRINT YOUR RESULTS!!!!!  If you do not print and/or your name is not on your results, you will have to retake it!

Dates for TAKS Quiz for Rubich/Taylor

1066: William the Conquerer 
1215:  Magna Carta
1492:  Columbus sailed to America
1607:  Jamestown, the first permanent colony, was established
1689:  English Bill of Rights
1776:  Declaration of Independence
1789:  U.S. Constitution was ratified and French Revolution
1803:  Louisiana Purchase
1861:  Beginning of the U.S. Civil War
1865:  End of the U.S. Civil War
1914:  Beginning of World War I
1917:  U.S. Entrance to World War I
1918:  End of World War I
1939:  Beginning of World War II
1941:  U.S. Entrance to World War II
1945:  End of World War II

TAKS

We will be taking some time off from studying World History to help prepare for the upcoming TAKS Tests at the end of April.  Sophomores will be taking a Social Studies TAKS Test, unlike last year.  A lot of the testable information comes from their 8th grade U.S. History course.  Since it has been so long since students have received this, we want to review to make sure our students are prepared and have the best chance at passing the test.  As of right now, the Social Studies TAKS Test is scheduled to be their last test of TAKS week on Friday, April 29th.  A lot of our test has to do with being able to interpret visuals such as graphs, charts, maps, and tables.  We will practice these skills in depth over the next two weeks.  Please encourage your student to participate in all of the activities we have chosen for the next two weeks.  We picked each one for a reason, and our past results have proven our method successful.  In most classes, students will be creating a review packet over the next two weeks that they will then be encouraged to take home and look over the week of the test.  It is very important students are present during our testing week, April 26-29, 2011.  It is also important that they eat healthy and make sure to get enough sleep the night before.  For the upcoming TAKS bell schedule, please check the school website.


After TAKS week, we have one more unit to study together as a class, WWII, and then we will be working on our end of the year modern history project where students will choose one modern world history event to research and report about to class.  We will also construct a larger than life timeline along the classroom walls where each project will be chronologically attached!


We are in the homestretch!  Keep up the good work so you can rest over summer, knowing you've earned your credits necessary for graduation!

Unit 9 Test and Project

We started Unit 9 this week, The Great War.  We will be covering WWI and the Russian Revolution in this unit.  Our test will actually fall in 4th quarter.  As of right now we are scheduled to test on April 5, 2011.  Students will receive a study guide in advance.  This unit will also contain our quarter project which will be worth two test grades.  Students will be asked to make a WWI propaganda poster and add 30 interesting facts about WWI on the back.  This was explained to them today, and is due at the end of class next Friday, March 11, 2011.  After they turn that project in, we have spring break, then the Friday of that first week back already marks the end of 3rd quarter.  That Friday will also be an Early Release, and students will be dismissed at 2:05pm.  Help keep your student motivated as we move into the end of the school year!

Imperialism Map

Unit 8 Test

We have just begun our eighth unit of the year in world history.  Unit 8 will cover the Industrial Revolution as well as the Age of Imperialism.  This is an exciting unit because we are getting closer to modern times, and the students always show a little more interest in these later topics.  As of now, we are scheduled to test on Wednesday, March 2, 2011.  The students will receive their study guide two days ahead of testing.  Please ensure that they complete this, as it is worth homework points, and outlines what will be on the test.


Just a heads up, our first TAKS test of the year will be on Tuesday, March 1, 2011.  This is the ELA Test (English Language Arts).  It is a long one.  Students can bring snacks since we will be testing until 1:00pm.  The rest of the TAKS tests are not until mid/late-April.

Unit 7 Test

We have just begun our second semester of the 2010-2011 school year!  On Wednesday we began  Unit 7 which is titled, "From Monarchy to Democracy."  This unit will show students how many of our modern day countries went from having absolute monarchs to giving power to the people.  Topics will include the Glorious Revolution of England, the American Revolution, the French Revolution, and finally Napoleon.


We are scheduled to test on Tuesday, February 8, 2011.  As always, students will receive a study guide two classes in advance of the test.  Please encourage them to complete their study guide and prepare for our first test of the new quarter.