DUE DATES may be closer than you think!

Tuesday, March 24 - all assignments being used to bring up your grade are due (Both A and B day). Hand them to me during class change if you are an A day student.  Be sure your name is on your work.

Wednesday, March 25 - FCAT EXPLORER is due. Yes, that means the ENTIRE ship. I will pull that report electronically during 4th period.

Friday, March 27 - all Brackets are due. If you haven't started, vote at least once for one point. Hand me your records in the hall or during your class period. Hint- turn it in earlier rather than later.

Thursday and Friday and then Spring Break: Special Information for anyone whose grade is less than a C

Our schedule will back to normal both Thursday and Friday. Each student should come home with a grade printout. Some of these will be accompanied by a warning slip. To afford any student who is in danger of failing an opportunity to do more work and earn more points to raise a grade to a C the following opportunity has been printed into the gradebook, onto each progress report, and is presented below.

This is not a bonus assignment for students with grades of C or higher. It is only for students in danger of failing or whose grade is LESS than a C.

Students who need to earn more points to raise their grade to a passing grade or a grade of C may choose from the following alternative activities. Points will be earned for quality not just completion of the activity. All are due no later than March 24. 

Gizmos: Orbital Motion: Kepler’s Laws, Solar System, Solar System Explorer, Comparing Earth to Venus. Each is worth up to 25 points.  (Total points that can be earned = 100)

Achieve 3000: Hello Universe. Anyone Home? and Where are the Sun’s Spots? Along with any of the other articles assigned for the week of Spring Break. Each is worth up to 10 points. (Total points that can be earned = 40 points).

Outline, Two Column Notes or Concept Map of any or all of the following: 2-1, 2-2, 3-1, 3-2, 3-3, 3-4, 3-5, or 3-6. Each is worth up to 10 points. (Total points that can be earned = 80 points).

Of course, instruction will continue after Spring Break until the end of the grading period. 

More Info on Bracket opportunity

Set up your brackets, print them out (or write them out).  That's worth 2 points.
Keep track of the voting and how your choices do until no later than March 27. The progress is worth up to 3 points. All BRACKETS must be turned in on or before March 27 - no matter if you are a B day or an A day student. That's the last day I will accept brackets. That way the bonus points make it into the 3rd nine weeks report card.

In the holding zone during testing

Looks like each student will spend 2 mornings in the holding zone while other students test. To maximize learning time I am providing some assignments that can be completed while in the holding zone. One is described on the grade portal. The other will be made in the holding area. You will need your book for each.
The Replacement Activity is worth 10 points. These points will be added into your total (unlike bonus that is added onto your total). If you need to make up for a poor grade this is a great opportunity. You must complete all of it to be eligible for all 10 points.

This is what it says in the portal (and on my board so A day saw it and B day will see it).

Replace 10 missing points. Complete all:
Read pp. 254-255 and complete Lang. Arts connection AND 5-2 all (skip # 9 and # 16)And the Lesson Review. You may earn up to 10 points based on the quality of your work.

Remember, you have FCAT Explorer as home learning until it is finished.

FCAT EXPLORER Final due date

All of the ship for FCAT EXPLORER  is due on or before March 25. That's the date I posted previously. I will not accept late work for this assignment.

What!!!! Another Bonus Opportunity for EVERYONE!!!!!!!!!

I received this notice today. Today is the first day to Tournament Earth. Set up your own bracket and keep track of how you do for the entire tournament. It's worth 5 bonus points. You must show evidence of: setting up the brackets, voting, and how well you ultimately do. It's kind of an earth science version of the Final Four, but to me it's more interesting.  They face off on the frozen tundra and in the searing deserts. They meet high in the stratosphere and in the depths of the ocean. They clash on the remotest of islands and in the brightly-lit urban centers. They are the best and brightest of Earth’s stars, and they meet again in friendly international competition. Thirty-two of the best Earth Observatory images will meet in Tournament Earth 3.0, but only one can be the winner. From March 2 through April 6, you can vote for your favorite images from the past year, whittling the total from 32 to 16 to 8 to 4 to 2 in a month-long tournament of remote sensing madness. The competition will be stiff in the four brackets — Data, Art, Event, and Photograph — so it is up to you to separate the winners from the losers. Come back each week to vote in each new round. To vote in Tournament Earth, go to:     http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/TournamentEarth/

Kevin Ward

NASA's Earth Observatory: "Where every day is Earth Day"