Jan

The Weekend of 1/21

Still working on grading the tests. The results seem to be below expectations. Some of the essays were written as if we never discussed/practiced DBQ essays. We spent more time this year than any other year that I’ve been a teacher discussing how to write an essay. Those lessons weren’t just to prepare us to write a slavery DBQ. They were to prepare you to write DBQ essays for the rest of the year and beyond. If you get your test back and you did not do well on your essay, you need to see me.
As far as not finishing, you must work at a more productive rate. State tests and the SATs are timed exams. Giving your additional time would be doing a disservice to you. You can’t become an Olympic swimmer without ever getting into the pool.

Football Predictions
It looked grim for awhile, but Anthony A. from Hofstra came in on Friday to make sure that the Giants would win on Sunday. He had to answer 9 questions over 2 days of class this week. Not exactly an easy task for anyone. I’m going with the Giants. The superstition has worked for a few weeks now.
In the AFC, I’m going with the Ravens.
Giants vs. Ravens Superbowl.

Interesting Fact I Read This Week
This came from a Cincinnati Reds blog that I read:

Barry Larkin’s induction means the Reds had at least one Hall of Famer player on their roster every year from Frank Robinson’s rookie season in 1956 to Larkin’s retirement in 2004. Junior’s eventual induction will make it 2008.
Neither the storied Dodgers, Cardinals, or mighty Yankees can put up a streak that comes close.

Very interesting. Perhaps it will be Joey Votto that will extend that streak beyond 2008.

Eating Dinner With Your Family Is Important
Check out this article on the importance of having a family dinner.

Compared to teens who eat family dinners 5 to 7 days per week, those who only eat family dinners fewer than 3 per week are:

* Nearly twice as likely to use alcohol
* Twice as likely to use tobacco
* One and a half times more likely to use marijuana

When I was growing up, my family always had dinner together. It is a tradition that I’ve continued to this day. If you aren’t doing it, encourage your parents to do it, even if it is only on the weekend. There isn’t much that is more valuable than family but we don’t always treat it that way.

Question of the Day: Do you have a family dinner frequently?

Enjoy the weekend. Hopefully we don’t have too much snow.

posted by Mr. Dowling in School,The Reds,Uncategorized,baseball and have Comments (5)

Jan

Thursday, 1/19

Good luck on your Math Midterm today. There will probably not be a blog entry tomorrow so good luck on tomorrow’s Science Midterm as well. If you studied/prepared/attended extra help/paid attention in class since September you should be fine. If not…

Did you hear about the tissue boxes that had traces of radioactivity that were found in local Bed, Bath and Beyond stores? This cartoon pretty much says it all.

It always worries me when such things happen. I suppose I have too much trust in the government to regulate the safety of items that we are going to purchase.

Earlier this week, the Reds signed outfielder Ryan Ludwick to a one year deal. He’s going to split time with Chris Heisey in left field. I don’t hate the deal, but I don’t love it either. I would have liked to see Heisey get the bulk of the playing time in left to see what he is capable of during a full season. Also, I don’t think we’re getting the Ryan Ludwick from 2008 when he hit over 30 HRs and drove in over 100 runs. If he can be anywhere near those numbers this year I will be thrilled.
Bottom line, with the Reds adding Mat Latos, Sean Marshall, Ryan Ludwick and Ryan Madson, the team should be improved and ready to compete this year. I can’t wait for the season to begin.

Lots of random thoughts today. Here’s another one: I like kettle corn. Sweet and salty together as one. Can life get any better?

Speaking of food, what is your favorite food to eat when you go to a sporting event? I usually just get a soda and maybe some peanuts but last time I was at CitiField I had a burger from Shake Shack. It was delicious.

posted by Mr. Dowling in Current Events,Food,School,The Reds,Uncategorized,baseball and have Comments (5)

Jan

Wednesday, 1/18

I recently finished reading David Baldacci’s Simple Genius. I’ve read several of Baldacci’s books with the two main characters Sean King and Michelle Maxwell. This one was pretty good. In Simple Genius, Sean and Michelle are hired to investigate a murder at a top secret science facility across a river from a CIA base. They are given clues by a young girl. However, the clues have to be decoded.
The book is a bit long for young students but can be quite enjoyable if you like mysteries/thrillers.
I’m going to be taking a break from fiction for awhile. I’m sure I’ll eventually get back into reading more of Baldacci’s books.

Being Proactive
Being proactive means dealing with an issue before it becomes a problem and not after. If you are missing information on your notes, the best person to see is your teacher. He/She will be able to help you best or at least point you in the right direction. You cannot wait until you take the test to realize that you are not prepared for it. It’s too late.
Steps that should be taken include, seeing the teacher to discuss the issue. This doesn’t mean come to the teacher with 40 seconds before class begins to say, “I don’t get it.” What can be done about that problem in 40 seconds?
The bottom line is now is the time to begin advocating for yourself. I know your parents are your protectors but you have to have the internal strength to speak to a teacher. It will serve you well in the future.

As a reminder, all of my notes are on my website. The website is www.socialstudieswithasmile.com. There are no secrets. Go there…it will tell you when our next test is. It tells you when our next extra help session is. Also, don’t forget that I’m available every Tuesday and Thursday for Homework Club.

I haven’t even factored in that we review in class…I remind you of dates for upcoming tests and assignments. These things don’t sneak up on you.

I think a lot of my students are good students and have the ability to be proactive and advocate for themselves. Now you need to prove it. Trust me, you will need these skills in high school and college…oh yeah, and the every day world!

posted by Mr. Dowling in Books,School,Uncategorized and have Comments (2)

Jan

Monday, 1/16

My predictions for Sunday’s games were much better than Saturday. Although I’m not a Giants fan, I was glad to see that they will be playing another week. The playoffs without a New York team is just not the same. That’s why I’d like to see the Knicks make the playoffs this year.
Speaking of the Knicks, they have an early tipoff today. It is a tradition for the Knicks to play an afternoon game on Martin Luther King Day.

I’ve decided after yesterday that from now on I will be entering my classroom the way Ray Lewis enters the field. I just need a smoke machine, fireworks and dancing skills.

Can you imagine me doing this?

If you’ve been following the Presidential race, you know that Jon Huntsman is dropping out. I guess that means we are now down to 5. The experts on television/radio predicted that a candidate or two would drop out before the South Carolina primary. They want to see if they can get a conservative candidate a victory in SC rather than having a bunch of candidates split the vote against Romney. If Romney wins in SC it could basically be all over.

Don’t forget to study for tomorrow’s test.

posted by Mr. Dowling in Current Events,School,Uncategorized and have Comment (1)

Jan

The Weekend of 1/14

Congratulations to Schreiber’s Intel Semi-Finalists. This year Hannah Blumberg, Rachel Cohen and Arjan Saraon were all honored for their research. Rachel and Arjan were Green House students.
Last year the Green House also had Son Yon Song honored.
I also coached a semi-finalist on my baseball team at Lawrence Middle School. Perhaps I have the magic touch!!!
Actually all of the students that I know that were honored as semi-finalists were very gifted. I just like to take partial credit for their success!!!

Yesterday in class we talked about taking come time this weekend to read/watch something about Martin Luther King Jr. Remember, this isn’t just another day to sleep late. As I mentioned in class, BET is showing a few shows dedicated to Dr. King. However, they are on Sunday. The Martin Luther King miniseries from the 70s is on from 12pm to 6. That is followed by the Rosa Parks story from 6 to 8. I don’t necessarily expect you to watch all 8 hours of programming but perhaps a few minutes while channel surfing would be nice.

Football Predictions
I was 3-1 last week with my football predictions. I don’t have as good a feeling about my picks this week. I will admit that I’m picking with my heart and not my head this week.
Based on our superstition in Hofstra, I’m going with the Giants over Green Bay. Anthony from Hofstra answered 10 questions this week which was the magic number for a Giants victory. I hope he knows that if the G-Men win this week that the number will increase next week!
At this point, I cannot root against Tim Tebow. I’m caught up in the magic. It won’t be easy, but I see the Broncos beating New England.
I’m also going to take Baltimore over Houston and New Orleans over San Francisco.
Your thoughts?

That’s all for today. Don’t forget to study for Tuesday’s test. We have extra help Tuesday morning.

posted by Mr. Dowling in School,Television,Uncategorized,history and have Comments (7)

Jan

Blog Rules

I haven’t gone over the rules for the blog in awhile so here goes…

1. In order to post, you must provide your name and an email address. In order to get your comment approved, this must take place. Sadly, there was a well thought out post that was written last night. The writer did not post his name. As a result, the post was trashed.
If you intend to share your thoughts, you must share your name. I want to maintain the safety of this blog as much as I possibly can.

2. Respectful comments only.

3. Since the blog is a school-related blog, I expect as close to good grammar as possible. We’re not going to be the grammar police but we should use proper English as much as possible.

4. Have fun.

Today in class we will be introducing the Political Cartoon project. I think this has the potential to be a fun assignment. I enjoyed looking back at the work of former students yesterday while preparing for today’s lesson. You will see some of their examples today. However, I don’t want to show you too much because I want you to be as creative and original as possible.

The American Struggle for Independence practice test is now available on socialstudieswithasmile.com. Be sure to get the Reds question correct. There is also a practice test that will be available in class. It will be made available on Friday. If you want one before that, simply ask for it.
There will be a review session Tuesday morning and we will be reviewing in class tomorrow (Friday).

Remember, a small amount of extra credit can be gained by reading outside reading books. For more information, see the Outside Reading Extra Credit category to the right.
There have been a few opportunities for extra credit this quarter. I noticed that last quarter, the extra credit (which is added to your test scores at the end of the quarter) made a difference for a few students. I recall students going from a B to B+ and A to A+. Take advantage of it while it lasts. There are fewer and fewer extra credit opportunities as the year goes on.

DJ now knows Barry Larkin, Bret Boone and Pete Rose from our Reds Room at home. He’s definitely a die hard Reds fan in training.

Did anyone watch the Firm on Sunday night? I loved the movie but the show seems to be missing something. I’ll give it another shot tonight (DVR’d of course).

posted by Mr. Dowling in DJ,Outside Reading Extra Credit,School,The Reds,Uncategorized,baseball and have Comments (3)

Jan

Wednesday, 1/11

Last night the Reds managed to sign closer Ryan Madson to a one year deal. I like the moves the Reds have made this offseason. Adding Mat Latos, Madson and Sean Marshall should help to put the Reds in the hunt for post season play. Having Madson and Marshall in the bullpen also gives Aroldis Chapman the opportunity to start, which could potentially help the Reds.
I doubt the Reds will make any other moves this offseason. That means Chris Heisey will get the bulk of the time in Left Field. I’d like to see what he can do in a full season.

I went to the Board of Education meeting. It appears that the district is looking to cut over $2 million. That won’t be easy. While watching the two presentations last night (one on Elementary education and one on the Middle School), there didn’t seem to be many cuts that I would be willing to make.
In fact it seemed that the Board was looking to ADD to the program.
If all of the cuts come from the Middle School (which I doubt), the school would have a drastically different feel to it next year.

Question of the Day: I heard this one on the radio yesterday. What unusual food combination do you enjoy? Examples that were mentioned were Doritos on a bagel and french fries dipped in ice cream. Can’t say I’ve tried either one of those.

For those following, Mitt Romney won the New Hampshire primary. The next step is South Carolina in a little more than a week from now. The picture is becoming clearer but we still have a long way to go before we know for sure that it will be Romney vs. Obama.

posted by Mr. Dowling in School,The Reds,Uncategorized,baseball and have Comments (6)

Jan

Congratulations To Barry Larkin

Congratulations to Barry Larkin. Larkin’s enshrinement in the Baseball Hall of Fame is very fitting. He was the greatest Reds player of the 80s/90s and is arguably the greatest Reds player I’ve ever seen. In a year or two (hopefully more), I might be saying the same about a guy named Votto.
It is tough to explain what Larkin means to the Reds. He wasn’t a slugger every year. He didn’t bat .300 every year. He wasn’t always healthy. But when he was on the field, he was one of the best. His baseball IQ made him into a top player his entire career. In short, Larkin is to the Reds what Derek Jeter is to the Yankees.

posted by Mr. Dowling in The Reds,baseball and have Comments (4)

Jan

Monday, 1/9

Today is our trip to The Hall of Science. As I mentioned in a previous blog post, although I hate trips, I do enjoy the Hall of Science. This should be interesting.
Question of the Day: What was your favorite part of the trip? What exhibit did you like the best?

What a football game last night! My predictions were pretty good with the exception of Cincinnati…must be something about that city and my predictions.
After last night’s performance, perhaps Tim Tebow should change his name to Tim O-Tebow. Way to get it done in OT!
It isn’t always pretty, but Tebow gets the job done.

Good luck to Barry Larkin today. I hope he gets the call to the Hall.

On this day in history, Thomas Paine’s Common Sense was published. We will be discussing the impact that Paine’s work had on the American Struggle for Independence in about a week or so.
Common Sense was Paine’s plea for colonists to demand freedom.

posted by Mr. Dowling in Uncategorized and have Comments (3)

Jan

The Weekend of 1/7

This past week I’ve spent several mornings (and one lunch period) working with students to re-organize their binders. It has not been an easy task for some students. If you need the help, let me know and I will set aside time to help you get organized. It may take awhile at first but all you need is simple daily maintenance.

We finished The Karate Kid Part II during Laughs and Lunch yesterday. We’re now going to be watching Looney Tunes on Fridays for the next few weeks. If you are interested, join us. All you have to do is sign up at the beginning of Period 4 and get a pass. It’s a good time.

Have a ever mentioned that I do not like field trips? To me, it is a lot of wasted time to get very little reward. Long bus rides, student desire to have lunch and visit an over priced gift shop just doesn’t seem worth the time/effort.
On the other hand, I do enjoy the Hall of Science. I haven’t been there in years and look forward to going back.

This week is an exciting one for Reds fan. Monday will be the day that the Baseball Hall of Fame Announces the class of 2012. It is very likely that Reds legend Barry Larkin will be chosen to join the Hall of Fame. Larkin was the man when I was growing up as a Reds fan. In fact, he is the reason I wanted to be a shortstop when I was a kid. Unfortunately, I was left handed. However, I do recall a few games here and there in little league when I played shortstop and even 3rd base.
When I played baseball at Old Bethpage Village, I played 3rd base…without a mitt under the rules of the late 1800s.
There were quite a few differences.
Anyway, Larkin definitely deserves enshrinement in the hall. He is a 9 time Silver Slugger winner, a 3 time Gold Glover winner (he would have had more had it not been for a guy named Ozzie Smith), the 1995 MVP, the first shortstop to have a 30-30 season and a 1990 World Champion. To top it off, he spent his entire career with one team.

NFL Playoff Predictions
I’m going with the Bengals and New Orleans tonight.
It may seem that I favor Cincinnati teams but I’m not a Bengals fan. I just feel that they have a good chance of winning tonight. If the Bengals do win, it will be the first playoff win for the city of Cincinnati since 1995 when the Reds beat the Dodgers.
Tomorrow, I’m going with the Giants and Denver. I feel least confident about the Denver pick. Tebow is due to have a big game but he (and the rest of his team) have struggled the last few weeks.
What are your predictions?

posted by Mr. Dowling in Movies,School,The Reds,Uncategorized,baseball and have Comments (5)

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