Holiday Break Reminders

Hey gang! Hope that your little vacation is treating you well. A few things to remember as we get closer and closer to returning to school:

1 - Continue to study your Western Europe Political Map. Remember, there are online study tools you can use - just look below.

2 - Keep going over the 50 states. We will have our January test a week or so after we return.

3. Be sure to have a good rough copy of the answer to our LEQ about the geography of Western Europe. That will be the basic question on our Chapter 12 Exam a week or so after we return.


If you have any questions let me know. Otherwise, enjoy your break and look back at the site here and there for another update.

Peace out!

Good Study Site for 50 States

http://bensguide.gpo.gov/flash/states_game2.html

Thanks to a student for giving a great site to study the 50 states. Remember, this is something that you should be doing for the entire year or until you are confident you can get 50 out of 50.

Thursday Tutorial

Hey gang! I will be offering my fourth morning tutorial session Thursday morning (12-18). I will get to school around 7 am and be available to help until homeroom begins. If you need to make up work, re-take a test or exam, finish some homework, or study make sure you come on in.

Tuesday Tutorial

Tuesday morning marks the third morning tutorial for any problems, make-up work, re-tests, and extra help that you may need. I will arrive to school around 7 in the morning and be available to help until homeroom starts at 8:10. There are A LOT of you who need to turn in missing assignments. Please use these morning sessions to improve you grade or get the help you need! Any questions you have, please comment below.

December 50 States Test

I said there was a catch to the December 50 States Test and here it is...If you received a a score of 40 or better on the November test, you do NOT have to take the December test. If you received a score of 39 or below on the November test, you will essentially be taking a retest for your November test - best score stays.

The test will be this week.

RV Updates

There will be NO calendar for December presentations. As we are going at a snails pace with our presentations, we will skip December and instead have a calendar for January. Any questions, leave a comment below.

Class News for December 8

Hey gang! This week we start our study of Western Europe. Each day this week will focus on our Learning Essential Question:

"Where are the countries, major cities, and key physical locations in Western Europe?"

We will be completing a worksheet on the Chunnel, answering specific questions in five guided readings, two atlas activity worksheets, constantly reviewing our political and physical maps, finishing a reading assignment together, and taking a physical and political map quiz. WE WILL BE BUSY!!!

One other key announcement...I will be holding tutorials, or study sessions in the mornings on certain days for the next three weeks. They are designed to help you prepare for all the tests and quizzes we take, review vocabulary, or just answer questions you may have. If you aren't doing well or aren't happy with how you are doing come on in! The dates are:
12/8
12/11
12/16
12/18
12/22
The sessions will begin at 7am and run until homeroom begins. You may show up whenever you would like and can leave whenever you would like. If you have questions, please let me know.

December 7, 1941....A date that will live in infamy.

Today marks the 67th anniversary of the Japanese surprise attack on our naval base at Pearl Harbor. You might remember hearing about this from a popular movie made in 2001 with Ben Affleck. The internet is littered with interesting websites, video, pictures, and audio about this famous event. Take some time and learn about it!!

Map Games Online

http://www.maps.com/funfacts.aspx?nap=MS

Click on the link above or type in the address to find some map games that you can use for review.

SW Asia Update

Hey gang. Since we will be beginning our study of Western Europe this week, all late work for SW Asia must be turned in by Friday. Please turn in backwork that might include:
Maps
Vocab
Projects
Makeup Tests
Exams
321 Activities

To get your full credit, all work must be in by lunch time on Friday. Thanks!!

Class News for Week of December 1

Welcome back and welcome to December! This week we will complete our SW Asia presentations and move into our next unit. As usual, you will have to complete a physical and political map as well as our key vocabulary for our next chapter - Western Europe. MANY of you have grades that are well below the averages you are used to...it is time to step up your effort level!!! You will be getting your November 50 States test back and will be able to retake them. As usual, if you have questions, please send them to me and I will respond ASAP. Peace out.

My Brother in Law ... The IRONMAN

This is a short video of my brother-in-law finishing his IRONMAN in Arizona this past weekend. That is 2.4 miles of swimming, 112 miles of biking, and 26.2 miles of running!! What a fun day. Can you tell who the crazy guy is yelling his name??

Extra Credit

Want 5 bonus points of extra credit???

If so, then figure out how many miles I will be traveling by plane this weekend. I am leaving Baltimore and flying to Chicago. Then to Phoenix. I will leave Phoenix and fly to Dallas, then end up in Baltimore again.

How many miles? Write the answer on a sheet of paper and turn it in to me Tuesday for extra credit.

Midweek Update

Hey folks! Great job this week so far. As we hit Wednesday, lets keep a few things in mind. First, please continue to prepare for the 50 States Test at the end of the week - do NOT try to study one night and expect to get a good grade. Second, please do YOUR part in your group project. The group can not finish if you don't pull your weight. Last, continue to ask questions if you are confused.

I am so happy to see most of you really working hard on your SW Asia and RV Projects. Keep developing that habit of hard work.

Clean out your Notebook!!

Here are the directions for cleaning out your notebook. Some of you may not have heard them because you are not in my Colt Periods. Do this ASAP to help you stay organized.

During your three day break!!!

Please remember that you still need to do a few things during your extended weekend. We have an extremely busy week coming up. We have a current events test, physical map test of Southwest Asia, 50 States Test of the U.S., and a major project due. Please keep your mind sharp by reviewing over the weekend. Any questions let me know.

Class News for Week of November 10

Hey gang. This week we will continue our study of Southwest Asia. Be ready for a Political and a Physical Map test during the week. We will also begin our SW Asia project where you will be working in groups. It will be a two-day project with a lot to do...be ready to work. Any questions, let me know!

Soccer = National Pride

As an example of soccer being a source of national pride, I found a video that I like of England's national team. They need a goal in the last minute to make it to the World Cup...watch what happens!

Remember, Remember...

In England, today is a celebration called Guy Fawkes Day. There is a little saying that goes...

Remember, Remember, the 5th of November!

If you want to hear about this guy and why they celebrate him trying to blow up the most important building in their country, research the term "Guy Fawkes". Trust me....it is cool!

TUESDAY RESEARCH CANCELLED

The research day scheduled for Tuesday has been cancelled. Pass on the info to everyone you know who was thinking about attending. I will still have a day on Thursday.

Sorry, but I have to vote!!!!

Class News for Week of November 3

Hey gang. Time to start a new unit. This week we will begin our unit on Southwest Asia. We will be completing a physical and political map of the region as well as learning about ten important terms for this important area of the world. After the week is over we should be able to answer two important questions:
1 - What are the similarities between Christianity, Islam and Judaism?
2 - Why is the world dependent on this region?
We will also begin our big project for this unit towards the end of the week. A quick reminder - we will begin presenting our RV Projects next week! Just because we are finished with our study of the U.S. doesn't mean we will stop discussing our great country. Any questions, please click the comment link and leave them. I will do my best to respond in a timely manner.

AFTER SCHOOL RESEARCH DAYS

Attention!!! We will have two after school research days this week for your RV Across America Project. TUESDAY and THURSDAY I will stay until 4:30 or 5:00 and let you do some work on this long-term project. Those students who will present during November will be posted after COLT period Monday.

Class News for Week of October 27

Hey gang. Welcome to the end of the First Marking Period. Monday and Tuesday will be spent in the computer lab doing an activity for the Guidance Office. Wednesday and Thursday will be spent working on our RV Across America project and beginning our next unit - Southwest Asia. Please be aware that the Notebook Check will be this week. Papers MUST be in the three rings, in order with a table of contents filled out to receive full credit. Any questions....let me know.

Class News for Week of October 20

Hey gang! Well, we are closing in on the end of the 1st Marking Period. One important question to ask yourself - Is my notebook in a three-ring binder and in order? The notebook check will be upon you very soon!
This week we will wrap up our study of the United States. You will have your second 50 States Test as well as a Physical Map test early this week. We will finish the week with a short quiz on the U.S. and begin researching for our RV Across the U.S. project.
Get ready to finish up the 1st Marking Period!!

RV Across America Update

Hey gang. Here is an update on our long-term project for the United States. To recap for any student who is unsure what I am talking about... We are taking a RV trip across the U.S. (fictional!) and will be making about 160 different stops. Each of you will make a very short presentation for your destination at a time to be determined later on.

So here is the most important thing - EVERYONE NEEDS TO BE SIGNED UP BY FRIDAY OF THIS WEEK!!!

Any questions please let me know.

Extended Weekend - What to do.

Just because we won't see eachother for a very extended period of time doesn't mean that you should simply forget about reviewing your states or physical map of the U.S. You will be taking two quizzes when you return so please don't be this guy and sleep through the next four days or so!!! STUDY a little bit.

50 States Test

Please be studying the political map in preparation for your 50 states test. Remember, we want to get a 50 out of 50 on our final test scheduled for the end of the week of the 13th. Any questions, let me know.

Class News for Week of October 6th

Welcome to October!! This week we begin our study of our first country - the United States of America. By the end of the week, we will have taken our first 50 States Exam, read most of the chapter (our first time), and completed three to four activities that show the diversity of the U.S. Please make a habit of studying the 50 states at least ten minutes each night. Here we go!!! As always, if you have any questions, please click on the comment link below and I will answer your question ASAP.

Questions this weekend?

As you work on any homework that you have this weekend, please click on the comment link below if you have any questions. I will answer them as soon as possible.

Video #3 - Culture Examples

This video will deal with examples of culture and how to describe them on your upcoming examination. This could be a very valuable section of your exam. Take a few minutes to get a few clues on how to be successful here. Enjoy!!

Video #2

Sorry if the audio doesn't match the video...computer was not cooperating! Darn Information Age stuff. Listen to the message and follow the suggestions - you will do well on this section of the test if you do! Good Luck Studying!!!!!!

Class News for Week of September 29

Greetings Gang. This week we will wrap up our study of Culture (chapter 3) and take an examination to see if you paid attention:)

After that, we will begin a two or three week study of the United States which will include our first two maps of the school year and another short-term project. I hope that after this unit you will know much more about the great country that you live in.

As always, any questions can be forwarded to me by clicking on the comment link below. I will try and answer those questions as soon as humanely possible.

Videos to air Sunday night

I will start to post a video series on culture Sunday night. I should be back in Hanover around 5 or 6 Sunday night and hope to get something on air by 8 or 9. Hopefully, they will offer you an alternative to just looking at your notes. Tune in Sunday night after 8:30!

Culture TEST ALERT

Alert!! Alert!! Your chapter 3 exam on culture will be next week (i am writing this on thursday the 25th). Please begin looking over your Wheel of Culture and Culture Squares this weekend. Study the vocabulary, especially the first page, and your Guided Reading 1. If you have any questions about the test, click on the comment link below and I will answer you sometime Sunday night when I return from South Bend.

STUDY!!

Class News for Week of September 22

Hey gang. Hope the weekend went well. This week we will continue to work on Chapter 3 which deals with Culture. We will finish our notetaking early in the week to help explain culture and talk about four specific cultural revolutions that have occured over time. We will also begin and complete a project that shows culture in our own worlds. Hopefully it will be a pretty fun week. Test will occur sometime either late week or early during the next. See you tomorrow!

World Map View of Time Zones

With our clocks set to the correct times in room 215, L.A., London, Tokyo, and Sydney, we probably won't talk about time zones all that much again. If you want to see a pretty cool picture of the world map in daylight and nighttime, click on link below. If it doesn't take you directly to the map, search around for a bit and you will find it.

http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/sunearth.html?n=97&month=9&day=18&year=2008&hour=9&min=56&sec=0

Class News for Week of September 15

Hey gang! Nice job of weathering your first WG exam. They will get a little harder as you go, but now you know what to study for and we can work on HOW to study.

This week we will begin our chapter on CULTURE. We need to understand what comprises a culture so that we know what factors affect each country and their people that we look at. You will start a project during your next class period that will be group-based.

If you have any questions, click on the "comment" link below and I will respond ASAP. Peace out.

Studying Suggestion from Mr. Lawhead

FIVE THEMES TEST QUESTIONS

If you have questions about our test on Monday or Tuesday, please click on the comment link below and write the question down. I will respond as soon as possible. Thanks.

September 11 Discussion Followup

We had a very productive class discussion on 9/11 Thursday and Friday. If you do want to see some videos of the day that we discussed, go to either Google or Youtube and type in "September 11 as it happened" and you will have an idea of what most of us were watching on the news. Be aware, a lot of the videos may be hard to watch because of their graphic nature.

Five Themes Test Coming Soon!!

Please begin the studying for our Five Themes of Geography exam that will take place very soon. If you haven't begun looking over the information yet, review your notes at least 15 minutes each night. Be sure to give a definition for each theme and be ready to explain each theme in detail. I will put more study tools on the site as we get closer to the test.

Class News for Week of September 8

Hey gang! Welcome to another week. This week we will wrap up our study of the Five Themes of Geography. We will cover Human-Environment Interaction and Region during our next two classes and then review for our exam. Your ABC Projects will be due this week - please remember to turn in quality work. The exam will either be late this week or early next. Start studying now! If you have any questions, please click on the comment link and I will get back to you ASAP.

Week 2 Questions

If you have any questions about what we are doing this week, please click on the comment link below and ask me. I will respond to you before the day is over.

Class News for Week of September 1

Hey gang! This week we will begin our study of the five themes of geography. This is the basis of everything we will study this year and should take us about four class periods to study and test. We will have one project - our ABC Guide of Hanover - and a short examination on this chapter. See you Tuesday.

BabyBear Babysitting Log - Hour 9

AWAKE!!!!

BabyBear Babysitting Log - Hour 8

Nap #2 is underway. About an hour ago, the little guy took GIGANTIC dump in his diaper. I'm not talking big, I'm talking Grand Freakin Canyon size dump. As I was cleaning his bottom side, he was nice enough to pee on me. Its been a great day!

BabyBear Babysitting Log - Hour 3

Babybear has NOT followed the schedule that Mommabear said he would. Tired????? I think not. He is currently doing friggin jumping jacks in this bungee seat device that plays the sound of a monkey every five seconds followed by an elephant roaring. So this nap that was supposed to occur sometime around 9 is still a ways away. I'm going to go insane!

Hard Work Pays Off

If you are a doctor, chances are, all the hard work you have put in the past ten years of schooling have allowed you a few free moments to read this during your night shift! Hope it was all worth it!

GAS GAS GAS

A lot of people think gas costs too much and that prices are rising way way too fast. Ask your parents what they think about rising costs.




I've posted two pictures on the site somewhere. One is a naked bike ride protest in Madrid, Spain and the other is in Belgium where hundreds of farmers brought their tractors to block the town center. WOW!

EURO 2008

Hope you are watching the Euro 2008 Championships! This is a real good example of soccer being the most popular sport on the planet. Just watch the fans and you will understand. I will post videos later for those of you still reading the blog.

THANKS 9-1, 9-2, AND 9-3

Just wanted to say a quick thanks to everyone. You were great students all year long and did a magnificent job with everything I asked you to do. Please continue to work hard and make good decisions.

Mr. Lawhead

Cricket Highlights

Here are some cricket highlights of a match between England and India. Just listen to the announcer and see if you can understand what he is talking about!!! Holy smokes!

The Haka - New Zealand

Big Rugby Hits

Below are some of the nasty hits that you might see at a typical rugby match. How would you like to get hit like this???

Rugy Match Highlights

9-2 INFO

Section 9-2...you will be presenting your projects on Tuesday and Wednesday. We will officially begin our chapter on Australia on Thursday. Be ready to present your projects on Tuesday.

WG Reminder for Wednesday

Computer Lab Directions for Wednesday

Hey gang! Hope that everyone is doing okay. I'm in Gettysburg again with the 8th graders. HOpefully I don't get rained on all day like on Tuesday!

Here is what you should be doing today in the computer lab.

1 - Take out your Google Earth Activity for China.

2 - Go to the Sharable Drive and find the Lawhead-WG folder.

3 - There is a China Google Earth link somewhere there that will open Google Earth for you and take you to each of the locations on your worksheet.

4 - Answer as many questions as you can on your sheet.

If you are unable to finish, click on the comments section for this post and let me know why you were unable to finish. Have a great day!
Mr. Lawhead

WG Reminders For Tuesday

China Dam

The picture here is a dam in China that suffered serious damage from the Earthquake. They have had to send over 2,000 troops to try and fix it. For stories on this and other aspects of this disaster, go to cnn.com and research what is going on.

Ask Mr. Lawhead 9-2

If you have questions about the project let me know!!!

9-1 HW for 05-12

This is for 9-1 only! Now that you have completed all of the legwork for the Island Project, take a moment and look back on it. Your assignment will be to answer two questions regarding that project.

5-9-08 Assignment

This is for 9-1 and 9-3 only! Now that you have completed all of the legwork for the Island Project, take a moment and look back on it. Your assignment will be to answer two questions regarding that project.

Question #1 - What should be added to the project for next year? (nothing is not an acceptable answer)

Question #2 - How would you change the project if given the chance? (Note: More time will not be offered)

Class News for Week of 05-05

The first half of this week will be focusing on our collaborative project of creating an island. Monday and Tuesday will be focused on working and FINISHING the project. Remember, you will need to do some homework to complete this project! Wednesday and Thursday will be presentation days for sections 9-1 and 9-3. Section 9-2 will have a slightly different schedule which will be discussed in class. Please remember that there will be a chapter test on Friday and a Map test this week. Strap on the hard work belt!!

Weekend Warriors

Welcome to the weekend! Hopefully you are well rested and haven't been bothering your parents. I would suggest getting some of the project finished during the free time you have this weekend. Try to finish or at least start to finish some of the easier jobs in the project so you can worry more about the larger scale problems that your group can work on.

As always, I have a link below this for any questions you may have. Peace out.

ASK MR. LAWHEAD

IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, POST A COMMENT AND I WILL RESPOND TO IT AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE!! DON'T BE AFRAID TO ASK QUESTIONS.

Project Update 05-01

We have started. I know it is a lot of work but the steady hardwork approach will help you "get er done." I will put an "ASK MR. LAWHEAD" post on the blog page for any questions you may have. I will answer them every night and come to class with answers if you didn't see them. Ask for help if you need it!!!

Humungo/Gigantor Project

Thursday will be the beginning of our epic 700+ point project that includes LA, Science, and World Geography. It will be a very labor intensive (busy and hard) project. It should be about three and a half or four days worth of work. Stay tuned in here for further updates.

SECTION 9-2: You will be doing a similar project, but not as point heavy. Pay attention in class and tune in here for your own updates.

Panama Canal WebCams!

In class we briefly discussed the Panama Canal and how it lets ships bypass the southern tip of South America. Below is a website that will let you view live shots from a webcam of the Panama Canal. Take a few minutes and see what is happening down there!


http://www.pancanal.com/eng/photo/camera-java.html

Class News for week of 04-28

This week we will be starting a short chapter on Central America and the Caribbean Islands. There will be a number of worksheets due Wednesday so that we can have a class discussion on key information from the chapter.
We will also begin a collaborative unit that incorporates not only World Geography, but also Language Arts and Science. This will be a very intense unit with a lot of deadlines...make sure you are writing down due dates and paying attention in all three courses!

Information for your Summary of Mexico

Remember the following about your summary:

- You must use all 12 vocabulary words from our chapter of study in your summary
- The summary must fit on the front sheet
- You must have an equal number of quick facts on either sides

Please review the other summary sheets about countries if you are having trouble getting started. Remember, I am happy to review the summary if you bring it to me.

GOOD LUCK

Class News for week of 04-21

Our goal for this week in every section will be to finish our study of Mexico. All maps should be completed by Wednesday. We will review our Guided Reading assignments and get a better understanding of what Mexico is like by using Google Earth. Be prepared for an examination by Friday at the latest.

For Trent...

Here is the picture of the Mexican flag that you asked for...

Mexico Assignment #1

Answer the following questions by clicking on the "comment" link below. This is counted as a homework assignment.

1. What is Licenciado Gustavo Diaz Ordaz

2. How many states make up Mexico?

Class News for week of 04-14

We will be starting a very short chapter on Mexico this week. Our plan is to complete the four maps and two guided readings by Wednesday. There will be one Google Earth activity and a clock making activity also.

Class News for week of 04-07

Greetings! This week there will be a lot going on.

** Sometime during the first three days, you will have your map retest.
** Sometime during the last three days you will have your Canada chapter exam.

I also expect tape day to be on Thursday for our projects and that we will start Notebook Checks on either Thursday or Friday.

Better be ready!

I Left British Columbia

I left BRITISH COLUMBIA
To go see my friend AL(BERTA)
He was full of SAS(KATCHEWAN)
For a MAN(ITOBA)
After visiting, I continued ON(TARIO)
In search of some vitamin Q(UEBEC)
But instead found two dogs named NEW FOUNDLAND and LABRADOR
I ventured on in search of something NEW (BRUNSWICK)
And asked the PRINCE (EDWARD ISLAND) for money
But he said NO (VA SCOTIA)

The Falls!!

Here are the answers to the two questions that you were to answer as a homework assignment.

1. The picture you are looking at is a small boat named Maid in the Mist taking some tourists near the giant falls known as Niagara Falls.

2. First, I must tell you that there are two sets of falls...an American side and a Canadian side. The Canadian Horseshoe Falls drops an average of 188 feet into the Lower Niagara River. The height of the American Falls ranges between 70-110 feet.


Here are a few sites on the falls:

1. This is a live webcam of the falls - http://www.fallsviewcam.com/

2. This site is a digital library of the falls - http://www.nflibrary.ca/nfplindex/start.asp?db=images

3. This site includes a picture and true story of how they turned off the falls! http://www.hq.usace.army.mil/cepa/pubs/nov99/story16.htm

Canada Tests

There will be a Canada test this week. It will focus on the map of Canada, especially the provinces and territories. There will be one retake available for students.

Study hard!

Canada Assignment #1

Post a comment to receive your homework grade about the picture below. Answer these two questions to receive full credit.

What is this a picture of and how far do you think the drop is?

O Canada

Canadians express their national pride during a hockey game. Watch carefully...the guy singing actually stops and lets the crowd finish the song!!!

CANADA!!!!!!!!

We will be studying our neighbor to the north for the next week or two. Below is a colorful version of their political map.




Over the past two years, we have come up with a pretty clever and very easy to remember story to help you remember the location for each province. Hope you are ready for this!

Russia Tests Are Coming Soon!!!

Your Russia Political Map and Russia Vocabulary tests are coming up very soon. Be able to both locate and describe the locations on the map. For vocabulary, be able to describe how each term relates to the information we are covering.

Bloggers Update

I know that everyone is anxiously awaiting student posts but we have to get into a lab before that happens....here is why. You need to have a Google accout (i think) and I need to invite you to post (i think). We will get this figured out and use this to our advantage!

TEAM 6 BLOGGERS!!

As part of the course we will now have one or two students per week guest blog about a topic that we are covering in class. Justice K.(9-1), Josh O. (9-3) and a student from 9-2 to be named later will be our guinea pigs and help us try and turn this site into a useful resource. They should have their posts on the site by Tuesday night. Keep your eyes peeled!

SOVIET UNION

Most of you probably don't remember the Soviet Union and the hate that was between the Soviet Union and the United States. Well, here is a good a pretty good reference site for background information on the Soviet Union.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_Union

If you click on the link below, you will see a YouTube clip of a parade in the Soviet Union during the Communist Era.

I will also try and add the Soviet National Anthem. In the meantime, skim the reference site and try to get an overall feeling for what life was like in the Soviet Union!

RUSSIA

If anyone in any of our sections knows somebody from Russia, has a relative in Russia, has Russian arifacts, or has anything cool related or about Russia please let me know so we can share it with the classes. These chapters are much easier to tackle when we have personal connections to the country we are studying.

9-2 Postings

Big thanks to everyone for writing good summaries and taking a chance and reading them on the telephone. Go ahead and listen below!!

Kosovo

Have you read anything new about Kosovo breaking away from Serbia? If not, look at the CNN website or any news website that is reporting on the situation. Why do you think there is so much anger and violence happening because of this small area declaring their independence?

9-1 Locked and Loaded

The Section 9-1 podcasts are loaded on this page! Thanks to each group for providing some very well written summaries on the different countries and regions of Eastern Europe.

9-3 Uploaded and Awesome

The section 9-3 recordings are uploaded. All you have to do is click on the "Post" button on the player below and choose which section you want to hear about. Enjoy your classmates and their summaries.

Eastern Europe

In class we are putting together summaries for each small area of Eastern Europe. We want to be able to explain what makes certain areas of the world unique or different from one another. Eastern Europe is recently in the news because a new country will be named soon...better tear up your maps and make an up to date version!