Joke of the Day:

Why did I throw a clock out of a window?

Because I wanted to see time fly!

HI TEAM!!

No new assignments today. The Persian Wars assignment is posted on Google CLassroom, to be submitted by midnight on Friday. Email me if you have any questions!
ulfersk@dearbornschools.org

All 7th grade assignments this week:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-PHkKc8heiaWBxrzVFCt8n3833N_NDWzdAV83kmRgyg/edit?usp=sharing

VIDEO CHAT TOMORROW!

How it will work:

• We will meet by class
• We will meet for about 15 minutes
• We can discuss the assignment, how quarantine is going, how our spring breaks were etc… this is a check in!
• Parents are welcome to join!
• This is optional

Schedule: TOMORROW, Thursday, April 16th!
1st hour: 12:30pm
3rd hour: 1pm
4th hour: 1:30pm
5th hour: 2pm
6th hour: 2:30pm

About 5 minutes before the chat starts, I will post a link on to Google Classroom. You will need to log in to Google Classroom, click the link and then you will be able to join the chat!

Grades!

In the next few days, more information will be coming out from the school district about grades. We teachers are still hearing different theories, so I will keep this simple. These policies may change over time, so stay tuned.

ALL CLASSES:

• If you have been unable to complete work because of technology issues and access, health concerns, or any circumstances outside of your control as a student… you will NOT be penalized. Basically, your grades will not be harmed if you’ve been unable to complete assignments
• If you could have done work but made the decision to ignore it, you will be held accountable. Basically, if you chose not to complete an assignment your grades will be affected
• If you have missing assignments, you may still complete the work and turn it in

HISTORY CLASS:

• If you have missing assignments, you may still complete the work and turn it in for points
• Every assignment from before spring break will be graded for participation. If you completed the work, even if it wasn’t 100% correct, you will receive all points
• Assignments after spring break (starting with this week’s Persian Wars assignment) will be graded on this scale:

Let me be clear! If you are unable to complete work because of reasons outside of your control, your grades won’t be hurt. You are okay!
We get that this is a crazy time for everyone, and we will not punish you for things that you can’t help. If we teachers or staff can help you and your family in any way, please tell me!

For those of you have have CHOSEN to play video games instead of doing school work, or you have told your parents that you don’t have any assignments when you know that you did…

I know it’s easy to relax and ignore responsibilities right now. It’s easy to slack off when no one is consistently reminding you to do work. I get it.
But welcome to the real world, yall. There are consequences for every action. If you made the DECISION to not work, that’s on you. Your grades will reflect that and you will be held accountable to complete your assignments.

IF THIS IS YOU: I am not mad. I miss you.

• Maybe you looked at the assignment and got confused so you gave up? Understandable. EMAIL ME questions. I’m here to HELP YOU the same way that I would try to help in class.
• Maybe you are easily distracted and it’s hard to focus at home? I get that… I live in a loud house too. Reach out to me and we will work it out.
• Maybe you are, admittedly, feeling pretty lazy. That’s natural. Do two questions a day. Or work for 15 minutes, then relax for 15 minutes. Email me and we will figure out a way to get your work done.

With all of this said, grades will be submitted to MISTAR in the next few days for all of your classes. This will help you and your parents track what assignments you have completed, and what assignments you still need to submit.

If policies change, I will update you here. The school blog is also a great resource!

https://smith.dearbornschools.org/

See you in our video chat tomorrow!! 😀😌

Whoa, it has officially been one month since I saw all of you… 😣

I hope you and your families rested this Spring Break. My break highlights were sleeping in almost everyday, baking (and not burning) muffins and biscuits, and managing to run 4 miles without puking. Whoohoo!

Housekeeping #1 (parents!)

All of us teachers have banded together to create a document where you can find all of your assignments for each class in one spot (instead of checking all the different blogs!). I will post all three grade levels here, for those of you with siblings.

6th grade assignments this week:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/17ia7q51Wf1KthW78aFRCRvL8SDeomJ-EDXMpjsMgMec/edit?usp=sharing

***7th grade assignments this week:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-PHkKc8heiaWBxrzVFCt8n3833N_NDWzdAV83kmRgyg/edit?usp=sharing

8th grade assignments this week:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1LAyCKO30bx35x09WrUVuMN4AyvLt53d0fOxs4g4GueI/edit?usp=sharing

Housekeeping #2: VIDEO CHAT THIS WEEK!

As promised, I am organizing a videochat schedule for this week. This is not required, but I would really love to see your faces!

How it will work:
This time around we will do it by class period through Google Classroom. Depending on how many of you are able to make it, we may combine classes later.

• We will meet for about 15 minutes
• We can discuss the assignment, how quarantine is going, how our spring breaks were etc… this is a check in!
• Parents are welcome to join!
• This is optional

Schedule: Thursday, April 16th!
1st hour: 12:30pm
3rd hour: 1pm
4th hour: 1:30pm
5th hour: 2pm
6th hour: 2:30pm

About 5 minutes before the chat starts, I will post a “nickname” onto Google Classroom that you will use to join the chat. I know many of you have already been using Google Hangouts to do video-calls, but I will post step-by-step instructions on how to join the chat on Thursday.

This Week’s Assignment:

Before spring break we learned about two Greek city-states: Athens and Sparta. You compared the lifestyle and government of both city-states, and then I asked you to choose which you would rather live in. Although it was close, more of you chose Sparta… long live Spartans!

This week we are learning about the Persian Wars!
For about 50 years the Greek city-states united together to fight the largest empire we have learned about yet… the Persian Empire. Check out the map below to see how massive they were.

We’ve already talked about the Persians… do you remember back in the day when we talked about Babylon and translating cuneiform? I showed you this picture…

The main dude (third person on the left) is Darius the Great, King of the Persian Empire! It was Darius who began the wars with Greece, and his son, Xerxes, who continued the fight.

Some things you should know about the Persian Empire:

• They banished slavery… absolutely NO slavery was allowed in all land controlled by the Persians
• If you were conquered by the Persians, you could keep your king, government, religion, language… everything! They didn’t try to change you or your culture
• If you were conquered, you would have to pay some $$ to the Persian king
• Even if you weren’t Persian, life in the Persian Empire was, overall, pretty good. (I mention this because I do not want you to think that the Persians were “bad” and the Greeks were “good”… they were just very different)

Your assignment is posted in Google Classroom and will be due this Friday, April 17th, by midnight. PRESS SUBMIT. You will watch the following video to help you answer a handful of questions. [Use captions and pause a lot!!]

Remember, I care about what YOU think, not what Google tells you. So make sure to do your own work and use your own words on the assignment.

Really interested in this stuff? (not for the assignment)

The video for the assignment does not go into detail about the battles.
If you wanna know more battle-details, just for your own curiosity (not the assignment), check out this video:

Still want to know more? This is a great video that I would recommend if you want an in-depth look at the causes and effects of the wars.
It also is great for learning about this crazy thing called historical bias. Basically, a lot of the history you hear about is tainted by historians’ opinions and their agenda. This relates to whether a source is reliable or not. Most sources and historians are biased in some way (yes… even I am biased!)

He talks really fast so I would suggest using captions and slowing down the playback speed!

Joke of the Day (no, I didn’t forget!)

What can you never eat for breakfast?

Lunch and dinner!

Have a great day, yall!

We really miss you!

💙💛💙💛

TWO Jokes of the Day (since it’s Spring Break, we deserve some laughs!)

How do you measure a snake?

In inches… snakes don’t have feet!

Why are mountains the funniest place to travel to over spring break?

Because they are hill-areas… (hilarious… get it?!)

I know most of us envisioned a different kind of Spring Break… one where we would, you know, leave the house. The good news is that you have no homework over break! (Unless you still haven’t turned in assignments from the last few weeks).

As most of you are probably aware, it was announced last week that school is closed for the rest of the year. Let me explain what this means:

Our school building is unlikely to reopen this year.

What this does NOT mean is that school is canceled… it is NOT!

You are going to continue to have online assignments and opportunities to learn until June!

Learning is not closed. Curiosity is not cancelled. Assignments will still be given in all of your classes.

You may be thinking… WHAT?! BuT wE DoN’t hAvE ScHoOl AnYmOrE.
Oh, yes you do 🙂 But I promise this is not to torture you!

Do yall remember how miserable it was coming back after Winter Break, after having two WEEKS off?
Your brain ached after 1st period, you’d forgotten your locker combo, and you had no idea half of the things teachers were reviewing with you…
Do you remember how it feels when your brain feels mushy and tired from not being used all break?
Well, THAT is what we are going to try to avoid. If we can keep our brains somewhat engaged during the rest of the school year, then coming back in August won’t be so hard!

So, this is what you can expect for our World History class:

• You will continue to have one assignment posted on Mondays, and it will continue to be due by midnight on Friday
• I will continue to post jokes, pug pictures and information here on the blog and on Google Classroom
• You will continue to get feedback and comments on your work (because I want you to see that I care about your learning, and that I still have the same expectations as I would if we were in class)
• I will continue to miss you a lot

I know this is a weird time, but for now, take care of yourself and your family, absorb a little sunshine, and enjoy Spring Break. I will be back with more jokes on Monday, April 13th!

Technically, it is April Fools Day. I think we should skip it this year since I already feel like we’re stuck in the middle of a bad joke.

On that note… Joke of the Day!

What would you not find in a Haunted House?

A living room!

Reminder! There is an assignment posted on Google Classroom. Get that turned in by midnight this Friday!

I have been talking with my coworkers and friends and we are all missing our old life right now. There is a lot of worry and concern, and not just about Covid-19.

I keep hoping that you all are okay.
I know some of you might be surrounded by tension and instability at home, and now you’re stuck there.
I know some of you have a lot of non-school related responsibilities at home, and maybe you’re feeling overwhelmed.
I know there are many of you whose parents don’t have a job right now and there is a lot of stress with money-stuff.
I know some of you are bored and don’t really get what the big deal is.
I know most of you have felt lonely and frustrated by losing the small freedoms you’d been given, like leaving the house or seeing your friends.
I know some of you were hoping to see your family more, now that everyone is at home. But they are busier than ever.
Or maybe you want the opposite, to be invisible and to have your own space.

Wherever you’re at, I promise you that there is someone else feeling the EXACT same way. Not just at our school. Not just in Michigan. There are schools shut down around the GLOBE and there are many people stuck inside right now feeling just like you.

The video below gave me perspective about how we can treat this pandemic. We can be mad and scared, or we can use this time for something useful. Give it a watch, it’s short.

Happy April! Let’s cross our fingers for some sunny weather soon!

Hi yall, happy new week!

Joke of the Day:

Why was the skeleton afraid of everyone?

Because he didn’t have any guts!

So, with the start of a new week, and almost a new month, we have a new assignment! (I can hear you cheering from here…)

Last week we looked at four different types of governments: Monarchy, Oligarchy, Tyranny and Democracy. It was possible for different cities-states to have different types of governments than each other. For example, one city-state might be ruled by a king (monarchy), while a different city-state might have a small group of wealthy men in charge (oligarchy). Different forms of government weren’t the only differences between city-states… that is what we will learn about this week.

We are focusing on two city-states this week: Athens and Sparta. You may have heard of them! You will be taking notes on how life differed in these two communities. Then you will consider which city-state you would rather live in.

Below is a 5 minute video and the textbook chapter. The chapter and video are both useful resources, and you only need to use one to complete the assignment. You may also use other online resources. 

HINT: when using the video, make sure to pause it often, use Closed Captions (the CC button on the right), and you can also slow down the words by going to “Settings” (button next to “CC”) and clicking “Playback Speed”.

Here is the catch: put information in your own words. Do not copy and paste material from Google. You need to understand the info you write down, since you will use it on Part 2 of the assignment.

As always, the assignment is due on Friday, APRIL 3rd at midnight, submitted through Google Classroom.

I miss you. I had a dream last night that we were all at Smith and we had a fire drill. Made me laugh this morning because I would do anything to be at school right now with you all for a fire drill! I am looking into setting up a Zoom or Google Hangout conference call with yall after Spring Break!

Take care of yourselves <3

Hi there! Joke of the Day:

Have yall heard the joke about the skunk?

Nevermind, it really stinks.

Reminder: The Greek Government video questions are due on Google Classroom by midnight. I have graded several already and they are looking very good.

Also, a couple nights ago a few of us Smith teachers had a game night using Zoom!

Ms. McCauslin, Ms. Timpf, Ms. Greenbaum, Ms. Tate (not pictured), Ms. Abouzour (not pictured) and I all played some online games together while video conferencing with Zoom. It was a blast (and I totally won one of the games)!

Please know that all of your teachers, including me, really miss yall!

Have a great weekend! Be safe, smart and kind to each other 🙂

Joke of the Day:

What happens to a frog’s car when it breaks down?

It gets toad away!

Hi team!

Reminder, video questions on Greek governments are due tomorrow! Remember to press SUBMIT. If you have questions, email me! ulfersk@dearbornschools.org

I have a challenge for yall.

Everyone in my house has been getting stressed out and irritated while we work from home. Too much sitting and thinking. It’s only human to get annoyed when our routine changes. So we have started to do this workout.

This isn’t crazy, hear me out!

We all complained about it for the first couple of hours, then we started to remind each other about what time it was and which exercise we were on.

We all do it together in the same room, we moan and complain while we do it, then we go back to working or eating or reading or whatever.

You know what? I am far less grumpy and irritated. Plus my roommates and I are getting along great (sometimes it’s nice to suffer together with others). Today is Day 3 of this and I am SORE.

Give it a shot! Even better, make your siblings or parents do it with you. You can change up the numbers as you need, but aim for once every hour! Yes, it will hurt and no one will want to do it at first. But, honestly, you know you have the time 🙂

Comment below or email me if you’re doing it! I’m curious how many of you will try it.

Joke of the Day:

How do you make a dragon angry?

Ask them to blow out a candle.

Get it?! Because dragons breathe fire!! Hahaha.

No new assignments for today. This week’s assignment was posted on Google classroom yesterday. Make sure to submit it by midnight this Friday!

Bored? Check out today’s CNN10! https://www.cnn.com/cnn10

Also, pick up five things from your floor in your bedroom and put them away. Just for fun 🙂

In honor of classic Michigan weather… Joke of the Day!

What do you get when you mix a snowman and a vampire?

Frostbite!

Alright team… new week, new assignment! But first some housekeeping.

Housekeeping #1: Food!

Smith is distributing student meals starting this week!

Students, parents or a family representative can stop by from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. each week day to pick up meals.  One bag will be handed out for each child in the home under the age of 18 (not just to Smith students, anyone under 18 can get a meal)!

Students do not need to be present, and a designated person can pick up meals for all the children in the family.

The free grab-and-go meals include food for lunch and breakfast.  Meals for Saturday and Sunday can be picked up on Friday.  

Food will be distributed drive-thru-style on the Notre Dame side of the building nearest the kitchen, outside door 17.

The grab-and-go meals will be served at least through April 3 (I am sure they will be extending the date).

Housekeeping #2: family resources

Our social workers at Smith have put together this handy-dandy blog with a TON of info on everything related to making this quarantine easier for families.

Cha, cha, check it out!
https://iblog.dearbornschools.org/nourismail/

Okay, the next assignment: Greek Governments!

Last week we looked at how geography (mountains, seas, islands etc) effected people living in Ancient Greece. You hopefully understanding that people in that area were pretty isolated from each other, and it was hard to grow enough food for everyone. So what did they do?? They started to travel and trade to try to get supplies they needed.

This week we are going to look at the types of governments that people started to use once cities began to grow larger. There are four types of governments that ancient Greeks used:

• Monarchy
• Oligarchy
• Tyranny
• Democracy

Perhaps these words are familiar! If not, they will be by the end of the week 🙂

You did a lot of reading last week, so we are switching it up and watching a short video for this assignment. HINT: while watching the video, pause a lot and use captions!

Below is the video and a copy of the questions. However, you need to complete the questions on Google Classroom. Remember to Submit when you’re done! This is due THIS FRIDAY, MARCH 27th by midnight!

Keep your chins up, yall. We’re going to get through this because we are doing it together!