Week of August 19

Hi everyone,

Thanks for stopping by my classroom blog. This week's post will have a short description of each class as well as the schedule for the first week.




In all classes, Monday will be spent on a school-wide event where students will be given tours of the school and taught the expectations for the school year: Responsible, Respectful, and Ready. The day will end with everyone on the footfall field taking part in a variety of fun activities. On Tuesday, I will hand out the syllabus for each class and let everyone know what to expect during the semester.

Business Concepts 1
This class is considered a consumer education credit. Students will learn about real-life scenarios, such as finding a job, making smart buying decisions, filing taxes, using a checkbook, using credit cards, etc. The class is one semester in length and is a graduation requirement.

On Wednesday,  we will be starting chapter 1, about the economy. We will be taking notes in class and completing activities related to the content. Study guides for the chapter will be passed out on Wednesday, with the first two sections being due Friday.

Computers 1
This class covers both Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel. Students will learn how to create flyers, reports, and letterheads in Word during the first quarter. Excel will be introduced during the second quarter when students create charts and graphs for various data. The class is one semester in length and is a graduation requirement. There will not be work to take home for this class, as it is all completed in the computer lab. However, students will be responsible for studying for tests.

This week we will be starting a project in Word about creating flyers.

Business Law
This is an elective for junior and seniors worth 1/2 credit. The course covers the creation of law at various levels, different types of laws, and the creation of contracts. Students will do writing and critical thinking throughout the semester. This week, we will start chapter 1. Students will read an actual U.S. Supreme Court case and create a brief (summary) of the case. There should not be any outside homework.

That should be it for this week. Have a good one!

MD

Week of May 20 - 24

Hi everyone,

I apologize for not posting last weekend. My sister got married and I seem to have totally forgotten my blog. This will be my last blog post of the year. My classes have been great this semester and I hope the classes have been a positive experience for everyone.

The final exams for my classes are made up of questions from chapter tests. All questions are multiple choice, matching, true/false, or fill-in-the-blank with a word bank. The Computers 1 exam also includes production portions in Word and Excel.

On Monday, all chapter tests will be returned to students and we will correct them in class. These tests must be returned to me on the day of the final exam (or before) or the exam grade will be docked 50%. Students are not required to take chapter tests home.

That's it for this year. I hope everyone has a fantastic summer.

MD

Week of May 6 - 10

Hi everyone,

Last full week of class for seniors and three more weeks for everyone else. Here is what I have planned for this week:

Computers 1
Students will continue working on using absolute references in Excel worksheets this week. On Wednesday, we will review and on Thursday we will take a test over the chapter.

Business Concepts
We will finish up the chapter on saving and investing this week. On Tuesday, study guides 1 and 2 are due and on Wednesday, study guides 3 and 4 are due. We will review on Wednesday and take a test over the chapter on Thursday. I will also collect notes that day.

Last week, students started using weseed.com, which is an online stock market simulation. Stocks are checked every day in class and many students are really getting in to the experience. At the end of the day on May 10, I will see who has made the most money in each class. The top three earners will receive extra credit points.

Also, if you check TeacherEase, you may have noticed that I removed the credit video assignment. I decided not to grade these, as we had many technical difficulties and students were becoming frustrated with the performance of the software we were using to edit. I'll have to try something different next year if I decide to do videos.

I think that's it for this week. Have a good one!

MD

Week of April 29 - May 3

Hi everyone,

Seniors have two weeks left and everyone else has four weeks to go. Here is what I have planned for this week:

Computers 1
We will continue working through Excel project 3. These are rather large worksheets and usually take a couple of days to finish. There will be no test this week.

Business Concepts
We will start a chapter over saving and investing. This is the last regular chapter of the semester. There should be no outside homework.

I think that's it for this week. Have a good one.

MD

Week of April 22 - 26

Hi everyone,

Here's what I have planned for the last full week of April:

Computers 1
We will start the last Excel project together at the beginning of the week and then students will complete a reading guide over the material. This project builds on the concepts learned so far and covers relative and absolute cell references.

Business Concepts
We will continue covering credit this week. Study guides 1 and 2 will be due on Tuesday and study guides 3 and 4 will be due on Wednesday. We will review on Thursday and take a test over the chapter on Friday. I will also collect notes that day. Monday - Wednesday, students will work in groups to create movies about using credit responsibly.

I think that's it for this week. Have a good one.

MD

Week of April 15 - 19

Hi everyone,

The weather is getting nicer every day and we get closer to summer vacation each week. Here is what I have planned for this week:

Computers 1
On Monday and Tuesday, students will complete Excel worksheets and design them as they choose. On Wednesday, we will review for a test over project 2 and on Thursday we will take the test.

Business Concepts
On Monday and Tuesday, students will watch a documentary called In Debt We Trust to introduce the next chapter over using credit responsibly. On Wednesday, we will start notes for the chapter. There should be no outside homework.

I think that's all for this week. Have a good one!

MD

Week of April 8 - 12

Hi everyone,

I hope you all enjoyed spring break. Believe it or not, the school year will be over in just a few short weeks. Here is what I have planned for this one:

Computers 1
Students will continue working with formulas in Excel. There will be no test this week.

Business Concepts
We will continue working on checking packets in class this week, Monday - Wednesday. Students earn daily participation points for using class time wisely. On Thursday, we will review checking accounts and on Friday we will take a test over the chapter. Checking packets will also be due on Friday at the end of the hour. Just a reminder that these packets are worth 150 points (equivalent to approximately three tests). It is very difficult, if not impossible, to pass 4th quarter if a checking packet is not turned in.

I think that's it for this week. Have a good one!

MD