Naaktgeboren's Class Blog

Greetings Families, Wow, there are only four weeks left. It is hard to believe that we are nearing the end of the school year. This is a time of year when I'm excited about summer, but at the same time sorrowing at the thought of my students departing. Even today, my wife asked me if I'm excited about school nearing its end. This has been such a great year and it will be hard to let this class go. They have given me such great joy this year. Thank you for allowing me to be their teacher. Please remember that the spring concert is this Wednesday at the Higley Center for the Performing Arts. Here are the lessons for the upcoming week. Lessons Language Arts : In language arts, students should be studying regularly for the 100 Greek and Latin Roots quiz. You can expect to see some short quizzes coming home to help them prepare for this quiz. We will continue in Spalding as usual. In Literature, students will continue reading The Wizard of Oz, and discuss characterization...

Greetings Families, I have a few assessments to return to you on Monday. Here is the data for each assessment I'll be returning. Math: Unit 10, Chapter 3 -  Tree Diagramming, Order of Outcomes [2 Fs Due to Absence] Math: Unit 10, Chapter 4 -  Bar Graphs [3 Fs Due to Absence] Science: Circulatory System Unit Exam [3 Fs Due to Absence] Language Arts: Spalding Test [2 Fs Due to Absence] Best, Michael Naaktgeboren

Greetings Families, Today, the students had the opportunity to celebrate Ms. Maguire's, the future Mrs. Fulbright, upcoming wedding. She has meant so much to the students this year, and she has really become my co-teacher over the months. Thank you for the kind encouragement you have been to Ms. Maguire throughout this year. Below are some pictures from the event provided by Ms. Spencer. Best, Michael Naaktgeboren

Greetings Families, I have returned a good deal of work to your child. Below is the data for each of these assessments. Some of these were returned last week, but most of them have been this week. History: Constitution Test Math: Unit 9, Chapter 1 - The Coordinate Grid Math: Unit 9, Chapter 2 - Changes in Quantities  Math: Unit 9, Chapter 3 - Graphing Changes in Quantities  Math: Unit 10, Chapter 1 - Organizing and Analyzing Data Math: Unit 10, Chapter 2 - Probability Experiments  Language Arts: Spalding Science: Heart Quiz Science: Blood Quiz I hope the rest of your week goes well. Best, Michael Naaktgeboren

Greetings Families, Well, after messing up your Thursday night with way too much homework, I hope the lighter load for the weekend helps. The students do have a large history assignment to complete for a test review, but I believe the format will be easier and quicker for them to complete. I also gave them about 15 minutes at the end of the day to work on it so they had a headstart. On Monday, there is a Constitution test and a science quiz. A little review of the components of blood and blood types should prepare them for the science quiz. The Quizlet will serve as a good study source for the history test. A good portion of the history test is multiple choice, but they should be prepared to answer short answer questions and essay questions for the following items: What was the "great experiment" the Americans were involved in? (There is a very specific answer from the notes.) - Answer in a complete sentence. List three important ideas that Jefferson stated about gove...

Greetings Families, You like saw the history homework I sent home last night and it caused a great deal of anxiety for a number of my students last night. I apologize for doing that to your child. In class, they were filling out worksheets with 15 questions in about 2 or 3 minutes. Thus, I wrongly thought they could do 91 questions in about 20 minutes. That wasn't the case. If your child did not finish the worksheet, I am not holding it against him or her. If your child did the worksheet, he or she is receiving extra credit for doing so. I hope this is a fair compromise. For those who reached out to me to express your displeasure with this assignment, thank you. Your comments are important to me and help me gauge what is appropriate for my students. Best, Michael Naaktgeboren

Greetings Families, I have created the Quizlet for the U.S. Constitution test that will be next week. Not all of this material has been taught yet, so use your child's notebook to know which flash cards to have them study. I believe they are all in order according to what we have studied, so if they get to know that is completely foreign to them, it is likely a good place to stop. Make sure the setting isn't set on shuffle. The goal is to have all of the content taught by Thursday so that they have Thursday night and the weekend to study. The test will be on the following Monday. You can find the link under the "History" tab. Best, Michael Naaktgeboren

Greetings Families, I hope everyone enjoyed their extended weekend. I'm sure it was a delight to your child who has endured the past few weeks of tireless review. The students handled it well and marshmallows seemed to ease the pain, but I'm sure they, like me, are ready to return to learning new content and starting The Wizard of Oz.  If your child hasn't already done so, please have them bring in The Wizard of Oz tomorrow .  Here are the lessons for this week. Lessons History : Students will continue to look at the development of the U.S. Constitution. Last week they learned why some Virginia delegates wanted to scrap the Articles of Confederation and create something new. This week, they will learn how the founders sought to keep the government from becoming too powerful through checks and balances, the process of its ratification, and why the Consitution is still used today. Language Arts : Though this is a short week, the students will resume their regula...

Greetings, Here are some additional pictures of the field trip provided by Ms. VanCamp and Ms. Tipescu. Thank you. Best, Michael Naaktgeboren P. S. Ms. Maguire looks pretty powerful sitting in the President of the Convention's seat.

Greetings Families, Hopefully, you saw my email from earlier. I was mistaken about the AzMERIT dates and the tests are this week. I apologize if this has caused you any inconvenience. It will result in a pretty crazy week because we also have Friday off. Due to testing, the only night with homework will be Tuesday night. Here are the lessons for the week. Lessons History : Last quarter, the students studied how the thirteen British colonies became independent. The problem with removing the British crown and parliament from their place of authority was that it left the colonies with a bit of a power vacuum. Last week, the students studied the challenge the American now faced in developing a new government. They had just freed themselves from a tyrannical government and they didn't want to create a new one. This lead to the Articles of Confederation, which gave the federal government almost no power. Unfortunately for the Americans, a central government with no power was ...

Greetings Families, If you have pictures, please send them along if you would like to share. Here are some from Ms. Aspiras.

Greetings, First, I want to thank the chaperones and parent volunteers who came on the trip. It was great to have you there. Chaperones, you did an outstanding job of keeping tabs on the students and helping them maintain their behavior. Second, I think the trip was a great success. The scavenger hunt allowed the students to learn some cool facts in a fun way. Lunch was a lot of fun and I enjoyed being a kid again playing Infection while we waited for our tour times. The students behaved very well. The students had the opportunity to learn a great deal about Arizona's history, the process of becoming a state, and the first governor. They got to visit the Senate gallery and some students even got to see the Senate in action. Lastly, this is why I love teaching at Archway Arete. The students are great and the praise goes to you. Your efforts, your discipline, and your high expectations are what allow us to take trips like this and to have so much fun on them. Thank you for the ...

Greetings Families, I wanted to send a quick email about items sent home last week. I apologize for the delay in this email. Hopefully, your child has given them to you or still has them. Subject: Assessment (Class Average) History: American Revolution Test (95.9%) ELA: 3/24 Spalding Test (85.6%) ELA: 3/31 Spalding Test (88.6%) Best, Michael Naaktgeboren

Greetings, The field trip is upon us. Here are some final notes about the trip. Lunches (Disposable Bags) Please send tomorrow lunch to school in a disposable bag. Their name should be placed on the outside of the bag so it is easy to identify. I recommend placing a water bottle in the bag along with their food.  Uniforms Students must wear their uniforms on the field trip.  Monday Students may bring money on the field trip to purchase items in the gift shop. However, chaperones and teachers will not be responsible for a student's money or the purchase they make.  Photos and Phones Students may bring a camera, iPod or phone to take pictures. However, if any device is used for anything other than taking pictures or videos. the device will be taken and will not be returned to the student. A parent will have to schedule a time to collect the device.  Fingerprint Clearance The official chaperones all have fingerprint clearance. Parents who wish to ...