Welcome to Sixth Grade!!!

It is an exciting time here at Manor Middle School as we prepare to begin the 2010-11 school year! Manor ISD is making a commitment to our students and parents by improving and increasing the use of technology in our classrooms and lesson plans. This blog will provide those opportunities at home through educational web sites, extra credit projects, and a form of communication between parents, students, and myself.

This account is linked to my personal gmail account so it is the ONLY way you could reach me outside of school hours. Not only does the information on it provide extra help with subjects, but by commenting on it I can instantly see any questions, problems, or comments. Feel free to browse my posts from last year below.

I'm looking forward to an exciting year and am very excited to be involved in your lives. Please let me know if there are any questions.

Mr. Hanson

chris.hanson@manorisd.net

New Extra Credit!!!

I had a lot of students get low grades on our last test over Latin America, so in an effort to improve their test grade they can complete the following assignment.

There are countless books in our school library over Latin America. From countries to culture students can check out a book and discover new aspects of Latin American culture.

The assignment is to read a book over a current or past Latin American culture, country, landform, etc. and create their own childrens book using the main ideas from the book they read.

The childrens book needs to be at least 6 pages complete with cover sheet, illustrations, and a bibliography on the back "cover" of the book they used. They may not use the internet for information, only books.

Books are due on March 6th by the end of the day. They can be computer made or hand made. For more instruction or for help come by my tutorials at lunch.

Thanks,

Mr. Hanson

Haiti Disaster

As our class focuses on the historical and contemporary culture of Latin America my students have learned and discussed a little about the recent tragedy in Haiti. Students found facts about the country and discussed how the recent events affected the people there and all over the world, including ways in which they could help.

For extra credit I would like my students to develop a brochure covering what happened and how people can contribute to the rebuilding of Haiti. Brochures should be tri-panel and include text as well as pictures. They may use a computer program like Microsoft Publisher or they can make them by hand, drawing or gluing on the pictures.

Brochures should include at least one panel with background info on Haiti, two panels on the devistation of the earthquake, and two panels discussing aid agencies and other organizations that people can donate money or materials to help those in Haiti.

Projects will be due February 5th by the end of the school day. They will count towards a major grade that will be averaged in with the others. If you have any questions feel free to reply on this blog or email me directly.

Thanks,

Mr. Hanson

Half Way There!!

As we come back after the Winter Break it brings an exciting time into our classroom. For starters, your student is half way to 7th grade. Emphasis starts to be placed on the all important TAKS tests coming up after Spring Break. You will see your student using more reading and math strategies in all classes, including Social Studies.

Second, it means that we are going to take all of the vocabulary and theories we have learned and see how they play out in the rest of the world. We will start with Latin America. This culture region starts at our neighbor, Mexico, and encompasses all of the countries in Central and South America. These countries share some unique culture traits that allow us to learn about them simultaneously.

Here are some website links that will help when learning about Latin American geography and ancient cultures:

Geography

Countries and Capitals

Mayans

Aztecs

Incas

Stay tuned for extra credit opportunities and more helpful websites!

Mr. Hanson

Greetings!
It's been a while, but things are rolling here in class. I am trying to get a good idea of the success of this new use of technology so if you could please comment on this post with anything I can get a good idea of how many people actually read this blog. If it is not being successful I will use more traditional means of sending out information and extra credit assignments.

Thanks for your help, and I hope everyone has a great holiday season!

Mr. Hanson

Greetings,

I've been away for a while, but I am back with another extra credit assignment.

We have just studied the basics of economy and I want the students to look a little more at what is going on with the current economic crisis in the United States.

Students will conduct three interviews about the cause and effect of the current economic conditions in the United States. Topics may include (though are not limited to) the stock market, the housing bubble, unemployment, government bailouts, and corporations vs. ordinary citizens. Students may use any adult for their interviews (family members, etc.).

Students should write a 1-2 page report and include different viewpoints about the economic crises. They may use resources for aid or reference when explaining the topic. Students must also include any interview notes collected.

The report will be due 11/18. I will accept rough drafts for review starting 11/9.

Thanks,

Mr. Hanson

Hurricane Season

As we continue our hurricane project my students are becoming more and more comfortable with longitude and latitude. We have gone back in the history books to revisit the positioning of Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Ike, two of the most recent, most destructive hurricanes to come on shore in the USA.

This week students will continuing their tracking data as they begin a hurricane project in Language Arts. Though it is not required, students can research coordinates of their famous hurricane and provide a tracking map. I do have extra maps in class and will help students find the data. You can find information about famous hurricanes by visiting: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/pastall.shtml

Want some extra credit?!? I have extended the deadline on the globe project until this Friday and have boosted the credit to a major grade (see post below). Take advantage of these opportunities to get your grade up.

School pictures will be taken next Monday in my class. You should receive information about it soon through school handouts.

Thursday students will be asked to go home and interview a family member about an experience they have had during a famous hurricane. The student should have a list of questions they will ask and have to ask. If you or any other family member can't remember an experience with a hurricane you can use any major disaster to complete the interview. Here are some examples:

• Tornadoes


• Earthquakes


• 9/11


• Exxon Valdez


• Home Fire


• Car Accident

Mr. Hanson