this page changes frequently ... make sure you refresh

The Children's Storefront: Current homework from Mr. Bergen this page last updated: 5/14/09 (REFRESH often)

( ) Yes, I understand that I am responsible for HW assignments when absent.

( ) Yes, I understand that if do not get my HW done I will no longer have laptop privileges and will need to schedule an assigned recess time slot from that point on to complete HW before due.
( ) Yes, I understand that this year I need to bring my planner to class each week and if not, I may not be allowed to use a computer during class.
( ) Yes, I understand that there is no "recreational use" of computers except with explicit permission.
( ) Yes, I understand that I need to ask a teacher before I print.
( ) Yes, I understand that "character is what you do when no one is watching" and that these same rules apply when I take a laptop to the porch.

Grade 8 Contest with SKYPE, email and VOICETHREAD including students from Poughkeepsie, Germany and Belgium, and Harlem

Click here for info about SKYPE
Click here to create a VOICETHREAD account
Click here to learn more about VOICETHREAD
Then choose one of these to earn points for your team Team A | Team B | Team C fixed | Team D | Team E | Team F
Click here to earn points for your team!
This Web page will be updated frequently and will tell you which team is in the lead!
Team A ( ) Team B ( ) Team C ( ) Team D ( ) Team E ( ) Team F ( )

Grade 7 HW Annnounced Thursday 4/30/09

Find a favorite picture that is very important to you
Add it to your wiki page
Write a paragraph or poem which explains to the reader why it is important to you and why it speaks to you
Make sure you include the URL (web address) of where it came from (not google, but the exact Web site)
Create a SKYPE account following the rules of Internet Safety that I have shared ... click click here ... if your initials are ABC then use ABC10ABC as your skype name
Now the contest begins ... you will get points for each chat, e-mail, text message or SKYPE that you have with each of your wiki teammates

Week of April 6-10

Grade 5 and 6? work on wiki
Grade 7? work on your HTML Web page, adding at least 3 new features
Grade 8? work on your Yearbook page
Students who need to finish their Typing Pal contracts this week (or face immense consequences) include
grade 5: KJSB, CAD, NESS, JARW, KKN
grade 6: JEZ, KML, LAB
grade 7: TJS, DMC
grade 8: AQF

==> Fifth graders at least 25 apples were due by 2/24 plus the WIKI that you started in class

For grade 5... 40 WPM (A) ... 30 WPM (B+) ... 25 WPM (B) ... 20 WPM (B-) ... 10 WPM (C)
Click here to visit our Polish partners hometown!

Due Tuesday 3/10 (with no typos) on which we will have our PI contest! The winner will get his/her PIE on Friday 3/13!

You are to read the profiles of each teammate from the other school
Find your teammates and make a list of them, adding below your other work
Reminder that each of you owns just ONE wiki page and that is where all your work goes
Reminder to use the horizonal line to separate each assignment from the previous one
You are then to construct a meaningful sentence or two in which you use a homophone and say something of interest about each teammate from the other school
You are not working on teammates from your own school
Once you are done, you will have approximately 8 sentences on your wiki page. Each sentence will have a homophone in it and you will make sure you use the background color feature to show the reader what the homophone is

==> Sixth graders due Tuesday 2/24 was at least 30 apples plus finishing the WIKI ... see above section in red for next assignment

We are doing 5 apples per week ... your grade will be based on the best level you can reach ... for grade 6 .... 60 WPM (A) ... 50 WPM (A-) ... 40 WPM (B+) ... 30 WPM (B) ... 20 WPM (B-) ... 10 WPM (C+)

==> Seventh graders due Thursday 2/12 (at least 10 apples) and due Thursday 2/19 (assignment #4 from wiki which involves writing a poem about your teammates) ... due 2/26 was 6 more apples making 15 ... due 3/5 Thursday is 5 more apples making 20 ... due 3/12 Thursday is 5 more apples making 25 before Spring break

60 WPM (A) ... 50 WPM (A-) ... 40 WPM (B+) ... 30 WPM (B) ... 20 WPM (B-) ... 10 WPM (C+) ... if you ever want to go DOWN IN SPEED, that is easy ... if you ever want to go UP IN SPEED, you need to start from scratch and wipe out any of the apples you have done

==> Eighth graders due Wednesday 2/11 (at least 5 apples) then due Wednesday 2/18 (at least 5 more for a total of 10 apples) ... by Wednesday 3/11 you need to be at least at 20 apples

60 WPM (A) ... 50 WPM (A-) ... 40 WPM (B+) ... 30 WPM (B) ... 20 WPM (B-) ... 10 WPM (C+) ... if you ever want to go DOWN IN SPEED, that is easy ... if you ever want to go UP IN SPEED, you need to start from scratch and wipe out any of the apples you have done

==> Eighth graders due Wednesday 2/25

The assignment which is being given to all the 8th graders in the 4 schools: Create a poem, song or rap tune in which you use the names of your teammates AND where they are from (place of birth or place growing up, not the school). Or if you want, you can use one fact about the person instead of place of birth or place growing up. Use the names of every person on your team including the students from your school. Try to include some rhyming as well. For the week after, you will be making a video or audio of your poem. Make sure you are respectful of all your teammates (core value? concern for others) and do not say anything that would upset someone.

due Wed 3/4: Please record your poem, either as an audio or a video file. You can use garage band if you like. Or you can record as a 30 second video file with my camera cell phone. Or you can audio-record with First Class. No matter how you do it, you must upload the video to our ning. Make sure you pronounce your teammates names correctly.

Click here to learn more about rubrics which are "guidelines for rating student performance."

List of common writing mistakes

~~alot~~ should be a lot
~~colums~~ should be columns
~~Complacated~~ should be Complicated
~~dinasours~~ should be dinosoars
~~her and her twin sister were born in Germany.~~ should be she and her twin sister were born in Germany
~~injoy~~ should be enjoy
~~jelousy~~ should be jealousy
~~jumpping~~ should be Jumping
~~knew~~ should be new
~~ment~~ should be meant
~~make shore~~ should be make sure
~~mine friends~~ should be my friends
~~she is none as the lady of soul~~ should be she is known as the lady of soul
~~your already living alone~~ should be you're already living alone

Click here for really old homework assignments

recent hw

Seventh Graders dues Thursday 1/22

Go to our 7th grade WIKI called http://tcs-sbms.pbwiki.com/
Choose 1 or more of the following topics and write one paragraph putting it in the WIKI folder called Storefront into the file that has your name.

What chances for new beginnings do you see for our country?
What is an example of history that has caused wrenching pain which needs to be faced with courage so that it need not be lived again?
What dreams do you have for our country?
Write a short poem expressing your own fears, dreams, hopes for new beginnings for our country.

You can write your paragraph on a word processor and make sure you save it.
You will be putting your paragraph into the WIKI

Fifth graders due Tuesday 1/20

... since we will not have class on 1/13 (museum trip) ... click here for handout sheet

Seventh and Eighth graders ... Handout and 2 Wiki Entries ... Study for Test

... click here for the 17 practice questions