Taft Speak
In order to make sure that my students understand what I mean when I use some common (and uncommon) terms in class, I have created this mini-glossary.
CHEATING
- Giving or receiving
information on a test, quiz, project, or assignment in violation of the USM
handbook – incidents of cheating are handled severely
CULTURE
- Something that Mr. Taft
will tell you to get, usually by watching lousy television shows and movies from
the 80s.
DUE
- The time Mr. Taft
expects an assignment to be completed, which usually means at the beginning of
your class period
ESSENTIAL
QUESTION - The
overreaching focus question of a period of material covered in class – in
other words, what a student should be able to answer as a result of class and
home activities
EXTRA
CREDIT - A myriad of
ways to gain extra points in American history, including puzzles on the website,
HISTORY RULES! Pictures, and extra credit book and movie reviews for ISNs –
check the student page for more info
HOMEWORK
- Activities for
students to complete at home or in study hall – not right before school on the
day it is due or in another class
INTERACTIVE
STUDENT NOTEBOOK (ISN) - A
student’s lifeline in American history class – it must come to class every
day and be updated regularly, and an ISN will be submitted for every unit
LIKE
- the most misused and
redundant word in the vocabulary of an 8th grader – watch it!
NOSE
- Something Mr. Taft
rubs 10-30 times in a given class period
OUTSIDE
ASSIGNMENT - An activity
or assignments given to individuals to be completed outside of class and turned
in with a Unit ISN – not as large or challenging as a project
PLAGIARISM
- Using the words or
idea of another without giving the author sufficient credit – this can lead to
big time problems for the plagiarizer
PRINCIPLES
- Guidelines that should
be followed because they are the right things to do, not just because Mr. Taft
says they should be followed
PROJECT
- A long term assignment
in which individuals or groups spend a great deal of time outside of class
completing assigned tasks and turning in or presenting a finished product
QUIZ
- A pen and paper assessment of a student’s knowledge on a narrow
range of material, usually taking 20 minutes
READING
QUIZ - Questions
answered by students after reading a selection form the text or an outside
reading – very fun
RESPONSIBILITY
- What a student must have in order to succeed in American history
class
SCHWIETERS
- Mr. Taft’s hero, even if he teaches about dimensional analysis
SHUT
UP - Two words never to
be uttered in Mr. Taft’s classroom in regards to another person
TARDY
- Arriving to class late
without a valid excuse – this also includes arriving to class unprepared – 4
will lead to a detention
TEST
- A pen and paper
assessment of student’s knowledge on a broad range of material, usually taking
an entire class period
UNIT
- A collection of
lessons, activities, assignments, and assessments that revolve around one major
theme or a period in history
WEBSITE
- An easy method for
students and parents to keep tabs on what happens in Mr. Taft’s class, as well
as the source for many handouts, readings, and activities for students –
available at http://middle.usm.k12.wi.us/faculty/taft/