HGov: Learnerator is now Albert.io

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Introducing Albert.io

Albert.io is the successor to Learnerator and we will be shutting Learnerator.com down by June 30th, 2016.

Three years after we launched Learnerator, we’ve watched it outgrow what we ever imagined. We are replatforming to Albert.io for three reasons:

Faster feature development. With ultra-modern architecture and technology, Albert.io offers a richer and smoother experience than Learnerator. More importantly, it will let us deploy new features and fix bugs much faster than before.

Raising the bar on content quality. In the background, we have developed world-class authoring and content moderation tools to produce higher quality content with shorter development cycles.

Expanding our content coverage.

 

Questions

Why Do I Not See the Subject I Study/Teach on Albert.io When It is On Learnerator?
If you don’t see a subject that we have on Learnerator.com, it’s because we’re currently working on it. Rest assured we’ll be releasing that subject in the coming months! Also, keep in mind that the content on Albert.io is new content. So if we are missing a subject on Albert.io now but have it on Learnerator.com, it will still be available to you after the final migration this summer because the content from Learnerator.com will be moved to Albert.io.

What Will Happen to the Content on Learnerator?
All of the content on Learnerator will be migrated and combined with Albert.io’s content at the end of the 2015-2016 school year. We will begin this migration throughout the spring, so check Albert.io regularly to see the latest additions.

Do Tags Affect Albert.io’s Alignment to the College Board Curriculum Framework?
Tags do not affect Albert.io’s alignment. Like Learnerator, Albert.io is 100% aligned to the College Board curriculum. Tags just give you greater control over the questions you practice, and the subject guide helps you select topics to isolate practice for key concepts.

Do I Need to Create a New Account on Albert.io?
Yes, you will need to create an account on Albert.io

HGov: Costas Level of Questioning

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After the notes have been taken in the right-hand column, students formulate questions based on the notes on the left side of the page. These should be higher level thinking questions based on Costa’s Levels of Questioning. Writing questions helps to clarify meanings, reveal relationships, establish continuity, and strengthen memory. Also, the writing of questions sets up a perfect stage for quiz, test, or exam studying later.

Level 1 (the lowest level) requires one to gather information.

• The answer can be found in the text (either directly or indirectly).
• Very concrete and pertains only to the text.
• Asks for facts about what has been heard or read.
• Information is recalled in the exact manner/form it was heard.

Level 2 (the middle level) requires one to process the information.

• The answer can be inferred from the text.
• Although more abstract than a Level One question, deals only with the text
• Information can be broken down into parts.
• Involves examining in detail, analyzing motives or causes, making inferences, finding information to support generalizations or decision making.
• Questions combine information in a new way.

Level 3 (the highest level) requires one to apply the information.

• The answer goes beyond the text.
• Is abstract and does not pertain to the text.
• Ask that judgments be made from information.
• Gives opinions about issues, judges the validity of ideas or other products and justifies opinions and ideas.

The image below is a reminder/introduction to Costa’s Three Levels of Questioning. An explanation of each level is found below the image.

Below is an image containing sentence stems for Costa’s house three levels of questioning. Use this information to help you write connection questions for your Cornell notes.

 

HGov: Cornell Notes

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It is recommended that you use Cornell notes for our class. This is a brief refresher on Cornell note taking. The image below is an introduction on how to take notes. It is recommended to use Costa’s three levels of questioning to your connection questions. (Costa’s questioning will be in the next post.)

HGov: Current Events

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Get in the Habit of Reading/Watching the News

Ways to follow current events:

1. Watch an evening network news program. Local news is great for weather, sports, and local soft stories, but they do not cover politics and governmental events like the networks do.
2. Read the Washington Post or the New York Times. Read the editorial and opinion section as well as letters to the editors.
3. Read the front page section of http://www.msn.com, http://www.cnn.com, or http://www.nytimes.com.
4. Watch C-SPAN and CSPAN-2 for coverage of the House of Representatives and the Senate. In addition, there are excellent evening and Sunday programs on the Supreme Court and the White House.
5. Read weekly news magazines such as Time, Newsweek, or U.S. News and World Report.
6. Listen to a radio talk show. There are numerous programs and hosts available to choose from.

HGov: US Constitution Packet

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Read the U. S. Constitution and complete the questions in your worksheet packet. Please make sure all the answers are in your own words. The worksheet packet is a survey of the U.S. Constitution, beginning with the Preamble and continuing on through the Amendments. It is a thorough review of the various provisions of the Constitution, and will serve as a basis of your first test in the semester, in addition to additional reading from the text. You should find a copy of the Constitution (page A-5 in your textbook) and then read through it from beginning to end, entering the required information asked on the study guide. It does go in chronological order. There are a few points that are a bit tricky, so if you get hung up on one or two, do not worry. We will review some of them, but you should be able to understand most of what is written.

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Summer Homework:
1) In your notebook: Chapters 1-5 Reading notes, Constitution Packet (glued or taped into notebook), & Current Events entry for July 25-29
2) Current Events entry for August 1-5
3) Current Events entry for August 8-12
4) Current Events entry for August 15-19
5) Current Events entry for August 22-26
6) Current Events entry for August 29 – September 2