Wednesday December 31st

Happy New Year. It is only 7 o'clock here but the ball will fall in New York while I'm writing this.

Today we did make it to the Arizona Memorial. I hope that some of the pictures I took will remind you of the video we watched. It was one of most amazing experiences I have ever been part of and I encourage everyone to experience it at some point.

Kari and I also went to a swap meet today that went around Aloha Stadium which is where the NFL Pro Bowl is played. We saw the field as they are getting ready for it. I also got a Hawaiian shirt and necklace. I feel like I'm becoming a native.

If the weather is sunny tomorrow I'll be off to the beach. Otherwise I'm sure I'll find something to do.

Stay Warm.

Tuesday December 30th

This morning Kari, Jenna, and I went to the Arizona Memorial. But we got there to late and the line was to long so we will try to go tomorrow morning right when it opens. Instead we got to go to the USS Missouri where the peace was signed that ended World War 2. We also got to tour the USS Bowfin which was a submarine that has been restored. For lunch we went to probably the coolest restaurant in the world. Moe's Southwest Grill. The food of course was wonderful and great service.

In the afternoon we just hung out and napped. With my luggage issues from yesterday I didn't get to sleep until after 11 last night which would have been 3am Crookston time. Which means I went 23 hours straight yesterday so we needed a little down time.

Monday Night, Honolulu Hawaii

We made it safely to Hawaii. Unfortunately I can't say the same about my luggage. Kari's made it but mine didn't. Hopefully it will be coming in at 10:30 tonight, that would be 2:30am in Crookston. Unfortunately I'm stuck right now with jeans and a jacket not shorts and a tank top. The flight lasted 9 hours, when we got here it was 79 degrees and sunny. I got some good pictures of the Rocky Mountains and the Pacific Ocean and even some Hawaiian Islands from the air. Hopefully tomorrow, if I get my luggage we will be going to Pearl Harbor. And I will have those pictures up tomorrow night. If you would like to see what is in the pictures click on them and I believe they will open up in a different window with a description.

Monday Morning Chicago Illinois

Kari (the wife) and I are sitting in O'Hare International Airport. The largest airport in the world. We took off this morning from Fargo. The pilots said that we had a 100 knot tailwind so we got to Chicago earlier than expected. I haven't figured out how to load pictures yet so hopefully I'll figure that out, but when I do I'll get a picture of a dinosaur they have put together right in the airport. Our flight doesn't leave until 10:14 so we will be people watching until then.

Wednesday December 24th

Merry Christmas Everyone. 5 days until Hawaii. Be sure to check back here for updates and I hope to have pictures for you to see. I hope you all have a Merry Christmas and we'll see you in 2009.

Thursday, December 11

Today we will be reviewing for the TEST TOMORROW. We will be playing the chapter review games for chapters 3 and 4.

TOMORROW IS THE TEST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Monday, December 1

Welcome to December. Today we will be watching Channel 1 News. We will also be discussing the Thanksgiving Worksheet. And also discussing the Great Canadian Train Ride.

The plan for the week includes watching the Eskimo Video. The only way that will happen is if we work hard this week to get through as much of Canada as possible.

Wednesday November 19

Make sure you have notebook paper today. You will be taking notes on the Culture of the United States.

Monday November 17

This week we will be finishing talking about the United States and we will be moving into Canada.

More specifically today we will be watching Channel 1 news to find out what's going on in the world. We will also be going through the notes on the Economy of the U.S. and correcting the worksheet on section 3.

Friday, November 14

Today we will correct Chapter 4 Section 2. We will then take notes on Section 3. And you will get an assignment on Section 3 that will be due on Monday.

Monday November 10

Glad to see all you deer hunters made it back alive.

After Channel 1 news we will be playing a game involving the U.S. Constitution. The Constitution is the document that gives you your rights and freedoms. It is your responsibility to know what your rights are, and this game should help you to understand your rights a little bit more.

This will be a difficult game for many of you. Don't give up, work at it and you will get it.

Friday November 7

We will be getting through Chapter 4 Section 2 today. We will also be correcting Section 1 so get that out. Anytime we have left at the end we will watch Great Wonders of the U.S.

Thursday November 6

Today we will try to get through the notes on Chapter 4 Section 1. We will then get an assignment on Section 1 that will be due tomorrow.

Wednesday November 5

Happy day after election day.

Barack Obama did win the presidency. Electoral College as of right now is 349-148. Popular Vote was 52%-46%.

The Senate race is still to close to call. Norm Coleman is ahead by about 1,500 votes. There will more than likely be a recount.

Locally-Bernie Lieder won re-election. Dana Johnson, Dale Stainbrook, Frank Lindgren, and Keith Mykleseth.

School Board will have Robin Brekken, Frank Fee, and Deb Kiel on it.

Wednesday October 29

Today we will find out the results from the Channel One news voting we did last week. We will also finish up minnesota and answer any questions you have about the worksheet I gave you yesterday.

Quote of the Day: "If you don't like something change it. If you can't change it change your attitude. Don't complain." -Maya Angelou

Tuesday October 28

We will be finishing Minnesota today and moving on to the United States.

Remember TEST ON STATES ON THURSDAY.

Also remember: ALL LATE WORK MUST BE TURNED IN BY FRIDAY OCTOBER 31ST.


Quote of the Day: "You can't get much done in life if you only work on the days you feel good." -Jerry West

Tuesday October 21

It was nice to see some of your parents last night. I encourage you to invite your parents for conferences on Thursday from 8-7:30.

We will watch the Great Lakes today and then talk about Minnesota. I'll probably give you some time to work on your assignment from yesterday.

Quote of the Day: "It's how you deal with failure that determines how you achieve success." -David Feherty

Monday, October 20

There are parent teacher conferences this week. Please encourage your parents to attend. Tonight from 4-8 and on Thursday from 8-7:30.

This week we will be doing two things. First we will be voting for president. This will be done through Channel One news. This vote has successfully chosen the president every year since 1992. We won't have access to the computer lab so it will have to be done on laptops here in the room.

We will also be discussing the great state of Minnesota. We will watch two short videos on the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River. We will also be doing a map of Minnesota, going through some notes on Minnesota, doing an extra credit worksheet about cities in North Dakota and Minnesota, and watching a video on Minnesota.

Quote of the Day: "Would you hire you?" -Unknown, but I wish I would have thought of it.

Wednesday/Thursday October 8 & 9

We have R.E. on Wednesday so during the course of the next 2 days we will going through notes on Chapter 3. We will also be doing a worksheet on Chapter 3. That worksheet will be due on Friday. In your class when we make it through the notes on Chapter 3 we will be going to the computer lab and playing games to learn the states and capitals.

So on Friday the map is due and so is the Chapter 3 worksheet.


Quote of the Day: "The aim of an argument or discussion should not be victory, but progress." -Joseph Joubert

Tuesday October 7

Today we will start a series of video's that will take us around the U.S.A. which will show us some of the great sights in America. Today we will see Acadia National Park which is in Maine. And also the Autumn Leaves of New England.

We will begin discussing Chapter 3 which is the Physical Geography of the United States and Canada. So for the next 2 weeks we will be looking at Physical Geography. You will get a map of North America. You will label and color the map and it will be due by Friday.


Quote of the Day: "Always forgive your enemies-Nothing annoys them so much." -Oscar Wilde

Wednesday October 1

Today we will be discussing world religions some more. If there is time after that we will be looking at some notes from Chapter 2.


Quote of the Day: "No matter how far you have gone on a wrong road, turn back." -Turkish Proverb

Monday, September 29

I had a great weekend. It was my mothers birthday so I got to take her out to eat on Saturday, after I got the dock out of the lake. On Sunday I went to the Geographic Center of North America where we celebrated Kari's grandmothers 90th birthday.

Today we will correct the worksheet on Chapter 2. If we have time afterwards we will go through some notes on Chapter 2.


Quote of the Day: "Maturity is achieved when a person postpones immediate pleasures for long-term values." -Joshua L Liebman

Monday September 22

Thanks everyone for the Happy Birthday wishes for me last week. Make sure you ask Kofoed about my bunker shot at Kings Walk on Saturday.

Today is a 4M day. The 4th Monday of each month we start two hours late so teachers can have a class in the morning. So classes are only 1/2 hour long. Wednesday we will have shortened classes also for a presentation in the morning. You are to report to your prime times at 8:15.

Today we will correct the Vocabulary and the Time Zone worksheet. We will also hand in your physical map worksheet and your Word Search Extra Credit.

Quote of the Day: "Everyone who has taken a shower has had an idea. It's the person who gets out of the shower, dries off, and does something about it that makes a difference."

Thursday September 18

Today we will finish going through notes on Chapter 1. After that we will correct those two worksheets on chapter 1.

Remember that tomorrow is homecoming. Show your Pirate Pride by wearing Pirate clothing.

Quote of the Day: "It's not that I'm so smart, it's just that I stay with problems longer." -Albert Einstein

Monday September 8

Today we will be getting your quizzes back. For the most part they were very good. For those of you who didn't do so well there is an option for you. Take a couple of days and study, and sometime this week before or after school, or during study hall you can come in and take another quiz.

We will be finishing up the skills handbook by talking about maps, and then we will be starting Chapter 1 which will welcome you to the world.

Quote of the Day: "Some people grumble because roses have thorns, I'm thankful thorns have roses." -Alphonses Carr

Friday, September 12

Happy quiz day.

We'll spend the first part of the day going through the worksheet from wednesday. After that we will be taking a quiz on Latitude and Longitude. After that you will be getting an assignment on maps. You will be drawing a map of your yard. Make it look nice.

Quote of the Day: "There are two ways of exerting ones strength: one is pushing down, the other is pulling up." -Booker T. Washington

Wednesday, September 10

Today we will be going through your Latitude and Longitude assignment. We will be correcting it in class. After that we will be doing another worksheet that will hopefully help you understand latitude and longitude a little bit better. On Thursday we will go to the computer lab and play latitude and longitude games to get ready for your quiz on Friday.

Quote of the Day: "Any person capable of angering you becomes your master. He can anger only when you permit yourself to be disturbed by him/her." -Epictus

Tuesday, September 9th

Today we will be going through the Latitude and Longitude worksheet from yesterday. We will then be taking some more notes before you get another assignment with using Latitude and Longitude.

Quote of the Day: "The gem cannot be polished without friction, nor mann perfected without trials." -Chinese Proverb

Monday September 8

Today you will be getting our books and we will learn about them. After that we we will be going through notes about the basic parts of maps.


Where in the World are You? The tallest mountain in North America remains hidden in the clouds. Perhaps today you'll get to see it. Meantime, watch out for that grizzly eyeing your camp.

Friday, September 5

Today as a reward for being fantastic this past week we will be going to the computer lab. I want you to navigate through the blog and then play some online geography games. There are some on Latitude and Longitude, and many on States/Capitals and Countries/Capitals. You should only be on these sites.

Looking forward to next week we will be finally getting into the book and more geography things.

Quote of the Day: "The drowning man is not troubled by rain." -Persian Proverb

Thursday September 4

Today you will be turning in your Student Information Sheet. If you aren't done you have a couple minutes at the start of class to finish it. Also if you have your signed syllabus to give back to me I will collect that.

We will be going through the student handbook today. Remember it is your responsibility to know what is in it. Even if we don't talk specifically about it.

After that if we have time we will talk about the blog and I'll show you some of the features of the blog.

Quote of the Day: "It is easier to go downhill then uphill, but the view is better from the top." -Unknown

Wednesday September 3

I hope your first day went well. I was very impressed with how you handled the first day.

Today we will go through the class Syllabus. Syllabus is a fancy word for piece of paper that shows the outline of what we will be doing through the course of the year. AFter that we will get to know one another a little better and if we have time we will go through the student handbook. If you don't have it today remember to bring it tomorrow.

Quote of the Day: "Success isn't permanent, and failure isn't fatal." -Mike Ditka

First Day of School

Welcome to the High School. Trust me it isn't as big and bad as you think it is.

A couple of things that will make you successful here at CHS.

1. Ask questions. Every adult and most of the kids here will help you with any questions you may have.

2. Follow directions. In order to coexist with one another we need to get along. I guarantee that I will win any disagreement that we will have.

3. Treat others as you would like to be treated. I will try my best to treat you with respect but it is a two way street. You need to treat myself and others in the school with respect and hopefully they will treat you with respect.

4. Bring your materials to class every day. Different classes will be at different places. And at times you will upset me and you will get assignments out of the book. So bring textbooks, notebooks, folders, and a writing utensil every day.

5. When you come to class most days there will be this blog up on the board. Read it to find what we are going to do and get ready to do it. Also there will be a quote of the day which you can read and think about. We will talk briefly about it and hopefully get you to think about it. At times there will be a problem of some sort to try and figure out. We'll talk more about that when the time comes.

Quote of the Day: Fear is the opportunity for courage, not proof of cowardice. -John McCain

Crookston High School Open House

Welcome to the Crookston High School Open House. My name is Mr. Moe and I will be your child's Geography Teacher. This will be my 5th year teaching the 8th graders.

During the first quarter of the year we will be learning many of the basic things about Geography. Maps, Latitude and Longitude, Time Zones, Languages, and Religion. The 2nd, 3rd, and 4th quarters will be spent going throughout the world taking things we learned in the 1st quarter and applying them to the different countries of the world. If we have time at the end of the year we will take some time to do a report on a country that your child wants to learn more about.

On any particular day your child will be expected to: take notes, complete a worksheet, draw a map, fill in a map, solve a "where in the world" puzzle, play geography games on the internet, and play games that will put them into the shoes of people from around the world. We also will be trying to do some character education by having them look at a quote at the start of the day from someone famous and try to determine what they mean by what they are saying. For instance.

Quote of the Day: "Whenever you do a thing act as if all the world were watching." -Thomas Jefferson

By doing this the hope is your son or daughter will be able to take the wisdom of people who came before them and implement it into there own lives.

For class students will need to bring a pen or a pencil, a notebook, and a folder. All other things will be provided for them.

Parents you are more than welcome to take a look at this blog to see what we are doing from day to day. There are also links on the right side of the screen that will take your child to different Geography games. You can also communicate with me through this blog. Otherwise my e-mail is tmoe@crookston.k12.mn.us or my phone number at school is 281-2144.

Monday February 25

Today we will correct the Viking Video and the 3rd page of the Chapter 12, 13, and 14. We will also begin taking notes on Chapter 11.

Remember tonight and Thursday night is parent-teacher conferences. Encourage your parents to come in and talk.

Quote of the Day: "Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but rising every time we fail." -Confucious

Monday, February 11

Today all classes are in a different spot so you may end up with some free time. Make sure you use it wisely. For tomorrow be ready to present your myth to the class. On Wednesday 1st and 2nd hour will be spent doing the EXPLORE test so bring a book or something to read to your first hour class. R.E. is on Wednesday afternoon so we won't be doing much. Thursday and Friday will depend on the outcome of the playoff game on Tuesday. We will either continue on Chapter 10 or we will watch a video on "The Odyssey" which is a story of a Greek Myth.

Quote of the Day: "It is amazing how much people can get done if they don't worry about who gets the credit." -Sandra Swinney

Monday, January 28

Today we will be reviewing for the test on Latin America that you will have tomorrow. It will be on all of Unit 3 which is Chapter's 6,7,8,and 9.

Quote of the Day: "Vision is not enough, it must be combined with venture. It is not enough to stare up the steps, we must step up the stairs." -Vaclav Havel

Tuesday January 22

Today we will correct the vocabulary activity and supplemental questions for Chapter 9. For tomorrow be done with sections 1 and 2 of chapter 9.

Quote of the Day: "Laughter is the sun that drives winter from the human face." -Anonymous

Monday, January 21

Today is the first day of the second semester. We are halfway through 8th grade. You are now closer to the start of being 9th graders than you are of starting to be 8th graders. More will be expected of you this coming semester.

Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day. It is a day of observance of the great civil rights leader, who through non-violent protest was able to bring basic rights to African-Americans.

Quote of the Day: "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." -Martin Luther King Jr.

Thursday January 10

Today we will go through Section 3 of the notes. We will also be correcting the Vocabulary Assignment. Tomorrow the maps are due and so are the Chapter 7 Supplemental Questions which we will be correcting.

Quote of the Day: "Whenever you do a thing act as if all the world were watching." -Thomas Jefferson

Wednesday January 9

Today we will be discussing Section 2 notes. After that we will be getting a grade sheet that is up to date except the test we took on Chapter 6. You will get an assignment which will be due tomorrow.

Quote of the Day: "One of the secrets of life is to make stepping stones out of stumbling blocks." -Jack Penn

Tuesday January 8

Today we will be starting to talk about Mexico. To start with we will be watching a 15 minute video on the first Civilizations in Mexico. And then we will start going through notes.


Quote of the Day: "You can easily judge the character of others by how they treat those who can do nothing for them or to them." -Malcolm Forbes (Publisher)