good afternoon, Riley
Cuke, this week.
A personal productivity hub for the school year. Every assignment is a seed. Every effort earns a pickle. Watch your week grow from sprout to harvest, and trade pickles for the rewards that actually motivate you.
pickles earned
23
this week so far
on priority
4
need attention today
next big test
3 days
Algebra II · Ch. 7
growing
7
cucumbers in the garden
the short list
Priority
No more than five items at a time. If everything's a priority, nothing is. Knock these out before anything else and earn the biggest pickles.
Algebra II Ch. 7 review
Test on Thursday. Practice problems #15-30 plus the chapter quiz online.
MathVining
due today
+3 pickles
English essay outline (draft)
Persuasive essay on a topic of your choice. Outline due before the rough draft.
EnglishSprouting
due today
+2 pickles
History reading: Ch. 12, sections 3-5
Take notes for the Friday discussion. Bring two questions you'd like to discuss.
HistoryVining
due Wed
+2 pickles
Spanish vocab quiz prep
Unit 8 vocab list. 40 words. Use Quizlet or paper flashcards.
SpanishSprouting
due Fri
+2 pickles
the daily work
Homework
Organized by class, sorted by due date. Knock out a row, earn pickles, watch sprouts turn into cucumbers.
Algebra II · Practice set 7.2
Problems 1-20, show work. From the chapter Mr. Hollis assigned Monday.
Math
due today
English · Read "Of Mice and Men" Ch. 4-5
Reading log entry due with the rest of the unit on Friday.
English
due Wed
Chemistry · Lab writeup, week 9
Acid-base titration. Data analysis section is the long part.
Science
due Thu
Spanish · Workbook pp. 88-91
Conjugation practice. Imperfect tense.
Spanish
due Fri
History · Document analysis worksheet
Read the two primary sources and complete the comparison grid.
History
due Mon
Art · Sketchbook entry #18
Self-portrait in pencil. Focus on light and shadow.
Art
due Wed
the assessments
Tests & Quizzes
Coming up over the next month. Each one has a study plan built backwards from the date so the work happens in pieces, not all the night before.
Algebra II · Ch. 7 Test
Covers polynomial functions, factoring, and synthetic division. Study plan: review notes (Mon), practice problems (Tue), online practice test (Wed), light review (Thu morning).
MathVining
Thu, May 21
3 days
Spanish · Unit 8 Vocab Quiz
40 words plus 5 verb conjugations. Flashcards through the week, oral practice on Thursday.
SpanishSprouting
Fri, May 22
4 days
History · Unit 6 Test (WWII)
Pacific and European theaters, home front, postwar order. Make a timeline by next Monday, then practice essay prompts.
HistorySeeded
Fri, June 5
18 days
the multi-week stuff
Big Projects
Broken into pieces, scheduled across weeks. Each checked box is real progress and a pickle in the jar. None of this should ever be a panic the night before.
English · Persuasive Essay
60% · 6 of 10 steps
Choose a topic you actually care about, then argue your position with three supporting claims and counter-arguments. Mr. Coleman wants real specificity, not generic talking points.
- Brainstorm 3 topics and pick one
- Research and gather 6 sources
- Annotated bibliography
- Thesis statement (revised twice)
- Outline approved by Mr. Coleman
- Rough draft, body paragraphs
- Rough draft, intro and conclusion
- Peer review session
- Final revision pass
- Submit final draft
Chemistry · Lab Report Series
40% · 2 of 5 reports
A series of lab writeups demonstrating mastery of acid-base, redox, and equilibrium concepts. Each report needs data, analysis, and a discussion section.
- Lab 1: Acid-base titration writeup
- Lab 2: Buffer solution writeup
- Lab 3: Redox reactions (due May 28)
- Lab 4: Equilibrium constants (due June 4)
- Final synthesis essay (due June 9)
History · Independent Research Paper
20% · 2 of 10 steps
A research paper on a 20th-century historical event of your choice. The library research portion is the longest piece. Start early.
- Pick topic (the Berlin Airlift)
- Initial topic proposal
- Source list of 8 minimum (4 primary)
- Thesis development
- Outline
- Annotated bibliography
- First draft
- Revision based on feedback
- Final draft
- Submit and reflect
the horizon
Looking Ahead
The next four weeks in one view. Tests, big project due dates, and the after-school commitments that affect study time.
mon19
tue20
English outline due
wed21
Soccer practice
thu22
Algebra II Ch.7 test
Chem lab writeup
fri23
Spanish vocab quiz
sat24
Soccer game · 10am
sun25
mon26
History worksheet
tue27
wed28
Chem Lab 3 due
thu29
fri30
No school · Memorial Day
sat31
sun1
mon2
tue3
English rough draft
wed4
English final due
Chem Lab 4 due
thu5
History Unit 6 test
fri6
sat7
sun8
Semester goals
Finish junior year with all A's and B's
Currently: 4 A's, 2 B's. Math is the one to watch.
June 14
Earn 100 pickles by end of semester
Currently: 73. About 4 pickles per week from here.
June 14
the reward system
Pickle Jar
Effort earns pickles. Pickles unlock rewards. You set the deal at the start of the year so future-you can't argue with present-you.
23
pickles this week
73 pickles all-time · 27 to the next big reward
The reward shelf
What you set at the start of the year, costs you set yourself, redeemable when you've earned them.
5 pickles
Skip one chore
One assigned chore of your choice, traded with parents in advance.
unlocked × 3 this month
10 pickles
Pick the family movie
Friday night, your choice. No vetoes from siblings.
unlocked × 2
15 pickles
Extra hour of screen time
One time, one hour past the usual cutoff. Cashed at your discretion.
unlocked × 4
25 pickles
Friend over for the weekend
Sleepover or full day. You plan the snacks.
2 pickles away
50 pickles
New video game
Up to $40, your pick, no questions.
27 pickles away
100 pickles
Weekend trip · your call
Beach, mountains, friend's house overnight, you decide. Whole family rallies for it.
77 pickles away
the whole life cycle
Growth Garden
Every assignment moves through five stages. Seed (just assigned), sprout (started), vining (in progress), cucumber (almost done), pickle (turned in and earning pickles back). A glance tells you where the energy is.
Seed
Assigned, not started
3
Sprout
First step taken
4
Vining
Active progress
5
Cucumber
Almost done
2
Pickle
Done, pickle earned
17
In motion right now
Algebra II Ch. 7 review
Almost ready for the test. One more practice round.
MathCucumber
Thu test
English persuasive essay
Rough draft body paragraphs in. Intro and conclusion next.
EnglishVining
June 4
Spanish Unit 8 vocab
First pass through the list done. Need 2-3 more review rounds before Friday.
SpanishSprouting
Fri quiz
History independent research paper
Topic chosen (Berlin Airlift). Library research starts next week.
HistorySeed
June 12
start here
How Cuke Works
The whole system in plain terms. Four minutes start to finish, then you'll know everything.
1
Every assignment is a seed
When a teacher hands out a new project, it lives in your garden as a Seed. Nothing's happened yet, but it's logged. The minute you start working on it, it sprouts.
2
Five stages, five tags
Seed, Sprout, Vining, Cucumber, Pickle. Everything you're working on lives in one of these stages. The Growth Garden Feather shows you all of them at once so you can see where the energy is going.
3
Priority is the short list
Five items max, no exceptions. If everything's priority, nothing is. The Priority Feather is what you check first thing each morning and last thing before bed.
4
Homework is the daily grid
Every class, every assignment, organized by due date. This is where you log a new homework item the minute it's assigned, so it doesn't get lost between the bell and the bus.
5
Big Projects break apart
A 10-page paper is not one thing, it's ten things. The Big Projects Feather is where you break the big thing into small steps and check them off as you go. No more night-before panic.
6
Pickles are the proof
Every time you finish a task, take a test, or check off a project step, you earn a pickle. Different effort, different pickle count. The Pickle Jar Feather tracks the running total.
7
The reward shelf is yours to set
At the start of the year, set the rewards you actually want. Skip a chore, movie night pick, weekend trip, whatever motivates you. Set the pickle cost. Now your effort buys real things you chose.
8
Looking Ahead keeps the horizon clear
The four-week view shows tests, project due dates, and after-school commitments together. Wednesday soccer practice plus a Thursday test plus a Friday project deadline is a real picture, not a surprise. Plan accordingly.