Week of October 20th

Purple Curriculum Updates

Pre-Algebra I with MaryAnn:

In Pre-Algebra I with MaryAnn, the students worked on exponents, prime factorization, finding the greatest common factor, equivalent fractions, improper fractions, and mixed numbers. We will probably have an end of unit assessment on Friday.

Pre-Algebra II with Jared:

In Pre-Algebra II, students spent the week working with fractions and decimals. They learned how to find a common denominator in order to compare and order fractions, how to convert between a mixed number and an improper fraction, and how to convert between fractions and decimals. On Thursday they took their second quiz on this material, and then on Friday we began to review for Tuesday's test.

Pre-Algebra III with Emily:

We practiced finding the slope of lines from two ordered pairs, from graphed lines, and from linear equations. We did an extension activity equating rate of change to slope and defined what the slope of various linear equations meant depending on the word problem scenario. Students learned how to use graphing calculators (TI-82s and TI-83s) this week—writing equations in slope-intercept form, setting the parameters of their tables, and graphing the lines. We compared lines, practicing using precise language to articulate similarities and differences (both have negative slopes, but line b has a positive y-intercept, or line a is in quadrant I, III, and IV whereas line c is in quadrant II and IV and passes through the Origin (0, 0)). We finished up the week by learning slope-intercept form and practicing that on IXL, taking a quiz, and using a range of strategies to solve word problems. I’m encouraging students to look to write equations to solve word problems rather than first going towards the strategy of trial and error and logical reasoning. 

Algebra I with Molly:

This week in Algebra, students continued working with inequalities. They learned to switch the inequality sign when they multiply or divide a negative number across it in the process of solving for the variable. They also learned to work with compound inequalities. They are now applying the many skills they’ve brought to algebra to new situations. They are working on very careful calculations, keeping track of negative signs, doing steps in the correct order, and sometimes changing the direction of inequality signs. These are all opportunities for mistakes and require careful attention from the students.

Geometry with Holly:

This week, after a review, the students took the Chapter 3 test.  On Wednesday, we began Chapter 4 and the study of congruent triangles.  After discussing what makes figures congruent, we discussed triangle congruence by the Side-Side-Side Postulate (SSS),  the Side-Angle-Side Postulate (SAS), the Angle-Side-Angle Postulate (ASA), and the Angle-Angle-Side Postulate (AAS).

Language Arts with Jared:

This week students took a test on the 60 vocabulary words we've studied so far this year. Two of the sections also took a quiz on helping verbs (sixth graders will have their quiz on Tuesday). We continued in our 19th century American poetry unit by looking at the work of Edgar Allan Poe, followed by some amusing Poe-related cartoons. We also worked on writing formal letters, and the students each mailed a letter to a government representative regarding the Mountain Valley Pipeline.

World Studies with Emily:

Students finished working on historical timelines with a focus on U.S. history. Sixth, seventh, and eighth graders did a couple short readings about immigration, both general and looking at the time period 1880s to the 1920s (the time with a massive influx of European immigrants to the U.S.). We watched a Discovery Education movie about immigration. Students took a pop quiz, which I’m only counting as classwork. I described and gave students their major assignment for our study on immigration; half of which will be due before the end of the fall trimester (11/06). It should be a fun series of assignments, some of which will be shared in class on the due date. There is a lot of student choice for this project and students will have a few class periods to work on this Immigration Menu project.  

Earth Science with Molly:

This week students participated in solving a mystery involving power outages, cell phone and radio communication disruptions, and high levels of gamma rays. They worked in groups to research likely causes and narrow down the likely culprits. They are fairly certain it has to do with the sun and will learn more about the causes in the coming week, as we discover more about the sun. They turned in their moon observation charts and each class was able to sketch 3 weeks worth of moon observations as they observed the moon pass through its phases. They turned in their Lab Report Preliminary to get advice on their materials and method for their science fair projects. In the coming week they will receive a study guide for a test the first week in November on the Earth, Sun, and Moon unit. 

Spanish A with Rebecca:
On Monday, the students enjoyed watching a video featuring the daily lives of two children in Puerto Rico. On Tuesday, we discussed differences and similarities between life in Puerto Rico and life in the USA and the students did a great job noting differences in climate, relationships, food, and customs. The students also learned about singular indefinite articles ("un" and "una"), which are the equivalents of "a" and "an" in English. They practiced using them in sentences, writing out phrases and then practicing speaking them with a partner. On Friday, the students learned in Spanish that adjectives almost always come after the nouns they describe. They practiced this concept by creating sentences describing different people. For example: "Elena is an artistic girl" = "Elena es una chica artística."

Spanish with Olga:

Spanish B

We learned a new verb form! It is the informal, positive, commands!! We practiced using it with the new vocabulary we learned: vocabulary to talk about chores around the house. We also watched the next episode of "¿Eres Tú, María?" and made some guesses/inferences about what will happen next.

Spanish C

We continued practicing the reflexive verbs. We also revisited the two verbs "to be" (ser and estar). We watched the videohistoria for the next chapter and started talking about vocabulary to describe clothing and shopping situations. Finally, I reintroduced the forms of the past (preterite) tense, which we will be focusing on next week.

Spanish D

We continue talking about the subjunctive mood, its forms, and forming sentences that have two clauses, where one of the clauses uses the subjunctive.

Spanish D+

The students continue working independently.

Computer Lab with Holly:

This week, the 6th graders gave their Internet Safety presentations.  The 7th and 8th graders discussed group project expectations, and reflected on the Internet Safety presentations they gave last week.  On Wednesday, the 7th and 8th graders took a test over the entire Digital Citizenship curriculum.  Afterward, they watched a video on "AutoCorrecting Humanity" and as a typing project, composed an essay reflecting their thoughts on the video.

Life Skills / Sex Ed with Molly:

Our next meetings will begin on Monday with a continued focus on the drama in their lives. There was no meeting on Friday, due to Messy Day activities.

Thank you from, The Purple Team

Week of October 13th

Purple Curriculum Updates

Pre-Algebra I with MaryAnn:

In Pre-Algebra I with MaryAnn, the students had a Unit 3 math assessment on Wednesday and those tests were handed back on Thursday. The students made corrections in class. Be sure to check in with your student to see how he/she did. On Thursday we began Unit 4 that covers divisibility rules and fractions.

Pre-Algebra II with Jared:

In Pre-Algebra II, students spent the week working with factors and multiples. They reviewed how to write the prime factorization for numbers, how to find the least common multiple, and how to find the greatest common factor. We spent a lot of time working on keeping our abbreviations straight, as there are a lot in this chapter - LCM, GCF, and LCD. 

Pre-Algebra III with Emily:

We have been identifying and graphing points in the Coordinate Plane, solving linear equations with two variables and graphing those equations, and finding the slope of a line from a graph and from setting up a table and calculating the change in y divided by the change in x (rise/run).

Algebra I with Molly:

This week in Algebra, students did a project on bicycle gears. They used the transmission and bike travel equations to answer questions about the gears ratios. They created some very nice looking posters explaining their work. We began a new unit working with inequalities. So far we’ve reviewed solving for a variable using addition and subtraction. Students received their Chapter 2 tests back and will be turning revisions in for Monday. This is the last test they will be allowed to earn back ½ points on their grade. They will continue to be able to fully revise homework and receive credit for it through the end of the trimester. Of course, doing revisions on homework and assessments will continue to be done and will help them gain a better understanding of their mistakes. 

Geometry with Holly:

This week we reviewed the Algebra concepts of slopes of parallel and perpendicular lines and learned how to construct parallel and perpendicular lines using only a compass and straight edge.  After a quiz over the last four sections' material, we finished the week by learning how to use graphing calculators to help solve linear equations..

Language Arts with Jared:

In our poetry unit, students read the works of Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. They also worked on finishing writing the rough drafts of their poem types, and next week will choose 5 to revise. In grammar students started their verbs unit, which begins with a focus on helping verbs. Finally, we also spent the week reviewing our 60 vocabulary words for a test next week.

World Studies with Emily:

I returned students’ Reconstruction tests and we reviewed commonly missed multiple choice questions. I also read a short chapter of a book entitled “A Failed Revolution” because it related to their essay question on the test. I gave students some suggestions when writing an essay on a test, mainly to use as many supporting details/facts to support their argument/opinion as possible and to keep the speculative tangents to a minimum. We also read about and discussed the holiday Colombus Day – who (cities, states and countries) celebrates it, who doesn’t and why, and who has changed that holiday to celebrate something/someone else. Interesting stuff! We started our Immigration and Segregation unit by looking at some timelines; students are working on making timelines for the years 1865 – 1914. For NHD, I collected the first two research checks to look over. We discussed organization systems for their research as well as when to quote, to paraphrase, and to summarize. We had some lively discussion regarding current event summaries.

Earth Science with Molly:

This week students created mock moon craters in flour and cocoa powder with marbles of different masses by dropping them from different heights and angles. We also focused on the phases of the moon using a giant polystyrene ball and then each student held a ping pong ball while recreating the phases as we see them from Earth. Students watched a powerpoint presentation to learn about how tides are created on both the side of Earth closest to the moon and the opposite side of Earth. Ask them to explain the two bulges to you. For Science Fair, students have turned their research summaries and will turn their bibliographies in on Tuesday next week. They are also working on developing their list of materials and specific methods they will use for their experiment. These will be turned in next Thursday for feedback from me before students are off and running (conducting their experiments).

Spanish A with Rebecca:

This week, the Spanish A students practiced describing themselves using the adjectives from chapter 1B. They also interviewed each other and presented about their friends, describing them to the class. On Friday, they took a short vocabulary quiz and then worked on a poster project, on which they composed poems describing themselves.

Spanish with Olga:

Spanish B

On Wednesday, we reviewed for the test. We did some written practice and we played "Pictionary" to help us with vocabulary. On Friday, we had our test.

Spanish C

On Wednesday we revisited reflexive verbs and practiced forming sentences with it. On Friday we talked about our morning routines, using reflexive verbs.

Spanish D

This week we started talking about verb moods and made a list of all the verb tenses we know. We talked about the concept of the subjunctive mood and what it conveys. I introduced the students to the forms of the present subjunctive, and we started forming two-clause sentences that use subjunctive.

Spanish D+

The students joined the D class for an explanation of the subjunctive mood, which is new to them. We will have an assessment on the past tense on Monday.

Art with Patti:

Purple Room artists finished their Complimentary Color Paintings. They did a beautiful job in translating their drawings from a chosen photograph, converting to color compliments, and using value to show depth. They also started a sketchbook assignment where they chose an analogous color group to paint a background. 

Computer Lab with Holly:

This week the 6th grade students finished composing their Internet Safety PowerPoint projects, and the 7th and 8th grade students presented their Internet Safety PowerPoint projects.

Life Skills / Sex Ed with Molly:

This meeting (7^th Fri, 6 & 8 next Mon.), students received their My Goals sheets back and were asked to read over the goals they set for themselves this year, as well as the note from their parents. They were asked to think about whether they were on track toward accomplishing their goals or whether they need to make some changes. I encouraged them to ask teachers for help achieving their academic goals. They also completed a student questionnaire for the fall trimester giving the teachers feedback about their academic and social experience in the Purple Room and taking the opportunity to share anything else they would like us to know. We wrapped up our character discussion this week and began discussing DRAMA or social stress. Students helped define what they mean when they say, “there was a lot of drama at school today.” Next week we will name all of the things that contribute to creating this feeling of drama in their lives, then we will work on ways to minimize its effects on us. 

Thank you from, The Purple Team

Week of October 6th

Purple Curriculum Updates

Pre-Algebra I with MaryAnn:

In Pre-Algebra I with MaryAnn, we have been learning to solve equations using the various properties of equality. The students have had four quizzes this week. You can see the results of those quizzes by checking out your child's math notebook. We will have an end of unit assessment over Chapter 3 on Wednesday. There will also be a notebook check the same day.

Pre-Algebra II with Jared:

In Pre-Algebra II, students took their Chapter 2 test on Tuesday. They then started learning about exponents and their role in the order of operations. We introduced scientific notation, and for our weekly craft project students were assigned a planet and had to convert its diameter and distance from the sun into scientific notation. On Thursday we discussed divisibility rules, and then we ended the week by practicing these skills online.

Pre-Algebra III with Emily:

We reviewed Chapter 2 on Monday and took a chapter test on Tuesday. We reviewed  common mistakes made on the test during Wednesday’s class, like distributing incorrectly, combining unlike terms, not following the order of operations, multiplying, dividing, adding and subtracting errors, especially when negative integers are included, and not reversing the greater than/less than sign when multiplying or dividing by a negative. We will continue to practice problems from chapter two as we move forward. We started Chapter 3 (Graphing in the Coordinate Plane) on Thursday and Friday with a fun, fictional animated video about how and why the Cartesian coordinate plane came to be. I combined Chapter 2 and 3 with a battle ship activity game where students first solved twelve algebraic equations for ‘x’ or ‘y’ when ‘x’ or ‘y’ was a certain value and recorded the x-coordinate and y-coordinate ordered pair solutions. I assigned each of them four ordered pairs to graph across the four quadrants and divided them into teams of three. Then they had to guess where others’ battle ships were in order to try and sink them. 

Algebra I with Molly:

This week in Algebra, students used data to find the mean, median, mode, and range. They also learned to create and read stem and leaf plots. We spend a couple of days reviewing the chapter and completed the Chapter 2 test on Friday.

Geometry with Holly:

We started this week by exploring some other non-Euclidean geometries, such as spherical and hyperbolic geometry, and comparing these to Euclidean geometry.  We also used Geogebra to explore the concept of exterior angles.  On Tuesday, the students took a quiz over the  last four sections.  On Wednesday and Thursday the class discussed exterior angles in detail and the polygon angle sum theorem.  On Friday, the students used IXL software to review proofs.

Language Arts with Jared:

This week students took a vocabulary quiz, as well as a grammar test on prepositions. In our poetry unit, students were introduced to the Transcendentalist movement and Ralph Waldo Emerson. Students finished presenting their poetry power point tutorials, and most have almost finished writing the rough drafts of these different poetry styles. Next week students will begin to choose which poems they will revise. 

World Studies with Emily:

On Monday, for U.S. History, 6^th and 7^th graders read from the textbook while I checked the notes they took on a Reconstruction reading over the weekend. I explained how the debate on Tuesday would work and assigned them each a character/position to think about and prepare what that character’s role in Reconstruction was and what he/she thought about Reconstruction. All grades participated in a debate on Tuesday, which was a lot of fun, and most students did an excellent job arguing a position from their character’s perspective.  We didn’t quite have enough time because we also went over a detailed study guide for the test on Thursday. Next time, I’ll be sure to allow a whole class period because I think it’s a valuable activity and a lot of fun! Students reported on their political current events in World Studies as well as reading information from an excellent NHD source about getting started with research and different kinds of sources. The field trip to the Newman library was successful, albeit short. I was impressed with the students’ efficiency navigating the library and staying focused, quiet, and working well with their buddy/buddies. We will begin research checks next week. All grades took their test on Reconstruction on Thursday afternoon.

Earth Science with Molly:

Students packed their PongSat experiments this week to be sent into the upper atmosphere. They chose what to pack inside their ping pong ball and their creative ideas varied from marshmallows to sd cards. These will come back to us later this year with details of the flight, after being launched and recovered by an aerospace company in California. Students simulated the counterclockwise rotations and revolutions of the moon and Earth in relation to one another and the sun to better help them understand their movements. They also learned about the relative positions of these celestial bodies during each phase we see of the moon. They continue to make moon observations and I have extended the deadline for observations by a week since we have had such extraordinarily cloudy and rainy weather. Students received their science fair proposals back and are asked next to do more research on the scientific topics related to their experiment. Scientific Inquiry quizzes have also been returned and may be found in student portfolios. 

Spanish A with Rebecca:

The students started Chapter 1B this week, which will focus on describing oneself, describing others, and asking others about themselves. They are learning new adjectives as well as reviewing ones they have seen before and will be learning how to make agreement between nouns and their adjectives. On Monday and Wednesday, we also spent some time this week talking about Spain. We discussed its geography, the multiple languages it contains (and where the type of Spanish, "Castellano," we are studying originated), and how Moorish, Jewish, and Christian influences came together to create a rich history and culture. On Friday, they watched a short video called "Why Study Spanish?," which will be fodder for further conversation next week. They should finish making flashcards for the chapter vocabulary found on p. 82 in their textbooks and begin studying them.

Spanish with Olga:

Spanish B

This week we practiced stem changing verbs. We watched the next Episode of María, and learned new vocabulary for the parts of the house and chores. Next week we will have an assessment for 6A.

Spanish C

This week we reviewed (on Monday) and had an assessment (Wednesday). On Friday we revisited the concept of reflexive verbs, and learned vocabulary to talk about how to get ready for an event. We will be working on using and manipulating reflexives for a while.

Spanish D

This week we read and talked about some cultural topics, such as the ALMA awards. We reviewed (on Wednesday) and had an assessment (Friday).

Spanish D+

The students continue to work independently and efficiently on their own. Their next assessment has to do with the past tense and its aspects (preterite/imperfect). Next, they will join the D group as we learn about the subjunctive mood in Spanish.

Art with Patti:

Students have been doing a great job in seeing color shapes and applying them to their paintings, as well as puzzling out how color compliments translate from their photographs. They have also been developing skill in seeing how subtle value changes make such a difference in showing form and depth in their paintings. 

Computer Lab with Holly:

On Monday this week, the students researched books they might need for their National History Day projects and created a list and map to find these books when they visited the Va Tech Library on Thursday.  On Wednesday, the 7th and 8th graders finished preparing their Internet Safety PowerPoint presentations.

Life Skills / Sex Ed with Molly:

Due to the half day on Friday and our day off on Monday. We did not have Life Skills this week. In the next session, we will wrap up our character trait focus and move on to topics related to pre-teen and teenage emotions and drama. Are there specific topics you would like to see included? Let me know.

Thank you from, The Purple Team