Week of January 26th

Purple Curriculum Updates

Pre-Algebra I with MaryAnn:

In Pre-Algebra I with MaryAnn, we completed Unit 7 and had our unit assessment today. Those tests will be returned on Monday. Next week we move on to Unit 8 which is geometry

Pre-Algebra II with Jared:
In Pre-Algebra II, we finished up our unit on percents, by investigating percent change (markups, discounts, etc.) and by using equations to solve word problems involving percents. We then took our chapter test over two days, since it ran long. On Friday we began our new unit, which introduced many Geometry concepts. We used an online game to identify a variety of concepts including supplementary & complementary angles, types of triangles, and types of polygons.

Pre-Algebra III with Emily:
Students worked together on writing equations for several different word problems, did a bit of review and took a quiz on Tuesday. Then, I taught the class about calculating simple interest and compound interest and they practiced a variety of interest problems. We ended this chapter Applications of Percents by finding the probability of an event by dividing the number of favorable outcomes by the total number of possible outcomes. Students made tables and tree diagrams to find the sample space for a given experiment and then found the probability of a certain event. The class took the chapter test on Friday.

Algebra I with Molly:

This week students created scatter plots from data, looked for trend lines, wrote equations for the trend line, and were then able to predict further data. They also learned about graphing and translating the function y= the absolute value of x, which was quite fun! We finished the chapter, reviewed and took the chapter 6 test on Friday.

Geometry with Holly:

 This week we finished chapter 7 by reviewing for and taking the chapter test.  This has been a challenging chapter for the students because it has been very algebra intensive.  The students are having a pleasant reprieve as we start chapter 8 because it is more familiar: Pythagorean Theorem. Beginning on Wednesday, we have reviewed the basic theorem and its converse and discussed special right triangles, and finished the week with a quiz over this basic material.

Language Arts with Jared:

In Language Arts students reached the end of their verbs tense unit (with sixth graders covering indirect objects, seventh graders covering active/passive tense, and eighth graders covering modal auxiliaries). All three grades will have a grammar test next week. In our literature unit, students took a reading comprehension quiz. Students also began learning their new vocabulary words.

World Studies with Emily:

On Monday, in US History, 6^th and 7^th graders finished taking notes on the World War I power point presentation. On Tuesday, all Purple grades practiced two rounds of peer editing each other’s NHD essay rough drafts and briefly discussed feedback. I reminded classes to look over the essay rubric before turning it on Thursday. Then I gave students a pop-quiz on WWI from the textbook. On Wednesday and Friday’s sessions of World Studies, students chose one or two global landmarks from the class’s brainstorm list to research and write facts about. They then presented the landmark and facts about it to the class; each student voted for their top three choices for the global challenge in which we will be participating. Next week, each class will find out the class’s landmark and we will compose clues as a class. On Thursday, we read aloud the first couple chapters from Joy Hakim's A History of US: War, Peace, and All that Jazz 1918-1945, reviewing the end of the Great War and learning about the transition into the roaring twenties. Students did some partner textbook reading and note taking on a guided themes sheet for the chapter: The Roaring Twenties.

Earth Science with Molly:

This week students took a test on the universe. For this test, they learned to fill out scantron answer sheets. They learned to carefully fill in the date, their name, and the answers. Although we don’t have a scantron answer reader, this is one of the ways we try to prepare them for high school and college assessments, so they are not stressed about the format. After their test, we began our new unit on the atmosphere. Their final adapted alien species model and essay are due February 5th.

Spanish A with Rebecca:

The students reviewed the vocabulary and concepts of Chapter 2B on Monday and took the chapter test on Wednesday. On Friday, they started Chapter 3A, which focuses on beverages and foods eaten for breakfast and lunch, expressing likes and dislikes, and the frequency with which things happen.

Spanish with Olga:

Spanish B

We reviewed the past tense of regular and some irregular verbs and practiced using indirect object pronouns. We watched another episode of "¿Eres tú, María?" and the students are very excited to be nearing the end of this exciting miniseries. We had a test on Friday.

Spanish C

We continued reviewing the formation of the imperfect tense in Spanish. We played a game of Pictionary to help us study the vocabulary for the test. We had a test on Wednesday and watched another episode of the miniseries "En busca de la verdad". We started talking about what is considered good manners when greeting someone in Latin culture. We also talked about El País Vasco, a region of Spain.

Spanish D

We are studying compound tenses: present perfect in the indicative and subjunctive, and how to use them. The students completed their oral presentation on Friday and we played a card game to review irregular verbs in the past tense.

Spanish D+

The students continue working on the grammar and readings. On Friday, they joined the students in Spanish D for a game to review the past tense of irregular verbs.

Art with Patti:

We are continuing to work on perspective. Students have started their projects, coming up with their own unique theme, and are drafting an environment of their choice using two-point perspective. 

Computer Lab with Holly:

 This week the students continued working on writing their restaurant reviews.

Life Skills / Sex Ed with Molly:

This week (Friday and next Monday’s classes) students finished writing encouraging (anonymous) letters to elementary students and families who are dealing with lice. They also worked on their My Dream Of The Future story boards. They watched part of a documentary One Dollar a Day about living in Guatemala. The following week we will continue to focus on puberty growth spurts for the 6th grade students. 7th and 8th grade students will focus on puberty changes, then move on to female and male anatomy (girls will study girls first, then move on to boys, while boys will study boys first, then move on to girls).

Thank you from, The Purple Team

Week of January 19th

Purple Curriculum Updates

Pre-Algebra I with MaryAnn:

In Pre-Algebra I with MaryAnn, we did some extra work on solving proportions, then we moved on to scale drawings, learning how to convert fractions to decimals and percents and vice versa, and today we learned how to find the percent of a number. It looks like we will have an end of unit test next Thursday, along with a notebook check. I sent home some optional, extra practice worksheets.

Pre-Algebra II with Jared:

In Pre-Algebra II, we began the week with a shopping day. Students had $200 of pretend money to spend and some interesting coupons (72.5% off of electronics) and they went through newspaper ads to choose items they wanted and calculate their prices. We worked on solving percent problems by setting up a ratio, and then by setting up an equation. We also took some time out of the lessons this week to work on improving the organization of our work area on the page when students solve problems. We then continued working with percents by learning about tip, tax, and commissions. On Friday we practiced these skills online. 

Pre-Algebra III with Emily:

Students took a quiz on Tuesday, and did very well on it. They wrote equations to find part of a whole, a whole amount, or a percent. For example: Find 13% of 126; 16.38 is 13% of what number; and, what percent is 16.38 of 126? Students found percent of increase, percent of decrease, and solved problems involving markup and discount. We reviewed on Friday. Students will have their second chapter quiz on Tuesday.

Algebra I with Molly:

This week we continued our focus on linear equations. Students learned the standard form and the point-slope form. They’ve been needing to do quite a few revisions on their homework, so we’ve slowed down. Friday was spent reviewing when and how to use each type of equation, as well as practicing transforming between the different forms. There will be a quiz on Monday on 6-3 and 6-4.

Geometry with Holly:

This week we continued work on chapter 7, Similarity.  The corollaries regarding similarity in right triangles are challenging to keep straight, so on Tuesday and Wednesday, we spent extra time covering this material. On Thursday we discussed proportions in triangles, and finished the week with a quiz over this week's material.

Language Arts with Jared:

In Language Arts students took a grammar quiz on three different verb tenses (simple, perfect, and progressive). Then they continued in their verbs unit, with the sixth and seventh graders exploring transitive and intransitive verbs, and the eighth graders looking at phrasal verbs and the perfect progressive tense. In our literature unit, students are continuing to practice with reading aloud, and with habitually using complete sentences when writing answers to response questions. They will have a reading comprehension quiz on Tuesday on the weekend's reading assignment. Some students took their vocabulary quizzes this week, but because of the holiday, the rest of the students had an extra week to review and will take their quiz on Monday.

World Studies with Emily:

On Tuesday, students were given half of class to work on typing up their outlines for a first draft of their NHD essay. We listened to part of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech called “Beyond Vietnam” from April of 1967, which contains several ideas about war and violence that are relevant today. We discussed this part of the speech and referred to it later in the week when we studied Woodrow Wilson’s 14 Point Peace Plan, and his adamant belief that punishing Germany would incite stronger feelings of resentment and hatred, which Wilson observed in the South after the Civil War.  We listened to a couple WWI war songs and looked at old photos from WWI as we discussed the end of the war. We will finish this topic early next week by talking about the Treaty of Versailles. For World Studies, we will be participating in a global geography challenge in February and March called the Landmark Challenge via Kidlink.org (led by a professor at Radford University); students brainstormed about possible landmarks for which they would write nine clues that would be distributed among other participating teams. Students played a WWI geography game, and we looked at some example NHD titles. It looks like BNS History Night will be postponed again to Tuesday, February 24^th so that we can have the event in the new building, which will be a wonderful showcase of the addition!

Earth Science with Molly:

This week we learned more about the lives of stars and the different progressions they make depending upon the mass of the star. 7^th and 8^th grade students learned more about star systems and galaxies this week. We watched a very informative Powerpoint about black holes and read a futuristic Icarus story about black holes. We took a close look at the study guide and spent time reviewing for next Tuesday’s test on the universe. Their final adapted alien species model and essay are due February 5^th. 

Spanish A with Rebecca:

The students continued studying and practicing making nouns and their articles plural. They also practiced creating their own sentences to describe where different classroom objects are located in the classroom, demonstrating their ability to apply the lessons and vocabulary from this chapter. The Test for Chapter 2B will be on Wednesday, January 28th. Monday will be a review day.

Spanish with Olga:

Spanish B

We reviewed the past tense of regular verbs and saw verbs that are irregular in the past: hacer, dar, ser, ir, and decir. We also saw the present tense of decir. We studied indirect object pronouns. We will have an assessment next Friday.

Spanish C

This week we continued using verbs in the imperfect tense to describe habits and give background information about things that happened in the past. We also revisited the indirect object pronouns. We reviewed how to use two objet pronouns with one verb, and what to do when both the direct and indirect objects are third person. We also saw how to place pronouns with command forms. We will have an assessment next week.  Finally, we watched an episode of En Busca de la Verdad, our new mini series. The students have a project due on February 4. I gave them poster board for their posters.

Spanish D

This week we reviewed for a test we had on Friday. We also read authentic articles about the environment and answered comprehension questions. The students have an oral presentation due on January 30.

Spanish D+

The students continue working on the grammar and readings. They had an assessment about the progressive tenses on Friday.

Art with Patti:

Students finished their isometric drawings. We also started talking about perspective this week. We reviewed one-point perspective as a sketchbook exercise, and started talking about two-point perspective.

Computer Lab with Holly:

This week the students began work on creating critical reviews of their restaurants.  These reviews are to be 700 - 1000 words, so the students will spend several class periods working on them.  Students were also given time to finish up any previous restaurant products which were still outstanding

Life Skills / Sex Ed with Molly:

This week (Friday and next Monday’s classes) was our social work focus and we worked on writing anonymous letters to elementary students and families who are dealing with lice. After reading Faith Ringold’s book My Dream of Martin, students created their own versions of the future related to improving social situations. They will also begin watching a documentary One Dollar a Day about living in Guatemala. The following week we will continue to focus on puberty growth spurts for the 6th grade students. 7th and 8th grade students will focus on puberty changes, then move on to female and male anatomy (girls will study girls first, then move on to boys, while boys will study boys first, then move on to girls). We will alternate between our social work focus and our sex ed focus over the next month or so.

Thank you from, The Purple Team

Week of January 12th

Purple Curriculum Updates

Pre-Algebra I with MaryAnn:

In Pre-Algebra I with MaryAnn we have been working on ratios and solving proportions. The students have been struggling with solving proportions so we have slowed way down on this concept/skill. I gave the students an extra worksheet to complete by Tuesday so they can continue to practice this skill. The students need to make sure they show their work!!! I cannot over-emphasize this enough.

Pre-Algebra II with Jared:

In Pre-Algebra II, we continued with new material, picking up where we had left off before winter break. Students looked at how to figure out the percent of a given number, before reviewing the first half of the chapter. We took our snow-delayed chapter quiz on Thursday, and then focused more on specific methods of solving percent problems. We started with setting up a proportion to solve the problems, and then practiced this skill online, making sure students showed their work for each step of the problem.

Pre-Algebra III with Emily:

On Monday, we started Chapter 6: Application of Percents. We wrote fractions and decimals as percents and percents as fractions and decimals, estimated percents using decimals and fractions, and used proportions to find parts of a whole and to find whole amounts and percents. Students worked on some creative, challenging problems on Friday and they will have a quiz on Tuesday.

Algebra I with Molly:

This week we began chapter 6 with a study of rate of change and the slope of a line. Students learned how to write linear equations in the slope intercept form from the y-intercept and the slope of a graph. We will continue with our study of linear equations next week. 

Geometry with Holly:

This week we picked up our normal routine again and began Chapter 7 and the study of Similarity.  On Monday we reviewed the concepts of ratios and proportions, and on Tuesday and Thursday we discussed the topics of similar polygons and how to prove polygons similar.  We finished the week with a quiz over the weeks material and a discussion of fractals.  The boys are doing very well in class, with their only problems being "small math errors" or "SMEs".

Language Arts with Jared:

Students accomplished a lot this week, turning in their poem submission to the poetry contest, finishing their outside reading book review, and starting their new novel unit. Sixth and seventh graders are reading Kira-Kira, by Cynthia Kadohata. Eighth graders are reading The Education of Little Tree, by Forrest Carter (which we will eventually use for a general analysis on the role of the author in literature). In addition, students revisited thesis-statements, and brainstormed possible statements for various writing scenarios. In grammar, students continued focusing on verb tenses, reviewing the perfect and progressive tenses.

World Studies with Emily:

In US History this week, we continued to study WWI through a PowerPoint presentation, the last cartoon video of the Extra Credit History series, a chapter from Real Stories from World War I, interactive maps from before and after the Great War, PBS voices from the War, propaganda posters, and an interactive activity about trenches. On Friday, 8th graders read two WWI primary sources - a letter and several diary entries. 6th and 7th graders had Monday’s short class period to work on their NHD outlines. For NHD, I had individual conferences with about half of the middle schoolers regarding their outline for the essay, largely focusing on their theses. For the students with whom I did not meet, I made copies of their outlines, will review them this weekend, and return them with feedback on Tuesday. The rough draft is due on Thursday, January 22nd and the final essay is due Thursday, January 29th. Please note that I extended the due date from the 27th to the 29th.

Earth Science with Molly:

This week students conducted a lab on star types and their life zones. We simulated red, yellow, white, and blue stars using different incandescent bulbs of different wattages. Student partners learned to use radiometers to measure or measure the heat being put by each “star.” They estimated the lifezone of each star by finding the ranges in which its temperature would be too hot and too cold to support liquid water. We then simulated the life span of each type of star if 1 second equaled 10 million years, turning off each star after minutes or days. They learned about the life cycles of stars and how this changes with different masses. Students received a follow-up project to their celestial body posters. They will be an alien species adapted to their chosen celestial body. The project includes a model and a short essay explaining making connections between their celestial body’s attributes and their chosen adaptations. We watched part of a video to help inspire them in their alien creations. Through the Wormhole with Morgan Freeman: What Do Aliens Look Like? There will be a Universe test on Tuesday, January 27^th.

Spanish A with Rebecca:

This week, the Spanish A students reviewed the Chapter 2B vocabulary, which focuses on classroom objects and prepositions, and took a vocabulary quiz on Wednesday. On Monday and Wednesday, the students worked with the irregular verb "estar," using it to describe the location of various objects in the classroom. They also finished their posters, depicting "La sala de clases de mis sueños" ("The classroom of my dreams"). On Friday, they learned how to pluralize nouns, as well as their corresponding definite articles ("los, las")and indefinite articles ("unos, unas"). We also discussed the use of different currencies in various Spanish-speaking countries and how their values in relation to each other can change over time.

Spanish with Olga:

Spanish B

We continue studying vocabulary to talk about vacations. We read a paragraph and answered questions about it. We revisited question formation and turned sentences into questions. We read a chapter in the La Gran Aventura de Alejandro, where we learned about Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes and his famous characters Don Quijote and Sancho Panza.

Spanish C

This week we continued talking about things we enjoyed to do when we were younger. We used verbs in the imperfect tense to describe habits and give background information about things that happened in the past. We revisited the indirect object pronouns. We started learning how to use two object pronouns in one sentence.  We will continue with that for the next few classes. The students have a test on January 28, and a project due on February 4.

Spanish D

This week we revisited syllable division, and re-took the quiz because the previous quiz indicated that most of the students had not understood how to do it.  We also continued talking about the environment, resources, and solutions to the problems of pollution and contamination. We studied how to use the subjunctive mood to talk about uncertainty or doubt. The students will have an assessment on January 23, and they have an oral presentation due on January 30.

Spanish D+

The students continue working on the grammar and readings. They will have an assessment about the progressive tenses on January 23.

  

Art with Patti:

Students have been focusing on isometric forms this week. They completed designs using isometric graph paper showing three-dimensional figures on a two-dimensional surface. They used value to show how the planes of the forms change. They have been coming up with some very creative compositions. I’m looking forward to seeing the final versions.

Computer Lab with Holly:

This week the students continued work on their Investment Newsletters and Advertising Fliers for their restaurants.  These documents pull together all of the products the students have created for their restaurants so far. 

Life Skills / Sex Ed with Molly:

For the 6th Graders, we used the text What Happening to My Body? There is a separate book for Girls and Boys. We read about puberty and focused on the growth spurts associated with puberty. For the 7th Graders, we used the text It’s Perfectly Normal. We read also read about changes during puberty, which is a good review for all of them. For all grades, I separated the groups by males and females. The group working independently completed a word search and crossword puzzle on puberty to help them become more familiar with the words we will be using. This coming week we will do an activity related to our Community Service focus of social work. The following week we will continue to focus on puberty growth spurts for the 6th grade students. 7th and 8th grade students will focus on puberty changes, then move on to female and male anatomy (girls will study girls first, then move on to boys, while boys will study boys first, then move on to girls).

Thank you from, The Purple Team