Week of September 21, 2015

Purple Curriculum Updates

Pre-Algebra II with Jared:

We spent this week with variables, and introduced the unit with an activity using m&ms as variables. We then plugged in various numbers into expressions, to see what it final value we would have. Later in the week we moved into solving one-step equations by adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing. We took a short quiz on this, before introducing two-step equations on Thursday.

Pre-Algebra III with Emily:

Students practiced solving multi-step equations, writing equations and drawing diagrams to solve word problems, and started working on solving inequalities. They also took a quiz, worked on quiz revisions, and did a bit of review from the first section of this chapter – simplifying algebraic expressions. I know that Alex will do an excellent job teaching pre-algebra.

Algebra I with Molly:

This week in Algebra, we learned to apply the distance formula in a variety of ways, including one way travel, round trip travel, and two vehicles traveling away from one another. They now seem to have a good grasp of how to write and solve equations for a variety of situations. At the end of the week, students learned to solve for a single variable in formulas with multiple variables. 

Geometry with Holly:

After learning about the rules for logic and reasoning last week, we finished Chapter 2 by learning how to apply these skills to solving Geometry based Algebra problems on Monday.  On Tuesday, the students were also introduced to their first Theorems and proofs by learning how to prove angles congruent. We reviewed on Wednesday, and then took the chapter test on Thursday.

Language Arts with Jared:

This week students discussed their final short stories in our short story unit, and began work on planning a compare/contrast essay. Sixth graders read "A Sound of Thunder" and will be comparing it to the EC Comics adaption of it. Seventh graders read "There Will Come Soft Rains" and will be comparing it to the EC Comics adaption of it. Eighth graders read "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" and are comparing it to the French short film (aired as an episode of the Twilight Zone). We discussed a lot about the requirements of compare/contrast essays (using a keyhole essay format), and students made general outlines of their essay.  We also continued working on wrapping up their grammar unit on prepositions, and on learning their new vocabulary words.

World Studies with Emily:

This week was a combination of Alex and I both teaching – me teaching and Alex observing, Alex teaching, and some team teaching too. We both feel confident with the transition. I think the students are excited about a new and different energy and voice! Thank you all so much for your kindness and support thus far this year; I will miss your children and you all too! In World Studies this week, we began with an archaeological dig outside in the sandbox where classes were pretending to be a team of archaeologists from 3015 studying the 21^st  century American civilization. Classes will finish up this activity with Alex next week with some discussion. We finished covering the material from our Early Humans unit on Wednesday and reviewed for the test, which all classes took on Thursday. Students gave brief summaries of the current events they read and wrote about, and 6^th and 7^th graders played the first round of our geography game, focusing on the continent of Africa (to correlate with our Early Humans unit – Africa being the cradle of mankind). Everyone enjoyed themselves! Students have another week or so before they need to choose an NHD topic. All of Purple will be going to the VA Tech library to check out books the week of October 5th - 9th.

Life Science with Molly:

This week students focused on the life cycle and anatomy of the butterfly, learning about the details of how these amazing animals mature through metamorphosis. They also measured and drew one of the monarch chrysalides we have in our classroom for their phenology notebooks. 7^th grade students continue to collect data on their mummified meat. Soon we will take a look at the data and draw some conclusions from our observations. Students read about and answered questions about insects. They will take a quiz on insects by the end of the coming week. They continue to practice scientific inquiry skills in preparation for science fair projects.

Spanish with Olga & Corinne:

Morning Spanish

We are still working on verb conjugations. We will have a quiz next Thursday.

Spanish B

This week we learned words to describe what we look like (hair color, height, age).  We are also studying vocabulary that we use in restaurants, other than food (plates, napkins, asking for food, etc). We revisited the verb "SER".

Spanish C

We continue talking about words to describe extracurricular activities and things we enjoy doing on our spare time.  We revisited the sentence structure for making comparisons of inequality, and learned to make sentences to compare similar things (as__ as....)

Spanish D

We are learning about more traditional Hispanic dishes.  We revisited command forms, and learned a new one: the plural commands.  Today I assigned a project that is due on October 23. A part of the project involves cooking a dish.  Please talk to your Purple Roomer about the project.  I will post all the documents on Edmodo, but the students have hard copies. Let me know of any questions or concerns.  This week we also returned to reading a few pages of Harry Potter y la piedra filosofal.

Spanish D+

We have been looking at the past tense and practicing grammar.  We joined the group reading Harry Potter.  Today I assigned a project that is due on October 23. A part of the project involves cooking a dish.  This project i s OPTIONAL for Spanish K.  Please talk to your Purple Roomer about the project.  Let me know of any questions or concerns. 

Art with Patti:

This week in art Purple Room students started a new project. They are to incorporate something that is realistically represented, and have an element that is non-representational as well. 

Computer Lab with Holly:

We continued learning about Cyber Security this week.  The students enjoyed learning about how to protect their passwords by studying some of the ways hackers try to steal passwords, such as through email scams and by convincing us to just give up the information.  We also learned about what makes passwords weak and how to create strong passwords.

Life Skills / Sex Ed with Molly:

This week all groups discussed puberty (6^th together) or sex ed. (7^th & 8^th split into gender groups) topics, as follows:

6^th: Watched and discussed a video about the science of the endocrine system, those hard working hormone messengers, in the human body. This will lead us to our next sex ed topic looking at how hormones initiate puberty, during which the students will be broken into gender groups.

7^th: Read about and discussed how we develop new kinds of sweat glands during puberty. We discussed where these sweat glands are, body odor resulting from these new glands, and how to manage the body odor. Our next sex ed. topic will be to discuss acne.

8^th: Discussed the video we watched last time on the reproductive system, while labeling male and female sexual organ diagrams. Our next sex ed. topic will be to learn the function of each organ.

Thank you from, The Purple Team

Week of September 14, 2015

Purple Curriculum Updates

Pre-Algebra II with Jared:

In Pre-Algebra II students finished the first chapter of the book by learning about order of operations, the distributive property, and mean/median/mode. Students played a bingo game in order to practice their order of operations skills. We then reviewed the chapter and played a jeopardy review game. On Friday they took their first chapter test.

Pre-Algebra III with Emily:

This week students reviewed their first chapter test and made revisions for the possibility to earn back half of the original points missed. The class did very well. We began Chapter 2: Equations and Inequalities – a chapter containing crucial foundational concepts in algebra. Students reviewed and practiced solving one-step equations by isolating variables and using the inverse operations: adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing. Then students added new information and skills to their mental libraries. We solved two-step equations and simplified algebraic expressions using the distributive property and combining like terms. We started solving multi-step equations and will continue to practice this next week. There will be chapter quiz on Tuesday.

Algebra I with Molly:

This week in Algebra, We reviewed distribution and combining “like-terms.” Students learned a couple of handy methods to clear an equation of fractions or decimals before solving for the variable. Students learned that some equations have no solution, while others have infinitely many solutions, called identity. We then learned to define one variable in terms of another in an equation with two unknowns. They learned to write equations to solve for consecutive integers, when they are given the sum of those integers. We have embarked on what I like to refer to as the “classic algebra” problems. These are problems of distance, rate, and time. We are taking them slowly and will continue to learn how to solve these next week as well. Students have completed any revisions to their Chapter 1 test, so these should be filed in portfolios for your viewing.

Geometry with Holly:

We began Chapter 2 and the study of logic and reasoning this week.  On Monday we discussed conditional statements, followed by biconditionals and definitions on Tuesday and deductive reasoning on Wednesday.  This chapter has application to the students' everyday life, so we spent Thursday reviewing the material and working on logic puzzles.  We finished the week with a quiz.

Language Arts with Jared:

Students continued working on their prepositions unit, and writing sentences with their vocabulary words (the quiz is next week). Sixth graders read and analyzed the short stories "Harry's Hurried Childhood" and "All Summer in a Day." Then they began the last short story of the unit, "A Sound of Thunder," on which they'll be writing an essay. Seventh graders read "The Landlady," and "The Necklace," and began reading their final short story, "There Will Come Soft Rains." Eighth graders discussed "The Celebrated Jumping Frog" and read "The Pedestrian."

World Studies with Emily:

Classes finished reading, answering questions, and discussing “What happened to the Neanderthals?” as well as discussing trends and conclusions from the evolution skull lab. All three grades took notes on a PowerPoint presentation about prehistory and early humans, as well as skimmed two other readings, entitled “Early Humans” and “Human Ancestry”. Next week we will finish up our unit on prehistory and early humans with an archaeological dig in BNS's sandbox in the beginning of the week, a review for the test on Wednesday, and a test on Thursday. Next week will be my last week teaching in 2015; Alex will be with me all week, and will then take over on September 28^th. For NHD this week, 7^th and 8^th graders completed preliminary research for three potential topics; 6^th graders generated a list of ten possible topics. 6^th and 7^th graders watched about a quarter of a very useful webinar about this year’s NHD theme. It is posted on Edmodo for those who would like to finish watching it; I recommend it. There are also several short videos about effectively using various research resources (National Archives, Smithsonian Libraries, National Endowment for the Humanities, Library of Congress etc.) posted on Edmodo. Students’ current event summaries and presentations are improving. J

Life Science with Molly:

This week we continued our adventure preserving and observing meat. Small animals have stolen some of the meat, but we collected some good data to work with. I have noticed great improvement in the students’ abilities with using the scales. We drew observations of monarch caterpillars in the wild and collected some chubby specimens for our butterfly enclosure. Seven caterpillars have shed their skin and are hanging in their chrysalises in our classroom. We will observe them throughout their metamorphosis. Students continue to practice scientific inquiry skills in preparation for science fair projects.

Spanish with Olga & Corinne: 

Morning Spanish

We continue working on verb conjugations.  The students should be studying vocabulary and grammar every day for 5 to 10 minutes. 

Spanish B

On Monday we reviewed for the test that we had on Wednesday. We went over the material and then we played games to reinforce the vocabulary.  The students got their tests back, and placed them in their portfolios.  Feel free to look at them when you get a chance.  On Friday we started watching a miniseries called "¿Eres tú, María?"  It is a private detective like mystery.  The first episode sets the scene and shows a woman on the floor.  I explained to the students that she is not seriously hurt and will be ok. Please let me know if you have any questions.

Spanish C

On Monday we reviewed for the test that we had on Wednesday. The students got their tests back, and placed them in their portfolios.  Feel free to look at them when you get a chance.  On Friday we started the next chapter, which talks about extracurricular activities and things we enjoy to do.  

Spanish D

On Monday we reviewed for the test that we had on Wednesday. We went over the material and then we played games to reinforce the vocabulary.  The students got their tests back, and placed them in their portfolios.  Feel free to look at them when you get a chance.  On Friday. we started the next chapter, which is about spending times outdoors, cookouts, and things we can do outside.  There will be a large cultural component with this chapter, as there was with the one we just finished.

Spanish K

We continue to read. We are also revisiting grammar, at the student's request. We are looking at the preterite versus imperfect tenses in a lot of detail. We are looking at exceptions to the rules and to changes in meaning with the choice of tense/aspect.

Computer Lab with Holly:

This week we began a unit on Cyber Security.  The students have discussed ways to keep their computers safe, such as using firewalls, anti-virus and anti-malware programs;  keeping software up to date; and how to properly update software.  We also discussed the differences between hashing and encryption and how they are used to secure the data sent over the internet.

Life Skills / Sex Ed with Molly:

This week 6^th grade students completed posters for this month’s Mica’s Backpack donation item, Chicken Noodle Soup, and presented these to younger classes before hanging them in the hallway of the main building. We ended class with a brief introduction to next week’s topic of puberty and hormones. 7^th & 8^th grade students began the Sex Ed portion of Life Skills. Girls and boys were split by during lessons. While one group received 20 minutes of a Sex Ed lesson, the other worked independently on a handwriting reading, 5 Tips to Improve Your Handwriting, then worked on homework.

·         8^th grade students watched a video which reviewed the male and female body parts and gave a brief overview of reproduction. Next week we will focus more on the sexual body parts that see changes during puberty with each respective gender before taking a look at the opposite gender more closely.

7^th grade students focused on changes during puberty, specifically the growth of additional body hair and how different people “manage” this new hair. I encouraged them to discuss any desires they have to “manage” this body hair with their parents. Next week we will talk about body odor and perspiration.

Thank you from, The Purple Team

Week of September 7, 2015

Purple Curriculum Updates

Pre-Algebra II with Jared:

In Pre-Algebra II this week, students focused on integers and word problems. They spent a lot of time working on adding and subtracting integers (especially subtracting negative integers), as well as learning about absolute values. Their work on IXL was especially useful this week, as the program allowed students to visualize integers in a number of different ways. We then started our first word problems unit, and we will slowly be creating a "toolbox" of a variety of techniques students can use to solve word problems.

Pre-Algebra III with Emily:

During this short week of school, we finished up chapter one by practicing powers and exponents some more, learning about the properties of numbers, including the Commutative Properties of Addition and Multiplication, Associative Properties of Addition and Multiplication, Identity Properties of Addition and Multiplications, and the Distributive Property, and reviewing the chapter. Students took their chapter test on Friday.

Algebra I with Molly:

This week in Algebra, we reviewed for the chapter 1 test and students received these back for revisions. They were all given the opportunity (while learning the first two chapters of the book) to earn half points back for their quizzes and tests. After the first two chapters, they may still be asked to revise, but their assessment scores will not be changed. They were asked to complete the practice sheet problems associated with each chapter by either the day of the test (for 1% bonus on a quiz grade) or by the day after the test for full credit. We began chapter 2, which is a review on solving equations. We practiced solving one-step and two-step equations, including the properties associated with the steps one uses to solve the problem.

Geometry with Holly:

We finished chapter 1 this week.  On Tuesday we discussed placing figures in the coordinate plane and the calculations this allowed us to make, such as the distance formula and the midpoint formula. On Wednesday reviewed area, perimeter, and circumference calculations.  The students took their second quiz on Thursday and reviewed for the chapter test, which they took on Friday.

Language Arts with Jared:

In Language Arts, students took a vocabulary quiz and a prepositions quiz this week. They received their new vocabulary words, and will have their next quiz the week after next. Students also spent time starting to create their individualized spelling lists. We will be accumulating spelling words (from student misspellings) over the next month. In our short story unit, all of the students read and analyzed "The Gryphon." Eighth graders finished analyzing "The Yellow Wallpaper," and comparing and contrasting it to a PBS adaptation of the story. Seventh graders read "The Landlady," and sixth graders began "All Summer in a Day." Students also broke off into groups to create plot-diagrams of one of the short stories that they have studied this year.

World Studies with Emily:

Most of this week we studied different primate skulls, predominantly fossils of ape-like human species from the last two million years, as well as a modern chimpanzee and a modern human. We collected data on their features from both printed pictures of skulls as well as from the Smithsonian Institute website (their collection of 3-D fossil and modern skulls). Students used their best judgment to determine, for example, whether the sagittal crest was large, medium, small, or absent, whether the forehead was sloped or vertical, or whether the foramen magnum was towards the rear of the skull or more underneath/center. They measured facial slope with protractors, cranium width and length and canine length with rulers, whenever possible. Classes are finishing up the collection of data and moving towards analyzing the trends in the evolutionary process. We started reading an article entitled “What Happened to the Neanderthals?” by Erick Trinkaus and Pat Shipman. In NHD world, 7^th and 8^th graders had a class period to continue to brainstorm and do preliminary research on potential topics. 6^th grade worked on brainstorming possible NHD topics. Classes shared a wide array of current event summaries, including a report on this week’s exciting discovery in a cave in South Africa of a new hominid species!

Life Science with Molly:

This week students set up the mummification lab by cutting meat (chicken or beef) to equal weights, weighing the different salts available for preservation, and applying the salt to the meat. This provided great practice for controlling variables and practice using scales. Students will make quantitative and qualitative observations of the meat (which is outside under a crate) during each science class over the next week or so. We also focused on the parts of scientific inquiry in preparation for the science fair.

Spanish with Olga & Corinne: 

Morning Spanish

We started looking at personal pronouns and verb conjugations.  The students should be studying vocabulary and grammar every day for 5 to 10 minutes. 

Spanish B

We finished the unit on family, parties, the verb tener and possessive adjectives.  On Friday we did papel picado.  Hopefully, you saw it hanging in the lobby of the Middle School.  The students enjoyed this fun activity.  We'll have a test on Chapter 5A on September 16. The students should be studying vocabulary words regularly.

Spanish C

We finished Chapter 1A. We practiced forming sentences with negative and positive words (such as nobody, nothing, someone, etc.). We made a list of material for the assessment, which will be next week, on September 16. The students also have a short writing piece due on September 18. I am always available to help them if they need it, during homework help (Wed. and Thurs. 3:15).

Spanish D

We continued talking about food and Hispanic cuisine. We listened to a song about food, and talked about the double meaning of the word "salsa" (ask the students!). We learned about Pablo Neruda, a well known poet from Chile, and read some of his poems. We have a test on Chapter 7A on September 16.

Spanish D+

We are almost finished with our first short story. We have been taking part in the discussions about Hispanic cuisine with the Spanish D class. We listened to music, and talked about the double meaning of the word "salsa". Next week we will start reading poems and another short story.

Art with Patti:

This week in art we  tied and dyed the class color shirts as they continued to work on their graffiti art designs. They are doing a good job in coming up with creative ideas in how to incorporate the graffiti style into their art. We also discussed the upcoming field trip to the Taubman Museum on Thursday, September 17.  Reminder that lunch forms are due on Monday, September 14.

Computer Lab with Holly:

This week the students completed their Cascades Hike posters and continued practicing typing with the new typing masks which they are starting to get used to.

Life Skills / Sex Ed with Molly:

This week students again focused on handwriting. Students explored how their writing changes based on mood. We then looked at how personality is studied by graphologists through handwriting. In the coming weeks 6^th grade students will begin talking about puberty and the changes the adolescent body goes through, 7^th grade students will learn about the anatomy of their respective gender, and 8^th grade students will review the anatomy of their respective gender before discussing feelings of sexuality in the body and mind.

Thank you from, The Purple Team