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