Week of January 5th

Purple Curriculum Updates

Pre-Algebra I with MaryAnn:

In Pre-Algebra I with MaryAnn, we began the year with a cumulative assessment on Tuesday. Then on Wednesday we began Unit 7. So far we have discussed ratios, rates, and unit rates.

Pre-Algebra II with Jared:

In Pre-Algebra II, we started the week with a sunny, but cold, outing to indirectly measure the height of the light posts in the parking lot using shadows. Students then spent the rest of the week reviewing the first five chapters in their textbook, before taking their mid-term math assessment on Thursday. On Friday we reviewed the first three sections of Chapter 6 (that we had begun before winter break) online.

Pre-Algebra III with Emily:

We reviewed Chapters 1-5 of the Pre-Algebra III course.  Students looked through old tests and quizzes, put problems that they missed up on the board, and explained a correct solving procedure to the class. Students also completed several pages of cumulative review. Next week we will begin Chapter Six: Applications of Percent.

Algebra I with Molly:

Students spend the first three days of the new year reviewing chapters 1-5. They took a multiple choice style mid-year assessment over the last two days, on which they were permitted to use calculators. The mid-year assessment will count as a single test grade.

Geometry with Holly:

Over the winter break, the students were assigned to complete their Bridge Projects, where they designed bridges and constructed them out of 40 popsicle sticks.  On Tuesday, the students brought in their bridges and tested them with stacks of books to see how much weight they could hold.  The students discovered that their bridges could hold over 80 pounds of books before collapsing, and one even help 147 pounds without breaking!  We spent the rest of the week reviewing the first six chapters of the text, and culminated by taking a mid-term assessment, which they will be finishing at home.

Language Arts with Jared:

This week students worked on revising one of their poems that they wrote in the fall for submission to a Virginia poetry contest. They also started working on typing up a rough draft of their book review on an outside reading book. In grammar, all of the sections began a unit on verb tenses, focusing on the simple tenses (past/present/future) and the perfect tense. They also made flashcards for their next vocabulary unit.

World Studies with Emily:

In U.S. History, We welcomed each other back by students writing about and sharing their favorite moment over the holidays, something they learned, something they know about WWI, and a question they have about WWI. We observed and discussed a few photos from a perfectly preserved room that belonged to WWI French soldier. Students are reading about WWI from a few different sources, listening to and taking notes on my PowerPoint, and continuing to watch the rest of the short four-part video series called Extra History. In World Studies, we talked about the next month and a half in regards to National History Day. The BNS History Night has been pushed back a week, from 2/12 to 2/19. We have a district competition this year at Radford University on March 20^th. Students should be working hard this weekend and next week to write an outline for their NHD essay, which we discussed extensively. The essay is for class, not the competition, but should help students focus and consolidate their research for their NHD projects. Students have a list of due dates for the essay and their chosen category project. We will have some class time dedicated to working on NHD, but a lot of work will need to be done at home. There will not be additional History homework.

Earth Science with Molly:

This week we created a scale model of our solar system by centering a 10 meter scaled model of the sun on BNS. Using Google Maps and other online sources, we calculated and located the orbit of each celestial body in our solar system. Students located their homes on a map of the area, so they could find within which orbit their houses are located. They worked with compasses to draw and label the orbits. We also discussed how close the nearest star, would be at this scale, as well as actual scale. We did a reading about the Big Bang theory of the formation of the solar system, then moved on to a Powerpoint about stars. We discussed the classification and characteristics of stars and also looked at a star chart of constellations visible during the month of January. Students began presenting their celestial body posters in preparation for a creative at-home project of creating an alien species adapted to the celestial body of their choice.

Spanish A with Rebecca:

This week, the Spanish A students practiced using new vocabulary from Chapter 2B, focusing on classroom objects and expressing the location of things. They did a great job describing where things were in the classroom using their new prepositional phrases! We also learned the meanings of some common physical gestures used in Spanish-speaking countries and discussed the how something that means one thing here in the U.S. may mean something different in another country, and the other way around. Unfortunately, I (Rebecca) have been unwell, so Wednesday and Friday were spent watching a few cultural videos and working on an art project we started on Monday. The kids are all drawing pictures of "La clase de sala de mis sueños," or, "The classroom of my dreams." They have some very creative locations for their classrooms!

Spanish with Olga:

Spanish B

This week we started a new chapter. We are studying vocabulary to talk about vacations, where we went, what we did. We revisited the formation of the past (preterite) tense and learned two irregular verbs in that tense: ser (to be) and ir (to go).

Spanish C

This week we have been talking about things we enjoyed to do when we were younger. We are studying vocabulary to describe toys, games, and play time. We talked about pets and how there is a cultural difference between Spanish speaking countries and the US when it comes to which animals are considered pets, and the role of pets in a family. We started looking at the imperfect tense, a different past tense used in Spanish to describe habits and give background information about things that happened in the past. I assigned a project that will be due the first week in February.

Spanish D

This week we reviewed syllable division. We studied the rules for placing an orthographic accent mark on words. We had a quiz on that material.  We also started a new chapter in the book- and we have been talking about the environment, resources, and solutions to the problems of pollution and contamination. I assigned an oral presentation that will be due on January 30.

Spanish D+

This week the students joined the students in Spanish D to review syllable division and to study the rules for placing an orthographic accent mark on words. We had a quiz on that material. 

Art with Patti:

This week students turned in their ceramic pieces so that they can dry completely. We will return to those once they have been fired. We started a sketchbook assignment doing Escher-esque type drawings using isometric graph paper. This is a great way to see how lines create forms, how to use value to show depth, and how to create three-dimensional forms on a two-dimensional surface. 

Computer Lab with Holly:

This week the students continued working on their restaurant projects and produced one newsletter to potential investors and another to customers describing the benefits and features of their restaurants. These newsletters incorporated products the students have previously produced and tied together the work they have done on their restaurants.

Life Skills / Sex Ed with Molly:

This week students completed their portfolio response sheets and prepared a note to parents. The portfolios will go home for parents to provide feedback to students.

Thank you from, The Purple Team