Week of March 20, 2017

Purple Curriculum Updates

Pre-Algebra I with MaryAnn:
The students had their unit 10 test this week. I will return them on Monday and for those who would like, they may make corrections with the opportunity to earn back 1/2 point for all correct answers. We began Unit 11 on integers. We have learned what constitutes an integer, what is absolute value, ordered integers from least to greatest and on Friday we learned how to add integers.

Pre-Algebra II with Jared:

In Pre-Algebra II, we spent a lot of the week practicing graphing on the coordinate plane by working on dot-to-dot puzzles. On Tuesday we took a brief quiz on sequence patterns and formula tables, before exploring more about graphing. We looked at other graphs to determine what was going on in the graph, and matching them to various story scenarios. On Thursday we introduced simple and compound interest formulas.

Pre-Algebra III with Andrew:

This week in Pre-Algebra III, we finished up Chapter 8 with some review, and then we took our test for it on Tuesday.  After that, we began Chapter 9, which focuses on geometric solids.  We reviewed the names for different types of solids, and also looked at how to name each of their parts.  Then we looked at how to draw nets for these solids, and began calculating their surface areas.  We will continue with surface area next week.

Algebra I with Molly:

This week we reviewed Chapter 8 on Monday and took a test on Tuesday. Our new chapter has us reviewing polynomial expressions. They practiced adding and subtracting polynomials, then finding the greatest common factor for each term of the polynomial. We learned to factor out a greatest common factor (GCF) from a trinomial.

Geometry with Clare:

It was really good to be back in the classroom this week! We crammed quite a lot into four days of Geometry; previous work from my absence was reviewed and fixed as needed, all lessons from Ch. 9 were completed, quiz 9b was taken (and graded and fixed), and review for the Ch. 9 test completed. That test will be Tuesday 28th. Vocabulary sheets for Ch. 10 were also given out.

Language Arts with Jared:

In language arts, students spent this week revisiting their winter trimester outside reading books through creative projects. Sixth graders made shoebox dioramas, and seventh and eighth graders made word art drawings. We also continued preparing for our Authors’ Tea projects, discussing the project requirements and initial brainstorming sessions. In our novels, sixth and seventh graders continued reading in Weedflower, and eighth graders began preparing for a debate about privacy to go along with their novel 1984.

World Studies & Civics with Andrew:

This week in Civics, we reviewed what we had learned previously about the Legislative Branch in preparation for our quiz.  After the quiz, we looked at how all three branches of government work together to oversee the laws in our country with a web activity called Branches of Power.  Then we started focusing on the Judicial Branch by looking at some controversial situations involving the Bill of Rights, which helped us understand the need for the Supreme Court.  We finished out the week by preparing to go to the NHD competition at Radford University, which we participated in on Friday.

Physical Science with Molly:

This week we focused on acceleration, friction, and gravity. Students built toilet paper roll ramps demonstrating the three types of acceleration. During this unit, students practice using their math skills and calculate problems with physics formulas.

Spanish with Corinne:

Morning Spanish

Sunshine A

This week we continued to work with the classroom material vocabulary from Chapter 2B. We also learned how to conjugate the verb estar, which means “to be”. Estar is an irregular verb that is used to talk about location, emotion, and condition. We will continue to work with this verb and its uses next week.

Sunshine B

This week we continued to work with the vocabulary from Chapter 7A, especially numbers 1-900. We reviewed the stem changing verbs that we learned in previous chapters, and learned three new stem-changing verbs. We will continue to work with these verbs next week.

Spanish B

This week we finished Chapter 8B by learning about the personal a. The personal a is used when the direct object in a sentence is a person or a pet. The test on Chapter 8B will be Thursday March 30.

Spanish C

This week we reviewed for and took a quiz on the second part of Chapter 3A. On Thursday we watched the first episode in this book’s video series, “En busca de la verdad”.

Spanish D

This week we started Chapter 9A,  talking about the future and professions. We worked with the vocabulary, and learned the conjugations for the future tense.

Art with Patti:

Collaborating and working with others can be a very important part of the artistic process. The students experience this when doing the class art project for the BNS auction. This week students discussed various options they thought would work best for their group, as well as determined a coordinating theme, color pallet, and/or art style that can unify a group work. This year, the sixth grade students decided on a full-length mirror with a mosaic glass border. The seventh grade students will upcycle a pair of chairs. The eighth grade will work on a kitchen set that includes a cutting board and servers, a table runner, and two trivets.

Life Skills / Sex Ed with Molly:

This week 6^th grade students focused on body image and media. We watched a video called Skills for Healthy Living Analyzing Media Influences. Students were very engaged in the discussions about body image and how different media influence their ideas. We will continue with this focus for the next several weeks. 7^th grade students missed life skills this week for the regional history day competition. 8^th grade students watched an additional video, this one “corny,” but containing accurate information about reproduction.

Thank you from, 
The Purple Team