Week of April 6

Purple Curriculum Updates

Pre-Algebra I with MaryAnn:

In Pre-Algebra I with MaryAnn, we began Unit 10 on integers. We have learned what makes an integer, what absolute value means, and how to add and subtract integers. Next week we will move on to multiplying and dividing integers.

Pre-Algebra II with Jared:

In Pre-Algebra II, we began the week by learning how to manipulate formulas in order to isolate a given variable. Then we began reviewing our current chapter, in preparation for Wednesday's chapter test. After the test, we continued working on graphing, and the coordinate plane is quite familiar to the students after all of their dot-to-dot projects. We explored how to graph a function by picking sample x-coordinates, and we investigated how to find the slope of a given line. On Friday we used the computer to better visualize and practice these skills.

Pre-Algebra III with Emily:

Students continued working hard with the Geometry and Measurement chapter this week. Our class worked on finding surface areas of cylinders, using both nets and the formula, surface areas of pyramids and cones, using nets and formulas, and volumes of prisms and cylinders. Today I demonstrated that volume of a pyramid is one third of the volume of a cube with the same base area and height, and that the volume of a cone is one third of the volume of a cylinder with the same base area and height. We will continue working with volume next week, drawing diagram and making tables, and exploring similar solids as we finish Chapter 9.

Algebra I with Molly:

This week students continued to focus on factoring trinomials using different methods, then moved on to factoring 4-term polynomials. We practiced these methods throughout the week and will finish on Monday for a test next Wednesday. 

Geometry with Holly:

On Monday the students took the chapter test for Chapter 10.  Beginning Tuesday, we have been studying Chapter 11 which covers surface area and volume.  After an introduction to space figures on Tuesday, we discussed surface area of prisms and cylinders on Wednesday and surface area of pyramids and cones on Thursday.  On Friday we discussed volume of prisms and cylinders.  There will be a quiz over sections 11.1 - 11.3 on Monday.

Language Arts with Jared:

This week students continued finished working on the layout of their stories of their picture books, and began writing the first page of their Authors' Tea stories. In our literature unit, 6th and 7th graders continued reading Witness, and 8th graders continued  in To Kill a Mockingbird. And finally, we continued a bit in our grammar unit on nouns, with the sixth graders finishing the unit.

World Studies with Emily:

On Monday and Tuesday, classes worked on the review questions from the “Religious Anti-Semitism” reading and discussed the reading. Sixth graders got together with their reading group and started their WWII novels by first agreeing to a reading plan in order to finish the novel and write a book review by April 30^th. Seventh graders wrote their top three choices for novels, and were assigned their individual novel. For eighth graders, I introduced the novel Night by Elie Wiesel. Sixth and seventh graders had about twenty minutes in class to start reading their books. I lectured to all the classes about Hitler’s background as a teen and a man in his twenties, most notable that he had always blamed others for his failures and laziness, or found scapegoats, and that he was demented and filled with hate from an early age. Students are reading about Hitler’s early political career and rise over the weekend. Students took some notes from a few powerpoint slides about different totalitarian regimes (Soviet Union, Italy, and Japan). In World Studies, students summarized the articles they read for current events, learned about and located on maps the 34 new countries since 1990, taking a close look at islands in the South Pacific, looked at global population percentages that claim to adhere to different religions, and previewed the capitals of the 196 officially recognized countries.

Earth Science with Molly:

This week we learned about convection currents in the mantle of Earth, which drive the movement of the lithosphere. Students watched a demonstration of convection currents in heated water with shampoo droplets, which circulated in a typical convection loop. We read about Alfred Wegener and his theory of continental drift, then student recreated a puzzle putting the continents in what is believed to be their former position as Pangea. They used fossil evidence and the shape of the shore lines to match the pieces. They received an introduction to plate tectonics then did an activity showing sea floor spreading. 

Spanish A with Rebecca:

The students wrote and performed restaurant skits this week, using
their vocabulary for food and expressing preferences to play a client
and server. On Friday, the students started chapter 4A, which focuses
on locations and places of importance in the community.

Spanish with Olga:

Spanish B

We reviewed and had an assessment on chapter 9B and syllable division. We are reviewing object pronouns in preparation for learning about reflexive verbs. The students have a project due on April 17. They have poster paper and can find their topic assignments on Edmodo. 

Spanish C

We reviewed the grammar and vocabulary, and had an assessment on Friday.

Spanish D/D+

We did an activity on Monday to help use oral language in Spanish. We are studying vocabulary that tends to be problematic for English speakers learning Spanish, such as false cognates (words that look similar in Spanish and English, but have different meanings) and English words with multiple translations in Spanish.

Art with Patti:

Students have continued work on their collaborative auction art. They are coming along beautifully, and will be completed soon. They have also started a representational charcoal drawing.

Computer Lab with Holly:

This week the students completed typing their Muppet packets and their Character pages.  Any students who were unable to complete these projects in class will be allowed to do so at home and bring them in on Monday.  The students will begin work creating their 'Store Catalogs" on Monday and they are all very excited.

Life Skills / Sex Ed with Molly:

This week in 6th, 7th, & 8th grade classes, we went over a nutrition guide from kidshealth.org. We spent the class discussing and critiquing their “go, slow, and whoa” categories for healthy eating. In coming classes we will focus on liking the way you look, the dangers of wanting to be someone you are not, and diseases like anorexia and bulimia. Then we will continue this focus and include a discussion of healthy exercise and steroids. Soon after, we will look at body images for both males and females in the media.

Thank you from, The Purple Team

Week of March 30

Purple Curriculum Updates

Pre-Algebra I with MaryAnn:

In Pre-Algebra I with MaryAnn, we worked on experimental probability, making predictions from data, and independent events. This was a very short unit, so we will be having our unit assessment on Monday, along with a notebook check. We reviewed in class today and I gave each student an optional study packet to work on over the weekend as time permits.

Pre-Algebra II with Jared:

In Pre-Algebra II, students began the week by using tables and graphs to analyze data. They then looked at how graphs can tell a story, and how you can tell a story with graphs. Scattered throughout the week we began investigating the coordinate plane by doing a number of Harry Potter-themed dot-to-dot puzzles. We then ended the week by learning how to find simple and compound interest, and practicing using the calculators to solve problems with exponents.

Pre-Algebra III with Emily:

We reviewed the Geometry application and extension activity on Monday about sailing. Students continued to practice recognizing and naming solids and their parts as well as recognizing skew lines. We sketched solids, drew base plans and learned how to draw solids from a top view, a front view, and a right view from the given isometric view (corner view). Then students worked on creating nets for solids and then cutting them out and taping them to make the solid. Students took a quiz on the first three sections of this chapter. We found surface areas of prisms by calculating the area of its net and also by using a formula which is the sum of the lateral area and the area of its two bases.

Algebra I with Molly:

This week students learned to factor out a greatest common factor (GCF) from a trinomial. They then moved on to multiplying two binomials using two different methods. By the end of the week, students began factoring simple trinomials into two binomials. On Monday they will take a quiz on sections 9-1 and 9-2.

Geometry with Holly:
This week we continued our study of area by discussing the parts and area of circles (including sectors and segments), and geometric probability.  After a quiz over the week's material on Thursday, we spent Friday reviewing for the chapter test., which the students will take on Monday.

Language Arts with Jared:

This week students continued working on their group picture-book project, sketching out the layout of their stories. In preparation for Authors' Tea, we continued discussing story creation, and students started planning the story arcs for their own short stories. In our literature unit, 6th and 7th graders presented their mini-posters on the setting of Witness, and 8th graders continued analyzing the vocabulary in To Kill a Mockingbird. And finally, we continued a bit in our grammar unit on nouns.

World Studies with Emily:

Sixth and seventh graders took the essay portion of the 1920s and '30s test on Monday. On Tuesday, we read aloud “20^th Century Monsters” from A History of US by Joy Hakim and discussed why good people listened to these terrible leaders and why the U.S. escaped totalitarianism. I previewed our World War Two unit for the students. On Thursday, students defined some terms in their notes as we discussed them. Seventh graders looked over the available novel choices and wrote down a list that each is interested in reading. They are to look over reviews and decide on their top choices for Monday. Sixth graders will also be reading historical novels in three different book groups. Eighth graders will all be reading Night by Elie Wiesel. In class, we read aloud Chapter One entitled “Religious Anti-Semitism” from Understanding the Holocaust by Betty Merti. Students will finish this reading over the weekend. In World Studies, students presented summaries of current events and then played our geography game, which focused on Asia. 

Earth Science with Molly:

On Tuesday, students took an assessment on the Atmosphere and Weather unit. We learned about the magnetosphere of Earth this week and did a lab using magnets. They received new books, Inside the Earth, and began taking notes from a Powerpoint. We read a book aloud: How to Dig a Hole to the Other Side of the World by Faith McNulty. We also made playdough to prepare to create a model of the Earth complete from core to atmosphere.

Spanish A with Rebecca:

The students spent Monday's class reviewing all the vocabulary and grammar for Chapter 3B and took the Chapter 3B test on Wednesday. On Friday, they started working on a fun skit project.

Spanish with Olga:

Spanish B

We continue working on syllable division. We revisited the alphabet in Spanish, and we spelled words for others to write.  We will have an assessment next week. The students also have a project due on April 17. They can find their topic assignments on Edmodo. 

Spanish C

We continue learning vocabulary for injuries and emergencies. We revisited vocabulary for body parts, and have added new words. We learned new irregular verbs in the preterite tense. Finally, we are learning the past progressive tense. There will be an assessment next Friday.

Spanish D

The students worked on nouns and articles, gender, number, exceptions to rules. We had an assessment on Friday. We watched a cultural video about Panama.

Spanish D+

We continued working with the future and conditional tenses. We started looking at using the past subjunctive in contrary-to-fact situations. We watched a cultural video about Panama.  We had an assessment on Friday.

Art with Patti:

We have been working on collaborative artwork for the auction. The students are working together to share ideas. Projects are in progress, and they are doing a great job!

Computer Lab with Holly:

This week the students continued working on their Muppet document, which is preparing them for the skills they will be using in the upcoming "Store Catalog" project. 

Life Skills / Sex Ed with Molly:

This week 6th grade students revised their letters to incoming Purple Room students from the current Blue Room. They fixed misspellings and wrote the letters more neatly. We hope to hear back from the Blue Roomers with questions. 8th grade students discussed the important aspects of being a successful students and wrote a “How to be Successful in High School” guide. It was fun to hear their enthusiasm in giving their opinions about this topic. Next time we will focus on healthy eating and nutrition, liking the way you look. Then we will continue this focus and include a discussion of anorexia and bulimia, then healthy exercise and steroids. Soon after, we will look at body images for both males and females in the media.

Thank you from, The Purple Team

Week of March 23

Purple Curriculum Updates

Pre-Algebra I with MaryAnn:

In Pre-Algebra I with MaryAnn the students concluded Unit 9 and had an assessment on Wednesday. On Thursday the students made corrections to those assessments. Today we began a new unit on exploring probability. In particular we discussed tree diagrams and the counting principle.

Pre-Algebra II with Jared:

In Pre-Algebra II, students looked at patterns and sequences this week. They analyzed sequences to determine the rule, and identified whether they were geometric, arithmetic, or neither. We then talked about function machines, and looked at finding function rules that would turn any input into a set output. Students reviewed these skills on IXL on Thursday, and then took a short quiz on Friday before our field trip.

Pre-Algebra III with Emily:

This week we continued calculating areas of circles and irregular figures and we practiced constructing congruent segments, angles, and bisectors (perpendicular bisectors and angle bisectors). Students took the second chapter quiz on Tuesday, reviewed on Wednesday, and completed the Chapter 8 test on Thursday. Thursday night’s homework was a Geometry application and extension activity about sailing using logic, Geometry, and the Pythagorean Theorem. During our short math class on Friday, we previewed Chapter 9 – Geometry and Measurement—by holding different three-dimensional solids and identifying them and their parts to classmates.

Algebra I with Molly:

This week students learned how to apply exponential decay equations to real-life situations, completing Chapter 8. We reviewed on Tuesday and took a test on Wednesday. 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.

Geometry with Holly:
On Monday we discussed and derived the formulas for the areas of regular polygons, and followed on Tuesday with a quiz over the basic area formulas we have discussed so for.  On Wednesday we discussed how to obtain the perimeters and areas of similar polygons, followed on Thursday by how to use trigonometry to help determine area.  Friday was a short period, and we continued the lesson from Thursday by discussing the Laws of Sines and Cosines 

Language Arts with Jared:

In English we continued reading through our novels. Sixth and seventh graders took a reading comprehension quiz and were assigned a mini-poster research project to better understand the setting of their story. Eighth graders spent a lot of time using dictionaries to look up definitions of words to better understand their novel. Students continued with their grammar unit on nouns, taking a quiz on the first half of the unit, and then being introduced to a variety of noun clauses. Students continued working in groups on the plot of their picture books, and we brainstormed logical protagonist/conflict/antagonist groupings for Authors' Tea stories.

World Studies with Emily

 In US History, all three classes finished going over Great Depression and New Deal questions, discussing and outlining the two readings that their group was assigned, making a large poster about the two readings, and then presenting it to the rest of the class. Students found the readings interesting and some interesting discussions ensued. All students took a test on the 1920s and 1930s during the second half of Thursday’s class and the proceeding shorter class. In World Studies, students received participation certificates for the Landmark Games. We watched a Discovery Education movie about the diversity of Asia – the general geography of the five different regions and their countries as well as several sections about specific countries’ topography, cultures, and aspects of their histories.

Earth Science with Molly:

This week students in 7^th & 8^th grade students learned about making weather predictions. They also used a psychrometer to measure the relative humidity outside at BNS. We continued learning about Earth’s Water Cycle and completing our note sheet with the concepts of surface runoff, ground water, aquifers, moisture from volcanoes, hot springs, and geysers. We reviewed for the test by doing a convection experiment with milk bottles. We reviewed evaporation using a Dipping Bird and we reviewed pressure by using hand boilers to demonstrate Charles’ law. There will be a test on the unit next Tuesday.

Spanish A with Rebecca:
The blue roomers spent Monday and Wednesday reviewing for their upcoming test on Chapter 3B (scheduled for 4/1). They reviewed how to make adjectives plural, in agreement with the plural nouns they modify, and how to use the verb "ser". They practiced converting sentences describing singular subjects into plural versions. They also practiced having conversations with each other about good eating and exercise habits, sharing their opinions on the subjects. They also completed their Food Pyramid posters, which will go up on the wall in the hallway soon. On Friday, they were on a field trip so there was no Spanish class.

Spanish with Olga:

Spanish B

We are learning that in Spanish, there are two verbs that mean "to know". They each have specific uses, which we have been practicing.  We are also learning about vowels, consonants, and how to divide words in syllables, as preparation to learn when and why words in Spanish get an orthographic accent mark.

Spanish C

We are learning vocabulary for injuries and emergencies. We revisited vocabulary for body parts, and have added new words.

Spanish D

We had a quiz on our cultural unit from last week. The students have been working on nouns, gender, number, and exceptions to the rules.

Spanish D+

We had a quiz on our cultural unit from last week. We are learning new tenses/aspects: conditional, future perfect, conditional perfect, and pluperfect.

Art with Patti:

For the last several classes we have revisited the ceramic votive sets. Time for color! Students chose a color pallet and have finished glazing their ceramic pieces for the final kiln firing. Those should be complete in the next couple of weeks. They also updated their notebook portfolios with copies of artwork and rubrics.

Computer Lab with Holly:

This week the students continued typing their Muppet projects which, in addition to typing practice, gave the students experience in using some of the less familiar capabilities in MS Word, such as tight text wrap, drop caps, sections, and reformatting to fit.

Life Skills / Sex Ed with Molly:

Working in gender groups this week, 6th grade students read about changing weight, body shape, and strength related to adolescent growth spurts. Next week 6th grade students will revise their letters to incoming Purple Room students. 7th & 8th grade students read about dating. The next time in both groups we will discuss sex ed. topics, we will focus on healthy eating, liking the way you look, anorexia, bulimia, and steroids. Soon after, we will look at body images for both males and females in the media.

Thank you from, The Purple Team