Monday, February 28, 2011

Monday, February 28 (A-Day)

Science: Jigsaw notes pages 318-320, 323 & 324. Students also worked on quiz corrections. Quiz corrections for 4th & 6th hour are due tomorrow, 1st & 5th hour are due on Wednesday.

Geometry: 8.5 Notes (trapezoids and kites). 8.5 worksheet is homework. 8.1-8.4 quiz tomorrow! Chapter 8 test Monday, March 7.

Algebra: We looked at our tests from Chapter 7. Fabulous work!!! The results are on Family Access. We started chapter 8. I have attached the notes. The homework is the practice problems at the end of the notes.

LA - students worked on the writer's workshop Mini lesson #6 - "How does this story intersect with my life?" Writer's make personal connections between texts and their lives. I also passed back the community projects. The grades are posted on family access. HW - none

Pre-Algebra: We reviewed multiplication of fractions. We started division of fractions. No homework.

Friday, February 18, 2011

Friday, February 18 (F-Day)

Science: 4th & 6th hour did investigation 13B- Resistance and Ohm's Law.

Geometry: Section 8.3 (Proving Quadrilaterals Parallelograms) and 8.4 (Squares, Rhombuses & Rectangles) notes. 8.3 & 8.4 worksheets are homework. 8.1-8.4 quiz Tuesday, March 1

Algebra: Tested on Chapter 7. Yeah!

Social Studies: Students reviewed chapter 11 and shared current events in class. No homework. Have a wonderful break!!

Technology: We finalized Module 2, any missing assignments need to be completed over break and turned in through Moodle.  When we return we will be starting our Career Cruising experience.

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Thursday, February 17 (E-Day)

8th Grade Privileges Letter Signed and Returned Tomorrow!

Science: Took electricity quiz. No homework!

Geometry: 8.2 notes (properties of parallelograms). 8.2 worksheet is homework. Chapter 8 quiz on Tuesday, March 1.

Pre-Algebra: We took a quiz on lessons 5.1 - 5.3. No homework.

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Wednesday, February 16 (D-Day)

Science: Watched a video about Ohm's Law, click here for a link to the video and check yesterday's blog post for an online tutorial for Ohm's Law. We also practiced using Ohm's law in a dry-erase board competition. Ohm's Law worksheet is homework. Quiz tomorrow!

Geometry: Began chapter 8 with an investigation into the interior angle measures of polygons and took notes on 8.1. 8.1 worksheet is homework. Chapter 8 quiz on Tuesday, March 1.

Social Studies: Students were introduced to chapter 11, reviewed 11.1 guided reading and began to read 11.2 in class. Homework is to complete 11.2 section assessment. Current events due "C" and "F" days.

Algebra: We focused on story problems today. And I challenged them with solving systems with 3 variables! (those won't be on the test). Test tomorrow for 5th hour (and those lucky people who are leaving early for vacation)!

Pre-Algebra: We did a quiz review.  Quiz tomorrow on lessons 5.1 - 5.4.  You may use your notetaking guide and your "cheat sheet".

Technology - Moodle Module 2 - "Matching Occupations to Personality Type". The class finished their work with "Hollands Personality Types (Save as M2T3), Questionnaire "What Personality Type Are You" (Save as M2T4), and "Personality Types and Related Occupations", (save as M2T5) . Students then read an article and described the difference between a Job and a Career in "Career Pathways; Jobs and Careers". We reviewed who owed the first two assignments from Module 2; "Career Related Vocabulary" and "Who Am I - Graphic Organizer". These assignments will be open for submission until tonight at midnight, after that any late submissions should be printed and turned in to the classroom "IN" box.

LA - Hours 2,4,6 did mini lesson #5 from the Lucy Calkin's writers workshop. 3rd hour did this yesterday. 3rd hour spent it presenting their community projects. HW - none

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Tuesday, February 15 (C-Day)

Science: Investigation 13B- Resistance and Ohm's Law. Click here for some practice calculating ohm's law! We will have a quiz on the electicity unit on Thursday. Any student that is absent will take the quiz after we return from break.

Technology - Moodle Module 2 - "Matching Occupations to Personality Type". The class watched a video on Personality Types and how they match up to different occupations, the students took notes on a grid called "Hollands Personality Types (Save as M2T3). Next Students took a Questionnaire "What Personality Type Are You" (Save as M2T4). Finally students filled in a chart called "Personality Types and Related Occupations", (save as M2T5) this is the document that is to be turned in when all three steps have been completed. We will be continuing our exploration of our personality types and what path we should be looking at tomorrow.

Advanced Art grade 8: I will be modeling today with props for the final charcoal figure drawing.



Art 7/8: 5th hr meets only today. They will be adding gloss mod podge to their Picasso clay pieces. Afterwards, students will begin Project S.N.A.P community service drawing. We have been asked by Project S.N.A.P to participate again this year! This years theme is "We Listen. We Care. We Help." Students art piece will be digitally scanned and added to a permanent mosaic which will be displayed in one of the Common Ground facilities! 2nd and 4th hrs. will also be participating in this project.
 
Algebra: 5th hour only. More review. We are working on making a "crib sheet" for the chapter. We are condensing the material for the chapter down to fit on 1 piece of paper. We can use this to study for this chapter. Then, I am going to collect them and save them for June, when we start to study for the final exam. Click here for more test review practice.
 
Pre-Algebra: We went over multiplying fractions. Homework-practice quiz.  Quiz on lessons 5.1 - 5.4 Thursday.

Social Studies: Students shared current events and were introduced to westward expansion. 11.1 guided reading due Wednesday.

LA - students worked on mini lesson #5 - "Developing Provocative Ideas, What is this story REALLY about?" They also presented their projects. I only met with 3rd hour today. HW - none

Monday, February 14, 2011

Monday, February 14 (B-Day)

Science: Jigsaw notes page 308-311.

Geometry: Took the chapter 7 test, no homework!

Pre-Algebra: We did a cookie jar project today for Valentines Day. No homework.

Spanish 8 Vocabulary quiz on Tuesday, March 1st

Algebra: Started reviewing today.  2nd and 4th hour - test on Friday, 5th hour - test on Thursday. If you have plans to leave early for break, please make arrangements to take the test before you leave.

LA - Students worked on Lucy Calkins mini lesson #4, Elaborating on written ideas using conversational prompts. Writer's use thought prompts to help grow ideas and push thinking. They were able to write for 18 minutes without talking or stopping! AWESOME! HW - none

Friday, February 11, 2011

Friday, February 11 (A-Day)

Science: Went over the notes that were taken class this week on circuits and practiced drawing circuit diagrams. Circuit diagrams are homework if they were not finished in class.

Geometry: Went over the practice test. Chapter 7 review is homework. Chapter 7 test on Monday!

Social Studies: Students received homework grades, checked quizzes and learned about Thomas Jefferson in class. Grades will be posted by Monday. No homework.

Spanish: Spanish test on Monday, February 14th

Art 7/8: 2nd and 5th hrs are painting Picasso clay tiles. 4th hr. is applying transparent gloss glaze to tiles today.



Advanced Art grade 8: Last day for student models. I will be the model on Monday for the final charcoal drawing.

Pre-Algebra: Students took the quarterly exam.  No homework.

LA - Hour 3 worked on writer's workshop mini lesson #3. Hours 2,4,6 did it yesterday. Today hours 2,4,6 worked on grammar, delayed adjectives. Once finished students presented their community projects. HW - none.

Algebra:  Worksheets 7.6 and practice test. Have a good weekend!

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Thursday, February 10 (F-Day)

Science: 4th & 6th hour did jigsaw note-taking on pages 298-305 in our electricity unit. One page of puzzles is homework, the second page is extra credit.

Geometry: Today's lesson was on the Law of Sine & Cosine. The practice test is homework. Chapter 7 test is Monday, Februray 14.

LA - I only met with hours 2,4,6. Mini lesson #3: Gather writing by studying characters. Writer's pay special attention to the characters in a story. Then they wrote in their writer's notebook. Student's presented their projects. HW - none

Algebra: We are nearing the end of the chapter! We discussed the last section (7.6) today. Our homework was worksheet 7.5.  We are testing next week Thursday/Friday. If you are leaving early for vacation, please come see me to make arrangements to take the test early.

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Wednesday, February 9 (E Day)

Science:Completed investigation 13-A, learning how to measure voltage and current with a multimeter. Lab corrections were due today.

Geometry: 7.7 notes in class (solving right triangles). 7.7 worksheet is homework. Chapter 7 test is Monday, February 14.

Art 7/8: 2nd hr. will print monoprints today for the "Let the Sun Shine In' community art assignment. Demo was yesterday. 4th and 5th hr. will continue glazing/painting Picasso tiles.

Advanced Art grade 8: Last day of student modeling with props. Students are really enjoying this and the props have been clever. I will be the model for the final charcoal drawing.

Pre-Algebra: We worked on multiplying fractions (lesson 5.4). Homework-worksheet 5.4, # 2 -26, evens.

Social Studies: Students turned in homework folders and took chapter 9/10 quiz in class. No homework. Current events due "C" and "F" days.

Spanish 8 and Spanish I have a chapter test on Monday, February 14th.

Algebra: Great job on the quizzes! 2nd and 4th hour: went over quizzes and discussed 7.4 and 7.5, homework - finish the problems on the notes for 7.4 (attached). 5th hour: 7.6 solving systems of inequalities (I've attached the homework). This is a challenging section. We will spend a couple of days on it.

LA - Students worked on Lucy Calkins Mini Lesson #2 - "Gathering Writing by Close Reading." In other words reading with attentiveness to details that can spark larger ideas. To write well about reading, be alert to details, noticing little details that others would probably pass by. They wrote for 15 minutes straight without discussion. We shared once the time was up. HW - none

Technology - Module 2, Students were to complete the first four sections of Module 2.  "Career Related Vocabulary" we created the spreadsheet together in class and students chose 5 unfamiliar words to find the definition and synonyms for - to be submitted through Moodle. File name M2T1.  "Who Are You" - Career Forward Video (we watched together) then answer two questions in the forum. "Who Am I" - Students filled in a graphic organizer examining different areas of their lives. To be submitted through Moodle. File name M2T2. "Who Am I" - Work Environment Survey - graded either CR or NCR. We will finally be getting into the awesome tool Career Cruising when we return from break!

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Tuesday, February 8

Apologies for the lack of a blog on Monday, Mrs. Petersen was home with the stomach flu.

Science: Investigation 13-A, conductors and insulators in circuits. Lab corrections are due tomorrow.

Geometry: Quizzes were returned and notes for 7.6 (sine and cosine) were completed in class. 7.6 worksheet is homework. Chapter 7 test is Monday, February 14.

Social Studies: Students reviewed for chapters 9/10 quiz. Homework is to study for quiz on Wednesday (study guide attached). Homework folders due Wednesday. Current events due "C" and "F" day.

Algebra: Material is increasing in difficulty. You may sense a rise in frustration. Asking questions and seeking extra help is a great way to get problems solved. 2nd and 4th hour - Took quiz over sections 7.1 to 7.3. No homework. 5th hour -  Discussed sections 7.4 and 7.5. I have attached the homework.

Pre-Algebra: We went over the homework of two lessons, 5.2 and 5.3. No homework.

LA - Students turned in their completed community projects. If your child did not bring in their project today you will get a separate email. If it is due to an absence or I have already talked to you via email, you will not be notified. Hour 3 presented their projects and they are great so far! Hours 2,4,6 did writer's workshop mini lesson #1 - Living in a Story. HW - none

Friday, February 4, 2011

Friday, February 4

Science: Took the midterm! Lab corrections are due on Wednesday, February 9.

Geometry: Took the 7.1-7.4 quiz and went over the 7.5 worksheet. 7.6 notes are homework.

Social Studies: Students reviewed 10.3, were introduced to 10.4 and began to work on 10.4 section assessment in class. Homework is to complete 10.4 section assessment. Current events due "C" and "F" days. Homework folders are due Wednesday. We will have a quiz on chapters nine and ten on Wednesday. We will have a quiz review Tuesday.

Algebra: Quiz on Monday for 5th hour, Quiz on Tuesday for 2nd and 4th hours. Quiz will cover solving systems of equations - all three methods (graphing, substitution, and elimination). Have a great weekend!

Pre-Algebra: We started notes on adding fractions with common denominators. No homework.

LA - Students spent time in the media center taking their quizzes on "The Giver" and their sci-fi novel. Once they were done they had the rest of the hour to work on their community project.  HW - working on their community project - due Feb 8th.

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Thursday, February 3

Science: Went over the midterm review and the unit 3 test. Homework is to study for tomorrow's midterm! Lab corrections will be due next week Wednesday.

Geometry: Section 7.5 notes (Tangent Ratio). 7.5 worksheet is homework. 7.1-7.4 quiz tomorrow.

LA - Students had the whole hour to work on their community project. They either typed, peer edited, revised, or got started.  HW - Review "The Giver" and outside Sci-fi reading for tomorrow's A.R. quiz. The rest of the time in the media center will be used to work on their projects. Bring information to school.

Art 7/8: 2nd hr. - paint monoprint transparency. 4th hr. - begin glazing Picasso tiles. 5th hr.- add marker to tissue collages and complete rubrics.

Advanced Art grade 8: Day 1 on daily still life. Continue figure drawing using the students and their props as models.

Pre-Algebra: We took notes on lesson 5.1, rational numbers. Homework- worksheet 5.1, # 2 - 36 evens.

Spanish 8 and Spanish I : Chapter test the next B Day. Review the notes you took in class, and review the vocabulary words.


Social Studies: Students reviewed 10.1 and 10.2 in class. In addition, students were introduced to 10.3 and given the opportunity to begin working on a "free choice" (picture, journal write, article, etc.) for 10.3. 10.3 "free choice" is due Friday. Current events are due "C" and "F" days.

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Tuesday, February 1

Science: Played the Midterm Jeopardy Review and worked on the midterm study guide/review. The review is due Thursday regardless of the possibility of a snow day tomorrow! Midterm is Friday. All labs have been returned, lab corrections are due next  Tuesday, February 8.

Geometry: 7.4 Notes (special right triangles, 45-45-90 & 30-60-90) in class. 7.4 worksheet is homework. 7.1-7.4 quiz tomorrow!

LA - students took a science fiction quiz. Once they were done they were assigned to read three short stories that we will be using in our writers workshop. They need to summarize each one and then think about which one they want to use when they are writing. If there was time left over they were able to work on their sci-fi project.  HW - Work on their project! I let the students know to please take home all of their stuff just in case there is a snow day tomorrow so they can work on their projects.

Pre-Algebra: Students took the chapter 4 test.  No homework.