Friday, March 9

Pi Day is Wednesday, 3.14! All math classes will hold competitions to see which students can recite the most digits of pi, with the top 2 students from each class competing in a school wide competition the following week. Click here for 100,000 digits of pi!

Science: Today we played Electricity Jeopardy to review for Tuesday's test. The test review worksheet (see yesterday's post for a copy) is due on Monday. Students should also be working on building their circuits. Circuit projects are due Wednesday, March 21. We will have 5 project work days in class before the project is due (Wed 3/14- Tues 3/20).

Geometry: Went over the 10.4 homework on took the 10.1-10.4 quiz. Homework is to complete the 10.5 notes. Chapter 10 test will be Thursday, March 22.

Humanities: Students group read and presented information on 12.1 in the text in class. Homework is to read 12.2 for Monday.

Algebra (Hill): Finish your 9.1 Worksheet

Pre-Algebra: Today we worked on chapter 5 practice test.  Students will have a chapter 5 test on Monday.

Spanish I: We went over er and ir verb conjugations, and some irregular verbs. The verb conjugation homework is due on Monday and will be graded for accuracy.

ELA: Students should have had their body paragraphs written for this class. Today we went looked in depth at what an introductory paragraph should look like and include. I provided a Power Point and students took notes as we discussed the importance of introductory paragraphs. On Monday we will continue with the conclusion. By Tuesday rough drafts (5-6 paragraphs depending on the graphic organizer the student chose last week) are due for Peer Editing.  FYI - we will not do silent reading on Monday as we will be missing many students on Thursday (1/2 day hours 3,4,5, & 6) and Friday (Spanish trip to Chicago). Final paper with Rubric, Outline, First Draft, Second Draft, Peer Editing sheet, final draft is due Friday March 16th - if you are going on the trip it is due before you go.

Tech: We continued our Investigation of our Family Budget. I showed students how to deduct taxes from their spreadsheet and then we discussed Child Support and how to find it online. For most child support calculators students will need to know how much child care is....Cell phone day is Tuesday - students may bring in cell phones to call child care centers or local schools to find out about after-school care for their children. No Mom cannot watch the kids for free :)

Thursday, March 8

Science: Students worked on the Electricity Test Review or research for "What is Safe?". See Monday's post for a copy of the lab planner. Upcoming important dates:
* Monday, March 12 - Review Due
* Tuesday, March 13 - Electricity Test
* Wednesday, March 14 - Initial Circuits built (does not need to be turned in, this is a suggested date to help ward off procrastination)
* Wednesday, March 21 - What is Safe projects due

Geometry: Went over the 10.3 homework and took notes on section 10.4 (inscribed angles and polygons). Homework is 10.4 worksheet, quiz on sections 10.1-10.4 tomorrow. Pi day is Wednesday, 3.14 and all math classes will be celebrating a multitude of ways!

Pre-Algebra: We worked on two-step equations with fractions. Homework is worksheet 5.6, #13-16, 20-22.

Art 7/8: Students continue working on clay "relief" tiles. Many are to the final stage of embellishing the craftsmanship of their tile.

Advanced Art grade 8: Pastel fruit bowls continued. Most students have completed the drawing portion. Demo on chalk pastels was yesterday. Today students will start the pastel!

Spanish I: We began chapter 2.3. Exercise #7 and 8 pg 153 and 154. Due tomorrow

Wednesday, March 7

Science: Worked on project plans and initial designs, see Monday's post for a copy of the project planner. Discussed research and starting to build initial circuits, wire and light bulbs were distributed to all students who wanted these supplies. Students should begin building their circuits as soon as possible! We will spend the rest of this week reviewing for Tuesday's test, next week Wed-Fri will be devoted to project work. Important dates to keep in mind:
- Tuesday, March 13: Electricity Test
- Wednesday, March 14: Initial circuit built (this is not something to be turned in, but to help procrastination!)
- Wednesday, March 21: Project due

Geometry: Went over the 10.2 homework and 10.3 notes (relationships of chords in circles). 10.3 worksheet is homework, 10.1-10.4 quiz is Friday.

Pre-Algebra: We worked solving equations with fractions.  No homework.

Humanities: Students reviewed learning goals, took a pre-test for chapter 12 and shared current events in class. No homework.

Algebra (Hill): Finish the review packet questions 1-24. I have posted the solutions to these problems so you can check your work.

Algebra (Graham): 4th hour - reviewed today (test on Friday), 7th hour - test today

Technology (Graham): Today we made our spreadsheet on EXCEL. We will spend the next few days researching apartment prices, cars, childcare, etc.

Spanish I: Flashcards done today are due by next Wednesday.

Tuesday, March 6

Science: Continued working on planning/design for the "What is Safe" project. Initial plans and circuit designs are due tomorrow. We will spend the rest of this week reviewing for the Electricity Unit test as well as working on the project (see Monday, March 5th post for the project planner). Unit test is Tuesday, March 13 and project is due Wednesday, March 21.

Geometry: Went over the 10.2 notes (arc measures) and 10.1 homework. Homework tonight is the 10.2 worksheet. 10.1-10.4 quiz is Friday, March 9.

Spanish I The vocab 2.2 quiz is tomorrow. Also anyone who didn't finish the 2.2 test must finish it tomorrow at lunch.

Humanities: Students were introduced to a unit on westward expansion. Homework is to review the learning goal of the unit ("Use evidence to argue the pros and cons of westward expansion"), think of a way to prove completion of this goal, and complete a current event.

Pre-Algebra: We started to talk about solving one-step equations with fractions and using reciprocals.  Homework is worksheet 5.6, #1-12.

Algebra (Graham): Assigned review packet (review stations) for homework. It is due tomorrow. 4th hour - test on Friday (we have an assembly on Thursday), 7th hour - test tomorrow

Technology (Graham): We started our family budget unit today. Students found out if they were married or divorced and how many children they had. Our first step is to identify a career for themselves and for their spouse.

Monday, March 5

8th Graders were at the high school 4th-6th hour today for the college and career fair. Be sure to ask your student about this event!

Geometry: Went over the 10.1 notes (tangent to a circle) and chapter 8 tests were returned (96% Class Average, great job!!!!). Homework is 10.1 worksheet. 10.1-10.4 quiz will be Friday.

Science: Introduced "What is Safe" project (click here for the lab planner), we will work on the project Tuesday & Wednesday this week and Wednesday-Friday next week. The timeline for this project is:
* March 7: Event to trigger switch selected, circuit diagram & design completed
* March 14: Initial alarm completed (does not need to be brought to class)
* March 21: Alarms Presentations due in class
We will begin reviewing for the Electricity unit test on Thursday. The test is Tuesday, March 13.

Spanish I:  Vocab quiz for 2.2 will be given on Wednesday, March 7th. Please come see me at lunch if you need a study sheet.

Pre-Algebra: Today we worked on dividing fractions and mixed numbers.  Homework is worksheet 5.5, evens.

ELA: Students read silently and worked on their TKM packets for chapters 19-24 - yes that's right, there are 6 chapters in this week's reading - 6 short chapters, but quite a lot happens in this section....discuss the book's events with your student, it is a very important chapter section. Writer's Workshop - we will be working on creating an outline for our Persuasive Research - please be sure that your student has his/her note cards with them tomorrow, it is crucial to their success in this project.

Tech: We did our "Lottery of Life" today. This is the kick-off for our Family Budget project. We are out of Moodle for now :) I will be giving the students until Friday to complete any late Moodle assignments - at home or at lunch, not during class time. Ask you student tonight where they live, if they are married or divorced, and how many children they have. Students will be creating a budget using this information. This is the project I like to say students love to hate. It is fun but it is a lot of work finding the information required :)

Humanities: Students took the chapter 11 "Big Ideas" quiz and continued their introduction to chapter 12 in class. No homework.

Algebra (Graham): 4th hour (did not meet). Chapter Test on Thursday. 7th hour : homework is to finish Chapter 8 Practice Test. Test on Wednesday!!

Algebra (Hill): Have your chapter 8 practice test completed for tomorrows class.

Friday, March 2

Field Trip to Berkley High School on Monday, March 5th for ALL Norup International and Anderson Middle School 8th Graders!  See attached permission slip.  Permission slips due to Mrs. Weiss' office no later than Friday, March 2nd.  Please see Mrs. Weiss with any questions.

Geometry: Took the chapter 8 test. We are skipping chapter 9 for now but will come back to it later in the year. 10.1 notes is homework.

Science: Completed the electricity note-taking guide today. Static Electricity worksheet is homework. We will beging working on the "What is Safe?" project next week as well as begin reviewing for the test. Electricity test is Tuesday, March 13.

Pre-Algebra: Quiz today.  No homework.

ELA: We reviewed the Class Discussion information and will have a brief quiz on Monday before moving on the Reading our next chapter section. In celebration of Dr. Suess's birthday students wrote their favorite book on a candle and colored it for placement on our Birthday cake for Dr. Suess! Remember March is reading month....students should be reading, reading, reading....we have a competition going on with the MYP grade levels, the grade that reads the most pages (and records these pages on the Reading Logs I handed out on Wednesday) will earn 300 spirit points. That would give the 8th graders a big lead. Let's go 8th Grade :)

Tech: We worked furiously to complete our Moodle modules. I will check all Moodle work on Monday before doing Progress Reports, this gives students the chance to complete any work over the weekend....the whole Moodle classroom is accessible from anywhere with internet access. Then we are off to Budget land. Students will launching into a real world situation and creating a family budget. You may see a great jump in your child's understanding of what you go through monthly.

Humanities: Students reviewed 11.3 and discussed the "Big Ideas" for chapter 11. Homework is to study the "Big Ideas" for a quiz on Monday. The "Big Ideas" are below.
-After the War of 1812 our country grows (Economically/population/geographically).
-North v. South-Each region grows differently-(North-industry due to geography-mountains-rivers-water-power-factories) v (South-agriculture-plantations-cotton-cotton gin.
-The issue with growth is slavery (All states that enter the union must decide if they will be free or slave-both North and South believe that if each side gets more states (representatives) they will change the other's way of life).

Algebra (Graham): Homework: Finish notes for section 8.6 Exponential Decay. We are finished with Chapter 8. Our test will be next week: 4th hour (Thursday) 7th hour (Wednesday). Have a good weekend.

Technology (Graham): We started presenting our "lesson" projects. They are looking great so far!

Thursday, March 1

Field Trip to Berkley High School on Monday, March 5th for ALL Norup International and Anderson Middle School 8th Graders!  See attached permission slip.  Permission slips due to Mrs. Weiss' office no later than Friday, March 2nd.  Please see Mrs. Weiss with any questions.

Geometry: Went over the chapter 8 practice test. Chapter 8 review (odds) is homework. Chapter 8 test is Tuesday.

Science: Investigation 15-A (static electricity). We will complete the unit tomorrow and start working on "What is safe?" next week. Electricity unit test is Tuesday, March 13.

Pre-Algebra: We reviewed for our quiz tomorrow.

Art 7/8: Students have started a clay tile. Each student chose a word that has some sort of value to them or describes them. The tile is designed about this word and the word is included in the tile. The tile must include "positive" images (building onto the clay) and "negative" images (carving into the clay.) During my medical leave absence, students completed a "Toppling Names" drawing, "Positive/Negative Bug" drawing and started a "Mexican Wood Carving" drawing.

Advanced Art grade 8: Students are beginning "Fruit Bowl Still Lifes." They are choosing their container and various fruits. Each table is designing their own still life. These drawings will be completed using bogus paper and chalk pastels.  During my absence, students completed the "Circular Non-Objective" drawings and started a color pencil value study of their hands.

Humanities: Students reviewed 11.1/11.2 and were introduced to 11.3 in class. We also had 20 minutes in class to work on guided notes for 11.3. 11.3 guided notes are due tomorrow.

Spanish I: Anyone who did not yet take the 2.2 test needs to take it next week. Please come and see me at lunch on Monday if you need any help. The 2.2 vocab quiz must be taken on Tuesday, March 6th, since most classes are going to the high school on Monday.
Algebra (Graham): Homework: wkst 8.5 (1-11 odds) due Friday Properties of Exponents, wkst due on Tuesday

Technology (Graham): Projects are due tomorrow!!