Week 20: 8th Grade Science

Week: 20

Topic: Chemical Building Blocks:  The Atom 

Students will be able to: 

Describe the structure of an atom.

Explain how models are useful for understanding atoms.

Create a timeline to portray atomic history. 

Essential Question:

How did they find the atom?

This week the 8th graders will break down the atom into its major components, create an experiment to find the atom, and create a timeline to see how the atom was discovered.

Key Terms:

nucleus

proton

neutron

electron

electron field/cloud

Differentiated Instruction:

finding patterns 

building

predicting

inferring

observing

interpreting data

Upcoming:

The patterns of the periodic table

Finishing systems of equations unit

This week in 8th grade math we are finishing our fourth unit of the year on systems of linear equations.  During this unit we have learned about what conditions are required for two lines to be parallel or perpendicular, how to solve systems of equations using graphing, substitution, and elimination, and real world application of systems of equations.  Next week we will begin our next unit on inequalities.

Upcoming assignments: POW The Custom of Customs due tomorrow, Wednesday Jan 26
Alternative assessment due Thursday Jan. 28
Test on Thursday Jan. 28
Mid-year Final Monday Feb. 1

Questions to ask at home:
What must be true for two lines to be parallel?
What must be true for two lines to be perpendicular?
What method do you like to use best to solve systems of equations? Why?

8th Grade Language Arts

As the semester comes to an end, we are moving forward in our World War II book clubs. The students are already halfway done with their meetings! I have really enjoyed witnessing the meetings in action.  It is amazing to see how engaged in discussion students become when they have strong feelings about the characters’ actions and the development of the plot.  Friday is book club meeting #5.

The students are currently working on completing their fact cards for Monday, January 25th.  Students should be reading through their sources to find the most important information about the topic they are researching.  They will keep track of the facts they find by filling out note cards.  Next week, we will organize the fact note cards into categories and focus on how to best structure and organize the research report before creating an outline.

Upcoming due dates:

Book Club Meeting #5 on Friday, January 22nd

Fact Cards due Monday, Jan 25th

Week 19: 8th Grade Science

Week: 19

COMING SOON!  This week the class will finalize their Newton Projects and I will be sending them to you to view.  I am very excited to see them.

Topic: Chemical Interactions:  The Atom and the Periodic Table

Students will be able to: 

State what the periodic table tells you about the atoms and the properties of elements.

Essential Question:

How is the periodic table like a music store?

This week the 8th graders will break down the periodic table into its major components and like Mendeleev find the many patterns it has. 

Key Terms:

atomic number

atomic mass

element and its symbol

isotope

period

group

family

Differentiated Instruction:

finding patterns 

predicting

observing

interpreting data

Upcoming:

Exploring valence electrons and the electron dot formula.

Greetings from an Absentee Blogger

My apologies for my negligence in keeping you up to date on Advisory.  

Our advisory program generally consists of seven components and they are:

Adolescent “hot topic” discussions and lessons

Team and trust building

1:1 meetings with the advisor with goal setting

Gender specific meeting times

Lil’ Buddies  - working consistently with a younger grade

Service learning - global citizenship

Study and organizational skills

This year is our Service Learning Project which is part of the global citizenship component of our Advisory program fits in well with the school-wide humans of Chicago theme.  Earlier this year, middle school kids chose an area in which to focus: environmental issues, Literacy issues. Social Services issues (with particular interest in Special Olympics amongst other things) and Animal Welfare issues.  The students researched some of the local organizations that are involved with these areas and we have discovered that we have great resources in our parent community.  To date, we have had two guest speakers come in to represent some of these organizations and we will hear from two more.  After that, the groups will work on in-school projects that can benefit these organizations, culminating with an off-campus Field Day devoted to making a difference in the community.  It is a work in progress but we are excited about setting up a model that will take us into future school years.

Also new this year is a Social Emotional Learning curriculum that we are using to guide us through topics of interest to young people.  The curriculum is called Overcoming Obstacles and can be found here: http://www.overcomingobstacles.org/middleschool_curriculum.

What this all means is fewer trips to Starbucks……but the kids are benefitting from being more engaged and interested.

Math Mania Night and Systems of Equations

Looking forward to seeing everyone this evening from 6-7 for Math Mania Night.  I think it will be a lot of fun for everyone.  If you didn't get a chance to RSVP you can still join us.

This week in math we are continuing to work on systems of equations.  Yesterday we learned about real life situations using systems of equations and we will continue to due that tomorrow.  Today we learned a second way to solve a system of equations using substitution.  We will continue to work on graphing and substitution to solve systems for the rest of the week.  Systems of equations also gives us a chance to review how to solve complex algebra equations.

Week 18: 8th Grade Science

Week:18

Don’t forget to ask your son or daughter how their project is coming along.  They have completed their research, rough drafts, and are beginning to put their projects in motion ( no pun intended).  It always amazes me the creative ideas that the kids come up with when they are learning through “Project Based Learning.”  Some of the ideas to illustrate Newton’s Laws are using a bowling alley, dance, soccer, football, and a simple apple falling from a tree.  I hope you are as excited as I am for the final project.

The Great Depression

This week, the 8th graders are continuing their unit about the Great Depression.  Today, they are creating menu items about the stock market crash and causes of the Depression.  Last week, they also learned about the basics of banking and credit.  Later in the week, they will research and teach mini-lessons about Roosevelt's New Deal programs.

Questions for your 8th grader:

• Was the Great Depression inevitable?
• Can Herbert Hoover be blamed for the Depression?
• What menu items are you working on?

Prohibition Party

The week before break, the 8th graders finished off their 1920s unit with a Prohibition Party.  Students researched an important figure from the 1920s and came dressed up as that person.  They each gave a biographical speech about their topic.  We turned the classroom into a speakeasy and students danced to 1920s jazz and had root beer and ginger ale.  This week, students began their Great Depression unit with a simulation about how the stock market works and the events leading up to the crash of 1929.

Questions for your 8th grader:

• Is investing in the stock market worth the risk?
• Tell me about the cycle that happened after the stock market crash of 1929.

Week 17: 8th Grade Science

Week: 17

I hope you all had a great holiday break.  For the next two weeks the 8th grade will be working with Mr. Briggs in a co-curricular activity that combines science with media.  In the past this project was done manually, but this year I want to use technology so the kids can create an electronic I-Book. They will create a story that defines gravity, Newton’s Three Laws, and momentum.

System of Equations and Math Mania Night

Hello 8th Grade Parents,

I am using today's blog to highlight Math Mania Night.  Next Tuesday, January 12th, is the second annual Math Mania Night at NPES from 6-7 in the evening.  Last year, the event was a great success and everyone found the evening to be fun.  This year, I have put the evening in the students' hands and asked them to decide what would be the most enjoyable way to spend an hour at school working on math.  We have worked as a class to decide what they want to do for the evening.  They came up with some great ideas and I think it will be a lot of fun.  If your planning on joining us on the 12th, please RSVP Math Mania RSVP .  Please come join us.

This week in math, we have started our fourth unit of the year on systems of equations.  Basically, this is finding the coordinates of the location where two lines cross.  We started the unit out today by identifying what makes two lines parallel and what makes two lines perpendicular.  For the rest of the week, we will learn how to solve systems of equations by graphing and substitution.

Upcoming Assignments:
POW Line Logic due on Monday January 11

Questions to ask at home:
What is needed for two lines to be parallel?
What is needed for two lines to be perpendicular?

8th Grade Language Arts: Research Report

As we enter the second part of the school year, we will start the research report writing unit.  This year, eighth graders will research a topic that interests them.  They will be working on this paper in school and at home.  Students will be conducting their research independently.  From the sources they will create a three-six page overview of their topic.  The report must be organized, clear, and informational.  During the writing process, all students will create a works-cited page (three sources minimum), fact note cards (twenty cards minimum), and an outline of their paper.  Students will be required to meet various deadlines throughout the research report writing unit.  All components and research tasks will be discussed in detail in Language Arts class.  The project timeline, materials, and due dates are on Schoology.

Upcoming Due Dates:

Research Report Topic Choice due: Friday, January 8, 2016

Source Cards due: Friday, January 15, 2016