Exponents and Pythagorean Theorem

This week in 8th grade we are starting our next unit on exponents, square roots, and the pythagorean theorem.  We are starting the week of by reviewing square roots, how to solve square root equations, and how to graph a square root equations.  We will spend the rest of the week reviewing the pythagorean theorem and learning about how the theorem can be converted into the distance formula on the coordinate plane.  We will also be reviewing why anything to the zero power equals one and scientific notation.

Upcoming assignments:
POW Boxing Up Harry's Broom Due Monday Feb. 29th
Quiz 6.1 on March 3rd

Socratic Seminar and War in Europe

The 8th graders are studying World War II in Social Studies.  Last week, they read primary source documents about the treatment of different minority groups during the war. Then, during a Socratic Seminar, they asked each other provoking questions about what they had read. They discussed topics like women in the workforce, the desegregation of war industries, and the internment of Japanese Americans.  The conversation was fascinating and the students made a lot of interesting connections to current events. This week, the 8th graders have learned about specific WWII battles in Europe. On Monday, the students worked together to create post-it timelines.  Each group became an expert on the battles in one country.  Then, they shared the dates from their country with their classmates, who added them onto their existing timeline.  Later this week, students will learn about the battles in the Pacific.  

Questions for your 8th grader:

• Tell me about what you discussed during the Socratic Seminar.
• Do you think the allies had a good war strategy in Europe?

Week 24: 8th Grade Science

Week: 24

Topic: Chemical Interactions:  Observing Chemical Change and Reactions

Students will be able to: 

Describe how matter and changes in matter can be described.  

Explain how you can tell when a chemical reaction occurs. 

Identify what information a chemical equation contains.

Explain what a glanced chemical equation must show.

State the principals of the conservation of mass.

Essential Question:

Where is the evidence?

This week the 8th graders will put their atomic and Periodic Table knowledge to work in the form of chemistry.  They will observe both chemical and physical change by breaking the bonds of magnesium and oxygen to create magnesium oxide.  They will be mixing magnesium with hydrochloric acid to create a pop!  Finally, taking silver out of solution to create copper nitrate. 

Key Terms:

matter

chemistry

physical & chemical change

chemical reaction

endo and exothermic reactions

chemical equation

reactant & product

coefficient

Differentiated Instruction:

finding patterns 

predicting

observing

interpreting data

making a model

Upcoming:

Acids, bases, and solutions

8th Grade Language Arts: Research Reports

This week our focus was on the revision process.  Students worked hard to improve their research reports for the final draft stage.  Each student conferenced with Mrs. Payne and worked on making thoughtful revisions to their reports.  Students will submit their final research report draft on Tuesday.

Eighth graders started their new book club unit this week.  This unit will focus on both fiction and nonfiction books about the Holocaust.  Students received their books and will have their first meeting on Monday.

Week 23: 8th Grade Science

Week: 23

Topic: Chemical Interactions:  Chemical Bonding (Ionic Bonds)

Students will be able to: 

Describe ions and explain how they form bonds.  

Explain how the formulas and names of ionic compounds are written.

Identify the properties of ionic compounds.

Essential Question:

Two atoms are talking together.

Atom #1:  I am about to lose an electron!

Atom #2:  Are you sure?

Atom #1:  I’m positive. 

This week the 8th graders will work with the outer shell of elements and create ionic  bonds to understand the concept of ionization.  They will see how these reactions occur between metals and nonmetals. 

Key Terms:

ionic bonds

ion

polyatomic ions

ionic bond

ionic compound

chemical formula

sub and superscript

crystal

Differentiated Instruction:

finding patterns 

predicting

observing

interpreting data

Upcoming:

Observing chemical change

World War II Home Front

This week, the 8th graders will be discussing what life was like on the Home Front during World War II.  Last week, they read and looked at many different forms of propaganda that encouraged Americans to help out with the war in many different capacities.  Then, they used what they saw as inspiration to create their own propaganda projects.  This week, they will be learning about the impact of the war on different minority groups and will discuss them during a Socratic Seminar.  Next week, we will continue to learn about the war in Europe and in the Pacific.

Questions for your 8th grader:

• What kind of propaganda are you creating?
• Do you think the war had a positive or negative impact on minority groups?

Inequalities

This week in 8th grade we are finishing our unit of inequalities, absolute values, and graphing.  We are finishing the unit by learning about systems of linear equations.  Today we did an activity where we talked about appropriate dating ages and the half plus seven rule of dating age.  We used this to create equations and graphed them to come up with a dating range using systems of linear equations.  We will continue to work on systems of linear inequalities tomorrow.

Upcoming assignments:
Test and alternative assessment due on Friday Feb. 19th

At home question:

What is the RO-CO?  (It is the Romance cone that we learned about in class.)

World War II Timelines

The 8th graders have spent the last few weeks learning about the progression of World War II.  Today, students worked together to create "tension timelines" that tracked Hitler's movements in Europe and then discussed how America might react to each action.  Later in the week, they will learn about Pearl Harbor and about what life was like on the Home Front after the country went to war.  The students will read primary sources about how women and minority groups influenced the war and will discuss their roles during a Socratic Seminar.  

Question for your 8th grader:

Do you think the United States could have prevented the outbreak of World War II?

Inequalities

This week in 8th grade math we are continuing to work on our unit on inequalities.  So far this week we have learned how to to write and solve compound inequality problems.  For the rest of the week, we will be learning how to solve absolute value equations and inequalities, graph absolute value equations, and graph linear inequalities.  They will have a test next Friday the 19th.

Week 22: 8th Grade Science

Week: 22

Topic: Chemical Interactions:  Chemical Bonding (Covalent Bonds)

Students will be able to: 

Draw the Bohr’s electron shell diagram and the electron dot formula.

State what holds covalently bonded atoms together.

Identify the properties of molecular compounds.

Explain how unequal sharing of electrons occurs and how it affects molecules.

Essential Question:

What happens when we share something with our friend?

This week the 8th graders will work with the outer shell of elements and create covalent bonds to understand the concept of electron sharing.  They will use the electron dot formula to create these bonds and prove mathematically that they work. 

Key Terms:

covalent bond

molecule

double & triple bond

molecular compound 

polar & non-polar bonds

Differentiated Instruction:

finding patterns 

predicting

observing

interpreting data

Upcoming:

Exploring ionic bonding and why these valence electrons are given up or taken.  

Inequalities

This week in 8th grade math we are starting our next unit on solving and graphing inequalities.  We have been very busy lately, and in the last week we had a test on systems of equations and a comprehensive mid year final.  The kids did a great job on both tests and are continuing to work hard.  This week we started our 5th unit on inequalities.  The beginning part of this unit is review from last year on how to solve inequality equations.  After reviewing how to solve those equations we will be learning about compound inequalities and how to solve those equations.

Upcoming assignments:
Quiz on sections 4.1-4.4 on Thursday Feb. 4
POW A Variable Triangle due on Thursday Feb. 4

World War II

Today, the 8th graders began their unit about World War II.  Today, they will predict how the events of WWI, the 1920s, and the Great Depression might have led to another World War.   Then, they will research and present mini-lessons about each of the major nations involved in the war.  Later in the week, they will map Hitler's rise to power and debate America's neutrality decision.

Question for your 8th Grader:

• Is there ever a good reason to go to war?

8th Grade Language Arts

This month, we are wrapping up some big projects. The eighth graders have completed their WWII books and are currently working on their scrapbook project. This project requires a lot of collaboration as well as self-management. Mostly, the students will be working on it in class, but they may have to do some at home. This project is due Thursday, February 11th.

Next, the students are working hard on their research papers. They just turned in their outlines and works cited page, both of which are essential to the final draft. Any errors they make on these should be corrected for the final paper. The final paper is due Tuesday, February 23rd.

The most important thing to remember for this month is that the students need to balance their time between doing work in class and at home. I often give them a lot of class time, so they should be using it wisely!

Upcoming due dates:

Scrapbook Project due Thursday, 2/11

Research Report 1st Draft due Tuesday, 2/16

Research Report 2nd Draft due Friday, 2/19

Research Report Final Draft due Tuesday, 2/23

Week 21: 8th Grade Science

Week: 21

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 deck of cards?

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.