Trebuchets

This week in 8th grade math we are finishing collecting data for the trebuchet project.  For the last week the class has been going to the church gym and working in groups.  They are launching their trebuchet into the wall and collecting data about the height the projectile hit the wall at different distances.  We will do this for one more day and then we will spend the rest of the week using the data to create equations for the flight of the projectile through the air.

The 8th grade class will be participating in an exciting event on Tuesday, May 31st during math class.  A few weeks ago, I was contacted by Ashley Nelson about a great opportunity to work with her and The Fossil Foundation.  Fossil works closely with a company called Kiva that loans money to people around the world that are in need of help in some way or another.  Fossil is donating virtual loans to the students in the 8th grade class, and they will have the opportunity to pick a person or group to loan money to.  I think this is an exciting opportunity for the 8th graders to think outside the city of Chicago and more globally.

8th Grade Language Arts: Book Project

To conclude the eighth grade reading unit, students will present a character impersonation and reenactment of events in their novel.  This will be a similar activity to when professional actors dress up as historical figures and speak at schools as if they were the person telling stories about his or her life.  Students will choose main characters from their novel and create a five to ten minute presentation about themselves.  They will talk about important events from the novel they have experienced, what it is like to live in the setting from their book, what it is like to interact with the other characters, and any other relevant information that will allow them to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of the book.  They will need to write their script, dress in character, and speak in character.  Students will present on Thursday, May 26th.

Final Essay and Menus

This week, the 8th graders are working on the final parts of their world affairs project.  They are writing essays that answer the essential question "Does the United States have the responsibility to act as the world's police?" with evidence that they have gathered throughout the unit.  They are also working on completing their menu items, which are due next Wednesday.  Next Tuesday and Wednesday will be our final model UN summit.  Students will use the knowledge that they have gained over the past few months to role-play delegates of their assigned country in solving an international problem.

Model UN Summit

The 8th graders have spent weeks researching different countries for our world affairs project.  On Monday and Tuesday, they got apply that knowledge during our practice model UN summit.  Students read a news article about the rise of ISIS.  Then, they had to create proposals of what action their country would like to take to solve the problem.  Students are currently working on creating a final resolution.  Later in the week, students will begin to write a position paper to answer our essential question (Does the United States have the responsibility to be the world's police?) from the perspective of their country.  They are also working on menu items.

Questions for your 8th grader:

• What resolution did your country make about how to deal with ISIS?
• Tell me about what you are creating for your menu.

Trebuchets

This week in 8th grade math we are continuing the trebuchet project.  The class has completed building and testing the trebuchets.  They are now collecting data.  We are going over to the church gym everyday and launching the trebuchets into the wall to collect data.

Final exam on Thursday May 19th

Week 34: 8th Grade Science

Week: 34

To end the school year the class will study the cell nucleus and explore mitosis and meiosis, genetics, and inheritance.

Topic: Cell Division

Students will be able to: 

Identify the events that take place during the three stages of the cell cycle.

Explain how the structure of DNA helps account for the way in which DNA copies itself.  

Essential Question:

What does it mean to be multiplying by dividing?  

This week:  This week we started our unit on Genetics.  We will start the unit with Mitosis, the structure of DNA, and replication of DNA.  

Key Terms:

cell cycle

interphase

replication

mitosis

chromosomes

cytokinesis

Differentiated Instruction:

discussion

model making

Upcoming:

Mendel’s work, probability, and heredity

Trebuchet

This week in 8th grade math we are finishing up our unit on quadratic equations and starting our trebuchet project.  So far this week, we finished the last sections on quadratic functions by learning about discriminants and how to identify a quadratic function from an x and y table.  We then started a great NOVA video on how trebuchets work and how to best build one.  We will finish the video tomorrow and then the class will break into groups and build their own trebuchets.  For the rest of the week we will work on how to launch the trebuchet and how to manipulate the different variables that can be changed in the trebuchets.  We will then start to record data.

The 8th grade final exam will be next Friday May 20th

Week 33: 8th Grade Science

Week 33

Topic: Moving Along the Evolution of Time

Don’t forget to ask to see the 8th grade paleontologists completed timelines.  You will be impressed with their keynote presentation.  To end the school year the class will move along the geological time line and see how life evolved.  During this evolution we will review what we have learned over the past three years covering concepts like respiration, photosynthesis, the cell, and explore the work of Darwin (evolution) and Mendel (genetics).