Final Summit and Menu

The 8th graders have really come so far with their final world affairs project.  They were able to use the knowledge of the country that they have been researching to advocate for their country about the issue of climate change.  They also presented their final menu projects.  The students came up with some very creative ideas, including newspapers, mini-lessons, videos, a children's book, and even a Japanese-style game show.  It has been a great three years with these students.  I am excited to hear about what they do in their history classes in high school.  Have a great summer!

Check out some of the great menus below and view a little bit of the negotiations from the summit:

Week 38: 8th Grade Science

Week 38

The End of Middle School and North Park Science

Wow! Can you believe it is over.  I hope that I have achieved my goal to prepare your child for high school science, but more importantly a new understanding of its wonderment and need for our future.  

You should be proud of all the hard work that your child has put forth not only in Science but throughout the whole middle school process.  It was a pleasure for me to be part of this process and its successes.

Lastly, Science Olympiad was a Blast!  Watching them grow into Regional Champions and once again for all your support.  I truly couldn’t do it without you.

Sincerely,

Mr. T

Trebuchets contest

This week in 8th grade math we had the Kiva experience and we are having the trebuchet competition.  We started the week yesterday with the Kiva/Fossil donation project.  It was really great to see the class thinking globally and deciding how to help others around the world.  For the rest of the week, we will have the trebuchet competition and watch a movie.

Tomorrow is the trebuchet competition.  The class has really done a great job with this project.  They collected a great deal of data and then they turned their data into accurate graphs and equations.  They then checked their equations to see if their equations were correct.  They all worked really hard and I hope it pays off for them tomorrow in the competition.  I buy the winning team burritos.

We will then finish the year watching one of my personal favorite movies Stand and Deliver.  I just love how this movie shows that anyone can do math and be good at math if they just work at it.

It has been a pleasure to get to know all of you and your children.  Good luck to everyone.

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).

Week 32: 8th Grade Science

Week: 32

Topic: Earth’s Changing Surface

This week the 8th Grade paleontologist are using their iPad’s to create an electronic timeline/diorama to recreate their geological time period.  Each student selected a time period in which they researched how long ago was the period, how long did it last, the geological features of that time, its climate, life, and where there any mass extinctions.  To culminate this timeline, they created a travel brochure for their time period.  Each brochure was unique and creatively done.  Lastly, they wrote an essay about the essential question: Where did life come from?  A definite dinner time discussion.

Quadratic formulas

This week in 8th grade math we are starting our last unit of middle school on quadratic equations.  We will start the week off with graphing quadratic functions otherwise know as parabolas.  We will find the vertex points of parabolas and identify if the vertex is a maximum or minimum value.  Next, we will learn how to find the ordered pair of the vertex of any quadratic function and how to use the vertex to graph the equation.  We will end the week learning how to solve quadratic functions and what solving a quadratic function means.

Next week during lunch/recess we will begin our review of Algebra, to help those taking the Algebra test, to pass out for high school.  We will review material from the beginning of the year up until now using algebra placement tests.

History and Culture Podcasts

This week, the 8th graders are working on the next episode of the podcast series about their assigned country.  Students did research about the history and culture of their country and created a podcast about it.  The 8th graders are learning so much both about the country that they are researching and how to make a podcast that is both informative and entertaining.  I am excited to see where this project will take us.  Ask your 8th grader if you can listen to their most recent podcast.

Week 31: 7th Grade Science

Week: 31

Topic: Earth’s Changing Surface

The 8th graders started this unit by creating a timeline to see how long it took for the universe as we know it to be created.  This week using their iPads they will create a digital diorama/timeline for the geologic time scale.  Each student selected a time period in which they will research how lone ago their time period began, how long it lasted, the geological features of the time, its climate, life, and where there any mass extinctions.  To culminate this timeline, they will create a travel brochure for their time period. 

Factoring Polynomials

This week in 8th grade math we are continuing to work on factoring polynomials.  So far this week, we have been working on how to factor two types of polynomials.  The first one was not very difficult for the class, but the second one added an extra step which lead to a little more frustration.  We will continue to work with factoring polynomials and special cases for the rest of the week.

We have a quiz on Thursday.
Test and alternative assessment due next Monday

Next week will also probably begin our review week during lunch/recess for passing out of Algebra exams.

8th Grade Language Arts: Independent Reading Unit

The eighth grade students are working on an independent reading unit.  Students selected their own novel and are working on completing the book for the eight scheduled meetings.  They must complete their reading log reflection for the assigned reading and develop their own vocabulary list from the words in their novels.  They are working with a partner to discuss their book.  Be sure to ask your child about their book.  The final project for the unit will be a character impersonation/reenactment of important events in the novel.

Upcoming Presentation Date:

Demonstration Speeches on April 25, 26, 27, & 28.

Podcast Project

For the last quarter of the year, the 8th graders are starting a new project about American foreign affairs in the post-WWII world.  This is an exciting new project and I can't wait to see how it evolves over the next several weeks.  The students will be working towards a final "Model UN" style summit where each group or individual will represent a country that they will research over the next few weeks.  They will be looking through the lens of their country to answer the essential question, "Does the United States have the responsibility to be the world's police?"  Over the next few weeks, students will research their assigned country and create podcasts to teach their classmates about the topic.  We will be working closely with Mr. Riggs throughout this project.   Today, students started by creating a podcast about the basic information about their assigned country.

Question for your 8th grader:

• What country will you be researching for this project?
• How is podcasting going so far?

Polynomials

This week in 8th grade math we are continuing to work on our unit on polynomials.  Last week, we learned how to add, subtract, and multiply polynomials.  This week we are continuing to work on multiplying polynomials, but they are called special cases.  These special cases occur when two polynomials being multiplied are the exact same like (2x+3) squared.  We will then move onto learning how to factor polynomials.  Factoring polynomials can be a little difficult for some students, so we will be working on this a great deal this week.

The 8th graders will be taking the math MAP Test this Thursday.

We will have a second quiz early next week and we will have a test towards the end of next week.

8th Grade Language Arts: Speech Unit

The eighth grade students are currently working on a speech unit.  Students will write and present a demonstration speech.  In the past, possible topics included decorating cupcakes, doing yoga, throwing a curveball, and playing guitar.  On Thursday, each student will pick their demonstration topic and began planning their speech.  They will present speeches during the last week of April.  Students are encouraged to practice at home before their presentation day.