This month we have been talking about motion, finding the speed of an object and NOW we are calculating the kinetic energy of a model car. 
Ask you student about the work that the car does to an index card.

It was great to get to meet so many of you at Curriculum Night! If you were unable to attend, our presentation is attached. You will also find the links for iPad insurance in the presentation. As always, contact us with any questions or concerns. 

This has been an exciting week in ELA on 8 Blue! Students worked on defining their interests and passions and they created their own personal blogs! Here is why students are blogging this year:

Students are blogging about things they are interested in. Some of the topics are dance,  book reviews, music, sports analysis, and more. I believe that teaching students to write for different purposes and audiences is an important skill. This unit also is teaching students about creating a positive digital footprint and gives them practice writing in the "real world."

The students are so enthusiastic about this assignment! I am so excited to see these amazing blogs as the year goes on. Ask your son or daughter to see their blogs! They should have the basic template set up, and the first post should be in progress. Their first two posts are due on Friday, so they should have a decent start! 

You can see the blogs by going to the ELA course materials page in Schoology. There is a link to the blogs at the bottom of that page. Happy reading!
​

Things are off to a great start in ELA! The first two weeks, students have been completing getting to know you activities and we've been working on building a community of learners during class. Attached is the course overview for ELA. Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns!

Welcome to 8 Blue Social Studies!  In 8th grade, Social Studies is a history course - World History I.  In preparation for the change to a new Civics curriculum next year, we will be adding some history at the beginning of the year (Greece) and including more government-themed work than in previous years. 

This curriculum mostly covers Ancient Rome through Exploration, with a focus on the events that directly impacted our government and our daily lives.  You can click through the syllabus slides I provided to the students here.

This year, 8th grade Social Studies will not only be implementing HOWLs standards, but new skills-based curriculum standards.  You can see them in the above slideshow link, along with my contact information if you have any questions.

​I'm looking forward to a great year :)