Happy New Year! It was a busy end of 2018 for the students; they worked very hard during Skills class to finish their business plan projects and get ready for their presentations. I was able to see many of the students do their presentations and they did an excellent job! I know that several of them were nervous about presenting but they rose to the occasion and were very professional.
We are starting the New Year with a new team member. Mrs. Fourcade our team aide resigned her position as of December 21 and has moved to France with her family. I am pleased to announce that Mrs. Sandra Thornton has been hired to fill the position and she began working with us this week. In class, we continue to review current concepts and preview new concepts when new units begin. I have found that although the students know that they have tools/resources available to them (some that are team based, some that are part of their IEP accommodations) they do not consistently use them. I have asked for their input as to what they would like to have me change/redesign. I am hoping that I will begin to see more consistent use of these tools as the new materials are created. I continue to be available for after school help on Monday and Wednesday until 3:30.
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What does this map tell us about the weather today? tomorrow? Where is our weather coming from? What factors influence the weather and how it changes? These are some of the questions we will investigate and answer as the month progresses. Suggestions: watch a news weather forecast with your student, talk about changes in the weather, or talk about changing factors (like wind, temperature, precipitation).
New trimester and new time period in Social Studies! While we spent T1 looking at the development, fall, and continuation of Rome into the Byzantine Empire, T2 focuses primarily on the Middle Ages. Students have been spending time looking at major themes throughout the Middle Ages like war, religion, and power struggles.
This unit is unique in that it is broken into different simultaneous (as well as chronological!) geographic areas. For example, we will look at the Franks, the English, Vikings, the Islamic Empire, and other groups that have had a lasting legacy on our world. We will also explore how Rome has endured through this time period and into today as well as things like the English language, beginnings of religious freedom, and other lasting impacts. This unit is fairly long and does include a lot more names, vocab terms, and dates than T1. This is introduced gradually, but some students can get overwhelmed and forget that our priority is still the big picture. Feel free to remind your son or daughter that the details are less important than the themes and 'big picture,' and feel free to email me with any questions or concerns. Stay tuned for student work as we dive deeper in the next couple of weeks. New year, new unit!!!The new unit we started in ELA focuses on the concept of truth in the media. Specifically, the unit explores the essential question why does news matter for the health of our democracy?
Students will be reading the novel Nothing But the Truth, by Avi. In this book, a student gets suspended for supposedly singing the National Anthem during class. The media gets ahold of the story, and the situation gets out of control. The novel brings up the idea of biased news, truth in the media, and first amendment rights. I think the most exciting and meaningful part of this unit is the connections to the media in today's world. In addition to the novel, students will be reading and researching current events, in particular the current "fake news" phenomenon and the issue of media bias. During their research, students will answer the questions:
At home, any discussion about fake news, truth in the news, and media bias would be great! If you see any fake stories shared on your social media, share them with your child. Check out the unit essential questions and goals below! Students in ELA and math are working on an exiting project! Students are creating their own businesses, writing a business plan, and creating a shopping plaza presentation! See the attached images for more information.
We have been learning about Energy and Energy Transformations. Recently we have made model roller coaster and will be calculating the gravitational potential energy of the marble AND its kinetic energy as it sails along.
Ask your student about the model roller coaster they built and what the challenges were! Monday will be the final day for 8th grade t-shirt orders. These team t-shirts fund the end of year activities for the 8th grade.
The order form can be found in the 8 Blue Team Schoology Materials. If your family cannot afford the team t-shirt, please contact Mr. Yonker. Message from 8th grade counselor's office:
If your son or daughter is applying to a private school or Assabet next year, please make sure their applications are being done. Private High Schools: Applications should be in process online. If you are planning to get a teacher recommendation, please make sure you give our office ten days to do the recommendation and process it before the application is due. Assabet: Out of District Applications are due soon. Many students who went on the field trip and expressed interest have not turned in applications yet. These can be brought to the main office. Discovering Newton's Laws of Motion - ask your student about Newton's Laws, inertia , force, and acceleration.
For the past couple of weeks in Social Studies, students have been learning about and discussing how the Roman Republic functioned before the rise of Julius Caesar. We have talked about some of the parallels between the Roman Republic and the US Government, some of the problems and difficulties that every government in the world faces, and how Julius Caesar was able to gain power in Ancient Rome. Last week, students were broken up into different branches of Rome's government and had to solve real issues that had to do with taxes, starvation, invasion, and people within the government breaking the law. I was really impressed with how students not only took logical approaches to solving these issues, but how they allowed one another to speak without talking over each other. Many students went out of their way to make quieter students feel comfortable sharing their opinions. They were not able to solve all Rome's problems, but luckily that was the point. Today, we did an Assassination Investigation for Julius Caesar. Students formed their own opinion on the motives for his murder based on various pieces of 'evidence.' Enjoy the attached photos of the students "working in the Republic" and "investigating Caesar's assassination" - their enthusiasm is unmatched! |
The 8 Blue TEamMs. Amaral - Social Studies Archives
August 2019
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