Week of September 2

Important Date:

5-8 Curriculum Night and Learning Expo - Thursday, September 18  6-8pm

Ms. Q’s Corner

Math 8

This was a week where we set class “norms” and expectations , set-up our math journals and binders and began reacquainting ourselves with our math brains.  We played the mammoth dice game, which is a simulations of the environmental pressures on the mammoths.  We rolled the dice to see if the mammoth would live, give birth or die from predation. Graphing our data we then analyzed our graph to see if it was linear or nonlinear.  In the bouncing ball experiment, we looked at the relationship between the height of the ball’s drop and its bounce. We used our smartphone/Ipad  fast action camera to capture the action of our bouncing ball.   We rounded off the week with exploring the line of “best fit”.

CMP7

Like the 8th graders, the 7th grades began the week with setting up notebooks and discussing  what a effective, respectful and fun learning environment looks like, feels like and sounds like.  We moved on to the classification of different numbers by the system or set that they reside in.  We explored and defined real, rational, irrational, integers, whole and counting numbers.  We finished the week with a problem called Hercules Hand.  Students had to calculate how large an ancient sculpture was in relation to the size of a few fingers that were the last remnants of the statue.

Science 7th/8th

This week we set up our science inquiry journals.  This one notebook is where our thinking and scientific processes takes place.  We looked at some fun demonstrations and used accurate observations skills along with creating testable questions.  

The Week in Ms.Wesnak’s Room

7/8 Humanities

This week in Humanities we got to know the new learning environment, we set classroom expectations and signed a “Learning Community Contract”, and we started to set up our classroom routines. During our morning time together students set up their reading and writing journals. Students were also asked to write their first two journal entries. In their reading journals students wrote their summer book list and shared out their favorite book in class. In their writing journals students were asked to come up with a mantra for the year. Students were encouraged to think of a mantra that they would be able to remember and repeat to themselves to stay motivated, inspired, and positive throughout the school year. Once they came up with their mantra, students had to explain why they picked the mantra they did. All students shared their mantras with their table groups and if they felt so inclined, they could share their mantra with the whole class. To end the week all of the students were given a “Peptalk” from none other than Kid President himself. If you too would like to get “peptalked” click the link here: Kid President Pep Talk. During our afternoon time together students were also introduced to the routines of the classroom, learning expectations, and an overview of the first unit. Our first unit is on government and civics, with our focus being on our big question: What does it mean to be an American Citizen? Before we start to dive into this question, we felt that it was needed to start from the roots up. Before we started trying to understand what it means to be an American Citizen, students needed to start understanding what makes them who they are! To do that students started working on their MMIs or “Me, Myself, and I” Google sites.

Through these websites students in the 7/8 community will be setting and tracking academic and personal goals, showcasing their work and photographs of their work, and they will also be sharing these websites with their teachers, peer advocates of their choice, and parents/guardians. Ms. Q and I also adapted some all encompassing Learning Expectations that students will be reflecting on each trimester by using actual work or community service as evidence to support their strength or challenge in meeting that expectation. So far students are off to a great start, and they seem to be really excited about the project. This will be a yearlong project and will be used as the centerpoint of our parent conferences. These MMI’s are also a stepping stone to the upcoming PLPs (Personalized Learning Plans) that all Vermont schools will be adopting in 2015 for students in grades 7-12. PLPs are ways for students to take control of their learning by advocating how they learn best, by goal setting, sharing their work, re-evaluating goals, and re-starting the cycle. Ms.Q and I are both really excited about the MMI’s and the student excitement is feeding it as well!

The News from Ms. O’Brien

Our week has been about details, from organizing binders, to remembering the schedule!  It is a lot of stuff to remember!  We encourage you to view the Voyager Website, which can be found on the district website under “TEAMS”.  Check out grading policies, homework expectations, and other little details about life here at school.  

Things to ASK about…

• new books/programs
• homework expectations
• planners
• our short video clip about plastics in Alaska
• what an ecologist does…
• factors and products
• core math ideas, private reasoning time, and turn and talk dyad partners.
• 
  

Math 5

This week was a week of organizing and getting back into our math brains!  Early in the week, students completed a Baseline Assessment in order to share what they know.  This assessment is computational in nature and is based on 4th grade learning.  I will work to meet the needs of all students through careful analysis of this preassessment.  I will let you know what you can do on the homefront to help everyone grow!

We reviewed the Grading Policy and how to be a successful learner across all areas.  We also had our first homework assignment, in which students shared a homework contract with you and asked you to sign it.  Some students did not complete this, so please ask your 5th grader for this document, if you did not in fact sign it!  

We will be sending Jupiter Grades information home on Monday after we have reviewed this in class.  You will have a username and password, that is just your own, so that you have independent access to your Voyager student’s account.  They will also have a password and we will ask students to write this down in their planner on Monday.

We began our first Unit today, discussing factors and products.  We will play the Product Game on Monday and build strategies for winning the game.  I hope you received the math letter sent home on Thursday, which outlined the focus of the Bridges 5th grade program.  If you did not, you may view this letter online at http://www.mathlearningcenter.org/support/bridges

There will be some online math expectations this year.  If your child does not have access to a computer at home, please remind them that the school is full of them.  Afterschool time will be extended to all students if this is a need.  We will communicate the schedule for that as soon as it is finalized.

Math 6

We returned for our 6th grade year with a fresh look at the year and a new program, Connected Math 3.  Our first book, Prime Time, reinforces ideas and concepts related to Numbers and Number Theory.  Students will be looking specifically at how the properties of a given number allow them to solve problems.  

Our Unit Project has been assigned...to choose a number between 10-100 and write a children’s book about this number.  This is an exciting project that combines deep understanding of numbers as well as creative communication about those numbers.  Each student has chosen a number and will be, over time, gathering information about their number, in terms of its uniqueness.  Many students will write original books, but others may choose from a number of famous children’s books to fashion their story after.  

There will be some online math expectations this year.  If your child does not have access to a computer at home, please remind them that the school is full of them.  Afterschool time will be extended to all students if this is a need.  We will communicate the schedule for that as soon as it is finalized.

Science ⅚

We are launching our year off with a unit on Energy, Ecology and the Environment.  We have some exciting things planned for this unit including growing a few fall crops (Thanks to Pamela Krieger who weeded the garden), doing biodiversity hunts, river explorations, raising trout, and continuing our citizen activist work on bottled water and single use plastic (a project that 6th graders started last year).  Students will argue, present, research, explore, observe, write, draw, collect, analyze, and ask questions while engaging with this content this fall and early winter.  

If you have an expertise in any science or engineering and want to help us out in the classroom, I would love it.  We do have a resident engineer, Dan Fleming, who will be joining us once a week, to help us look at Energy, Ecology and the Environment through an engineering lens.  This is Dan’s second year with us and he is great!

The Week in Mr. Merrill’s Room

⅚ Humanities

We started the week off with two assessments (reading and spelling) that will become baseline data for student progress. We use this information along with other data points to better understand and meet student needs throughout the school year.  The students were focused and really gave their best on the assessments.

We also set up our binder and notebooks for the school year. The guidelines for the binder and notebooks can be found below.  Each notebook will serve an important learning purpose throughout the school year.

Our first Humanties unit is Election 2014. Students completed an ABC brainstorm of all the things they knew about elections… they had many great ideas. We will be learning about political parties, the candidates, and the issues of the upcoming election.  Students will be participating in a mock election and creating a Candidate poster for our upcoming Candidate Forum.

Our literature theme is Social Justice. Our “Big” question is,  how does one promote a just society?  This connects nicely with our election and government study.  Students will learn what book they will be reading and begin literature groups on Monday.

Spelling/vocabulary groups will meet for the first time next week. These groups will meet weekly and will be program based.  Vocabulary will also be integrated into our units throughout the school year.

Note - Jupiter Grades information will be coming home early next week.  

Humanities Binder Sections · Current (work) · Past (work) · Class tools · Readings

Reading Response Notebook (Single spiral) Sections · Book list (5 pgs.) · Read alouds (10 pgs.) · Me as a reader (10 pgs.) · Strategies (25 pgs.) · Tier 2 words (15 pgs.)

Writer’s Notebook (Composition book) Sections · Entries (40 pgs.) · Strategies (20 pgs.) · Personal spelling list (last 10 pgs.)

Humanities Notebook (Single spiral) Sections (equally divided) · Current Events · Notes · Vocabulary