TA’s Notes:
***Please do not send in any food to be shared among Voyager students***
***Please notify us if your child has strep. Thank you for this courtesy.***
Voyager Homework Club- Tuesdays (2:00-3:30pm) and Wednesdays (3:00-4:30pm)
Dates to Know:
- May 24th - 25th: 8th grade Overnight to Ridin’ Hy
- May 24th - 5th & 6th graders, Rokeby Museum Field Trip
- May 24th - 7th graders, Walking to Adams Market (12:00 - 2:45pm)
- May 25th - ECHO Field Trip (Grades 5-6, 9:30 departure)
- May 25th - 7th graders, UVM Ropes Course Field Trip
- May 28th - No School (Memorial Day)
- May 30th- 8th graders World Language Final Exams 8:10 - 10:30am
- June 14th - 8th grade Graduation 6:30pm (Last day of school for 8th graders)
- June 15th - ½ Day, Last day of school
Math 5:
This week we dove head first into understanding the concepts behind the Factor Game, played last week. We spent some time this week, replaying the game, and then trying to solve Rivka’s problem - she always loses. We analyzed advice some of her friends gave her about things we can say are true about numbers and identified those truths as properties. Properties make each number unique. Evenness, oddness, primeness, compositeness, abundance-ness, deficient-ness, perfect-ness, and squareness all make numbers unique and different from other numbers. We also decided that a number’s factors, make that number unique. This is true for its specific set of multiples. We then talked about the Product Game, that reinforces knowledge about factors and multiples of numbers. We had a lot fun playing, but also trying to understand numbers in a more sophisticated way.
Students have a year-end math project to write a children’s book about a number they have chosen. This sounds difficult but I have lots of great examples to show them of ways that students have captured a number’s uniqueness in a children’s tale! The description of the assignment will be reviewed and posted on Google Classroom next week!
Math 6:
Students have rounded a very extensive unit on algebra this week and I have to say, I’m disappointed that the SBAC test isn’t happening now! I am totally amazed at the breadth and depth of learning in this unit. As proficiency was reached, I extended a fair amount into 7th grade learning, with has raised the ceiling of understanding for all, especially those who were ready for it! The culture and learning attitudes and beliefs held by students in this class is amazing. They have come a really long way!
Last review day for Variables and Patterns is Monday and then the final assessment will be Tuesday.
Science ⅚:
Our pursuit to understand the inner workings of Grand Prismatic Pool phenomenon has landed us in Physical Science, Earth Science, and soon to come, Life Science domains. Students have asked why don’t you just tell us what is going on there, rather than making us figure it out. That is the hard work of learning and sometimes, it feels easier to them, than having to do all the work of thinking about it. All I have to say is...we should just take a field trip there! Then they would know why it is so important that they understand the science behind the phenomenon!
Anyhow, students looked specifically at the behavior of hot and cold fluids this week, water in particular and worked towards generalizing this to the pool. We noticed that when water is hot, the molecules move faster. This weakens their bonds to other water molecules, so they spread out. This also makes them less dense, so we have a ‘rising’ action. We looked at three phenomena this week, why cold water stays below hot water in a graduated cylinder; why rice when boiled rises and falls and rises and falls. And why hot water molecules rise, move across the surface of the water, cool and sink to the bottom of a tank and then do this over and over in a cycle. We named this behavior, a convection current. Because we have learned about the Earth’s interior, we know that the mantle is a hot liquid too and might have the same behaviors as hot water. Stumped by what causes an earthquake, some believe that maybe the earth’s crust shakes because of this moving, liquid mantle! Hmmm...I think we are onto something. And since Yellowstone has 1000-3000 earthquakes each year this might tell us something about what might be happening under the ground in Yellowstone. In fact, the mantle is emerging up into the crust, due to crustal movements and is the cause of the hot water in the Grand Prismatic Pool. Students are beginning the modeling process and took a quick quiz this week.
5/6 Humanities
- Students selected and made a plan to finish reading an independent book for an upcoming book talk.
- Student completed an assessment to identify and explain the theme of Soldier's Heart by Gary Paulsen.
- Our content focus was on reconstruction and the effects of the Civil War. We researched, compared, and discussed the amendments made to the constitution before and after the Civil War.
- We also assessed the different plans put in place during reconstruction and the aftermath once the reconstruction program was discontinued. We used actual contracts between freedmen and bosses to consider if life after the Civil War was better or the same for former slaves.
We have two field trips next week. ⅚ Students will be going to Rokeby Museum to study the underground railroad and ECHO for a science program. Please look for permission slips to sign.
7&8 Humanities
ELA: Students worked on learning about antecedents and pronouns. These can be tricky, especially due to the singular indefinite pronouns, such as each, everybody, anybody, etc. Students practiced these through online quizzes, reading log 33, and IXL C.1 and C.2. We also looked at explaining a quote through by using details and elaboration. Students continued their independent reading progress. Most students have reported reading far more this year than at any other times in their lives.
SOCIAL STUDIES: Continuing our study of world religions, students double checked their research results with facts provided to them. On Wednesday, we were lucky to have a representative from Shambhala meditation center in Burlington, Pat Rivers, join us to present about Buddhism. Ms. Rivers was an engaging presenter and we all learned a great deal about Buddhism through her presentation and activities. Students will have our final presentation from a guest speaker regarding religion on Monday, when an Imam from The Islamic Society of Vermont joins us to speak about Islam. We were very fortunate to have a representative from each of the five religions we studied join us in person to present and interact with us. The students have been excellent in designing and asking great questions during these sessions.
CMP7
This week the students have made great strides in understanding linear functions. We have investigated x,y tables to look for patterns that show linear relations. Taking situations like walkathon pledge plans we learned what a coefficient in front of a variable represents and what a y-intercept is. We have practiced graphing and “plugging and chugging” coordinate pairs to find out if they are solutions for our function. Students also began to look at the slope of a line as the ratio between vertical change and horizontal change.
CMP8
This was a challenging week! We began our “It’s in the System” unit with reviewing the parts of a linear equation in y-intercept form. The standard form of linear functions was introduced and students worked to move from one form to the other. All of this skill work brought us up to our first investigation using a linear system. We looked at how you can find a solution between the two systems by using a table and graphing. Soon we will be able to find a solution by using an algebraic process.
Science
This week we completed our research on our natural hazards, created a visual and an interactive portion that we will share with our lower house visitors next week.
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