MID-TERM REPORTS OUT TODAY FOR MY CORE!!!

MY CORE (133) HAS THEIR MID-TERM REPORTS AND ALL OTHER ORANGE TEAM CLASSES WILL RECEIVE THEIR MID-TERM REPORTS NEXT WEEK. 

MANY STUDENTS HAVE HANDED IN LATE WORK; HOWEVER, IT HAS NOT BEEN MARKED YET!  I HAVE BEEN MARKING FINAL ASSESSMENTS FOR SS AND SCIENCE AND PREPARING FOR NEW UNITS THAT BEGAN THIS PAST WEEK.  DEADLINES ARE IMPORTANT IF STUDENTS WANT TO REVEIVE IMMEDIATE FEEDBACK!!!  FOR THOSE STUDENTS WHO HAND WORK IN ON-TIME, THE FEEDBACK THAT I PROVIDE IS IMMEDIATE.  THOSE ASSIGNMENTS THAT ARE LATE... WELL... STUDENTS WILL HAVE TO WAIT A LITTLE LONGER.

ENGLISH 8 - WE HAVE BEGUN OUR EXCELLENCE IN WRITING PROGRAM AND I HAVE INTRODUCED THE USE OF DRESS-UPS TO THE STUDENTS.  "BOOKLICE" PARAGRAPH SHOULD INCLUDE ALL SIX DRESS-UP STRATEGIES: 1. who or which clause;  2.  "ly" word (adverbial);  3.  because clause;  4.  strong verb;  5.  quality adjective;  6.  www.asia clause (when, where, while, as, since, if, although)
I WILL INTRODUCE "OPENERS" NEXT WEEK

SOCIAL STUDIES 8 - ROMAN ASSESSMENT (TEST) RE-WRITE IS MONDAY, NOVEMBER 4TH.  PARENTS... HAVE YOU SEEN AND SIGNED YOUR STUDENT'S TEST YET.  WHAT IS THEIR PLAN TO RE-WRITE?  CONTACT ME IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS.

SCIENCE 8 - MICROSCOPE AND CHARACTERISTICS OF LIVING THINGS ASSESSMENT (TEST) HAS BEEN HANDED BACK - WE WILL GO OVER THE ASSESSMENT TOGETHER NEXT WEEK IN CLASS.  PLEASE SIGN AND RETURN THE ASSESSMENT - RE-WRITES WILL BEGIN AT THE END OF NEXT WEEK.  WE HAVE BEGUN OUR STUDY OF PLANT AND ANIMAL CELLS. 

ALL STUDENTS SHOULD BE REVIEWING THEIR NOTES AND ACTIVITIES AND LEARNING TERMINOLOGY EVERY NIGHT!!!

UNIT FINALS AND MID-TERM REPORTS THIS WEEK!!!

ENGLISH 8:

• WE COMPLETED SPENCER JOHNSON'S STORY WHO MOVED MY CHEESE? FOR TEENS OVER ONE WEEK AGO.  THE STORY MAP FOR THIS BOOK IS PAST DUE (WAS DUE ON OCT. 15TH).  SEVERAL MAPS HAVE NOT BEEN HANDED IN!!!  LAST WEEK THE STUDENTS WROTE THEIR SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT FOR THE BOOK (PARAGRAPH) - IT WAS DUE ON FRIDAY, OCT. 18TH (LOTS OF TIME WAS PROVIDED IN CLASS TO COMPLETE THIS ASSESSMENT) - ONCE AGAIN, SEVERAL STUDENTS HAVE NOT COMPLETED THIS TASK!!!  TOO MUCH TIME IS BEING WASTED IN CLASS WHEN TIME IS PROVIDED TO COMPLETE WORK!!! 
• "I" REPORTS AND INTERIM REPORTS WILL BE HANDED OUT THIS WEEK.  THE PLAN IS THURSDAY, OCT. 24TH.

SOCIAL STUDIES 8:

• WE ARE REVIEWING THE ROMAN EMPIRE AND THE MEDITERRANEAN WORLD
• TEST THIS WEEK - WEDNESDAY, OCT. 23RD
• ASSIGNMENTS TO BE COMPLETED FOR TOMORROW (MONDAY, OCT. 21ST)
• "RISE OF ROMAN EMPIRE"
• "ROMAN ROADS AND AQUEDUCTS"
• "THE END IS NEAR"
• "THE FALL OF ROME"
• WORLD MAP IS DUE ON THURSDAY, OCT. 24TH
• CORNELL NOTES FOR:
• PATHWAYS PAGES 10 AND 11
• RISE OF ROME
• ROME BECOMES GREAT
• WERE ALL DUE OCT. 17TH - ONCE AGAIN... SEVERAL STUDENTS HAVE NOT COMPLETED THE ASSIGNED WORK

SCIENCE 8:

• DUE MONDAY, OCT. 21ST:
• LAB WRITE-UP 1.2
• "CAREFUL USE OF A MICROSCOPE"
• SCIENTIFIC DRAWINGS FOR LAB 1.2
• WE HAD FOUR (4) FULL CLASSES TO COMPLETE THESE ACTIVITIES
• TEST ON WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 23RD

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 4th

ENGLISH 8: 

Daily Oral Language Test on Monday, Oct. 7th.  I will choose three (3) sentences from the twenty (20) that we have practiced and assess the student's ability to proofread and edit each one.

SOCIAL STUDIES 8:

Ms. Janowsky's Core:
                  - Timeline Quiz #2 on Monday
                  - Complete Cornell Notes for pp. 10 & 11 in class (due at the end of period
                                           6 on Monday

 Mr. Smith's Core:
                  - Timeline and Vocabulary (pp. 8 - 12) Quiz on Wednesday
                  - Cornell Notes: "The Romans" and "The Fall of Rome" Due Wednesday 

SCIENCE 8: 

"Observing Living Things" activity sheet and Cornell Notes on the reading in the handout are both due on Monday.  We will correct and review the activity sheet in class, then write a quiz pertaining to the Parts and Use of a Compound Microscope

OCTOBER 3, 2013

ENGLISH 8:  WE ARE CONTINUING TO WORK ON OUR PERSONAL JOURNAL WRITING AND STORY MAPPING FOR WHO MOVED MY CHEESE? FOR TEENS.  ALL OF THE WORK IS BEING "COMPLETED" IN CLASS - OR SHOULD I SAY "SHOULD BE COMPLETED IN CLASS" - SEVERAL STUDENTS WILL HAVE WORK TO TAKE HOME AFTER I FINISH READING THE STORY TO THE CLASS.  I WILL BE FINISHED READING THE STORY BY THURSDAY, NEXT WEEK AND THE STORY MAP ALONG WITH THE JOURNAL ENTRIES AND PARAGRAPH WILL BE DUE OCTOBER 16TH.

SOCIAL STUDIES 8:  WE ARE WORKING ON "CORNELL NOTES" IN CLASS - PLEASE SEE YOUR CHILD'S EXAMPLES THAT I GUIDED THEM THROUGH IN CLASS - BOTH THE NOTES ON "CORNELL NOTES" AND THE NOTES FOR CHAPTER 1, PAGE 9 - "THE MEDITERRANEAN WORLD" SHOULD BE IN YOUR CHILD'S BINDER.  STUDENTS ARE WORKING ON TAKING NOTES - USING THE CORNELL SYSTEM - FOR "THE ROMANS" AND "THE FALL OF ROME" - PAGES 10 AND 11 IN PATHWAYS.  STUDENTS ARE WORKING IN PARTNERS AND THEIR NOTES ARE TO BE HANDED IN BY WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY NEXT WEEK.  THIS IS AN ASSIGNMENT THAT STUDENTS WILL BE ASSESSED ON AND FEEDBACK WILL BE PROVIDED.

SCIENCE 8:  WE ARE BEGINNING UNIT A: CELLS - STUDENTS HAVE BEEN INTRODUCED TO "CORNELL NOTES" AND THEY ARE EXPECTED TO USE THIS STRATEGY OF NOTE TAKING IN SCIENCE.  "OBSERVING LIVING THINGS" AND "COMPOUND MICROSCOPE" ACTIVITY SHEETS ARE DUE ON MONDAY, OCTOBER 7TH - WE WILL HAVE A QUIZ ON THE PARTS OF A MICROSCOPE AND THE USE OF A MICROSCOPE ON MONDAY AS WELL - AFTER A REVIEW OF THE ACTIVITY SHEETS.

We've had a good start to the year! Here is what's been happening:

ENGLISH 8 - Mr. Smith's Core

• Assignments that should have been completed and handed in:
• "100 percent Me" poem (all students in my core have turned in this assignment)
• "Dear ..." poem (several students need to complete this assignment and turn it in)

ENGLISH 8 - Ms. Janowsky's Core

• Assignments that should have been completed and handed in:
• "100 percent Me" poem (a few students need to complete this assignment and turn it in) - September 10th
• "Dear ..." poem (several students need to complete this assignment and turn it in) - September 17th

* please note:  When completing assignements, all criteria must be followed.  Completing all assignments to the best of one's ability is imperative.  Neatness is always a part of the criteria and it is expected.

* We have begun the Parable Who Moved My Cheese? for Teens - by Spencer Johnson.  Students will be completing a story map and writing several journal entries, and they will be engaging in several class discussions that focus on the guiding question of this unit - "How do people deal with change?"  Please note that lots of class time will be provide to the students to complete their assigned work.

SOCIAL STUDIES 8 - Mr. Smith's Core and Ms. Janowsky's Core

• Assignments that should have been completed and handed in:
• Class Birthday Timeline - Smith's Core Sept. 17th / Jan's Core Sept. 19th
• Assignments that should have been completed and found in student's binder:
• Textbook Orientation (Completed Today)
• Question #18 - found poem (Due Monday 23rd)
• Glossary of Terms - Page #7 - seven terms and definitions (Due Monday 23rd)

* Both Cores have a "Quiz" on Monday (23rd) covering the vocab terms on p. 7 - spelling and definitions

* students in Ms. Janowsky's Core must complete Questions 1, 2, & 3b in Pathways text on p. 7 - Due Monday!
* Smith's Core will catch-up next week