Don't forget little treats/trinkets for your Secret Snowflake...to be revealed on Friday!

Homework:

Due Friday (was previously Thursday): Reading Response Journal

Due January 3: Reading Response Journal #2

Due January 4th: Writing Extra Credit

Due January 9th: Service Learning Reflection (either a school, community, or mulit-cultural)

6th Grade Math:
No Homework. Get late work turned in!!!
Fraction Food Party on Friday!

Reminder: Wednesday is Late Start 10:45am!!!

Don't forget little treats/trinkets for your Secret Snowflake...to be revealed on Friday!

Homework:
Due Wednesday: Page 79 in Service Learning Journal -- (most completed in class today)
Please be sure to bring Superhero Story outline/graphic organizer

Due Friday (was previously Thursday): Reading Response Journal

Due January 3: Reading Response Journal #2

6th Grade Math:
Due Tuesday: Sec 3.4 #11-20 (starts on page 41)
Check-In Quiz on Wednesday!

Homework:

Due Thursday: Reading Response Journal

6th Grade Math:
Sec 3.2 problem 6-10

Bring in a book for Silent Reading on Thursday!

Due Friday, Dec. 9th ~ 3D Project for Pangaea Festival...this is different from the Geologic Time Project. Students may work in groups up to 3 people. Create a project to demonstrate/represent anything related to geology that interests you!
- Due Friday ~ Extra Credit for Environmental Core -- bring in an object for the archaeology exhibit. Use form at the front of the room to complete the assignment.

Bring in Geologic Time projects this week!

Due Thursday, Dec. 15: Reading Response Journal

6th Grade Math:
- Due Thursday: Fraction add/subtraction worksheet, problems 1,2,5,6,9,10,13,24

Due Tuesday~
- Read 'Eleven' and complete worksheet

- Due Friday, Dec. 9th ~ 3D Project for Pangaea Festival...this is different from the Geologic Time Project. Students may work in groups up to 3 people. Create a project to demonstrate/represent anything related to geology that interests you!
- Due Friday ~ Extra Credit for Environmental Core -- bring in an object for the archaeology exhibit. Use form at the front of the room to complete the assignment.

Bring in Geologic Time projects this week!

6th Grade Math:
- Due Tuesday: Problems 19-27 in textbook, 45-47 extra credit, starts on page 26
Quiz on Tuesday!! Fraction addition and subtraction

Homework:
- Due Thursday ~ Essential Questions for Zoo Tunnel Field Trip

- Due Friday, Dec. 9th ~ 3D Project for Pangaea Festival...this is different from the Geologic Time Project. Students may work in groups up to 3 people. Create a project to demonstrate/represent anything related to geology that interests you!
**Must give names of who you are working with and idea for project to Sarah on this Friday

- We will be revising Character Analysis on Friday...make sure you have your draft!

6th Grade Math:
- Due Thursday: Problems 26-35 in textbook, starts on page 10
- Due Friday: Points booster for Unit Test

Happy Thanksgiving!

Sarah and I are so enjoying our conferences with all you wonderful parents! It's really great to make these connections and be able to share with you all the joys of teaching your students.

Thanks to Barb Gilson we have some wonderful photos to share of our past field studies. Click on the following links to check them out! Mt St Helens Jean's Farm Columbia Gorge Trip

Geologic Time Scale Project:
Over the break students are to complete a project that represents geologic time. They need to create a scale that models the geologic time periods. I will send an email that has the assignment as an attachment in case students have lost their sheets.
- Extra credit if you include images/events relevant to the specific time periods.
- Remember your scale is the most important! Make sure it is clear on your project what you scale is (for example: 1 second = 1 million years)
- Please just return the assignment sheet signed by a parent on Monday or an email will suffice -- bring in your actual project on Wednesday, Dec. 7th

Due Tuesday:
- 'Connections' worksheet for a book you are currently reading. Practice making text-self, text-text, and text-world connections.

Due Wednesday:
- Page 39 in the Service Learning Journal -- Buy Nothing Day

HOMEWORK:
Due Friday:
- 1st draft of Character Analysis is due Friday morning

Due Monday, November 28th:
- Geologic Time Project
- Extra credit if you include images/events relevant to the specific time periods.
- Remember you scale is the most important! Make sure it is clear on your project what you scale is (for example: 1 second = 1 million years)
- Please just return the assignment sheet signed by a parent on Monday -- bring in your actual project on Wednesday, Dec. 7th

6th Grade Math:
HOMEWORK:
- Finish review sheet that was handed out in class.
- Make sure you practice some of the problems Thursday night so you get that math brain activated!
- Repeat the mantra "I am a great math thinker!"

Geologic Time Scale anyone? We tried to wrap our heads around that this afternoon, starting with the formation of the Earth 4.5 billion years ago! We explored what major events in Earth's history happened when and ended with applying a scale to the major geologic eras. The scale we practiced with was 1 millimeter = 1 million years. Students received an assignment for a project they will be creating that represents the geologic time scale. We will be practicing more with using a scale to represent time on Wednesday afternoon.

Tomorrow we will be traveling to the Cooley Gallery and Reed College. Students may bring money to purchase lunch from the cafeteria. If you are chaperoning, please be at school around 10:45.

We are nearing the end of our Character Analysis essays. We will be in the computer lab on Wednesday morning, so that students can work on their 1st drafts. If students type their paper at school, they need to have a way to access it at home -- either through a thumb drive, google docs, or emailing it to themselves.

HOMEWORK:
Due Wednesday:
- Geologic time scale: finish the length and scale calculations for the geologic time chart
- If you feel comfortable with the project -- bring your idea on Wednesday!

Due Friday:
- 1st Draft of Character Analysis

Due Monday, November 28th:
- Geologic Time Scale Project

6th Grade Math:
Due Wednesday, From Section 4 Problems 22-31, 33 extra credit
Unit Test on Friday!!!
Study Group Wednesday after school for those interested!

What a beautiful day it was for our Downtown Portland Geology field study! Here are the essential questions and the assignments to complete by Monday, November 14th.

Essential Questions:

• What characteristics do you look for when identifying the rock type?
• What effect do different rock types have in terms of decoration?

• How does your view/understanding/appreciation for downtown change when you look at things through the lense of a geologist?

Assignments:

1. At Fossil Cartel: We are guests today, so make sure to be on your best behavior. Take notes in your ecore journal during our presentation. Record 10 facts you learn about rocks, minerals & fossils.
2. Complete record of buildings we visit today: stop #, rock type & written notes & sketches. Actively participate in all partner work and discussions.
3. From a geologist’s perspective what do you think was the coolest building we visited today and why?
4. Create a three circle venn diagram that shows the characteristics of the three main rock types.
5. What is one thing that you saw today downtown (it can be anything) that you would be interested in spending more time learning about?
6. What was the highlight of your day and WHY?

We had a wonderful afternoon today learning about the rock cycle and identifying characteristics of rocks. Theses skills will come in handy on the field study tomorrow while investigating the geology of downtown Portland.

I will be sending out an email shortly for signing up for conferences. There will be specific times to get an overview of math or spanish with those teachers on Monday 11/21 5:30-6pm and Tuesday 11/22 11:30-12pm. There will be a math open house from 3:30-5:30 on November 29th.

HOMEWORK:
Due Wednesday: LAST DAY OF TERM...ALL LATE WORK DUE!!!
- complete up to 3rd body paragraph for character analysis on graphic organizer
- EC geology test

6th Grade math:
Due Wednesday: homework for section 3.5, problems #33-50 on page 50

6th grade students leave for Outdoor School on Sunday at 3pm and return Tuesday at 7pm! While the 6th grade students are gone, the 7th and 8th grade students will be participating in health rotations. Things will resume to 'normal' on Wednesday.

***Reminder: The end of the term is November 9th! All late work must be turned in by Nov. 4th!!!

HOMEWORK:
Due Thursday:
- Jean's Farm Field Study (students should complete on a separate sheet of paper to turn in since they do not have their ECore notebooks)
- Character Development Chart for Choice Novel (novels due today)

Due Friday:
- Evidence of Characterization (large 11x17 sheet) -- started in class gathering quotes from story, complete for Friday

Due Monday, Nov. 7:
-Service Reflection for Community, School, or muliticultural project

HOMEWORK:
Due Tuesday~- Do one thing you have been wanting to do and write down what you did and 3 sentences about it. (we brainstormed ideas for this today in class -- students have some great things they are going to be doing this weekend!)

Due Wednesday
- Finish 'Discovering Character Through Change' worksheet for your short story character if you did not finish it in class
- Find a current event relating to earthquakes or some other geologic event - write a 3 sentence summary, be able to identify the location of the event on a world map, and highlight (or write down) all the terms in the article that are ones we have learned in class (for example: magnitude, epicenter, etc.)

6th grade math:Due Wednesday~- ACE #25-45, extra credit 49-58. If students completed this for Monday, choose once problem and follow the LEAP steps to demonstrate your thinking on solving the problem

The classroom was abuzz with extra energy today! Perhaps everyone is excited for the Harvest Faire tomorrow or knowing that Halloween is just around the corner has everyone a little giddy...or maybe it was just Friday!

The Harvest Faire is from 4-7 tomorrow. Our class is helping to run a little hay rides station. Students have signed up for hour-long volunteer shifts. Participation at this event counts towards school-based service.

We will continue our exploration of earthquakes next week. Students completed their final drafts of their Scar Story narratives...I was super impressed with the students' ability to incorporate feedback into their drafts and make some awesome revisions.

Homework:
Due Monday~
- Short Story Sequence Chart (choose short story you want to write character analysis about and complete the chart for that story)

Due Tuesday~
- Do one thing you have been wanting to do and write down what you did and 3 sentences about it. (we brainstormed ideas for this today in class -- students have some great things they are going to be doing this weekend!)

6th grade math:
Due Monday~
- ACE #24 (25-45 should be attempted but we didn't get to cover that concept in class yet-- we will on Monday)

The Reed Field Study work is due Thursday. Here is the link to the Reed Canyon website. http://www.reed.edu/canyon/index.html

Due Friday-
- Complete page 3 or 7 in Service Notebook (choose one to do)

6th Grade Math:
ACE problems 12-23, extra credit: 65-69

It was a beautiful, sunny, windy day at Reed Canyon. Students created their scientific inquiry in small groups and will be collecting data throughout the year to learn about one of the following topics: soil/erosion, decomposition, water, or plants. A highlight of the day was eating in the Reed cafeteria and playing a game called "Meet a Tree". Students also used the Pojar book to identify and learn about native plants. It was a full day.

The Reed Field Study work is due Thursday. Here is the link to the Reed Canyon website. http://www.reed.edu/canyon/index.html

Tomorrow is a late opening.

Tomorrow we are going to Reed College to begin working on our year-long inquiry project. Students have the option of bringing money to purchase lunch from the cafeteria on campus.

HOMEWORK:
Due Tomorrow-
- Turn in your Scar Story if not turned in Monday!!!
- Present Creation Myth project if not done last Thursday!!!

Due Friday-
- Complete page 3 or 7 in Service Notebook (choose one to do)

Due in two weeks - complete reading "silent reading book" (as we keep referring to it in class) and the character/event response sheet.

6th Grade Math:
Due Wednesday: ACE problems from section 2.2 (page 28) #4-11, extra credit: 59-64

Today each student shared a creation myth from a different world culture. They brought fantastic projects to illustrate the myths. These stories, many of which were confusing and strange on the first read, became easy to understand with the students' simple and clear retelling.

Students began a reading log in their reading notebook today, and are asked to log the daily reading they do at home. They should read the same book each night, and complete the book in two weeks, by Oct. 27th. A character response sheet that describes the main character and the events that change the character is due on Thursday, Oct. 27th.

HOMEWORK:

Due Monday - geology vocabulary
- final draft of the scar story

Due in two weeks - complete reading "silent reading book" (as we keep referring to it in class) and the character/event response sheet.

Due Thursday
- Gorge Field Study Assignment
- Creation Myth Project
- Group Picture forms
- plot volcanoes using latitude/longitude

Friday -- NO SCHOOL

Due Monday
- Vocab list from Missoula floods
- Final draft of Scar Story

6th Grade Math:
Due Monday:
Pg. 28 ACE #1-3, extra credit 46-48

Tomorrow we go to the Columbia Gorge! Looking forward to seeing all that rock!

Due Tuesday:
- complete tectonic plates map and worksheet if didn't finish in class


Due Thursday

- Creation Myth Project
- Group Picture forms
- plot volcanoes using latitude/longitude

Due Monday
- Vocab from Missoula floods

Today the students taught their 1st/2nd grade buddies about volcanoes. They showed the buddies the model volcanoes they built yesterday, explained some of the highlights of what they've been learning about plate tectonics and what makes a volcano erupt. Then together with their buddies, they built a little volcano and made it erupt!

HOMEWORK:

Due Monday

- Scar story 2nd draft

- Mt. St. Helens field study assignment

- Complete plotting the earthquakes on the world map

Due Thursday

- Creation Myth Project

On Tuesday we go to the Columbia Gorge! Looking forward to seeing all that rock!

Homework due Monday 10/3

- Service Interview (p.4)

- Pangaea flip book: colored, cut and stapled

- Geology Vocabulary

- Scar story rough draft highlighted (character description, setting, dialogue, and blocking, each in a different color) and revised in at least 3 places

Thursday, September 29th

The eighth grade leaders lead their first class meeting this morning. With such strong 8th grade leaders, this is sure to be a great year.

Today students looked closely at a world map of the major tectonic plates and some of the great earthquakes and volcanoes, locating the three different types of plate boundaries and more. We also began a creation myth project. The students each chose a different creation story from some part of the world to read closely and learn. Each student will complete a project designed to share their myth with the rest of the class. These are due on Thursday, October 13th.

We also visited the SES library and students had the opportunity to check out a book. This followed a conversation about how to know if a book is at your reading level (the five finger rule) and that it is important to read books at your level, or just slightly above, to increase your reading skills. Just like with any skill we want to develop, practice is the key. Next Thursday, students are expected to have a silent reading book in class that is at their reading level.

Due Friday 9/30:
- first draft of the scar story

HOMEWORK:

Due Thursday:
- Mt Tabor field study assignment

Due Friday:
- First draft of Scar Story

Due Monday 10/3
- Interview of someone who has done service in his/her life (page 4 in Service Learning Journal)
- Pangaea flip-book
- Geology vocabulary - define each term

Due Tuesday 10/4 -- Trip to Mt St Helens!
- informal oral history of someone's account of the St Helens eruption in 1980

Garden Day is this Saturday!

6th Grade Math:
- Unit test on factors, multiples, and factorization on Friday! Study, study, study!

Shifting Plates!

Today we learned the 3 main types of plate boundaries -- ask your student about them and have them show you some super fabulous movements to go along with them!

Tomorrow is the field trip to Mt. Tabor. Please be sure to wear good walking shoes and bring a rain layer, lunch, water, EC journal, etc.

HOMEWORK:
Due Tomorrow~
- Read 'How Portland's Landscape Was Formed' and answer questions in the 'classwork' side of your EC Journal

Due Monday 10/3
- Interview of someone who has done service in his/her life (page 4 in Service Learning Journal)
- Pangaea flip-book

October 1st is Garden Day! 9am - 1pm
Middle School students are expected to help out with 12 garden hours throughout the year. October 1st will be a fun day of gardening and helping out the school grounds.

Buddy Walk this Saturday! 10am - 1pm $10 www.nwdsa.org to sign-up. You can be a member of Daniel Jarvis-Hollands Team. Participation can count as a community-based service project


HOMEWORK:
Due Monday: Read Geology Packet -- take notes for each page using 2 columns -- one labeled "Big Ideas and Questions" and the other labeled "Info about Big Ideas and Answers"
-- also answer the questions at the back of the packet.

6th Grade Math:
Due Mon ~ Skill: Prime Factorization worksheet 1st side only

Picture Day was today and everyone took absolutely amazing photos! You can still order photos even if you didn't have a form today. Check at the office for order forms.

October 1st is Garden Day! 9am - 1pm
Middle School students are expected to help out with 12 garden hours throughout the year. October 1st will be a fun day of gardening and helping out the school grounds.

Permission slips for the dances went home today -- they are to be brought to the first dance -- not handed in to class. Please go over the rules/regulations with your student.

HOMEWORK:
Due Thursday:
- Reed Field Study assignment

Due Friday:
- Complete story map (only first side) for the short story you want to focus on and use to write a character analysis essay

6th Grade Math:
Due Fri ~ additional practice investigation 3 worksheet -- second side! (note: the date due says 9/25 -- it should say 9/23)

Reed Canyon Tomorrow!

Please be prepared for the field study to Reed tomorrow. Bring: lunch, water bottle, layers, EC journal, pencil

Picture Day is Wednesday. If you need another order form please get it from the office.

Buddy Walk this Saturday! 10am - 1pm $10 www.nwdsa.org to sign-up
You can be a member of Daniel Jarvis-Hollands Team. Participation can count as a community-based service project

HOMEWORK:
Due Wednesday:
- Finish 3rd short story
- order form for pictures

Due Thursday:
- Reed Field Study assignment

6th Grade Math:
Due Wed ~ additional practice investigation 3 worksheet -- only first side!

September 15th

Today we continued reading short stories and exploring character development. The goal of reading today was for the students to understand as much as they could about the character of their choice in their short story. They took notes that would help them discover this character.

We also studied the amazing layers of our Earth. We began by reading the Magic School Bus Inside the Earth. Sometimes children's books have similar information as college text books, but the author has taken great care to write the book in a way that is simple and straight forward. Students read the book together and made a list of vocabulary words they found in the Magic School Bus that they thought they would also find in a college text book. They also began creating a scale model of a slice of the Earth, from its surface to the center.


Homework Due Friday, September 16th:

*Character Retrieval Chart for the 2nd short story - include a comment on how the quote helps you understand the character.
*Graph of the Earth's Layers - notice how small the crust is in comparison to the other layers!
*Choose two vocabulary words from the list of geology vocabulary to define. On a half sheet of blank white paper write the word, the definition, and a color illustration of the word. These will be hung in our classroom.

We have started a short story unit that will roll into a writing piece focusing on character change. Students went home with a short story tonight and a graphic organizer to record notes about the main character. Their goal is to read 3 of the short stories by Monday. For some students finishing 2 will be enough.

Sarah K will be here this Friday. Students will be exploring the layers of the earth with Sarah K tomorrow. Have a conversation with your student about geology and the amazing layers within our planet.

Picture day for our class is Wednesday, September 21st. Forms went home today!

Please turn-in Mt. St Helens permission slips and payment as soon as possible. It's going to be a great trip.

Service Opportunity:
Sept 17th - SOLV Beach and River clean-up. Check out solv.org to see a list of sites and sign-up to clean-up!

HOMEWORK:
Due Thursday:
~ Jeans Farm Field Study assignment
~ First short story read with completed character notes

Due Friday:
~ Rough draft of partner poem ~ poem can take any form the writer chooses but must include at least one repeating line, metaphors, and concrete details

Due Monday:
~ Mountain Watercolor

6th Grade Math:
Due Friday 9/16:
~ missing operations worksheet (in math packet)

Jeans Farm Tomorrow!

For the field study make sure you have: lunch, full water bottle, EC journal, pencil, a smilin' face

Please also make sure you are on time to school -- we leave at 9am tomorrow!

HOMEWORK:
Due Tuesday ~ Fountain Field Study assignment

6th Grade Math:
Due Wednesday
~ factor chart up to 50
~ Factors, Multiples, and Primes worksheet
*Both are in unit packet that was sent home today
please note how long you spend on the assignment so that I can get a sense of timing

First Week Done!

We had a great trip to Director Park today. Thanks to Bonnie and Judy for coming along! Click here to see some pictures from the day.

HOMEWORK:
Due Tuesday
- Field Study Assignment in E Core notebooks

6th Grade Math:
Due Monday
- Give parent letter to parents -- have them email me
- Highlight multiplication facts you don't automatically know on the multiplication chart

Hot, hot, hot 2nd day!

Thanks for getting those forms turned back in so promptly! If you haven't turned them in please do so ASAP -- they are necessary for the field study on Friday.

Due Thursday:
- bring a book for silent reading
- bring a rock of your choosing

Due Friday:
- completed self-portrait

What a Great First Day!

We can already tell this is going to be a great year. What a wonderful group of students!

HOMEWORK~
Due tomorrow 9/7:
- 10 Things I Should Know About You
- Signed forms, including: Walking Field Trip, Medical Form, Field Trip Form
- parents email sunnsyidesarah@gmail.com with your students name and your first and last name for the email list

Due Thursday 9/8:
- Bring a book for silent reading

Welcome to The Sarahs' Classroom!

We are so excited for the Year of the Mountain!
Please check this blog regularly for homework assignments, important dates, links to photos, and special announcements.

Wednesday, June 8th

This Friday is the final day to turn in work. Make sure you have your Marine Magazine assignment, Novel Project and any late work in.

Wednesday, June 1st

Welcome back from Marine Biology. For the next two weeks we are going to be pretty busy in class. We are doing a Marine Biology magazine where the students have to select an animal and do a magazine based on their animal. The requirements are listen below. The due dates are as follows: (students are welcome to turn in work early)
June 2nd - one item due.
June 3rd - two items due.
June 6th - 4 options due.
June 8th - 5 options due
June 10th - Complete project bound with cover.

Their Service Learning Notebooks with all of their reflections were due today. Late reflections bound into their Notebooks are accepted no later than this Friday. The students know which ones they are missing. I have them a paper listing their missing projects.

Next week is Iron Chef, so please let us know what ingredients you may be able to contribute to cook in our menus that you have grown yourself.

We are doing our presentation of our site monitoring project in Morning Meeting on Friday as a class. We will be practicing on Thursday for the presentation. Everyone should have their final pieces finished by Thursday.

Make sure to bring in your permission slips for our trip on Tuesday.

8th Grade Portfolio (Should have turned in by Now)
- Environmental Symbol
- I Am Poem
- Speech (final and/or rough draft)
- Six Words Story
- 1st Thank you letter
- Hopes and Dreams page
- What I Wanna Be When I Grow Up
- Resume
- Bucket List
- One Thing Photo Essay
- A "Remember Me" Poem

Marine Biology Magazine Assignment Due: June 10th

The goal of this project is to create an informative and interesting magazine that focuses on any aspect of marine biology of your choice. Your magazine contribution should be attractive and easy to read. You are responsible for contributing writing, graphics, creative entries, and conflict.

I. Choose 1 from the choices below in addition to the story: (200 points each)

a. (Required) An imaginative story (2 pages typed/3 pages handwritten)

b. An editorial or letter to the editor (persuasive)

c. A feature article that supplies facts and references (expository)

d. Mock-interview or true life experience written as a biography or career-related interview (narrative)

e. A travel article on a place to see marine life. (descriptive)

II. Choose 2 from the graphic options below: (100 points each)

a. Collage

b. Photographs (at least 3)

c. Maps

d. Labeled diagram (anatomy, habitat, etc.)

e. Ocean scene

f. Food web

g. Choice (check with teacher)

III. Choose 1 from the creative options below (100 points)

a. Cartoon

b. Poetry

c. Maze or game

d. Crossword puzzle

e. Graph

f. Picture find

g. Choice (check with teacher)

IV. Research an issue or conflict related to your topic. What is being done to help or to address this problem? When? Where? How? Show in an interesting way this conflict and how it is being addressed. (200 points)

Grading:

Grading will be based on:

1. Completion of project

a. Does magazine include all required parts and are they complete projects?

2. Effort/quality of work

a. Does each piece show effort to make sure it is done correctly, thoroughly, and to the best of students’ ability?

3. Creativity/Design

a. Is magazine laid out in a orderly and creative fashion? Is it easy and fun for reader?

Wednesday, May 18

So, we have our reflections due soon. The final reflections and service will be due Wednesday, June 1st. There will be a service grade, so make sure you get those in. I will have lots of time tomorrow to work on them. I will be able to answer questions during class tomorrow about them.

I also need you to select one piece of writing from your portfolio to be entered into the Literacy Magazine by Friday. It should be about one page long, no more than two pages.

Geography #28 due Friday.

You only have two weeks to finish your novel and your project. Be aware of that.

8th graders you need to have at least 10 items from your portfolio by Friday. This is what you should have by now.
8th Grade Portfolio (Should have turned in by Now)
- Environmental Symbol
- I Am Poem
- Speech (final and/or rough draft)
- Six Words Story
- 1st Thank you letter
- Hopes and Dreams page
- What I Wanna Be When I Grow Up
- Resume
- Bucket List

Tuesday, May 17th

There is a lot going on now the week before Marine Biology Trips. There are still some students that have not handed in their permission slips. Those need to be handed in ASAP!!!

Also, 8th graders. You need to make sure you have at least 10 things handed in from your portfolio before Marine Bio trip. Everyone still needs something. Make sure you work on those.

Reflections are due very soon for everything. There will be some class time on Thursday to work on those, but make sure you are getting those done and in.

You should be a decent way into your novels by this point.

8th Grade Portfolio (Should have turned in by Now)
- Environmental Symbol
- I Am Poem
- Speech (final and/or rough draft)
- Six Words Story
- 1st Thank you letter
- Hopes and Dreams page
- What I Wanna Be When I Grow Up
- Resume
- Bucket List

It's Vivian!

I can't believe it's been almost two weeks since Miss Viv was born. She's growing fast and already has her parents wrapped around her tiny little fingers. I'm looking forward to the class meeting her next week!

Wednesday, May 11th

Due This Week: Friday

Geography #27
Quilt square #3 including:
Quilt Square
Artist Statement
Resources
So What?
Train of Thought

Final Scientific Inquiry Sheets

8th Grade Portfolio (Should have turned in by Now)
- Environmental Symbol
- I Am Poem
- Speech (final and/or rough draft)
- Six Words Story
- 1st Thank you letter
- Hopes and Dreams page
- What I Wanna Be When I Grow Up
- Resume

Friday, May 6th

I hope everyone has a great weekend planned. There isn't too much due for Monday.

We are starting a new writing unit on Monday as well as the final week of the Civil War storyline.

We also started our final Novel Study project. Most of the students have chosen their own book for this project, so if they have, they need to already have it, or get it from a library.

Our recycled fashion show is on Monday, so make sure you come prepared for that.

On Tuesday we will be traveling to Tryon Creek. This will be our last visit to our site, so make sure you come on this day.

8th Grade Portfolio (Should have turned in by Now)
- Environmental Symbol
- I Am Poem
- Speech (final and/or rough draft)
- Six Words Story
- 1st Thank you letter
- Hopes and Dreams page
- What I Wanna Be When I Grow Up

Thursday, May 5th

You'll notice that this week there hasn't been very much new due. We have a couple bigger projects starting next week, so I have really been using this week to get caught up on past projects so we can start fresh without other things distracting us.

For Friday, it is the LAST time to turn in Persuasive Essays and Civil War Novel Projects. I am still missing 14 Novel Projects. Make sure get yours in, even if it isn't finished. Partial credit is better than zero credit.

Also, All data and finished Quilt Square #2 are due tomorrow. I checked in with each student today and they all know where they stand and what they need to do.

Must have New Fiction novel chosen with Title and Author given to me.

There was some confusion with Geography papers. We skipped Geography #25, so #26 is due on Friday.

8th Grade Portfolio (Should have turned in by Now)
- Environmental Symbol
- I Am Poem
- Speech (final and/or rough draft)
- Six Words Story
- 1st Thank you letter
- Hopes and Dreams page
- What I Wanna Be When I Grow Up

Tuesday, May 3rd

I apologize I have not been on top of getting a blog post up daily with assignments. I have been trying to get my head around everything in the first week of taking over for Sarah. I am getting more organized and will be better about getting posts up regularly.

Due Wednesday:
2nd Quilt square and Artist Statement

Friday:
Geography #26
Last day to get in Civil War Novel Study and Persuasive Essays.


8th Grade Portfolio (Should have turned in by Now)
- Environmental Symbol
- I Am Poem
- Speech (final and/or rough draft)
- Six Words Story
- 1st Thank you letter
- Hopes and Dreams page
- What I Wanna Be When I Grow Up

Friday, April 29th

Next week is Teacher Appreciation Week. The students have been planning something for the teachers, we also have Don and Mona as well. We will be working throughout the week to celebrate all they do for us.

Tuesday we will be going to Jean's Farm for our field studies.

If you want to be a part of the recycled fashion show, please sign up ASAP. It will be happening Wednesday or Friday of next week.

Have a great weekend!

Homework for the weekend:

Due Monday
3 ideas for end of the year celebration

songs for Mona, give Dylan a list

If you have not finished your persuasive essay or your Civil war Novel Study, bring that in.

So What? Civil war quilt square research #2 sheet if not finished.

Thursday, April 28

Due Friday!!
- Geography #25
- Final Draft of Persuasive Essay (MUST TURN IN WITH PREVIOUS DRAFTS!)
- Civil War Novel Project (those who are done and turn-in project on Monday will receive Extra Credit) For those who will not be done -- project is due by FRIDAY!
- Research for Civil War Quilt Square #2 (split between partners -- 6 total!) -- we will use this research on TUESDAY!

8th Grade Portfolio (Should have turned in by Now)
- Environmental Symbol
- I Am Poem
- Speech (final and/or rough draft)
- Six Words Story
- 1st Thank you letter
- Hopes and Dreams page

Due Tuesday:
- Final Draft of Persuasive Essay (MUST TURN IN WITH PREVIOUS DRAFTS!)
- Civil War Novel Project (those who are done and turn-in project on Monday will receive Extra Credit) For those who will not be done -- project is due by FRIDAY!
- Research for Civil War Quilt Square #2 (split between partners -- 6 total!) -- we will use this research on TUESDAY!


Wednesday:
- 7th graders on field trip to Forestry Center documentary -- make sure to turn in permission form

Thursday:
Take Your Child to Work Day! -- All 8th graders should be participating (check with me or Ryan if you don't have one scheduled yet) -- if you aren't an 8th grader and are going to be participating please let me know on Monday!

8th Grade Portfolio (Should have turned in by Now)
- Environmental Symbol
- I Am Poem
- Speech (final and/or rough draft)
- Six Words Story
- 1st Thank you letter
- Hopes and Dreams page

Due Monday:
- Final Draft of Persuasive Essay (MUST TURN IN WITH PREVIOUS DRAFTS!)
- Civil War Novel Project (those who are done and turn-in project on Monday will receive Extra Credit) For those who will not be done -- project is due by FRIDAY!
- Research for Civil War Quilt Square #2 (split between partners -- 6 total!)
- 8th Grade Portfolio -- Hopes and Dreams page

Wednesday:
- 7th graders on field trip to Forestry Center documentary -- make sure to turn in permission form

Thursday:
Take Your Child to Work Day! -- All 8th graders should be participating (check with me or Ryan if you don't have one scheduled yet) -- if you aren't an 8th grader and are going to be participating please let me know on Monday!

8th Grade Portfolio (Should have turned in by Now)
- Environmental Symbol
- I Am Poem
- Speech (final and/or rough draft)
- Six Words Story
- 1st Thank you letter

It was such a treat to come into work the other morning and find an adorable basket of baby clothes and a generous gift certificate to Just 4 Kids! It was fun looking at all the sweet little outfits with the students today. We also realized that if only she was born by next Friday she could be in the recycled fashion show! Thank you so much! I am so lucky to have such a thoughtful group of students and parents!!!

Homework:
Due Friday:
- Geography #24
- Service Learning Reflections: Class AND Community or School - based
(class based is on homeless lunches)

Due Monday:
- Final Draft of Persuasive Essay
- Civil War Novel Project (those who are done and turn-in project on Monday will receive Extra Credit) For those who will not be done -- project is due by FRIDAY!

Click here to see pictures from our trip to Mercy Corps.

HOMEWORK:

Due Thursday:

- 2nd draft of Bottled Water persuasive - typed (must turn-in: graphic organizer, peer review sheet, and typed draft) -- OVER 2 DAYS LATE FOR THOSE WHO HAVEN'T TURNED IN

- Mercy Corps Field Study
- Current Events for Group #1 (alex b, sierra, arturo, coyle, francis, clay, deva, marina, capella)

Due Friday:
- Geography #24
- Service Learning Reflections: Class-based and a school/community based reflection
(Many students finished the class-based reflection during school)

Due Monday:
- Civil War Novel Project
- Final draft of Bottled Water Persuasive

(8th Grade Spanish: Vocab/Verb quiz on Friday-- Study the hot pink sheet!!!)

We had a wonderful trip to Mercy Corps today. Students grappled with causes of poverty and how global climate change affects people all over the world being able to access their 5 basic needs. Students also took on the challenging task of trying to prioritize the Millennium Development Goals set by the U.N. More information about these goals can be found here.


HOMEWORK:

Due Wednesday:

- Your artist statement posted on the Quilting a Nation Blog (username: belthorne2011@hotmail.com password: belthorne)

- 2nd draft of Bottled Water persuasive - typed (must turn-in: graphic organizer, peer review sheet, and typed draft)

Due Thursday:
- Mercy Corps Field Study
- Current Events for Group #1 (alex b, sierra, arturo, coyle, francis, clay, deva, marina, capella)

Due Friday:
- Geography #24
- Service Learning Reflections: Class-based and a school/community based reflection
(Many students finished the class-based reflection during school today)