In The Know

The seventh graders are hard at work on their persuasive essays. The topics they had to choose from were children and cell phones, school uniforms, junk food in schools, music influence on children, year-round schooling, and children online. We spent the last week and a half brainstorming and researching sources in groups. Now, the students are beginning to write their essays on an individual basis. Please check in with your student and ask them their position on their chosen topic and what examples they came up with through their research to support their position.

The Technology Elective class has finished their unit on Internet safety by creating a podcast which highlights what they have learned. Please listen and comment. They are now beginning work on learning about the different parts of a computer where they will teach a lesson to the other students on what they have learned. I look forward to the final projects as the students have been working hard.

It is hard to believe the holidays are here and the New Year is just around the corner. In another three weeks the semester will be over.

We have begun reading “The Pearl” by John Steinbeck. It is a classic tale about a fisherman who found a priceless pearl and how his life changed as a result of it. Please ask your student to share their thoughts and feelings about the novel with you.

As an introduction to the unit, the students completed a webquest in the computer lab to learn about pearl diving and the author. They also had a chance to try out a new site, Yacapaca, which will allow the students to take tests online and receive immediate feedback. They seem to be enjoying the look and feel of it.

Technology students are learning all about the web 2.0 technologies. They created their own online bookmarks and have begun looking at news aggregators. This week we hope to be looking at photosharing and using the images to create iMovies based on a Robert Frost poem. In addition, we will be creating websites at Learnerblogs.org.

All of the students had a fun and energetic Halloween day!

After posing for the camera, the students completed a Halloween cryptogram and answered some trivia. Did your student share with you the meaning of samhainophobia? How about nyctophobia?

The remainder of the class period was spent viewing a documentary about the Titanic titled “Ghosts of the Abyss.” The film showed actual underwater video of the wreckage and overlayed it with imaging of what it might have looked like in the final hours before the boat sunk to its watery grave at the bottom of the Atlantic ocean.

I hope you all had an energetic and safe Halloween evening! 

We had a fun afternoon of activities for team today! Every team had six different games to compete in. Here are some pictures from the Hoppity race.

I enjoyed reading the beginnings of your “Friend” essays. I am learning so much about each of you. Some of you are very thoughtful and some of you have a great sense of humor. I could see some of you provide many details with ease and others were struggling to get them down on paper. You all know a great deal more than you give yourselves credit for. We need to learn to how to let those ideas flow! Once I started asking questions, you all had more to write about.

Technology students have been working hard to teach about the inside and outside of the computer with the help of the website Kidsdomain.com. Each student was assigned to a group to cover different topics about the computer including: Outer Hardware, Hardware on the Inside, Bits & Bytes, Storage, Programs, Operating Systems, Files & Folders, The Mac & Windows Desktop, Knowing Your System, Computer Care & Safety. Groups were responsible for creating slides to show their topic and covering the worksheets provided for each lesson. They are all great teachers! Keep checking the technology page to view links to the slides for each topic.

Technorati Tags: 7th, Technology

We completed our Internet Safety podcast today! Click here to listen.

What a day! Back from a three day weekend and they throw a switch day on us…yikes! You all seemed to fare just fine. Everybody was a bit energized, more than usual, but I hope things will be back to normal soon.

Today was our first Tuesday vocabulary test. I do not want you to stress out if you feel you did poorly. There will be plenty of opportunities to make it up. Sometimes, it just takes a while to learn the ropes and what is expected out of each teacher. Keep studying and applying yourself in order to succeed! New vocabulary will be introduced tomorrow with the next test on Tuesday, September 12th. Review a little each night and you will cruise through the next test!

Technology has completed their scripts for the “Internet Safety” podcast. They will begin recording it tomorrow. Stay tuned for the broadcast. It should be posted here within the next week.

Technorati Tags: 7th, 8th, Internet Safety, Technology

This has been a long week! I am sure you all are looking forward to the long weekend. I know I am.

Most of you were very good about getting to work and writing your paragraphs. There were some who decided to take vacation early and therefore, will have some work to do this weekend to finish their rough drafts. Remember to start with the topic sentence, followed by your first reason, then two sentences that give specific details. You will continue with a transition word and your next reason. It is very structured so, use the handout given to you in class today to help you with the language. I look forward to reading your first formal writing assignment next week.

Technology has begun work on a project that will summarize the Internet Safety unit we just completed from Netsmartz. Each group was assigned a topic and began writing their scripts today. Each student will have a part to play in the script and will be recorded for a podcast that will be posted on this site. Stay tuned for more details!

Have a restful weekend and don’t forget to study for your Language Arts vocabulary test on Tuesday! Enjoy the break.

Technorati Tags: 7th, 8th, Internet Safety, Technology

Our first Wednesday and it was a little chaotic getting the minimum day schedule down. All of you were a bit restless. Perhaps it had to do with your sleeping habits!

The seventh grade discussed an article on adolescent sleep research. We learned how much sleep is required for an adolescent and how a lack of it produces great mood changes. I am sure parent’s would back up that research! Furthermore, your productivity is affected as well as your immune system. So, get a good night’s sleep of nine hours and start creating a healthier sleeping pattern.

The eighth grade discussed an article titled “Dealing with Bullying.” We discussed what it is, physically, mentally, etc. We also talked about why some teens bully and how to stand up for yourself or a friend. The main idea I hope you all walked away with was not to react to a bully. Some strategies were to ignore them, be confident, use humor, and talk about it with a trusted adult or friend.

Technology took another look at how to be safe while viewing “Tracking Teresa.” We talked about how one or two pieces of information given out in a chatroom setting could lead others to more personal information about you. The Internet is a double edged sword that opens our eyes to a world of information and some people, unfortunately, will use this tool to harm others. Keep yourself and your personal information protected.

Technorati Tags: 7th, 8th, Internet Safety, Technology

I am sure the rest of you would agree with me that it is hard getting back into the “school mode”. I am hoping that today will be the first step in getting us closer to a pattern we can all be comfortable with in the coming weeks.

Tuesdays will be our day for new vocabulary. Each week we will have a test on the vocabulary from the following week. Remember, this vocabulary is not limited to Language Arts. These are words you will find across the curriculum, often referred to as Academic Vocabulary. It should help you in all of your classes. We will follow up tomorrow with vocabulary when we read our feature article for the week and write our expository paragraphs.

Technology listened to an article written by a mother about her teenage girl who was lured away by a predator and followed it up with watching a video told from the girl’s point of view. This person was someone she met online and never expected to have a deeper relationship with. Nevertheless, we learned how a predator could prey on adolescents by finding areas of vulnerability – something all adolescents have and even some adults – and finding ways to manipulate and isolate the individual. We talked about how “Amy’s” life will be forever changed and how it will be hard to trust anyone in a relationship or feel safe again. We also talked about how teenage boys have been lured by predators – it’s not just the girls! It was a heavy topic followed by a heavy discussion. I am positive you all understood the repercussions of “Amy’s Choice.”

Technorati Tags: 7th, 8th, Internet Safety, academic vocabulary, Technology