8th Grade Research Project

The 8th graders just completed an interdisciplinary project on a Civil Rights icon of their choice. They had to research their chosen person and present their findings in a web for their Social Studies class, write a speech from a first person point of view for their Language Arts class, and present their speech, in character, in their Reading class. Congratulations, 8th graders, on a job well done!

Here are some of those hard working 8th graders:

Kalei and Sarita, utilizing their print resources:

Sam assembling his research into an Inspiration web:

Victor REALLY likes citations!
(Because of COURSE they had to turn in a Works Cited page, in MLA format!)

Aniyah, checking out some primary sources:

7th Gr - EXTRA CREDIT Opportunity

Hello 7th graders!

Sorry about the delay in my posting - I know some of you were looking for it on Saturday, but thank you for being patient with me while I had the flu! As promised - here is your last extra credit opportunity for the quarter (and the school year!)

First, just let me say - there are some *REALLY* cool books out there about the Civil War. With that in mind:

Goals:
- Read a novel about the Civil War.
- Present a summary of the book in a format of your choice.
- Critique the book for an audience of teachers.

Steps:
1) Choose a book, and approve your choice with Ms. Michalak.
There are two websites that have very long lists of novels about the Civil War. The first includes many, many more options - but some are meant for adult readers. They may be too long for the time you have to complete this project, or for some of you, a bit above your reading level.

However, you are welcome to look and select from the list if you choose to do so:
http://www.uta.edu/english/tim/civilwar/index.html

The second list is of novels meant for "young adults," but it has far less options: http://www.uta.edu/english/tim/civilwar/genjuvenile.html

Here is a list specifically designed with middle school students in mind: http://nancykeane.com/rl/371.htm

Some of my favorite Civil War novels are by Ann Rinaldi. Her novels that are set during the time period are: "The Last Silk Dress," "Girl In Blue," "In My Father's House," "Mine Eyes Have Seen," and "Amelia's War."

2) Read the book :)

3) You need to turn in TWO things.
Thing1) The first is a summary of the book - you need to show that you read it, and present what happened in the book. YOU choose how you want to do this. What will your final product be? A written "book report?" A Power Point presentation? An oral presentation? Use your imagination - but again, get your idea approved by Ms. Michalak before you start working on it!

Thing2) Write a 5-8 sentence critique of the book, to be read by a middle school teacher. Your critique should focus on answering these two questions (it is *not* a summary of the book): Should this book be used as part of a middle school curriculum about the American Civil War? Could this book be helpful for a middle school learner? Why or why not?

DUE DATE: Monday, May 11th

If you have ANY questions, PLEASE - email, leave a comment here on the blog, or come see me before/after class. I would love to talk with you as you plan, and work on, this extra credit project. Happy reading!

6A Test !

Good morning 6A!

I'm writing a new post just so you can practice your posting abilities. Please leave a comment telling me one current event that is interesting to you right now - from your news watching this weekend, the article you chose for the week, or perhaps from our competition.

Make sure to sign your first NAME and last INITIAL only.

Thanks!

Weekend Updates

Happy Saturday!

All classess will be having a test this week. Start reviewing now, and getting prepared. I had one seventh grade student come to me during Saturday tutoring to review some content we talked about last week, but he was still confused on some details. After some review of the textbook and our textbook's website, he really increased his understanding - we need to have more of this, taking responsibility for your own learning!

Weekend homework:
6th Grade
- Read and take notes on 12.4
- Watch 30 minutes of the news, write down 4 stories and a detail about each one. Include the channel and time you watched, and get a parent signature.

7th Grade
- If your group didn't present your information from 13.4 - you will on Monday. Be ready!
- Read and take notes on 13.4. This will help us be prepared to ask questions of groups who have yet to present.

8th Grade
- Your partner assignment analyzing McCarthy's effect on American rights is due on Monday - check in with your partner BEFORE you get to school to ensure that it's ready to turn in.
- Read and take notes on 27.3

As always - email me or leave a comment if you have any questions!

AND! Go Green! My team won their game last night - make sure to update those brackets :)

Terra Novas!

You guys are doing a great job on your Terra Nova tests - keep up the good work, stay focused, get lots of sleep and eat a good breakfast!

Just a few notes for different classes:

6th Grade:
- Keep looking for new sources for your current events. Remember, only foreign events are accepted for 4th quarter. However, keep watching the news! Domestic events will definitely be in our upcoming Newsbowl contest.

7th Grade:
- Try checking out cnn.com, chicagotribune.com, and nytimes.com while looking for your current event article. You can also use the Chicago Tribune, Sun Times, or any other major newspaper. (RedEye and Defender are not allowed for this assignment) One extra credit point if you use a paper newspaper rather than an online source. You can get a newspaper from the LRC if you want/need one!

8th Grade:
- See me for an extra credit project. It must be completed by the Monday after Spring Break.

NCAA Tournament, 4th Qtr

Hello middle schoolers!

I have seen all of you filling out your brackets for your math project - a few thoughts for you:
1) Good luck!
2) I'd love to see your bracket once it's all filled out - but not during class.
3) Yes, I fully support any time you choose Michigan State. This could be our year (again!) :)
4) A #16 seed has never beaten a #1 seed
5) Just because you haven't heard of a school doesn't mean they can't win a game or two!
6) I. love. basketball!

Now - on to other matters
4th Quarter has begun!

- By now, you have (hopefully) checked your grades on PowerSchool. If you have any questions, or want to review your exam, come and talk to me. I would be happy to look at your exam and overall grades with you and make a plan for your continued success in the 4th quarter.

- Keep checking this blog! I will post extra credit opportunities throughout the quarter.
** FIRST EXTRA CREDIT OPPORTUNITY**
Leave a comment on this post, telling me who you think will win the NCAA Tournament. Posts must be timestamped by Sunday night at 6pm.

Continue to stay focused and work hard. Many of you made a lot of improvements from 2nd to 3rd quarter - keep that momentum going, and climb even higher!

Until next time -

Review Time!

Exams are next week.
You have your review sheets (they were passed out in class today).
Now it's time to buckle down, work hard, and get high grades on all your exams!

Study Tips:
- Make flashcards for your key terms. Go through them in small groups at first so you learn them more quickly. Once you mastered a batch of them, begin adding in more cards.
- Answer the practice questions - even the ones you "think" you "know" - you may be surprised how some details and concepts aren't as clear to you now as you thought they were!
- Use www.classzone.com for practice questions, practice maps, and identification games. This should ADD to your reviewing - it should NOT be the only thing you use!
- Email me with any questions.
- If necessary, ask about one-on-one or small group tutoring with me before your exam.