Autumn is in the Air!
For many of us, October marks the beginning of autumn. Fall break, crisp mornings, Halloween, and changing leaves give my midwest heart loads and loads of joy. During a conversation with a few fifth graders, we were discussing our favorite parts of fall – all of which had the underlying theme of fall colors. The fall color-scape is one of the most diverse of the year, and we love being surrounded by it.
This is exactly how I’ve felt about the students here in the first few months of the year – so overjoyed and lucky to be surrounded by such uniqueness and diversity. October is bound to be full of new life, diversity, and uniqueness in the TCS middle school! Like the changing seasons, I am stoked to continue to watch these students grow into the amazing humans they are destined to be.
-AG
What’s happening in Social Studies?
This week the eighth graders prepared for their presentations while also continuing in content! Students critiqued their slideshows on Monday and Tuesday before diving back into the content on Wednesday. We analyzed an article AND graphic biography on Manuela Saenz before watching a video that emphasized what the colonized people’s lives were like in Spain.
Next week, the eighth graders are jumping back into their Revolutions and Nationalism Unit by learning the origins of Nationalism and completing a jigsaw activity on Italian and German nationalism in the 1800s.
What’s happening in ELA?
This week in 8th grade, we studied examples of movement and the ‘unexpected’ in photos and writing. Students also learned some photographic framing techniques such as the rule of thirds and guiding lines. 8th grade photographers spent a couple days in photography-workshop, capturing images to pair with their writings on both the disposable camera and digital. We ended the week in a fascinating study of documentary style photography.
Next week, 8th graders will make finishing touches to their writing and photography pieces after Fall Break. We will take a field trip to the Dorothea Lange exhibition at the Gibbes Museum and work hard to set up our own exhibit of original images and writing, as well! Be on the lookout for field trip forms and be sure to attend our exhibit on October 19th (Reach out to Ms. Maggie if you missed this email invite)!
What’s happening in Science?
Eighth graders explored Newton’s Three Laws of Motion this week! They played pinball to observe, document, and consider how whenever an object exerts force on another object, the second exerts an equal and opposite force on the first object. They calculated how to find the kinetic energy of objects and how the kinetic energy increases with mass and speed. The eighth graders also played pool, through which they were able to understand Newton’s First law, which is that an object will remain at rest unless acted upon by another force. Next week, they will utilize their knowledge and start building their Rube Goldberg machines. A list of materials, such as marbles, dominos, and other materials will be sent out soon!
What’s happening in Math?
This week, 8th graders found new ways to solve a system of equations by adding, subtracting, or multiplying them, and they explored the number of solutions a system may have. They ended the week by taking a mid-unit quiz to check their understanding so far! Next week, we will study inequalities and how to graph them with constraints.
Important Dates:
October 9-10 – Fall Break (No School)
October 11 – Cooper Clusters
October 18- Parent Lemonade (2:00-2:45)
October 31 – Halloween Carnival (½ Day)
November 1 – Teacher Work Day (No School)
