With the weather getting colder and the prospect of snow this weekend, it reminds me of being in middle school. Growing up in New England, whenever the weather was looking like snow we would all think the same thing… SNOW DAY! Being able to play outside, building forts or sledding, the snow was an excuse to play outside with friends. These days, I’ll admit I look forward to staying inside during the cold! Still, as I look back on my time playing in the snow, I hope that this will be a good time for families and friends to possibly enjoy feeling young out in the snow and enjoy time together after, warming up with hot chocolate!
-Kevin
Upcoming Dates:
- February 13 – Valentine’s Day Bake Sale and Bingo (1:30pm)
- February 16-17 – February Break (No School)
- Please fill out this form for James Island County Parks. We will be doing PE there starting in February!
- February 27 – Middle School Dance
ELA: This week in ELA, 8th grade began resting Elizabeth Lim’s Six Crimson Cranes. We are looking closely at the structure and history of fantasy stories while also studying the Chinese folktales and symbols that inform this story. This class reading is paired with a folklore and storytelling project where students have been tasked with building a portfolio of symbols, fairy tales, and symbology research within a culture of their choosing. 8th grade also had a grammar test on Thursday – those grades will be in their folders this weekend.
Next week, 8th grade will continue their cultural folklore studies and draw comparisons between their research and the folklore within our novel. Rather than our usual switch to vocabulary, we will continue grammar instruction to account for a longer unit.
Science: This week in Science, our 8th graders deconstructed example experiments to better understand what makes an investigation valid and reliable. Students explored control and experimental groups, variables, and the importance of asking strong, testable questions. Through discussion and analysis, they examined how data is used to answer specific scientific questions and support meaningful conclusions.
Students also spent time reviewing key concepts from the waves unit in preparation for their unit test on Wednesday, February 4th.
Next week, students will finalize their Science Fair ideas and begin researching their chosen topics, continuing to develop curiosity, independence, and confidence as young scientists.
Social Studies: Eighth grade has begun our unit on WW1, looking at the peoples, ideas and technologies that shaped this war. We began with looking at the introduction of propaganda during this time and are moving into the human aspects of war and its impact especially on civilians and the draft.
Math: This week in math, 8th graders continued exploring graphs and lines on a coordinate plane as part of our coordinate geometry journey. We analyzed the graphs and equations of both perpendicular and parallel lines, and used the coordinate grid to revisit geometric proofs. Next week, we’ll wrap up this exploration with the lines in triangle on the plane, and then we’ll take a test on Thursday that will assess mastery of coordinate geometry – the equations of different lines and shapes on a coordinate plane.
