The first frost, paired with Daylight Savings, always kickstarts my urges to move more slowly, choose the cozier evenings, and rest when I could keep going. It’s hard to keep moving full steam ahead – especially during the busy holiday season – when the early darkness and chill in the air calls you home. A frequent saying I use with the kids is “let’s finish what we started” – whether it’s something small like circling the answer to a math problem, or something a bit bigger when we need to have a peace table with a friend. In August, the kiddos set some pretty big goals for themselves as middle schoolers – and will do so again in January. Now is the time to hunker down and make sure we finish strong over the next five weeks, while still leaving room for the cozy nights and self-care we all desperately crave this time of year. With Thanksgiving Break right around the corner, we’ll (hopefully) be able to give ourselves the rest we need to finish what we started before our loooong Winter Break!
-Allison
Upcoming Dates:
- November 21 – Harvest Feast (Half Day)
- November 22 – November 30 – Thanksgiving Break
- December 10 – Cluster Lunch
- December 19 – Holiday Extravaganza & PJ Day (Half Day)
- December 20 – January 5 – Winter break
ELA- 8th grade readers began their much anticipated study of Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird this week. Readers learned the essential historic background behind Lee’s story while also establishing themselves within the setting and main characters of the story. They will be completing a comprehension packet throughout the study, which will be due 12/12.
Next week, students will continue their reading and test on vocabulary on 11/20 – be sure to study each night!
Science- This week in 8th grade, students began their waves unit. We started by exploring the characteristics of waves by learning about frequency. Students tested their pulse in different situations and found the frequency of their heart beat. Students continued discovering the properties of waves by using springs to observe how waves move energy and not matter. Next week we will explore the energy in waves by exploring ocean waves and sound waves.
Social Studies- We have finished the Latin American revolutions. They did a great job on their collages and seem to show a deep understanding of how important this time was for the reshaping of an entire continent. We have moved onto industrialization and how the growth of machines reshaped the 19th century. This will lead into our next research project in which we will take a deeper look into the actual inventions that changed the world.
Math- This week in math, 8th graders dove into unit 4 – starting with right triangle trigonometric ratios and understanding how we can find different missing parts of a right triangle using them. Next week, we will practice solving problems involving trigonometric ratios and applying them to scenarios in which we see triangles in the real world.
