The Smell Of Fall

I can smell fall in the air

I can also feel it too

When I look upon a tree

I can see fall’s colors bright

I love the smell of burning leaves

As its aroma fills the air

Then there is Apple Butter smell

Stirred up in a tub with spices

One can always smell the wood

Burning in a fireplace

Smoke curling up the chimney stack

Leaves a feeling of warmth

How many bonfires do you make

To roast hot dogs and marshmallows too

Friends and family gather around

Sharing this happy time around the fire

Then smell the pumpkin as it cooks down

To fill a pie shell to bake

Thanksgiving dinner will soon be here

One might even make some little  tarts too

Then pick a harvest of apples

Many dishes one can make

From tarts to pies, to cider

Also bobbing for apples too

I also like the crisp clean air

It smells so very sweet

It gives me roses in my cheeks

And a smile to all that I see (Lazette, 2008)

Here’s a look at what is happening in each of the classes:

What’s happening in Social Studies?

Eighth Grade took on a lot of responsibility this week! They were responsible for mastering the new vocabulary and then teaching their peers the words they were assigned. This vocabulary will introduce them to the new Unit on Revolutions. They made materials and presentations and even online games for their peers! 

Next week, we will begin diving into Revolutions by discussing the scientific revolution and the ideas of the Enlightenment that pushed for revolutions world-wide. We’ll get a chance to look at revolutions across Europe and the Americas as we continue to uncover the various recipes that cooked up these big events. We’ll meet the women, so often excluded from other historical narratives, who fought for or were affected by revolutions around the world, as well as an enslaved population that overthrew its colonizers and really “turned the world upside down”.

What’s happening in ELA?

This week in grammar, your Eighth Graders worked on identifying adjectives, who/which clauses, and knowing when to use commas and quotation marks. They have also begun their Investigative Journalism Writing Unit. These students recently read a CNN online article about the new production of Disney’s The Little Mermaid and wrote responses of their take on this hot topic. Please take a look at their writing journals and give feedback to your students. Make sure they are applying the grammar skills they have learned. Please be aware that  ELA rubrics are sent home on Fridays and Mondays. Rubrics are to be signed by parents and sent back to school.

What’s happening in Science?

This week, Eighth Graders explored how potential energy is related to kinetic energy, as well as how the kinetic energy of an object changes with its speed. They created marble ramps to investigate the impact mass or height has on acceleration due to the force of gravity. They considered friction and how energy is transferred, never created. Next week, they will experiment with how the kinetic energy of an object changes when its speed or mass changes. They will also start drawing blueprints for the Rube Goldberg machine.

What’s happening in Math?

Unit 1 is officially over! The 8th Graders took the end-of-unit assessment, and I can tell from the lack of questions that they knew their stuff and did well. On to unit 2! We’ll get into more data relationships, which means more graphing, which means we’ll be spending more time playing with the TI-84 graphing calculators…which is really what algebra is all about! We’ll start with linear graphs – proportional and non-proportional – and learn how to use graphs and equations interchangeably, since they’re just 2 different ways to say the same thing. This group is so ready for this!

Important Dates:

September 23rd: Charleston Battery Family Fun Event

September 29th: Parent Coffee (8:00am-8:45am)