Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
January 2014
Special
points of
interest:
6th Grade
French Curriculum
6th Grade
Clean Ups
Join Around
the Block!
Castle Learning
New Years
Day
Computer
Technology:
Hawk Supplies
Rick Riordan
Engage NY
The History
of Christmas
How to Prevent Bullying
Intramurals
Fun Winter
Crafts
Maze
Snow Swabs
Glittery Window Clings
Around the
Block
Northside
Blodgett
Honor Roll
Winter
Snacks
Winter Wonderland Word
Search
6th Grade
Humanities
Project
8th Grade
Winter Concert
Chorus
Changes to
ELA and
Math Curriculum
Christmas
Around the
World
Students
Should Receive Laptops
Spirit Week
What is
Northside
Blodgett
The Independent
Reading
Contest
Around the
Block Staff
Engage NY is great website with many purposes for teachers, parents, and students. By going to this site you can learn many new things about what you will be learning this year. When you
get on the site many options pop up. You can look at common core curriculum and assessments,
parent and family resources, and if you go to the search you can look at your lessons for language a
and math.
What information can you find under each resource that pops up?
Common Core Curriculum and Assessments: If you click on this, then a common core menu and
latest updates will appear. The common core menu has many helpful and informational tabs to click
on. Some of the tabs that pop up are common core learning standards, common core implementation
resources, and common core 3-8 Ela and math tests and regents exams. By clicking on common
core learning standards a lot of information comes up. Files come up with rubrics for English Language Arts and Math. The English language art standards have 3 different types of rubrics for supporting research, text exemplars, and samples of students writing. Each rubric is different based on
grade level. However, the math standards have one rubric for each grade. By observing these you
can get a better understanding of where you should be with your education. Another tab on the common menu is grade 3-8 Ela and math New York state tests. By accessing this tab you can take practice New York state tests for any grade in ELA or Math. This can be beneficial when the New York
state tests come in April. This can help you be better prepared for either the ELA or Math tests. One
more option that pops up are the new common core regents exams. By going to either language or
math tabs you will see the purpose of the regents exams this year. For example, the purpose of the
math regents is to measure the academic growth for Algebra I, Geometry I, and Algebra II. However, the purpose of the language regents is to measure students reading and writing skills.
Parent and Family Resources: By allowing your family to access this site and look around you can
help them understand the expectations for your learning standards. They will learn about the expectations for reading, writing, speaking and listening, language, and math. Not only will they learn that
they will also learn about the changes with new Common Core Standards. They can understand this
by watching a series of videos based on the subject.
Search: If you go up to the top of the screen you will find the search bar. You can search anything
that you are questioning. If you are having a hard time getting to Engage NY Google will work just
as well. The best things about going to this site are that you can search your math or language modules for help. This is really good because for example, lets say, you found out you lost your language worksheet and you need to do it for homework. You can go to the Engage NY site and go up
to the search bar. All you need to do is say whatever grade you are in, the subject, and what module
and what lesson you are on. An example, of how to put this is to; type in 8th grade language a module 1 lesson 8. When you type this in the screen will pop up with pdf files for the different modules
that are in that unit. By clicking on the right module you will find worksheets and other material that
will help you in learning. You can print out and practice with an of these resources.
In conclusion, Engage NY is a very helpful site for your education. By going to this site you
and your family can learn many things. You can learn about common core curriculum and assessments, resources for your family to look at, and your language a and math module. Understanding
your common core curriculum and assessments can allow you to be better prepared for units you
will be learning. Having your family get an understanding of the learning standards can help push
you to be the best you could be. Finally, searching your modules can help you if you missed a day at
school or lost a lesson worksheet. So, for more information go to www.engageny.com.
Page 2
Northside Blodgett has two languages that students can choose from. That language
is what the student will learn for two years. This article will explain to all the readers what
the French curriculum is.
Otto Sutton and I interviewed Mr. Wright, one of the French teachers. We asked him four questions.
Monsieur Wright
What can French students expect from this marking periods curriculum?
This marking period we will finish the Family Unit, and we will start the School Unit after that.
How will students benefit from this unit?
The Family Unit will help with the basics of French. And the School Unit will help with more of the verbs
and some more French.
Are you having fun teaching this unit?
Always.
Are your students having fun in French class?
I believe they are. They seem to be.
6th graders now know how Mr. Wright feels about being a French teacher and what will be in the
French units. Otto and I then interviewed Madame Moyer the next day. We asked the same questions.
Madame Moyer
What can French students expect from this marking periods curriculum?
French students in grade 6 are learning how to speak, read and write about their families, friends and school.
How will students benefit from this unit?
They will gain a lot of vocabulary they can use right away!
Are you having fun teaching this unit?
I LOVE the family/describing people unit.
Are your students having a fun time learning this Language?
My students seem to love French, we have an awesome class!
Madame Moyer also seems to enjoy teaching students French. For those who do take French, I hope
you enjoy learning French from these wonderful teachers! I hope this also helped French students around the
school take a sneak peek into what they will be learning this unit.
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Volume 1, Issue 1
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Castle Learning
By: Irfaan
Castle Learning is a website that provides learning opportunities for students in a wide range of subjects. Currently, Castle Learning is used in the 8th grade Biology/Science. It is a great way for students to review, study, and complete assignments. This online program proves itself to be useful for students and teachers
as it provides instant feedback. As a student who has used this, I find this resource very useful.
How can you access Castle Learning?
You can access Castle Learning through this web address:
https://www.castlelearning.com/corp/. An account is necessary for the use of Castle Learning. This school provides free access to Castle Learning for 8th Grade Biology/Science classes. Once one is given an account with
a username and a password, Castle Learning is up for use.
What does Castle Learning have to offer?
Castle Learning is a resource that provides a series of questions that go along with your current curriculum. All of the questions are multiple choice and once an answer is submitted, instant feedback is given, telling
if the answer is correct or not, and then providing an explanation of the answer. The concept of instant feedback is really helpful for students who have chosen an incorrect answer and do not understand why. Castle
Learning provides an extensive list of questions in a variety of subjects in all age groups. Subjects that are involved in Castle Learning include mathematics, social studies, science, English, and foreign languages.
Why is Castle Learning useful?
Castle Learning is a useful resource that can benefit the learning of students. One notable feature of this
program is that the questions that are provided are field-tested and have been questions that have resemble previous regents exams. Also, Castle Learning is partnered with Method Prep, noted for its test prep software for
SAT/ACT. This helps 8th graders going into high school get a head start for this important assessment. To
help the user, the format of the questions is worded in a way that provides the real experience of what to expect on a real exam. Another crucial feature that Castle Learning provides is instant feedback. When an incorrect choice is made, it does not try to discourage someone, but instead gives an explanation to the correct answer and makes it a positive learning experience. One does not have to wait until the next day to know their
grade on an assignment. Many students tend to feel nervous about asking a question so therefore they may not
always learn from what they did wrong. Castle Learning makes this experience more positive instead of stating
an answer is wrong without any explanation. Certain features like these make Castle Learning interactive and
helpful.
From knowing what Castle Learning is about, you may want to consider using it soon. Though many
students first used Castle Learning in 8th Grade Bio/Science, it is never too late to start, the earlier the better!
Maybe you have an older sibling that has used Castle Learning and you can try it on their account. For more
information, visit the website at https://www.castlelearning.com/corp/.
To combine 21st-century technology with proven educational principles, allowing teachers and administrators to empower every student to reach his or her full academic potential.-Castle Learnings Mission
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Volume 1, Issue 1
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Volume 1, Issue 1
Rick Riordan
By: Emily
In sixth grade language A we have been reading a book called The Lightning Thief by
Rick Riordan (Ryer- dan) He is a bestselling author that started his career off with a bedtime story.
Rick Riordan was born in San Antonio Texas on June 5, 1964. All through his childhood he loved
reading especially about Greek mythology. His favorite book as a kid was Lord of the Rings, which he liked
so much that he read it around ten times. When he got into middle school he started to get interested in fantasy and science fiction. Eventually he liked mysteries in college.
Ricks family was not very big but that did not mean that there was not a lot of talent. When he was
growing up he was an only child who had very creative parents. His mom was an artist and a musician, and
his dad was a ceramicist (which is someone who makes things out of clay.) Rick says that this was where
some of his inspiration came from.
Rick started to write in middle school and decided to hand in a story to be published but that didnt
work out so well, and decided to hand in two new stories which were then published in a UTSA literary
magazine. Later he attended Alamo Heights High School where he really got into writing. He won third
place in a UIL writing competition, and worked as an editor for the school newspaper. While writing for the
school newspaper he got in trouble for making a secret newspaper that made fun of the schools losing football team. Rick Riordan later states that the football team later egged my car. Rick entered North Texas
State College because he wanted to be a guitar player, and that college had one of the best music programs.
When he realized he was not going to be the next lead guitar player on the radio he switched to the University of Texas in Austin. He later graduated with a double major in history and English. He then did his student teaching for the San Antonio Independent School District.
When Rick was in college he worked at a summer camp and that is where he got the idea for
Camp Half-Blood. He then worked at a middle school full-time in New Braunfels, Texas. Rick moved to San
Francisco with his wife and started to teach at Presidio Hill School and soon after had his two sons Haley and
Patrick. Later he moved back to San Antonio where he taught at Saint Marys Hall for a little over half a decade. After fifteen long years of teaching, Rick was awarded the Master Teacher Award. He then stopped
teaching altogether and decided to start writing full time.
Since Rick had taught Greek mythology every year he taught, he thought that it would be great to
write a book about it. He then started to write mystery novels for grownups. His books were successes and he
then turned to the genre, childrens fiction, when he started telling Haley, his son, bedtime stories about gods
and mythology. Haley was diagnosed with ADHD and dyslexia and the only thing that interested him in
school was Greek mythology. He then started to ask Rick to tell him bedtime stories so Rick started telling
him about Percy and how he had to find Zeus lightning bolt.
After Rick was done with the story that lasted three nights he got a request from Haley to turn
it into a book. Rick found time to write the first book The Lightning Thief and made sure to give Percy the
certain conditions that his son had. The Lightning Thief was a complete success.
Today he lives with his wife, two sons, dog, and three cats. Rick enjoys writing books for
children as well as adults. Even though Rick writes for two different audiences he still believes that adults
and children both want to read a fast paced, action packed book with characters that you form an emotional
bond with, like Percy.
Citations
"Biography." Rick Riordan. Web. 19 Nov 2013. <http://www.rickriordan.com/about-rick/biography.asp&xgt;.
"Rick Riordan." Teachers. Scholastic Inc. Web. 20 Nov 2013. <http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/contributor/
rick-riordan>.
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Volume 1, Issue 1
Page 10
Citations:
"What is bullying." stopbullying.gov.Web. 11 Dec 2013. <http://www.stopbullying.gov/what-isbullying/index.html>.
"What is a bully." For Kids. Web. 11 Dec 2013. <http://www.kzoo.edu/psych/stop_bullying/for_kids/
what_is_a_bully.html>.
"What is bullying." National Centre Against Bullying. The Alannah and Madeline Foundation. Web.
12 Dec 2013. <http://www.ncab.org.au/whatisbullying/>.
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Volume 1, Issue 1
By: Elora
Intramurals
By: Michael
Do you want to have a lot of fun before school starts? If you do, Intramurals will be a great thing for you; you get to play any sport you want till half way and then you play a game
called Bombardment. Intramurals is really fun.
Intramurals happen every week for every grade. 8th grade is on Tuesday, 7th grade on Wednesday,
and 6 grade on Thursday. It starts at 6:55 and ends at 7:50, kids really like it and Mrs. Wilsoncroft said It
is a great way to start the day. It also helps stimulate your brain to get ready for all of your classes. Some
very popular games in Intramurals are knock out, basketball, football, and volleyball. At the half way mark
of Intramural's you play a game called Bombardment, basically you have to get everybody out or knock
down the two basketballs. Getting people back in is pretty simple all you have to do is make a basket. The
entrances for Intramurals are the old 8th grade band entrance so you do not get mud on the floor so the janitor
does not get busy cleaning up after students to much. If it is past 7:30 you have to use the main entrance.
Another reason for the old 8th grade band entrance is the teachers do not want kids to go to their lockers and
not wander into classrooms and disturbing teachers. Also Intramurals is a great way to start the day.
Intramurals is really enjoyable and a lot of kids enjoy it. Also Mrs. Wilsoncroft has a couple of pretty
serious rules while you have fun. One rule is if you take a ball out you have to put it away, that rule is there
because in the past kids have tripped on the equipment have brock injured themselves. The last rule is HAVE
FUN! These rules are serious but you can still have a lot of fun while you exercise. A lot of kids would recommend Intramurals to every single kid in this school.
I would really recommend Intramural's because I truly enjoy it and I know you will enjoy it too. If
you like to play sports Intramural's is a great thing for you, that is why I would recommend it.
th
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The Steps:
1.
2.
3.
Spread the pipe cleaner pieces into a starburst shape and thread about five beads onto each pipe cleaner
as shown in the picture.
Using the needle thread the pom-poms on the fishing line, then tie the snow flake to one end of the line.
4.
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Volume 1, Issue 1
Maze
By: Gavin
Answer:
Page 14
Snow Swabs
By: Elora
What you will need:
18 cotton swabs
Cardboard and plastic wrap
Tacky glue
Glitter
Monofilament line
How to make it:
1. To create one, first create a work surface by covering a large piece of card board with plastic wrap
2. For each snowflake, arrange 18 cotton swabs as shown.
3. Squeeze a small amount of tacky glue where the ends of the swabs meet.
4. Sprinkle glitter and let the snowflakes dry overnight.
5. Carefully peel each flake from the plastic
6. Collect and return the excess glitter to its container. Hand up your snowflake with a monofilament line.
Craft is from http://spoonful.com/crafts/snow-swabs by Chrissie Rouse
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Volume 1, Issue 1
Do you like to write and talk about school events and research articles that
are happening in school or relate to school? Well then Around the Block is just right for you.
Around the Block is our school newspaper and it is so much fun and it gets you better at typing, social activity, and making new friends. We have four issues for one year and the first issue has already come. You can write about almost anything, but it has to be appropriate and
not insulting to any teachers or students.
Do you like Around the Block some people ask, wellhere are the results:
Do you like Around the Block?
Irfaan said, Yes, I do like Around the Block as a fun and innovative extracurricular activity
after school here at Northside Blodgett Middle School.
Laurel said, Yes , I do.
Claire said, Yes, I do.
Lizzie claimed, Certainly!! Its like, the best after-school program EVER!
Vanessa said I love it, coming after a hard day at school and just sitting down and writing.
That to me is fun!
What do you like about Around the Block?
Irfaan said that I really enjoy the idea of just expressing my thoughts on certain topics without the stress of being graded and instead having a relaxed experience.
Laurel said, I like Around the Block because I had really thought about becoming a journalist once I grow up! Working with the computer is like working on a typewriter and the Computer Technology room becomes a newsroom! I love to type and the newspaper gives me a
chance to show what I type to everyone who reads the Around the Block newsletters!
Lizzie said, I love Around the Block because I love to write, and Ive always dreamed of
having my writings published and it happens at the end of every marking period! Its a
dream come true!
Claire said, I love to type and I will love to have something I wrote in a newspaper
Why does Mrs. Howe run Around the Block?
Actually it was already a newspaper club and since I was a computer technology teacher it
was thought that I could keep it running, students would be able to produce quality looking
articles that were created through the use of technology.
So I think that after you have heard some of the students answers to my questions I would
like to think that you would want to join Around the Block!
Page 16
Marking Period 1
GRADE 6
HONOR IN EXCELLENCE
Clara Allen, Erin Austin, Darien Beall, Nicolas Burdick, Kiely Caulfield, Agastya Chaturvedi,
Talia Christiansen, Emily Curreri, Riley Davis, Seika Dingel, Elora Ferrie, Elon Friends,
Jadon Geathers, Artem Goncharov, Elizabeth Green, Sarah Hill, Elizabeth Hogrefe, Seth
Hogue, Alex Hoover, Jerry Hou, Ninog Jouanno, Ethan Kang, Vanessa Kelly, Robert Kesterson, Erik Kopf, Joseph Kowalski, Aarthi Krishnakumar, Abigail Landolf, Todd Lu, Claire Mason, Hannah Mealy, Chase Merrill, Morgan Miller, Jonathan Morse, Abdoulaye Ndiaye,
Mikko Neukirch, Joseph Ott, Lorren Perry, Matthew Reif, Sadie Sharkey, Laurel Shaut, Siobhan Stone , Otto Sutton, Olivia Tanneberger, Alyssa Tenny, Ericka VanAlstine, Isaac VanEtten, Kade Wakefield, Olivia Youngman
HIGH HONOR
Grant Barnes, Adam Brewer, Madeline Burns, Marissa Carlineo, Megan Colman, Gavin
Corey, Hayley Cornish, Becca Cramer, Morgan Cutler, Chloe Drehmer, Edward Gigliotti,
Charles Hale, Collin Hauptman, Zachary Heckart, Michael Hennessy II, Saege Holleran, Kurtis Hooey, Nicole Johnson, Willow Jones, Marlea Krause, Dallas Lamagro, Jasmine Langdon,
Lexis Maurer, Connor McIntosh, Taylor Mitchell, Brenna Remchuk, Jacob Riker, Craig Russell, Caleb Savona, Adelle Silvers, Paige Sinn, Dalton Smith, Roy Springer-Kessler, Michael
Stansfield, Margaret Stiker, Mianna Stratton, Kobe Terwilliger, Emily VanDelinder, Carley
VanZile, Cyrus Walker, Jacob Whittier, Silas Wieland
HONOR
Isabella Aiken, Jonathan Arnedo, Emily Brarens, Austin Callahan, Alissah Carmack, Sladen
Cobb, Jakob Cole, Lyndsay Crane, William Edwards, Faith Good, Kaiyia Heard, Alexander
Hevey, Faith Kollhoff, Natasha Matusick, Montana Nichols, Juliann Preston, Jayonna Reeves,
Arianna Sardo, Makenzie Tarby, Madison Tholen, Alexander Timmerman, Aidan Vichinsky,
Warren Wheeler, Kayla Wood
Page 17
Volume 1, Issue 1
NORTHSIDE BLODGETT HONOR ROLL
Marking Period 1
GRADE 7
HONOR IN EXCELLENCE
Lauren Beall, Taylor Bennett, Lindsey Butler, Danielle Cohen, Talia Cole, Sydney Crouch,
Michael Daigler, Zoe Dessoye, Alexis Durkin, Jacob Freeland, Sara Frutos, Ariana Gleason,
Taras Goral, Ashley Halm, Brooke Jackson, Hodrin Kamnang, Anna McKane, Katherine
McKane, Logan McNaney, Brittney Millhollen, Isabelle Murch, Logan Olmstead,
Riley Olmstead, Rachel Plumley, Nikitha Reddy, Lucas Rossington, Grace Scouten, Anna
Smith, Damon Smith, Gabriella Stalter, Mercedes Sullivan, Alexis Swan, Nicholas Sweet,
Sean Tovey, Erin Tucker, Westley Williams, Ted Xie, Camden Zaidel, Adam Zingler
HIGH HONOR
Lauren Ball, Trinity Ball, Emma Brown, Logan Bunch, Jeanette Butler, Brooke Calkins,
Trevor Carmack, Kaylee Castellana, Alexander Clark, Bionca Conklin, Kaitlyn Crandall,
Samuel Dickerman, Sydney Eighmey, Kayla Farley, Amanda Flick, Stephon Folk, Alexander
Ford, Makenna Gadsden-Cornell, Jordan Haggard, Jaden Harris, Dillon Herritt, Brendyn
Hogue, Kelly Hoyt, Izeiah Jones, Rebakah Knarr, Kayla Kollhoff, David Litreal, Bailey
MacAuley, Vasu Maisuria, Mariposa Maxim, Hannah McConnell, Emily McIntosh, Christina Mizzoni, Austin Parrish, Logan Remchuk, Cheyenne Ribble, Madison Rigby, Amaya
Robinson, Paige Serdula, Courtney Smith, Kate Smith, Emma Stanton, Nicholas Theurich,
Skylar Treadwell, Jessica Turner, Aaron VanHouten, Noah Walker, Keone Wallace, Sydney
White, Kaitlyn Wilson, Alexis Wright
HONOR
Meghan Bodkins, David Brockway, Storm Bunevitch, Hzyll Vhnn Calunsag, Shane Gipson,
Alexandrya Hamilton, Jacob Hofstetter, Kelly Jones, Gabriel Kio, Kenneth Kittleson,
Cameron Laughlin, Gabrielle McLean, Mercedes Morse, Alex Simmers, Jacqueline Smith,
Alexander Taylor, Brandon VanGorden, Emma Webster, Alisa Willis, Aaliyah Wraight
Page 18
Marking Period 1
GRADE 8
HONOR IN EXCELLENCE
Emily Austin, Lindsay Bagley, Monica Fadul, Mackensie Galusha, Connie Hou, Colin Hurlburt, Samuel Kelly, Irfaan Khan, William Kopf, Divya Krishnakumar, Conner Lin, Roger Liu,
Katherine Mertus, Julia Meteer, Tessa Neukirch, Trevor Prutsman, Erin Shaut, Anthony
Smaldone, Jacob Tober, Karigan Wright
HIGH HONOR
Jordan Allen, Nicholas Allen, Julia Ballance, Kellan Beall, Shiloh Boris, Natalee Bostwick,
Ryan Burns, Danielle Butler, Mikayla Callahan, Cian Collins, Ashley Colman, Britton Cook,
Giovanni DelGrosso, Chelsea Dignen, Ken Dingel, Evan Doherty, Kayla Dundas, Christopher
Durkin, Michael Frankie, Cairo Gaona, Dominique Gunn, Hunter Haley, Kezia Hatch, Dominic Hauptman, Trevor Henneman, Jennifer Hill, Jonathan Hodge, Emryn Hogue,Samuel
Hong, Kaori Irie, Olivia Johnson, Ivan Jubilee, Dylon Kizis, Gina Landry, Greta Lorey, Logan
Maurer, Sage Mayer, Taylor Mayhew, Asha McManus, Matthew Messecar, Bailey Nellis,
Katherine Ott, Fuller Perry, Tanner Saunders, Jocelyn Sawyer, Deven Serdula, Alec Gabriel
Sharkey, Isabella Sherwood, Brienna Shimkanin, Jacob Smith, Pranav Tandon, Devon Tubbs,
Emily Walters, Ryan Ward, Brenna Wilson
HONOR
Zachary Bingaman, Justin Black, Mitchell Bliss, Kristine Brown, Jacob Bruner, Sabrina
Cordero, Jacob Dann, Istvan De Angelis, Michael Gardiner, Alyssa Hallock, Austin Kniffin,
Scott Magruder, Sydney Meeker, Gabrielle Moshier, Jahra Paquette, Joseph Rogers, Keegan
Smith, Laura StempinNina Thomas, Nolan Williams
Page 19
Volume 1, Issue 1
Winter Snacks
By: Elora
WARNNIG: THIS ARTICLE MIGHT MAKE YOU DROOL GO CRAZY TIL YOU MAKE IT ALL OF THE RECIPES THEY ALSO
HAVE SIDE EFFECTS INCLUDING: Mmm, FUN AND YUMMY ALL THE TIME SO DONT FRET!!!!
Mm the smell of hot chocolate and cookies are filling the room with fun. If these treats dont have your mouth drooling then I dont know
what will.
Hot Chocolate
What you will need:
6 cups of whole milk
Chocolate Sauce
Whipped Cream
4 ounces chocolate shavings or smaller pieces
How to make it:
Heat the milk until it simmers and whisk in chocolate
Pour into individual cups and serve with whipped cream.
Serve with chocolate shavings on top.
This recipe was found on http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alexandra-guarnaschelli/hot-chocolate-recipe/index.html By: Alex
Guarnaschelli
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Volume 1, Issue 1
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The 6 graders have been studying Ancient Rome and the sixth grade
teachers decided that instead of taking a test we had to make a poster and
present it to our class for something different to do. This counted as a test
grade, so if we get a bad score it would count as 60% of our overall grade.
We first had to do research on Ancient Rome. We had read for about
2-3 weeks on the Romans and what their life was all about. This counted as
our research. We then had to pick a partner. The teachers made it clear that we should not pick
our friends because we would probably end up talking and not getting much work done. After
we had picked our partners the teachers told us what we needed to do for our project.
We would need to include four sections or panels. One of the panels would need to talk
about Ancient Romes geography, another about their government, another about their legacies
and lastly one of our choice. This could be on anything that we learned about the Romans, like
their architecture or about certain rulers.
My partner and I decided that we were going to do what the poor Romans life was like
and what the wealthy Romans life was like. Next we decided that we should not just go ahead
and write on the poster without knowing what exactly we wanted to put on it, so we wrote out
our plans. My partner made one and I made one as well. We then merged our ideas together
and wrote lightly on our poster to make our layout.
We then started to write our script. When I say script I mean, what we were going to
write on our poster. This was not very hard for us since we already had lots of notes from our
reading so we just combined them and put them in our own words.
We decided that we liked how our layout looked so we went over it with sharpie to make
it look darker. We then printed out our pictures that had to relate to the topic we were talking
about for our sections, and laid them on our poster where we wanted them. We wrote our four
facts and captions from our script onto our poster with pencil just in case we made mistakes
(which we did). After we had our words in the places we wanted them to be, we made sure that
our pictures were the spots we wanted them to be as well. We then went over them with
sharpie so it would be easier to see. After this we glued on the pictures and we were almost
done.
We then made one last check over everything. We signed our names and started to think
about how we were going to present our poster. We decided on doing them by sections I would
do government and wealthy vs. poor and my partner would do geography and legacies.
It was then time to present, after my partner and I had presented we watched the
other groups go and they all did a great job with their posters and presenting. Overall everyone
worked very hard and it was a fun project to do instead of sitting down and taking a test.
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Volume 1, Issue 1
Chorus
Hot, hot ooooo we got it (right shoulder bop, roll, and drop). This was
a song all 6th, 7th and 8th grade chorus students sang from the Polar Express,
with choreographed moves by Mrs. Bryson for their winter concerts.
The 6th graders for their concert sang The Bells Of Christmas Medley,
Beautiful December, Hot Chocolate and Chantez Alleluia. The Bells of Christmas Medley is
a medley of songs including some of Carol of the Bells (ding-ding-a-ding), I Heard The Bells
On Christmas Day, Gloria, and a variation of Jingle Bells. Beautiful December is about how
beautiful the month of December is, the snow falling and how quiet it is. Hot Chocolate is in
the Polar Express when the waiters come out with cups of Hot Chocolate and the engineer is
singing. Chantez Alleluia is French for sing alleluia. Parts of the song say chantez une nouvelle chanson which means sing a new song, une chanson which means a song, vous
means you, joyeux means happy, chantez which you could probably tell means sing,
alleluia is alleluia, une nouvelle chanson une chanson joyeux chantez vous une chanson a
mouthful to say, means a new song a merry song you sing a song, and chantez chantez vous
means sing you sing.
By: Claire
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Volume 1, Issue 1
Page 25
The use of Quickwrites have been used near the beginning of the module which are basically paragraph responses. In eighth grade, we have been taught an acronym, APES. This APES
method helps us remember to answer in a complete sentence, provide three examples, explain
each example, and to summarize when writing Quickwrites. It is a different way to look at writing
a paragraph response instead of the usual beginning, middle, and end format. I have also noticed
that the use of evidence is stressed clearly and repeatedly in the assignments. Taking evidence
from the novel and the informational texts has been a majority of the assignments. As I have
learned, evidence has been used to prove many ideas such as character, plot, symbolism, and especially
themes. The use of evidence has been strongly integrated in this year's curriculum, while previous years did
not enforce the use of evidence as much. With evidence, analysis of particular words or sentences have been
devoted for a single lesson. This was not present in any of the curriculum for previous years. Looking into the
deep roots of the text and the ability to interpret critically has increased our spectrum in ELA. Changes like
these describe possible ways that may improve students' ability to be successful in class and the NYS tests that
approaching us this spring.
What are some differences in terms of the curriculum for Math?
Similarly to Language A, many changes have been made in the curriculum for Math. A major difference from this year compared to previous years is that there is no textbook. Instead, there are modules that are
divided into lessons with mid-module and end-of-module assessments. As an 8th grade student who takes honors classes, I currently take Algebra Common Core instead of Integrated Algebra which the 8th grade students
who were in honors last year took. One major difference is that the curriculum at times is more abstract. Since
the curriculum this year revolves around real-life situations instead of step-by-step processes, there is more
interpretation. With more interpretation, there can be more than one correct answer as long as the response can
be justified using logical reasoning and calculations. This interpretation gives us students a purpose to learn
certain ideas and concepts because it allows us to reflect on what we have learned and how to apply that
knowledge to a real situation. As mentioned, justifying and explaining one's answer has been stressed more
this year. It is one thing to get a correct answer, but how you get an answer and how that response applies to
the problem has been a focus throughout the lessons. Most questions do not have a straightforward answer or a
single step answer as a result of more interpretation and justification. The way we go through the lessons is
similar to an extended word problem that is broken down and more thorough. In previous years, students
would learn a topic by looking at a clear step-by-step explanation in a textbook and then do exercises of a topic
like adding fractions that may involve occasional word problems. In these current lessons, there are instances
where there are no direct explanations and students must respond to questions that will lead to the steps of a
process to such as finding a standard deviation for a set of statistical data without telling any mathematical formula. With each module, the majority of the lessons focus on one idea. In 8th grade honors, the first module
consists of concepts related to equations and the second module consists of concepts related to statistics. As
these changes occur, we realize that these changes have been made to make students including myself become
more successful and help us prepare for NYS tests and exams in the spring.
What does this mean for us?
The Common Core Learning Standards have influenced our new curriculum, resulting all these
changes and differences to our learning. As a school, students should not lose focus and concentration due to a
change in their learning. Instead, we should work even harder and try to make the best of our learning by putting in our greatest effort. With this mindset, we should be able to be able to become successful students as we
prepare for the NYS state tests and for our futures.
For more information, visit http://www.engageny.org/ to learn more about CCLS and ELA/Mathematics curriculum.
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Volume 1, Issue 1
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Continued..
The traditions of Christmas around the world are diverse. They are
celebrated with one true meaning. It was my pleasure to learn and study
different customs for this article. In 1863, he was given the name Santa
Claus and bore the red suit, pipe, and his reindeer and sleigh.
In Hawaii this practice is still in use as under the sunny skies, Santa Claus arrives by
boat and Christmas dinner is eaten outdoors. In Alaska, a star on a pole is taken from door to
door, followed by Herod's Men, who try to capture the star. Colonial doorways are often decorated with pineapple, a symbol of hospitality. In Alaska, boys and girls with lanterns on poles
carry a large figure of a star from door to door. They sing carols and are invited in for supper.
In Washington D.C., a huge, spectacular tree with Christmas ornaments is lit ceremoniously
when the President presses a button and turns on the tree's lights. In Boston, carol-singing festivities are famous. Hand bells accompany the singers. In New Orleans, a huge ox is paraded
around the streets decorated with holly and with ribbons tied to its horns. In Arizona, the Mexican ritual called Las Posadas is kept up. This is a ritual procession and play representing the
search of Mary and Joseph for a room at the inn. Families play the parts and visit each other's
houses enacting and re-enacting the drama and, at the same time, having a look at each family's crib. In California, Santa Claus sweeps in on a surfboard. In America the traditional
Christmas dinner is roast turkey with vegetables and sauces. For dessert it is rich, fruity Christmas pudding with brandy sauce. Mince pies, pastry cases filled with a mixture of chopped
dried fruit. The majority of Americans celebrate Christmas with the exchange of gifts and
greetings and with family visits. For many, the day begins on Christmas Eve with the Midnight
Mass. At Christmas it snows in many states, so dinner is usually eaten indoors. Dinner usually
is roast turkey, goose, duck or ham served with cranberry sauce, then plum pudding or pumpkin pie followed by nuts and fruit. American homes are decorated with holly, mistletoe and
branches of trees, most have a Christmas tree hung with electric lights, tinsel, baubles, and
strings of popcorn and candy canes. In Colorado, an enormous star is placed on the mountain,
it can be seen for many kilometers around, while in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, a star is lit in
early December. Polish Americans on Christmas Eve spread hay on their kitchen floor and under the tablecloth to remind them of a stable and a manger. When they make up the table for
dinner two extra places are set up for Mary and the Christ Child in case they should knock at
the door to ask for shelter. In Philadelphia, a procession called Mummers parade runs for a
whole day with bands, dancers and people in fancy dress. There are two homes for Santa Claus
in the United States, one is in Torrington, Connecticut, where Santa and his helpers give out
presents. The other home is in Wilmington, New York, where a village for Santa and his reindeer is located. In parts of New Mexico, people place lighted candles in paper bags filled with
sand on streets and rooftops to light the way for the Christ Child.
The traditions of Christmas...
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We should get laptops because we can use a calculator and school will not need to buy them. We
will not have to go the library for tests. NWEA tests, teachers would not have to setup all the computers for students.
Also, during study hall we would not have to bother with the only three computers in the room rule. I think we can do
that still, but substitutes might not know of the rule. We could have more than three and students would not get angry.
But, warning, there must be rules at all times.
What do you think of getting a laptop? Here are some students thoughts:
I think its a good idea. If students get laptops during free time we could do school projects, etc. By Makenzie
I think its a good idea for students to have laptops so we can do research and do projects. By Seth
how
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Volume 1, Issue 1
Votes
6
5
4
Votes
3
2
1
0
Sports Day
Pattern Day
Color Wars
Twin Day
Spirit Day
Thanks to: Emily, Laurel, Aarthi, Shane, Megan, Gavin, Elora, Otto, Claire , Jadon , Vanessa , Lizzie , and Collin
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Volume 1, Issue 1
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SAINT BALDRICKS
Page 33
Groundhog Day is my favorite time of the year because that usually means spring is nearing! The national mascot for Groundhog Day is none other than Punxsutawney Phil. Groundhog Day was first
celebrated on February 2nd, 1887 in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. This is how Punxsutawney Phil got
his name. Groundhog Day is celebrated all throughout the United States. When Punxsutawney Phil
comes out of his whole and sees his shadow, he has predicted 6 more weeks of winter and if he does
not, then there will be an early spring. A groundhog can also be referred to as a woodchuck and they
belong to a group of animals called marmots or large ground squirrels. Groundhogs can live up to 6
years. Most however live up to 2 or 3 years. They inhabit most parts of eastern North America with an
exception of some living in the western part. Because humans believe that groundhogs are capable of
predicting the weather, you and I can conclude that they are very wise creatures. They are indeed!
Have you ever witnessed an animal predict the weather and be 90 out of 100% accurate? The only
animal capable of doing that is the groundhog! Plus theyre SO cute! Groundhogs are amazing creatures! I hope good Ol Punxsutawney brings us good news this year. Ill still root for him even if he
doesnt bring good news. Remember though, humans are still not sure if it is just a coincidence or
they really can predict the weather. Either way Punxsutawney is very smart!