December 08 Grade 8 Math Mrs. Hansen - Jupiter Mrs. Baldwin - Orion Mrs. Smith, Ms. Levy
Winter in Mathland Twas the night before Chapter Test when all through the house, e were reviewing Rational Numbers, even the mouse. Our Proportions were hung by the chimney with care, Because after vacation our thoughts will go there. Solving inequalities while we wait for the snow, Gives the luster of Algebra to all that we know. When what to our wondering eyes should appear, But fractions and decimals changing to percents, oh dear! We sprang to our desks, grabbed pencils and books To give this new chapter a very thorough look. We’re going to study so we won’t have to cram, Because at the end of January we have a mid-year exam. Happy Holidays to all and Happy New Year!
December 08
Mrs. Malloy
Jupiter English Language Arts Students in Mrs. Malloy’s Jupiter ELA class are working on acquiring increasing analytical and critically-based reading and writing skills. In late November, we completed the short story unit where students learned to identify a range of literary terms and techniques in six different short stories. In December we started a wonderful journey with Mark Twain along the Mississippi in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Although a challenging read because of the dialect used, students are captivated by Tom and his pranks. We are acting out parts of the novel to bring it alive and to make the language more accessible. The unit will culminate in a formal essay that will be supported through prewriting, outlining, drafting and revising techniques, with a focus on organization and thesis statement Our practice with grammar, vocabulary and language usage is ongoing. In addition, we will be starting MCAS open response practice to prepare students for this vital skill that is part of assessment in most subjects, and is a building block for high school and the SAT. The ELA MCAS will be held in late March and workshops will be offered. Your children have wonderful, curious minds, and they are a pleasure to teach.
December 08
Mrs. Needel
Orion Language Arts
As Thanksgiving approached, students worked to complete their test for the short stories unit. The test, which included five different components, challenged students not only to know literary elements and be able to analyze them in short stories, but also to be able to effectively use and identify them in their own creative writing. Additionally, students tackled a challenging open response which required thematic analysis of a story as well as being able to use and identify various sentence combining techniques in their expository writing.
We are currently in our unit on the novel Let the Circle Be Unbroken. The essential question for the unit is: How can family and community provide us with the strength to endure and fight against injustice? This historical fiction novel allows students a window of understanding into the experiences of a rural African-American community in the segregated South of the 1930’s. The novel provides us with an opportunity to address real-world issues and to do so in discussion circles that promote students’ abilities to take on responsibilities while working as a community of learners. Grade 8 Science Mrs. McCarthy - Jupiter Mrs. Knowles - Orion  Welcome to Physical Science! Mrs. McCarthy’s and Mrs. Knowles’ science classes are busy learning about the properties of matter. They have been measuring length, mass, volume, density, and temperature using the SI metric system of measurement to complete many laboratory activities. Our young scientists are following the scientific method and engaging in many hand-on investigations. We are completing our first unit on the introduction to the physical science classroom and will be studying matter’s physical and chemical properties, states, and changes. Students are encouraged to see Mrs. McCarthy or Mrs. Knowles for extra help if they need additional assistance. Science extra-help is offered after-school from 3:15-4:10 or on Wednesday mornings from 7:55-8:50. Homework is posted on-line daily on essign, http://nauset.essign.com and on the homework phone hotline (Jupiter: extension 330 and Orion: extension 337). Parents and students are reminded that grades are updated with recent postings on the X2 online electronic grade-book system and are encouraged to check it often.
December 08 Grade 8 Social Studies Mr. Peterson – Jupiter Mr. Kirouac - Orion
In the eighth grade this year, both the Orion and Jupiter Teams have been hard at work learning about the foundations of American History. For the Jupiter Team, students have looked at how revolution has shaped the way the United States has evolved over time, studying such topics as the American, French, Industrial, and Technological Revolutions. Orion Team has studied from pre to post American Revolution and is now looking at the formation of our government and Constitution. Both teams during the first few months of school also looked into the national election, studying its processes and issues. Both teams will be heading into the Louisiana Purchase after vacation. |
Eighth Grade Cores |