We finished up CH4 on systems of equations this week. Next week we'll start chapter 5 which is on sequences. This chapter will include recursive and explicit equations for arithmetic and geometric sequences. Historically, this has been a challenging chapter. All materials for Chapter 5 will be posted on Monday.

*Homework is posted on Monday, due on Friday.
*My office hours are Wednesdays at lunch.
*Many resources are on google classroom. Here are the codes.
*Did you know?? Materials for each chapter are posted at the beginning of each chapter? Study guide, assignment sheet, vocabulary and parent guide (practice worksheets.)  
*New this year: Mathematician Projects! Check it out. 

We finished our reader's theater performance of Agatha Christie's famous play 'The Mousetrap'. The students had a blast performing the roles, and peeling back the layers of mystery. Students kept track of revealing or suspicious dialogue (citing text evidence), and monitored suspects' actions, behaviors, and odd details (analyzing characters). Students made predictions based on the evidence they pulled out of the text to see who the culprit was. 

Also, students should be at least 3/4 of the way through an independent novel (if not farther). Students are becoming life coaches for the main character - diagnosing their character's mistakes, problematic behavior, poor judgements, etc. and offering advice to help them improve and solve their problems (Analyzing how actions or dialogue reveal character, propel plot, or provoke a decision standard). 

We will continue this work next week, in addition to some wrap up with the 'Mousetrap' play, where students script and create a "true crime" podcast to reflect on the characters, and deeper themes in the play such as guilt & trauma, justice vs. revenge, and appearances vs. reality. 

GENETICS:  This week, we began our 2nd unit which is genetics!  Students will be learning all about who they are.  We will cover both biological as well as behavioral aspects of genetics and the steps involved in protein synthesis.  This unit is a mix of modeling, labs, conceptual understanding and technological advancements and will be 4 weeks of hands-on learning.  Today (Friday) students are making models of DNA out of licorice, marshmallows and gummy worms.  

STEM and Design

Taylor - Our 8th graders are wrapping up an exciting doubles tournament, showcasing great teamwork, communication, and sportsmanship. For students who want an extra challenge, we’re offering an optional singles tournament next! As we transition, students are learning and practicing the rules for both doubles and singles play. It’s been wonderful to see everyone enjoying the friendly competition while sharpening their skills and building confidence on the court.

Corbolotti: These last few weeks we've covered the basics of healthy eating and how to properly fuel ourselves to make sure we are feeling energized and are getting the necessary nutrients for our bodies to grow and develop. Along with our nutrition unit we will continue to play classic PE games on turf.  Next week this unit will culminate in a 20 question test so make sure review your notes amd assignments. 

In art class, we just finished an erasure stamp project. In this project, students explored how to express their creativity and learned about positive and negative space (the empty space and the filled space in artwork). We also studied Hokusai's Great Wave to understand more about art and learn about the history and culture behind it.