DATA 8th Grade Newsletter

DATA@EWMS WEBSITE

Week 7: Sept 23 - 27

Please check the newsletter homepage for Important Information and Dates!

ELAR

"What hurts the victim most is not the cruelty of the oppressor, but the silence of the bystander."

- Elie Wiesel, author of Night

In class, we continue reading Night, Elie Wiesel's first-hand account of survival during the Holocaust.

Honors - Study of novel will be done through the use of Study Guide Questions

GT - Will study the novel using a SAY-MEAN-MOVES-MATTER chart

-Mrs. Burciaga

Tutoring

Tuesday after school, 3:45 - 4:15

Thursday before school, 7:45 - 8:15

Lunch tutoring is available upon request

Questions or concerns? Feel free to email me: jburci@neisd.net

MATH

Pure mathematics is, in its way, the poetry of logical ideas. — Albert Einstein

Last week saw our first unit test, and this week dealing with the aftermath. The results were generally very good, reinforcing my belief that I've got the best math students around!

Algebra 1: When the students took their Unit 1 test I had them write out their work so I could grade it for partial credit. (The Aware test was 9 questions, all-or-nothing.) This improved the average score over all classes to an 85, and let me assess the students on what they know rather than just the final answer. We've started Unit 2 on Linear Functions, which has gone well so far. Ask your student about their Springs 'n' Things lab-based activity--I'm very proud of the thinking they did, and how well they executed the activity and its followup!

Geometry: Unit 1 is behind us, and the unit exam went very well. Now we're starting to explore lines, angles, and shapes, working to prove and/or verify some surprising results. The interplay of hands-on activities and abstract critical thinking is new to most, and they are taking to it well. Students should be able to show you the polygons they've made (and dismembered!), and explain what they've learned from it. Ask them!

-Dr. Koepp

Tutoring available before school by appointment on Wednesday and Thursday; and after school on Thursdays 3:45-4:30. wkoepp@neisd.net

SCIENCE

EXPERIMENT. FAIL. LEARN. REPEAT.

This week we will look at adaptations, both physical and behavioral. Students will begin the week with a bird beak lab where they simulate different types of beaks and collect different food sources through the various methods. Students will model how the different bird beak shapes provide advantages and disadvantages. Students will look at how the bird beak has changed over time and how subsequent populations are affected by these changes. We will review genetics and adaptations Thursday and take our exam on Friday.

Tutoring is offered on Thursdays, students can attend from 3:45-4:15.

If you have any questions, you may email me at egonza10@neisd.net.

U.S. History through 1877

We are Living History!

💥 💥 💥 💥 💥 💥 💥 💥 💥 💥

Unit 2 progresses and we're getting to battles and the end of the Revolutionary war this week! Towards the end of this week, students will be getting their Unit 2 projects towards the end of this week. Not to spoil anything, but students in groups to create a representative diagram of the causes of the Revolution and the Revolution itself. Their Unit 2 test will be on Thursday, October 3rd.

💥 💥 💥 💥 💥 💥 💥 💥 💥 💥

Tutoring is available Thursdays, 7:45-8:20 am and 3:45-4:15

You can reach me at lvanho@neisd.net.

Have a wonderful week!

-Ms. Van Horn

Mrs. Malin's Classes

Greetings DATA Families!
Have a great week!
PLEASE REVIEW WITH YOUR CHILD THE NEISD AND CAMPUS GUIDELINES REGARDING TECHNOLOGY USE, ACCEPTABLE USE POLICY, AND THEIR SAFTEY. YOU CAN ACCESS THIS VIA: https://www.neisd.net/Page/10011

“Design is the intermediary between information and understanding.” - Hans Hofmann

Hello to Our DATA Families!

I am excited to be working with your students this year. We will be exploring graphic design elements and principles, photography, print media and design, video game principles, coding, and video game design and production in our classes this year.

Graphic Design & Illustration I: From last week and continuing this week, students are using GIMP, a free and open-source image manipulation software, to create personal artwork that represents their unique identities. As they explore the various tools and features of GIMP, they are also learning how to apply the principles and elements of art and design, such as balance, contrast, unity, and color harmony. Each student is tasked with incorporating these concepts into their digital creations while using layers, textures, and effects to express their individuality. Through the process, they are not only developing technical skills in digital design but also deepening their understanding of how artistic principles can be used to convey meaning and emotion in their work.

Video Game Design: In this series of activities, students are learning how to apply nested loops and Boolean expressions to solve programming challenges. Through tasks like "Yellow Brick Road," they use nested loops to handle complex iterations efficiently. In "What Shape Is That?" they implement inputs and conditionals, using simple if and if-else statements to control the program’s flow. They practice using variables to track data in a "Guessing Game" and dive into Boolean logic in "Boole in the House," where they define and evaluate Boolean expressions and use operators like "and," "or," and "not" to create compound conditions

About Me: My name is Elizabeth Fuentes Malin. I am a technology applications teacher and have been teaching for sixteen years. I am married with one child who is now at DATA with us! I attended OLLU, UIW, Lamar University, and now UNT. I hold degrees in English, Communication Arts, Administration, Educational Technology Leadership, and now am working on my doctorates in Learning Technologies and Machine Learning.

My email is emalin@neisd.net

Tutoring is Friday morning or by appointment only

Mr. Lovett's Classes

Principles of Architecture:

Architecture students have done fantastic getting the hang of sketching out walls accroding to a floor plan in SketchUp. Next week, they will be raising the walls and creating windowns and doors! This is one of the most complicated aspects of the course. However, your students are doing AWESOME!!

Digital Media 2:

Digital Media students learned two cornerstone layout principles last week: rule of thirds and grid layout. Next week they will get an introduction to color theory and present their Septymmetry assignments. I can hardly wait!!

If you ever have any questions or concerns, please feel free to send me an email.

Page updated

Report abuse