Post date: Mar 12, 2016 6:53:31 PM
Dear Room 25 Families,
It's a foggy and blah day up here in the hills but I'm headed out to the coast soon so I'm going to try to keep this newsletter shorter than usual. Six things to cover:
1. Pi Day and Google Trip: On Monday morning DCS will be celebrating Pi Day with a morning full of math activities throughout middle school alley. Im going to be encouraging the kids to find one that interests them and participating well, rather than bouncing from room to room searching for the best social scene.
At around 10 they our class will gather at room 25 and head to Google for a tour and activities hosted by Bill Berryman and Arthur Weinberger. Although Google is a wonderfully casual place, I'd like us to give our hosts and guides a great impression. Kids, please wear appropriate clothes (avoid T-shirts with words) and come with a curious mind, articulate questions, and a great attitude.
2. Science fair (s!): There are two different science fairs this year, and this first one (March 23) is focussed on the science process. Kids are or will be performing a very wide variety of investigations and the emphasis of their tri-fold display boards should be experimental design -- question formation, observation skills, experimental design, variable control/isolation, data collection/measurement, and (most importantly) analysis and communication. Parents, please take a look at this set of project idea slides and discuss your student's project with them.
3. Vocabulary weekly routine: I think that we've finally found a vocabulary acquisition process that works! Here's the weekly routing: Each kid finds one "Word Worth Learning" and makes a slide about it that is posted in the room Monday morning. A few kids each day will teach the class their word, usually first thing in the morning. On Thursday I give the kids a quiz on those words and then the whole process starts again. Here is a spreadsheet that shows the words and the slide sets as well as the Grace-created Quizlet study activities.
4. Current events spreadsheet: I've revised the way that the kids write up the current events topics that they present to their tables. Starting this week, I've had them post their articles, summaries, and discussion questions in a common spreadsheet. I think that it increases accountability a bit and makes it easier for me to monitor their nightly progress. When the kids meet in small groups and pull up the spreadsheet on the big screens in the room, it happens faster now.
5. Steinbeck books: All of the Steinbeck books are slow in action and rich in scene description and character development. I applaud the 17 kids who have chosen to read either "The Grapes of Wrath" or "East of Eden" because the length (to me, at least) is a challenge as well. During core I've squeezed in the first part of a movie called "The Black Stallion" because the director (Coppola) crafts the story using great visuals to describe scene and character and feeling -- similar to what Steinbeck does with words.
6. Sixty two days left for us to make the best of this 8th grade experience. I'm eager for the class to create bonds, skills, and attitudes that will serve them well in coming years. Each kid in this class will likely be a role model at their next school and will also have their values and strength challenged; what can we do in these remaining days to get the most joy and value as well as the most powerful "toolkit" for their future? My sentiment is seeping out, perhaps a bit too often, perhaps because this is likely to be my last year of full-time teaching (probably 80% next year), but mostly just because this group has simply deeply touched my heart.
Check your Calendar
March 14 (Monday): Pi-day & Google Tour
Math activities until 10:05 then we'll head off to Google for a tour and some first-hand exposure into the projects, products, and culture of Google.
March 15 (Tuesday) Advanced Woodshop Class to Home Depot
March 18 (Friday): Staff Development Day
No school for students, great times for us teachers.
March 23 & 24: Evening and morning science fair exhibits
This year, science fair is split into two separate events. This portion if for kids to share their "tri0folds" describing their scientific investigation.
March 25 (Friday): Middle School Dance
March 31 (Thursday): Family Game Night
April 4 to 8: Spring Break
April 27: K-5 Science Fair exhibits
May 2 to 6: Spring Conferences
May 6: Middle School Dance
May 7: Spring Auction
May 16 to 19: Standardized Testing
May 27 (Friday): Staff Development Day
June 8: Science Fair (design challenges)
June 10: Possible room 25 pool party at lrcc
June 16: Last Day of School