Post date: Mar 26, 2011 8:33:21 AM
Happy Sunny Saturday... fingers crossed.
Last week provided yet another testament to the resiliency of the DCS 8th graders, who kept themselves in good spirits and solid focus during day after day of hard rain and almost constant classroom confinement. During most of the breaks my room was packed with kids and their behavior was great. Good music, good vibes, and very respectful attitudes. As the clouds broke a bit on Friday it was nice to have the option to go outside between drizzles.
The academic work continues...
English
In response to the difficulty that quotation mark punctuation posed for some of the students, the kids spent about an hour reading guidelines, analyzing examples, and then writing mis-punctuated examples for other kids to fix. In the students' writing I'm seeing tangible evidence of increased understanding of grammar and punctuation. Without errors in mechanics getting in the reader's way, the essence of the students' writing is coming through more strongly and with greater clarity.
Wednesday's vocabulary words were challenging. They came from the DailyWritingTips website, and if you have an extra few minutes give this quiz a try -- the kids did and some got great scores.
Towards the end of the week the students worked on "Bio Poems" and I'm eager to see some of their final products next week. Although it is quite formulaic, this is a writing piece that becomes most effective only when it is written with a bit of introspection, sensitivity, and vulnerability on the part of the students. I noticed that some kids didn't live up to that potential during the initial phases of the project -- probably because they were around classmates who might criticize their more sincere and authentic expression. I'm hoping that more work was done in private and/or at home, and that they use the BioPoem as a vehicle for some accurate self-expression.
Science:
This was o-chem week. Organic chemistry was a big challenge for me in college, so as a teacher I try to make it as uncomplicated as possible. I used a few online videos to add some visual support to the topic, and we used the CPS clickers to preview a bank of test questions before the test. Nothing hands-on to reinforce their learning, although the making of marshmallow-and-toothpick models last week provided a good foundation for this week's topic.
Next week we'll be learning a lot about nuclear energy. A timely coincidence, but one that I intend to use to our advantage as we learn about nuclear power plants from the textbook as well as the news and some scenario-based learning experiences.
Next week we get to go to iFly for an amazing experience at indoor skydiving. I've done four sessions in the chamber and each has been a whole-body blast. I am really looking forward to being around the kids who haven't done this before. It is truly a blast!
By the end of next week the students should have their science expo project done and ready to present. Mrs. Stuart is guiding and managing this entire process and I'm impressed at how well the students are keeping up. On the "project management" sheet that I had them fill out on Wednesday they showed how much they had done so far, what was still left to do, and by when it will be done.
Waterfall:
About a dozen kids have offered to help with this project and if it is dry enough on this Sunday, we'll break ground and start the hard work. I'll email to confirm the workday. To build the mountain, we will need about 4 cubic yards of fill dirt, so if you have connections or suggestions, please let me know. I've put in a call to a local contractor and am hopeful that he will be able to donate a dumptruck of dirt to use for the mountain. Again, fingers crossed.
Have a great weekend