Post date: Jun 10, 2017 7:26:13 PM
Math 7H Period 1
SOLs Covered: All Math 8 SOLs
Math Unit: All Math 7H
Daily Agenda: June 5-9, 2017
CCPS Student Digital Resource: Math 7H
Upcoming Assessments: None!
MSM2 Period 3 & 4
SOLs Covered: All Math 7 SOLs
Math Unit: All MSM2 Units
Daily Agenda: June 5-9, 2017
CCPS Student Digital Resource: MSM2
Upcoming Assessments: None!
After School Help Session: None
We're just one week away, folks! Aside from a few kids who were scheduled for SOL retakes (which took place on Tuesday), the kids were able to relax a bit more and see how math can work outside of their math classes and how math can actually (I hope) be fun! We tried to get through as much of the coding project as possible on Monday since the Chromebooks were collected on Tuesday. There were a few students able to wrap up the whole thing by then, completely coding their video game and all the stages in between. I was able to schedule an extra day for my first block class on Thursday, so most of that crew were able to finish the game portion at the very least. While I'm hoping to find some additional lab time this week once the final SOL retakes are completed on Monday, the kids have all completed enough work to earn their grade for the project (just a small grade due to the time constraints), but I would again like to encourage those who took even the slightest interest in coding to continue working on it and to continue to pursue computer science. There is so much potential in the field and it can be taken in pretty much any direction. Check out last week's post for additional resources along with a few summer opportunities I've posted to the school's website on the Announcement board. In addition to being able to apply to CCPS specialty centers as 8th graders next year, they will also be able to apply to the new CodeRVA High School.
On Tuesday and part of Wednesday, the kids got a little down time while watching October Sky, the true story of Homer Hickam, a West Virginia coal miner's son who was inspired by the first Sputnik launch to take up rocketry despite many obstacles. Homer wasn't originally the best at school, math in particular, but he worked hard and eventually won a scholarship for college (along with the other "Rocket Boys" of Coalwood, WV), earning an engineering degree from Virginia Polytechnic Institute (which would later become the state university we all know as Virginia Tech). On top of having a STEAM focus, I really love the message that despite obstacles and uncertainties, hard work and perseverance can pay off. I truly believe that all of my students are fully capable of having a similar success story of their own, even if their path doesn't have a math/tech focus. This is something I've tried to convey to them throughout the year and I hope the message of this movie hit home for them, inspiring them to work hard and persevere.
The kids then got to watch one round of Deal or No Deal with little bits of discussion on how it relates to probability. They'll get to apply this a bit next week when we play our own round in class with a PowerPoint version I made of the game a few years ago; they got really into the game, so it should be interesting how they'll chose to play. The rest of the week was spent exploring the math and science behind the obstacles of American Ninja Warrior at a very rudimentary level, watching a few complete runs from the ANW YouTube channel along with clips from their digital web series, "Crashing the Course," before designing their own obstacles, including notes on the relevant math terms that we covered throughout the year (ex. the surface area of spherical cannonball a contest might need to hang from while sliding down a sloped bar).. The kids came up with some really cool designs, though some comically verged into what I'm calling "evil genius territory" by adding things like rings of fire and even sharks to the pools beneath the course.
Next week we'll be playing with some of the educational games I had asked the school to purchase earlier in the year. Most of the games are low-tech/no-tech but one, Bloxels, will have the kids again designing video games, this time with little blocks (actual blocks, not code blocks like our PBL) on a grid. They'll then be able to use the app to play their games. I've checked out some of the school's iPads as well for them to play their games, but I've also told the kids that they will be allowed (with parent/guardian permission of course) to use their own phone/device to capture their game. They will need to download the app and have an account set up; they will also only be allowed to use their device for this activity alone (no texting, snapchatting, etc.) and only during my class, remembering to abide by the school rules regarding electronic devices.
Another planned activity has always been my favorite, origami. This requires quite a bit of paper and while I have some, if there are any folks willing and able to donate either actual origami paper or even just colorful printer paper, it would be greatly appreciated. We'll definitely be able to manage without as I have plain printer paper so the kids can always draw and design their own origami paper, but there are generally a few kids who already have a love of origami, often making a bunch of more complicated pieces to share with their classmates, so extra paper never goes to waste.
We'll be cleaning out lockers during math class on Tuesday, June 13th. Kids will only be allowed to bring a string bag (or similar small bag) to carry the few items they'll still need at this point. The 7th grade awards assembly will be held on Thursday, June 15th. We're trying to keep the awards a bit of a surprise for the kids, but parents/guardians should have already been called/emailed if their child is receiving a special award. Since it's a whole grade level assembly, there are generally a lot of people who attend, many of whom like to take their child out of school early to go out and celebrate. To make this easier and speedier, the school has a permission letter set up that will have the student already processed for an early dismissal so parents will be able to leave almost immediately after the assembly wraps up. Paper copies will go home with 7th grade students tomorrow, but digital copies can also be found here on the school's website (there are also letters for 6th and 8th for folks with kids in other grades). The letter needs to be returned by Wednesday in order to have everything processed by the next morning; folks will still be able to take their student out early, but they will need to wait for all the early-processed dismissals to be taken care of first. For all the kids who stay, we'll be serving pizza the PTA has generously funded along with the sodas/water and chips students and their families have been donating (letter/email sent last week; see this post for details)
Well, I think that takes care of all the big stuff. If anything of immediate need pops up, I'll send an email out during the week. Otherwise, you'll get one last email from me at the end of next week! Hope everyone has a great weekend and a most excellent last week of school!