Prisms Homework Blog

Thursday, February 2, 2012

2012-02-02T17:03:00.003-05:00

General Announcements:

If you ever notice something missing or wrong on the blog, comment to let me know about it - I don't always have the whole picture. -Grace
Fri., 3/2 - Prisms Coffeehouse!
Yoga Unit in PE on Fridays - Please wear or bring comfortable clothes to move in on Fridays during this unit.

Humanities:

Due Fri., 2/3: Read and annotate "Slavery in the American South" by Howard Zinn.
Ongoing Continue taking notes on your historical figure, using research materials you got at Forbes Library today. If you go back on your own, remember to tell the librarian on duty that you're working on this project to get free copies/microfilm printouts.

7th Grade Research Paper

Due Fri., 2/3: 20 notecards with sources
Deadlines for 7th Grade Abolitionist Research Paper (updated 1/31)

Math:

Graph paper link on the sidebar →

Grade 7
Due Fri., 2/3:
In Accentuate the Negative p. 14-15 problems #21, 24-25
Finish handout begun in class today, #1-23

Grade 8

Algebra A: Nada

Algebra B

Due Fri., 2/3: P. 430, #18-23 all, 31, 32

Science:

Test Thurs., 2/2: On parts/function of a cell.
Due Fri., 2/3: Complete Physics lab sheet from class today

8th Grade Project:

Due Fri., 2/3: 15 notes from another 2 resources

Complete list of project due dates (as of 1/25) here.

Moment of Zen:

It Is Still Winter

At least in Quebec, where this photo was taken yesterday.

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

2012-02-01T15:21:00.003-05:00

General Announcements:

If you ever notice something missing or wrong on the blog, comment to let me know about it - I don't always have the whole picture. -Grace
Fri., 3/2 - Prisms Coffeehouse!
Yoga Unit in PE on Fridays - Please wear or bring comfortable clothes to move in on Fridays during this unit.
Student Art Exhibit at Meekins Library: This is an encore exhibit of last year's Prisms artwork currently on display at the Meekins Library in Williamsburg Center. Throughout the month of January, their 3-tiered drawings illustrating the history of the Connecticut River are on display.

Humanities:

Ongoing Continue taking notes on your historical figure, using research materials you got at Forbes Library today. If you go back on your own, remember to tell the librarian on duty that you're working on this project to get free copies/microfilm printouts.

7th Grade Research Paper

Due Fri., 2/3: 20 notecards with sources
Deadlines for 7th Grade Abolitionist Research Paper (updated 1/31)

Math:

Graph paper link on the sidebar →

Grade 7
Due Thurs., 2/2: In Accentuate the Negative p. 9-10 problem 1.3, A-F

Grade 8

Due Thurs., 2/2:

Challenge:

Science:

Test Thurs., 2/2: On parts/function of a cell.
Due Fri., 2/3: Complete Physics lab sheet from class today

8th Grade Project:

Due Fri., 2/3: 15 notes from another 2 resources

Complete list of project due dates (as of 1/25) here.

Moment of Zen:

What happens when you project lines onto real objects

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

2012-01-31T13:15:00.006-05:00

General Announcements:

If you ever notice something missing or wrong on the blog, comment to let me know about it - I don't always have the whole picture. -Grace
Fri., 3/2 - Prisms Coffeehouse!
Yoga Unit in PE on Fridays - Please wear or bring comfortable clothes to move in on Fridays during this unit.
Student Art Exhibit at Meekins Library: This is an encore exhibit of last year's Prisms artwork currently on display at the Meekins Library in Williamsburg Center. Throughout the month of January, their 3-tiered drawings illustrating the history of the Connecticut River are on display.

Humanities:

Due Wed., 2/1: Complete essay about slavery begun in class on Monday.
Ongoing Continue taking notes on your historical figure, using research materials you got at Forbes Library today. If you go back on your own, remember to tell the librarian on duty that you're working on this project to get free copies/microfilm printouts.

7th Grade Research Paper

Due Fri., 2/3: 20 notecards with sources
Deadlines for 7th Grade Abolitionist Research Paper (updated 1/31)

Math:

Graph paper link on the sidebar →

Grade 7
Due Wed., 2/1: In Accentuate the Negative p. 7 problem 1.1, C, D, E and follow-up

Grade 8

Due Wed., 2/1:

Science:

Test Thurs., 2/2: On parts/function of a cell.
Due Wed., 2/1: Read Ch. 12.1 and 12.2, p 243-252.

8th Grade Project:

Due Fri., 2/3: 15 notes from another 2 resources

Complete list of project due dates (as of 1/25) here.

Moment of Zen:

7th Grade Abolitionist Research Deadlines

2012-01-31T09:25:00.003-05:00

Deadlines for Abolitionist Research Paper

February

Feb. 3: 20 notecards with sources due
Feb 6: 30 notecards with sources due
Feb. 9: 45 notecards with sources due
Feb 13: 60 notecards with sources due
Feb 14: rough draft of outline due
Feb 16 bibliography due
Feb. 17: final outline due

March

March 1: 500 words of rough draft due
March 4: 1000 words of rough draft due
March 8: 1500 words of rough draft due
March 14: entire rough draft due
March 23: final draft due

Monday, January 30, 2012

2012-01-30T13:47:00.009-05:00

General Announcements:

If you ever notice something missing or wrong on the blog, comment to let me know about it - I don't always have the whole picture. -Grace
Fri., 3/2 - Prisms Coffeehouse!
Yoga Unit in PE on Fridays - Please wear or bring comfortable clothes to move in on Fridays during this unit.
Student Art Exhibit at Meekins Library: This is an encore exhibit of last year's Prisms artwork currently on display at the Meekins Library in Williamsburg Center. Throughout the month of January, their 3-tiered drawings illustrating the history of the Connecticut River are on display.

Humanities:

Due Wed., 2/1: Complete essay begun in class today.
Ongoing Continue taking notes on your historical figure, using research materials you got at Forbes Library today. If you go back on your own, remember to tell the librarian on duty that you're working on this project to get free copies/microfilm printouts.

Math:

Graph paper link on the sidebar →

Grade 7
Nada

Grade 8

Due Tues., 1/31:

Algebra A: Pythagorean Theorem worksheet.
Algebra B:
- Special right triangles worksheet
- Finish p. 422-423, #31, 37, 43, 51, 58-60

Science:

Test Thurs., 2/2: On parts/function of a cell.
Due Wed., 2/1: Read Ch. 12, p 242-251.

8th Grade Project:

Due Fri., 2/3: 15 notes from another 2 resources

Complete list of project due dates (as of 1/25) here.

Moment of Zen:

The Aurora Australis, as Seen from Space

You've heard of the Northern Lights, or Aurora Borealis; meet the Southern Lights (Aurora Australis) A lot of recent solar flare activity has made for some spectacular auroral displays recently in both hemispheres, including this photo, taken last week over Antarctica.

Friday, January 27, 2012

2012-01-27T11:45:00.004-05:00

General Announcements:

If you ever notice something missing or wrong on the blog, comment to let me know about it - I don't always have the whole picture. -Grace
Fri., 3/2 - Prisms Coffeehouse!
Yoga Unit in PE on Fridays - Please wear or bring comfortable clothes to move in on Fridays during this unit.
Student Art Exhibit at Meekins Library: This is an encore exhibit of last year's Prisms artwork currently on display at the Meekins Library in Williamsburg Center. Throughout the month of January, their 3-tiered drawings illustrating the history of the Connecticut River are on display.

Humanities:

Due Fri., 1/27: Read and annotate "A Shoeful of Cottonseeds" (at least 3 annotations per page)
Ongoing Continue taking notes on your historical figure, using research materials you got at Forbes Library today. If you go back on your own, remember to tell the librarian on duty that you're working on this project to get free copies/microfilm printouts.

Math:

Graph paper link on the sidebar →

All
Due Mon., 1/30: Math's Mates 2.7, including any attached N/A problems, according to usual protocol (independent, no calculator, work for * problems shown on separate paper).

Grade 7

Test Mon., 1/30: Complete report on your scaled figure, according to questions on the project checklist.

Grade 8

Algebra B: Due Mon., 1/30: p. 422-423, #31, 37, 43, 51, 58-60

Science:

Test Next Thurs., 2/2: On parts/function of a cell.
Due Mon., 1/30: Cell Study Guide

8th Grade Project:

Due Fri., 2/3: 15 notes from another 2 resources

Complete list of project due dates (as of 1/25) here.

Moment of Zen:

Found Cows

Finnish sculptor Miina Äkkiijyrkkä specializes in two things: scrap metal and cows. She stocks cow pastures with large-scale sculptures of cows made out of old metal parts, often from old cars. Click to see more of her cows, now in classic and metal.

Thursday, January 26, 2012

2012-01-26T15:20:00.005-05:00

General Announcements:

If you ever notice something missing or wrong on the blog, comment to let me know about it - I don't always have the whole picture. -Grace
Wed., 1/25 - Forbes Library Research Day - Bring your library card!
Wed., 1/25 - Coffeehouse Planning Meeting, 3rd Floor Classroom, 6:30-7:30
Fri., 3/2 - Prisms Coffeehouse!
Yoga Unit in PE on Fridays - Please wear or bring comfortable clothes to move in on Fridays during this unit.
Student Art Exhibit at Meekins Library: This is an encore exhibit of last year's Prisms artwork currently on display at the Meekins Library in Williamsburg Center. Throughout the month of January, their 3-tiered drawings illustrating the history of the Connecticut River are on display.

Humanities:

Due Fri., 1/27: Read and annotate "A Shoeful of Cottonseeds" (at least 3 annotations per page)
Ongoing Continue taking notes on your historical figure, using research materials you got at Forbes Library today. If you go back on your own, remember to tell the librarian on duty that you're working on this project to get free copies/microfilm printouts.

Math:

Graph paper link on the sidebar →

Grade 7
Due Fri., 1/27: Complete report on your scaled figure, according to questions on the project checklist.

Grade 8

Algebra B: Due Fri., 1/27: p. 421, #19-29

Science:

Test Next Thurs., 2/2: On parts/function of a cell.
Due Mon., 1/30: Cell Study Guide

8th Grade Project:

Due Fri., 1/27: Meet with mentor (phone/vidchat meeting ok) and complete at least 15 notecards.

Complete list of project due dates (as of 1/25) here.

Moment of Zen:

Melville's classic novel Moby Dick

Fits, typed, on 6 rolls of toilet paper. Who knew?

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

2012-01-25T15:32:00.004-05:00

General Announcements:

If you ever notice something missing or wrong on the blog, comment to let me know about it - I don't always have the whole picture. -Grace
Wed., 1/25 - Forbes Library Research Day - Bring your library card!
Wed., 1/25 - Coffeehouse Planning Meeting, 3rd Floor Classroom, 6:30-7:30
Fri., 3/2 - Prisms Coffeehouse!
Yoga Unit in PE on Fridays - Please wear or bring comfortable clothes to move in on Fridays during this unit.
Student Art Exhibit at Meekins Library: This is an encore exhibit of last year's Prisms artwork currently on display at the Meekins Library in Williamsburg Center. Throughout the month of January, their 3-tiered drawings illustrating the history of the Connecticut River are on display.

Humanities:

Ongoing Continue taking notes on your historical figure, using research materials you got at Forbes Library today. If you go back on your own, remember to tell the librarian on duty that you're working on this project to get free copies/microfilm printouts.

Math:

Graph paper link on the sidebar →

Grade 7
Due Thurs., 1/26: Complete both images, connecting all coordinate points (up to #3, part 1).

Grade 8

Nada

Science:

Test Next Thurs., 2/2: On parts/function of a cell.
Due Mon., 1/30: Cell Study Guide

8th Grade Project:

Due Fri., 1/27: Meet with mentor (phone/vidchat meeting ok) and complete at least 15 notecards.

Complete list of project due dates (as of 1/25) here.

Moment of Zen:

For those of you charmed by microfilm

Click for a brief timeline of the history of the medium.

2012 Eighth Grade project Deadlines

2012-01-25T13:45:00.000-05:00

updated 1/25/12

January

Fri., 1/27: At least one meeting with mentor done, 15 notes from 2 resources.

February

Fri., 2/3: 15 notes from another 2 resources
Fri., 2/10: 15 notes from another 2 resources
Wed., 2/15: another meeting with mentor
Wed., 2/15: 15 notes from another 2 resources

March

Th., 3/1: another meeting with mentor
Th., 3/1: rough outline due (list of main topics with sections)
Wed., 3/14: final outlines due with details from notes
Tue., 3/20: another meeting with mentor
Tue.-Th., 3/20-22: defend your research (John or Beth will ask you questions and you show you are an expert) & work on project proposal
Wed., 3/28: project proposal due
Fri., 3/30: another meeting with mentor

April

Mon., 4/2: 500 words of rough draft due
Wed., 4/4: 1000 words of rough draft due
Mon., 4/9: 1500 words of rough draft due
Wed., 4/11: 2000 words of rought draft due
Fri., 4/13: another meeting with mentor
Fri., 4/13: entire rough draft due (2500 words)
April vacation: gather materials for project, prepare oral presentation
Mon.,-Fri., 4/23-27: revise and edit draft of research paper

May

Th., 5/3:another meeting with mentor
Th., 5/3:final draft of research paper due
4/7-4/21: work on project (hands-on portion)
Mon., 4/21: another meeting with mentor
Mon., 4/21: formal presentation to panel, revise if necessary

June

Tue.-Wed., 6/5-6: formal presentations to school, mentors and parents

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

2012-01-24T10:57:00.005-05:00

General Announcements:

If you ever notice something missing or wrong on the blog, comment to let me know about it - I don't always have the whole picture. -Grace
Wed., 1/25 - Forbes Library Research Day - Bring your library card!
Wed., 1/25 - Coffeehouse Planning Meeting, 3rd Floor Classroom, 6:30-7:30
Fri., 3/2 - Prisms Coffeehouse!
Yoga Unit in PE on Fridays - Please wear or bring comfortable clothes to move in on Fridays during this unit.
Student Art Exhibit at Meekins Library: This is an encore exhibit of last year's Prisms artwork currently on display at the Meekins Library in Williamsburg Center. Throughout the month of January, their 3-tiered drawings illustrating the history of the Connecticut River are on display.

Humanities:

Due Wed., 1/25: Finish "To Be a Slave" and fill out homemade worksheet tracking Lester's explanations of slavery (italicized writing), his evidence (the accounts in normal type that he's reflecting on), and your own comments.

Math:

Graph paper link on the sidebar →

Grade 7
Due Thurs., 1/26: Complete both images, connecting all coordinate points (up to #3, part 1).

Grade 8

Due Wed., 1/25: Correct/redo 4.2 Follow Up, #2; 4.3; p. 46-47, #2-4

Science:

Test Next Thurs., 2/2: On parts/function of a cell.
Due Mon., 1/30: Cell Study Guide

8th Grade Project:

Due Wed., 2/15: Note-taking & mentor check-in.

Moment of Zen:

Happy Year of the Plastic Dragon

Lunar New Year is this week and these folks are celebrating the year of the Dragon by maing a Chinese-style dragon entirely out of plastic silverware, aided by a little hot glue. It took the artist 80 hours to build, but, since all the materials came from the dollar store, it took far fewer dollars than hours to build. Click to read more from the Craft magazine blog, which has some fun, gonzo craft project ideas.

Monday, January 23, 2012

2012-01-23T12:47:00.004-05:00

General Announcements:

If you ever notice something missing or wrong on the blog, comment to let me know about it - I don't always have the whole picture. -Grace
Wed., 1/25 - Forbes Library Research Day
Wed., 1/25 - Coffeehouse Planning Meeting, 3rd Floor Classroom, 6:30-7:30
Fri., 3/2 - Prisms Coffeehouse!
Yoga Unit in PE on Fridays - Please wear or bring comfortable clothes to move in on Fridays during this unit.
Student Art Exhibit at Meekins Library: This is an encore exhibit of last year's Prisms artwork currently on display at the Meekins Library in Williamsburg Center. Throughout the month of January, their 3-tiered drawings illustrating the history of the Connecticut River are on display.

Humanities:

Due Wed., 1/25: Finish "To Be a Slave" and fill out homemade worksheet tracking Lester's explanations of slavery (italicized writing), his evidence (the accounts in normal type that he's reflecting on), and your own comments.

Math:

Graph paper link on the sidebar →

Grade 7
Due Tues., 1/24: Find 8-20 points for your original picture, and list the (x, y) coordinates for each point.

Grade 8

Due Tues., 1/24: 4.2 Follow Up, #2; 4.3; p. 46-47, #2-4

Science:

Test Next Thurs., 2/2: On parts/function of a cell.
Due Mon., 1/30: Cell Study Guide

8th Grade Project:

Due Mon., Jan. 23: Bibliography and specific research question due.

Moment of Zen:

The City Is a Dinosaur and it may just eat you

British illustrator Andy Council has created a series of images of the city as a dinosaur. This idea takes different shapes in different contexts: sometimes it's eating the landscape around it, sometimes it's built with the roads or trains as its skeleton, but each provides some visualization of the city as a large, imposing, living entity. Click above to see more of Council's Urban Dinos.

Friday, January 20, 2012

2012-01-20T11:14:00.005-05:00

General Announcements:

If you ever notice something missing or wrong on the blog, comment to let me know about it - I don't always have the whole picture. -Grace
Thurs., 1/19 - We visit Forbes Library to see their research facilities
Wed., 1/25 - Forbes Library Research Day
Wed., 1/25 - Coffeehouse Planning Meeting, 3rd Floor Classroom, 6:30-7:30
Fri., 3/2 - Prisms Coffeehouse!
Yoga Unit in PE on Fridays - Please wear or bring comfortable clothes to move in on Fridays during this unit.
Student Art Exhibit at Meekins Library: This is an encore exhibit of last year's Prisms artwork currently on display at the Meekins Library in Williamsburg Center. Throughout the month of January, their 3-tiered drawings illustrating the history of the Connecticut River are on display.

Humanities:

Due Fri., 1/20: Take notes on your local historical figure for "Stories of Freedom" assignment.

Math:

Graph paper link on the sidebar →

All
Due Mon., 1/23: Math's Mate 2.6, according to usual protocol (no calculators, work for * problems on separate paper, complete any attached N/A problems)

Grade 7

Due Mon., 1/23:
- Have assignment book (cheap at Acme Surplus!)
- Bring in 1 picture/image to scale
Grade 8
Algebra B
Due Mon., 1/23:
- p. 414 #9-29 odd (HW orig. due Fri, plus a few)
- one of the two sheets handed out (Expanding, Simplifying Radicals) or ½ of each.

Science:

Due Mon., 1/23: Finish and practice your story/song/verse/analogy to help you learn the parts/function of a cell...! Complete rubric and turn in as well.

8th Grade Project:

Due Mon., Jan. 23: Bibliography and specific research question due.

Moment of Zen:

What do you think it is?

Thursday, January 19, 2012

2012-01-19T17:39:00.003-05:00

General Announcements:

If you ever notice something missing or wrong on the blog, comment to let me know about it - I don't always have the whole picture. -Grace
Thurs., 1/19 - We visit Forbes Library to see their research facilities
Wed., 1/25 - Forbes Library Research Day
Wed., 1/25 - Coffeehouse Planning Meeting, 3rd Floor Classroom, 6:30-7:30
Fri., 3/2 - Prisms Coffeehouse!
Yoga Unit in PE on Fridays - Please wear or bring comfortable clothes to move in on Fridays during this unit.
Student Art Exhibit at Meekins Library: This is an encore exhibit of last year's Prisms artwork currently on display at the Meekins Library in Williamsburg Center. Throughout the month of January, their 3-tiered drawings illustrating the history of the Connecticut River are on display.

Humanities:

Due Fri., 1/20: Take notes on your local historical figure for "Stories of Freedom" assignment.

Math:

Graph paper link on the sidebar →

Grade 7
Due Fri., 1/20: p. 67, # 5, 6, 8
Challenge: #14 (Zach M.: 15)

Grade 8

Algebra B
Due Fri., 1/20: p. 414 #9-25 odd

Science:

Due Mon., 1/23: Finish and practice your story/song/verse/analogy to help you learn the parts/function of a cell...! (rubric to come tomorrow)

8th Grade Project:

Due Mon., Jan. 23: Bibliography and specific research question due.

Moment of Zen:

Life on the edge...

At this cafe in Baarle-Nassau, The Netherlands, you may cross the national border by scooting your chair back too far.

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

2012-01-18T11:26:00.004-05:00

General Announcements:

If you ever notice something missing or wrong on the blog, comment to let me know about it - I don't always have the whole picture. -Grace
Thurs., 1/19 - We visit Forbes Library to see their research facilities
Wed., 1/25 - Forbes Library Research Day
Wed., 1/25 - Coffeehouse Planning Meeting, 3rd Floor Classroom, 6:30-7:30
Fri., 3/2 - Prisms Coffeehouse!
Yoga Unit in PE on Fridays - Please wear or bring comfortable clothes to move in on Fridays during this unit.
Student Art Exhibit at Meekins Library: This is an encore exhibit of last year's Prisms artwork currently on display at the Meekins Library in Williamsburg Center. Throughout the month of January, their 3-tiered drawings illustrating the history of the Connecticut River are on display.

Humanities:

Due Fri., 1/20: Take notes on your local historical figure for "Stories of Freedom" assignment.

Math:

Graph paper link on the sidebar →

Grade 7
Nada

Grade 8

ничего

Science:

Due Mon., 1/23: Finish and practice your story/song/verse/analogy to help you learn the parts/function of a cell...! (rubric to come tomorrow)

8th Grade Project:

Due Mon., Jan. 23: Bibliography and specific research question due.

Moment of Zen:

When National Pride Makes You Hungry...

To promote the Sydney International Food Festival in Australia, a company was commissioned to style flags of various countries out of food related to the country. For example, the Indian flag pictured above is made out of stripes of orange and green curries and a white stripe of rice, with the wheel symbol represented by a pappadum (thin, crispy lentil chip). Click to see more food flags, including China, Italy, Lebanon, and the star-spangled Australian flag.

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

2012-01-17T12:55:00.005-05:00

General Announcements:

If you ever notice something missing or wrong on the blog, comment to let me know about it - I don't always have the whole picture. -Grace
Wed., 1/18 - We visit Historical Sites around Northampton.
Thurs., 1/19 - We visit Forbes Library to see their research facilities
Wed., 1/25 - Forbes Library Research Day
Wed., 1/25 - Coffeehouse Planning Meeting, 3rd Floor Classroom, 6:30-7:30
Fri., 3/2 - Prisms Coffeehouse!
Yoga Unit in PE on Fridays - Please wear or bring comfortable clothes to move in on Fridays during this unit.
Student Art Exhibit at Meekins Library: This is an encore exhibit of last year's Prisms artwork currently on display at the Meekins Library in Williamsburg Center. Throughout the month of January, their 3-tiered drawings illustrating the history of the Connecticut River are on display.

Humanities:

Math:

Graph paper link on the sidebar →

Grade 7
Due Wed., 1/18: "Word Problems " Worksheet, # 1, 3, 5, 7 and "Using Similar Polygons" #1-12, odd-numbered problems only.
Challenge: #15-17

Grade 8

Due Wed., 1/18: Applications, p. 34-35, #3-11
Challenge: p. 49-50, #6, #12

Science:

Nada

8th Grade Project:

Due Mon., Jan. 23: Bibliography and specific research question due.

Moment of Zen:

A different way of having your nose in a book

As part of an ad campaign for Dutch Book week in March, which this year focuses on biographies, they took off from the idea of biographies as "Written Portraits" (Geschreven Portretten) and carved a 3D image of the subject's face from their biography. Anne Frank is pictured above; click to see more.

Friday, January 13, 2012

2012-01-13T13:18:00.004-05:00

General Announcements:

If you ever notice something missing or wrong on the blog, comment to let me know about it - I don't always have the whole picture. -Grace
Mon., 1/16 - No School! MLK, Jr. Day
Wed., 1/18 - We visit Historical Sites around Northampton.
Thurs., 1/19 - We visit Forbes Library to see their research facilities
Wed., 1/25 - Coffeehouse Planning Meeting, 3rd Floor Classroom, 6:30-7:30
Fri., 3/2 - Prisms Coffeehouse!
Yoga Unit in PE on Fridays - Please wear or bring comfortable clothes to move in on Fridays during this unit.
Student Art Exhibit at Meekins Library: This is an encore exhibit of last year's Prisms artwork currently on display at the Meekins Library in Williamsburg Center. Throughout the month of January, their 3-tiered drawings illustrating the history of the Connecticut River are on display.

Humanities:

Nada

Math:

Graph paper link on the sidebar →
All
Due Tues., 1/17: Math's Mates 2.5 including any attached N/A problems, according to usual protocol.

Grade 7

Due Tues., 1/1/7: Get a set of colored pencils and bring them to class.

Grade 8

Due Fri., 1/13:
- Due Tues., 1/17: p. 408, # 17-33 odd; p. 409, #42, 44; p. 410, #52, 53

Science:

Due Tues., 1/17 : Ch. 7 Assessment on p. 153-154 in packet: do all on p. 153 and #10-12 on p. 154 on separate paper.

8th Grade Project:

Due Mon., Jan. 23: Bibliography and specific research question due.

Moment of Zen:

What Happens When You Set People Free With Stickers

As part of Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama's multi-room installation "Look Now, See Forever," currently in the Queensland Art Gallery in Queensland, Australia, she created a room aimed at Children, called "The Obliteration Room." Despite its ominous title, the goal is maniacally delightful. The room is entirely white: walls, furniture, everything. Each person going in is given colored dot stickers to stick anywhere in the room they like. You see the result above. Click to see update photos of this and read more about the exhibition.

Thursday, January 12, 2012

2012-01-12T13:20:00.006-05:00

General Announcements:

If you ever notice something missing or wrong on the blog, comment to let me know about it - I don't always have the whole picture. -Grace
Mon., 1/16 - No School! MLK, Jr. Day
Wed., 1/25 - Coffeehouse Planning Meeting, 3rd Floor Classroom, 6:30-7:30
Fri., 3/2 - Prisms Coffeehouse!
Yoga Unit in PE on Fridays - Please wear or bring comfortable clothes to move in on Fridays during this unit.
Student Art Exhibit at Meekins Library: This is an encore exhibit of last year's Prisms artwork currently on display at the Meekins Library in Williamsburg Center. Throughout the month of January, their 3-tiered drawings illustrating the history of the Connecticut River are on display.

Humanities:

Nada

Math:

Graph paper link on the sidebar →
Grade 7
Due Fri. 1/13: p. 63, 5.3, A-C

Grade 8

Due Fri., 1/13:
- p. 401, #11-15 odd, 17-19; p. 402, #23, 27, 35

Science:

Due Tues., 1/17 : Ch. 7 Assessment on p. 153-154 in packet: do all on p. 153 and #10-12 on p. 154 on separate paper.

8th Grade Project:

Due Mon., Jan. 23: Bibliography and specific research question due.

Moment of Zen:

Stealth Pink

This WW2 spy plane is pink for camouflage reasons - and it's not one of a kind. Click to find out why.

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

2012-01-11T11:58:00.004-05:00

General Announcements:

If you ever notice something missing or wrong on the blog, comment to let me know about it - I don't always have the whole picture. -Grace
Wed., 1/25 - Coffeehouse Planning Meeting, 3rd Floor Classroom, 6:30-7:30
Fri., 3/2 - Prisms Coffeehouse!
Yoga Unit in PE on Fridays - Please wear or bring comfortable clothes to move in on Fridays during this unit.
Student Art Exhibit at Meekins Library: This is an encore exhibit of last year's Prisms artwork currently on display at the Meekins Library in Williamsburg Center. Throughout the month of January, their 3-tiered drawings illustrating the history of the Connecticut River are on display.

Humanities:

Test Thurs., 1/12: on Mexican-American War

Math:

Graph paper link on the sidebar →
Grade 7
Due Thurd., 1/12: Bring your protractor to class (buy one if you don't have one - lots of colors at Acme Surplus for 50 cents)

Grade 8

Due Thurs., 1/12: In Looking for Pythagoras, do 2.3 and #1 and 2 on following page.

Science:

Due Wed., 1/11: Read Ch. 7.2 - questions?

8th Grade Project:

Due Mon., Jan. 23: Bibliography and specific research question due.

Moment of Zen:

Beware of Alot

After spending the greater portion of the school day reading your magazine articles, I'm convinced that you all need to learn about the alot. The alot is the animal comic writer Allie Brosh visualizes whenever she sees someone on the internet write "alot" instead of "a lot" often to comic effect. Read about that and more of her rationalizations about internet writing by clicking above.

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

2012-01-10T13:10:00.005-05:00

General Announcements:

If you ever notice something missing or wrong on the blog, comment to let me know about it - I don't always have the whole picture. -Grace
Wed., 1/25 - Coffeehouse Planning Meeting, 3rd Floor Classroom, 6:30-7:30
Fri., 3/2 - Prisms Coffeehouse!
Yoga Unit in PE on Fridays - Please wear or bring comfortable clothes to move in on Fridays during this unit.
Student Art Exhibit at Meekins Library: This is an encore exhibit of last year's Prisms artwork currently on display at the Meekins Library in Williamsburg Center. Throughout the month of January, their 3-tiered drawings illustrating the history of the Connecticut River are on display.

Humanities:

Test Thurs., 1/12: on Mexican-American War

Math:

Graph paper link on the sidebar →
Grade 7
Due Wed., 1/11: Bring your protractor to class (buy one if you don't have one - lots of colors at Acme Surplus for 50 cents)
Due Wed., 1/11: p. 64-65, #1-4, 7

Grade 8

Due Wed., 1/11: In Looking for Pythagoras, do 2.1 and 2.1 Follow-up (see handout).

Science:

Due Wed., 1/11: Read Ch. 7.1, p. 135-140 and answer questions 2-9 (p. 141) on separate paper

8th Grade Project:

Due Mon., Jan. 23: Bibliography and specific research question due.

Moment of Zen:

The Giant of Vlaardingen

Dutch sculptor Florentijn Hofman thinks big. Best known for his larger than life, outdoor, public sculptures (which include a series of giant rubber duckies, a human sized "paper" boats, and a giant monkey made out of flip-flops), this rabbit was built entirely out of scrap wood in Vlaardingen the Southern Netherlands. Click above to visit the artist's website and see more of his projects.

Monday, January 9, 2011

2012-01-09T15:14:00.005-05:00

General Announcements:

If you ever notice something missing or wrong on the blog, comment to let me know about it - I don't always have the whole picture. -Grace
Mon., 1/9: Parent meeting about 8th Grade Projects, 3rd Floor classroom, 6:30-8 pm
Yoga Unit in PE on Fridays - Please wear or bring comfortable clothes to move in on Fridays during this unit.
Student Art Exhibit at Meekins Library: This is an encore exhibit of last year's Prisms artwork currently on display at the Meekins Library in Williamsburg Center. Throughout the month of January, their 3-tiered drawings illustrating the history of the Connecticut River are on display.

Humanities:

Due : Finish analysis of "The Lottery"

Math:

Graph paper link on the sidebar →
Grade 7
Due Wed., 1/11: Bring your protractor to class (buy one if you don't have one - lots of colors at Acme Surplus for 50 cents)
Due Tues., 1/10: Handout, #1-4

Grade 8

Due Tues., 1/10: In Looking for Pythagoras, do 1.3 and 1.3 Follow Up

Science:

Due Tues., 1/10: Read Ch. 7.1, p. 135-140 and answer questions 2-9 (p. 141) on separate paper

8th Grade Project:

Due Mon., Jan. 23: Bibliography and specific research question due.

Moment of Zen:

Libera Wins 2011 African Amputee Soccer Cup

Friday, January 6, 2012

2012-01-06T12:05:00.004-05:00

General Announcements:

If you ever notice something missing or wrong on the blog, comment to let me know about it - I don't always have the whole picture. -Grace
Yoga Unit in PE on Fridays - Please wear or bring comfortable clothes to move in on Fridays during this unit.
Student Art Exhibit at Meekins Library: This is an encore exhibit of last year's Prisms artwork currently on display at the Meekins Library in Williamsburg Center. Throughout the month of January, their 3-tiered drawings illustrating the history of the Connecticut River are on display.

Humanities:

Due Fri., 1/6: Read Howard Zinn article and annotate.

Math:

Graph paper link on the sidebar →
All
Due Mon., 1/9: Math's Mate 2.4, including any attached N/A problems, according to usual protocol:
- no calculators
- you must show work for problems marked with * on an attached sheet of paper

Science:

Nada

8th Grade Project:

Watch this space!

Moment of Zen:

A Working Origami Camera

Continuing from the post about long-exposure pinhole photography the other day, here's one that can be built out of paper. Click to see 22 other models of pinhole camera that can be made at home.

Thursday, January 5, 2012

2012-01-05T11:09:00.005-05:00

General Announcements:

If you ever notice something missing or wrong on the blog, comment to let me know about it - I don't always have the whole picture. -Grace
Yoga Unit in PE on Fridays - Please wear or bring comfortable clothes to move in on Fridays during this unit.
Student Art Exhibit at Meekins Library: This is an encore exhibit of last year's Prisms artwork currently on display at the Meekins Library in Williamsburg Center. Throughout the month of January, their 3-tiered drawings illustrating the history of the Connecticut River are on display.

Humanities:

Due Fri., 1/6: Read Howard Zinn article and annotate.

Math:

Graph paper link on the sidebar →
Grade 7
Due Fri., 1/6: In Stretching & Shrinking, do #14 all parts on p. 53.

Grade 8

Algebra A
Due Fri., 1/6:: Complete solving multistep equations sheet handed out in class today.

Science:

Nada

8th Grade Project:

Due Fri., 1/6: Complete preliminary research

Moment of Zen:

It was a dark and stormy night...

...on the Empire State Building in 1938.

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

2012-01-04T13:03:00.008-05:00

General Announcements:

If you ever notice something missing or wrong on the blog, comment to let me know about it - I don't always have the whole picture. -Grace

Humanities:

Due Fri., 1/6: Read Howard Zinn article and annotate.

Math:

Graph paper link on the sidebar →
Grade 7
Due Thurs., 1/5: In Stretching & Shrinking, do #1-5 all parts on p. 47-48.

Grade 8

Nada

Science:

Nada

8th Grade Project:

Due Fri., 1/6: Complete preliminary research

Moment of Zen:

One Picture, One Year

A year ago, Michael Chrisman put together a simple pinhole camera, aimed it at the Toronto skyline, then left it there for a year. A year later, he collected the film, which had captured a year from the same perspective, and developed it.

Consider this: most film cameras have exposure times that are measured in hundredths of a second. This is to capture an image with as little movement as possible. Long exposure requires careful light and a perfectly still camera, but captures movement in unique ways. This is an extreme of that.

The good news? Most of the higher technology of photography is aimed at being able to control a wide range of exposure times (shutter speed), but if you only want one long exposure, you can make a camera out of any box you can poke a hole in, much like Michael Chrisman did. Click the picture above to read more about Chrisman's Toronto skyline image or click here to read Make magazine's guide to making pinhole cameras.

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

2011-12-20T15:39:00.002-05:00

General Announcements:

If you ever notice something missing or wrong on the blog, comment to let me know about it - I don't always have the whole picture. -Grace
Wednesdays: Mummers Play Rehearsal Rehearsals will take place every Wednesday between here and Solstice from 3-5 PM in the River Classroom.
Mummers' Play Script on Google Docs
Friday, Dec. 23, 11 AM: Hilltown Winter Solstice Celebration: Come sing with us, celebrate the days beginning to get longer again, and see the Prisms' Mummers Play! 11:00-12:00 in the All School Space.

Humanities:

Due Fri., 12/23: Read novels & complete reading log
- Fools Crow, ch. 23-24
- Light in the Forest, ch. 11-12
Due Thurs., 12/22: Revise your Native American contact story
Long Range Project: Stories of White and Native American Encounters
First Draft Due Fri., 12/16: 2000-2500 words
Final Draft Due Thurs., 12/22: Write a story, diary entries or a series of letters from the perspective of two people living in the early 1800s in West Virginia. The first chapter, letter or diary entry should be set in the year 1800. The final chapter, letter or diary entry should take place in 1838.
Ample class time will be dedicated to this project and related, short-range deadlines will be updated

Math:

Graph paper link on the sidebar →
Grade 7
Due Wed., 12/21: Complete 3.1 and follow-up, and Applications #1-5 on p. 33. You will need a ruler.

Grade 8

All

Test Wed., 12/21, covering material on linear equations from Moving Straight Ahead and identifying different graph models in Thinking with Mathematical Models
Due Wed., 12/21: Your 4x6 notecard, with the notes you think will be important for the test (optional).

Algebra B

Test Thurs., 12/22, covering material on solving for a variable in equations and inequalities, and writing and graphing inequalities.

Science:

Week of 12/19-12/23: Heredity Research Project presentations
Long Range Project: Independent Heredity Research
- Each student will pick a topic relating to work in Science about heredity, relating to a particular inherited trait such as eye or hair color, hereditary diseases such as Sickle Cell anemia or muscular dystrophy, or ethical question regarding human interference in heredity such as selective breeding for traits in plants and animals, cloning, or a particular genetically modified organism. Each student will present their research either in an essay or Powerpoint presentation.
- Deadlines:
  - Fri., 12/2: Submit topic proposal
  - Tues., 12/6: Submit 2-3 reputable sources about your topic
  - Fri., 12/9: Outline of info due
  - Thurs., 12/15: First draft due
  - Mon., 12/19: Final draft due

Español:

Bring home all Day of the Dead materials!

Health:

Download the following Family Activity worksheets. The activities are not required, but we encourage parents and students to do them together to strengthen dialogue at home about sexual health. Please feel free to contact Emilie or Deb at school with questions.

Grade 7 Family Activity - Dec. 13 (.pdf)
Grade 8 Family Activity - Dec. 13 (.pdf)

Tech:

Due ASAP: If Dan L. talked to you about your magazine project, you need to find time outside of class to work on it in the Tech Lab.

Moment of Zen:

NewspaperWood: Paper goes back to its roots

Dutch industrial designer Meike Meijer has a special twist on recycling: instead of turning wood into newspaper, she's turning newspaper back into wood. Layering and pressing old newspapers together, she gets a material that she can use to make furniture and such. The layered newspaper even ends up with a wood-like grain to it. Click above to read more about the process and see some of the products built from it.

Monday, December 19, 2011

2011-12-19T12:52:00.003-05:00

General Announcements:

If you ever notice something missing or wrong on the blog, comment to let me know about it - I don't always have the whole picture. -Grace
Wednesdays: Mummers Play Rehearsal Rehearsals will take place every Wednesday between here and Solstice from 3-5 PM in the River Classroom.
Mummers' Play Script on Google Docs
Friday, Dec. 23, 11 AM: Hilltown Winter Solstice Celebration: Come sing with us, celebrate the days beginning to get longer again, and see the Prisms' Mummers Play! 11:00-12:00 in the All School Space.

Humanities:

Due Fri., 12/23: Read novels & complete reading log
- Fools Crow, ch. 23-24
- Light in the Forest, ch. 11-12
Due Thurs., 12/22: Revise your Native American contact story
Long Range Project: Stories of White and Native American Encounters
First Draft Due Fri., 12/16: 2000-2500 words
Final Draft Due Thurs., 12/22: Write a story, diary entries or a series of letters from the perspective of two people living in the early 1800s in West Virginia. The first chapter, letter or diary entry should be set in the year 1800. The final chapter, letter or diary entry should take place in 1838.
Ample class time will be dedicated to this project and related, short-range deadlines will be updated

Math:

Graph paper link on the sidebar →
Grade 7
Due Tues., 12/20: Complete #11-24 odd and

Grade 8

All

Due Tues., 12/20: Review problems for test
- Leaky Tire Problem a-e, challenge: f-h
- Handout, p. 65-66, #1 and 2
Test Wed., 12/21, covering material on linear equations from Moving Straight Ahead and identifying different graph models in Thinking with Mathematical Models
Due Wed., 12/21: Your 4x6 notecard, with the notes you think will be important for the test (optional).

Algebra B

Test Thurs., 12/22, covering material on solving for a variable in equations and inequalities, and writing and graphing inequalities.

Science:

Week of 12/19-12/23: Heredity Research Project presentations
Long Range Project: Independent Heredity Research
- Each student will pick a topic relating to work in Science about heredity, relating to a particular inherited trait such as eye or hair color, hereditary diseases such as Sickle Cell anemia or muscular dystrophy, or ethical question regarding human interference in heredity such as selective breeding for traits in plants and animals, cloning, or a particular genetically modified organism. Each student will present their research either in an essay or Powerpoint presentation.
- Deadlines:
  - Fri., 12/2: Submit topic proposal
  - Tues., 12/6: Submit 2-3 reputable sources about your topic
  - Fri., 12/9: Outline of info due
  - Thurs., 12/15: First draft due
  - Mon., 12/19: Final draft due

Español:

Bring home all Day of the Dead materials!

Health:

Grade 7 Family Activity - Dec. 13 (.pdf)
Grade 8 Family Activity - Dec. 13 (.pdf)

Tech:

Due ASAP: If Dan L. talked to you about your magazine project, you need to find time outside of class to work on it in the Tech Lab.

Moment of Zen:

Selective Cleanup Creates Reverse Graffiti

British newspaper The Guardian invited a variety of public figures to redesign money. Some took the idea on a more design-focused track, others aimed to reconceptualize money. Pictured above is author Jonathan Franzen's reimagining and below is Audrey Niffenager's. Click either picture to see a slideshow of the whole slew of them.

Rubric for final Herdity Project

2011-12-17T10:26:00.004-05:00

Hi everyone - !

Hope the Dance was a success!

Below is the Rubric I will use to evaluate your Heredity reports. We will begin presenting them this Monday, some come ready to deliver your presentation.

Some folks have already signed up for times; I will have to assign some of you to a time this Monday, so send me a note if you prefer Monday, and you can be one of the first to go!

John VB

RUBRIC for Heredity Report - Final Draft
For the Poster, Powerpoint or Written report

	Advanced(4)	Proficient (3)	Developing (2)	Beginning (1)	Points
Shows comprehension of topic in report, through reading and interpreting scientific texts	demonstrated thorough comprehension of topic	demonstrated sufficient comprehension of topic	demonstrated some comprehension of topic	demonstrated some important misunderstanding of topic	X 2
Materials (poster, powerpoint, written report) were produced with care	well-edited with few if any errors; polished products with attention to detail	has editing errors but do not interfere with understanding; products have a finished look	editing errors do interfere with understanding at times, or products look partially finished	editing errors make it hard to understand, or products are submitted unfinished
Presentation to an audience	presentation showed very effective use of information and materials, holding attention of audience throughout	presentation showed effective use of information and materials, holding attention of audience much of the time	presentation showed somewhat effective use of information and materials, holding attention of audience some of the time	presentation was read from the report, or materials were not presented in an organized way; audience attention drifted

Friday, December 16, 2011

2011-12-16T17:12:00.005-05:00

General Announcements:

If you ever notice something missing or wrong on the blog, comment to let me know about it - I don't always have the whole picture. -Grace
Wednesdays: Mummers Play Rehearsal Rehearsals will take place every Wednesday between here and Solstice from 3-5 PM in the River Classroom.
Mummers' Play Script on Google Docs
Fri., Dec. 16: Prisms/Purples Masquerade! 8-10:30, Clean-up until 11:00. A snack or drink is your ticket in!

Humanities:

Due Mon., 12/19: Read novels & complete reading log
- Fools Crow, ch. 20-22
- Light in the Forest, ch. 9-10
Due Thurs., 12/15: Write first 1500 words of story (see Tools menu→Word Count). Include flashback with primary source info.
Long Range Project: Stories of White and Native American Encounters
First Draft Due Fri., 12/16: 2000-2500 words
Final Draft Due Thurs., 12/22: Write a story, diary entries or a series of letters from the perspective of two people living in the early 1800s in West Virginia. The first chapter, letter or diary entry should be set in the year 1800. The final chapter, letter or diary entry should take place in 1838.
Ample class time will be dedicated to this project and related, short-range deadlines will be updated

Math:

Graph paper link on the sidebar →
Grade 7
Nada

Grade 8

ничего

Science:

Mon., 12/19: Final project should be ready. Sign up for a presentation slot in the River Classroom.
Long Range Project: Independent Heredity Research
- Each student will pick a topic relating to work in Science about heredity, relating to a particular inherited trait such as eye or hair color, hereditary diseases such as Sickle Cell anemia or muscular dystrophy, or ethical question regarding human interference in heredity such as selective breeding for traits in plants and animals, cloning, or a particular genetically modified organism. Each student will present their research either in an essay or Powerpoint presentation.
- Deadlines:
  - Fri., 12/2: Submit topic proposal
  - Tues., 12/6: Submit 2-3 reputable sources about your topic
  - Fri., 12/9: Outline of info due
  - Thurs., 12/15: First draft due
  - Mon., 12/19: Final draft due

Español:

Bring home all Day of the Dead materials!

Health:

Grade 7 Family Activity - Dec. 13 (.pdf)
Grade 8 Family Activity - Dec. 13 (.pdf)

Tech:

Due ASAP: If Dan L. talked to you about your magazine project, you need to find time outside of class to work on it in the Tech Lab.

Moment of Zen:

Selective Cleanup Creates Reverse Graffiti

Belgian artist Strook created this unique piece not by adding paint or poster, but by removing moss from this wall in Leuven, Belgium using a pressure washer. Click the photo to see details of the work.

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

2011-12-14T15:13:00.004-05:00

General Announcements:

If you ever notice something missing or wrong on the blog, comment to let me know about it - I don't always have the whole picture. -Grace
Wednesdays: Mummers Play Rehearsal Rehearsals will take place every Wednesday between here and Solstice from 3-5 PM in the River Classroom.
Mummers' Play Script on Google Docs
Fri., Dec. 16: Prisms/Purples Dance. Job sign-ups and song request lists up in both classrooms.

Humanities:

Due Mon., 12/19: Read novels & complete reading log
- Fools Crow, ch. 20-22
- Light in the Forest, ch. 9-10
Due Thurs., 12/15: Write first 1500 words of story (see Tools menu→Word Count). Include flashback with primary source info.
Long Range Project: Stories of White and Native American Encounters
First Draft Due Mon., 12/19
Final Draft Due Thurs., 12/22: Write a story, diary entries or a series of letters from the perspective of two people living in the early 1800s in West Virginia. The first chapter, letter or diary entry should be set in the year 1800. The final chapter, letter or diary entry should take place in 1838.
Ample class time will be dedicated to this project and related, short-range deadlines will be updated

Math:

Graph paper link on the sidebar →
Grade 7
Nada

Grade 8

ничего

Science:

Thurs., 12/15: First draft due (one day later than originally planned)
Long Range Project: Independent Heredity Research
- Each student will pick a topic relating to work in Science about heredity, relating to a particular inherited trait such as eye or hair color, hereditary diseases such as Sickle Cell anemia or muscular dystrophy, or ethical question regarding human interference in heredity such as selective breeding for traits in plants and animals, cloning, or a particular genetically modified organism. Each student will present their research either in an essay or Powerpoint presentation.
- Deadlines:
  - Fri., 12/2: Submit topic proposal
  - Tues., 12/6: Submit 2-3 reputable sources about your topic
  - Fri., 12/9: Outline of info due
  - Thurs., 12/15: First draft due
  - Mon., 12/19: Final draft due

Español:

Bring home all Day of the Dead materials!

Health:

Grade 7 Family Activity - Dec. 6 (.pdf)
Grade 8 Family Activity - Dec. 6 (.pdf)

Tech:

Due ASAP: If Dan L. talked to you about your magazine project, you need to find time outside of class to work on it in the Tech Lab.

8th Grade Project:

Due Thurs., 12/15: Possible research topics due.
Moment of Zen:

Historically Accurate Disney Princesses

Skeptical of the costume design for Disney's princesses, L.A. based illustrator Claire Hummel decided to do her homework. Researching clothes from the geographical location and time period each character is situated in, her results update the characters in sometimes striking ways. Click above to see more of her recontextualizations.

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

2011-12-13T13:51:00.006-05:00

General Announcements:

If you ever notice something missing or wrong on the blog, comment to let me know about it - I don't always have the whole picture. -Grace
Wednesdays: Mummers Play Rehearsal Rehearsals will take place every Wednesday between here and Solstice from 3-5 PM in the River Classroom.
Fri., Dec. 16: Prisms/Purples Dance. Job sign-ups and song request lists up in both classrooms.

Humanities:

Due Mon., 12/19: Read novels & complete reading log
- Fools Crow, ch. 20-22
- Light in the Forest, ch. 9-10
Due Wed., 12/14: Write first 500 words of story (see Tools menu→Word Count). Develop characters.
Long Range Project: Stories of White and Native American Encounters
First Draft Due Mon., 12/19
Final Draft Due Thurs., 12/22: Write a story, diary entries or a series of letters from the perspective of two people living in the early 1800s in West Virginia. The first chapter, letter or diary entry should be set in the year 1800. The final chapter, letter or diary entry should take place in 1838.
Ample class time will be dedicated to this project and related, short-range deadlines will be updated

Math:

Graph paper link on the sidebar →
Grade 7
Nada

Grade 8

ничего

Science:

Thurs., 12/15: First draft due (one day later than originally planned)
Long Range Project: Independent Heredity Research
- Each student will pick a topic relating to work in Science about heredity, relating to a particular inherited trait such as eye or hair color, hereditary diseases such as Sickle Cell anemia or muscular dystrophy, or ethical question regarding human interference in heredity such as selective breeding for traits in plants and animals, cloning, or a particular genetically modified organism. Each student will present their research either in an essay or Powerpoint presentation.
- Deadlines:
  - Fri., 12/2: Submit topic proposal
  - Tues., 12/6: Submit 2-3 reputable sources about your topic
  - Fri., 12/9: Outline of info due
  - Thurs., 12/15: First draft due
  - Mon., 12/19: Final draft due

Español:

Bring home all Day of the Dead materials!

Atelier:

Due Wed., 12/14: Have second scratchboard composition finished by next Wed. It will be due first thing that morning.

Health:

Grade 7 Family Activity - Dec. 6 (.pdf)
Grade 8 Family Activity - Dec. 6 (.pdf)

Tech:

Due ASAP: If Dan L. talked to you about your magazine project, you need to find time outside of class to work on it in the Tech Lab.

Moment of Zen:

So Many Baby Tortoises!

One of many cute distractions from ZooBorns, a website that keeps up with new little furry, feathery and scaly bundles of joy from zoos around the world.

Monday, December 12, 2011

2011-12-12T14:15:00.004-05:00

General Announcements:

If you ever notice something missing or wrong on the blog, comment to let me know about it - I don't always have the whole picture. -Grace
Wednesdays: Mummers Play Rehearsal Rehearsals will take place every Wednesday between here and Solstice from 3-5 PM in the River Classroom.
Fri., Dec. 16: Prisms/Purples Dance. Job sign-ups and song request lists up in both classrooms.

Humanities:

Due Wed., 12/14: Read novels & complete reading log
- Fools Crow, ch. 20-22
- Light in the Forest, ch. 9-10
- Due Wed., 12/14: Write first 500 words of story (see Tools menu→Word Count). Develop characters.
Long Range Project: Stories of White and Native American Encounters
First Draft Due Mon., 12/19
Final Draft Due Thurs., 12/22: Write a story, diary entries or a series of letters from the perspective of two people living in the early 1800s in West Virginia. The first chapter, letter or diary entry should be set in the year 1800. The final chapter, letter or diary entry should take place in 1838.
Ample class time will be dedicated to this project and related, short-range deadlines will be updated

Math:

Graph paper link on the sidebar →
Grade 7
Due Tues., 12/13: In Stretching and Shrinking, do Applications #1 and 2a-c on p. 9, 1.1 and 1.1 Follow-up. You will need rubber bands and tape to do the stretching transformation and a centimeter ruler to take measurements of your pre-image and image.

Grade 8

Due Tues., 12/13: Complete exponential growth/decay problems from Algebra book/photocopy assigned to your group and begun in class today. Assigments are as follows:
- Group A: Tyber, Ella, Abby, Jesse
  p. 497, #29-31, 33
- Group B: Shomari, Ryan, Noah, Dory, Ben, Rosie, Tori, Maire
  p. 498, #11-13, 17
  Challenge: p. 482, #31 and p. 488, #34
- Group C: Zach, Bella, Jess, Lucien, Jason
  p. 482, #31; p. 488, #34; p. 499, #18-20 (a-c)

Science:

Thurs., 12/15: First draft due (one day later than originally planned)
Long Range Project: Independent Heredity Research
- Each student will pick a topic relating to work in Science about heredity, relating to a particular inherited trait such as eye or hair color, hereditary diseases such as Sickle Cell anemia or muscular dystrophy, or ethical question regarding human interference in heredity such as selective breeding for traits in plants and animals, cloning, or a particular genetically modified organism. Each student will present their research either in an essay or Powerpoint presentation.
- Deadlines:
  - Fri., 12/2: Submit topic proposal
  - Tues., 12/6: Submit 2-3 reputable sources about your topic
  - Fri., 12/9: Outline of info due
  - Thurs., 12/15: First draft due
  - Mon., 12/19: Final draft due

Español:

Bring home all Day of the Dead materials!

Atelier:

Due Wed., 12/14: Have second scratchboard composition finished by next Wed. It will be due first thing that morning.

Health:

Grade 7 Family Activity - Dec. 6 (.pdf)
Grade 8 Family Activity - Dec. 6 (.pdf)

Tech:

Due ASAP: If Dan L. talked to you about your magazine project, you need to find time outside of class to work on it in the Tech Lab.

Moment of Zen:

The First Paris Air Show (1909)

Friday, December 9, 2011

2011-12-09T18:27:00.004-05:00

General Announcements:

If you ever notice something missing or wrong on the blog, comment to let me know about it - I don't always have the whole picture. -Grace
Wednesdays: Mummers Play Rehearsal Rehearsals will take place every Wednesday between here and Solstice from 3-5 PM in the River Classroom.
Fri., Dec. 16: Prisms/Purples Dance. Job sign-ups and song request lists up in both classrooms.

Humanities:

Due Fri., 12/9: Read novels & complete reading log
- Fools Crow, ch. 11-13
- Light in the Forest, ch. 5-6
- Due Mon., 12/12: Complete bottom three bands of your timeline.
Long Range Project: Stories of White and Native American Encounters
First Draft Due Mon., 12/19
Final Draft Due Thurs., 12/22: Write a story, diary entries or a series of letters from the perspective of two people living in the early 1800s in West Virginia. The first chapter, letter or diary entry should be set in the year 1800. The final chapter, letter or diary entry should take place in 1838.
Ample class time will be dedicated to this project and related, short-range deadlines will be updated

Math:

Graph paper link on the sidebar →
All
Due Mon., 12/12: Do Math's Mates 2.3 according to usual protocol, including any attached N/A problems. Please contact Grace if you have questions.

Algebra B

Due Mon., 12/12: Do "Fruity Math" #3 and 4 and any corrections necessary on #1 and 2

Science:

Test Mon., 12/12: It will look just like the study sheet.
Wed., 12/14: First draft due
Long Range Project: Independent Heredity Research
- Each student will pick a topic relating to work in Science about heredity, relating to a particular inherited trait such as eye or hair color, hereditary diseases such as Sickle Cell anemia or muscular dystrophy, or ethical question regarding human interference in heredity such as selective breeding for traits in plants and animals, cloning, or a particular genetically modified organism. Each student will present their research either in an essay or Powerpoint presentation.
- Deadlines:
  - Fri., 12/2: Submit topic proposal
  - Tues., 12/6: Submit 2-3 reputable sources about your topic
  - Fri., 12/9: Outline of info due
  - Wed., 12/14: First draft due
  - Fri., 12/16: Final draft due

Español:

Bring home all Day of the Dead materials!

Atelier:

Due Wed., 12/14: Have second scratchboard composition finished by next Wed. It will be due first thing that morning.

Health:

Grade 7 Family Activity - Dec. 6 (.pdf)
Grade 8 Family Activity - Dec. 6 (.pdf)

Tech:

Due ASAP: If Dan L. talked to you about your magazine project, you need to find time outside of class to work on it in the Tech Lab.

Moment of Zen:

Dodecahedron Full of Chickens

Eric Weston built this rather unique backyard chicken coop as a project with his son. Here's what he has to say about it:

I got the basic idea for a plywood dodecahedron from a late 60s Popular Science magazine article I read in my youth. The author of that article built it as a meditation space, with a circular hole cut in one panel. Instead, we hinged one panel and put a hook and eye at the top, so we could lock up the chickens overnight, safe from raccoons and other varmints.

One other point, we hung a heat lamp from the top to warm the chickens during the winter. At night, the red light leaks through the vertices.

My son’s friends have been unpersuasive in trying to talk us into painting numbers on the side to make it look like a D12.

Click above to see more angles of the dodecahedral coop.

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

2011-12-07T10:05:00.006-05:00

General Announcements:

If you ever notice something missing or wrong on the blog, comment to let me know about it - I don't always have the whole picture. -Grace
Wednesdays: Mummers Play Rehearsal Rehearsals will take place every Wednesday between here and Solstice from 3-5 PM in the River Classroom.
Fri., Dec. 9: Prisms field trip to Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association in Deerfield, 11:30 am - 3 pm. Blue House lunches will be ready in time, but pizza orders will not, so plan lunch and lunch orders accordingly.
Fri., Dec. 16: Prisms/Purples Dance. Job sign-ups and song request lists up in both classrooms.

Humanities:

Due Fri., 12/9: Read novels & complete reading log
- Fools Crow, ch. 11-13
- Light in the Forest, ch. 5-6
- Due Mon., 12/12: Complete bottom three bands of your timeline.
Long Range Project: Stories of White and Native American Encounters
First Draft Due Mon., 12/19
Final Draft Due Thurs., 12/22: Write a story, diary entries or a series of letters from the perspective of two people living in the early 1800s in West Virginia. The first chapter, letter or diary entry should be set in the year 1800. The final chapter, letter or diary entry should take place in 1838.
Ample class time will be dedicated to this project and related, short-range deadlines will be updated

Math:

Graph paper link on the sidebar →
Grade 7
Test Thurs., 12/8: Variables and Patterns unit test. Review Notes in your Math Binder in preparation for your test this coming Thursday.

Grade 8

Due Thurs., 12/8: On p. 42, do Applications #2 (chocolate chip thief?)

Science:

Fri., 12/9: Outline of info due, including specific question and presentation plan. You will not get class time to work on this before Friday, so plan homework time accordingly.
Long Range Project: Independent Heredity Research
- Each student will pick a topic relating to work in Science about heredity, relating to a particular inherited trait such as eye or hair color, hereditary diseases such as Sickle Cell anemia or muscular dystrophy, or ethical question regarding human interference in heredity such as selective breeding for traits in plants and animals, cloning, or a particular genetically modified organism. Each student will present their research either in an essay or Powerpoint presentation.
- Deadlines:
  - Fri., 12/2: Submit topic proposal
  - Tues., 12/6: Submit 2-3 reputable sources about your topic
  - Fri., 12/9: Outline of info due
  - Wed., 12/14: First draft due
  - Fri., 12/16: Final draft due

Español:

Bring home all Day of the Dead materials!

Atelier:

Due Wed., 12/14: Have second scratchboard composition finished by next Wed. It will be due first thing that morning.

Health:

Grade 7 Family Activity - Dec. 6 (.pdf)
Grade 8 Family Activity - Dec. 6 (.pdf)

Tech:

Due ASAP: If Dan L. talked to you about your magazine project, you need to find time outside of class to work on it in the Tech Lab.

Moment of Zen:

Why do Apes love cats?

If you're like me, you loved the book Koko's Kitten about Koko the signing gorilla's partnership with her tailless cat, Ball. But Koko and Ball are not the only simian-feline partnership. Click above to read/see pictures of other such friendships with a brief analysis of why non-human apes get along with cats as much as human apes do.

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

2011-12-06T13:57:00.005-05:00

General Announcements:

If you ever notice something missing or wrong on the blog, comment to let me know about it - I don't always have the whole picture. -Grace
Wednesdays: Mummers Play Rehearsal Rehearsals will take place every Wednesday between here and Solstice from 3-5 PM in the River Classroom.
Fri., Dec. 9: Prisms field trip to Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association in Deerfield, 11:30 am - 3 pm. Blue House lunches will be ready in time, but pizza orders will not, so plan lunch and lunch orders accordingly.
Fri., Dec. 16: Prisms/Purples Dance. Job sign-ups and song request lists up in both classrooms.

Humanities:

Due Wed., 12/7: Read novels & complete reading log
- Fools Crow, ch. 5-7
- Light in the Forest, ch. 3-4
Long Range Project: Stories of White and Native American Encounters
First Draft Due Mon., 12/19
Final Draft Due Thurs., 12/22: Write a story, diary entries or a series of letters from the perspective of two people living in the early 1800s in West Virginia. The first chapter, letter or diary entry should be set in the year 1800. The final chapter, letter or diary entry should take place in 1838.
Ample class time will be dedicated to this project and related, short-range deadlines will be updated

Math:

Graph paper link on the sidebar →
Grade 7
Test Thurs., 12/8: Variables and Patterns unit test.
Due Wed., 12/7: Review the quiz that was handed back today and come up with a list of skills you can work on in preparation for your test this coming Thursday.

Grade 8

Due Wed., 12/7:

All: Do. 3.1 and 3.1 Follow-up, #1-4 on p. 38-39
Algebra B:
- correct p. 364, #43-48 and do Fruity Math #1 and 2
- In Thinking with Mathematical Models, do Applications #1 on p. 41

Science:

Wed., 12/7: Bring in all sources (books or printouts of websites) for in-class research time.
Fri., 12/9: Outline of info due
Long Range Project: Independent Heredity Research
- Each student will pick a topic relating to work in Science about heredity, relating to a particular inherited trait such as eye or hair color, hereditary diseases such as Sickle Cell anemia or muscular dystrophy, or ethical question regarding human interference in heredity such as selective breeding for traits in plants and animals, cloning, or a particular genetically modified organism. Each student will present their research either in an essay or Powerpoint presentation.
- Deadlines:
  - Fri., 12/2: Submit topic proposal
  - Tues., 12/6: Submit 2-3 reputable sources about your topic
  - Fri., 12/9: Outline of info due
  - Wed., 12/14: First draft due
  - Fri., 12/16: Final draft due

Español:

Bring home all Day of the Dead materials!

Atelier:

Due Wed., 12/7: Spend a focused 30 min. working on the draft of your bee illustration with borders

Tech:

Due ASAP: If Dan L. talked to you about your magazine project, you need to find time outside of class to work on it in the Tech Lab.

Moment of Zen:

What have you got in your head?

Sara Asnaghi's nine food-brains, made out of everything from chili flakes to birdseed, and including a brain sandwich.

Monday, December 5, 2011

2011-12-05T12:52:00.004-05:00

General Announcements:

If you ever notice something missing or wrong on the blog, comment to let me know about it - I don't always have the whole picture. -Grace
Wednesdays: Mummers Play Rehearsal Rehearsals will take place every Wednesday between here and Solstice from 3-5 PM in the River Classroom.
Sat., Dec. 3: Winter fair!
Fri., Dec. 16: Prisms/Purples Dance. Job sign-ups and song request lists up in both classrooms.

Humanities:

Due Wed., 12/7: Read novels & complete reading log
- Fools Crow, ch. 5-7
- Light in the Forest, ch. 3-4
Long Range Project: Stories of White and Native American Encounters
First Draft Due Mon., 12/19
Final Draft Due Thurs., 12/22: Write a story, diary entries or a series of letters from the perspective of two people living in the early 1800s in West Virginia. The first chapter, letter or diary entry should be set in the year 1800. The final chapter, letter or diary entry should take place in 1838.
Ample class time will be dedicated to this project and related, short-range deadlines will be updated

Math:

Graph paper link on the sidebar →
Grade 7
Due Tues., 12/6: p. 66, #6 and p. 58, #12 a and b
Challenge: p. 67, #7

Grade 8

Due Wed., 12/7:
- Algebra B: correct p. 364, #43-48 and do Fruity Math #1 and 2

Science:

Due Tues., 12/6: Submit 2-3 reputable sources about your topic.
Long Range Project: Independent Heredity Research
- Each student will pick a topic relating to work in Science about heredity, relating to a particular inherited trait such as eye or hair color, hereditary diseases such as Sickle Cell anemia or muscular dystrophy, or ethical question regarding human interference in heredity such as selective breeding for traits in plants and animals, cloning, or a particular genetically modified organism. Each student will present their research either in an essay or Powerpoint presentation.
- Deadlines:
  - Fri., 12/2: Submit topic proposal
  - Tues., 12/6: Submit 2-3 reputable sources about your topic
  - Fri., 12/9: Outline of info due
  - Wed., 12/14: First draft due
  - Fri., 12/16: Final draft due

Español:

Bring home all Day of the Dead materials!

Atelier:

Due Wed., 12/7: Spend a focused 30 min. working on the draft of your bee illustration with borders

Tech:

Due ASAP: If Dan L. talked to you today about your magazine project, you need to find time outside of class to work on it in the Tech Lab.

Moment of Zen:

How phenotypical...

Canadian photographer Ulric Collette found himself fascinated by the similarities in the faces of closely related people. To better examine this, he photographed pairs of close family members (parents & children, siblings, cousins) and created one portrait of the pair with each contributing one half of the face. The results are astonishing, ranging from one composed of twins, which looks like one woman with a different hair style on each side of her head, to uncannily similar half male/half female faces (like the artist's self-portrait with his cousin, above). Click the photo to see more of Collette's "Genetic Portraits" which include the names and ages of each person photographed and their relationship to each other. The site is in French, so this is what you need to know to decipher it:

mère - mother
père - father
fils - son
fille - daughter
soeur - sister
frère - brother
cousin(e) - cousin
jumeaux - twins (masc./mixed)
jumelles - twins (fem.)
ans - years

Friday, December 2, 2011

2011-12-02T12:49:00.005-05:00

General Announcements:

If you ever notice something missing or wrong on the blog, comment to let me know about it - I don't always have the whole picture. -Grace
Wednesdays: Mummers Play Rehearsal Rehearsals will take place every Wednesday between here and Solstice from 3-5 PM in the River Classroom.
Sat., Dec. 3: Winter fair!
Fri., Dec. 16: Prisms/Purples Dance. Job sign-ups and song request lists up in both classrooms.

Humanities:

Due Fri., 12/2: Revise Sing Down the Moon essay. Include at least one semicolon and one colon.
Long Range Project: Stories of White and Native American Encounters
First Draft Due Mon., 12/19
Final Draft Due Thurs., 12/22: Write a story, diary entries or a series of letters from the perspective of two people living in the early 1800s in West Virginia. The first chapter, letter or diary entry should be set in the year 1800. The final chapter, letter or diary entry should take place in 1838.
Ample class time will be dedicated to this project and related, short-range deadlines will be updated

Math:

Graph paper link on the sidebar →
All
Due Mon., 12/5: MM 2.2 and any attached N/A problems according to usual protocol (no calculators, work for * problems shown on separate paper,
Grade 8
Due Fri., 12/2:
- Algebra B: P. 349, 13-17 odd, 18, 20, 26, 28

Science:

Due Tues., 12/6: Submit 2-3 reputable sources about your topic.
Long Range Project: Independent Heredity Research
- Each student will pick a topic relating to work in Science about heredity, relating to a particular inherited trait such as eye or hair color, hereditary diseases such as Sickle Cell anemia or muscular dystrophy, or ethical question regarding human interference in heredity such as selective breeding for traits in plants and animals, cloning, or a particular genetically modified organism. Each student will present their research either in an essay or Powerpoint presentation.
- Deadlines:
  - Fri., 12/2: Submit topic proposal
  - Tues., 12/6: Submit 2-3 reputable sources about your topic
  - Fri., 12/9: Outline of info due
  - Wed., 12/14: First draft due
  - Fri., 12/16: Final draft due

Español:

Bring home all Day of the Dead materials!

Atelier:

Due Wed., 12/7: Spend a focused 30 min. working on the draft of your bee illustration with borders

Tech:

Due ASAP: If Dan L. talked to you today about your magazine project, you need to find time outside of class to work on it in the Tech Lab.

Moment of Zen:

Pedaling Steel: These aren't just decorative

Looking like a crazy modern art piece, these specially-designed wheels of steel are made to ride on. The flower-like design is actually the key to the wheel's strength and stability. Click above to read more about the wheel's design and to see video of it in action.

Thursday, December 1, 2011

2011-12-01T13:05:00.004-05:00

General Announcements:

If you ever notice something missing or wrong on the blog, comment to let me know about it - I don't always have the whole picture. -Grace
Wednesdays: Mummers Play Rehearsal Rehearsals will take place every Wednesday between here and Solstice from 3-5 PM in the River Classroom.
Sat., Dec. 3: Winter fair!
Fri., Dec. 16: Prisms/Purples Dance. Job sign-ups and song request lists up in both classrooms.

Humanities:

Due Fri., 12/2: Revise Sing Down the Moon essay. Include at least one semicolon and one colon.
Long Range Project: Stories of White and Native American Encounters
First Draft Due Mon., 12/19
Final Draft Due Thurs., 12/22: Write a story, diary entries or a series of letters from the perspective of two people living in the early 1800s in West Virginia. The first chapter, letter or diary entry should be set in the year 1800. The final chapter, letter or diary entry should take place in 1838.
Ample class time will be dedicated to this project and related, short-range deadlines will be updated

Math:

Graph paper link on the sidebar →
Grade 7
Due Fri., 12/2: On p. 76-7 of Variables and Patterns, do #1 and 3.
Challenge: p. 67, #7

Grade 8

Due Fri., 12/2:
- Algebra A: In Thinking with Mathematical Models, do 2.3 and 2.3 follow-up, #1 and 2 only (p. 30).
- Algebra B: P. 363, #1-3, #5-11 odds only; p. 364, #43-48

Science:

Due Fri., 12/2: Submit proposed topic for heredity research project.
Long Range Project: Independent Heredity Research
- Each student will pick a topic relating to work in Science about heredity, relating to a particular inherited trait such as eye or hair color, hereditary diseases such as Sickle Cell anemia or muscular dystrophy, or ethical question regarding human interference in heredity such as selective breeding for traits in plants and animals, cloning, or a particular genetically modified organism. Each student will present their research either in an essay or Powerpoint presentation.
- Deadlines:
  - Fri., 12/2: Submit topic proposal
  - Tues., 12/6: Submit 2-3 reputable sources about your topic
  - Fri., 12/9: Outline of info due
  - Wed., 12/14: First draft due
  - Fri., 12/16: Final draft due

Español:

Bring home all Day of the Dead materials!

Atelier:

Due Wed., 12/7: Spend a focused 30 min. working on the draft of your bee illustration with borders

Tech:

Due ASAP: If Dan L. talked to you today about your magazine project, you need to find time outside of class to work on it in the Tech Lab.

Moment of Zen:

The Wafflizer: 30 Answers to the question, "Will it Waffle?"

For those of you who have heard me describe this project in rapturous tones, here's the link. Chicago newspaper web editor Dan Shumski decided to stretch the limits of what could be cooked in his waffle iron. He started on his own with simple goals, like waffle-baked chocolate chip cookies, but later enlisted top Chicago chefs to take wafflizing to another level. They waffled up creations like waffled falafel and waffled polenta. All in all the project ranged from the absurd (Thai style waffled squid salad) to the sublime ('Smoreffles) and things that fit both descriptions (twice-waffled bread pudding). Click the waffle-baked pretzel to read Shumski's 30 waffle-ready recipes.

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

2011-11-30T15:15:00.002-05:00

General Announcements:

If you ever notice something missing or wrong on the blog, comment to let me know about it - I don't always have the whole picture. -Grace
Wednesdays: Mummers Play Rehearsal Rehearsals will take place every Wednesday between here and Solstice from 3-5 PM in the River Classroom.
Sat., Dec. 3: Winter fair!
Fri., Dec. 16: Prisms/Purples Dance. Job sign-ups and song request lists up in both classrooms.

Humanities:

Due Thurs., 12/1: Revise Sing Down the Moon essay. Include at least one semicolon and one colon.
Long Range Project: Stories of White and Native American Encounters
First Draft Due Mon., 12/19
Final Draft Due Thurs., 12/22: Write a story, diary entries or a series of letters from the perspective of two people living in the early 1800s in West Virginia. The first chapter, letter or diary entry should be set in the year 1800. The final chapter, letter or diary entry should take place in 1838.
Ample class time will be dedicated to this project and related, short-range deadlines will be updated

Math:

Graph paper link on the sidebar →
Grade 7
Due Thurs., 12/1: On p. 65 of Variables and Patterns, do #3 and 4.

Grade 8

Due Thurs., 12/1: In Thinking with Mathematical Models, do Inv. 2.1, a-d and Follow-up. In 2.1d, you only need to predict the breaking weight for the bridges, you don't need to test them.

Science:

Due Thurs., 12/1: read pp. 221-228, and answer the following questions on lined paper:
- p. 225, #2-3; p. 229, #1-6
Long Range Project: Independent Heredity Research
- Each student will pick a topic relating to work in Science about heredity, relating to a particular inherited trait such as eye or hair color, hereditary diseases such as Sickle Cell anemia or muscular dystrophy, or ethical question regarding human interference in heredity such as selective breeding for traits in plants and animals, cloning, or a particular genetically modified organism. Each student will present their research either in an essay or Powerpoint presentation.
- Deadlines:
  - Fri., 12/2: Submit topic proposal
  - Tues., 12/6: Submit 2-3 reputable sources about your topic
  - Fri., 12/9: Outline of info due
  - Wed., 12/14: First draft due
  - Fri., 12/16: Final draft due

Español:

Bring home all Day of the Dead materials!

Atelier:

Due Wed., 12/7: Spend a focused 30 min. working on the draft of your bee illustration with borders

Tech:

Due ASAP: If Dan L. talked to you today about your magazine project, you need to find time outside of class to work on it in the Tech Lab.

Moment of Zen:

Deconstructionism

Todd McLellan breaks it down for you: taking apart common mechanical household items and setting out all their pieces. Click to see more of McLellan's deconstructions.

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

2011-11-29T14:08:00.006-05:00

General Announcements:

If you ever notice something missing or wrong on the blog, comment to let me know about it - I don't always have the whole picture. -Grace
Wed., 11/30: Mummers Play Meeting! First meeting is this week. Interested parties must attend or contact Seana with their excellent, compelling reason they cannot attend. Rehearsals will take place every Wednesday between here and Solstice from 3-5 PM in the River Classroom.
Sat., Dec. 3: Winter fair!
Fri., Dec. 16: Prisms/Purples Dance. Job sign-ups and song request lists up in both classrooms.

Humanities:

Long Range Project: Stories of White and Native American Encounters
First Draft Due Mon., 12/19
Final Draft Due Thurs., 12/22: Write a story, diary entries or a series of letters from the perspective of two people living in the early 1800s in West Virginia. The first chapter, letter or diary entry should be set in the year 1800. The final chapter, letter or diary entry should take place in 1838.
Ample class time will be dedicated to this project and related, short-range deadlines will be updated

Math:

Graph paper link on the sidebar →
Grade 7
Nada

Grade 8

Due Wed., 11/30: On handout, p. 296-297, do #6-8, 10, 12, 17-24
Challenge: #25-27

Science:

Due Thurs., 12/1: read pp. 221-228, and answer the following questions on lined paper:
- p. 225, #2-3; p. 229, #1-6
Long Range Project: Independent Heredity Research
- Each student will pick a topic relating to work in Science about heredity, relating to a particular inherited trait such as eye or hair color, hereditary diseases such as Sickle Cell anemia or muscular dystrophy, or ethical question regarding human interference in heredity such as selective breeding for traits in plants and animals, cloning, or a particular genetically modified organism. Each student will present their research either in an essay or Powerpoint presentation.
- Deadlines:
  - Fri., 12/2: Submit topic proposal
  - Tues., 12/6: Submit 2-3 reputable sources about your topic
  - Fri., 12/9: Outline of info due
  - Wed., 12/14: First draft due
  - Fri., 12/16: Final draft due

Español:

Bring home all Day of the Dead materials!

Moment of Zen:

Microscopic Wasp

Measuring at just 100 microns (0.10 mm) in length, the Megaphragma wasp or "fairy fly" is the smallest multicellular animal in the world. In fact, there are varieties of single-celled animals that are larger than it. The parasitic wasp lives in Guadalupe and feeds off the eggs of other insects. Click above to find out more about how its body accommodates being so small.

Monday, November 28, 2011

2011-11-22T13:04:00.007-05:00

General Announcements:

If you ever notice something missing or wrong on the blog, comment to let me know about it - I don't always have the whole picture. -Grace
Sat., Dec. 3: Winter fair!
Fri., Dec. 16: Prisms/Purples Dance. Job sign-ups and song request lists up in both classrooms.

Humanities:

Due Tues., 11/29: Finish essay begun in class about Sing Down the Moon and share with Beth on Google Docs.
- Introduction: Background, main idea (answer the question), briefly describe three main examples
- 3 middle paragraphs
- Conclusion: Restate main point, closing

Math:

Graph paper link on the sidebar →
Grade 7
Nada

Grade 8

Due Wed., 11/30: On handout, p. 296-297, do #6-8, 10, 12, 17-24
Challenge: #25-27

Science:

Due Thurs., 12/1: read pp. 221-228, and answer the following questions on lined paper:
- p. 225, #2-3; p. 229, #1-6
Begin thinking about topic for heredity research project.

Español:

Bring home all Day of the Dead materials!

Moment of Zen:

Does # of genes indicate complexity?

If it does, we need to reevaluate ourselves, because it turns out the water flea has 35% more genes than we do, about 8,000 more. Click to read more at National Geographic.

Monday, November 21, 2011

2011-11-21T17:46:00.002-05:00

General Announcements:

If you ever notice something missing or wrong on the blog, comment to let me know about it - I don't always have the whole picture. -Grace

Humanities:

Due Mon., 11/28:: Finish Sing Down the Moon. Keep track of discussion questions and reactions in writing.

Math:

Graph paper link on the sidebar →
Grade 7
Due Tues., 11/22: In Variables & Patterns do #11 on p. (can someone fill this in for me?) about paying off a stereo on an installment plan.

Grade 8

Nada

Science:

Due Tues., 11/22: Complete Guinea Pig Genetics worksheet.

Español:

Bring home all Day of the Dead materials!

Moment of Zen:

Anamorphic Graffiti

Thursday, November 17, 2011

2011-11-17T17:20:00.004-05:00

General Announcements:

If you ever notice something missing or wrong on the blog, comment to let me know about it - I don't always have the whole picture. -Grace
Bring In Pictures for the DC Slideshow by Wed., 11/16 If you have just a few pictures to share (5 or less) you can email them to Grace. Otherwise, bring in your camera (don't worry about the cord) and we'll add them to the pool.

Humanities:

>Test Fri., 11/19 on the Constitution
Due Fri., 11/18: Read Ch. 9-12 of Sing Down the Moon and answer questions.
Full text of the US Constitution via National Archives

Math:

Graph paper link on the sidebar →
Grade 7
Due Fri., 11/18: In Variables & Patterns do p. 4.2, 4.2 Follow-up as well as #3-7 on p. 55-56

Grade 8

Due Fri., 11/18
- In Moving Straight Ahead, do p. 86-87 #15 and 17
- In Algebra book, do p. 337 #32-44 (center column only), p. 338 #46-54 odd, #66 and p. 339 #6-9

Science:

Nada

Español:

Bring home all Day of the Dead materials!

Moment of Zen:

Anamorphic Graffiti

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

2011-11-16T11:47:00.003-05:00

General Announcements:

If you ever notice something missing or wrong on the blog, comment to let me know about it - I don't always have the whole picture. -Grace
Bring In Pictures for the DC Slideshow by Wed., 11/16 If you have just a few pictures to share (5 or less) you can email them to Grace. Otherwise, bring in your camera (don't worry about the cord) and we'll add them to the pool.

Humanities:

Modern Constitutional Convention tomorrow!
Due Fri., 11/18: Read Ch. 9-12 of Sing Down the Moon and answer questions.
Full text of the US Constitution via National Archives

Math:

Graph paper link on the sidebar →
Grade 7
Due Thurs., 11/17: In Variables & Patterns do p. 4.1 & 4.1 Follow-up

Grade 8

Due Thurs., 11/7
- In Moving Straight Ahead, do 6.2 & 6.2 Follow-Up (p. 81 - °F <-> °C)
- In Moving Straight Ahead, do 6.3 & 6.3 Follow-Up (p. 82 - The Mysterious Disappearance of the Irish Elk)

Science:

Due Thurs., 11/17: In photocopied packet, read p. 213-217 and answer questions 1-4 on lined paper.

Español:

Bring home all Day of the Dead materials!

Moment of Zen:

Click for larger version

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

2011-11-15T11:56:00.004-05:00

General Announcements:

If you ever notice something missing or wrong on the blog, comment to let me know about it - I don't always have the whole picture. -Grace
Bring In Pictures for the DC Slideshow by Wed., 11/16 If you have just a few pictures to share (5 or less) you can email them to Grace. Otherwise, bring in your camera (don't worry about the cord) and we'll add them to the pool.

Humanities:

Modern Constitutional Convention tomorrow!
Due Fri., 11/18: Read Ch. 9-12 of Sing Down the Moon and answer questions.
Full text of the US Constitution via National Archives

Math:

Graph paper link on the sidebar →
Grade 7
Due Wed., 11/16: In Variables & Patterns do p. 42 #1 and #3.

Grade 8

Due Tue., 11/15: In Moving Straight Ahead, do 6.1 & Follow-up as well as #12 and #14 on p. 85-86

Science:

Nada

Español:

Bring home all Day of the Dead materials!

Moment of Zen:

Imagine if this were your walk to school

To be fair, these students from Pili Village in Xinjiang Province in Northwestern China only walk to school and back once a year (they board at the school), but man, what a walk. Nearly 125 miles away, without clean drinking water to be collected along the way, their route crosses four freezing cold rivers, a 650' chain bridge and four single-plank bridges made of just two pieces of wood. To avoid having to cross the turbulent Yarkand River, they must go around to bypass numerous mountain cliffs, gravel and rapids. The threat of falling rocks is ever-present, and beneath the cliff trail which is only a few inches wide can only fit half of a foot, is the steady stream of flood. From dusk till down, it takes two days and a night to complete the journey.

Monday, November 14, 2011

2011-11-14T17:26:00.003-05:00

General Announcements:

If you ever notice something missing or wrong on the blog, comment to let me know about it - I don't always have the whole picture. -Grace
Bring In Pictures for the DC Slideshow by Wed., 11/16 If you have just a few pictures to share (5 or less) you can email them to Grace. Otherwise, bring in your camera (don't worry about the cord) and we'll add them to the pool.

Humanities:

Due Tuesday, 11/15: Finish packet addressing effectiveness of current Constitution in preparation for Modern Constitutional Convention on Wednesday. You will need a copy of the Constitution.
Full text of the US Constitution via National Archives

Math:

Graph paper link on the sidebar →
Grade 7
Due Tue., 11/15: In Variables & Patterns do 3.4 and 3.4 Follow-up. Begin by completing the table examining possible tour profits begun in class today.

Grade 8

Due Tue., 11/15: In Moving Straight Ahead, do #3-7 and 13 on p. 81-84

Science:

Nada

Español:

Bring home all Day of the Dead materials!

Moment of Zen:

What it Looks Like Inside a Wave

Photographer Clark Little specializes in underwater photography, and has gotten attention for his fascinating photos taken from inside waves. Click above to see more of Little's photos along with some of him at work among monster waves.

Thursday, November 10, 2011

2011-11-11T01:16:00.006-05:00

Click any photo for a larger version
There will be a more extensive slideshow of photos from the DC trip presented in the next week or so, and we'll be sure to keep you posted.

Thanks to the many picture takers on the trip who offered a picture of our adventures through their lens. Though photos are not marked individually, I would like to thank Alison Janssen, Tyber Oborne, Bella Jaeger, Jess Klitus-Flaim, Jenn Palmer and Barbara Neulinger for their contributions.

Wednesday, November 9, 2011 in Photos

2011-11-10T21:44:00.008-05:00

Click any photo for a larger version

Tuesday, November 8, 2011 in Photos

2011-11-08T21:29:00.008-05:00

Click any photo for a larger version.

Monday, November 7, 2011 in Photos

2011-11-07T22:47:00.007-05:00

Click any photo for a larger version

Sunday, November 6, 2011 in Photos

2011-11-06T21:43:00.012-05:00

Click any picture for a larger version

Thursday, November 3, 2011

2011-11-03T13:51:00.004-04:00

General Announcements:

If you ever notice something missing or wrong on the blog, comment to let me know about it - I don't always have the whole picture. -Grace
Fri., 11/4: Your main "checked" luggage needs to come to school. Anything you need over the weekend or on the train should go in the backpack you will bring on Sunday.
- DC Packing List/Tentative Itinerary (public Google Docs file - no login required)
Sunday, November 6, 2011: We meet at the Springfield Amtrak station at 8:30 AM. Carpool details to follow.

Humanities:

Due Fri., 11/4: If not completed, finish your brief paragraph describing which Department of the Executive branch you would like to work for and the qualities that make you particularly qualified for this. Share with Beth when ready for review.

Math:

Graph paper link on the sidebar →
All:
Nada

Science:

Due Fri., 11/4: Interview one more person using trait survey.

Español:

Bring home Day of the Dead materials! Thanks for another beautiful Día de los muertos celebration!

Moment of Zen:

Vampire Stars?

"Scattered across our Milky Way galaxy are vampires that truly sparkle—so-called blue straggler stars that maintain the appearance of youth by sucking the life from other stars.

Blue stragglers are often found in dense star clusters. These tight bundles are thought to contain stars that all formed around the same time, and the majority of the stars in such clusters are among the oldest in the galaxy.

But the stragglers have a blue tinge to their light that suggests youth among stellar populations. Scientists think the vampires are stealing gases from their neighbors, allowing the small, aging stars to swell in mass and extend their lives by hundreds of millions of years."

- from National Geographic's "Halloween Pictures: Ten Spooky Objects in Outer Space".

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

2011-11-02T13:55:00.006-04:00

General Announcements:

If you ever notice something missing or wrong on the blog, comment to let me know about it - I don't always have the whole picture. -Grace
DC Packing List/Tentative Itinerary (public Google Docs file - no login required)

Humanities:

Due Thurs., 11/3: Work for 45 minutes writing/revising your Constitution essay and letter to legislator/editor. Share with Beth if ready for review.

Math:

Graph paper link on the sidebar →
All:
Thurs., 11/3: Math's Mates Term 1 Test. It's just like a regular MM sheet, so the best way to review is to redo problems that gave you trouble on previous sheets.

Grade 7

Due Thurs., 11/3: Do 3.3 and 3.3 follow up on p. 37-38

Grade 8

Algebra B:

Due Thurs., 11/3: On. p. 288, do #9-17 odds, 18-20, 45-50

Science:

Due Thurs., 11/3: Interview one person using the trait survey.
Due Fri., 11/4: Interview one more person using trait survey.

Español:

Bring home Day of the Dead materials! Thanks for another beautiful Día de los muertos celebration!

Moment of Zen:

Abraham Lincoln, Ghostbuster

Monday, November 1, 2011

2011-11-01T15:47:00.004-04:00

General Announcements:

If you ever notice something missing or wrong on the blog, comment to let me know about it - I don't always have the whole picture. -Grace
Wed., 10/26: DC Medical Packet due. Many still missing!

Humanities:

Due Wed., 11/2:
- Edit your Constitution essay, based on Beth's comments
- Finish "Writing an Effective Letter" and write your rough draft of your letter

Math:

Graph paper link on the sidebar →
Grade 7
Due Wed., 11/2: Do 3.1 and 3.1 follow up on p. 37-38

Grade 8

Algebra A:

Due Wed., 11/2: Investigation 3, Additional Practice p. 163 #1 and 2

Algebra B:

Due Thurs., 11/3: On. p. 288, do #9-17 odds, 18-20, 45-50

Science:

Nada

Español:

Bring home Day of the Dead materials! Thanks for another beautiful Día de los muertos celebration!

Moment of Zen:

Why Is This Forest Crooked?

Friday, October 28, 2011

2011-10-29T11:25:00.003-04:00

General Announcements:

If you ever notice something missing or wrong on the blog, comment to let me know about it - I don't always have the whole picture. -Grace
Wed., 10/26: DC Medical Packet due. Many still missing!

Humanities:

Due Tuesday, 11/1: Rough draft of letter about your topic.

Math:

Graph paper link on the sidebar →
All
Due Tue., 11/1: Math's Mate 1.8 according to usual protocol, with work shown on separate paper and and attached N/A problems completed

Algebra B:

Due Tue., 11/1: On. p. 177-178, do #11-14, #15-29 odd, plus 31 & 33

Science:

Quiz Fri., 10/28 on plant reproduction and bees.
For review: Jeopardy!

Español:

Work on your Day of the Dead altars at home!
2011 Day of the Dead Calendar (.pdf)
Day of the Dead Documents (2010 edition)

Moment of Zen:

Skeletal Star Wars

Every year, it seems find another artist blending their love of Star Wars with their love for their Latin heritage by making art blending the cheery, skeletal iconography of Day of the Dead with that of Star Wars. Denise Vasquez created a series of sculptures in this vein, adorned with glow-in-the-dark paint, plastic flowers, beads and gemstones. Click above to see more of her Star Wars sculptures. (Also, see Jose Púlido's Star Wars calaca drawings)

Thursday, October 27, 2011

2011-10-27T17:29:00.006-04:00

General Announcements:

If you ever notice something missing or wrong on the blog, comment to let me know about it - I don't always have the whole picture. -Grace
Wed., 10/26: DC Medical Packet due. Many still missing!
Fri., 10/28: Prisms Día de los muertos (Day of the Dead) celebration. Download Full-Color Flier! (.pdf), 6-7:30 PM

Humanities:

Nada

Math:

Graph paper link on the sidebar →
Grade 7
Due Fri., 10/28: In Applications section of Variables and Patterns, do #2 and #9.

Grade 8 - Algebra A

Due Fri., 10/28: Complete Additional Practice sheet on slope-intercept form (y=mx+b)

Algebra B:

- Due Fri., 10/28: On p. 276, do #12-19 odd and #20-25
- Due Tue., 11/1: On. p. 177-178, do #11-14, #15-29 odd, plus 31 & 33

Science:

Quiz Fri., 10/28 on plant reproduction and bees.
For review: Jeopardy!

Español:

Work on your Day of the Dead altars at home!
2011 Day of the Dead Calendar (.pdf)
Day of the Dead Documents (2010 edition)

Moment of Zen:

Good Luck Playing This in Scrabble: xenophyophore

In deep ocean trenches, nearly 5 miles below the water's surface, reasearchers have found quite the ultimate creepy crawly: the xenophyophore. The xenophyophore, a type of amoeba, is the largest single-celled species found on Earth so far.

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

2011-10-26T17:18:00.003-04:00

General Announcements:

If you ever notice something missing or wrong on the blog, comment to let me know about it - I don't always have the whole picture. -Grace
Wed., 10/26: DC Medical Packet due. Many still missing!
Fri., 10/28: Prisms Día de los muertos (Day of the Dead) celebration. Download Full-Color Flier! (.pdf), 6-7:30 PM

Humanities:

Test Thurs., 10/27 on the formation of the US Government and the foundational documents, including the Declaration of Independence, Articles of Confederation, and Constitution.

Math:

Graph paper link on the sidebar → Grade 7
Due Thurs., 10/27: Do 2.4 and 2.4 follow-upVariables and Patterns.

Grade 8

Due Thurs., 10/27: On handout of p. 230, do the following on separate, lined paper if not already complete:
- Find slope using the coordinate points given in #12-19 (odds only) with formula (y₂ - y₁)/(x₂ - x₁)
- Using coordinate points given in #20-34 (odds only), find slope and y-intercept using method of your choice (graph, table or formula)
- Do #35 and 37, writing an equation in the y=mx+b form for each given line.

Algebra B:

Nada

Science:

Finish your Vanishing of the Bees summary piece and share with John.

Español:

Work on your Day of the Dead altars at home!
2011 Day of the Dead Calendar (.pdf)
Day of the Dead Documents (2010 edition)

Moment of Zen:

World's Largest Jack O'Lantern

Ray Villafane took on an 1818.5 lb pumpkin at the NY Botanical Gardens this last week, creating a pumpkin zombie-scape out of the squash. The pumpkin, grown in Quebec, is the heaviest pumpkin on record. Click above to see more photos of the piece in progress and completed.

Tuesday, October 26, 2011

2011-10-25T13:45:00.007-04:00

General Announcements:

If you ever notice something missing or wrong on the blog, comment to let me know about it - I don't always have the whole picture. -Grace
Mon., 10/24: 6:30 pm - Parent meeting about DC trip, Prisms 3rd Floor
Wed., 10/26: DC Medical Packet due.
Fri., 10/28: Prisms Día de los muertos (Day of the Dead) celebration. Download Full-Color Flier! (.pdf), 6-7:30 PM

Humanities:

Test Thurs., 10/27 on the formation of the US Government and the foundational documents, including the Declaration of Independence, Articles of Confederation, and Constitution.
Due Tues., 10/24:
- Finish summary of current issue.
- Finish Children's book about the events leading up to the Constitution and memorize it in preparation for the test on Thursday.

Math:

Graph paper link on the sidebar → Grade 7
Due Wed., 10/26: Do 2.3 and 2.3 follow-upVariables and Patterns.

Grade 8

Due Tues., 10/25: . 72-73, #21-23 (a→j)

Algebra B:

Due Wed., 10/26: p. 169 #33-39 odd, p. 171 #56-59

Science:

Finish your Vanishing of the Bees summary piece.

Español:

Work on your Day of the Dead altars at home!
2011 Day of the Dead Calendar (.pdf)
Day of the Dead Documents (2010 edition)

Moment of Zen:

Monowheel

Attributed to eccentric Italian inventor M. Goventosa in the 1930s, this strange looking vehicle not only went, it went fast. What little is known about it documents that it was capable of speeds reaching 150 kph (~93 mph)!

Monday, October 24, 2011

2011-10-24T13:11:00.005-04:00

General Announcements:

If you ever notice something missing or wrong on the blog, comment to let me know about it - I don't always have the whole picture. -Grace
Mon., 10/24: 6:30 pm - Parent meeting about DC trip, Prisms 3rd Floor
Wed., 10/26: DC Medical Packet due.
Fri., 10/28: Prisms Día de los muertos (Day of the Dead) celebration. Download Full-Color Flier! (.pdf), 6-7:30 PM

Humanities:

Due Tues., 10/24:
- Finish reflection on progress in preparation for your conference on Monday.
- Finish your children's book on the Constitution, including a brief description and dates/timespans for the following events:
  1. 13 colonies are set up in North America and are controlled by European countries.
  2. Colonies don't want taxation without representation
  3. Revolutionary War
  4. The Declaration of Independence
  5. Articles of Confederation
  6. Many people don't have money to pay their taxes and are thrown in jail.
  7. Shays's Rebellion
  8. Constitution is written
  9. Federalists and Anti-federalists debate ratification of Constitution
  10. Constitution is ratified after Bill of Rights

Math:

Graph paper link on the sidebar → Grade 7
Due Tues., 10/25: Do 2.2 and follow-up on p. 20-21 and #3 on p. 11 of Variables and Patterns.

Grade 8

Due Tues., 10/25: Complete 5.3 and do #14-17 on p. 72.

Algebra B:

Due Wed., 10/26: p. 169 #33-39 odd, p. 171 #56-59

Science:

Finish your Vanishing of the Bees summary piece.

Español:

Work on your Day of the Dead altars at home!
2011 Day of the Dead Calendar (.pdf)
Day of the Dead Documents (2010 edition)

Moment of Zen:

The first digital camera

Most of us didn't really see digital cameras popping up until about 10 years ago, but Kodak digital engineer Steve Sasson developed the first digital camera in 1975. It took 23 seconds to record a single picture, which it stored on a cassette tape. “You could see the silhouette of her hair,” Sasson said. But her face was a blur of static. She was less than happy with the photograph and left, saying “You need work,” he said. Sasson still works for Kodak.

Friday, October 21, 2011

2011-10-21T11:07:00.005-04:00

General Announcements:

If you ever notice something missing or wrong on the blog, comment to let me know about it - I don't always have the whole picture. -Grace
Mon., 10/24: 6:30 pm - Parent meeting about DC trip, Prisms 3rd Floor
Wed., 10/26: DC Medical Packet due.
Fri., 10/28: Prisms Día de los muertos (Day of the Dead) celebration. Download Full-Color Flier! (.pdf)

Humanities:

ничего

Math:

All

Due Mon., 10/24: Math's Mate 1.7 according to usual protocol (work on attached separate paper, no calculators, finish any attached N/A problems).

Grade 7

Due Mon., 10/24:

Grade 8

Due Mon., 10/24: 5.2 on p. 68 of Moving Straight Ahead and #5-9 on p. 70.

Algebra B:

Due Wed., 10/26: p. 169 #33-39 odd, p. 171 #56-59

Science:

Finish your Vanishing of the Bees summary piece.

Español:

Work on your Day of the Dead altars at home!
2011 Day of the Dead Calendar (.pdf)
Day of the Dead Documents (2010 edition)

Moment of Zen:

Sweaters for Oily Penguins

New Zealand is currently going through one of its most significant environmental disasters ever, after an oil tanker hit the North Island of New Zealand last month, dumping hundreds of tons of oil into the water. Many varieties of marine life have been negatively impacted by the spill, but there is a rather unique relief effort going on around New Zealand's population of Blue and Fairy Penguins: knitters are making them sweaters.

The idea behind the penguin sweaters is that it will absorb the oil without them ingesting it during their normal grooming. Also, the sweaters will keep them warm, even while wet (yay, wool!), which their feathers are less able to do when oily. In the meantime, I give you penguins in sweaters.

Thursday, October 20, 2011

2011-10-20T15:46:00.005-04:00

General Announcements:

If you ever notice something missing or wrong on the blog, comment to let me know about it - I don't always have the whole picture. -Grace
Mon., 10/24: 6:30 pm - Parent meeting about DC trip, Prisms 3rd Floor
Wed., 10/26: DC Medical Packet due.
Fri., 10/28: Prisms Día de los muertos (Day of the Dead) celebration. Download Full-Color Flier! (.pdf)

Humanities:

Due Fri., 10/21: Read the newspaper or research online one current event that you care about that involves the government. Summarize & analyze the government's involvement.

Math:

Grade 7

Due Fri., 10/21: Complete 1.1 Follow-up on p.7 of Variables and Patterns using your jumping jack data.

Grade 8

Due Fri., 10/21: Complete 5.1 Follow-up on p. 66 of Moving Straight Ahead using your stair measurements.

Algebra B:

Due Fri., 10/21: Do p. 163 #3-5; p. 164 #14-16; p. 165 #31-39 odd

Science:

Finish your Vanishing of the Bees summary piece.

Español:

Work on your Day of the Dead altars at home!
2011 Day of the Dead Calendar (.pdf)
Day of the Dead Documents (2010 edition)

Moment of Zen:

Give me a little smile...

Believe it or not, this is actually a cross section of a piece of dune grass, put under a microscope. It's funny what turns up when you look very, very closely at things. In fact, this comes from a whole blog dedicated to microscope images, Beyond the Human Eye/

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

2011-10-19T12:47:00.005-04:00

General Announcements:

If you ever notice something missing or wrong on the blog, comment to let me know about it - I don't always have the whole picture. -Grace
Mon., 10/24: 6:30 pm - Parent meeting about DC trip, Prisms 3rd Floor
Wed., 10/26: DC Medical Packet due.
Fri., 10/28: Prisms Día de los muertos (Day of the Dead) celebration. Download Full-Color Flier! (.pdf)

Humanities:

Due Thurs., 10/20: Rough draft of essay due. Share with Beth in Google Docs if possible.

Math:

Algebra B:

Due Fri., 10/21: Do p. 163 #3-5; p. 164 #14-16; p. 165#31-39 odd

Science:

Nichts

Español:

Moment of Zen:

For those complaining about it being cold and wet

"Detroit circa 1917. "Ice fountain, Washington Boulevard." The big icicle with a small request, discreetly stated on that unobtrusive little sign near the man: PLEASE. The rest of the message is up to your imagination." From Shorpy, a blog of high-res images from before 1950 and from as far back as 1850.

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

2011-10-18T15:36:00.003-04:00

General Announcements:

If you ever notice something missing or wrong on the blog, comment to let me know about it - I don't always have the whole picture. -Grace
Mon., 10/24: 6:30 pm - Parent meeting about DC trip, Prisms 3rd Floor
Fri., 10/28: Prisms Día de los muertos (Day of the Dead) celebration. Download Full-Color Flier! (.pdf)

Humanities:

Due Wed., 10/19: Finish Federalist & Anti-Federalist worksheet (first side: primary sources; second side: textbook pages as indicated) to prepare for debate tomorrow.
Due Wed., 10/19: Finish packet, "What Really Happened at the Constitutional Convention?"

Math:

All:

Nada

Science:

Nichts

Español:

Moment of Zen:

Mario de los Muertos

Monday, October 17, 2011

2011-10-17T18:04:00.004-04:00

General Announcements:

If you ever notice something missing or wrong on the blog, comment to let me know about it - I don't always have the whole picture. -Grace
Thurs., 10/13: Philadelphia Convention role play.
Fri., 10/28: Prisms Día de los muertos (Day of the Dead) celebration. Download Full-Color Flier! (.pdf)

Humanities:

Due Tues., 10/18: Complete first sheet (both sides) looking at what was actually concluded at the actual Constitutional Convention of 1787.

Math:

All:

Due Tues., 10/18: Finish all parts of "Bad Statistics" not completed during class:
- Graph based on data given which supports your claim.
- One short paragraph describing how your graph supports the claim.
- One short paragraph describing why the relationship suggested by the graph is a load of flapdoodle (i.e. why it doesn't actually work, what other factors may be interfering).

Science:

Nichts

Español:

Moment of Zen:

You're Welcome.

Friday, October 14, 2011

2011-10-14T14:28:00.005-04:00

General Announcements:

If you ever notice something missing or wrong on the blog, comment to let me know about it - I don't always have the whole picture. -Grace
Thurs., 10/13: Philadelphia Convention role play.
Fri., 10/28: Prisms Día de los muertos (Day of the Dead) celebration. Download Full-Color Flier! (.pdf)

Humanities:

Due Mon., 1017: For homework tonight, write a reflection from the perspective of your character. Write a full page about what you are happy about, what you are disappointed about, and what you could have done to change the outcomes. Write down what surprised you and what made you mad.

Then add another page from the real you. What went well? What didn't? What would you do differently next time? What was realistic? What wasn't? How should I change it for the next time I teach it?

Math:

All:

Due Mon., 10/17: Complete MM 1.6, work for * problems shown on separate paper, any attached N/A problems completed. Note: If you have looked your Math's Mates and wondered, "Tetrahedron? I thought that was a kind of dinosaur!" or "Isosceles? Wasn't he the Greek god of snowflakes?" While you may not use a calculator, you can use a dictionary. This may help with a lot of questions that hinge on specific math vocabulary.

Science:

Nichts

Español:

Moment of Zen:

click for larger version

Maps don't often well-represent how big the continent of Africa is. So here's a reminder of all the "big" things that would fit inside.

Thursday, October 13, 2011

2011-10-13T15:10:00.003-04:00

General Announcements:

If you ever notice something missing or wrong on the blog, comment to let me know about it - I don't always have the whole picture. -Grace
Thurs., 10/13: Philadelphia Convention role play.
Fri., 10/28: Prisms Día de los muertos (Day of the Dead) celebration. Download Full-Color Flier! (.pdf)

Humanities:

Due Fri., 10/14: For homework tonight, write a reflection from the perspective of your character. Write a full page about what you are happy about, what you are disappointed about, and what you could have done to change the outcomes. Write down what surprised you and what made you mad.

Then add another page from the real you. What went well? What didn't? What would you do differently next time? What was realistic? What wasn't? How should I change it for the next time I teach it?

Math:

Algebra B

Due Fri., 10/14: p. 148, #25-35 odds, p. 150, #57, 58, 59, and p. 157, #33-41 odds. Show your work as we did in class and as is modeled on the sample sheet I gave you. From here on out, assignments will not be accepted without work shown.
These problems expect you are comfortable with basic arithmetic using negative numbers, absolute values and the distributive property. If you need a little review on any of these, see the following chapters:
- 2.2 (p.72) and 2.3 (p. 79): Addition & Subtraction with Negatives and Absolute Values
- 2.5 (p. 93) and 2.7 (p. 108): Multiplication & Division with Negatives and Absolute Values
- 2.6: Distributive Property (p. 100)

Science:

Nichts

Español:

Moment of Zen:

8-bit sand castle

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

2011-10-12T11:19:00.004-04:00

General Announcements:

If you ever notice something missing or wrong on the blog, comment to let me know about it - I don't always have the whole picture. -Grace
Thurs., 10/13: Philadelphia Convention role play.
Fri., 10/28: Prisms Día de los muertos (Day of the Dead) celebration. Download Full-Color Flier! (.pdf)

Humanities:

Due Thurs., 10/13: Prepare for convention. Plan and practice your three motions that you will make or support if proposed. Include evidence in your support.
Come dressed for the convention!

Math:

All

Test Thurs., 10/13 On statistics topics covered so far.

Grade 8

Due Thurs., 10/12: Do Problem 4.1A. This will be considered part of your unit test.

Algebra B

Due Fri., 10/14: p. 148, #25-35 odds, p. 150, #57, 58, 59, and p. 157, #33-41 odds. Show your work as we did in class and as is modeled on the sample sheet I gave you. From here on out, assignments will not be accepted without work shown.
These problems expect you are comfortable with basic arithmetic using negative numbers, absolute values and the distributive property. If you need a little review on any of these, see the following chapters:
- 2.2 (p.72) and 2.3 (p. 79): Addition & Subtraction with Negatives and Absolute Values
- 2.5 (p. 93) and 2.7 (p. 108): Multiplication & Division with Negatives and Absolute Values
- 2.6: Distributive Property (p. 100)

Science:

Nichts

Español:

Moment of Zen:

This is a real animal: The Leafy Sea Dragon

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

2011-10-11T13:35:00.005-04:00

General Announcements:

If you ever notice something missing or wrong on the blog, comment to let me know about it - I don't always have the whole picture. -Grace
Thurs., 10/13: Philadelphia Convention role play.
Fri., 10/28: Prisms Día de los muertos (Day of the Dead) celebration. Download Full-Color Flier! (.pdf)

Humanities:

Due Thurs., 10/13: Prepare for convention. Plan three motions that you will make or support if proposed. Include evidence in your support.

Math:

All

Test Thurs., 10/13 On statistics topics covered so far.

Grade 7

Due Wed., 10/12: Calculation corrections/reading graphs corrections from Quiz

Grade 8

Due Wed., 10/12: Calculation corrections from quiz
Due Thurs., 10/12: Do Problem 4.1A. This will be considered part of your unit test.

Algebra B

Check your school e-mail
Due Wed., 10/12: Review solving for a variable by using opposite operation, p. 135, #21-41 odd-numbered problems only and p. 141, #4-11, and distributive property, p. 137 # 61-75, odds only. Focus on showing each step of your work - this is a format review as much as a content review.
These problems expect you are comfortable with basic arithmetic using negative numbers, absolute values and the distributive property. If you need a little review on any of these, see the following chapters:
- 2.2 (p.72) and 2.3 (p. 79): Addition & Subtraction with Negatives and Absolute Values
- 2.5 (p. 93) and 2.7 (p. 108): Multiplication & Division with Negatives and Absolute Values
- 2.6: Distributive Property (p. 100)

Science:

Nichts

Español:

Moment of Zen:

Lego Greenhouse in London

When commissioned by Lego to build an installation for last month's London Design Festival out of the iconic blocks, Sebastian Bergne used them to build a fully-sized, fully-functional greenhouse.

Friday, October 7, 2011

2011-10-07T11:05:00.010-04:00

General Announcements:

If you ever notice something missing or wrong on the blog, comment to let me know about it - I don't always have the whole picture. -Grace
Thurs., 10/13: Philadelphia Convention role play.
Fri., 10/28: Prisms Día de los muertos (Day of the Dead) celebration. Download Full-Color Flier! (.pdf)

Humanities:

Nada

Math:

Grade 7

Due Tues., 10/11: I know there was another 7th Grade assignment, but it wasn't on the board nor did I assign it, so I don't know what it is. First person to comment with the correct Gr. 7 assignment gets something shiny!

Grade 8

Due Tues., 10/11: Investigation 4 additional practice sheet.

All

Due Tues., 10/11: Do MM 1.5 according to usual protocol (no calculator, work for * problems on separate paper) including any attached N/A problems.

Algebra B

Check your school e-mail
Due Wed., 10/12: Review solving for a variable by using opposite operation, p. 135, #21-41 odd-numbered problems only and p. 141, #4-11, and distributive property, p. 137 # 61-75, odds only. Focus on showing each step of your work - this is a format review as much as a content review.
These problems expect you are comfortable with basic arithmetic using negative numbers, absolute values and the distributive property. If you need a little review on any of these, see the following chapters:
- 2.2 (p.72) and 2.3 (p. 79): Addition & Subtraction with Negatives and Absolute Values
- 2.5 (p. 93) and 2.7 (p. 108): Multiplication & Division with Negatives and Absolute Values
- 2.6: Distributive Property (p. 100)

Science:

Nichts

Español:

Day of the Dead Documents (2010 edition)

Moment of Zen:

A Fantastic Voyage in a Puddle

Artful prankster Slinkachu (also responsible for Inner City Snail, a very slow-moving street art project), focuses on tiny art. The British artist has been installing still vignettes with tiny people for years. This piece features a sneaker in a puddle and tiny people in a bottlecap. Click the photo to see more images of this project at different levels of close-up and to see more of Slinkachu's tiny people installations.

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

2011-10-05T15:17:00.005-04:00

General Announcements:

If you ever notice something missing or wrong on the blog, comment to let me know about it - I don't always have the whole picture. -Grace
Thurs., 10/13: Philadelphia Convention role play.
Fri., 10/28: Prisms Día de los muertos (Day of the Dead) celebration.

Humanities:

Due Fri., 10/7: Final draft of letter to editor and "Burning Issues at the Constitutions"

Math:

Grade 7

Due Fri., 10/7: In Samples and Populations, do problem 2.1 and follow-up.

Grade 8

Due Fri., 10/7: Do 3.3 A, and also, on p. 44, do #3-6, 8a-b, and #9a on p. 46

Science:

Due Thurs., 10.6: "Flower Structure and Reproduction" packet, questions 1-14. Finish coloring flower diagram if not complete.

Moment of Zen:

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

2011-10-04T10:39:00.005-04:00

General Announcements:

If you ever notice something missing or wrong on the blog, comment to let me know about it - I don't always have the whole picture. -Grace
Thurs., 10/13: Philadelphia Convention role play.
Fri., 10/28: Prisms Día de los muertos (Day of the Dead) celebration.

Humanities:

Due Wed., 10/5: Final draft of your constitution, edited using the rubric.

Math:

All

Due Wed., 10/5: If not completed in class, complete histogram for your team's das 19 or 20 data and the worksheet using statistics to compare your team's das 12 and das 19 or 20 data.

Science:

Ничего

Atelier:

All

Due Wed., 10/5: If not yet completed, your symbolic self-portrait.

Moment of Zen:

Many Ways to Build on A Skeleton

In an x-ray, you could be any number of people. Artist Matthew Cox takes advantage of this, building on top of the skeletal framework given by x-rays with embroidery, imagining what that piece of the body could be doing: eating a banana, holding flowers, smiling or taking a walk outside. Click above to see more of Cox's embroidered x-rays.

Monday, October 3, 2011

2011-10-03T13:31:00.007-04:00

General Announcements:

If you ever notice something missing or wrong on the blog, comment to let me know about it - I don't always have the whole picture. -Grace
Tue., 10/4: Minicourse #1 Signup sheets due if not turned in during class.

Humanities:

Due Tue., 10/4: First draft of position letter to the editor.
Due Wed., 10/5: Final draft of your constitution, edited using the rubric.

Math:

All

Nada

Science:

Ничего

Español:

Grade 8

Prueba el martes, 10/4 Vocab. quiz on words from "El Muchacho Pastor"

Moment of Zen:

Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore,
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me:
I lift my lamp beside the golden door.
Emma Lazarus's famous verse takes on a different tone with a hungry monster in view. It's the New New Colossus.

Click above to see more 1970s Japanese postcards featuring monsters attacking famous world landmarks. If you ever wanted to see a sea monster come out of a reflecting pool, this is for you.

Friday, September 30, 2011

2011-09-30T14:58:00.005-04:00

General Announcements:

If you ever notice something missing or wrong on the blog, comment to let me know about it - I don't always have the whole picture. -Grace

Humanities:

Due Mon., 10/3: Finish "Notes on Primary Sources" sheet.
Due Tue., 10/4: First draft of position letter to the editor.
Due Wed., 10/5: Final draft of your constitution, edited using the rubric.

Math:

All

Due Mon., 10/3: Math's Mate 1.4, including any attached N/A problems, according to usual protocol.

Science:

Ничего

Moment of Zen:

Hopscotch Typing?

Thursday, September 29, 2011

2011-09-29T14:22:00.005-04:00

General Announcements:

If you ever notice something missing or wrong on the blog, comment to let me know about it - I don't always have the whole picture. -Grace

Humanities:

Due Thurs., 9/29: If not completed, finish paragraph about why people were angry after the Revolutionary War.
Due Fri., 9/30: Start writing rough draft of constitution, based on your "Writing Your Own Constitution" worksheet. Be sure to address all six categories from "Comparing Constitutions" worksheet.
Due Mon., 10/3: Finish "Notes on Primary Sources" sheet.

Math:

Gr. 8

Nada

Gr. 7

Quiz Thurs., 9/29: On statistics topics covered so far, including:
- Measures of Center: Mean, median, mode
- Range
- Scatter Plots
- Stem & Leaf Plots
Recommended Review Problems: In Data About Us, on p. 48 finish #2 (about data on photocopy of p. 47), and #3 (about graph on p. 49)

Science:

Ничего

Moment of Zen:

Milk Carton Boat Race

From Oddity Central: Every year, at the end of August, Latvians celebrate Milk, Bread and Honey Festival with a special race between boats made from thousands of empty milk cartons.

The milk carton boat regatta has become a very popular tradition since it first took place nine years ago. The wacky event always take place on the Lielupe River, in the Latvian town of Jelgava, and means to offer local audience a good time and popularize a healthy lifestyle through the consumption of organic dairy foods made in Latvia. Teams of locals eager of a good time, as well as some representing dairy processors and food producers enter the competition every year and fight for various titles, including the fastest boat, funniest crew and most original boat.

This year a record number of participants registered milk carton boat race – 36 teams showed up on the Lielupe River, on August 27, to prove their seafaring skills. There were only a few rules teams had to obey for this event: boats had to be made excursively of empty milk cartons and had to be guided to the finish line by human power alone. The size of the boat and number of rowers was not limited, provided the carton vessel remained afloat. The course was only 50 meters long, the shortest so far, but teams struggled to finish as they had to paddle against a strong wind. Some team members even jumped into the river to push their boats across the finish.

Building a milk carton boat is apparently not as easy as it looks, as participants have to take into consideration that each carton can only keep about 800 grams afloat, so if a boat is just a few cartons short it will go down faster than the Titanic. This year the prize for the fastest boat went to the “Small galley”, while the title of funniest crew went to the “Swimming pool”. The 36 teams used around 45,000 empty milk cartons to build their wacky floating creations.

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

2011-09-28T14:09:00.004-04:00

General Announcements:

If you ever notice something missing or wrong on the blog, comment to let me know about it - I don't always have the whole picture. -Grace

Humanities:

Due Thurs., 9/29: If not completed, finish paragraph about why people were angry after the Revolutionary War.
Due Fri., 9/30: Start writing rough draft of constitution, based on your "Writing Your Own Constitution" worksheet. Be sure to address all six categories from "Comparing Constitutions" worksheet.

Math:

Gr. 8

Quiz Thurs., 9/29: On statistics topics covered so far, including:
- Measures of Center: Mean, median, mode
- Range
- Scatter Plots
- Stem & Leaf Plots
- 5-number summary, box and whisker plots, and outliers (according to Tukey's definition)
Recommended Review Problems: In Samples and Populations "Mathematical Reflections" on p. 23, and on pp. 32-33, #10 and 11.

Gr. 7

Nada

Science:

Due Thurs., 9/29: If not completed, make a thank you card for Anne Griffin for showing us her beehive.

Moment of Zen:

Dinosaur Feathers

Paleontologists in Canada have discovered what may be the first examples of dinosaur feathers, preserved in amber in the Late Cretaceous period. While fossil evidence increasingly supports the theory that some dinosaurs, especially later species, had feathers, or at least early versions of them, this is the first preserved example. Aside from providing information about dinosaurs, it strengthens the evolutionary link between dinosaurs and birds, and complicates some of the distinctions between birds and reptiles. Click the picture above to see more amber-preserved specimens and read more about the findings in Canada.

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

2011-09-27T15:17:00.004-04:00

General Announcements:

If you ever notice something missing or wrong on the blog, comment to let me know about it - I don't always have the whole picture. -Grace

Humanities:

Due Wed., 9/28:Finish "Write Your Own Constitution" worksheet
Due Fri., 9/30: Start writing rough draft of constitution. Be sure to address all six categories from "Comparing Constitutions" worksheet.

Math:

Gr. 8

Due Wed. 9/28: Finish 2.1 and follow up, do 2.2 and follow up on p. 26-27 of Samples and Populations.

Gr. 7

Due Wed., 9/28: Do 4.1 and follow up on p. 44 of Data About Us.

Science:

Due Wed., 9/28: If not completed, make a thank you card for Anne Griffin for showing us her beehive.
Nada

Atelier:

Due Wed., 9/28: If you brought it home to work on, bring your Symbolic Self Portrait into class.

Moment of Zen:

Song Pictograms

Designer Viktor Hertz has been designing road-sign style pictograms representing song titles. Above pictured is the Beach Boys' "Surfin' USA." Click the picture to visit Hertz's Flickr gallery. Be on the look out for title pictograms for songs by the Beatles, Radiohead, and The Supremes. He is also taking suggestions/requests.

Monday, September 26, 2011

2011-09-26T12:47:00.006-04:00

General Announcements:

If you ever notice something missing or wrong on the blog, comment to let me know about it - I don't always have the whole picture. -Grace

Humanities:

Due Wed., 9/28:Finish "Write Your Own Constitution" worksheet
Due Fri., 9/30: Start writing rough draft of constitution. Be sure to address all six categories from "Comparing Constitutions" worksheet.

Math:

Gr. 8

Due Tues., 9/27: On p. 378 (photocopy), do #15-19, and #30 on p. 379. Find IQR and determine if there are any outliers!

Gr. 7

Nothing...for now

Science:

Due Tues., 9/27: Make a thank you card for Anne Griffin for showing us her beehive.
Due Tues., 9/27: Finish histogram of das 12 data for your group's plants.

Tech:

Due Tues., 9/27: Pick a simple room (no crazy angles!), sketch its floorplan, and measure and label length of all sides in imperial measurments (feet, inches). We will be using this data in class to model the room in SketchUp.

Moment of Zen:

The Arctic Hothouse

From National Geographic:
"Inuit Johnny Issaluk holds a recent photo of a South Carolina swamp. That’s what his home, near the Arctic Circle on Baffin Island, would have looked like 56 million years ago, when summer water temperatures at the North Pole hit 74°F."

Friday, September 23, 2011

2011-09-23T17:02:00.005-04:00

General Announcements:

If you ever notice something missing or wrong on the blog, comment to let me know about it - I don't always have the whole picture. -Grace

Humanities:

Due Mon., 9/26:
- Lord of the Flies: Read to the end of the book and complete reading log.
- Girl Who Owned a City: Read to the end of the book and complete reading log.
- Come prepared to discuss.

Math:

Due Mon., 9/12: Complete Math's Mate 1.3, according to following protocol:
- No calculators (unless you have an accomodation to use one - you know who you are)
- Show work for problems marked with * on separate paper, along with work for other problems as you see fit. Make sure work is labeled with the number of the question, and staple work to the back of the sheet. Your Math's Mate will be turned back as incomplete without this.
- Work independently.
- Complete any attached N/A problems from last week. You may need access to last week's sheet for diagrams.

Science:

Rien

Music:

Nichts

Moment of Zen:

Black and white to Black and What?!

A tumblr full of really strange old black and white photos.

Thursday, September 22, 2011

2011-09-22T15:11:00.005-04:00

General Announcements:

If you ever notice something missing or wrong on the blog, comment to let me know about it - I don't always have the whole picture. -Grace

Humanities:

Due Fri., 9/23:
- Lord of the Flies: Read Ch. 9 & 10 and complete reading log.
- Girl Who Owned a City: Read Ch. 14 & 15 and complete reading log.
- Come prepared to discuss.

Math:

Gr. 8

Due Fri., 9/23: On p. 11 of Samples and Populations, do #1.3, parts a-e.

Gr. 7

Due Fri., 9/23: On handout (photocopy, p. 40), do #10.

Science:

Rien

Music:

Nichts

Moment of Zen:

The 110-year lightbulb

This lightbulb has been working for the last 110 years. Installed in a firehouse in Livermore, CA in 1901. Most incandescent bulbs burn out after 1000 hours of use, or about 42 days of constantly being on. The Livermore bulb is constantly on now, in fear that it will burn out being turned off or on. It also is on a webcam, so you can check up on the bulb regularly. Click the picture above to see the bulb live and read more of its history.

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

2011-09-21T15:40:00.003-04:00

General Announcements:

If you ever notice something missing or wrong on the blog, comment to let me know about it - I don't always have the whole picture. -Grace

Humanities:

Due Fri., 9/23:
- Lord of the Flies: Read Ch. 9 & 10 and complete reading log.
- Girl Who Owned a City: Read Ch. 14 & 15 and complete reading log.
- Come prepared to discuss.

Math:

Gr. 8

Nada

Gr. 7

ничего

Science:

Rien

Music:

Due :

Moment of Zen:

What's your caption?

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

2011-09-20T13:23:00.006-04:00

General Announcements:

If you ever notice something missing or wrong on the blog, comment to let me know about it - I don't always have the whole picture. -Grace
Wed., 9/21: Field trip to visit Anne Griffin's beehive in Florence and scout examples of Roman architecture along the way. We are leaving around 10:30 am and should be back by 2:30 pm. We will make arrangements for Blue House lunches, but otherwise make sure that you have food that doesn't require heating up.

Humanities:

Due Tues., 9/20: Review and memorize key facts for your essay.
Due Wed., 9/21:
- All: Review and memorize key facts for your essay.
- Lord of the Flies: Read Ch. 8 and complete reading log.
- Girl Who Owned a City: Read Ch. 12 & 13 and complete reading log.
- Come prepared to discuss.

Math:

Gr. 8

Due Wed., 9/21: "Boston Celtic box and whisker plots"

Gr. 7

Due Wed., 9/21: In Data About Us, p. 37 #1-4, 5-7.

Science:

Due Wed., 9/21: Bring in paper grocery bag for field trip.

Music:

Due :

Moment of Zen:

Chicken Eyeglasses
And other bizarre patents...

In keeping with the mad scientist theme from yesterday, Life magazine has a gallery of select "clever, crazy patents" including the above, "Spectacles to be worn by hens in order to prevent their eyes being injured by the beaks of other birds." (Patented 1902) Click to see the rest of the gallery of odd inventions.

Monday, September 19, 2011

2011-09-19T14:19:00.004-04:00

General Announcements:

If you ever notice something missing or wrong on the blog, comment to let me know about it - I don't always have the whole picture. -Grace
Wed., 9/21: Field trip to visit Anne Griffin's beehive in Florence and scout examples of Roman architecture along the way. We are leaving around 10:30 am and should be back by 2:30 pm. We will make arrangements for Blue House lunches, but otherwise make sure that you have food that doesn't require heating up.

Humanities:

Due Tues., 9/20: Review and memorize key facts for your essay.
Due Wed., 9/21:
- All: Review and memorize key facts for your essay.
- Lord of the Flies: Read Ch. 8 and complete reading log.
- Girl Who Owned a City: Read Ch. 12 & 13 and complete reading log.
- Come prepared to discuss.

Math:

Gr. 8

In Samples and Populations, do 1.1 and follow-up. Use the following three statistical techniques to analyze the data:
1. The mean for natural/regular peanut butter
2. The median for each type
3. A stem-and-leaf OR histogram

Gr. 7

In Data About Us, do Problem 2.2 and follow-up on p. 25 and #11-13 on p. 27.

Math:

Due Wed., 9/21: Bring in paper grocery bag for field trip.

Music:

Due Tuesday, 9/20:Write a prose and a verse for the words "Community" and "Individuality". They should be about the relationship between the words.

Moment of Zen:

Möbius Cake

The project of self-described evil mad scientists, the above möbius is made entirely of sugar using a 3D Printer called the Candyfab 4000. The Candyfab is EMSL's whack at making a low-cost 3D printer. Where most 3D printers use expensive lasers, the Candyfab uses cheap heating elements and sugar.

Science. It works.

Click the picture to read more about this particular project.

Friday, September 16, 2011

2011-09-16T11:58:00.003-04:00

General Announcements:

If you ever notice something missing or wrong on the blog, comment to let me know about it - I don't always have the whole picture. -Grace
Wed., 9/21: Field trip to visit Anne Griffin's beehive in Florence and scout examples of Roman architecture along the way. We are leaving around 10:30 am and should be back by 2:30 pm. We will make arrangements for Blue House lunches, but otherwise make sure that you have food that doesn't require heating up.

Humanities:

Due Mon., 9/12:
- All: Finish the three thinking maps to prepare for the test. One on John Locke, one on Rome, and one on Montesquieu.
- Lord of the Flies: Read Ch. 7 and complete reading log.
- Girl Who Owned a City: Read Ch. 11 and complete reading log.
- Come prepared to discuss.

Math:

Due Mon., 9/12: Complete Math's Mate 1.2 (photocopy), according to following protocol:
- No calculators (unless you have an accomodation to use one - you know who you are)
- Show work for problems marked with * on separate paper, along with work for other problems as you see fit. Make sure work is labeled with the number of the question, and staple work to the back of the sheet.
- Work independently.
- Complete any attached N/A problems from last week. You may need access to last week's sheet for diagrams.

Music:

Due Tuesday, 9/20:Write a prose and a verse for the words "Community" and "Individuality". They should be about the relationship between the words.

Moment of Zen:

I guess that's one way of looking at it

Ingrid Dabringer sees something more looking at maps. Like some looking at clouds, she sees shapes in the land formations, and then adds to the maps to bring out her visions. Mostly, Dabringer sees people and faces in the land, often in motion. Click above to see more of her map art.

Thursday, September 15, 2011

2011-09-15T12:25:00.007-04:00

General Announcements:

If you ever notice something missing or wrong on the blog, comment to let me know about it - I don't always have the whole picture. -Grace
Wed., 9/21: Field trip to visit Anne Griffin's beehive in Florence and scout examples of Roman architecture along the way. We are leaving around 10:30 am and should be back by 2:30 pm. We will make arrangements for Blue House lunches, but otherwise make sure that you have food that doesn't require heating up.

Humanities:

Due Fri., 9/16:
- All: Sign (and have a parent sign) Community Compact and return to school.
- Lord of the Flies: Read Ch. 5 & 6 and complete reading log.
- Girl Who Owned a City: Read Ch. 10 and complete reading log.
- Come prepared to discuss.

Math:

Due Fri., 9/16:
Gr. 8:
- Read pp. 47-48 (handout).
- Do #3 on p. 48 (3a-f) & Challenge.
- ⇒ You will need a metric ruler to complete the assignment. You may also need height data from yesterday.
Gr. 7:
- In Data About Us, p. 16-18, do #3-6, 11-14.
- Challenge: Also do #17 & 18 on p. 20.

Science:

None

Español:

Gr. 8

Moment of Zen:

Zen Sunflowers Combat Radiation

Buddhist Monks from Joenji Temple in Japan are leading an effort to plant millions of sunflowers in the areas surrounding the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, which melted down in the aftermath of last March's earthquake. Sunflowers, as well as some types of amaranth and mustard, are believed to absorb radiation from the soil, helping quicken the reparation of the soil from the nuclear meltdown. In the months following the disaster, monks from the temple distributed more than 8 million sunflower plants and 200,000 plants of other species. Click above to read more about the monk's efforts, or click below to read more about how sunflowers reduce radiation levels.

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

2011-09-14T09:48:00.005-04:00

General Announcements:

If you ever notice something missing or wrong on the blog, comment to let me know about it - I don't always have the whole picture. -Grace
Wed., 9/21: Field trip to visit Anne Griffin's beehive in Florence and scout examples of Roman architecture along the way. We are leaving around 10:30 am and should be back by 2:30 pm. We will make arrangements for Blue House lunches, but otherwise make sure that you have food that doesn't require heating up.

Humanities:

Due Fri., 9/16:
- All: Sign Community Compact and return to school.
- Lord of the Flies: Read Ch. 5 & 6 and complete reading log.
- Girl Who Owned a City: Read Ch. 10 and complete reading log.
- Come prepared to discuss.

Math:

Due Thu., 9/15: Gr. 8:
- Graph height/armspan data, acc. to Inc. 4.1.
- Answer prob. #4.1 and 4.1 Follow-up.
- Find mean, mode and range for the class height.
- Download table of class height/arm span data (.pdf, 48kb)
Gr. 7:
- On p. 15 of Data About Us, complete #1 and 2. For #1, you do not need to make a table.

Science:

Due Thurs., 9/15: Plant-based inventory at home (15 items).

Español:

Gr. 8

Due Tue., 9/13:

Moment of Zen:

The Flowered Nest of the Loner Bee

Bees are commonly though of as the epitome of social animals—our idea of the "hive mind," indicating individuals working as separate bodies following a shared consciousness, borrows from bee terminology. Social hive bees account for the larger population of bees in the world and in popular understanding. But did you know that 75% of the over 20,000 identified bee species are solitary? This means that individual female bees build and provision nests for their eggs and larvae on their own, with no intervention from a collective hive. Seen above are a few of the nests of one of these species, Osmia avosetta, found in the Middle East. This species' nests, described in a recently released article, are largely constructed underground, of colorful flower petals and a thin mortar of mud. Each of the delicately constructed chambers seen above is built to house and feed a single bee larva.

Osmia avosetta flower-nest gallery at National Geographic

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

2011-09-13T12:48:00.005-04:00

General Announcements:

If you ever notice something missing or wrong on the blog, comment to let me know about it - I don't always have the whole picture. -Grace

Humanities:

Due Wed., 9/14:
- All: If not done, finish double bubble about Roman Senate vs. US Government.
- Lord of the Flies: Read Ch. 4 and complete reading log.
- Girl Who Owned a City: Read Ch. 8 & 9 and complete reading log.
- Come prepared to discuss.

Math:

None

Español:

Gr. 8

Due Tue., 9/13:

Moment of Zen:

Urban Honey: Boston's Tour de Hives

For this year's National Honey Bee Day (8/20), a group of about 30 cyclists visited a number of apiaries - all of them within the city of Boston. Interest in bees as pollinators and honey-makers has picked up even in urban locales, where people find that bees can make pretty good neighbors. Says one biology researcher/beekeeper, "It's like having 40,000 friends." Click above to read the Boston Globe's article about the Boston Tour de Hives and see a slideshow from the event.

Monday, September 12, 2011

2011-09-12T13:24:00.006-04:00

General Announcements:

If you ever notice something missing or wrong on the blog, comment to let me know about it - I don't always have the whole picture. -Grace

Humanities:

Due Tue., 9/15: Bring in a white sheet, if possible.
Due Wed., 9/14:
- Lord of the Flies: Read Ch. 4 and complete reading log.
- Girl Who Owned a City: Read Ch. 8 & 9 and complete reading log.
- Come prepared to discuss.

Math:

None

Español:

Gr. 8

Due Tue., 9/13: Los paises hispanos - color & study map.

Moment of Zen:

"I couldn’t build a tree house for my son, so I built him a broccoli house instead."

—Brock Davis

Click above to see more of Davis's imaginings.

Friday, September 9, 2011

2011-09-09T11:52:00.008-04:00

General Announcements:

If you ever notice something missing or wrong on the blog, comment to let me know about it - I don't always have the whole picture. -Grace

Humanities:

Due Mon., 9/12:
- Lord of the Flies: Read Ch. 7 and complete reading log.
- Girl Who Owned a City: Read Ch. 11 and complete reading log.
- Come prepared to discuss.

Math:

Due Mon., 9/12: Complete Math's Mate 1.2 (photocopy), according to following protocol:
- No calculators (unless you have an accomodation to use one - you know who you are)
- Show work for problems marked with * on separate paper, along with work for other problems as you see fit. Make sure work is labeled with the number of the question, and staple work to the back of the sheet.
- Work independently.
- Complete any attached N/A problems from last week. You may need access to last week's sheet for diagrams.

Moment of Zen:

Biodegradable Sneakers

Sounding like some kind of whimsical invention from the future, Dutch Company OAT Shoes is now selling fully biodegradable sneakers. Made from natural fibers and plastics designed to biodegrade with the assistance of soil microbes, they will only break down when planted in the soil. They also include a sheet of paper embedded with seeds, so that a few days after planting, the shoes will grow flowers. As the company's website says, "If you follow the instructions, you should have a fiery bouquet of wildflowers growing out of your shoes within days! We would like to take this opportunity to mention that burying OAT Shoes in public -or other people’s- grounds is completely at your own risk. Not everyone is going to understand the sacred ritual of your sneaker funeral you know."

Because of regulations around importing the seeds, OAT Shoes are only available in Europe at the moment, but the company is working on a version for release in North America in the next few years.

Thursday, September 8, 2011

2011-09-08T12:40:00.004-04:00

General Announcements:

If you ever notice something missing or wrong on the blog, comment to let me know about it - I don't always have the whole picture. -Grace

Humanities:

Due Fri., 9/9:
- Lord of the Flies: Read Ch. 2 and complete reading log.
- Girl Who Owned a City: Read Ch. 3 & 4 and complete reading log.
- Come prepared to discuss.

Math:

Due Fri., 9/9: Complete Conversion Worksheet #4-9
- Gr. 7: Complete #1-16. Optional: 17-32
Due Mon., 9/12: Complete Math's Mate 1.1 (photocopy), according to following protocol:
- No calculators
- Show work for problems marked with * on separate paper, along with work for other problems as you see fit. Make sure work is labeled with the number of the question, and staple work to the back of the sheet.
- Work independently.

Moment of Zen:

Dubai's Palm Islands

The "fronds" of Palm Jumeirah, a man-made archipelago on the coast of Dubai, UAE

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

2011-09-07T14:22:00.004-04:00

General Announcements:

If you ever notice something missing or wrong on the blog, comment to let me know about it - I don't always have the whole picture. -Grace

Humanities:

Due Fri., 9/9:
- Lord of the Flies: Read Ch. 2 and complete reading log.
- Girl Who Owned a City: Read Ch. 3 & 4 and complete reading log.
- Come prepared to discuss.

Math:

Due Thurs., 9/8: Finish practice converting examples from today's Handout #1.

Moment of Zen:

Is This the New Batcave?

This ancient salt mine in Romania may be the shooting location for the Batcave in The Dark Knight Rises. Click to see more photos, read more about the history of the site and find out how and where the Batcave fits in.

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

2011-09-06T19:28:00.000-04:00

General Announcements:

If you ever notice something missing or wrong on the blog, comment to let me know about it - I don't always have the whole picture. -Grace

Humanities:

Due Wed., 9/7:
- Lord of the Flies: Read Ch. 1 and complete Reading Log.
- Girl Who Owned a City: Read Ch. 1 & 2 and complete Reading Log
- Come prepared to discuss.

Moment of Zen:

A Jello Piano that Actually Plays!

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

2011-08-31T15:30:00.003-04:00

General Announcements:

If you ever notice something missing or wrong on the blog, comment to let me know about it - I don't always have the whole picture. -Grace
Due Thurs., 9/1: Bring all school materials on provided list with you, as we will be checking them in.

Humanities:

Due Thurs., 9/1: If not already done, email or bring letter about yourself to Beth.

Moment of Zen:

Zombie Truffles

Click above for instructions to make them...if you can stomach it!

Prisms Summer Reading List 2011

2011-06-22T11:00:00.011-04:00

What follows is an extensive list of quality books for summer reading. In the next few weeks, we will be sending home specific assignments related to this list. In the meantime, take a few moments to go over the list with your parents and identify some books you think might interest you this summer.

Click to jump to a particular section or scroll through to view the full list.

You can also download the full list as a PDF (116K, right/ctrl-click -> Save As to download)

Literary Classics

A Day No Pigs Would Die by Robert Newton Peck
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
All Things Bright and Beautiful by James Herriot
And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery
Black Beauty by Anna Sewell
The Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
Caddie Woodlawn by Carol Ryrie Brink
Call It Courage by Armstrong Sperry
The Cay by Theodore Taylor
Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White
The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
The Grey King by Susan Cooper
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes
Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne
The Light in the Forest by Conrad Richter
Little Women by Louisa Alcott
The Odyssey by Homer
The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway
The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton
The Pearl by John Steinbeck
Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain
The Red Pony by John Steinbeck
Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe
Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
Sounder by William Armstrong
Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt
Walkabout by James Vance Marshall
War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells
Watership Down by Richard Adams
Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls
White Fang by Jack London
The Yearling by Marjorie Rawlings

Traditional Literature

In the Beginning: Creation Stories from Around the World by Virginia Hamilton and Barry Moser
Beowulf by Seamus Heaney
The Dark Thirty: Southern Tales of the Supernatural by Patricia McKissack
Gay-Neck, The Story of a Pigeon by Dhan Gopal Mukerji
The Golem retold by Barbara Rogasky
The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood by Howard Pyle
The People Who Could Fly: American Black Folktales by Virginia Hamilton
Return of the Sun by Joseph Bruchac
The Story of Arthur and His Knights by Howard Pyle
Tales from Silver Lands by Charles J. Finger
The Tales of Uncle Remus: The Adventures of Brer Rabbit retold by Julius Lester
World Before This One by Rafe Martin
Zlateh the Goat and Other Stories by Isaac Bashevis Singer

Modern Fantasy & Science Fiction

Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
Along Came a Dog by Meindert DeJong
The Animal Family by Randall Jarrell
The Black Cauldron by Lloyd Alexander
The Borrowers by Mary Norton
Building Blocks by Cynthia Voigt
The Complete Fairy Tales of George Macdonald by George Macdonald
The Dark Is Rising by Susan Cooper
Dragon’s Blood by Jane Yolen
Duplicate by William Sleator
The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm by Nancy Farmer
Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry
The Giver by Lois Lowry
The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
The House of Scorpions by Nancy Farmer
The Islands of the Blessed by Nancy Farmer
James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
The Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling
Kneeknock Rise by Natalie Babbitt
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery
The Lost Years of Merlin by T. A. Barron
Mrs Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O’Brien
The Mysterious Island by Jules Verne
Rabbit Hill by Robert Lawson
Redwall by Brian Jacques
Singularity by William Sleator
Sweet Whispers, Brother Rush by Virginia Hamilton
The Trumpet of the Swan by E. B. White
The White Mountains by John Christopher
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle

Realistic Fiction

The Black Pearl by Scott O’Dell
Blue Heron by Avi
Bronx Masquerade by Nikki Grimes
Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen
The Friendship and the Gold Cadillac by Mildred Taylor
The Girl Who Owned a City by O.T. Nelson
Gracie’s Girl by Ellen Wittlinger
The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson
Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
Heidi by Johanna Spyri
Homecoming by Cynthia Voigt
Home Sweet Home, Good-Bye by Cynthia Stowe
Hoot by Carl Hiaasen
Island by Gary Paulsen
Jacob Have I Loved by Katherine Paterson
Journey of the Sparrows by Fran Leeper Buss
Kira-Kira by Cynthia Kadohata
Matt Gargan’s Boy by Alfred Slote
Misty of Chincoteague by Marguerite Henry
The Monument by Gary Paulsen
Mudville by Kurtis Scaletta
Nothing But the Truth by Avi
Old Yeller by Fred Gipson
Onion John by Joseph Krumgold
Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse
Park’s Quest by Katherine Paterson
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgeson Burnett
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
Seedfolks by Paul Fleishman
Scorpions by Walter Dean Myers
Shabanu, Daughter of the Wind by Suzanne Fisher Staples
A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park
Summer of the Swans by Betsy Byars
A Summer to Die by Lois Lowry
Summer of My German Soldier by Bette Greene
Summer of the Monkeys by Wilson Rawls
Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
Two Against the North by Farley Mowat
Up a Road Slowly by Irene Hunt
Waiting for the Rain by Sheila Gordon
Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech
The Wheel on the School by Meindert DeJong
Where the Lilies Bloom by Vera and Bill Cleaver
Whirligig by Paul Fleischman
Words by Heart by Ouida Sebastyen
Wringer by Jerry Spinelli

Poetry

Ashley Bryan’s ABC of African American Poetry by Ashley Bryan
Blackberry Ink by Eve Merriam
The Book of Nonsense by Edward Lear
Dark Emperor and Other Poems of the Night by Joyce Sidman
Hailstones and Halibut Bones by Mary O’Neill
Hawk, I’m Your Brother by Byrd Baylor
I Never Saw Another Butterfly: Children’s Drawings & Poems ed. by Hana Volavkova
Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices by Paul Fleischman
Make Lemonade (a novel in poetic form) by Virginia Euwer Wolff
Poetry for Young People: Robert Frost ed. by Schmidt & Sorensen
The Raven and Other Poems by Edgar Allen Poe
Selected Poems by Langston Hughes by Langston Hughes
Under the Sunday Tree by Eloise Greenfield
When We Were Very Young by A. A. Milne
Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein
Whispers and Other Poems by Myra Cohn Livingston

Historical Fiction

Witness by Karen Hesse
Ashes of Roses by Mary Jane Auch
A Boy at War: A Novel of Pearl Harbor by Henry Mazer
Beyond the Burning Tree by Kathryn Lasky
Bull Run by Paul Fleischman
Crispin, the Cross of Lead by Avi
The Door in the Wall by Marguerite de Angeli
Dragonwings by Lawrence Yep
Eleanor Roosevelt: A Life of Discovery by Russell Freedman
Friedrich by Hans Peter Richter
A Gathering of Days: A New England Girl’s Journal by Joan Blos
Heart of a Samurai by Margi Preus
The Hidden Treasure of Glaston by Eleanore M. Jewett
Incident at Hawk’s Hill by Allan W. Eckert
A Lantern in Her Hand by Bess Streeter Aldrich
Letters from Rifka by Karen Hesse
Mary, Bloody Mary by Carolyn Meyer
My Brother Sam Is Dead by James & Christopher Collier
No Promises in the Wind by Irene Hunt
Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
On the Banks of Plum Creek by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Prairie Songs by Pam Conrad
The Rock and the River by Kekla Magoon
Something Upstairs by Avi
Song of the Trees by Mildred Taylor
Tituba of Salem Village by Ann Petry
The Upstairs Room by Johanna Reiss
West Against the Wind by Liza Ketchum Murrow
Wrapped for Eternity: The Story of the Egyptian Mummy by Mildred Pace

Nonfiction

Albert Einstein and the Theory of Relativity by Cwiklik
Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
Carry On, Mr. Bowditch by Jean Lee Latham
Cars on Mars: Roving the Red Planet by Alexandra Siy
Charles and Emma: The Darwins’ Leap of Faith by Dorothy Heiligman
Death Be Not Proud: A Memoir by John Gunther
Emily Dickinson: Singular Poet by Carol Dommermuth-Costa
Evolution Revolution: From Darwin to DNA by Robert Winston
Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad by Ann Petry
Homesick, My Own Story by Jean Fritz
Hurricane Force: In the Path of America’s Deadliest Storms by Joseph B. Treaster
Leonardo da Vinci by Kathleen Krull
Lincoln: A Photobiography by Russell Freedman
Lincoln Shot: A President’s Life Remembered by Barry Denenberg
Long Journey Home by Julius Lester
Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Problem of His Time by Sobel
My Life with the Chimpanzees by Jane Goodall
Never Cry Wolf by Farley Mowat
Now Is Your Time! The African-American Struggle for Freedom by Walter Dean Myers
Prairie Visions: The Life and Times of Soloman Butcher by Pam Conrad
To Be a Slave by Julius Lester
Simple Gifts: Lessons in Living from a Shaker Village by June Sprigg
Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace by Greg Mortenson
Volcano: The Eruption and Healing of Mount St. Helens by Patricia Lauber
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
Within Reach: My Everest Story by Mark Pfetzer and Jack Galvin
The Wright Brothers: How They Invented the Airplane by Russell Freedman*

Multicultural & International Literature

Black Elk Speaks:Being the Life Story of a Holy Man of the Oglala Sioux as told through John G. Neihardt
Buried Onions by Gary Soto
Dragon Road by Laurence Yep
Extra Credit by Andrew Clements
The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
If You Could Be My Friend: Letters of Mervet Akram Sha’ban and Galit Fink presented by Litsa Boudalike
Island of the Blue Dolphin by Scott O’Dell
Journey to Jo’burg by Beverly Naidoo
Journey Home by Yoshiko Uchida
Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George
The Land I Lost: Adventures of a Boy in Vietnam by Huynh Quang Nhuong
My Name is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok
Red Scarf Girl by Ji-Li Jiang and David Hwang*
The Road from Home: The Story of an Armenian Girl by David Kherdian
Secret of the Andes by Ann Nolan Clark*
The Sign of the Chrysanthemum by Katherine Paterson
Swami and Friends by R. K. Narayan
Upon the Head of a Goat: A Childhood in Hungary 1939-1944 by Aranka Siegal
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin
Year of Impossible Goodbyes by Sook Nyul Choi
Zlata’s Diary by Zlata Filipovic

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

2011-05-31T13:22:00.002-04:00

General Announcements:

If you ever notice something missing or wrong on the blog, comment to let me know about it - I don't always have the whole picture. -Grace
Tues. & Wed., June 7-8: Presentations of 8th Grade Projects, Prisms' 3rd Floor room and Tech Lab, AM (6/7 & 6/8)and from 6:30-8:30 PM (Tues., 6/7 only). Open to community.
Wed., June 22: Eighth Grade Graduation
Thurs., June 23: Last day of School for students (half day)
Eighth Grade Project resource page updated 4/27, including project deadlines through the end of the project. Page will be updated as I get new information.
Download Ukulele Club documents (links fixed) here.

Math:

Grade 7:

Test Wed., 6/1: Math's Mates Mid-Term 3 Test, covering material in ex. 3.1-3.4 - use those worksheets to review. Questions you got wrong make excellent review problems!
Due Wed., 6/1: On review sheet begun in class, finish #4, do first 4 on back side (6, 7, 5, 6). Optional, rec. for Mauve: 5(front, factoring/expanding), 7, 8, 11 (Pythagorean Theorem problems)

Grade 8:

Test Wed., 6/1: Math's Mates Mid-Term 3 Test, covering material in ex. 3.1-3.4 - use those worksheets to review. Questions you got wrong make excellent review problems!
Due Wed., 6/1: On review sheet begun in class, finish 3, do all of back page. Optional, rec. for Mauve: 5(front, factoring/expanding)

Language Arts:

Due Wed., 6/1: Final copy of letter to Greens—typed. Return it with the edited copy from Jane.

Social Studies:

Science:

Nada

Moment of Zen:

Unique Car & Bike Mods

Click above for more, including bananas on wheels, mirrored Bugs (in several configurations), and a bike with a sound system to rival a dance club's.

Friday, May 27, 2011

2011-05-27T11:31:00.004-04:00

General Announcements:

If you ever notice something missing or wrong on the blog, comment to let me know about it - I don't always have the whole picture. -Grace
Mon., May 30 - Memorial Day (no school)
Tues. & Wed., June 7-8: Presentations of 8th Grade Projects, Prisms' 3rd Floor room and Tech Lab, AM (6/7 & 6/8)and from 6:30-8:30 PM (Tues., 6/7 only). Open to community.
Wed., June 22: Eighth Grade Graduation
Thurs., June 23: Last day of School for students (half day)
Eighth Grade Project resource page updated 4/27, including project deadlines through the end of the project. Page will be updated as I get new information.
Download Ukulele Club documents (links fixed) here.

Math:

Grade 7 & 8:

Due Tues., 5/31: MM 3.6 according to usual protocol, including work for * problems on separate paper and any attached N/A problems from previous sheets.
Test Wed., 6/1: Math's Mates Mid-Term 3 Test, covering material in ex. 3.1-3.4 - use those worksheets to review. Questions you got wrong make excellent review problems!

Language Arts:

Social Studies:

Science:

Nada

Moment of Zen:

NASA Launches an Art Exhibit

...no, not into space

Opening at the Air & Space Museum in DC is a collection of art commissioned by NASA over the last 50 years to represent its varied explorations. The work ranges from classically representative (the collection includes a Norman Rockwell painting of astronauts getting dressed in their space suits) to much more abstract, as in Chakhaia Booker's sculpture commemorating the crew of Columbia, made out of salvaged rubber from the shuttle after it exploded in 2003.

Worth a look just to see what space research and exploration has meant to different people over the last 50 years.

Pictured above: Liftoff at 15 Seconds, 1982, by Jack Perlmutter/Courtesy of Smithsonian

Thursday, May 26, 2011

2011-05-26T11:53:00.008-04:00

General Announcements:

If you ever notice something missing or wrong on the blog, comment to let me know about it - I don't always have the whole picture. -Grace
Thurs., May 26: Instrumental Music Festival featuring guitar/bass students, violin students/orchestra, and ukulele club.
Eighth Grade Project resource page updated 4/27, including project deadlines through the end of the project. Page will be updated as I get new information.
Download Ukulele Club documents (links fixed) here.

Math:

Grade 7:

Due Fri., 5/27: Do #1 on p. 9 and #5 on p. 10

Grade 8:

Due Fri., 5/27: Complete 1.1 on p. 6, begun in class.

Language Arts:

Due Fri., 5/27: Complete first draft of letter to Greens using friendly letter format, stating what you felt worked in their play about the Mill River Flood.

Social Studies:

Quiz Friday, 5/27: On recent Renaissance topics, particularly power structures of Florence, the rise of the Medici family and the Gozzoli fresco.
- Main Panel
- Panel 2
- Panel 3

Science:

Nada

Moment of Zen:

Exchange Rates Aren't What They Used to Be

The highest denomination bill ever printed is Zimbabwe's 100 trillion dollar bill (pictured above), which was released in January 2009 in response to hyperinflation of the Zimbabwean dollar as the country's economy continued to collapse. At the time of its release, the bill was worth about US$30. When ZImbabwe abandoned circulating its own currency several months later, it was virtually worthless, with Z$300 trillion being worth less than US$1.

These days, it's worth about five bucks — at least, that's what it's going for among currency collectors.

When first introduced in 1980, the Zimbabwean dollar was set even to the British pound, at about US$1 = Z$1.47. Economic collapse in the last few years, due to internal political instability and global economic pressures, triggered the shockingly high inflation of the currency, with inflation percentages estimated in the trillions of percent annually close to the end. Currently, all financial transactions in the country are conducted using currency from neighboring countries like South Africa and Botswana, or highly internationalized currencies like the British Pound, the Euro and the US Dollar. Zimbabwe does not have any plans to begin circulating its own currency again in the near future.

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

2011-05-25T13:01:00.004-04:00

General Announcements:

If you ever notice something missing or wrong on the blog, comment to let me know about it - I don't always have the whole picture. -Grace
Thurs., May 26: Instrumental Music Festival featuring guitar/bass students, violin students/orchestra, and ukulele club.
Eighth Grade Project resource page updated 4/27, including project deadlines through the end of the project. Page will be updated as I get new information.
Download Ukulele Club documents (links fixed) here.

Math:

Grade 7:

Due Thurs., 5/26: Complete bouncing ball experiment packet if not already done.

Grade 8:

Nada

Language Arts:

Nada

Social Studies:

Quiz Friday, 5/27: On recent Renaissance topics, particularly power structures of Florence, the rise of the Medici family and the Gozzoli fresco.

Science:

Nada

Moment of Zen:

Your Daily Dose of Aww...What?

Most cats would look at a box full of baby chickens and see something akin to chicken nuggets. However, Niu Niu, a cat living in Suibing, China, saw her new babies. Since climbing into their box, Niu Niu has treated the birds much like she would treat kittens, grooming them and cuddling with them. In turn, the chicks have imprinted on her as their mother and are happy to follow her around, nestle and peep around her as if she were a hen.

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

2011-05-24T13:43:00.005-04:00

General Announcements:

If you ever notice something missing or wrong on the blog, comment to let me know about it - I don't always have the whole picture. -Grace
Thurs., May 26: Instrumental Music Festival featuring guitar/bass students, violin students/orchestra, and ukulele club.
Eighth Grade Project resource page updated 4/27, including project deadlines through the end of the project. Page will be updated as I get new information.
Download Ukulele Club documents (links fixed) here.

Math:

Grade 7 & 8

Nada

Language Arts:

Nada

Social Studies:

Quiz Friday, 5/27: On recent Renaissance topics, particularly power structures of Florence, the rise of the Medici family and the Gozzoli fresco.

Science:

Moment of Zen:

13 Ways of Looking at a Jellyfish

There's a certain character to scientific illustrations, particularly those of a certain vintage. It seems I'm not alone in my fascination, as someone has devoted a Tumblr account to particularly interesting examples of scientific illustrations, ranging as far back as the 1600s. Click above to see many more.

Monday, June 23, 2011

2011-05-23T15:47:00.003-04:00

General Announcements:

If you ever notice something missing or wrong on the blog, comment to let me know about it - I don't always have the whole picture. -Grace
Thurs., May 26: Instrumental Music Festival featuring guitar/bass students, violin students/orchestra, and ukulele club.
Eighth Grade Project resource page updated 4/27, including project deadlines through the end of the project. Page will be updated as I get new information.
Download Ukulele Club documents (links fixed) here.

Math:

Grade 7 & 8

Nada

Language Arts:

Due Tue., 5/24: Read Ch. 31-35. Compose one fair and significant quiz question & answer per chapter (5 total).

Social Studies:

Nada

Science:

Due Tues., 5/24

Moment of Zen:

Zombie Truffles

Click above for instructions to make them...if you can stomach it!

Friday, May 20, 2011

2011-05-20T14:02:00.003-04:00

General Announcements:

If you ever notice something missing or wrong on the blog, comment to let me know about it - I don't always have the whole picture. -Grace
Thurs., May 26: Instrumental Music Festival featuring guitar/bass students, violin students/orchestra, and ukulele club.
Eighth Grade Project resource page updated 4/27, including project deadlines through the end of the project. Page will be updated as I get new information.
Download Ukulele Club documents (links fixed) here.

Math:

Grade 7 & 8

Due Mon., 5/23: Math's Mate 3.5 according to usual protocol, including any attached N/A problems.

Language Arts:

Due Tue., 5/24: Read Ch. 31-35. Compose one fair and significant quiz question & answer per chapter (5 total).

Social Studies:

Due Mon., 5/23: Answer questions 1-21 about Medici.

Science:

Nada

Moment of Zen:

Painting or Photograph?

It's not what you think...click for details.

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

2011-05-18T15:52:00.003-04:00

Islamic Center of Western Massachusetts Trip Info

There's no new homework today, but here's some important information about tomorrow's field trip.

Things to bring

Good traveling lunch: We will be bringing Blue House café lunches, but outside of that, bring food that can be eaten right out of the bag. Don't expect to be able to heat up food.
Appropriate Dress:
- A raincoat: tomorrow's going to be another rainy one.
- Inside the Center: Respectfully modest dress is expected inside the center. Here are some guidelines:
  - Men: Long pants, clean socks, plain shirt
  - Women: Long pants/skirt, long sleeves, clean socks, head scarf (bring a pretty scarf you like or a nice piece of fabric - I'll show you how to wrap it, but you can also look up different hijab styles online)

We will be meeting with the imam at the center, eating lunch, observing the midday prayer (dhuhr), and then returning to school.

Here's a quick "How to Make Salaat (prayer)" video if you want to get a sense of the process of Muslim Prayer:

Prisms Homework Blog

Thursday, February 2, 2012

It Is Still Winter

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

What happens when you project lines onto real objects

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Have You Hugged a Sign Today?

7th Grade Abolitionist Research Deadlines

Deadlines for Abolitionist Research Paper

Monday, January 30, 2012

The Aurora Australis, as Seen from Space

Friday, January 27, 2012

Found Cows

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Melville's classic novel Moby Dick

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

For those of you charmed by microfilm

2012 Eighth Grade project Deadlines

January

February

March

April

May

June

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Happy Year of the Plastic Dragon

Monday, January 23, 2012

The City Is a Dinosaur and it may just eat you

Friday, January 20, 2012

What do you think it is?

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Life on the edge...

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

When National Pride Makes You Hungry...

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

A different way of having your nose in a book

Friday, January 13, 2012

What Happens When You Set People Free With Stickers

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Stealth Pink

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Beware of Alot

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

The Giant of Vlaardingen

Monday, January 9, 2011

Libera Wins 2011 African Amputee Soccer Cup

Friday, January 6, 2012

A Working Origami Camera

Thursday, January 5, 2012

It was a dark and stormy night...

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

One Picture, One Year

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

NewspaperWood: Paper goes back to its roots

Monday, December 19, 2011

Selective Cleanup Creates Reverse Graffiti

Rubric for final Herdity Project

Friday, December 16, 2011

Selective Cleanup Creates Reverse Graffiti

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Historically Accurate Disney Princesses

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

So Many Baby Tortoises!

Monday, December 12, 2011

The First Paris Air Show (1909)

Friday, December 9, 2011

Dodecahedron Full of Chickens

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Why do Apes love cats?

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

What have you got in your head?

Monday, December 5, 2011

How phenotypical...

Friday, December 2, 2011

Pedaling Steel: These aren't just decorative

Thursday, December 1, 2011

The Wafflizer: 30 Answers to the question, "Will it Waffle?"

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Deconstructionism

Tuesday, November 29, 2011