Thursday, January 14, 2010

General Announcements:

• Friday, 1/15: Remember to wear clothes to serve as a costume for your skit about segregation in Birmingham for this afternoon's MLK Day celebration.
• You must have an independent reading book every day. If you are getting close to the end of one, have the next one at school and ready to go.

Math:

• 7th Grade:
  • Due Fri., 1/15: Complete #22, 23, 24 on p. 26 in CMP book according to directions and according to our class discussion today. Back up answers with specific data. Write in complete sentences. (area & perimeter)
• 8th Grade:
  • Due Fri., 1/15: 1.2 A1 only (not A2 or B). Write in complete sentences. State original question in answer.

Social Studies:

• Due Fri., 1/15: Copy the Roman Republic timeline using pencil and colored pencil.

Science:

• Due Fri., 1.15: Cover for science notes: Choose an image from our space study (including field trip to Amherst College) to draw as a cover for your science notes. Cover must be drawn in colored pencil. Title: Space Science

Language Arts:

• Quiz, Fri., 1/15: Quiz on grammar lessons 3 & 4 (subject/object pronouns, possessive pronouns). Use returned, corrected grammar worksheets to help study. Questions will include material from sheets 1 & 2 as well.

Spanish:

• 7th Grade:
  • Due Fri., 1/22
    • In ¿Qué Tal?, complete 3 written activities of your choice.
    • Read ch. 1 of Piratas and create a vocab list as you're reading.

• 8th Grade:
  • Due Fri., 1/22
    • In Ahora, complete 3 written activities of your choice.
    • Finish reading ch. 1 of Robo en la noche and create a vocab list as you're reading.

Moment of Zen: It's called the ampersand: a serpentine ligature of the Latin word et (meaning "and") which has inspired any number of interpretive versions of itself as it is separated more and more from its origin as two letters, and puzzled many people trying to coax one out of their pen. And now, for at least one graphic design junkie, it's inspirational enough for a whole blog. Click the picture above to see the gallery of ampersand. Click here for Wikipedia's entry with more history of the character, but here's a little background: "Traditionally, in English-speaking schools when reciting the alphabet, any letter that could also be used as a word in itself ("A," "I," and, at one point, "O") was preceded by the Latin expression "per se" (Latin for "by itself"). Also, it was common practice to add at the end of the alphabet the "&" sign, pronounced "and". Thus, the recitation of the alphabet would end in: "X, Y, Z and per se and." This last phrase was routinely slurred to "ampersand" and the term crept into common English usage by around 1837."