Friday, September 24, 2010

Friday, September 24, 2010

General Announcements:
  • Due Thurs., 9/30: Share Your Hi-Rock Trip Photos! We have set up a Flickr group for the class's trip last week, which we will look at as a class during our class meeting next Thursday. For security reasons, it is a private, invitation only group. You will need a Flickr account to view or contribute to the group (if you have a Yahoo account, you already do). Prisms and their parents should let me know if you want an invitation to the group. Send an e-mail to gmrowicki AT hilltowncharter with the following information:
    1. Your name
    2. The e-mail address to which the invitation should be sent
  • Read about the Prism's ongoing observations in defining intelligent here.
  • We need tissues! Cold season is upon us and we need nice tissues for sore noses. If every Prism family donated one box of tissues, that would almost certainly get us through the worst of tissue season.
  • Fridays: Bring sneakers, clothes to run in and water bottle for Frisbee!
Math:
  • Grade 7 & 8:
    • Due Fri., 9/24:
      1. Complete Math's Mate 1.2 according to protocol discussed earlier (see 9/10/10 HW blog here for more detail on this). Complete all attached problems not attempted on 1.1. Make sure to show work for * problems on separate paper.
      2. Rework any CMP assignment returned to you for quality revision according to criteria discussed in class today.
Social Studies:
  • Due Mon., 9/27:
  • Finish your thank you card for the person from our trip to Camp Hi-Rock whose name you drew during class meeting. Cardstock will be provided tomorrow, or you may use your own materials (max. size is a 9 by 12 inch sheet of drawing paper, folded in half to 9 by 6 inches). Sign it from yourself but also "for the Prisms"
Science:
  • Due Mon., 9/27: Shade in your sketch from Friday's river observation with colored pencils. Be sure to give your sketch context, i.e. don't just draw the frog, draw the rocks, water and plants around it.
Language Arts:
  • Due Fri., 9/24:
    1. Complete evaluation sheet for Camp Hi-Rock trip handed out today.
    2. Have your independent reading book chosen—new to you and fitting one of the categories on the form provided you today in class. Read for 20 min. in this new book to you. Have book in class on Monday. (The books should be of a size that they can be carried in backpack and from class to class easily.)
    3. Complete any portfolio elements not completed with quality at this time.
Spanish:
  • Grade 7:
    • No hay tarea
  • Grade 8:
    • Quiz Fri., 9/24: Prueba sobre el vocabulario de "El pelo de pepe." (Vocab. quiz on "El pelo de pepe.")
Moment of Zen
I don't think this is what they meant when they said that art imitates life, but this photo sure looks like an abstract painting. Taken from Robert Haas's book Through the Eyes of Vikings, this is just one of an impressive set of aerial photographs from around the Arctic Circle that make the Earth look like abstract art without being messed with in the least. Click the picture to see more from Haas's Arctic collection.

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Thursday, September 23, 2010

General Announcements:
  • Due Thurs., 9/30: Share Your Hi-Rock Trip Photos! We have set up a Flickr group for the class's trip last week, which we will look at as a class during our class meeting next Thursday. For security reasons, it is a private, invitation only group. You will need a Flickr account to view or contribute to the group (if you have a Yahoo account, you already do). Prisms and their parents should let me know if you want an invitation to the group. Send an e-mail to gmrowicki AT hilltowncharter with the following information:
    1. Your name
    2. The e-mail address to which the invitation should be sent
  • Read about the Prism's ongoing observations in defining intelligent here.
  • We need tissues! Cold season is upon us and we need nice tissues for sore noses. If every Prism family donated one box of tissues, that would almost certainly get us through the worst of tissue season.
  • Fridays: Bring sneakers, clothes to run in and water bottle for Frisbee!
Math:
  • Grade 7:
    • Due Thurs., 9/23: Complete #1 on p. 10 of CMP book. Be sure to answer questions in complete sentences and state the question in the answer. You will need 1 cm. grid paper. Additional paper, if necessary, can be printed out using the link at right.
  • Grade 8:
    • Due Fri., 9/24:
      1. Write an edited, legible entry in your LA journal of ~1 page on the topic: "What I Learned/Relearned from Henry". It will be copied and sent to him. Bring to math class with you.
      2. Complete Applications #1 on p. 9 and #4 of p. 10 of CMP book. Show how you got your answers. Explain by restating the question in the response and using complete sentences. You will need 2 sheets of 1 cm grid paper. You may print out additional paper using the link at right.
Social Studies:
  • Due Mon., 9/27: Finish your thank you card for the person from our trip to Camp Hi-Rock whose name you drew during class meeting today. Cardstock will be provided tomorrow, or you may use your own materials
Science:
  • No homework
Language Arts:
  • Due Fri., 9/24: Write out your 2 min speech for presentation of "C" book project to an All School audience. See directions on the form provided this morning.
Spanish:
  • Grade 7:
    • No hay tarea
  • Grade 8:
    • Quiz Fri., 9/24: Prueba sobre el vocabulario de "El pelo de pepe." (Vocab. quiz on "El pelo de pepe.")
Moment of Zen

What's Your Caption?

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

General Announcements:
  • Share Your Hi-Rock Trip Photos! We have set up a Flickr group for the class's trip last week. For security reasons, it is a private, invitation only group. You will need a Flickr account to view or contribute to the group (if you have a Yahoo account, you already do). Prisms and their parents should let me know if you want an invitation to the group. Send an e-mail to gmrowicki AT hilltowncharter with the following information:
    1. Your name
    2. The e-mail address to which the invitation should be sent
  • Read about the Prism's ongoing observations in defining intelligent here.
  • We need tissues! Cold season is upon us and we need nice tissues for sore noses. If every Prism family donated one box of tissues, that would almost certainly get us through the worst of tissue season.
  • Fridays: Bring sneakers, clothes to run in and water bottle for Frisbee!
Math:
  • Grade 7:
    • Due Thurs., 9/23: Complete 1.2 on p. 9 of CMP book using your jumping jack data. Write all responses in complete sentences and restate the question in your answer. Refer to the model provided today.
  • Grade 8:
    • No homework
      • Note: We did film Henry's presentation today, and we will make this available to whomever would like to share it at home as soon as possible, though it's not entirely clear in what format this will happen yet.
Social Studies:
  • No homework
Science:
  • No homework
Language Arts:
  • No homework
Spanish:
  • Grade 7 & 8:
    • No hay tarea
Moment of Zen

Iceland: On A First Name Basis with Volcanoes

In Iceland, the phone books are organized alphabetically by first name. Instead of having family last names like we do, folks in Iceland are known by their given first name and patronymic. A patronymic is based on your father's name and indicates you as son of __________ or daughter of __________. Musician Björk's full name is Björk Sigmundsdottir. Iceland being related to English as it is, the breakdown of Sigmundsdottir is actually fairly transparent: Sigmund's daughter. If she had a brother, he would be Sigmundson. Other cultures still highly integrate patronymics - In Russia and many other former USSR nations, the patronymic is a middle name, and people are formally addressed not by their family name (e.g., Mr. Dostoyevsky, Ms. Akhmatova) but by first name and patronymic (e.g. Fyodor Mikhailovich, Anna Andreyevna). (Read more about patronymics around the world). But, Iceland has the coolest volcanoes (see above), sitting as it does on the line between the American and Eurasian plates as they spread apart, so they get the picture.

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

General Announcements:
  • Read about the Prism's ongoing observations in defining intelligent here.
  • We need tissues! Cold season is upon us and we need nice tissues for sore noses. If every Prism family donated one box of tissues, that would almost certainly get us through the worst of tissue season.
  • Fridays: Bring sneakers, clothes to run in and water bottle for Frisbee!
Math:
  • Grade 7:
    • Due Wed., 9/22: Use the data from the jumping jack experiment done today to respond to the questions in the 1.1 Follow-Up on p. 7. Give evidence from the data (specific, numerical data) to support your answers. Write in complete sentences that restate the original questions.
  • Grade 8:
    • Due Wed., 9/22:
      1. Complete 1.1B in Moving Straight Ahead according to directions, using the bouncing ball data you collected today in class. Write your answers in complete sentences that restate the question in the answer. Show/explain how you arrived at your answers using specific numerical data.
      2. If returned to be completed or revised, complete definition sheet originally due today. Be sure to quote from indicated source accurately and specifically state the resource used after each definition.
Social Studies:
  • Due Wed., 9/22: Answer 5 questions on map of Lake Hitchcock.
Science:
  • No homework
Language Arts:
  • Due Tues., 9/21: Complete Portfolio cover or back with quality and spine if not done—may fold once. Bring this to the class you have with me tomorrow, whether Math or LA
Spanish:
  • Grade 7 & 8:
    • No hay tarea
Moment of Zen

Quadruple Amputee Swims English Channel

French metalworker Philippe Croizon lost both arms and both legs in an electrical accident 16 years ago. Two years ago, when he began training, swimming the length of a pool was a struggle. This weekend, he swam across the English Channel. Croizon made the approximately 21-mile crossing in 13½ hours; a little less than twice the record crossing time of just under 7 hours, set by Bulgarian swimmer Petar Stoychev in 2007. Here's another article about Croizon from earlier in the summer, which examines the training he did to prepare for his channel swim.

Monday, September 20, 2010

Monday, September 20, 2010

General Announcements:
  • Fridays: Bring sneakers, clothes to run in and water bottle for Frisbee!
Math:
  • Grade 7:
    • Due Tues., 9/21: Wear comfortable clothing, including sneakers. You will be doing physical activity to produce data. Bring all math materials with you to class—and tools. Bring a stop watch or wear a watch with a second hand if possible.
  • Grade 8:
    • Due Tues., 9/21: Write a brief math definition for the terms on the sheet given. You any resources available to you but state the resource used after each definition. Bring all math materials with you to class—and tools.
Social Studies:
  • No homework
Science:
  • Due Tues., 9/21: Sign and have your parents sign the Acceptable Computer Use form handed out today.
Language Arts:
  • Due Tues., 9/21: Edit the journal entries written thus far for spelling, punctuation and capitalization (no rewriting/revising). State in a sentence below each: "I have edited this journal entry on Sept. 20"
Spanish:
  • Grade 7
    • Due Mon., 9/20 : If not turned in today, finish your pronoun drawings for tomorrow
  • Grade 8
    • Due Tues., 9/21: Finish drawing of story created in class.
Music:
  • Due Next Tues., 9/21:
Moment of Zen

What's Your Caption?