Friday, October 22, 2010

Friday, October 22, 2010

General Announcements:
  • Thurs., 10/28: Field trip to Great Falls Discovery Center in Turners Falls in the AM. Students will arrive at school at the regular time and, hopefully, be back in time for lunch.
  • Call for Drivers Thurs., 10/28 (AM) - We still need 3-4 more parent volunteers to drive 13 students to Turners Falls and back Thursday morning.
  • Wed., 10/27: Día de los muertos: Join us for a pot-luck Day of the Dead celebration from 6:30 to 8 PM in the All-School Space.
  • Citrus Sale! - Fruit Website back up as of 10 AM today!. See details, access printable documents HERE
  • Read about the Prisms' 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
    • Nada
  • Grade 8
    • Due Mon., 10/25: Study your notes and assignments and the textbook for the Check-up Test on Inv. 1 and 2. This "studying" includes writing the answers to the Reflection Questions on p. 34.

Language Arts:
  • Due Mon., 10/25:
    • Read "My Brother's Keeper" by Jay Bennett (starts on p. 15) and be ready for a quiz on the reading.
    • Write 3 quiz questions with answers:
      1. One about a main idea
      2. One about a detail
      3. One your choice

Social Studies:
  • Due Mon., 10/25: Write 3 ¶ summary following protocol given.
  • Ongoing:
    • Continue researching your era of the River.
    • Make well-formed notecards (according to model) with information from your sources.
    • Make sure you have Bibliography card for each resource you use, following these citation formats.

Science:
  • Due Mon., 10/25: Complete Connecticut River Watershed map, showing elevation.

Spanish:
  • Grade 7 & 8:
    • Day of the Dead page
    • Due Fri., 10/22: Begin researching Latin food you may bring as part of the pot luck (see Food Resource sites on Day of the Dead page). Comment on blog post with what you may bring.
    • Due Mon., 10/25:
      • Collect boxes you may use for your altar: check home, cardboard dumpster, grocery store.
      • Have completed:
        • arch
        • photograph of your ofrenda subject
        • decorative cloth to cover boxes for altar

Moment of Zen:

...and Other Important Facts


Click above to see more "informative" pieces of flapdoodle and poppycock, addressing such important scientific questions as, "Why do leaves turn brown in the fall?"; "How do mustaches grow?"; "How does Horsepower compare to Spongecake Power?" and "How are bees like the Swedish government?"

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Thursday, October 21, 2010

General Announcements:
  • Wed., 10/27: Día de los muertos: Join us for a pot-luck Day of the Dead celebration from 6:30 to 8 PM in the All-School Space.
  • Citrus Sale! - Fruit Website down as of 5 PM today (and probably a while before) - the sale is still on, tech problems should be straightened out tomorrow. See details, access printable documents HERE
  • Read about the Prisms' 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 Fri., 10/22: Study for first part of Check-up test tomorrow. Write the answers to the Reflection Questions discussed in class.
    • 7B: Due Fri., 10/22: Finish #6 on p. 26, do 2.3, part A1 only.
  • Grade 8
    • Due Fri., 10/22: #18 on p. 30

Language Arts:
  • Due Fri., 10/22: Revise! Revise! Revise!

Social Studies:
  • Ongoing:
    • Continue researching your era of the River.
    • Make well-formed notecards (according to model) with information from your sources.
    • Make sure you have Bibliography card for each resource you use, following these citation formats.

Science:
Spanish:
  • Grade 7 & 8:
    • Due Thurs., 10/21: Review Project Details, Documents and Resource Sites posted on the blog Day of the Dead page.
    • Due Fri., 10/22: Begin researching Latin food you may bring as part of the pot luck (see Food Resource sites on Day of the Dead page). Comment on blog post with what you may bring.
    • Due Mon., 10/25:
      • Collect boxes you may use for your altar: check home, cardboard dumpster, grocery store.
      • Have completed:
        • arch
        • photograph of your ofrenda subject
        • decorative cloth to cover boxes for altar

Moment of Zen:

Why Does the Internet Love Cats?


Click any of the kitties above to read the folks at Mashable's many theories.

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

General Announcements:
  • Wed., 10/27: Día de los muertos: Join us for a pot-luck Day of the Dead celebration from 6:30 to 8 PM in the All-School Space.
  • Citrus Sale! See details, access printable documents HERE
  • Read about the Prisms' 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., 10/21: #6 on p. 30. This is a review problem for the Check-up Test within the next couple days.
    • 7B: Due Thurs., 10/21: #6 on p. 26
  • Grade 8
    • Due Thurs., 10/21: #13 on p. 29 (This is a review problem for Check-up Test)

Language Arts:
  • Due Thurs., 10/21: In a one-page entry in your LA journal, respond to the following question: Why did Sharon prefer her house on 25th Street to the one on Eastern Avenue? Your journal entry should be legible and edited.

Social Studies:
  • Due Thurs., 10/21:
    • Make 5 well-formed notecards (according to model) with information from your sources.
    • Make sure you have Bibliography card for each resource you use, following these citation formats.

Science:
Spanish:
  • Grade 7 & 8:
    • Due Thurs., 10/21: Review Project Details, Documents and Resource Sites posted on the blog Day of the Dead page.
    • Due Fri., 10/22: Begin researching Latin food you may bring as part of the pot luck (see Food Resource sites on Day of the Dead page). Comment on blog post with what you may bring.
    • Due Mon., 10/25:
      • Collect boxes you may use for your altar: check home, cardboard dumpster, grocery store.
      • Have completed:
        • arch
        • photograph of your ofrenda subject
        • decorative cloth to cover boxes for altar

Moment of Zen:

Inflate-a-helmet?


Apparently, the Swedes have thought of everything. First, hobbit holes; now, this.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

General Announcements:
  • Wed., 10/27: Día de los muertos: Join us for a pot-luck Day of the Dead celebration from 6:30 to 8 PM in the All-School Space.
  • Citrus Sale! See details, access printable documents HERE
  • Read about the Prisms' 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., 10/20: #2 on p.27. This is a review problem for the Check-up Test within the next couple days.
    • 7B: Due Wed., 10/20: 2.1 on p. 17
  • Grade 8
    • Due Wed., 10/20: 2.5 on p. 22

Language Arts:
  • Due Thurs., 10/21: In a one-page entry in your LA journal, respond to the following question: Why did Sharon prefer her house on 25th Street to the one on Eastern Avenue? Your journal entry should be legible and edited.

Social Studies:
  • Due Thurs., 10/21:
    • Make 5 well-formed notecards (according to model) with information from your sources.
    • Make sure you have Bibliography card for each resource you use, following these citation formats.

Spanish:
  • Grade 7:
    • Due Wed., 10/20: Preguntas 1-10 sobre capítulo 1 de Pobre Ana.
    • Due Fri., 10/22: Have chosen your ofrenda subject.
    • Día de los muertos Documents

Moment of Zen:

The Upper Stratosphere by Balloon and iPhone


The Brooklyn Space Program, largely the brainchild of Luke Geissbühler and his son, Max, sent its first spacecraft up recently, passengered by a brave little iPhone, which was filming for the over 75% of its near 2-hour journey. Propelled only by a weather balloon, the whole trip made it about 19 miles - over 100,000 feet - into the air and took some stunning images. Click either picture to visit the Geissbühlers' video about the project, largely composed of footage taken during the flight.

Monday, October 18, 2010

Bibliographical Citation Models

It's important to follow punctuation exactly as shown. If your citation question is not answered below, comment with more information about the source you need to cite and I will try to add that type or get back to you about your particular resource as soon as I can.

Index of Citation Models:


  • Book:
    • Author's Last Name, First Name. Book Title. City of Publication: Publisher, Year.

    • Example:
      Pinkwater, Daniel. The Snarkout Boys & the Avocado of Death. New York: Signet Books, 1982.

    • If more than one author, list alphabetically by last name. Only first name listed is Last, First.

    • Example:
      Gaiman, Neil and Terry Pratchett. Good Omens. New York: Workman, 1990.



  • Encyclopedia Article:
    So sayeth Writers, Inc.:
    "It is not necessary to give full publication information for familiar reference works (encyclopedias and dictionaries). For these titles, list only the edition (if available) and the publication year. If an article is initialed, check the index of authors (in the opening section of each volume) for the author's full name."

    • Author's Last Name, First Name. "Article Title." Book Name. Year ed.

    • Example:
      Vorhaus, Louis J. "Bursitis." Collier's Encyclopedia. 1993 ed.
      If there is no author's name or initials listed, begin at "Article Title."



  • Internet Resource:
    • Author Last Name, First Name. "Page Title." Site/Organization Name. Publish Date. Accessed Date. URL

    • Example:
      Seibel, Brad. "Vampyroteuthis infernalis, Deep-sea Vampire squid." The Cephalopod Page. Published 4/01. Accessed 10/18/10. http://www.thecephalopodpage.org/vampy.php
      If there is no author listed, begin with "Article Title."



  • DVD:
    • Film Title. Dir. Director First Name, Last Name. DVD. Publisher, DVD Release Year.

    • Example:
      Cane Toads: An Unnatural History. Dir. Mark Lewis. DVD. First Run Features, 2001.

Monday, October 18, 2010

General Announcements:
  • Wed., 10/27: Día de los muertos: Join us for a pot-luck Day of the Dead celebration from 6:30 to 8 PM in the All-School Space.
  • Citrus Sale! See details, access printable documents HERE
  • Read about the Prisms' 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
    • None
Language Arts:
  • Due Tues., 10/19: Read the short story "'White' Real Estate" in book handed out today (begins on p. 161) and be ready for a quiz on it tomorrow.
Social Studies:
  • Due Tues., 10/19: Make Bibliography Cards for each resource you have found, following the models found by clicking here. for the appropriate type. If you have a source other than a book, encyclopedia article, or website that you need to cite, comment with the kind of source it is and I will put up an appropriate citation model for it.
Spanish: