Weekly Update 2/18-22

IMPORTANT REMINDERS/EVENTS:

A new six weeks is underway. Report Cards for CYCLE 4 will be sent home with your children on Wednesday, Feb. 27th.


English:

With TAKS less than 3 weeks away, it is time to start with some intense review and preparation. While we have been preparing all year, I like to have students practice for TAKS by actually doing TAKS practice tests. To make it as fun as possible, we will be doing an activity in class called “TAKS Court,” complete with costumes, roles, and music (think People’s Court)! Students will PROVE their answers are correct by referring to the text, and DISPROVE other answers to ensure they choose the best answer choice available. Along the way, they will get to take charge as a lawyer, a bailiff, a jury member, a judge, a witness, etc.

We will also be finishing reading the play 12 Angry Men in class. There will be related questions over the play.

Persuasive papers over “The Lady or the Tiger?” were due Friday, Feb. 15th. They will be counted for two grades over their content. One separate grade will be given for following format requirements. A hand out was distributed about a week and a half ago that listed the formatting requirements.

INDEPENDENT BOOK UNIT: Biography, Autobiography, and Memoirs
2nd Literature Circle Discussion groups will be on Friday, Feb. 22. Questions are due and groups will meet. PROJECTS are due March 28-29 (this is AFTER TAKS and SPRING BREAK) and will be presented in class.

History:

We are beginning some intensive TAKS review within our cluster during Advisory. In addition, warm-ups will relate to TAKS review, and as we cover material in class, I will comment that this may be covered in TAKS. Mrs. Anne Powell will be offering TAKS review after school. If your student is having difficulty in history or did not do well on the Stanford last year, you may want to consider having your student take Mrs. Powell’s review in addition to what we are covering in our class and Advisory.

The students should be working on Chapter 11 study guide. As soon as we test on Chapters 8, 9, 10 at the end of the week of February 18, we will move directly into this material over the Jacksonian Democracy.

Many of the students are working on the extra credit opportunities. These were on the update last week. Since this is the last week of the six weeks grading period, any of these coming in after February 15 will be on the next six weeks grading period. Following is another extra-credit assignment that also is an opportunity for the students to enter an interesting contest.


Law Day Poster Contest:

The Houston Bar Association is sponsoring the following poster contest for students in elementary and middle school. The theme is “How Rules Promote Fairness and Opportunity.”
Instructions:
1. “All posters should represent the students’ interpretations of this theme.”
2. All posters should be on standard size poster board.
3. All entries become the property of the Houston Bar Association

Prizes:
$50 to $200 for winning plus an invitation to an awards luncheon and the display of the entries at the Family and Civil Courthouses.


Science:
To Start off I want to thank you all for being so supportive of the mouse trap car project , I saw some of the most creative and original designs I have ever seen. The cars were great and we collected valuable data, I would like to stay on this and complete more activities but I simply must move on, but again thanks again I had a great time watching your children struggle at times to make their car work and then find the solution and make it happen.

All Classes; The next week we will be completing a rotation of lab activities using Cambridge Physics equipment.We will be doing experiments using roller coasters to measure speed and acceleration, and cars and ramps to investigate the role of mass on an accelerating body. The students will also complete investigations relating to force and mechanical advantage using levers, gears, and pulley systems.

Students will be expected to apply the correct mathematical formulas under experimental conditions.Many of the objectives covered will inter-relate and be repeated throughout the next week.TLW:1. Distinguish and calculate between speed and velocity2. Calculate acceleration and apply under experimental conditions3. Define force mathematically and describe its relationship to motion4. Compare and contrast the three types of friction5. Predict the results of balanced and unbalanced forces in experiments6. Describe and apply Newton’s three laws to examples of motion7. Relate the force of gravity to free fall, projectile motion and orbital motion8. Explain the relationships between gravitational force, mass, and distance and mass to weight9. Define and apply work in terms of force and distance10. Describe power as work over time11. Demonstrate mastery of all the mathematical formulas and units of measurement relating to speed, acceleration, force, work and power

Math:
Algebra 1:Algebra 1 students should have completed at least Unit 3 of Carnegie. Students can work not only during class, but also after school on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Fridays in my classroom. Students are currently working on Objective Packet 6, which is due Thursday, February 21st in class. Students will cover sections 7.3 through 7.6 in the textbook. This will complete the chapter. Homework will be assigned in each section. Tuesday, homework sections 7.1 & 7.2 are due.

Pre-Algebra:Pre-algebra students have begun their study of geometry. Students completed a mini-lab on Friday and will continue moving forward through Section 6.5. Objective 6 will be due on Monday, February 25th. Please ask to see the Objective 6 packet. Students should work on it a little each day, rather than during a marathon session.
Foreign Language Department BLOG: See link below

http://pomsfl.wordpress.com/