November 19, 2020 What's Up, Polson? - News & Notes from Grade 8
♦Guidance On Wednesday Grade 8 students learned about the Middletown Agriculture Science & Technology program, a local high school option.
♦Math Pre-Algebra students recently completed their first unit of study on linear functions and correlating data using the line of best fit. They were also introduced to how to perform some transformations on the coordinate plane which much to their surprise is the basis of all those wonderful graphics they see on their phones each day. The current unit, Equations, is the foundation unit for many other units this year as well as in future years. Our goal is to become experts in the basics of solving equations.
Algebra students started the year with a review of basic equation solving which quickly expanded to include more complex linear and absolute value equations. The concepts of compound inequalities and absolute value inequalities were also included. Algebra students then explored the concepts of functions and function notation. Students were quick to make the connection between their equation solving skills and the new concept of functions. The first algebra unit culminated with some basic function graphing. Next up for Algebra students is an extensive unit on Linear Functions.
Students have settled in very well in both classes and have become accustomed to a vigorous math curriculum. ♦Science In science classes, students began the year studying genetics and how traits are passed from parents to offspring. This knowledge was applied to the process of natural selection. Students were engaged in hands-on classroom activities where they looked at variations of specific traits that exist within a population and, how the variation tends to produce a Bell Curve within the population when graphed.
Students also looked at how camouflage helps in the survival of many different species. Students are now engaged in learning about astronomy and the forces that give us seasonal changes, moon cycles, and those that have shaped the face of planet Earth. Students have completed a lab demonstrating the Reason for the Seasons. ♦Language Arts Our hero's journey unit, based on the work of Joseph Campbell, is well underway. It's a pattern revealed, not only in literature, but in art, music, and film, and we spend time applying each element of the journey to different media and to our own lives, as well. Once students learn about the journey, they will be able make connections to it and use it as an analytical tool well past eighth grade LA class. Be sure to ask about it at home! In terms of reading for the unit, students have an open choice of any fiction text, and they are asked to finish 2-3 books by the end of November. Based on their reading habits thus far, most students will surpass this. Our next unit coming this winter is creative writing. This unit provides students with an opportunity to choose their medium, topic, and audience. We celebrate their work through a grade level collection of pieces called "The Polson Press." ♦Social Studies Students are in the process of completing our introductory unit: Defining Democracy: U.S. Citizenship. Being an election year, it is a great time to be teaching American government and the rights and responsibilities of citizenship! Students began the unit formulating their own views of the purpose of government and how it should work. We then dissected the resulting U.S. Constitution to learn how and why our government works the way it does at all levels creating their own website to teach others. Most recently we have begun to interpret different amendments of the Bill of Rights. Students are enjoying applying the amendments to controversial instances. We will finish the unit with a look at citizens making a difference in the US. In all, our study of democracy and American government is preparing us for our second unit: Redefining Democracy: Social and Political Change, which will begin in December. That unit applies much of what we have learned in unit one to the tumultuous era of the Gilded Age, 1880-1900, in American History.
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