tcsnmy6

Secrecy [18 Dec 2009]

Fri, 18 Dec 2009 11:38:12 -0800

Hopefully everyone enjoyed our holiday festivities. That was a nice way to end the first trimester of the school year. Thanks to Tati and Ruby for organizing.

Humanities: When we return to class in January, you will be reading chapters twenty-six through thirty-one in A Little History of the World. As part of the assignment you will need to take notes (highlighting and marginal notes are fine) and keep a timeline. The timeline can be on paper, as a text document, or using this online tool. Feel free to get a head start on this assignment over the holiday break.
Performing Arts: You have an assignment from Debra that is due January 31. Don’t wait until the last minute to make plans.

Have a great break!

Seventh Grade Short Stories

Fri, 18 Dec 2009 11:27:00 -0800

Seventh Grade Short Stories:

Looking for something to read? The seventh grade students have all posted their short stories online. You can find them using this index. Don’t by shy about leaving a comment.

Jingles

Fri, 18 Dec 2009 11:21:19 -0800

The sixth grade students have all posted the jingles they created as their final Media Literacy project. Here is a list of links to each audio post:

Glo-shoo, Musicpoint, Squegg, Fresh Cool Gum, Miny-Maxy-Mizer, Water Wake, Nano Phone, edipen, and Transpod 321 (coming soon).

Four Or Five Guys Pretty Much Carry Whole Renaissance

Thu, 17 Dec 2009 19:59:59 -0800

Four Or Five Guys Pretty Much Carry Whole Renaissance:

As long as I’m at it, here’s another article from The Onion’s Annual Year 2009. It will give you a preview of next trimester’s humanities content. I love this quote:

“Our research indicates that da Vinci, Michelangelo, Shakespeare, and Galileo basically hoisted the entire intellectual transformation of mankind onto their shoulders while everyone else just sat around being superstitious nimrods.”

Really, you should go check out the rest of the articles too. There’s even one on evolution to help you prepare for upcoming science discussions.

Rat-Sh*t-Covered Physicians Baffled By Spread Of Black Plague

Thu, 17 Dec 2009 19:59:00 -0800

Rat-Sh*t-Covered Physicians Baffled By Spread Of Black Plague:

This is just too timely not to share. After a trimester of Middle Ages content including two projects on diseases, The Onion goes and posts their Annual Year 2009 which includes an article about the Black Death. You probably wouldn’t have found this article that funny just a few months ago.

Warning: If you are not familiar with The Onion, read this.

Alex, Sherif, and Taelon created two videos on Medieval warfare...

Thu, 17 Dec 2009 13:50:10 -0800

Alex, Sherif, and Taelon created two videos on Medieval warfare for their Middle Ages project. The first is a factual video (above) in the form of a documentary using images found on the internet. The second video documented their process of recreating some weapons and armor. Unfortunately the files for the second video became corrupted, and they have been unable to share it online.

Improv [17 Dec 2009]

Thu, 17 Dec 2009 13:42:47 -0800

Our holiday celebration will take place during the last forty-five minutes of class before noon dismissal tomorrow. Don’t forget to bring your Secret Santa gift.

Humanities: Finalize your Middle Ages project reflection by including details from your conversation with me. You also need to have it proofread for spelling, grammar, capitalization, and punctuation errors. Then post it to your blog using the title “Middle Ages Project Reflection”.
Humanities: If you have any Over Sea, Under Stone work (reading, note-taking, and vocabulary posts) to make up, do that by tomorrow.
Humanities: When we return to class in January, you will be reading chapters twenty-six through thirty-one in A Little History of the World. As part of the assignment you will need to take notes (highlighting and marginal notes are fine) and keep a timeline. The timeline can be on paper, as a text document, or using this online tool. Feel free to get a head start on this assignment over the holiday break.
Performing Arts: You have an assignment from Debra that is due January 31. Don’t wait until the last minute to make plans.

Share the LA trip photo CD with your family.

Performing Arts Homework

Thu, 17 Dec 2009 13:16:00 -0800

Please see a live professional performance between now and the end of January. Ideally, this would be a live onstage play or musical. Movies and TV do not count. If you need help figuring out what to see, or have an economic or time restriction that would make this difficult, please communicate with Debra ASAP to discuss your options.

Due January 31, please answer the following questions in writing and be prepared to discuss them briefly in class.

What production did you see?
What story or message was the director/playwright trying to tell?
Were they successful in conveying this message? Why or why not?
How did you feel watching it? Why?
Did you like it? Why or why not?
What sparked your interest to learn more about after seeing this show?

Gappers? [16 Dec 2009]

Wed, 16 Dec 2009 13:41:14 -0800

Here is a ~~friendly~~ frustration-inducing reminder for you to read the homework post carefully and ask questions if there is something that does not make sense.

Humanities: Many of you still need to make adjustments to your Middle Ages project reflection. You have been given a total of fifteen questions to address. Make sure that you answer them all and that any yes/no questions are followed-up with an explanation of why or why not. If your final document is shorter than the emails I sent you with the questions, that is an indication that you have not given enough thought to your reflection.
Humanities: If you have any Over Sea, Under Stone work (reading, note-taking, and vocabulary posts) to make up, do that as soon as possible.
Math/Science: You were sent an e-mail with a math/science self-reflection. Please complete it and send it back to me before tomorrow.
Problem-solving: This week’s problems are “No Bones About It” and “Mystery Number.” Please show your work in a clear and organized manner. Do your work on a separate piece of paper. The problems are due on Thursday.
Español: Hagan libro de ejercicios página 52 y 53.

We will meet with Debra again tomorrow to finalize the content and format of the second trimester performing arts project. Be ready.

Homework Club Update

Wed, 16 Dec 2009 13:08:00 -0800

Starting January 4, 2010, homework club is open to fourth through seventh grade students in the library from 3:15-4:00 PM with Meghan Hanebutt (fifth grade teacher) on Mondays, Rosana Puricelli (Middle years Spanish teacher) on Tuesdays, and Jennifer Brinsky (fourth grade teacher) on Thursdays.

Book recommendations from Robin Sloan

Wed, 16 Dec 2009 00:36:37 -0800

Book recommendations from Robin Sloan:

I just want to point out this post over on tcsnmy7 that mentions Over Sea, Under Stone. If you don’t remember who Robin Sloan is and why his book recommendations might be of interest, start here.

Beatles 3000 is a humorous reminder that our understanding of...

Wed, 16 Dec 2009 00:29:00 -0800

Beatles 3000 is a humorous reminder that our understanding of history comes from an assemblage of artifacts that probably contains errors. So, enjoy this glimpse of “1000 years in the future [when] the legacy of John, Paul, Greg, and Scottie remains,” but think about how our image of the Middle Ages (or any other time) might be viewed by those who lived through it.

I’ll leave it up to our Norwegian friends to explain...

Tue, 15 Dec 2009 20:41:00 -0800

I’ll leave it up to our Norwegian friends to explain what’s going on in the picture above. (That’s assuming they’re keeping up with the news from back home.) It comes from the second part of a series documenting “2009 in Photos” on The Big Picture. You can also visit part one and part three.

The Barbershop [15 Dec 2009]

Tue, 15 Dec 2009 14:09:00 -0800

The 2009-2010 basketball team has its first games tonight against Pacific Ridge. Go, Comets!

Humanities: Update your Middle Ages project reflection using the input that you received from your teammates and from the other groups. Also answer the two new questions that I have sent to you via email.
Humanities: If you have any Over Sea, Under Stone work (reading, note-taking, and vocabulary posts) to make up, do that as soon as possible.
Math: You will have a quiz tomorrow. The concepts covered will be concepts 3-6 to 4-2. It is an opportunity to wrap up any outstanding concepts from previous units.
Problem-solving: This week’s problems are “No Bones About It” and “Mystery Number.” Please show your work in a clear and organized manner. Do your work on a separate piece of paper. The problems are due on Thursday.
Español: Hagan página 47 y 48 en su libro de ejercicios.
Media Literacy: Media Literacy Call to Action 7 is due tomorrow.

You will be meeting with Debra tomorrow morning. Bring your ideas for the second trimester arts rotation. We’ll need to decide on a format and content for the dramatic production.

Virtual Barbershop

Tue, 15 Dec 2009 10:48:00 -0800

Virtual Barbershop:

Here’s a link to the audio illusion that we listened to in class today. The topic came up as part of our Over Sea, Under Stone vocabulary chat which included the word monotone. Once we began to dissect the word, we landed on the prefix mono, thus leading us to talk about stereo and mono sound systems.

Horlicks [14 Dec 2009]

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 13:44:17 -0800

Thank you all for the cake, the puzzle-card, the gifts, and the frequent, warm salutations.

Humanities: This assignment is due tomorrow. (a) Read chapters fourteen and the epilogue of Over Sea, Under Stone by Susan Cooper. (b) Take notes by expanding on the notes that you have already taken for earlier chapters. (c) Post all new vocabulary words to your blog using the format we have been using thus far.
Humanities: If you didn’t finish the second of two peer reviews of another group’s Middle Ages project, finish tonight. Don’t forget to send it to the group and me via email.
Media Literacy: Media Literacy Call to Action 7 is due Wednesday.
Math: We reviewed simplifying fractions. The homework is to complete the odd problems on Practice 4-4.
Problem-solving: This week’s problems are “No Bones About It” and “Mystery Number.” Please show your work in a clear and organized manner. Do your work on a separate piece of paper. The problems are due on Thursday.
Science: Please create a reflection post titled, Science: Bread Making Take 2. Discuss what changes you made from your last bread making attempt. How was the process this time? How did it turn out? What did you think about the other breads? What did you learn about through this process? Be sure to post the picture of your bread too! This is due Tuesday, December 15.
Science: We started to talk about cell division. Please read in the Cell Division packet the following sections: Introduction, Why Cell Divide, Cell Cycle. We will talk about it in class tomorrow.
Español: Hagan página 104 ejercicio número 28 y página 105 ejercicio número 30.

Don’t forget to remind your rides that school ends at noon on Friday.

Last night I saw Horlicks (menioned in an early chapter of Over...

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 13:40:08 -0800

Last night I saw Horlicks (menioned in an early chapter of Over Sea, Under Stone) for sale at North Park Produce. The package looked similar to the one above, but without the arabic text. When the Drew children were drinking it in the sixties, the packaging was probably quite different, but probably not still like these samples.

Menacing [11 Dec 2009]

Fri, 11 Dec 2009 13:35:54 -0800

That was quite a list of words we had on the board this morning! We’ll finish out discussion next week.

Humanities: This assignment is due on Tuesday, but you can get a head start on it over the weekend. (a) Read chapters fourteen and the epilogue of Over Sea, Under Stone by Susan Cooper. (b) Take notes by expanding on the notes that you have already taken for earlier chapters. (c) Post all new vocabulary words to your blog using the format we have been using thus far.
Humanities: We will be working on our final Middle Ages reflections next week.
Science: Please create a reflection post titled, Science: Bread Making Take Two. Discuss what changes you made from your last bread making attempt. How was the process this time? How did it turn out? What did you think about the other breads? What did you learn about through this process? Be sure to post the picture of your bread too!
Media Literacy: Media Literacy Call to Action 7 is due Wednesday.

Have a good weekend.

Gummi worm bread? [10 Dec 2009]

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 13:33:24 -0800

It will be interesting to see the results of this batch of bread.

Humanities: (a) Read chapter thirteen of Over Sea, Under Stone by Susan Cooper. (b) Take notes by expanding on the notes that you have already taken for earlier chapters. (c) Post all new vocabulary words to your blog using the format we have been using thus far.
Humanities: If you didn’t finish the first of two peer reviews of another group’s Middle Ages project, finish tonight. Don’t forget to send it to the group and me via email.
Math: Make-Your-Own-Homework Night (MYOH). This the last chance to practice any concepts/skills you would like to address before the end of the trimester.
Math: Psssst!
Problem Solving: This week’s problems are “One, Two, Three” and “African Spotted Mice.” All the work should be clearly done on separate pieces of paper. Both problems are due on Friday.
Español: Leen la página 126 sobre Frida Kahlo. Investigar su arte, su vida y hagan un resumen de sus conclusiones. Post en su tumblr.
Media Literacy: Don’t forget to work on Media Literacy Call to Action 7. The checklist is available here.

That’s all, folks.

The Cat in the Hood [9 Dec 2009]

Wed, 09 Dec 2009 13:36:00 -0800

Someone needs to write a Seuss-like story about your masked classmate.

Humanities: (a) Read chapter twelve of Over Sea, Under Stone by Susan Cooper. (b) Take notes by expanding on the notes that you have already taken for earlier chapters. (c) Post all new vocabulary words to your blog using the format we have been using thus far.
Math: We practiced and discussed two ways of finding the GCF of a set of numbers. The homework is Practice 4-2. Please do all the multiples of three.
Math: Psssst!
Math: Last chance to get concepts checked off before progress reports are written is Friday. You made a list in class of concepts to work on.
Problem Solving: This week’s problems are “One, Two, Three” and “African Spotted Mice.” All the work should be clearly done on separate pieces of paper. Both problems are due on Friday.
Science: We will be making bread for the final time tomorrow. Each student needs to make sure they have the “special” ingredients you need for your loaf. If you are working on your own, please make sure you have the necessary supplies (ie. Bowl, cutting board) for the activity.
Español: Trabajen en su entrevista proyecto.
Media Literacy: Don’t forget to work on Media Literacy Call to Action 7. Update: The checklist is now available here.

Cheow.