The Element Song!

How is that for a Top 40 Hit? You'll be singing this song all weekend long, we're sure! It's really a catchy tune! Can you find your element in the song?

Science classes today enjoyed researching their elements for their flyer and 3D project. We searched Jefferson Lab for information on our elements. Mrs. Haddox was thrilled with all the information we found. We are working hard!

Some sites to continue with your investigations on your elements are the following:
http://www.chemicalelements.com/
http://education.jlab.org/
http://www.learner.org/interactives/periodic/

Math classes discovered how to solve proportions! We used ratio tables and cross multiplication to help us. We are coming to the end of this chapter, so Monday we will start reviewing for a test.

Today in Language Arts, we worked on our writings! We are typing out stories of our Favorite Places, and our typed Diamante poems look beautiful! We can write more using the link on our blog!

Our learning station work was concluded as well! We were busy, busy, busy on this sunny Friday.

Homework:
Language Arts: Read pages 49 - 125 in Pictures of Hollis Woods. Complete you new role as well. The reading is due the Thursday after Easter Break.
Science: Element project is due May 2nd.
Math: Worksheet R6-6 and P6-6
Social Studies: Travel Journal is due on April 19th.

Science classes are learning about the Periodic Table and its elements. Within the next two weeks, we will be creating an element model and flyer showcasing an element that we have chosen. We will then present our findings and project to the class. The class will have time in the computer lab to research the information they need. The project and flyer will be presented to the class on May 2. Please review the information in the packet that your child is bringing home. We are excited to get started!

We worked on our descriptions of our favorite places today! Many of us are close to finishing our drafts. Tonight, we will finish them and edit our work. The writings are really shaping up!

In McD's Cafe, we worked on Diamante Poems about Hollis Woods. The words seemed to come easily to our minds, as we have learned quite a lot about Hollis in the first 49 pages. Drafts of our poems will be typed and decorated in lab tomorrow.


Homework:
Science: Element Project - start to think about and research your element
Reading: Read pages 49 - 125 in Pictures of Hollis Woods for April 28th. Complete your role. Finish draft of Diamante Poem for tomorrow. Visit the link on our blog.
Writing: Finish draft of Favorite Place writing for tomorrow.
Social Studies: Finish Travel Journal for the 19th.

Proportions and Protons!

Epic proportion! Math classes today learned how in a proportion, the units must be the same. If the units are the same across the top and the bottom, we can complete cross products. We had fun today trying out this new skill.
Science classes were investigators today. Mrs. Haddox gave us brown paper bags with something inside. We were not allowed to open the bag but had to rely on our other senses and background information to determine what was in the bag. Some of her items had us stumped! Scientists sometimes have to refer to other data rather than what they see to hypothesize what something is. We then started our unit on Atoms and Electrons.
Miss McMillian taught us how to further create our writings on "Our Special Place." We also played Sparkle to review our Spelling words.
This afternoon, we had our learning centers where we reviewed multiplication of fractions and proportions, drew conclusions, and completed our Travel Journals.
Homework:
Math: R 6-5 and P 6-5
Reading: Role and read up to page 49
Spelling: Trace x2

Elements and Atoms!

Science classes today started exploring the world of atoms and elements! We are excited to start to learn about the elements and the Periodic Table. Soon we will be using the web to expand upon the information in the text. We also will be creating a model of one of the elements!
Mrs. Haddox was so impressed with our Math test grades! Great job Team Enterprise!!
Math classes took their test on ratios and tomorrow we will begin analyzing proportions. To solve a proportion, we will be introduced to cross products.

Language Arts classes applied skills learned in Unit 3 today! We also continued to work on our Favorite Place writings. Drafts of our broad impression paragraph were completed in class and will be improved at home. Tomorrow, we will work toward the second tier of our inverted pyramid organizer, and describe some of the bigger things we notice in our favorite place.

Homework:
Science: Read pages E 16-E 23 and complete vocabulary
Language Arts: Read p. 1-49 in Pictures of Hollis Woods and complete your role. Make improvements to your broad impressions paragraph for the Favorite Place writing.
Social Studies: Your travel journal is due on 4/19.
KEEP READING FOR AR!

Mrs. Mac Sees Her Shadow!

Today, Team Enterprise had a visitor who was shadowing Mrs. McIlvaine. Sam Barton, a sophomore from Burgettstown High School, is contemplating his career choices, and is thinking about becoming a teacher. He interviewed Mrs. McIlvaine and spent the morning observing what she does. We wish Mr. Barton all the best as he thinks about his future path.

We were quite busy in Language Arts today. Our new novel, Pictures of Hollis Woods, helped us in an organizational lesson for our new writing. We are to visualize and organize for a descriptive writing about a favorite place. Just as Hollis in our story, we can be very vivid with our descriptions if we choose a place with an emotional connection. Many of us have chosen our favorite places and have begun to organize, with an inverted pyramid graphic, a list of our broad impressions. Mrs. Mac is writing with us, and she shared her sloppy copy of her first paragraph. Tonight, we are to look for pictures, postcards, or visit our favorite place to take notes for the first section of our organizer.

In Reading, we reviewed story organization for Pictures of Hollis Woods. We are all wondering why Hollis would leave the family she remembers so fondly. The pictures between chapters are so interesting and leave us with so many unanswered questions.

We are at the end of Unit 3 in Reading, and we'll be taking the Unit 3 Skills test tomorrow. Students should be well prepared for this test since the skills are applied frequently.

Math classes and science classes reviewed for their tests tomorrow. We had a very close game of eraser basketball in 204! Make sure you review your science terms and labs. Our math test will cover ratios and equal ratios.

Homework:
Language Arts - Read pages 1-49 in Pictures of Hollis Woods. Complete your role for Thursday. Also, finish the Broad Impressions section of your organizer for our new writing.
Social Studies - Travel Journal #3 is due on the 19th.
Math: Page 346; Test tomorrow
Science: Test tomorrow