Say No!

Alcohol was the topic in our D.A.R.E. class today. Officer Strain shared information about alcohol abuse and how it affects those who drink. In addition to the negative physical effects, he shared legal consequences. The health facts, statistics, and situations presented were very interesting. This week we are applying the D.A.R.E. decision making model to solve situations where we may be tempted to use alcohol. The slides are from today's class. Enjoy!

And the Oscar goes to.....many students in our Language Arts class! Today, we performed our play Elizabeth Blackwell. It was a lot of fun and we learned so much about the first woman to become a doctor.

Have a great weekend!
Don't forget to share the contents of your Friday folder and get test packet signed.

Homework:
Reading - Read May in The Wednesday Wars and complete your role for Thursday.
Quiz on Elizabeth Blackwell on Monday.
Wellness - Ch. 4, Lesson 1 work is due on Monday. Also, get D.A.R.E. Home Sheet signed by your parents. Complete the following in your D.A.R.E. book for Wednesday: p. 18,19,20 and pg. 33 and 29.

For the Record!

Today was Readers' Cafe Day! The students enjoyed great discussions about Holling and Mrs. Baker. During this chapter, Holling continued his running and even received a bit of training from Mrs. Baker. He's careful not to run too fast around the 8th graders though. There are consequences for passing them that aren't too pleasant. Mrs. Baker showed once more how much she cares for Holling, by taking him to Opening Day at Yankee stadium. While there, he learns that Mrs. Baker ran in the Olympics! One of the players recognized her! We decided in cafe today that Mrs. Baker needs Holling and Holling needs Mrs. Baker. Pictured above in the slideshow are scenes from today's class and pictures of 'For the Record' projects. Each week, students have written impressions of the story, in a circular direction, like the grooves on a record. At the end, each student will think of a theme song for the story and write the title on the record. These will be on display next week following the exciting conclusion to the story.

Homework:
Reading - There will be a quiz on the story, Elizabeth Blackwell, tomorrow.
Read May in The Wednesday Wars. We will conclude work on the story next week.
Spelling - Test tomorrow.
Wellness - Complete Ch. 4, lesson 1 work.

Testing, Testing, 1-2-3

Language Arts was a time of showing what we know. Today was our third Benchmark Test in Reading. We demonstrated our understanding of persuasive writings, poetry, comparisons of text, and other important comprehension skills. This time our test had two open-ended questions. One involved an interpretation of poetry, and the other a comparison of two writings. We worked hard and followed the procedures for tests that we've been practicing all year long.

Homework:
Reading - Tomorrow we will have cafe! Be ready with your reading and role!
Spelling - Keep studying your list for Elizabeth Blackwell. Test on Friday.
Math - Study.
Wellness - Ch. 4, lesson 1
Tech. Ed. - Orthographic picture due tomorrow.

Attitude is Everything!

Although every lesson pertains to strengthening the skills we need to be successful in our learning and growth, we are focusing on keeping positive attitudes as we review for the coming P.S.S.A. tests of mid-March. Each day should bring us more confidence. Ultimately, we have practiced like we'll play the game!

In Language Arts, we reviewed our Buckle Down assignment relating to comparing texts. The group did well proving answers. Our preparation for cafe took some of our time, and most of us have gotten very close to finishing the book.

In Social Studies, we took our test on land and water of Europe and Russia. When finished, we began our reading of Elizabeth Blackwell: Medical Pioneer. Elizabeth was the first woman doctor, and our selection is written as a play. On Friday, we'll get to perform the play in class. This should be fun!

Homework:
Reading - Read April in The Wednesday Wars and complete your role for Thursday. Review vocabulary for Elizabeth Blackwell. Quiz on Friday.
Math - Pg. 67 in workbook (front and back) is due completed tomorrow.
Spelling - Quiz on Friday. Study words.
Wellness - D.A.R.E. work is due tomorrow. Ch. 4, Lesson 1 review due next Monday.
Tech. Ed. - Draw an orthographic picture for Thursday.

Sharing Aspects of '60s Culture

Before our collages go on display, we are sharing them with you! Enjoy!

Today in Language Arts we practiced comparing and contrasting texts. Since authors have different ideas about the same topic and very different ways of expressing themselves, often their tone, style, and personality come through. When comparing two passages, we have to consider the following areas: genre, topic, range of information, quality and amount of supporting details, organization, and author's attitude/purpose. For practice, we read two passages and noted comparisons and contrasts on a Venn Diagram. As a group, we discussed our findings. Everyone worked hard! We were deep thinkers!

Social Studies was a time of review and discussion. Our test is tomorrow, so please review a bit more tonight.

Homework:
Reading - Complete your Form A practice pgs. 18-24 in Buckle Down. We will review them tomorrow. Read April in The Wednesday Wars and complete your role for this Thursday.
Math - Complete the two pages you were assigned in your packet.
Spelling - Spelling practice p. 44. Test this Friday.
Social Studies - Study your guides and lesson. Quiz tomorrow.
Wellness - Pg. 125, 1-5, due next Monday.
Tech Ed. - Draw your orthographic picture

Great Friday!

Today flew by, and we're looking forward to a great weekend! In Language Arts, we worked in our groups to complete our huge collages of aspects of life in the '60s. They're beautiful, and we had fun researching and finding pictures on our computers. Even though the pictures are black and white, we found interesting ways to add touches of color. They will be on display in our first floor hallway in the coming week. Enjoy!

In Social Studies, we compared and reviewed the geography of Europe and Russia. Everyone has a study guide and outline to study from for Tuesday's quiz.

D.A.R.E. class was interesting today. Officer Strain began with a review of last week's lesson about the contents of tobacco. He then showed us how companies advertise the product to convince young people to start smoking. We studied a few ads to find the messages they were sending us, and how they strategically arranged the ads to draw our eyes to what they most wanted us to see. We also applied the first steps of the D.A.R.E. model to resist peer pressure in regards to smoking. Finally, we moved on to learn a little bit about marijuana and how it affects those who smoke.

The computer is going off and on, so the homework I typed has gone. Aren't you glad I made everyone write in their agendas? Don't forget to share your Progress Reports!

Smile!

Many people were "lookin' good" today at school! We were dressed in our best for group picture day, saying, "CHEESE!" Bright smiles...everywhere!

The University of Pittsburgh representatives returned today to have us complete our second diary entries. This information was collected and will be combined with our first entry and the data provided by the motes.

During Language Arts, we enjoyed our cafe discussions relating to The Wednesday Wars. This week's discussion was about the chapter called March. The chapter gave us a little more insight into the Vietnam War and how images of the war were on the television nightly. We're truly enjoying the book, with its colorful characters. Look for information in tomorrow's communicator envelope about our upcoming '60s Day!

We were excited to receive a visit from Ms. Horwatt during our class meeting. Ms. Horwatt trained a group of teachers from our school in The Olweus Bullying Program. Those teachers then trained the rest of our staff. Ms. Horwatt took part in today's meeting about Hallway Hazards. The hallways are one place where bullying can occur more frequently, and we role played and discussed ways we can deal with situations in the hallways. Ms. Horwatt helped us to consider different methods for diffusing situations. She was so kind and helpful, and she made us think. Prior to the meeting, she also visited our cafe! She enjoyed our discussions about The Wednesday Wars so much that she took a copy of the book to read!

Homework:
Reading - Read April in The Wednesday Wars for next Thursday, and complete your new role.
Math - Complete work on percentages of whole numbers.
Social Studies - Study
Related Arts - Technology homework is due tomorrow.