December 7th - December 11th
ASSESSMENTS CALENDAR
We have created a great way for students and parents to check for upcoming assessments. THIS LINK leads to a Google Sheet that will have the next 2 weeks of assessments. The link below will lead to the 6th grade assessments, but by using the tabs in the lower left corner (shown below), you can navigate to 7th grade and 8th grade assessments, as well.
Different subjects will appear in different colors:
History is black, Science is green, ELA is blue, Spanish is red, and Math is pink.
Please bear in mind that Middle School Assessments may be added, removed, or changed at any time. This Sheet will always be up to date, however - once a teacher assigns or adjusts an assessment, this Sheet will reflect that change.
Each middle school student is required to complete ten hours of community service over the course of the school year. Please remember to list hours worked on a daily basis, do not log the total sum of hours worked over an extended period of time. See below for a few upcoming service opportunities. Click HERE for a log form.
COMMUNITY SERVICE OPPORTUNITY!
We have had great success at securing volunteers to escort HRB PK - 2nd grade students during morning carpool! Because of this, we will limit one day a week per student for now. Reminder: duty hours are 7:45 - 8:10. ½ hour of community service credit each day. Students should keep a log of their hours on the community service form. If you are interested, email Mr. Crawford and Mrs. Mannarino.
WALKERS FOR NEXT WEEK
Monday, December 7: Kate and Charlotte
Tuesday, December 8: Carter H.
Wednesday, December 9: Mills S. and Elle
Thursday, December 10: Madeline and Laney
Friday, December 11: Leighton and Katherine
This year in the LC Corner, I will be offering tips and strategies to support your work at school and at home. Please reach out to me anytime you need assistance or have any questions. tguggenheim@hancockdayschool.org
Tip #14: ORGANIZE YOUR LOCKERS!
Middle school is an important transition to high school. In middle school, students develop organization and study habits that will follow them throughout their lives.
Better organized students tend to do better in school. Middle schoolers need to develop good habits so that they’re set up for success. https://www.oxfordlearning.com/organized-middle-school-students-parents/#:~:text=Middle%20school%20is%20an%20important,skills%20for%20middle%20school%20students.
A 12-inch locker shelf is a must have.
To be even more organized, use two stacking 12-inch locker shelves.
Alternate your binders - place the back of the first binder facing in; then place the front of the next one facing out, and continue this pattern. This will create more room.
Don’t allow any loose papers. File them in the appropriate binder.
Once a week, organize your locker as needed.
December is a great time to discuss and practice acts of generosity and gratitude with your student! Celebrating these virtues is also a way to help combat difficult emotions resulting from the prolonged Covid Pandemic.
Having your student pick out a toy for the Toy Drive or finding other tangible ways to give are powerful. However, there are essential gratitude skills that children need to learn including how to give a meaningful thank you (written or verbally).
Here are some ideas to use at home:
10 Ways to Start Teaching Your Child Gratitude.
Allison Maher
amaher@hancockdayschool.org
ALGEBRA - MRS. SMOAK
This week we covered the slope of a line (4.4) and the slope-intercept form of a linear equation (5.1). Next week we will practice graphing equations in slope-intercept form (5.2) and rearranging linear equations into point-slope (5.3) and standard form (5.4). There will be a quiz on Tuesday over slope and slope intercept form.
GEOMETRY - MR. LANFEAR
Next week in Geometry, we will complete Chapter 5 by having a day of review on Wednesday and the Chapter 5 test on Thursday. We will then begin Chapter 6 by learning about similar polygons and scale factor (6.1-6.3).
ELA - MRS. BOYER
Students have finished reading Animal Farm! Awesome job! We will continue to dive into the following topics: Russian Revolution, Propaganda, Types of Government, Symbolism, Characterization, Allegory, etc.
Students will be working on multiple group activities regarding this novel. Class discussion will be key to understanding the material. Students will receive two study guides throughout this unit; one will be more focused on simplistic comprehension, and the other will focus more on thematic and symbolic elements.
Projects:
Perfect Society Creation
Essay/Literary Review
Assessments:
Animal Farm Test 12/11
Major Project the Week of 12/14 (in and out of class)
*It is critically important that all 8th graders stick with the timelines I give them for reading and projects. Also, if students are spending more than 25-35 minutes on ELA homework, please send them to me in the morning. Students in the 8th grade really need to pay attention to their time management skills before moving forward to 9th grade.*
Attention!! The T2 Reading Log is OPTIONAL; however, there is an option for up to three extra credit assignments on GC.
HIGH SCHOOL SPANISH - MRS. SALE
Hola...this week we will continue to work on STEM-CHANGING verbs:e>i, e>ie, o>ue & u>ue verbs. The students will also begin working on ‘’go’’ verbs. The week will end with a quiz which will include this week’s work.
PHYSICAL SCIENCE - MS. HOFFMAN
Students have begun a mini-unit on Energy. This will include the two main types (kinetic and potential) and various forms of energy such as chemical, sound, electrical, thermal and mechanical. They also learned about energy transformations by participating in a hands-on two day energy lab. Stations included making a fruit battery, investigating electric motors, demonstrating potential and kinetic energy and how heat can affect the bounce of a rubber ball, and observing solar cells. (photos next week)
Additional energy topics and activities for the rest of December include a pendulum lab to learn about the Law of Conservation of Energy, learning to use mathematical formulas to calculate potential and kinetic energy and creating an ice cube insulation container to further explore heat transfer and heat conductors/ insulators. Our quiz over the first half of our Energy Unit will be on Friday 12/11/20.
Science Fair Update:
We are finally in our last few weeks of Science Fair Projects. The students have been working hard and should have most (if not all) of their experiment completed and data collected at this time. Students should all also be working on finalizing their science fair project information and writing their formal reports which are due next Wednesday, 12/9/20. This report should follow the order provided on their grading rubric, be typed in MLA format and printed, stapled together and turned in directly to me. (Please do not share or email it the formal report with me.) We reviewed how to complete the abstract (250 word (or less) summary of their entire project) and I shared several examples with the students. The form is found on-line at https://www.georgiacenter.uga.edu/sites/default/files/gsef-2021-abstract-form.pdf
Any student with questions or concerns about their science fair project should email or meet with me to discuss the situation. I am available every morning from 7:30 - 8am, after school on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesdays as well as during break and snack each day.
**Remember that along with numerous homework grades, this assignment will count as a test grade (formal report), homework grade (log book), classwork grade (class presentation) and Second Trimester exam project grade (triptych).
Remaining Science Fair Project Dates
(* Indicate Homework Grades)
Wednesday 12/9/20 *Log Book Check/ Updated Results OR
Solution AND Sketch of Triptych
Completed Formal Report (printed)
Wednesday 12/16/20 All Completed Project Triptych & Log Book
Project presentations also this week
US HISTORY - MRS. ROBINSON
Next week, in American History & Government II, we will end unit four on Reconstruction. Students will study the backlash to Reconstruction, as well as, the end of Reconstruction. Students will receive a study guide in order to prepare for the unit four test scheduled for the following week.
ADVANCED SPANISH - MRS. SALE
Hola...we will begin the week with learning how to conjugate -er & -ir verbs in Spanish. The concept is very similar to conjugating -ar verbs. The students will have a quiz over this concept on Wednesday. Beginning Thursday, the students will learn the verbs VENIR and TENER & personal expressions with TENER.
ADVANCED SPANISH - MR. ALEXANDER
Hola...we will begin the week with learning how to conjugate -er & -ir verbs in Spanish. The concept is very similar to conjugating -ar verbs. The students will have a quiz over this concept on Wednesday. Beginning Thursday, the students will learn the verbs VENIR and TENER & personal expressions with TENER.
ALGEBRA 1 - MRS. SMOAK
This week we covered the slope of a line (4.4) and the slope-intercept form of a linear equation (5.1). Next week we will practice graphing equations in slope-intercept form (5.2) and rearranging linear equations into point-slope (5.3) and standard form (5.4). There will be a quiz on Tuesday over slope and slope intercept form.
PRE-ALGEBRA - MR. LANFEAR
Next week in Pre-Algebra, we will complete Chapter 4 by having a day of review on Monday and the Chapter 4.5-4.7 test on Tuesday. We will then begin Chapter 5, which is all about rational numbers, by learning what rational numbers are (5.1), adding and subtracting fractions (5.2-5.3), and multiplying fractions (5.4).
ELA - MRS. BOYER
Students will begin the preparation for a major project which students will be working on both in and out of class from 12/7-12/18. Students will be given a rubric, a timeline and an immense amount of time in class. I will be emailing this assignment to all parents, and the students will have a hard copy and one available on GC.
Theme Park Test/Project Assignment
Objective: Students will complete this summative project as a means to reinforce the student’s knowledge of their reading and research skills. Students will be encouraged to creatively engage with the plot events within the novel and critically analyze the cause and effect of the protagonist’s choices while also engaging with the culture of the novel. Students will engage with literary devices such as theme, motif, symbolism and mood.
Assignment: Students will create a THEME (drawn and/or 3D) park that demonstrates their acquired knowledge of the Voices of the World Unit Novel Choice.
We will be working with Unit 6 Vocabulary with a quiz on 12/11.
Attention!! The T2 Reading Log is OPTIONAL; however, there is an option for up to three extra credit assignments on GC.
ELA - MRS. SASSER
Students will have their unit test over Lord of the Flies on Thursday 12/10. I will hold a morning review session the day of the test starting at 7:15 AM if students want to come in and ask questions.
Next week, students will also be working on their final project for the novel. They will research the history of masks and analyze their uses throughout the novel. Students will then create a plaster mask of their own and decorate it during art class to reflect either a particular theme in the novel or a character. They will write an essay detailing their research. Final projects and essays will be due Friday 12/18.
Students will be working on Unit 6 in their Sadlier-Oxford Vocabulary books.They will have a vocabulary test on Friday 12/11.
A reminder about any and all projects in ELA: projects in my class are designed to help students think critically and not just memorize information. Rather, I want them learning how to apply what they’ve learned. They are given detailed rubrics with checklists and a breakdown of my expectations. They should consult their rubric regularly while working on their project. The bulk of ELA projects are completed in class; they are given ample time and multiple class periods where they are strictly working on their project. Therefore, if students use their time wisely, they should have only minimal parts to complete at home.
LIFE SCIENCE - MRS. DURANT
We had an amazing week in Life Science this past week as we wrapped up our unit on Genetics and Inherited Traits. Students participated in 2 very engaging labs. After studying about the discovery and structure of DNA, students made a model of DNA and were able to explain what each part of the structure represented. Then they participated in the Strawberry DNA lab in which they extracted DNA from a strawberry, prepared slides, and used microscopes to view their findings. Pictures from both of these labs are below. Next week in Life Science, students will begin their study of body organization and body systems. The first system we will study is the skeletal system. They will have a quiz on Friday, December 11 on a diagram of the skeletal system.
US HISTORY - MRS. ROBINSON
Next week in American History & Government, students will present their research projects and artifacts on Monday and Tuesday. We will finish by wrapping up this unit with the United States’ westward expansion to the Pacific Ocean. Students will also receive a study guide to prepare for the following week’s test.
US HISTORY - MR. O’HAYER
Next week in American History we begin our study of Life in the Colonies. We begin this trip by studying how the colonies governed themselves and how society in the colonies impacted slavery and the spread of new ideas. We will also continue working on our project: Building our own colony. We started this project over remote learning. We will go back over the requirements/rubric this week. All info for this project has been posted in GC. Our Chapter assessment will be on Thursday 12/10.
ACCELERATED MATH - MR. CARGILE
Next week in Accelerated Math 7 we will begin a new chapter, Number Patterns and Fractions. To start this unit will revisit prime factorization and finding greatest common factors in preparation for operations with fractions.
PRE-ALGEBRA - MR. LANFEAR
Next week in Pre-Algebra, we will complete Chapter 4 by having a day of review on Monday and the Chapter 4.5-4.7 test on Tuesday. We will then begin Chapter 5, which is all about rational numbers, by learning what rational numbers are (5.1), adding and subtracting fractions (5.2-5.3), and multiplying fractions (5.4).
EARTH SCIENCE - MS. HOFFMAN
We have finished up our information about Energy forms and transformation, including renewable and non-renewable energy resources. Students participated in a “cookie mining” lab simulating the cause and effect of coal mining, one of our most used fossil fuels. (See photos below.) They also had a quiz over all the energy material. Over the next week, students should continue to work at home on their Energy Project. They should have all their research completed and be focusing on writing their report or creating their poster or 3-D display. (They will only make ONE of these formats and the details are in their grading rubric.) This project counts as one test grade and one homework grade and is due on or before Friday 12/15/20. Note: Students who need a poster board for their project need to let me know as soon as possible, so I can give them one.
Next week we will learn about the layers of the Earth and continental drift as we begin our unit on Plate Tectonics. This will include a fun mapping activity to visualize Pangea and our changing landscape.
EARTH SCIENCE - MRS. DURANT
We had a wonderful week in Earth Science as students participated in fun and engaging labs on Energy! In the Energy Lab, students examined various forms of energy through the use of solar cells, a fruit battery, a radiometer, and other energy sources. Then they participated in a Cookie Mining Lab as they learned about mining and land reclamation. Next week in Earth Science, students need to continue to work on their energy projects. For this project, students have chosen one of the following energy sources to research: solar, wind, geothermal, nuclear, fossil fuel, hydroelectric power, or biomass. Then they will complete the project by selecting to write a written report, making a poster board, OR making a 3-D display. The final project (writing the report, making the poster or 3-D model) will be completed at home. Project due date is December 15. Next week we will also delve into mapping by examining longitude and latitude, cardinal directions, topographic maps and a fun and informative in class mini project called the Amazing Map Race. In this mini project, students will select 10 sites from around the world, a specific site in that city, and map the longitude and latitude of each site. They will conclude by making an infographic of the final race destination they have chosen. This mini project will be completed entirely in class and is due December 17.
ELA - MRS. SASSER
Students will have their test over the novel New Kid on Thursday 12/10. I will hold a morning review session starting at 7:15 AM the morning of the test. Students should use their guided questions to study for the test and refer to Google Classroom for the written response topic they’ll be asked to write about on their test.
At the end of the week, students will begin working on their final project for the novel. Please look for an email with a copy of the requirements and rubric. Projects will be due on Friday 12/18.
Students will be working on Unit 6 in their Sadlier-Oxford Vocabulary books.They will have a vocabulary test on Tuesday 12/15.
Reading Reminder: As with any novel study, students will have guided questions to complete for each chapter. These should be answered in complete, thorough sentences, as it will serve as their study guide for their quizzes and final test. It is essential that students keep up with the assigned reading if they want to be successful on our in class assignments.
All reading assignments are posted on my classroom board and on Google Classroom daily. Students should check Google Classroom every single day.
A reminder about any and all projects in ELA: projects in my class are designed to help students think critically and not just memorize information. Rather, I want them learning how to apply what they’ve learned. They are given detailed rubrics with checklists and a breakdown of my expectations. They should consult their rubric regularly while working on their project. The bulk of ELA projects are completed in class; they are given ample time and multiple class periods where they are strictly working on their project. Therefore, if students use their time wisely, they should have only minimal parts to complete at home.
INTRO SPANISH - MR. ALEXANDER
We will begin the week with our series “Buena Gente” (which can be found on YouTube) with episode 6 of season 1. Students will answer questions based on the episode. We will learn how to talk about personality traits and familiar objects in Spanish. Finally, we will learn about the artist Frida Khalo.
WORLD HISTORY - MR. O’HAYER
In World History we begin winding down our study of Ancient Greece and begin our dive into Ancient Rome. Last week during remote learning we began ch. 11: Study of ancient Rome. Next week we finish studying how Rome was created and how it evolved into the Roman Republic. We will have our chapter test (Chapters 10 and 11) on Thursday, December 3rd. Important Course Update: Looking ahead, we will finish our study of Ancient Greece and Rome before we depart for the holidays. Be prepared for a steady pace in class so we can finish this Unit. As stated previously, the pace of the class, along with expectations, will continue to increase. It is imperative that students read their books and review their notes daily. Also, we will be collecting Student Readers for Greece and Rome before we leave for the holiday break.
ART - MRS. COOKSON
“Life beats down and crushes the soul and art reminds you that you have one.” - Stella Adler
Sketchbook Prompt: Draw an object from observation but rearrange its parts in an unexpected way.
8th: Will wrap up production and move into post-production for PSAs
7th: Will finish up Fantasy Design and begin to explore the construction and meaning of masks
6th: Will work on the visual side of Extended Metaphor in conjunction with ELA
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