CALENDAR ITEMS
Monday, 2/15 = no school, Presidents' Day
Wednesday, 2/17 = Late Open
Thursday, 2/18 = Winter Band Concert
Friday, 2/19 = Unity Assembly
Monday, 2/22 = 8th Grade Class Photo
Tuesday, 3/1 = Mid-term
Thursday, 3/10 = 8th Graders vs. Staff Basketball Game
Wednesday, 3/16 = Late Open
SPRING BREAK 3/21 - 3/25
Thursday, 4/7 = End Quarter 3
ANNOUNCEMENTS
The Beaumont Foundation will present the documentary, Screenagers, at the Hollywood Theatre on Monday, February 15th at 4:30 pm. The movie runs just over an hour, so plan on an afternoon with the kids, sharing an experience on the big screen about all the time spent on our little screens.... Tickets are $8 (includes processing fees.) Please share this opportunity far and wide: http://hollywoodtheatre.org/screenagers/
The Beaumont UnAuction will be on Saturday, March 12th from 6:00 - 10:00 pm at the German American Society, 5626 NE Alameda Street (corner of Sandy Blvd.)
IN-CLASS
Language Arts
We are reading the historic fiction novel Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford. At the half-way point of the novel, students wrote short-essay answers to questions, using their opinions as well as evidence from the text to support their answers. Towards the end of the novel, students will explore issues of culture and identity for the main character in the novel, and then students will create "identity masks" to represent themselves. The papier-mâché, collage, and paint mask-making project will take about five school days, spread out over two weeks.
Up next: writing Early 1800's Research Reports (also for U.S. History).
U.S. History
Students explored four Supreme Court cases involving students' rights. We will begin a unit on the Early 1800's/Westward Expansion after Presidents' Day, and students will work on short research projects and presentations for their chosen/selected topic. Students will then teach the class what they learned using a visual aid, and they will create a fair test question about their topic. Once this unit of study has been completed (about mid-March), we will start the "Beyond the Oregon Trail" unit, about Oregon's history of racism and discrimination, and how those practices are still impacting us today.
Up next: Time Book # 5 and # 6.
Homework...
Regular weekly spelling/vocabulary assignments are on-going, and projects such as the argumentative essay and the Early 1800's Research Report will be carefully "chunked" and recorded in student planners.
Late work...
Warning! Homework and assignments turned in late/unexcused during Quarter 3 will receive a 10% points penalty. If the student needs clarification and has spoken to me IN ADVANCE of the due date, they won't be penalized.
Planners...
Students are told to write in their planners every day, and I spend at least 5 minutes at the start of class showing and telling students what to write and where to write it. Ask to see your student's planner - if your student is struggling, and his or her planner is incomplete, that is a great place to start a conversation about your student taking responsibility for his or her own learning.
