Chapter 7 Winding Down

Chapter 7 assessments are coming next week with the Pairs' Quiz on Tuesday and the Individual Test on Friday.

Students are reviewing the main math skills from the chapter including calculating slope, writing linear equations a.k.a., y = mx + b (given various pieces of information), writing equations for parallel and perpendicular lines, and solving rates of change-type story problems. Please check in with your daughter to see how she is doing and if she needs any last minute review before the quiz or test. There are several opportunities to get extra practice or help. Please ask!

Themes for Term Two!

So we're off and running with yet another round of themes based on our students' passionate interests! This time around, the process was much more streamlined - as the girls knew how to proceed and we didn't insist that they boil their selections down to one, huge over-arching theme. (à la Anthropology.) Instead, we allowed the girls to formulate several different themes that they'll delve into in the seven weeks that remain of term two. As you might expect, they came up with a list of riveting topics: Aspects of Outer Space, Creative Writing, Food and Nutrition, The Truth Behind Urban Myths (based on a favorite television show called Myth Busters) and America's Cultural History from 1950 to the present. Teams of three to six students are now in the process of developing their Theme Learning Contracts. Below I've included the details, to give you an idea of what we will be looking for. Feel free to grill your 8th grader for more specifics!

Guidelines for your Theme Learning Contract

The facts:
1. We have seven weeks with which to complete our theme work.
2. Your exploration must be educationally rigorous.
3. Your group must develop and get approval of a learning contract that you craft with the support of your teachers.
4. Your learning contract must contain a plan for a demonstration of learning.
5. Your group must complete all the requirements contained in your learning contract.
6. Your group must effectively craft and deliver a demonstration of learning.
7. Individuals in your group must meet weekly with their advisors to go over “goals and accomplishments and write a weekly “check-in” email. This email will contain both a self-evaluation as well as an evaluation of group dynamics.
8. Individuals in your group need to complete a self-assessment as well as peer-assessment.

Important questions to answer in your learning contract:
Step One - Define:
1. What is the definition and/or focus of your theme work?
2. Why is it meaningful and/or important to spend seven weeks learning about your group’s chosen theme?

Step Two - Develop:
3. What are your learning experiences going to be?
4. How are they going to contribute to your development and growth as a learner?

Step Three - Demonstrate:
5. What formats will you use to show what you’ve learned?
6. How will they effectively communicate the content and depth of your learning?

Learning Contract Expectations:
1. Your learning process must feel focused and deliberate, with obvious connections to your defined theme.
2. Your learning experiences must include opportunities to get academic content knowledge.
3. Your group must show clear intentions to collaborate in the learning process.
4. Your group must engage in consistent and continuous learning throughout the term.
5. Your group’s demonstration of learning must feel thorough and polished, with obvious evidence of effective group collaboration.

Gramma Sally's Sentence Sweat Shop!

As we move towards the FD (final draft) of our Anthropology Papers (which were mercifully delayed due to our three serendipitous snow days!!) we've engaged in a practice that we've "lovingly" dubbed "GRAMMA SALLY'S SENTENCE SWEAT SHOP." Basically, I've word-processed all the problematical sentences that appeared in the 39 RRDs (revised rough drafts)- we then turned them into "sentence strips" which the girls attached to scratch paper and then passed among themselves to re-write for the author. Each sentence received a minimum of three "re-writes" which were then presented to the author for consideration as she seeks to revise. The "sweat shop" aspect comes into play when you consider that we had 28 pages of problematical sentences!!

Preview of Coming Attractions: the FD for the Anthropology Paper will be due on Wednesday, January 21st.

Floor Math!

Our Anthropology Papers

As I "slog" through thirty-nine RRDs (revised rough drafts) of various lengths and qualities, I am reminded of just how laborious the craft of academic writing can be...not only for the student or teacher editor, but also for the student author! These papers are hard work, pure and simple! Each student has been given the task of developing an extension question from one of her anthropology group's guiding questions. Then this extension question is to be addressed, if not answered, in a three-to-five page formal reflection. I am most impressed with the caliber of the questions posed...queries like:

Where does present-day slang come from?

Is the brain still evolving, and if so, how?

How can somebody develop a language without being able to use a previous language to translate it, so that other people can also use it?

We know the negatives…but what are the positive effects of technology on teens?

Hamas: how does it define and reflect Islamic culture?

How do you say no to peer pressure?

Is language necessary in order to consciously think?

What are the similarities between the Jesus of Islam and the Jesus of Christianity?

How are Neanderthal beliefs reflected in their burial practices and their art?

(...and these are just a few of the ones I've read so far...I still have two-thirds of the class to read and edit!)

As you can discern from the quality of the questions posed, our 8th graders are honing their critical thinking skills on a daily basis! One 8th grader, in the introduction to her Anthropology Paper, put it this way:

There is something about this term that has made it a unique experience from all of my previous years at SGS. At first, I was very skeptical about what my school year would be like, especially when I learned that I had the power to choose what I wanted to learn. I didn't think it was such a great idea; in fact, I thought that it would have been better if the teachers just introduced us to a topic. As the first term of eighth grade quickly rolled by, I have discovered what an amazing opportunity my class has been given. This experience has provided me with new ways of learning and has showed me my learning capabilities.

I couldn't have put it better myself! It's ALWAYS a plus when students "get it!" Now back to the rest of those RRDs!