Persuasive Writing - T Shirt Design

This week's writing assignment is a persuasive piece. Students are to design a t shirt that represents our 8th grade class. After designing their shirt, students will write a 30 second commercial selling their shirt. The commercial must contain all of the dress ups and sentence openers.

Due Date - Monday, October 7th, 2013

Required Materials - Students may use their own filming equipment if they would prefer, or we will film in class on Thursday, October 3rd. The finished project must be a wmv or mp4.

Expected Time Requirement - 1 - 2 hours including t shirt design, KWO, rough draft, final draft, and filming.

The final products will be uploaded to our blog and used to vote on which design will be our official 8th grade shirt!

History Assignment - Soup Label

Objective - To understand the departments within the cabinet.
Due Date - Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Assignment - Create a label for a soup can that illustrates your assigned cabinet department. It must contain the name of the department, a logo, and a description of the department.

Expected Time for Completion - 30 minutes

Required Materials - Final copy must be able to be turned in on paper. Students may hand draw or use a computer to create.

Harvest Festival

8^th Annual CHPCS

Harvest Festival

October 17, 2013

 

Join the CHPCS community for a fun filled evening of free family frivolity.

 

The Harvest Festival is a chance for CHPCS families and friends to get together and celebrate the turning of the season with music, games, and a baking contest. Hay rides, pumpkin ring toss, face painting, tug o war, and needle in a haystack will keep the young and old entertained for hours. The fun begins at 6:00 p.m. and ends at 7:30 p.m.

 

Are you a baker? Are you the keeper of Great Granny’s apple pie recipe? Now’s the time to put on your chef hat, dust off your apron, and whip up your favorite apple or pumpkin themed recipe!  The baking contest is open to all adult/child pairs. Baking with children is not only fun, but is great math practice and provides one on one time that encourages open communication. All baking entries are due on October 17^th no later than 3:30 p.m. for judging. After ribbons are awarded, the baked goods will be sold at the Harvest Festival for $1.00 a piece. To enter, fill out the form below and attach it to the BOTTOM of your entry!

 

 

Student Name: _________________________________Grade: ______

Adult Partner: ______________________________________________

 

Entry Type: (Circle one)    Pumpkin   or     Apple

 

Recipe Title: ________________________________________________

 

Upcoming Meetings

The fun never ends! There are two important dates coming up, please put them on your calendar if they are of interest to you.

1. Washington DC Trip Info Meeting
Monday, October 1st, 2013   ~   5:30PM
Rowe Middle School
Room 3

Agenda:  

• How the trip works:  
• the itinerary
• rooming in general
  meals in general
• fund raising
• any other questions parents have.

  

 

2. End of 8th Grade Information Night

Tuesday, October 8th, 2013  ~ 6:00 PM

Cascade Heights Public Charter School

8th Grade Room

 

Agenda:

• 8th grade graduation
• End of year shenanigans
• 8th grade t shirts
• High school selection
• Looking forward to college

Please RSVP for the 8th grade information night! I need to know how many people to expect

This Week's Narrative Essay

This week's 8th grade essay is a narrative. We are working on a single event or decision that has had a significant impact on their life. I want them to weave the details of the "story" into the emotions and the thoughts. Why is this event meaningful or impactful? How did it change them?

KWO's were done in class today, rough drafts are due tomorrow so we can edit in class, and final drafts will be due on Monday. This essay may be typed.

7th Grade Disability Essay

Today the 7th graders used a checklist from the Easter Seals to decide how accessible our building is Armed with that information, they are to write a 3 paragraph letter to the editor, which is due next Monday.

The first paragraph will contain the background information. (What they've been learning, etc)
Second paragraph is where they will share the facts as discovered today. They will then close with a paragraph detailing what they want done about the issue.

I would like to see a KWO tomorrow (Wednesday) and a rough draft on Thursday. I will given them a checklist to use when I see their KWO tomorrow!

Artists and Writers - Optional Competition

The 2014 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards is Now Accepting Submissions!

 

Artists & Writers  -- perhaps better known here at Scholastic as "Back-to-School" -- is officially upon us. In addition to clean planners and fresh crayons, the start of the school year means it's time for the annual call for submissions for the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, the nation's longest-running scholarship and recognition program for creative teens. Starting today, students in grades 7-12 can log ontowww.artandwriting.org and submit their work.

The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards was established in 1923 by Maurice R. Robinson, the founder of Scholastic. His aim? To encourage the nation's creative youth and provide students who expressed themselves through their art and writing "at least a fraction of the honors and rewards accorded to their athletic classmates." His mission lives on 90+ years later.

This year, the Awards is offering students more scholarship opportunities than ever before. For the first time in the program's history, Portfolio Gold Medals -- the highest possible honor, which includes a $10,000 cash scholarship -- will be awarded to 16 outstanding seniors instead of 15. You can learn more about the call for submissions in the press release issued earlier today.

We urge you to help us spread the word about this fantastic program. Are there creative middle and high school students in your life? Friends who have teenagers? Teacher friends who might be willing to share this exciting opportunity with their classes? Let 'em know about the Awards! You can find more information online at www.artandwriting.org.

 

Celebrate Mrs. Adams' Birthday by Visiting a Museum!

Free -- Saturday: Pacific Northwest Museums Waive Admission

By Elisabeth Barker

SEATTLE--SEPTEMBER 23, 2013-- On Saturday, more than 1400 museums across the country, including many throughout the Pacific Northwest, will waive admission for the ninth annual Museum Day Live!, hosted by Smithsonian Magazine. This deal includes free visits to botanical gardens, premier art galleries and local cultural institutions. The Museum Day Live! ticket is available to download here. Tickets are limited to one per household -- good for two people -- and must be presented upon entry for free admission. Some of the most popular local museums participating include: Portland Art Museum Seattle: Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture Children's Museum of Tacoma Spokane: Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture Portland: World Forestry Center Discovery Museum For a complete list of participating museums, visit the Find a Museum page. Each ticket is valid for entry to one participating museum. If museums reach capacity, they have the right to limit the number of guests until space becomes available. Note: With this offer, fees charged for special exhibits and for parking still apply.

Looking for Something to do this Weekend?

The Northwest Civil War Council is at Milo  McIver Park. While not a part of our specific curriculum, learning to love history is never a bad thing!

EVENT DETAILS

Location: Milo McIver State Park, Estacada, Oregon  (map/directions)  

Dates: September 21 & 22, 2013  (Saturday & Sunday)

Summary: Once again, the armies will gather for the last battles of our campaign season at Milo McIver State Park.

Admission: Adults: $8
                    Seniors 55+, Students*: $5   (*through High School with Student ID)
                    Children under 6: Free

http://www.nwcwc.org/mciver.html

Spelling Homework

What should spelling homework look like? Thanks to Kayla and Megan, we have two perfect examples. Some things to take note of:

1. Words are written three times each with markings and syllabication.
2. Words are written in columns. Each column contains the entire list. The columns are folded so that the student is looking at only one column at a time. The purpose is not to memorize the word, but to analyze the word each time they write it.
3. Each word is used in a sentence. Sentences contain eight or more words and infer the meaning of the spelling word.
4. Sentence openers and dress ups are used in the spelling sentences.

Guest Speaker Opportunity

Becca Mohally Renk comes to us from the Center for Development in Central America (CDCA), the Nicaraguan project of the non-profit organization the Jubilee House Community (JHC).  In Nicaragua for the past 20 years, the CDCA works side by side with Nicaraguan communities to build a better world one step at a time by helping them reach their own goals. She will be presenting about the good work being done in Nicaragua, and providing an opportunity to purchase hand-made artisan crafts from the CDCA community.  We will be holding aCHPCS community potluck at 6:00 and Ms. Renk will be speaking at 6:30.  If you come for dinner, bring a dish to share!  
I would love to see you all there, as it's a perfect preview for our later unit on Social Activism. 8th graders that attend may be excused from any homework I have assigned that evening.

When Science and Reading Come Together

Today we built solar powered cars from kits.

 

Learning to read diagrams was tougher than they initially thought.

The physical manipulation of the materials was no easy task, but everyone enjoyed the opportunity to work with their hands.  

When it all went together and the wheels started spinning, the shouts of joy brought smiles to everyone's faces!

Essay 2

Today we began our second essay of the year which will be a persuasive piece focused on our current history topic.

Students are answering the question, "Which type of government is best for the people?" The timeline for this piece is as follows:

Tuesday-
In Class - Brainstorm ideas, complete main idea, and three reasons
At Home - Find examples to support reasons (be sure to write down citations), complete KWO

I. Type of government
 a. Reason 1
 b. Reason 2
 c. Reason 3
 d. Strong Thesis
II. Reason 1
 a. example with citation
 b. details of example
 c. details of examples
 d. details of examples
 e. strong closing statement
III. Reason 2
 a. example with citation
 b. details of example
 c. details of examples
 d. details of examples
 e. strong closing statement
IV. Reason 3
 a. example with citation
 b. details of example
 c. details of examples
 d. details of examples
 e. strong closing statement
V. Conclusion
  a. Reason 1
  b. Reason 2
  c. Reason 3
  d. Strong Thesis

Wednesday-
In Class - Expand examples, retell, begin rough draft
At Home - Finish rough draft

Thursday -
In Class - Edit
At Home - Final draft (Yes, this one may be typed)

Emergency Phone Tree

As part of our effort to ensure the safety of all members of the CHPCS community, we are working on implementing the Standard Response Procedure, which is a series of responses to emergencies near or on our campus.  If such an emergency were ever to arrive, part of the response and management would swift communication with families.  As such, we are creating classroom phone trees.  Please take a moment to complete the following form and return it as soon as possible to your child's classroom teacher.  This phone tree will only be used for emergency situations or tests of the phone tree.  

Text of permission slip:

Emergency Phone Tree Permission Form 2013-2014

Student _______________________________

_____ I give my permission to share the following phone number with my child's classroom emergency phone tree. I understand that if the phone tree is activated in a drill or in an emergency situation, I am obligated to call the number(s) below my name on the tree.

_____ I DO NOT wish to participate in the classroom emergency phone tree. I understand this will be the initial notification for emergency situations.

Phone owner's name: ___________________________________

Phone number: ___________________________________

Please call this number _____ You may leave a message if I do not pick up _____

Please text this number _____

If your child has another household are you willing to contact your child's other parent? _____ yes _____ no

___________________________________

Parent/guardian signature

It is ESSENTIAL that contact information be kept up-to-date for daily and emergency communication. If this phone number changes, please notify the person above and below you on the phone tree (as well as office, classroom teacher, etc.).

What's Happening In 8th Grade?

8th grade is hard at work. Want to know what we're learning?

Science:
In science we are studying Physics. So far we have learned the difference between speed and velocity, the formula for calculating speed, and how to write lab reports. Want a refresher, visit this web site and work through the animations! Speed and Velocity Online Lab. This week we will be working with force and motion. In our lab notebooks we are learning to use the scientific process, record data accurately, and to reason quantitatively.


History:
What kind of leader would your student be if they ruled the world? That's just one of many questions posed to the 8th graders as we dove into the formation of the US government. Students can define 8 different government types and after research in the computer lab, can identify countries that use each type. We are moving forward with the ideas that the founding fathers used to create our government. In guided reading we are reading Thomas Paine's "Common Sense". Your student should be asking questions at the dinner table and participating in family discussions. This weekend's homework was to answer these two questions: 1. What are the natural rights of humans? 2. What beliefs and truths should laws be based on? Most students did a great job on number 1, but struggled with number 2. It is worth a further discussion tonight! To get the conversation on the right track, you might share a belief that you hold. For example, I believe that laws should be based on the belief that all humans are inherently good and will do what's right when given the opportunity to do so.

Writing:
Last week's essay was a narrative based on personal experience. That assignment was due today. Several students had theirs returned for failure to follow directions. Some writing assignments may be typed, but this was not one of them. If typing is an option, it will be explicitly stated. When in doubt, assume hand written. This week's essay will be a persuasive piece. Students should brainstorm with families to solidify ideas before starting their KWO tomorrow in class. The topic is: Which type of government is best for the people?

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

The good...

• 8th grade is well under way. 
• Our first history lesson went very well. 
• Orthography scores were overall very strong. 
• Today we set up our spelling notebooks and entered our first four words. 
• We have two October field trips scheduled! The first will be a half day on the 17th and the other will be a full day on the 25th. 

The bad...

• Lunch detention began today. 
• Some students needed to take advantage of lunch detention for missing homework. 
• Check those uniforms! I'm seeing red shoes, bright blue shoes, etc. 

The ugly...

• It's going to be HOT this week. One way to stay cool is to fill a water bottle half way and freeze it. Before school, fill it the rest of the way with fresh water and the ice will keep the water cold all day. If someone wanted to deliver sugar free popsicles, we'd happily eat them in the afternoon! 

Fall Conferences

Fall conferences will be the week of October 29th. Please sign up for an half hour slot. Bring with you any questions you may have and be prepared to talk about your hopes and dreams and concerns. We'll make a plan for a successful year! 

Click here to sign up for conferences

Math Notebooks

Are you in Course 2? If so, you should have a 3 ring binder set up and ready to go.

Your math notebook has 4 sections. Section 1 includes your math Bill of Rights and will include your assessment tracker. These should be hole punched. 

Section 2 is for notes. Each day you will have one or more pages of notes. These will be clearly labeled with the lesson number centered on the top of the page. Each page of notes will include vocabulary, step by step instructions, and examples. These are placed in the second section of your notebook and remain in there for the entire year. These notes will be used during assessments and to review when doing homework. 

Section 3 of your notebook is for homework. Each homework assignment will be completed on grid paper and stapled to the Power Up. These will be turned in, checked off, and then returned to you. When they are returned they are placed in your notebook. This provides you with examples to refer back to and proof that it was completed. These will be emptied periodically. 

The last section is for assessments. Each test will be graded, handed back, signed by a parent, errors corrected, and then placed in section 4. These remain in your notebook all year! 

Thank You

It was a pleasure to see so many of you at Back to School Night. I enjoy getting to know each of you and enriching our partnership. If you happened to miss it, below you will find our syllabus and course of study, both of which were shared Thursday night. 

Syllabus:

2013 – 2014  8^th Grade Syllabus

Instructor:

Mrs. Melanie Adams, M.Ed

Contact Information:

          School Message Number – 503 – 653 – 3996

          Cell Phone Number – 971 – 269 - 9045

          Email: m.adams@chpcs.org

          Office: A-7

School Hours:

          7:45 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Required Textbooks:

          All required text books are provided by the school. These text books will be checked out to you. Each of these books has a number assigned to it and that is the number you should return at the end of the year. It is your responsibility to ensure you have the correct book at all times and that the books remain in good shape.

          Text books should be covered. There are commercial book covers available, but brown paper bags work as well if not better. If you are unsure how to go about this, please see me for assistance.

 Attendance Policy

          The full attendance policy may be found in the student handbook, located in the front of your planner. Students are expected to be in school ready to learn Monday – Thursday from 7:45 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. and to attend all field trips.

          Students that are absent for any reason are expected to complete all work assigned while they were out. All papers passed out during the absence will be found on the student’s desk when the student returns to school. It is the responsibility of the student to check with the teacher before school begins for any further information they may need. Students will have one day for each day they were absent to complete the work.

          Due to the hands on, experiential nature of our school, it is not possible to recreate class work. Please plan vacations and appointments for non school days.

Grading Policy

          8^th grade, like every other grade at CHPCS, will use an objectives based system to score students. Assignments will be scored using a rubric that shows how students performed in relation to the objectives. These objectives will show the goal for the end of the unit or year. Students should expect scores of 1’s and 2’s as they begin working on an objective. Their progress will be tracked throughout the year or unit. Students may show mastery of an objective at any time in the year. Multiple assessment opportunities will be provided. After the end of a unit, individual students may need to continue to work on the skills presented in order to master the objective.  A “3” is considered mastery which means they understand the concept in its entirety. A “2” means the student has no major conceptual misunderstandings but may have errors in details. Students scoring a “1” have major errors on the conceptual level.  “4” is given for advanced application and is very rare. A “4” can not be earned by doing more work, it is earned by applying the information in a new and novel way.

Academic Integrity

          Academic integrity is essential to the success of the educational enterprise and breaches of academic integrity constitute serious offenses against the academic community. Every member of that community bears a responsibility for ensuring that the highest standards of academic integrity are upheld. Only through a genuine partnership among students, staff, and administrators will Cascade Heights be able to maintain the necessary commitment to academic integrity.

          Various ways in which academic integrity can be violated are described below. The comments and examples within each section provide explanations and illustrative material, but do not exhaust the scope of possible violations
A. Cheating
Cheating is the use of impermissible and/or unacknowledged materials, information, or study aids in any academic activity. Using books, notes, calculators, conversations with others, etc. when their use is restricted or forbidden, constitutes cheating. Similarly, students may not request others (including commercial term paper companies) to conduct research or prepare any work for them. Students may not submit identical work, or portions thereof, for credit or honors more than once without prior approval of the instructor to whom the work is being submitted for the second or subsequent time.
B. Fabrication
Fabrication is the falsification or invention of any information or citation in an academic work. "Invented" information may not be used in any laboratory report or other academic work without authorization from the instructor. It is improper, for example, to analyze one sample in an experiment and "invent" data based on that single experiment for several more required analyses. Students must also acknowledge the actual source from which cited information was obtained. A student should not, for example, reproduce a quotation from a book review and claim that the quotation was obtained from the book itself.
C. Plagiarism
Plagiarism is the representation of the words or ideas of another as one's own in any academic work. To avoid plagiarism, every direct quotation must be identified by quotation marks, or by appropriate indentation, and must be cited properly according to the accepted format for the particular discipline.  Acknowledgment is also required when material from any source is paraphrased or summarized in whole or in part in one's own words.  To acknowledge a paraphrase properly, one might state: to paraphrase Plato's comment... and conclude with a footnote or appropriate citation to identify the exact reference.  A footnote acknowledging only a directly quoted statement does not suffice to notify the reader of any preceding or succeeding paraphrased material. Information that is common knowledge, such as names of leaders of prominent nations, basic scientific laws, etc, need not be cited; however, the sources of all facts or information obtained in reading or research that are not common knowledge among students in the course must be acknowledged.  In addition to materials specifically cited in the text, other materials that contribute to one's general understanding of the subject may be acknowledged in the bibliography.  

Sometimes, plagiarism can be a subtle issue. Students should be encouraged to discuss any questions about what constitutes plagiarism with the faculty member teaching the course.
D. Denying others access to information or material
It is a violation of academic integrity to deny others access to scholarly resources or to deliberately impede the progress of another student or scholar. Examples of violations of this type include giving other students false or misleading information; making library material unavailable to others by stealing or defacing books or journals; deliberately misplacing or destroying reserve materials; and altering someone else’s computer files.

~ Academic Integrity Policy: http://academicintegrity.rutgers.edu/integrity.shtml (September 1, 2010)

Behavior Policy

The full behavior policy may be found in the student handbook located in the student planner. Essentially, 8^th graders are expected to manage their behavior and conduct themselves in a manner that supports their own learning and that of others. The classroom environment and course of study are designed to support this goal. CHPCS uses a card system to track reminders. The color students end the day on (Yellow=reminder, Orange=official reminder, Blue=time out, Red=logical consequence, Pink=removal from classroom) will be designated in their planner each day and signed by the teacher.

Communication

Daily:

Planners - Every day student planners will come home. This is where you will find homework assignments, upcoming events, and reminders. Please sign this every evening. By signing it, you are confirming that you have seen the work and that is completed as expected. There is space for notes from you to me as well. You will also find uniform violation notices and their behavior status for the day.

Weekly:

          Falcon News – Falcon News is the weekly school wide communication. It will include a letter from the principal, community news, and updates on school wide activities like the Harvest Festival, musicals, and the school auction. Falcon News will be delivered directly in to your email box. Please make sure your email address is up to date so that you can get the latest information. If you do not have access to email, please see Mrs. Marlatt in the office so she can make other arrangements.

          Newsletter – Every week I will send out a newsletter via email. This will tell you what’s been happening in the classroom and what’s coming up. These are full of useful information, so be sure to read them carefully. I try to give plenty of notice before special projects and will mention them in my newsletters weeks before they are due. These newsletters will be found at www.cascadeheights8thgrade.blogspot.com

As Needed:

          By Phone – You can call me at any time if you have questions or concerns. The school number is 503-653-3996.  If you need to reach me during the evening my cell phone number is 971-269-9045. I do not answer my phone after 9:00 PM or during dinner. You are welcome to leave a message and I will return your call as soon as possible.

          By Email – I check my email often throughout the day and the evening. My email address is m.adams@chpcs.org.

          In Person – Formal conferences are scheduled for the end of October. Additional conferences can be scheduled at any time. I am available before 7:45 and after 4:00 by appointment only. Appointments can be scheduled by email or phone. (See above for pertinent numbers and addresses.)

Course of Study: 

In 8th grade we will study the following topics: 

• Government
• Decline of European Colonialism
• Beginnings of the Cold War
• Life in the US during the 50's and 60's 
• Korea
• Vietnam
• End of the Cold War
• Physics
• Electricity and Magnetism
• Sound
• Chemistry of Respiration and Digestion
• The Good Earth
• 12th Night
• Animal Farm
• I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

How to Cover Your Books

Here's how to cover your books!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IevGAai8CrE

First Day

Our first day is off to a great start. Today we settled in and reviewed how our classroom works.

After putting away supplies and handing out textbooks, we got down to business! Every student interviewed a partner and presented them to the class. We learned some new things about everyone, even those we've been with for years.

Did you know...
Jessica has been to Ireland?
Alan wants to play for the MLB or the NFL?
Megan loves to be at the beach?
Tianna describes her best friend as crazy and smart?
Cameron feels being in shape is a personal responsibility?
Colleen loves country music?
Avery has five cats?
Isaiah's favorite childhood book was The Three Little Pigs?
Shak daydreams about clouds?
Jackson's favorite food is sushi?
Kevin liked the movie World War Z?
Olivia's favorite place is up a tree?
Dimitri likes to eat after getting home from school?
Kipp has been to Hawaii?
John wants to be a neurosurgeon?
Nadia describes herself as generous and hyper?
Sierra enjoyed the movie Foresst Gump?
Kasha would like to go to China for vacation?
Scott would title a book about his life "No Idea"?
Kash loved the Magic Tree House books when he was younger?
Gretel walks her rabbits after school?
Cassian likes to play foosball?
Savannah wants to be a chiropractor?
Evan has no favorite food?
Brandon's favorite place is his bed?
Kayla belongs to the homework hater club?

Are You Ready?

Have you packed your lunch?
Is your uniform ready?
Do you have your supplies all gathered?
Have you turned off the computer and remembered how to read?

I can't wait to see you in just a few short hours!