Homework and Notes from 9/30/14

Homework and Notes

Math:
Complete Absolute Value worksheet
#s not done in class for HW
(Worksheet completed)

Notes:



In English we worked on our reading comprehension skills. We worked on finding the main idea and underlining details. We also worked on writing sentences that are fact and opinions. Here are two examples of our questions in class.

Read the paragraph to help you complete the question.

3.  The roads were icy. Philip's father was returning from a business trip. Philip could tell his mother was concerned about the ride home. "What if he gets in an accident?" Philip's mother said. "Bite your tongue," Philip said. "He'll be fine. Don't say bad things like that." Bite your tongue means __________.

Read the paragraph and answer the questions.

4.  My aunt is getting married! She got engaged on Valentine's Day and is so excited. She has always wanted to plan a holiday wedding. Now, she is absorbed in loads of details. We are already looking at decorations and dresses. Everything we are analyzing has a festive theme, and the colors are usually red, green and gold. Some have holly leaves. The men may wear plaid bow ties. It is going to be a beautiful wedding. When might the wedding be occurring?

In Current Events we read the article  MIT's Robotic Cheetah Gets Ready To Take On The World (And Usain Bolt) from Dogo News! At first sight, MIT's recently unveiled "Cheetah", may look like an assortment of gears, batteries and motors, but watch it in action and you will soon be reminded of its spotted namesake that also happens to be nature's fastest land predator. Though the robot cannot attain speeds of 60 mph like the real cheetah, the researchers believe they can bring it to race at least 30 mph making it the world's fastest quadruped robot and also, the fastest human (if it were one), since it would easily outrun Usain Bolt's maximum speed of 28 mph!



Picture Day is on October 29th, 2014! 

Homework and Notes from 9/29/14

Homework:

Math
Comparing Integers Worksheet ( <, >, =)
Complete 1-15 questions

Life Skills
Complete Budgeting Worksheet
Managing your money Word Problems

Notes:



In English, we talked about Personification in writing. Personification is a long word with a simple meaning. The root word in personification is person. That gives you a clue to the word's meaning. It's the technique of using human qualities to describe an object, idea, or animal. A red balloon, the wind, your pet, or justice can each be personified if it suits the writer's purpose. Personification gives the reader a fresh look at something familiar! 

Here are some the examples we came up with in class!

The stars danced in the sky.

My computer throws a fit when I try to use YouTube.

The thunder grumbled in the sky like an old man.

The blizzard swallowed the town last weekend.

The baseball screamed off of the bat.

In Current Events we read an article from Dogo News entitled Special "Texters" Lane In China Draws Attention To Worldwide Cell Phone Addiction. While people are constantly being reminded to put away their smartphones when driving, there are very few warnings when it comes to being engrossed in them whilst walking. Now the Chinese city of Chongqing, has come up with a novel way to highlight the issue, by creating a special 'texters' lane. We answered the question: 

Some people believe that creating special 'Texters' lanes encourages the behavior rather than putting a stop to it. Do you agree? why?

In Life Skills, we talked about creating a budget for ourselves. We talked about the importance and how to do it! We talked about how to separate needs and wants. We also did some word problems about managing money at stores! 

Homework and Notes from 9/24/14

Homework:

No Homework

Enjoy your 4 day weekend! Happy Rosh Hashanah!

Notes:

In Science today we talked about Landforms across North America. Early explorers who came to North America saw its different physical features. In fact, if you travel across the continent, you will see its variety of landforms. There are mountains, deserts, canyons, valleys, and plains. They also saw the Native American communities that existed in North America. These people were familiar with North America's landscape. Early explorers had to learn how to navigate these physical features.

In English we read the short story The Scholarship Jacket by Marta Salinas. We talked about dealing with frustration and answered some questions in our ELA notebooks. We answered the questions...

Comprehension

1. Recall Why does Martha call the scholarship jacket “our only chance”?

2. Clarify What do Mr. Boone and Mr. Schmidt argue about?

3. Summarize Tell why the scholarship jacket is so important to Martha. 

Cite evidence from the story



In Health we started about Healthy Food Campaign with Mr. Bocksel. We will be coming up with a plan to add healthy food to the school store. We wrote a letter to Mrs. Gagliardi and this is what it said! She loves our plan and can't wait to hear about it. We also created some posters that we will hang around the school raising awareness about eating healthy!

To Mrs. Gagliardi, 

We have noticed that the food at the school store is highly unhealthy. While we love snacks, as health aware students we wanted to make healthier suggestions for the inventory. We have thought of ideas to make our school more aware of healthier choices.

Over the next few weeks, we will be sharing with you a plan that is detailed in order to give the school store a healthier side. I hope that we can work together to make good choices.

Warm Regards,

Mr. Giangaspro and Bocksel’s Health class

Homework and Notes from 9/23/14

Homework:

Math:

Equations Worksheet
Working with Integers
#s 1-13

English:

John Muir Paragraph Editing Sheet

Notes:


Today in English we talked about publishing our work. Publishing is a very important part of the writing process. It makes all of your planning, drafting, and revising worth the effort. Publishing can take many forms. Reading a finished story to your classmates is a form of publishing-so is selecting a poem for your classroom portfolio. If your classmates and teacher really like your writing, you might want to explore some ways to publish it.



In Science we learned about Faults! The Earth's crust - its outer layer - is made up of tectonic plates - huge, irregularly shaped slabs of solid rock. Like your pieces of paper, these plates are always on the move. As they move, they run into each other. The places where these plates meet are called faults.


Thank you so much for coming to Back to School Night! I hope you all had as much fun as I did. It was a pleasure meeting with all of you! I look forward to an amazing school year!

Homework and Notes from 9/22/14

Homework

Math:
Equations Worksheet #1-15


Notes:



In Science we talked about migration in the wild. We specifically discussed the migration of Gray Whales. You probably know that many birds migrate each year. In the spring, they fly north. There they lay eggs and raise their young. In the fall, they fly south to warmer places where they will be able to find more food. But did you know that whales migrate, too?
 Gray whales migrate farther than any other mammal. Yes, even though whales live in the ocean, they are mammals. They are not fish. Mammals give birth to babies that look like their parents, only smaller. 

--

Tonight is Back to School night! I hope to see all of the parents here at school! In English we worked on a How Well Do you Know Your Parents? Survey that they will get to enjoy later tonight! 

Homework and Notes from 9/19/14

Homework: 

None

Have a great weekend!

Notes:



We took our Social Studies Chapter 1 test. I sent home the test. Please look it over with your parents and send it back! I want to keep it here for our records!



We had Clubs today and our whole class played football in Sports club.We had such a great time. We can't wait for next week.

Homework and Notes from 9/18/14

Homework:

Study for Social Studies Test 
Chapter 1
Review Sheet is in your folder
Look over it and be prepared!

Notes:



In English today we read a short story about Autumn Across America. When summer ends, autumn begins. Autumn activities include start of school, football games and apple harvest. Autumn is a time for festivals too. Autumn festivals differ from state to state. Many states have arts and craft festivals in autumn. An arts and crafts festival is an event in which the work of local area artists and craftsman are displayed and sold. Some festivals are large and elaborate, lasting several days. Others may be one-day affairs.



In Science we talked about Symmetry in Animals. You probably know what symmetry means in math class. When a figure can be divided along a line or plane, and the two halves are congruent, we say it has symmetry. In nature, too, symmetry can be seen in plants and animals. One way biologists describe animals is the type of symmetry the animal's body has. Here are some of the different types of symmetry.


In Health we talked about managing Stress is our lives.People experience stress throughout their lives. Stress may come from taking a test, peer pressure, or raising children. You may already know that you react physically and emotionally to stress. Long-term stress can cause stress-related disease. So what can you do to prevent the negative effects of stress?



In Current Events we read an article entitled Always Craving Chips And Cookies? Blame It On Your Gut Bacteria! from Dogo News Always craving junk food? Now you can blame it on the millions of bacteria that live in your gut - At least that's what some researchers from UC San Francisco, Arizona State University and University of New Mexico, have concluded after reviewing the latest scientific literature about microbes. According to Athena Aktipis, one of the authors of the study, which was published in the journal Bio Essays in mid-August, these microscopic organisms are extremely bossy and have the power to influence not just our food cravings but also moods and overall well-being.

Homework and Notes from 9/17/14

Homework:

English: 

Author's Purpose Short Paragraph with Questions

Social Studies:
Test on Chapter 1 on Friday. We will finish Review sheet in class tomorrow

Health:

Continue to update those food journals with anything you eat or drink at home!

Notes:


In Health today we talked about Making Healthy Food Choices. We analyzed a food diary made by a character in a story. We were able to take a look at his daily intake and compare it with ours.

Fun Fact: The United States Department of Agriculture has developed the MyPlate food guide to help us choose a healthy, balanced diet. A healthy diet will include smart choices. Fresh fruit and vegetables are an important part of your diet. According to MyPlate, half your plate should be filled with fruits and vegetables.



During Social Skills we played Wiffle Ball with our class. We enjoyed the beautiful weather and worked on being a good teammate and following the rules of a game! We also talked about handling the frustration of losing and graciously winning a game! We also had a lot of fun out there



Back to School night is on September 22nd at 7:00 at our West Hempstead Campus

Homework and Notes from 9/16/14

Homework:

Math:
#s 22-30 on variables worksheet

English:
Finish editing article about Baltimore Orioles
*worked on it in class.

Notes:



In English we talked about Editing and Revising our work.  We talked about the importance of improving the ideas in our writing, waiting to fix spelling and mechanics on the first draft. We discussed some different strategies to helping through writer's block. We talked about taking a break, reading and sharing. We talked about finding the strong parts of our writing and also the weak parts to help us through the writing process. We worked on using a revising checklist to help us make sure that are writing has all the essentials components!



In Current Events we read the article entitled  Scientists Use GPS to Solve the Mystery of Death Valley's Rolling Stones. Death Valley National Park in California's Mojave Desert is known for many things - Its extreme temperatures, varied altitude that ranges from 282ft. below sea level to 11,000ft. above, beautiful rugged terrain and most of all, 'rolling' or 'dancing' stones. The phenomenon whereby large boulders, some weighing as much as 500 lbs, move several hundred yards in a straight line or zigzag patterns, has confounded experts for years.



In Social Studies we worked on the Review sheet for the Chapter 1 test. We will be taking the test on Friday 9/19/14. They will be using the review sheet to study over the week. We also will be working on analyzing different types of documents for through DBQs.

Homework and Notes from 9/15/14

Homework:

Math:

#s 19-30 on variables worksheet

Notes:


Today in Social Studies, we discussed how to analyze and answer Document Based Questions (DBQs). We interpreted 7 various documents from the Civil War. We talked about how important it was to use primary sources to understand how people felt about issues during that time. We will continue to work with DBQs as the year progresses!



In Science, we talked about the art of Perfume making! A perfume is any substance that is used as a pleasant fragrance. Many cosmetics contain perfumes. Low priced perfumes called odorants are added to many products including paper, plastics, and rubber products. These help to hide unpleasant odors or to make the products more attractive to customers. Plastic trash bags, for example, may have odorants added to them to hide trash odors.



In Current Events, we read an article entitled Tire Makers Turn to Humble Dandelion for Rubber from DogoNews.Dandelions have long been considered a nuisance weed by most gardeners. However they, along with the rest of the world, may soon start treating the annoying plant with the respect it deserves. That's because the white milky sap of their taproot contains particles of rubber of such superior quality, that Dutch biologist Ingrid van der Meer, refers to dandelions as the future of road transport.

Notes from 9/12/14

No Homework

Have a great weekend!!

Notes: 
Back to School Night is on September 22nd at 7:00 PM.
Hope to see you there!!

Homework and Notes from 9/11/14

Math:

Quiz tomorrow on solving word problems and challenging equations

Grammar:

Main Idea worksheet

Health:
Put what you eat in your Food Journal (Health Notebook)

Notes:

Tomorrow we are ordering Pizza for lunch. A slice cost $2 each.
---------

Tomorrow is the first day of Clubs. Students will get to choose their club and have a great time from 1:00 to 2:00
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Homework and Notes from 9/10/14

Homework:

English Language Arts
Castle Questions
#s 1-5 Answer in ELA notebook in complete sentences

Grammar:
Fact and Opinion Worksheet
*Write complete sentences on the worksheet

Notes:


In Health today, we had a double period. We discussed healthy eating and how to maintain a balanced diet. We will be sending home food journals to complete daily to measure daily intake once they are completed in school. Stay tuned for that ! Creating that awareness of what we put into our bodies is an integral part of becoming and remaining healthy!

Homework and Notes from 9/9/14

Homework:

Math:

Order of Operations worksheet
#s 1-12

Grammar
Setting worksheet.  Draw the setting of the paragraph on the sheet

Notes:



Don't forget Pizza on Friday! 2 dollars a slice



In English, we have been reading the realistic fiction story Castle by David Macaulay. We talked about how every part of the castle has a function. Walls keep the enemy out. Towers protect the lord and the soldiers. From the moat and portcullis to the great hall and dungeon, we were able to see how a castle works as an enemy army tries to storm the walls.



In Current Events we read an article from Dogo News entitled Newsflash: Girls Can Play Baseball Too. While Jackie Robinson's achievements as the first African American major league baseball player are well documented, very few people know about Ila Borders - the first female pitcher in integrated men's professional baseball and the first woman to win a men's professional game in the independent leagues. Nor do they know about the 17 girls that have played in the 68-year history of the Little League World Series. But thanks to 13-year-old pitching phenom Mo'ne Davis, that has all changed.

Homework and Notes from 9/8/14

Homework:

Math Worksheet
Questions #1-10s
Solve for the blank in the equation

Grammar worksheet
Circle the right correction

Social Studies Section 1-2 A Nation Dividing
Finish Questions 2, 4 and 5 on page 13 in textbook

2. What were some ways that Northerners defied the Fugitive Slave Act?

4. How did Southerners expect Northerners to react to the Fugitive Slave Act? How did Northerners actually react?

5. Use a diagram to list the steps leading to bloodshed in Kansas

Notes:


In Social Studies today we read the chapter 1-2 and talked about a Nation Dividing. We are identifying the key contributors for the Civil War. We used some critical thinking skills to talk about how we would feel in similar situations.


In Math, we discussed ways we can use Problem Solving skills to solve everyday problems and in our school work. By using the correct strategies and checking our work, we can come up with the correct answers!

Remember the steps to attacking a challenging math problem:

Understand
Plan
Solve 
Check

Welcome Back! News and Notes from 9/5/14

Welcome to 8th Grade! On this blog, you will find any and all assignments due throughout the week. Be sure to check it daily! You will also find notes about things that are happening in school.

Homework:

None!

Notes:

On Fridays, Pizza will be ordered! If you would like to buy a slice they are $2 each.

In our Life Skills class, we discussed setting goals and strategies to meet these goals. We discussed that it was important to set long term and short term goals that are achievable in different allotments of time! We are leaving the goals posted up in our classroom for motivation and reference!

Back to School Night will be 9/22/14 at 7:00 PM at the West Hempstead Campus!