Folder   Article   Weblink   Product   Message Board   Calendar   Form   Document   Album   Podcast
Gala & Auction: April 28, 2012               Family Fun Night: February 24, 2012 www.barnesvilleschool.org joy. support. excellence. Social Studies     We will focus on the issue of "Returning to Normalcy" after World War 1 and finish up our study of the 1920s looking at Babe Ruth, the Negro Leagues, jazz musicians, Albert Einstein, Edwin Hubble, Robert Goddard, Charles Lindbergh, and Amelia Earhart.  Unfortunately, all good things had to come to an end and we will talk STOCK MARKET CRASH right before the Holidays!  We will actually invest in some stocks and track these into January.  I hope the market is bullish! Science     How many elements are there?  What makes them different?  Why isn't the periodic table a rectangle?  These are some of the many questions that I get asked when I teach chemistry.  During December the 8th graders will get to answer these and many other questions.  We will discuss atoms and sub-atomic particles and the periodic table.  Honors Algebra     When we have a problem to solve, we like to make things as easy as possible.  Some of us like to break problems down into smaller pieces.  In Algebra, we call that factoring and that is what we will be doing during the month of December.  We will begin with a review of concepts like the greatest common factor and then we will move into new factoring strategies. Geometry     Our study of geometry has turned from learning about a new way of thinking in math to the investigation of various geometric shapes.  We have looked at angles and have seen the relationships among types of angles.  From there, we looked at what happens when two parallel lines are cut by a transversal (another new geometry word, by the way) and the relationships among the angles created.  Geometric thinking encourages the students to see the relationships from different perspectives.  For example, if we know two lines are parallel, we know that the angles behave in certain ways.  Geometric thinking allows us to look at angle behavior and use that to prove that lines are (or are not) parallel. In the second trimester, we will turn our attention to triangles and circles, touching on some trigonometry as well. The geometry class will also be participating in the international Math Olympiad. This is the first year that Barnesville has fielded a team and I am very excited about this activity. After the official test day for the Olympiad, we will have the opportunity to share results and strategies for using math to become more efficient problem solvers.      Art       The eighth graders seem to be enjoying working on our challenging grid assignment, where they interpret a picture eleven different ways. Thus far the majority of them have completed their shading and color image. Thay will then go on to make a stylization, geometric, decorative and abstract design inspired by their picture. The week of December 5, artist-in-residence, Kevin Reese will work with our middle school to make a mobile a la Calder to be displayed in Black Rock Center and our Library Physical Education     The eighth graders have been busy working on their heart rate project this month. They spent two weeks working in small groups, going through different activities and situations, and analyzing their heart rate. They were able to see how each activity changed their heart rate and were able to draw conclusions for these findings. They are currently developing and practicing their volleyball skills. They are going to continue with Net Games, as they progress to badminton. Language Arts     Students began their annual "Author's Wax Museum Project" upon return from WinterBreak. First, students will research their authors and write a biography from interview questions.  Next, they will create a "hall of fame" page paying tribute to their author's accomplishments.  Finally, students will "bring them to life" in the mock wax museum.  Visitors will come through and authors will move from being frozen to delivering a monologue about themselves.  The reading of Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird will be the next novel of study.   Spanish     In the month of December eighth grade will remain in Spain and will be learning about personal hygiene. Students will be studying about “ La Alhambra” in Granda - Spain.  Students  will be introduced to reflexive verbs. Eighth grade will also continue reading, “Las aventuras de Miguelito” and finally start learning about their theatrical play that they will performing with the Peruvian students in January.   Return To:   Home Page  |  Newsletters Section