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Gala & Auction: April 28, 2012               Family Fun Night: February 24, 2012 www.barnesvilleschool.org joy. support. excellence. Social Studies     We will 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. Algebra     Students are currently working in Chapter 5 (Graphs and Functions).  Lessons on relating graphs to events, relations and functions, function rules, tables and graphs, writing function rules, direct and inverse variation and describing number patterns will be covered. Language Arts     Students have been working diligently on their Author's Project.  Writing a five paragraph biographical essay, creating book marks and an author's tribute in the form of a poem are part of the project.  All students will present their authors in a mock Wax Museum where visitors will see the authors come alive!        Art     The eighth graders completed their Social Issues posters in November which they will share during our Peace Week assembly. In December we will take a field trip to Frederick where we will learn a bit about photography. I would like the students to focus on the architeectural elements to be found in the many historic buildings in Frederick. This will perface an assignment about architecture for the eight graders.The students will look at a variety of imagined architecture like the work of M.C. Escher and the Cuban artist, Abel Garcia Matos. They will construct their own imaginary or deconstructed architectural image using a variety of media. 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. Spanish     This first month eight graders reviewed abouth the 20 Spanish speaking countries. Each student picked one country to study through out the year. They reviewed weather and body parts and learned about activities and hobbies that they like and dislike.     Eight graders will be also participating on the dance for the "Hispanish Heritage month". Return To:   Home Page  |  Newsletters Section