CLC Middle School News October 3, 2014

Mid-Trimester Check-up It’s hard to believe, but we are midway through the first trimester of our Dates to Note school year. The early weeks of introductory material and settling into Oct. 6­8 (Mon.­Wed.) routines have paved the way for the in­depth learning that is taking Overnight 6th/7th Grade Service place now. We’ve accomplished a lot! Trip to Dauphin Island Sea Lab Through the weekly newsletters as well as the presentations on Curriculum Night, teachers have been informing parents about the Oct. 10 (Fri.) learning goals and activities for each subject area. The inquiry going on Community Sing in the classrooms has connected well with two all­middle­school field 11:15 ­ Come on out to hear the middle school Singing Circle and trips we’ve already taken to Longview Farms and the League of Cities other classes share the music (see page three for photos on this one). they’ve been working on. Students’ work in each subject area is documented and assessed in a variety of ways. As students are learning, teachers check­in on Oct. 13­17 (Mon.­Fri.) progress by making observations, listening to students, reviewing Iowa Test of Basic Skills written work, examining artistic renderings, holding conferences, etc. Monday AM: Test Info, Practice These formative assessments help teachers adjust their plans and Tuesday­Friday AM: Testing know when students are ready to demonstrate mastery of skills or Friday Lunch: Picnic! knowledge. Then, periodic summative assessments are given to make Oct. 20 (Mon.) a record of students’ mastery. Alumni Lunch Mid­trimester is a good time for parents to check up on their Eighth grade students will host student’s progress so that any necessary adjustments can be worked alumni for a discussion about their on during the rest of the grading period. Scores for work are intended to high school experiences. reflect both a student’s participation/effort for simple completion of learning activities as well as the results of summative assessments. Oct. 27 (Mon.) Middle school teachers update RenWeb with assignment grades Service Learning Day Groups will do HOPE, Second periodically throughout the trimester. Then at the end of the trimester Harvest, or on­campus service. (mid November), a formal report card will be generated. If you have any questions about what you see in RenWeb’s open gradebook or about aspects of your student’s work that are not reportable in ✦✦✦✦✦ RenWeb, please contact the teacher of the class.

C l a s s r o o m U p d a t e s As an International Baccalaureate World School candidate, Cornerstone Learning Community’s Middle Years Program ensures that students inquire deeply across all the subject areas of Science, Language & Literature, the Arts, Individuals & Societies, Design, Language Acquisition, Physical & Health Education, and Mathematics. Read on for details about how this week’s student­centered learning integrated academics, service, creativity, self­awareness, and international­mindedness.

A note from the Front Office: The IB team worked really hard during the last week to submit our Authorization Application this week. Congrats to their collaborative effort above and beyond their classroom responsibilities to capitalize on the narrow window of opportunity. And a special thanks to Karen, our IB Coordinator, for orchestrating it all. Give them all a big shout out when you get a chance.

Spanish with Caroline Hazelton, [email protected] Middle School Spanish (6th Grade) ● 6th grade Spanish students have written autobiographies about themselves in Spanish, spruced up their listening skills by listening to basic stories for comprehension, discussed the terms of Hispanic and Latino, and are working on solving the mystery of “El ladron de pizza.” Spanish 1 Part A (7th Grade) ● 7th grade Spanish students wrote autobiographies about themselves in Spanish and English while discussing bilingualism, translated a Spanish and English version of “Stand by Me” by Prince Royce, and have been introduced to the website called Babbel to help with independent language study. Spanish 1 Part B (8th Grade) ● 8th grade Spanish students are researching and planning menus of Puerto Rican and Guatemalan cuisine, which they will use for a “restaurant week” where students will serve each other in Spanish as if they were in a restaurant. Students are also watching parts of “La Rosa de Guadalupe,” a family friendly Mexican telenovela found on Univision to improve listening skills.

Science with Karen Metcalf, [email protected] PHysical Science (8th Grade) ● Students conducted two more experiments to help them confirm the law of conservation of mass. The most popular of these, the conversion of copper and sulfur into copper sulfide produced an interesting glow and, best of all, the stink of rotten eggs. Students were retested on Chapter 1. It wasn’t that they didn’t understand most of the concepts, but they did learn that all measurements must have the proper number of digits and units. Chapter 2 tops end with a consideration of the difference between laws of nature and laws of society. Next week while I am gone with the 6th and 7th grades, students will be assessed on the material from Chapter 2. Life Science (6th and 7th Grades) ● There has been lots of preparation for our upcoming service trip. Students have been researching the ecosystems we will visit and learning about the value of the services they provide to the environment and to us. We ended the week with a dissection of a scallop. This bivalve is cousin to the oyster, whose habitat we will restore while we are in Alabama. ● An updated packing list was sent home this week. Be certain that you work with your student to get it all packed (without extras that they won’t need). Remember that the rules about footwear are very strict. If any questions or concerns arise, please send me an email. The updated list also includes the payphone number for the dorm. The cell phone service at the lab is extremely poor. Make a short call between 9 and 10 pm if you would like to check in.

Exploratories Ask your student what has happened so far in their Field Sports, World Dance, Sketch Comedy, Brain Bowl, or Abstract Art class.

Language & Literature ● For the past two weeks I have been conferencing with students as they finish up their personal writing projects. They bring to the conference a nearly final draft that they have marked as best they can with any improvements (whether substantive revisions or minor edits) they see to make. As we conference, I give positive reinforcement on what they have achieved and praise them for seeing the revisions/edits they have marked. Then I pinpoint one or two rules of writing that remain unmastered but that they are ready to tackle, and for these I provide one­on­one instruction. We wrap up the conference looking at the self­evaluation they did last week to bring things back around to emphasizing the strengths they are building as writers. ● Students not having their turn for a writing conference, have been working with words from the Scripps Spelling Bee list using an online language study site called Quizlet.com. Students will have a choice about whether ultimately to compete in the class spelling bees, but we all study the words and appreciate the challenge together. Quizlet provides excellent, engaging, and intensive practice with both spellings and definitions. ● Ask your student to show you how they have used Quizlet.

Design Architectural Design with Karen Metcalf, [email protected] ● Campus architects were the first class to use the new building this week after all the inspections were complete. They used their new drafting skills to produce some plans for the building and then used a very basic template to add the electrical, plumbing and built­in units. Graphic Design with Laura Young, [email protected] ● Students have finished sketching their range of feasible logo ideas and chosen the best one based on our researched specifications. Now they are making detailed plans for how to create the logo. They will be keeping a process journal as they create. I am looking forward to seeing the finished products! Interactive Fiction Design with Laura Young, [email protected] ● Last week I assessed how well students learned about the nature of IF during our investigative phase of research. They organized the thoughts they had captured in notes on our readings, discussions, and demonstrations. Now students are using this knowledge to inform their brainstorming of ideas for their own personal IF game. Very exciting!

Visual Arts with Jana Kiwala, [email protected] 2D Art ● Using their knowledge of line and value (shading), students continue to find ways to increase the accuracy of their grid drawings of a dog. 3D Art ● Our fantasy paper mache creatures continue to take shape!

Civics & Economics with Jessica Kimelman, [email protected]

During Thursday’s outing to the League of Cities, students first rotated through outdoor stations where they talked with officers from the animal control, police, and fire departments. Inside the League headquarters a little bit later, they visited tables with displays from representatives of eight more local government programs. Each student received a League of Cities string bag. Look inside for a lot of take­aways from the tables that can be great conversations starters about this valuable field trip. ● Last week students did some role­playing to learn about the rule of law and how it protects rights, and then had a look at what happens in one case when a ruler destroys the checks and balances in his country. ● Students also examined the six parts of the rule of law in some detail, with skits and applications to check understanding. We also had a game day with several different social studies games. ● This week we’ve watched a TED video about historical role models and their virtues. Students wrote a brief paragraph about a leader they admired and which virtue they believed the leader demonstrated. We’ve done the BrainPop citizenship unit as a review. ● We discussed the protests by students in Colorado in the context of virtues, the value of unrest and challenge, and free speech. ● Our field trip yesterday showed us the types of services offered by local governments, both city and county, for citizens. As the only school in attendance, we were very fortunate to have the undivided attention of all the organizations! ● Attached to this Friday news is a photo release from the League of Cities for Thursday’s trip. Please sign & return it soon! Also, ALL middle schoolers need to have a signed application/release on file with Second Harvest again this year. If you haven’t already (this year), please send that in as soon as possible. ● Ask your student about the value of social unrest in the forming of our nation and in the inclusion of all groups in civil rights.

Performing Arts with Patty Callender, [email protected] Singing Circle ● Last week SInging Circle created their own lyrics for a Halloween Quodlibet (ask them what that means if you don’t know). They did an awesome job! This week we are focusing on minor keys, continuing to work on part singing from Octavos, and preparing to sing for the Cornerstone community in October. Fusion Band ● We continued individual presentations this week and revisited the 8­bar pop/rock progression. Band students should make an effort to practice their instruments and parts on their own over the next two weeks while we do not have rehearsals together.

Math with Ai Ying Choong, [email protected] 6th Grade Middle School Math ● Students reviewed operations with decimals last week and looked at the different situations when the division of decimals might take place. They later practiced by playing a Jeopardy game. This week we began a bedroom redecoration project where students measured their own bedroom and used these measurements to calculate its area.They then went to the Home Depot website and looked for the price per square foot for the carpet or wood floor of their choice. By the end of the week, most of the students have finished calculating the cost of the new carpet/wood floor, and its sales tax. Next week, they will be writing their own checks to pay for the new flooring. ● We also reviewed compatible numbers and studied more closely the process of estimating decimals. The discussion also included a review of the vocabulary that is often used to indicate estimation. HS Algebra 1 Part A ● Students built their variable machine last week and cracked many codes using this machine. They practiced finding the values of expressions with variables. After that, they studied the words that might help us translate mathematical expressions. They practiced writing algebraic expressions given these words and vice­versa. They also practiced evaluating algebraic expressions. ● Last week they began to work on a project which explored the use of variables. As they completed it this week, they produced a number of creative activities such as a play, a Scratch game, many facts and fibs as well as a board game. ● We also continued to review multiplying positive and negative fractions and mixed numbers, and later took an assessment on this. HS Algebra 1 (Part B) AND 8th Grade Middle School Math ● Students completed their studies on linear functions: their slopes, intercepts, equations and graphs. They have explored the stories behind these functions and written their own stories for the functions of their choice last week. ● Last week, the Algebra 1 students also used Geogebra to study the slopes of parallel and perpendicular lines. They then learned how to write the equations for these two types of situations, given different information. This week they began their review and preparation for an end­of­unit test. ● The whole class also learned about linear extrapolation using the data collected from their oil spill investigation conducted a few weeks ago. HS Geometry ● We began last week by looking at inductive reasoning and investigating different patterns as well as making conjectures. Using this knowledge, the students wrote compound statements and constructed truth tables for them. We used this reasoning when we played the game ‘Clue.’ They also made a comparison of inductive and deductive reasonings through profiles in Modern Day Sherlock Holmes. Students later used deductive reasoning to write algebraic and geometric proofs. ● This week we studied conditional statements, law of syllogism and law of detachment. We watched Alice in Wonderland and discovered many of the conditional statements used in it. We investigated the truth values of these statements. Events around us: 1) Math Kangaroo registration is currently taking place. Competition Day is on March 19, 2005 at 4 pm. Please visit www.mathkangaroo.org to register. 2) FSU Math Fun Day, Oct 11, 1 ­ 5 pm, Oglesby Union & Moore Auditorium FSU.

PHysical & Health Education with Chris Gosier, [email protected] 6th, 7th and 8th Grades are building teamwork skills along with positive peer motivation. During the past two weeks they have played gutter ball and used the fitness agility course on campus.

Cornerstone Learning Community engages each learner in a respectful, nurturing school that values ● High Academic Expectations ● Diversity ● Social and Environmental Responsibility ● Developmentally Appropriate Challenges 850­386­5550 www.cornerstonelc.com