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.