2 Days and Counting

Only 2 days left until students take the stand as the prosecution or defense. Will they have enough evidence to prove their case? Will their witnesses sway the jury? We'll find out Thursday morning at 10:30 a.m. Students have been working hard on their opening statements, witnesses, and closing arguments. Tomorrow they'll get a chance to rehearse before the big day on Thursday.

Immediatly following the court cases, we will have a soup potluck lunch. A few weeks ago we read an article about skills young adults need to be successful in the world. One of those skills is the ability to cook from scratch. We decided to have a monthly potluck featuring an item that they could learn to cook. This month is soup! Student's are to create a soup that they would like to share with us. I'll bring bowls, spoons, and fresh bread. I'm sure we'll have many interesting creations. Parents that come for the court cases are welcome to stay for lunch.

Extension Opportunity

There is an amazing opportunity coming up this weekend. If you have any time, please take advantage of this chance.

EVENT DATE:  February 23, 2013 10:00 to 2:00

 

LOCAL AUTHORS OF MILITARY MEMOIRS & LEGENDS TO APPEAR FOR BOOKSIGNING

The Wings of Freedom will host local authors including:  Ben “Flaps” Berry a Tuskegee Airman who served as a bomber pilot in WWII, one of 33 in a class that was the largest to complete advanced flight training at Tuskegee Air Field in Alabama. Berry’s historic military career began when he was drafted at age 18, but his passion for engineering can be traced to childhood. Many of the Milwaukie, Ore. hero’s war stories are captured in his book, “Tuskegee Airmen: To the Moon, Mars and Beyond (Secrets Revealed).” 

 

Clayton Gross P-51 Mustang fighter, ace in the European Theater, three-war veteran Col. John Misterly, USAF (Ret.) and other Northwest authors will be on hand to meet visitors and sign copies of their books at a special Open House at the Wings of Freedom Museum (next to the Milwaukie Bomber) on Saturday, February 23, from 10 am to 2 pm.

In addition to Gross (“Live Bait”) and Col. John Misterly (“Over and Under”; “Thunderheads”), other scheduled guest writers include Kristi Burke, whose best-selling “Proof Through the Night”, tells the harrowing story of her father’s ordeal as a POW after his B-29 was shot down over Japan and Barney Blalock “Portland’s Lost Waterfront” recalls the city’s vanished waterfront in these tales of sea dogs, salty days and the river’s tides. Marc E. Paulsen’s, “Magic in the Air”, Experience the exuberance, thrills (and a few chills) vividly described in these lively tales of impetuous flying exploits. “Flying stories from a time when anyone could own an airplane.

These award winning authors and more will be in the Wings of Freedom Museum. Guests can sign up to be members of the museum’s extensive Aviation Research Library, explore the PX or enjoy the expanding exhibit “The Power of the B-17” a historical look at the people who made this famous aircraft a legend. Coffee and light refreshments will be served, admission is free, but donations to the non-profit “Wings of Freedom Project” will be gratefully accepted.

The Wings of Freedom (WOF) is a volunteer collaboration in Milwaukie, Oregon whose mission it is to honor the WWII generation and build a lasting educational commemorative tribute to the men and women of World War 2. The WOF Book Signing event is an annual event to honor local veterans and authors. Join us for this unique opportunity to purchased signed copies of acclaimed books by some local champions.  

 

 

Location: 13515 SE McLoughlin Blvd., Milwaukie, OR 97222

Hosted by: The Wings of Freedom Project

Court Cases

Today students received instructions for their Depression Summative Assessment. Working in small groups, students will demonstrate their understanding of the Depression through court cases. Everyone was assigned to a small group that they will be working with. Each of these small groups was assigned to either prosecute or defend one of the causes of the Depression.

In order to receive a 3, each groups case must include the following items:
An opening argument
2 witnesses
2 pieces of physical evidence
5 cross examination questions
A closing argument

All group work will be done in class but students will need to spend some time at home researching. Feel free to discuss their position, suggest ideas for research, help facilitate interviews, etc. Please do listen to them rehearse and plan to be here to watch.

They will present their cases on February 28th. Students will dress the part they are taking on. This may be as a witness or as a lawyer. You'll want your video camera!

See you then.

Ski Trip Pictures

 

All the News That's Fit To Print

7th grade had a blast at Timberline on Friday. 18 out of 24 students had never been skiing before and of those 10 had never been to the snow. Most students were delighted with their ability to make it down Bruno's hill wthout injury. Everyone overcame fears, built confidence, and pride in their ability to conquer something new. The afternoon was filled with the history of Timberline and the WPA's part in building it. We were complimented several times on how polite, respectful, and intelligent our students were. A special thank you to the parents that helped drive, provided hot beverages, and held hands when needed!

In history we are studying the Great Depression and the New Deal. We are looking at the causes of the Depression from many angles including the stock market, the weather, government policy, etc. Over the next week we will gather information and then students will break into small groups to build a court case against their assigned topic. This is one of my favorite activities of the year. Students will have to dig through primary source documents, news accounts, etc to find solid evidence to support their case. They will dress up "witnesses", manufacture artifacts, and put their persuasive writing skills to the test. You'll want to join us for the final cases on February 28th at 10:30 a.m.

While we study the Depression through lecture, videos, and field trips, we're also exploring the lives of everday people through our literature books. We have 5 small groups working their way through novels set in the Depression Era. The books range in location from Oregon to the Midwest. Each book is moving and provides opportunties for open discussion about the author's craft and stylistic techniques. Students are learning about sequencing, metaphors, word choice, and summarizing. Each day students read together, choose vocabulary words, and write questions to be answered. Many students have said that this is their favorite part of the day. I highly encourage families to participate in book groups found around town. The opportunity to read the same book and discuss it with others, to celebrate the joys together, to cry together, to be outraged together is priceless. When groups finish their books, they will have one week to complete a book report. You may have guessed already that book reports in my class aren't the book reports we all did in middle school. Students are given a menu of choices to choose from, or the option to propose something different.  Here is the menu I give them:

The idea behind a book report is to demonstrate your understanding of the book. This may be done in a variety of ways. Please choose one of the following, or create a project that demonstrates your understanding. If you choose to create a project, it must be added to the list and signed by the teacher BEFORE you begin.

Regardless of what project you choose, it must include the following elements to score a 3:

• Title
• Author
• Characters
• Setting
• Main idea
• Problem
• Solution

Ideas:

• WRITE A PARODY OF THE BOOK.
• WRITE A LETTER TO THE AUTHOR OF THE BOOK.
• MAKE A NEW BOOK JACKET.
• CONVERT A BOOK TO A RADIO DRAMA.
• CONVERT A BOOK INTO A PUPPET SHOW.
• PREPARE A TELEVISION COMMERCIAL ABOUT A BOOK.
• MAKE A SOAP OR PARAFFIN CARVING ABOUT AN EVENT OR PERSON IN A BOOK.
• MOLD PLASTER RELIEF DESIGNS.
• CREATE BATIK DESIGNS WITH WAX AND OLD SHEETS OF TIE-DYE MATERIAL.
• FASHION A MOBILE FROM ITEMS RELATED TO A STORY.
• PRINT A DESIGN FROM A STORY IN A BOOK USING A VARIETY OF MATERIALS.
• COOK A FOOD MENTIONED IN YOUR BOOK OR BAKE AND DECORATE A CAKE.
• BUILD A RELIEF MAP OF THE SETTING OF THE STORY.
• DESIGN AND MAKE YOUR OWN T-SHIRT OF AN ILLUSTRATION ABOUT A BOOK.
  CONSTRUCT A BUILDING FROM A STORY.
  MAKE SOME COSTUME DOLLS FOR A DISPLAY OF CHARACTERS IN A BOOK.
• CREATE A QUILT WITH SCENES FROM THE BOOK.
• CONVERT THE EVENTS OF A STORY INTO A BALLAD OR SONG.
• CREATE A YEARBOOK FOR THE BOOK
• DESIGN AND PRODUCE A POSTCARD OR A SERIES OF POSTCARDS.
• CREATE A SCRAPBOOK OR MEMORY BOX.

Math - In math we are up to lesson 74. Most students are on track and progressing nicely. We hit a stumbling block about a week ago, so we took a few days to really reinforce multiplying and dividing decimals and fractions. Once everyone was solid on those two areas, we were able to move forward easily. The next assessment will be on Monday. Notebook checks occur every Wednesday. Students should have notes for lessons 1 - 74, tests 1 - 13, and homework lessons 66 - 74.

Science - There's lots happening in the science lab these days! This Thursday 7th grade will be taking an assessment for the atomic structure and chemical reaction units. They have been working with Mrs. Brunning on these topics since September and should have a solid base. They have participated in some great labs and taken lots of notes. This week we also did a dress rehearsal for the science fair. Final projects and papers are due tomorrow. They will be set up for judging on Tuesday. Check out the Science Blog for schedule details. We certainly hope you'll join us in celebrating!


Life Skills - Last week we talked about the skills necessary to be independent adults. Mr. Currey shared an article with us that detailed the skills that are often lacking. One of the things that came up was the ability to cook a meal from scratch. Everyone shared something they knew how to cook without the use of a microwave. As a class they decided they would like to try out some new recipes. On February 28th, we would like to have a soup potluck. Each student should create a soup, from scratch, with minimal adult help. I'll bring some fresh bread and everyone can try a few spoonfuls of each soup. This is the same day as our trials and a perfect time to stay and have lunch with us.

Final Field Trip Details

February Field Trip

Friday, February 8^th, 2013 is Field Trip Friday!

 

Destination: Timberline Lodge, Mt. Hood, Oregon

Departure Time: 7:30

Return Time: 5:00

 

Uniform: Layered WARM clothing

·       thermals

·       jeans or snow pants (If wearing jeans, please bring a change of pants)

·       long sleeve shirt

·       sweatshirt

·       jacket

·       gloves (Costco has great ski gloves for about $10)

·       hat

·       helmet

 

We will have some extra snow pants and jackets available for students to borrow.

 

Lunch: Everyone needs to bring a healthy lunch. I would strongly encourage a thermos of warm beverage.

 

Cost: The package deal for each student is $42. It is an expensive trip, but I feel strongly that the knowledge gained and the exposure to a life long sport is worth it. All student cost is covered by your activity fee. If you would like to contribute an extra few dollars, it would be put in our field trip fund and be used for our end of the year trip to Fort Stevens.

 

Agenda:

7:15 - Meet at school ready to go.

7:30 - Load cars and drive to Timberline. 

8:45 ish - Reconvene in parking lot. Count heads, review schedule, snack. 

9:00 – Move to ski school.

• Advanced skiers and chaperoning parents released with lift ticket under the direction of Mr. Weaver.
• Beginning skiers participate in the group lesson.

12:30 - Lunch

1:00 – Guided Tour

2:00 – Watch history of Timberline Lodge movie

3:00 – Take notes for weekend writing assignment 

3:45 - Load cars and head down mountain

5:00 - Arrive back at school

Silent Film Festival

If a picture is worth a thousand words, these pictures are priceless!

 

And don't forget their mad dancing skills!