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.