Students of the Month: November

The Supernova teachers would like to congratulate the following Supernovas for earning student of the month honors for the month of November.

Social Studies: Olivia T.

Science: Matt P.

English: Katie W.

Outstanding Supernova Citizen: Alexis S.

Rube Goldberg Videos: 2012-2013

Assessment Anchor - S8.C.3: Principles of Motion and Force

Below is a link to Mr. Wolf's SchoolTube channel for viewing Rube Goldberg videos.  Once you click on the link, it would be helpful to sort the videos by "Most Recent" in order to see the videos from this school year.

Mr. Wolf's SchoolTube Channel: Rube Goldberg Videos

While working on the project, the students experienced forces such as gravity and friction. They also utilized simple machines to make their work easier by changing the size and/or direction of the applied force.  The students had the option to create a video or make a poster.  The project packet is shown below.

Rube Goldberg Project 

Kinetic and Potential Energy Lab: 2012-2013

Below are some images of the Supernova students conducting a lab in science class. They had to take measurements and calculate the kinetic and gravitational potential energy of various objects. 

English 8 & Advanced English 8: No Red Ink!

NoRedInkis a web-based learning platform that helps students improve their grammar and writing skills. Click the link in the title of the website to learn more about it.  If you are interested, you are to follow the directions below to create an account.  It is not mandatory that you create an account.

Directions for an Account with No Red Ink

Step 1: Type the address  http://www.noredink.com/ in the search bar.

Step 2: Click the blue Student button.

Step 3: Type in your username.  It has to be 17 your last name first initial

Step 4: Type in your password.  It has to be your student ID number

Step 5: Type your first name, last name, and select your gender.

Step 6: Type in the class code for your specific class period.  Be careful and use the correct class code.  The best option is to copy and paste the code that you need from the list below.

Period 2: English 8: Class Code: 45574a52

Period 6.7: English 8: Class Code: 2e0bd751

Period 8.9: English 8: Class Code: bbf55b6a

Period 10: Advanced English 8: Class Code: fe86a87e

Period 11: English 8: Class Code: 544cb6ef

You are to use this site to practice grammar skills.  There will not be assignments or quizzes given to you from this site. 

New Gym Turns Workouts Into Watts

In science class, we have been learning about energy conversions and the Law of Conservation of Energy.  This is a great video and article on this topic.



Link to CNN Article: New Gym Turns Workouts Into Watts

English 8 & Advanced English 8: "Flowers for Algernon" Terms

The vocabulary terms for "Flowers for Algernon" have been posted on Quizlet.  You may access the Quizlet website by clicking on the link.  The quiz on these terms and the short story will be on Friday, December 14th.

2012 Dodgeball Tournament Champs!

Congratulations to Mrs. Porter's homeroom for winning the dodgeball tournament!

Egg Drop Awards: 2012-2013

Mr. Wolf's 8th grade science class conducted an egg drop activity as one of the final projects for the physical science portion of the school year. The objective of the activity was to utilize physics concepts learned in class to design and construct a capsule that will protect a raw egg (from breaking) as it is dropped from an elevated position.

English Bonus Opportunity for the Second Quarter!

The students in Mrs. Porter's English 8 and Advanced English 8 classes have a chance to earn bonus this nine weeks by participating in the Letters About Literature Contest. Students who are interested in earning bonus are to click the helpful links provided and to follow all of the directions.  The submissions will be collected and mailed together by Mrs. Porter.  The last day to turn in the bonus is Friday, January 4th.  Please see Mrs. Porter for an entry form, if you are interested.

Letters About Literature Contest Overview

How to Enter 

Frequently Asked Questions

Science Class: November 9th

Please read all of the following items before beginning your assignment.  If you were absent yesterday, get the following handouts from the teacher:

• Problems on Energy
• Pendulum and Roller Coaster Online Lab
• Chapter 9: Energy (Guided Notes)

A. Examine the answer key from last night's homework: "Problems on Energy"

• Check to see if you were using the proper formula and processes.
• Ensure that you showed your work for each question.
• Check to see if you have the right answer with the proper units
• Remember that 1 Newton-Meter is equal to 1 Joule 

B. Complete the "Pendulum and Roller Coaster Online Lab" that was given to you yesterday.

• Your username and password is listed at the top of the lab. 
• Any letter of the alphabet will work for the last part of the username/password as long as you use that same letter for both the username and password.
• The "Energy of a Pendulum" portion of the lab, 1st page (front and back), will be graded for completion. 
• The "Roller Coaster Physics" portion of the lab, 2nd page, will be counted as bonus points if it is completed. 
• The due date for the lab is Thursday, November 15th.

C. Don't forget that your Rube Goldberg Project is due Monday, November 12th. Ask the teacher for paper if you need it for your poster. If you don't have a working video to turn in to Mr. Wolf, then you need to do a poster.  Example posters should be displayed in the front of the computer lab.

D. If you still need to improve your "Chapter 8: Work and Machines" Quia score:

• Follow the instructions: "Science Class: November 7th" 
• All attempts must be completed by Monday

E. If you finish your online lab early, explore the "Energy Skate Park" simulation.

Science Class: November 7th

Please complete the following steps in order. Please remain silent and on-task during the entire class period.

1. Complete the Chapter 8 Quia Activity by clicking on the following link - Chapter 8: Work and Machines.  Read the guidelines below before starting.

Activity Guidelines

• You are allowed to take the activity up to three times. 
• You may use your notes, book, and internet to help you with the activity.  Don't forget that you can access the PowerPoint notes and other items from the chapter by using the "Science Materials" link listed on the right side of the blog. 
•  If you do not score a 30 out of 30 (100%), retake the activity until you score a perfect or you have used all three attempts. 
• Only your best score will be recorded in the gradebook (if it is higher than your benchmark score).
• All attempts for the activity must be completed by Monday, November 12th.  
• You may work on the activity at home.
• The activity can be saved if you are in the middle of an attempt at the end of the period. 
• You are not allowed to communicate the answers with other students.  The school’s cheating consequences will be followed if you are caught sharing answers. See your student handbook for more information.

2. Finish any work that you currently owe. Mr. Wolf will be around to let you know if you owe any work.

Past Due Assignments

• Chapter 6 Test Corrections - Due 10/31 - (Digital Copy of Handout)
• Work and Simple Machines - Web Activity: Due 11/2 - (Digital Copy of Handout)
• Webquest: Simple Machines - Web Activity: Due 11/2 -  (Digital Copy of Handout)
• Bell Work: 10/22-11/2 - Due 11/5 - (Digital Copy of Handout)

3. Once your finish all the above steps:

Option 1: Click on the following link to explore some interactive websites on simple machines.
Simple Machines: Interactive Websites

Option 2: Complete a "Read and React" paper for bonus.

Option 3: Individually work on your Rube Goldberg Project.  We will NOT be spending additional class time on this project.  Due 11/12 (Monday)