Egg Drop Award: 14-15

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.

Kinetic and Potential Energy Lab

The Supernova students conducted a lab in science class to calculate the gravitational potential energy and kinetic energy of various objects.

English 8 & Advanced English 8 Bonus Opportunities

Bonus Opportunity # 1 
The Fairchild Challenge at Phipps Conservatory

This activity is optional and it is not a requirement for class. Once you have submitted your project to me, Ms. Moniodes, Enrichment Facilitator, will be selecting the entries that will be sent in to the competition. I will let you know if she selected your entry. If you have followed all of the directions, I will add 15 bonus points to your grade. If Ms. Moniodes selected your project as one of the two entries from our school, I will give you an additional two points. This bonus is due by Wednesday, December 3rd because Ms. Moniodes needs to submit all entries by Friday, December 5th.

Your Challenge: The close relationship between people and plants is nowhere more obvious than in the plants we consume for food. For this challenge, students will explore the theme of people and edible plants. Examples include harvesting, food preparation, food shopping and how/where/when we eat plant foods. Environmentally-themed photos are encouraged.

Entry Requirements:

• Create an original photo essay comprised of three photos. 
• On a separate sheet of paper, write a brief caption (150 words maximum) to explain how your photo essay illustrates the relationship between people and edible plants. Also, include a list of the scientific and common names for the featured plant(s), as well as native region of the plant(s). 
• Photo size: 8” x 10” for each photo (8 ½” x 11” standard computer paper is acceptable). 
• Name of school and student photographer(s) must be on back of photo 

Bonus Opportunity #2

Elks Drug Awareness Essay Contest

This activity is optional and it is not a requirement for class. The following directions were provided from The Benevolent & Protective Order of Elks. Once you have submitted your project, I will be selecting the entries that will be sent in to the competition. I will let you know if I selected your entry. If you have followed all of the directions, I will add 15 bonus points to your grade. If I select your project as an entry from our school, I will give you an additional 2 points. This bonus is due by Thursday, December 18th because I need to submit all entries by Friday, December 19th.

The theme for the 2014-2015 contest is: “Refuse to Use…You’re Never Alone”

Rules:

• The contest is open to all 8th grade students. 
• Participants must write their essay themselves, but they may get help from teachers, parents, or friends in the form of ideas. 
• No longer than 200 words 
• Must be on 8 ½ x 11 paper 
• Handwritten or hand-printed (No typed or computer generated text.) 

Judging will be based on the following:

• Closeness to the theme 
• Neatness 
• Originality 
• Correct grammatical structure 

Each entry must have the following information on the back of the essay:

• Student’s full name, grade, address, and home phone number 
• School’s name, school’s address, school’s phone number 
• Elk’s Log Name & Contact Info.: 

Canonsburg Elks #846
600 Ridge Avenue
Canonsburg, PA 15317

English 8 & Advanced English 8: "Hallucination" Terms

The vocabulary list for "Hallucination" has been posted on Quizlet.

English 8 & Advanced English 8: "The Monkey's Paw" Vocabulary Terms

The vocabulary list for "The Monkey's Paw" has been posted on Quizlet.  Your test on these terms will be on Thursday, November 13th.

Science Class: 11/10/14

Please read all of the following items before beginning your assignment.  Don't forget that your Rube Goldberg project is due tomorrow.  If you owe any late work, please give your work to the teacher.  If you were absent Friday, get the following handouts from the teacher:

• Pendulum and Roller Coaster Online Lab
• Egg Drop Activity

A. If you still need to improve/take your CH 8 Schoology test, you may take your final attempt(s).

• All attempts must be completed by the end of class.

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

• 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 Friday, November 14th.

C. Examine the answer key from Thursday's homework if you are still confused with calculating K.E. and G.P.E.: "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 

D. If you finish everything else, explore the "Energy Skate Park" simulation.

"The Monkey's Paw" Mini-Research Activity and Gallery Walk

Directions for Class on Friday, November 7th 

You are to decide upon a common superstition to research from what we discussed as part of the bell work for today. You are to use the search engines on the LMC website (http://atthecmslmc.weebly.com/) and click on the “Ready to Research” tab.  You are permitted to use any of the search engines provided on this page.  You do not need to create a works cited page for this in-class assignment. 

Once you have recorded your findings in the packet, you are to create a poster that depicts your superstition and incorporates some of the facts that you learned about it.  Your poster should be an “infograph,” meaning that it is to be a combination of illustrations and written words (your facts) to help the viewer(s) understand the topic. 

When ten minutes remain in class, you will display your poster on the bulletin board in the back of the room so that others can view your work while you view the work of others.  You must complete a gallery walk exit slip on another student's work.

Research Questions

1.  What is the superstition that you are researching?

2.  Where did this superstition originate or come from (location)?

3.  Can this superstition be tied to a specific person or group of people?

4.  What is the story behind this superstition?

5.  Are there other forms or variations of this superstition, perhaps in modern times or from other countries?

6.  If a person believes in this superstition, how do they react when presented with whatever the superstition is?  (Include whether this is harmless or potentially life-interfering belief.)

The Other Midnight Riders Cross-Curricular Project

      The students read and discussed the poem, “Paul Revere’s Ride” in English class with Mrs. Porter.  While in social studies with Mr. Faith, the students studied Colonial America.  For the project, the students were to research the other midnight riders who assisted in warning the people about the impending British attack.  The students were to determine how accurate Henry Longfellow’s poem was as compared to the actual historical accounts.  The students researched and analyzed the real-life accounts of the other midnight riders in order to gain a richer knowledge of the events that lead up to the American Revolution.  After the research was completed, the students rewrote Longfellow’s poem.  However, this time, the students were to be as close to the actual events as possible in their poems.  By writing their own historically accurate poems, they gave each rider the credit that they deserved for their contributions to the American Revolution.      

Standards Covered:   Social Studies: 8..3 America History  & English 1.3.8A-F, H-L; 1.4.8.M-W 

Pictured above are group members analyzing the poem, “Paul Revere’s Ride”.

 Pictured above are students gathering research on the other midnight riders.

Pictured above are students composing their historically accurate poems.