Students of the Month: September

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

English: Ethan S.

Science: Brianna F.

Social Studies: Taylor C.

Outstanding Supernova Citizen: Thomas S. 

Mrs. Porter's Penny Project

   Have you ever wondered where your money has been before it makes it to you?  The journey could be very interesting in some cases.  
   The students of Mrs. Porter's English 8 classes are imagining the first year of “life” that each of their pennies had and they are writing narratives to explain each of their pennies' journeys.  
   Each student selected a penny at random.  The year on the penny was the year that the student researched.  The students had to complete 13 research questions that were based on the popular culture of that year.  
   Before the students started their research, they participated in an interactive mini-lesson on effectively using Google with Mrs. Barbarino.  For the final stage of the project, the students will be incorporating their research into their narratives.  The students are writing their narratives from the perspective of the penny. 
   The projects are due at the end of class on Wednesday, September 30th. The students' narrative papers will be displayed in Mrs. Porter's room.

Mrs. Barbarino is assisting Natalie B. with citing her sources in NoodleTools.

Ethan S., Shelby S., and Evan O. are hard at work on the Chromebooks completing their research.

Girls Rock Science!: An Exploration of STEM

Additional Information: http://www.carnegiesciencecenter.org/calendar/event-details/?eventID=2636&year=2015&month=10&date=3

To Scale: The Solar System

"The Tell-Tale Heart" Vocabulary List

The test on "The Tell-Tale Heart" is tentatively scheduled for Friday, October 2nd.

Science Class: Schoology Sign-Up

1. Sign-in to: Schoology

• Note: If you do not already have a Schoology account, you will need to create one using the access code listed below and your school email/password.  You will also need to enter your first name, last name, and your birthday.

2. Click on "Courses" and select "Join"

3. Enter the following access code: JC4J5-VKKZ5

4. Explore the Schoology site, the Supernova Blog, and/or the Science Materials page while the rest of the class completes the sign-up process.

English 8: Schoology & No Red Ink Instructions

Schoology Instructions

Step 1: Go to Schoology

Note: If you already have a Schoology account, you do not need to create a new one. You just need to log in using your username and password and click courses. Next, you will click join, add your class code from the list below, and click join. (If you created a Schoology account for another class and did not follow the directions that I have below for new users, you need to edit this in Schoology.)

Step 2: Click the blue sign up button in the top right-hand corner of the screen and click student.

Step 3: Enter the access code for your class period.

Class Codes for Schoology

Mrs. Porter’s English 8: 15-16: Period 1:                BB5VZ-VSZH3

Mrs. Porter’s English 8: 15-16: Period 4/5:             FK4MT-HFZFG

Mrs. Porter’s English 8: 15-16: Period 6/7:             VRBKP-7NBPQ

Mrs. Porter’s English 8: 15-16: Period 8/9:             JWJV4-4J3XR

Mrs. Porter’s English 8: 15-16: Period 10:              734NH-8WTHX

Step 4: Type your first and last name

Step 5: Type your school email which is 20 your last name first initial (in most cases) @ cmsd.k12.pa.us

Step 6: Type your password which is your student I.D. number followed by cmsd.

Step 7: Select your birthday from the drop-down menu. This is just to verify your age for access to the site.

Step 8: Click the blue register button.

No Red Ink 

No Red Ink is a web-based learning platform that helps students to improve their grammar and writing skills. You are to follow the directions below to create an account.

Note: If you already have a No Red Ink account, you do not need to create a new one. You just need to log in using your username and password. If you had a No Red Ink account last year for another class, you are to remove yourself from that class. If you created a No Red Ink account for another class and did not follow the directions that I have below for new users, you need to edit this in No Red Ink.

Directions for Creating an Account with No Red Ink

Step 1: Go to No Red Ink

Step 2: In the center of the page, it says: "Sign up for free" and click student.

Step 3: Type in the class code for your specific class period. Be careful and use the correct class code.

Class Codes for No Red Ink

Mrs. Porter’s: Period 1: 15-16:                     d33wxwxx

Mrs. Porter’s: Period 4/5: 15-16:                  acdcekea

Mrs. Porter’s: Period 6/7: 15-16:                  8h48433f

Mrs. Porter’s: Period 8/9: 15-16:                  h8d49kxc

Mrs. Porter’s: Period 10: 15-16:                   837x8mmk

Step 4: Type in your username. It has to be 20 your last name first initial (You are to use whatever you use to log on to the student computers or the first part of your school email address.)

Step 5: Type in your password. It has to be your student ID number followed by cmsd.

Step 6: Type your first name, last name, and select your gender.

Step 7: Click the box to agree to the privacy policy.

Step 8: You are to select your preferences. The website will prompt you to do this.

Science Homework and Bonus Opportunity: Designing a Controlled Experiment

Required Homework:

• Complete the following paper: Designing a Controlled Experiment
• Due: 9/10/15
• This homework assignment is worth 2 points.

Optional Bonus Opportunity (4 Bonus Points Possible): 

• Actually conduct the experiment that you designed during the homework.
• 2 Bonus Points: Provide visual proof that you conducted the experiment.  
• This can be as simple as a photograph of your experiment. 
• 2 Bonus Points: Organize the data you collected in a chart, table, graph, or written paragraph.  
• This bonus work can be turned in with the homework, or it can be emailed to Mr. Wolf.  
• Due: 9/10/15 - (Unless arrangements are made with Mr. Wolf due to your experiment requiring additional time.)