More History of the Day.

Learn more History of the Day @ The History Channel.

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history

Advanced English: Extended Vocabulary List # 1

Extended Vocabulary List #1 is posted on Quizlet. The quiz on these terms will be Friday, September 9, 2011.

The 1st Week of Science Class: 2011-2012

Below are some photos from the 1st week of science class. The students conducted a communication activity on the 3rd day of school in which the students had to work together to accomplish a task that most thought was impossible.

Also, later in the week the students were asked to sketch a scientist. The majority of students shared certain characteristics in their sketches. A student volunteer dressed up in each class as the "stereotypical" male scientist as the students named common items in their sketches. After the activity, the students examined examples of real-life scientists in various fields of work. The students had the chance to see that women can become scientists, and that not all scientists work in a lab, have crazy hair, carry around beakers, and wear lab coats.

Welcome to the Supernova Team!

The Supernova teachers would like to welcome the 2011-2012 Supernova students! We are looking forward to a productive and exciting school year. Please use this blog to stay up-to-date on our team.

Supernova Students of the Year: 2010-2011

The following students have been selected as the Supernova Students of the Year for the 2010-2011 school year.

English: Jon W.
Science: Jessica F.
Social Studies: William K.

Students of the Month: May

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

English: Anna S.
Social Studies: Tom S.
Science: Sarah J.

Carnegie Museum of Natural History: Supernova Field Trip 2010-2011

The Supernova team visited the Carnegie Museum of Natural History on Friday, May 27th. Below are some pictures from the field trip.

Enrichment: C-MITES Steppingstones Classes

SOURCE - Carnegie Mellon University C-MITES Steppingstones Page:

Our popular one-day classes for students in K-9th grades called "Steppingstones" will be offered on the Carnegie Mellon campus in late summer and early fall. The Steppingstones brochure is now online.

Classes include Simple Robot Machines, Crime Scene Investigations, WeDo Robotics, Egg Drop Physics, Engineering 101, Ancient Chinese Secrets, Creative Writing, Let's Go to France, and Chemistry and Analysis of Water.

Course descriptions and the online registration system are available at: Steppingstones website

The brochure is available here.

Black Holes: Interactive Website

Click on the link below to explore and learn about black holes.

Black Holes: Interactive Website

MLA Format Resource

The students of Mrs. Porter's English 8 and Advanced English 8 classes are writing career research papers. The students are encouraged to use the Purdue OWL website to assist them with using MLA format for the in-text citations. The students will be using NoodleBib to create their works cited pages. The papers are due at the end of class on Friday, May 20th. The students will also be holding a career fair in the school's library on Tuesday, May 24th and Wednesday, May 25th.

NASA Science - Astrophysics: Origin, Structure, & Evolution of Our Cosmos

NASA Science: Astrophysics - Focus Areas

Visit the link above to learn about:
1. The Big Bang Theory
2. Dark Energy
3. Dark Matter
4. Stars
5. Galaxies
6. Black Holes
7. Planets Around Other Stars

The Anne Frank Leaf Project

The Advanced English 8 students read the play, "The Diary of Anne Frank" and the novel, The Diary of a Young Girl. As a culminating activity, the students selected from six quotes from Anne's diary. The quotes were based on the themes of freedom, goodness, giving, courage, happiness, and humanity. Each student wrote an essay about the ways that he or she had been inspired by the life of Anne Frank to value that specific theme in his or her own life. The students also created a leaf based on one of the six themes. Each student wrote Anne's quote on one side of the leaf and his or her own original quote on the other side of the leaf. This project was based on the Anne Frank Tree Interactive Monument. Anne Frank often admired the chestnut tree in the courtyard behind the secret annex and wrote about the tree in her diary.

For more information, you can visit the Anne Frank Tree Interactive Monument. You can also leave your own quote or message on the virtual tree.

Abigail Self and Emily Uzar created the display in Mrs. Porter's classroom. Please stop by and check it out!

Students of the Month: April

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

English: Courtney P.
Science: Abigail S.
Social Studies: Sydney C.

Astronomy Think-Tac-Toe: 2010-2011 (UPDATED 5/17/11)

Mr. Wolf's 8th grade science classes are conducting a student choice activity in which they choose and complete at least TWO astronomy activities. The students can complete a third activity to earn bonus points. One activity will be due on each of the following due dates.

Due Date 1: May 17th
Due Date 2: May 24th
Due Date 3: May 31st (Optional Bonus Activity)

Note - The students will be able to work on the project in the computer lab on the following days: 5/13, 5/16, and 5/23.

Astronomy Websites


Astronomy Think-Tac-Toe (Printable PDF File)

Engineer Your Life: A Guide to Engineering for High School Girls

Website - Engineer Your Life: A Guide to Engineering for High School Girls

Below is some information from the website that is posted above:
In 2004, members of the engineering community formed a coalition to encourage academically prepared girls to enroll in engineering programs. After extensive research revealed some of the reasons girls were not interested in pursuing engineering, the coalition developed and tested new messages that emphasized how varied and creative engineering can be and what a difference engineers make in the lives of others. The messages—creativity has its rewards, explore the possibilities, and make a world of difference—are now part of a national campaign designed to encourage college bound girls to explore engineering. The Engineer Your Life Web site is the centerpiece of the national campaign, and is meant for high school girls and the adults in their lives (parents, counselors, teachers, and other educators) who want to learn more about what life and work are like for engineers. The campaign will:

• Introduce high school girls to young women
engineers who embody these messages.

• Showcase engineering careers and illustrate that
an education in engineering is both desirable and
within their reach.

• Help school counselors and teachers better
understand engineering and give them the
resources and training they need to advise
students.

• Mobilize America’s more than one million
engineers with compelling resources, training, and
messages to use in their ongoing outreach efforts.

8th Grade Strip Stroll!!!

After reading the Novel The Macaroni Boy, 8th Graders at CMS were offered an opportunity to tour the Strip District in Pittsburgh on April 26th and 27th.

Calendar Enrichment/Bonus

Bonus (Optional): Although many societies base their calendars on the movements of the sun or the moon, a calendar's starting date is often linked to cultural or religious traditions.  For example, both the Muslim and the Hebrew calendars are based on the phases of the moon, but they differ in a number of significant ways.  Research a calendar used by another culture and find out the cultural significance of the calendar's starting date, the number of days per month, and the number of days per year.  Write a short paragraph to explain your findings.  

English 8 and Advanced English 8: "The Diary of Anne Frank" Act Two

The vocabulary list is posted for "The Diary of Anne Frank" Act Two. You may access the Quizlet website by clicking the link.

Canon-McMillan Highlights March Edition

The Highlights Online Magazine

English 8 and Advanced English 8: "The Diary of Anne Frank" Act One, Scenes Four and Five

The vocabulary list is posted for "The Diary of Anne Frank" Act One, Scenes Four and Five. You may access the Quizlet website by clicking the link.

Raging Planet: Severe Weather Videos

Tornadoes:


Hurricanes:


Lightning:

Science Class: April 14th - 15th

Some of the Supernova students will be missing class on Thursday and Friday of this week due to a band trip or another activity. The students were given the work that they will miss while they are gone. Below is a quick summary of the instructions for the students that will miss science class.

Thursday:
Complete the notes titled, "CH 16-3: Severe Weather". Here is a quick link to the PowerPoint presentation to assist you while completing the notes: .

Friday:
1. Log on to Quia and complete: "Chapter 16 - Sections 3 & 4 Online Quiz". You are permitted to attempt the quiz two times. Only your best score will be counted for a grade. You are permitted to use your notes, book, and the internet.

2. After the quiz, complete: .

CH 16-3: Severe Weather (Notes)

Weather Websites and Yesterday's Weather Map

Edheads - Weather: This website will introduce you to basic weather reporting and forecasting techniques.

National Geographic - Forces of Nature: This website allows you to explore interactive information on hurricanes, tornadoes, volcanoes, and earthquakes.

Station Model Link : This website provides some information on how to interpret a station model on a weather map.

Weather World: This informative weather website contains forecasts and other features produced by Penn State University.

Yesterday's Weather - April 4th, 2011 (about 7 P.M.):
Yesterday started out as a relatively warm and humid day due to the warm air mass that originated from the south. The warm front symbol on the weather map signals the boundary of the warm air mass on the surface.

You may have noticed that intense thunderstorms went through our area last night. Also, when you woke up this morning, the air temperature was much colder. The intense precipitation and colder weather was a result of the cold front that you see on the weather maps that were taken from the weather channel at about 7 P.M. last night.

English 8 and Advanced English 8: "The Diary of Anne Frank" Act One, Scenes 1-3

The vocabulary list is posted for "The Diary of Anne Frank" Act One, Scenes 1-3. You may access the Quizlet website by clicking the link.