English Class on April 9th & 10th

You are to complete both activities.

Activity A: Review & Practice

You are to click the link to Quizlet and practice the poetry glossary terms.  You are to follow the steps below for class today.  You will need headphones to complete the steps.  You can repeat each step as many times as you want.

Step One: You are to click "Cards" and go through the flashcards.
Step Two: You are to play the "Scatter" and the "Race" games to review the terms.
Step Three: You are to click "Learn" and complete this activity.
Step Four: You are to click "Test".

Finally, when you feel confident on the terms, you are to complete Activity B.

Activity B: Test

You are to log-on to Schoology and complete the figurative language test in the poetry folder.  You are to try your best because this will be counted for a grade. You can take the test up to three times to improve your grade.  Your final attempts are due on Monday, April 13th.  If you unable to use a computer at home to retake the test, you must see me for a pass to the lab.

If your team won the Grammar Wars competition, you will receive five bonus points on this test. 

When you have finished, you are to read your independent novel.  The next AR Quiz and Citation are due on Friday, April 24th. 

Students of the Month: March

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

Social Studies: Madison W.
Science: Wesley R.
English: Elena E.

Outstanding Supernova Citizen: Aidan K.

Students of the Month: February

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

English: Nick B.
Social Studies: Brooks R.
Science: Sydney S.

Outstanding Supernova Citizen: Lily O.

CH 11: The Flow of Freshwater (Vocabulary)

CMU: Summer Engineering Experience for Girls

Dates: July 13th - July 24, 2015
Information: http://www.cmu.edu/ices/outreach/see/

2015 PSBR Annual Essay and Poster Contest

Informational Flyer: http://psbr.org/images/Contests2015/Contests-Flyer-2015.pdf

CH 10: Weathering and Soil Formation - Vocabulary

English 8 & Advanced English 8: Bonus Opportunities

Bonus Option 1

Black History Month denotes a time of year to celebrate, pay homage, and recognize many inspirational African Americans whose contributions have encouraged society. Breaking the baseball color barrier on April 15, 1947, Jackie Robinson serves as an inspiration for all and forever changed Major League Baseball.

In honor of this historical event and in celebration of Black History Month, the Pittsburgh Pirates have invited our school to participate in the 2015 Jackie Robinson Art, Essay, and Poetry Contest.

To enter, the students need to see Mrs. Porter for the directions and an entry form. All submissions are due to Mrs. Porter by Monday, March 9th.  Mrs. Porter will only send the submissions that have followed all of the directions for the contest.  Any student who enters the contest and follows all of the given instructions will receive 10 bonus points towards his or her grade for the third nine weeks.

Students can also submit their piece(s) on their own by following the instructions on the entry form. All submissions must be postmarked no later than Friday, March 13th. If a student enters the contest on their own, he or she must provide Mrs. Porter with a copy of his or her submission so that the 10 bonus points can be added to his or her grade.

Winning prizes include (subject to change & availability):

- Pre-game awards ceremony with Pirates celebrities

- Special pre-game on-field ceremony for contest winners

- Autographed item(s)

- Teachers of the winning entries will be invited to PNC Park to cheer for their winning student(s)

- One raffle ticket per school per entry for a special Pirates prize

Bonus Option 2

There is also a 2015 Jackie Robinson Breaking Barriers National Essay Contest, hosted by the M.L.B. For more information on this contest, please visit http://www.scholastic.com/breakingbarriers/kids/

If a student enters this contest, the same due dates that are posted above apply. The student must provide Mrs. Porter with a copy of the submission in order to receive the bonus points.

CH 4: Rocks and the Rock Cycle - Vocabulary

How the Earth Was Made - Hawaii

Advanced English 8: Survival Quiz

When you finish the questions, you are to take the survival quiz. The questions are due tomorrow.

Fun Dough Lab

Mr. Wolf's 8th grade science classes used Play-Doh to model and identify various types of stress and faults.

Students of the Month: January

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

Social Studies: Jamison R.
English: Alex G.
Science: Lianna C.

Outstanding Supernova Citizen: Jenna R.

The Science of Earthquakes, Tsunamis, and Volcanoes

CH 7: Plate Tectonics - Vocabulary

English Class & Advanced English Class on Tuesday, January 13th

After you have finished the benchmark test, you have two options:

Option 1: You can work on your Noodletools citation that is due at the end of class tomorrow.  You are required to share your citation with me so that I know you have completed it.  The Drop Box for this month is called Period___: January AR Book. (Remember: Your citation counts as part of your grade on your AR Quiz.)  You will be taking your quiz on Wednesday in the library and your citation is due by the end of class.

Option 2: You can go to No Red Ink and work on a grammar practice activity that I have created for you. (This assignment will not be counted as a grade.)  If you forgot your username, there is a list of usernames on top of the Chromebook cart. Your password is either your student I.D. number or your student I.D. number followed by cmsd.

Science Enrichment Opportunities

The Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge

• Information: http://www.youngscientistchallenge.com/

2015 Summer Engineering Opportunity for Middle School Girls at Syracuse University

• Information: http://projectengage.syr.edu/

The Incredible Edible Earth!: 2014-2015

The Supernova science classes spent time creating edible physical models of the Earth's interior. These models didn't last too long because of hungry Supernovas! Fortunately, the real Earth is not in danger because, unlike our models, it does not consist of SunButter, jelly, chocolate chips, graham crackers, powdered sugar, and honey.

Students of the Month: December

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

Social Studies: Maxwell S.
English: Rachel K.
Science: Estee C.

Outstanding Supernova Citizen: Luke P.

8th Grade Science - Guest Speaker

The 8th grade science classes welcomed Mark Kleinginna to CMS to share his knowledge and expertise in the energy field.  

English 8 & Advanced English 8: Rorschach Inkblot Test

The students pictured above are Mrs. Porter's period 6/7 English class. 

     The students are currently reading the short story, "Flowers for Algernon" by Daniel Keyes.  The story is about a dynamic character named Charlie who is chosen to undergo an experimental surgery to increase a person's intelligence. Before Charlie was selected for the experimental surgery,  he was given a series of psychological tests.  One of the tests that was administered to Charlie was the Rorschach test.     

     The Rorschach test also known as the Rorschach inkblot test is a psychological test in which subjects' perceptions of inkblots are recorded and then analyzed using psychological interpretation, complex algorithms, or both. Some psychologists use this test to examine a person's personality characteristics and emotional functioning. It has been employed to detect underlying thought disorder, especially in cases where patients are reluctant to describe their thinking processes openly. The test is named after its creator, Swiss psychologist Hermann Rorschach. 

      The students assumed the role of a psychologist, created inkblots, and asked three other students what they thought his or her inkblot looked like.  The students recorded their responses and analyzed the results.  The students also decided if they thought this test was an effective way of determining someone's personality. 

     

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

The vocabulary list has been posted for the short story, "Flowers for Algernon" on Quizlet. 

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: Brandon J.
Science: Josh L.
English: Katelyn O.

Outstanding Supernova Citizen: Jordan U.

"Robo-Legs" & "Eureka: Scientific Twists of Fate" Research

  Both of the articles that the students are currently reading in Mrs. Porter's English class contain references to important people and events related to the selections’ essential question: How has science changed our lives? 

    To better understand these topics before reading, the students completed a mini-research project. The students selected a topic at random from an envelope. They were required to find six to eight facts by using the search engines provided by the school's library. The students were reminded to evaluate their resources as they worked. The topics researched were the C-Leg, prosthetics, robots in medicine, Isaac Newton, Dr. Edward Jenner, smallpox, Louis Pasteur, and Alexander Fleming.
    Next, the students met with the other students in the class that had selected the same topic. As a group, they selected what they thought were the six most interesting facts about their topic. Then, they created a poster and shared their information with the class.  As each group shared their information with the class, the students were encouraged to ask the presenting group questions.

   

Science Class: Friday - 12/5/14

You will not be getting into your groups today.  Please complete all the steps in order.

You may complete some of the "Presentation Notes" that are located at the back of your "Energy Research and Presentation Notes" packet while watching the videos.

1. Watch - Hydroelectric Power - How it Works (Headphones Required)

2. Watch - Nuclear Power - How it Works (Headphones Required)

3. Watch - Chain Reaction - Nuclear Power (Headphones Required)

4. Watch - Geothermal Power Plant (Headphones Required)

5. Watch - Biomass in Pennsylvania (Headphones Required)

6. Watch - Fossil Fuels - Electricity (Headphones Required)

7. Watch - Solar Powered House - Bill Nye (Headphones Required)

8. Once you have viewed ALL the above videos, you may use the rest of the time to research your specific energy resource.

• Energy Debate Information and Useful Websites