TOPS 8th grade weekly preview
Hieger, Shannon
Dear families,
Well, what a week it has been. Thank you so much for your patience and flexibility as we all get used to this new schedule, and work through all the glitches. Attached you will find an additional copy of your student’s schedule including the links for each class, for when Schoology inevitably crashes again. We’ve really enjoyed seeing students both in person and virtually this week as we begin this final quarter of middle school.
If your student is learning fully remotely, we ask that you attend one of the TOPS library curbside pick-up times to both return the novel Chains and to receive the next book, Stamped. Curbside checkouts with Mr. Nick are Mondays 10:30-11:30 and Thursdays 2:30-3:30.
Humanities:
We had a very impactful guest speaker from ‘Real Change’ visit our class this week and share his experiences with housing instability over the years. Planting the Seeds groups are wrapping up their work and preparing a presentation to share with fellow 8th graders on May 5; parents will be invited to attend. Next week are the final stages of the writing process, editing and publishing our “Cause of Homelessness” explanatory reports. We will also complete an assessment on our independent novel reading that includes reviewing the major story elements. Social Studies begins our unit on the U.S. Civil War, exploring the guiding question: what does it take for a country to go to war with itself?
For Humanities, live instruction of new content will occur in the morning sessions, and the afternoon sessions will be time to complete and get support on the independent work. Due dates:
Monday, April 26: Essay editing peer/self-checklist uploaded
Tuesday: ‘Disunion’ timeline created into notebook, will be quizzed on in class tomorrow
Wednesday: Final, published draft of “Cause of Homelessness” essay submitted
Thursday: Begin work on Novel Test, planning and practicing, submit by next week
Friday: North/South culture and economies questions into notebook, response to ‘Gathering Storm’ exhibit added to Schoology discussion feature
Math:
It's like the first week of school all over again! This week in person we reviewed safety procedures and spent some time outside getting to know each other. Both groups reviewed material in the afternoon and had independent work time in which students could ask me for help.
This week in math:
- We reviewed quadratics and polynomial material from before break.
- We learned how to factor trinomials when a > 0
Coming up:
- The quadratic formula
- Solving quadratics by taking the square root
Due Sunday (4/25)
- Post Spring Break Review Worksheet
Science:
This Week: We studied the phylum Protozoa. Our notes are being kept on Classkick.
Next Week: We will be looking at protozoans that cause humans to be sick.
In partnership,
Shannon Hieger shhi...@seattleschools.org
Bo Cao by...@seattleschools.org
Dan Bloedel dmbl...@seattleschools.org
Hieger, Shannon
Eighth grade families,
Planting the Seeds wraps up this week with each group presenting to the class about their project. While many things did not go as expected, a lot was learned: the challenges of fundraising, navigating group dynamics, reaching out to agencies, crowdsourcing, and the trickiness of running drives from a distance. This Wednesday they will share their learnings with the rest of the class. You are invited to attend. I will also be recording the presentations and making that available, if you prefer to fast forward to your student’s (there are ten groups after all). 9:05 AM, Wednesday, May 5, link to join: https://seattleschools.zoom.us/j/7604857962?pwd=QkJicG5vNlczbkFUb2k3eUVQdm1Ddz09
Humanities: Next week we begin our reading of Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You. This book explores America’s history of racism and its antiracist activists. If you’re not familiar; it’s young-adult author Jason Reynold’s re-telling of Dr. Ibram X. Kendi’s bestselling Stamped from the Beginning, the Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America. If you would like to know more ahead of your student’s reading, here is a link to an NPR article interviewing the authors including how this content translates to the adolescent age-group. If you would like to preview the curriculum materials including the essential questions, discussion prompts, and additional research components, here is a link to the educator guide. We explore this history integrated with our study of the Civil War. This week we will compare and contrast the culture and economies of the North and South in addition to the ‘Disunion’ event of Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin, and how the pen, in fact, can be mightier than the sword. We connect these to the present by exploring current issues your students would like more people to pay attention to, more people to act on.
Math:
This week in math:
- We learned 5-7: The Quadratic Formula
- On Wednesday we discussed math in high school. We discussed what is typically covered in algebra 1, how to self-assess to make judgements about next year, and traditional math pathways through high school.
Coming up:
- Unit 6 – Statistics
Due Sunday (5/2)
- 5-7: The Quadratic Formula Homework
Science:
This Week: We finished Phylum Protozoa and started Phylum Porifera (sponges)
Next Week: We will focus on phylum Porifera (sponges).
All written work is done on Classkick
Hieger, Shannon
Families,
Is your student able to understand, converse, read and write in another language? Students who can do this may take the STAMP test to receive high school credit for the world language requirement. Are you unsure as to whether this applies to your student? Here is information from the district world language site:
“Take a moment to think about your current language skills in the language that you wish to be tested in (not English). If you can answer "Yes, I can do this fairly easily" to each statement, then you will probably be able to earn at least 1-2 credits when you take the language test. If you can answer "Yes, I can do this very easily" to all of the statements, then you may be able to earn 3-4 credits when you get tested.
- I can understand ideas on familiar topics expressed through phrases, short sentences, and frequently used expressions. [Listening]
- I can understand the main idea and some details in simple texts that contain familiar vocabulary. [Reading]
- I can exchange information with another person about familiar tasks, topics and activities. [Person-to-Person Communication]
- I can use a series of phrases and sentences to provide basic information about familiar topics. [Spoken Production]
- I can write simple descriptions and short messages and request or provide information on familiar topics. [Writing]”
Link to more information: https://www.seattleschools.org/academics/international_education/world_language_credit_testing
Kathy (“Ms. Hanson”), she/her
Katherine Becerra Hanson, M.A.Ed., LMHC
Counselor, TOPS K-8
504 Coordinator, last names A-G
(425) 528-0825 (Teams phone number- best one for remote learning time)
Make an Appointment with Ms. Hanson (click this link!)
Humanities: Student completion of work is entered into the Source every day; it is an accurate, up-to-date account of your student’s efforts. Please check regularly for a strong ending to the year.
Our reading of Stamped next week includes exploring how racist ideas were embedded in the founding of the U.S. government and includes researching various resistance movements in U.S. history. Students will work collaboratively to construct an anti-racist timeline of our country’s history. In our study of the Civil War we will finally learn how the war begins and the important developments surrounding the battle of Antietam and Emancipation. Due dates:
- Monday, May 10: Reading Stamped through chapter 10 and completing notebook responses
- Tuesday: Border State analysis uploaded to Schoology
- Wednesday: Check the Source and follow through on all missing or incomplete work
- Thursday: Research module notes uploaded to Schoology
- Friday: Quiz on the week’s social studies content: beginning of war, Antietam, Emancipation
Math:
This week in math:
- We wrapped up Unit 5: Quadratics and started Unit 6: Statistics
- We reviewed 6th and 7th grade statistics concepts on Tuesday and Wednesday
- On Friday we started into 6-1: Graphing statistics in which we covered box plots, dot plots, and histograms.
Coming up:
- Describing the shape of the data
- Measures of center: Mean, median, mode
- Variability: Standard Deviation
Due Sunday (5/9)
- 6-1: Homework
Science:
This Week: The students took Protozoa and Porifera quizzes on Quizlet. The Phylum Cnidaria was introduced this week.
Next Week: We will continue our study of Cnidaria.
Hieger, Shannon
Dear Families,
There is a slight class schedule change for this Wednesday, May 19: Ms. Hieger will not be in attendance, and instead of Zoom classes, students will have asynchronous work to do for ELA and Social Studies that day. They should still attend their elective, math, and science Zoom classes as usual.
Humanities:
Our reading of Stamped and understanding of the history of racism this week will coincide with our Civil War unit. We’ll learn more about the abolitionist writing of Harriet Beecher Stowe and about Abraham Lincoln and Emancipation. Students are co-constructing a timeline to track the evolution of antiracist thought and action up through today. In Social Studies we’ll learn about General Order 143’s impact on the Union and the contributions of Black soldiers during the Civil War. Primary source Civil War letters will be analyzed to learn about the experiences of soldiers and life at war.
Due dates:
Monday, May 17: chapter 13/14 reading entry and submit entire Reader’s Notebook
Wednesday’s Asynchronous Work: Social Studies: U.S.C.T. primary source evaluation, upload to Schoology, ELA: Find antiracist events from Stamped chapters 1-14 to add to timeline in cooperative group work on Thursday.
Thursday: Research Module #3, Black Resistance Women, uploaded to Schoology
Friday: Analysis of Civil War soldier letter complete and ready to present at next class
Math:
This week in math:
- 6-2: Distributions and their shapes of the data
- 6-3: Centers of Data
- On Wednesday we looked at vaccination rates across the US as well as Stephan Curry’s Basketball statistics. We did this to tie in real world examples of charts/graphs into the math that we are doing. We also looked at a couple of parabolas that have been in the news.
Coming up:
- Variability: Standard Deviation
Due Sunday (5/16)
- 6-2 Homework
- 6-3 Homework
Science:
This Week: the students continued studying the phylum Cnidaria and took a quizlet test on Thursday.
Next Week: The students will be studying the Phylum Platyhelminthes (flatworm- tapeworms and liver flukes)
Hieger, Shannon
Dear families,
Greetings. Attached you will find information about $500 Assistance League scholarships for 6th-11th grade students’ summer enrichment opportunities. Please contact our counselor Kathy Hanson if you have any questions. kbha...@seattleschools.org
Humanities: Our reading of Stamped will next cover antiracist history 1868-1963, including topics such as Ida B. Wells, the 25th Infantry Regiment, Marcus Garvey, the Harlem Renaissance, and Brown vs. Board of Education. Social Studies immerses us in “Life at War” and life on the “Homefront” during the Civil War, using primary sources to understand individuals’ experiences. Due dates:
Monday, May 24: Complete Stamped reader’s journal entries through chapter 18
Tuesday: Present “Life at War” soldier letter analysis (group work from Friday)
Wednesday: Read through chapter 19 Stamped, and reader’s notebook
Thursday: Research module #4 uploaded to Schoology
Friday: Present home-front letter to class (worked on in AM, presented PM)
Math:
This week in math:
- We learned 6-4: Standard Deviation
- We discussed polling, 538, and surveys on Wednesday. We answered the important question of who would win in a fight, an unarmed human, or a goose.
Coming up:
- Bi variate data
Due Sunday (5/23)
- 6-4 Homework
Science:
This week we covered Phylum Platyhelminthes and took a quizlet test.
Next Week we will look at Phylum Nematoda (aschelminthes) and take a quizlet test.