Winter Break

HAPPY WINTER BREAK FOLKS!!!!!!!!!

Enjoy your time away from school, appreciate people in your life, try something new, relax, play, and READ DAILY!!!

Here are the most updated grades that I sent home to families on 12/19. Term 2 ends in mid-January:

Michael's Class Grades - Term 2 - 12/18/19

If you need some support finding a good fit book for you to be reading check out some of these lists and options:

Books Middle Schoolers Should Read - Michael's Class

OBOB Book Titles 2019-20

OBOB Book Titles 2018-19

SES QSA 2019 Book Drive List

Michael's Class Reading Recommendations - What is a book you read in the last two years that you recommend and why?

Jonah → Bone → it was engaging
Cassius → Paper Towns → Fast-paced
Alex → Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian → plot twists
Wyatt → Gone → characters developed well… it was good. Liked the story…
Orion → Ari and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe → the characters seemed real… quick read
Maddox → the Dark Secret … Wings of Fire Series → dragons are awesome
Vanport → One Punch Man → Funny dialogue and the monsters were hilarious… the whole series gets broken down in a few pages… Is he good or evil?
Basilia → Batman! → Tells multiple perspectives in a way of having a hero without gruesome deaths and pride
Georgia → Library of Souls (Mrs. Peregrine series) → intense story and characters felt real and a satisfying ending
Jasmine → Carry On → well-written and seems like is actually happen (set in the modern world… you can connect with them)
Lucy → Paper Towns → John Green’s humor struck me
Will → Harry Potter → engaging and fantasy was cool
Haviva → On the Come Up → the book effectively connected you to the characters even if you didn’t share that much in common
Zack → the Voyages in the Underworld of Orphan’s Black → Intense… can feel those character’s emotion… get all the feels… lots of action
Ian → Crash → well read and relatable
Leo → Hate U Give → Police brutality and it’s impact… discrimination … standing up for yourself
Laura → On the Come Up → Intense and it seems like something that is happening right now in America
Abhaya → Blended → a good story … things happen that are real that was informing that not everyone understands… the story of being in a racially blended family going through a divorce… police brutality and racism are involved in this story.
Lucien → Maze Runner → detail to the point that reading it felt like a movie in your mind
Joseph → Guts → relatable and informational dealing with the fallout of getting sick in school and the bullying that went along with it.
Joaquin → Old Man on the Sea → A break from the modern world… set in the early 1950’s in Cuba… a starving fisherman going through a big battle with a large fish while out at sea… slow start but once I got passed that part it was incredibly engaging
Caleb → Lord of the Flies → an intriguing plot that was intense and unpredictable…
Logan → The Crossover → written like a poem, but flows real well
Oabiloe → Magnus Chase and the Ship of the Dead → part of a series involving a ship of toenails and a bank… I could connect to the character
Ruah → How it Went Down → based off a true story involving a racialized shooting… it goes through the different perspectives involved in what went down

12/19

I hope you all enjoyed your mini-classes today!!! Share a highlight with someone from your family.

What book are you going to read over winter break???

Tomorrow is the last day before winter break. It is also the day we will celebrate our secret snowflake.

Please consider the following regarding Secret Snowflake:

You can deliver a homemade gift or something under $4.99 (total for the entire week) either Wednesday or Friday. Here is a list of some of the feedback folks who were in school shared today. If you need support with this I always have back-up and extra to help people out...

Secret Snowflake 2019 - Things to Know
Michael → Personalized notes with a specific detail are most meaningful to me
Cassius → peace tea, any flavor of (normal) Lays chips
Alex → Peace tea, gum
Oabiloe → Root beer, gum, chips (potato style)
Will → peppermints, skittles, chips (gluten free)
Maddox → I like small cute art supplies
Vanport → sweedish fish, arizona, recess peanut butter cups
Lucy → Takis and yea
Emmie → Takis
Laura → gum and M&M’s
Abhaya → sour patch kids and Almond Joys
Jasmine → peppermint and milk chocolate
Georgia → art supplies, small plants, and candy
Basilia → jolly ranchers, dr. pepper, art supplies
Jonah → peace tea, candy (except for dark chocolate) + chips
Lucien → M&M’s, pepsi, and jolly ranchers
Joseph → peace tea, spiiiiicy chips
Caleb → peace tea, chocolate, and BBQ chips
Logan → soda, chips, and milky way
Joaquin → Takis, dollar store Mr. Shasta (the ‘other’ version of coke), smarties
Wyatt → Soda, candy
Leo → Gum and chips
Orion → gum, chocolate, and root beer
Haviva → coke and takis

Absent: Ruah, Natalie, Ian, Gavin, Zack

12/18

I hope everyone enjoyed their mini-classes this afternoon.

Tomorrow we will be in core class from 8:45 - 9:30 and 2:50 - 3:15. The rest of the day will be spent in your mini-class.

We will start our day in core with silent reading like we do every Thursday. Be sure to have silent reading material in class tomorrow morning. We will also use that time to discuss our Winter Break Reading Assignment.

You have no other homework (besides your 20 minutes of daily reading) due tomorrow.

12/17

HW due Wednesday: 

1. Winter Break Reading Assignment

2. Secret Snowflake begins tomorrow. You can deliver a homemade gift or something under $4.99 (total for the entire week) either Wednesday or Friday. Here is a list of some of the feedback folks who were in school shared today. If you need support with this I always have back-up and extra to help people out...

Secret Snowflake 2019 - Things to Know
Michael → Personalized notes with a specific detail are most meaningful to me
Cassius → peace tea, any flavor of (normal) Lays chips
Alex → Peace tea, gum
Oabiloe → Root beer, gum, chips (potato style)
Will → peppermints, skittles, chips (gluten free)
Maddox → I like small cute art supplies
Vanport → sweedish fish, arizona, recess peanut butter cups
Lucy → Takis and yea
Emmie → Takis
Laura → gum and M&M’s
Abhaya → sour patch kids and Almond Joys
Jasmine → peppermint and milk chocolate
Georgia → art supplies, small plants, and candy
Basilia → jolly ranchers, dr. pepper, art supplies
Jonah → peace tea, candy (except for dark chocolate) + chips
Lucien → M&M’s, pepsi, and jolly ranchers
Joseph → peace tea, spiiiiicy chips
Caleb → peace tea, chocolate, and BBQ chips
Logan → soda, chips, and milky way
Joaquin → Takis, dollar store Mr. Shasta (the ‘other’ version of coke), smarties
Wyatt → Soda, candy
Leo → Gum and chips
Orion → gum, chocolate, and root beer
Haviva → coke and takis

Absent: Ruah, Natalie, Ian, Gavin, Zack

12/16

HW due Tuesday:

1. Bring choice reading material to class!!!!!!!!

2. We will be having an open E-Core geology post-assessment tomorrow afternoon. We will spend part of our morning further preparing. It will include asking you to respond to 2 of the following unit essential questions with evidence from our learning:
-How are earth's systems interconnected?
-How does geology impact my life and human beings?
-How is geological evidence gathered and used

We will determine our secret snowflake plan of action tomorrow morning

How Does Our Earth Work? - Project Write-Up

HW due Friday: 

 How Does Our Earth Work? Individual Interactive Project due tomorrow

As you wrap up, check on the rubric on the orange packet (or page 4 on the link above) to make sure you are meeting all requirements. Your work should include a Connections Web and Project Write-Up (we worked on this for over an hour and 30 minutes in class today... some of our instructions for the write up from class are included below).

Also, consider volunteering to help out as a tour guide in our classroom or to sign up for other service learning opportunities throughout the rest of the school community tomorrow. 

Riparian Festival - Michael's Class Tour Guide Sign-Up 

How Does Our Earth Work? - Project Write-Up - Student Examples

Project Write-Up Requirements:

1. Restate the question
2. Answer the question
3. Cite at least two specific examples to support your response. You need to include the sources for each example.
4. EXPLAIN how those examples support your response. 
5. Include at least one connection.

Citing Sources:

Included in the sentence → 

• According to _________
• As shown in _________
• _____ demonstrates that …

At the end of the sentence in (parenthesis). 

• … that is why this is such an important fact (OMSI Earthquakes Lab)
• … 57 people died in the Mt. St. Helens eruption (Mt. St. Helens - NewsELA.org)

Bonus → include a “Works Cited” at the end of the response listing all the different sources that you used
EXTRA BONUS → use easybib.com to create a formal Works Cited page to go along with your response.

12/11

HW due Thursday:

1. Tomorrow your interactive project is technically due at the end of class. You should spend time tonight working on it (anywhere between 15-40 minutes would be appropriate) with the understanding that you will have one hour to work on it in class tomorrow.

That said, I don't need you to have your entire project in class until Friday morning. Tomorrow in class is going to be a busy, messy day as finish up our group work and I would hate to see any projects get wrecked amidst all the work. It is ok if you don't bring your interactive project into class tomorrow with the understanding that it must be there by Friday morning.

We went over the project write-up in class this afternoon and will work on it together in class tomorrow morning.

The Riparian Festival is Friday from 5:30 - 7:30.

Service Learning Opportunities:
If you are interested in working to get some service learning experience hours there are many opportunities available at the Riparian Festival. You can sign up to help out as a tour guide in our classroom here Riparian Festival - Michael's Class Sign-Up (this is also hanging on the Agenda Board in class) or to help out around the school, including in the cafeteria, art room, or library on the sign-up sheet that we will pass around tomorrow at school. Start thinking about if you are available and what you would like to do. 

12/10

HW due Wednesday:

1. Continue working on your  How Does Our Earth Work? Individual Interactive Project.  It will be due Thursday at the end of the day. We will work on the project write-up together in class on Thursday. Tonight you should spend at least 17 minutes on the project.

Tonight you could make use your homework time to make sure you have completed the Connections Web (page 4 of the document linked above) that we started working on in class on Monday. You should be connecting the main geologic concept of your project to at least 3 other geologic concept. For each connection you need a 1 sentence explanation detailing how these two concepts are connected and an image. A reminder that this connections web will be on display in front of your entire project at the Riparian Festival.

The Riparian Festival is this Friday from 5:30 - 7:30. We will have sign-up opportunities for service learning experiences at the festival in class tomorrow afternoon. 

WEEKEND HW

HW for the weekend...

Yes, you do have homework this weekend. This is also the only weekend of the entire school year where I am saying it is ok to not read for 20 minutes each day.

Instead of reading for 20 minutes daily this weekend, I want you to work on your  How Does Our Earth Work? Individual Interactive Project for a total of 40 minutes. You will get a full hour to work on your project in Art on Monday. Please bring any necessary materials. The entire project is due by the end of class on Thursday, December 12th. A reminder that we will work on the write-up and connections web in class on Thursday.

We will start Monday morning with silent reading to make up for it. Please bring reading material.

12/5

HW due Friday:

1. Just like last night, continue to work on your How Does Our Earth Work? Individual Interactive Project - Work on this for another 23 minutes today for HW. Do you know the geological concept you want to focus on? The research question that will guide your project? Can you find enough information about it? How will you show your learning in an interactive way? Can you access the materials you need? Bring in any materials you need to work on this in class tomorrow. 

12/4

HW due Thursday:

1. Reed College Cooley Art Gallery
a. Extra Credit --- Come with three facts about our exhibit tomorrow: https://www.reed.edu/gallery/
b. We will be eating lunch in the cafeteria. You can bring a lunch or buy one there (no more than $9, 1 special treat, and no caffeine).

2. How Does Our Earth Work? Individual Interactive Project - Work on this for 23 minutes today for HW. Do you know the geological concept you want to focus on? The research question that will guide your project? Can you find enough information about it? How will you show your learning in an interactive way? Can you access the materials you need?

We will work on this more tomorrow in class after our field study. Bring in any materials you may need for your project into school tomorrow. 

How Does Our Earth Work Online Resources

How Does Our Earth Work - Individual Research Project - 2019

Consider while using one of these online resources... Will this research question work for you? Are you engaged, curious, and confident? Can you independently access enough information? Can you figure out how to share your learning in an interactive way? What materials will you need?

Online Research Resources:

KidsGeology

Its OK To Be Smart YouTube Channel

Crash Course - Earth Science

OPB Oregon Geology Tour - Video

Mt. Hood Fault Lines

Mars InSight Landing

Bill Nye - Earth Science Home Demos

12/3

HW due Wednesday:

1. Geology Vocabulary Card: create a vocab card with the word, definition in your own words, and image for one of the following volcano terms...

• Shield Volcano
• Composite Volcano
• Caldera
• Volcanic Soil
• Crater
• Ring of Fire
• Hot spot Volcanoes. 
• Cinder Cone Volcano
• Vent

OTHER HW: 

Consider what geologic concept, research question, and interactive project you might do for your How Does Our Earth Work - Individual Research Project - 2019.

***Sarah Kastrup came and talked to us Monday morning about an awesome service learning opportunity in the coming weeks working with folks at the retirement community on 60th and Division to connect, listen, and work with them to help write some of their stories.

If you are interested it would require you to go with Sarah to the retirement community on Friday, 12/6 for roughly 1 hour at 10:00 AM. You would miss school and need parent permission. You would then work with Sarah to write their stories. You would go back to share and celebrate on Wednesday, December 18th at 10:00 AM with Sarah. ***

12/2

Welcome back to the world of school folks!

HW due Tuesday:

1. Post Conferences Student Reflection  --- If your family hasn't had their conference yet, check to make sure they have one scheduled and then complete this reflection once it is over.

Extra Credit: What is one thing you read over the Fall Break and what did you think about it???

***Sarah Kastrup came and talked to us this morning about an awesome service learning opportunity in the coming weeks working with folks at the retirement community on 60th and Division to connect, listen, and work with them to help write some of their stories.

If you are interested it would require you to go with Sarah to the retirement community on Friday, 12/6 for roughly 1 hour at 10:00 AM. You would miss school and need parent permission. You would then work with Sarah to write their stories. You would go back to share and celebrate on Wednesday, December 18th at 10:00 AM with Sarah. ***