Our afternoons are used for mini-projects, often focused on reading and writing.  In addition to the writing and reading that is done throughout our major projects, we also time in the afternoon to read literature in groups and write informative, persuasive, and narrative pieces.

Tesla & Fair Weather

To complement our second quarter project about electricity, we will be reading a short biography about Tesla.  After that, we will read the book, Fair Weather, which will help to introduce our third quarter project.

Population Analysis

At the beginning of the second quarter, we will do a short population and sampling study that integrates genetics.

Writers’ Workshop

During our afternoon writing time, we will be discussing thesis statements and what makes for an effective persuasive argument, as well as the difference between informative and persuasive writing.

End-of-Year Presentations

We will use our writing time during the end of the year to work on final presentations.  8th graders will present to the rest of the school in the Big Room, while 7th graders will present to the rest of our team.

Vex & Tech

Before our final read aloud, we will use some of our afternoon time to explore VEX robotics and creative software applications.

House of the Scorpion

Our final read aloud for the year will be House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer.  This science fiction book explores a potential future where cloning is prevalent.

Read Aloud

At the beginning of the school year, we will have a short read aloud centered around friendship, bullying, and peer pressure that will help us establish goals for our team atmosphere this year.

Lit Circles

After our short read aloud, we will break up into small groups to explore the following pieces of literature:

1. •Andrea - How to Train Your Dragon
   

2. •Brian - Flowers for Algernon
   

3. •Siobhan - Bearwalker
   

Technology Workshop

Before we dive into our first writing project, we will master the technology available to us to create several products including some posters to spruce up our classroom.

Mythbusters

Students will use the scientific method to prove or disprove myths about the world around us.

Writers’ Workshop

During the third quarter, we will continue our exploration of persuasive and informative writing.

Lit Circles

Time for another round of lit circles. We will devote all of our reading time  to literature circles this quarter.

1. •Andrea - Powerless
   

2. •Brian - Lord of the Flies
   

3. •Siobhan - War Horse

Tech Proposals