Parent Communications

The purpose of the weekly homework packet and attached "parent memo" is to provide parents with regular information about the progress and performance of the students in my classes. This week, 24 out of 42 sixth grade students failed to return the signed parent memo from the homework packet. Certainly, this is a concern from the standpoint that students lose "participation points" when this simple communication loop is not closed. However, the much larger issue is that I fear many parents are not keeping up with the kinds of work their students are turning in. The potential for serious academic problems to arise without at least some "oversight" is fairly significant. Please help me to keep your students on track by checking for those weekly homework packets. Thanks!

News from Our German Delegation

We've received our first word from our delegation to Germany. It sounds as if things there are off to a great start. Keep them all in your prayers.

Here's the first report:

We are spending Day one at Otto Hahn. Your students have been wonderful. All are well- some are sleepy. Should be an early night for most tonight. No one is complaining about hunger or homesickness. You should all be very proud of how mature they are behaving.

It is rainy and cold here so enjoy your beautiful weather.

We have a meeting room at the school and the students meet their hosts on the breaks in their common areas. Today we walked some to The River Elbe and through Gettstacht when Anke was not teaching lessons.

Some students rode bikes to school, some were driven and others take the bus. They all leave school at different times but none of them leave until 12:10. some must stay until 2:00.

We have met up with Sebastian Kloth and Sarah Jamishidi who were interns within the last 2 years at Nativity.

We are having a Wonderful time and will go Hamburg tomorrow with the class. Interesting fact: Hamburg has more bridges than Venice. Should be fun.

Take care and do not worry too much! We are getting along wonderfully.

Ungulates?

Here I am. The night after our great zoo trip. I'm tired, but it was such a great day. Still sort of in a "zoo" frame of mind, I happened across this really neat website that deals with the family of animals called "ungulates." Isn't "ungulate" a great word? I thought THIS was pretty interesting. Check it out.

Zoo Math Days -- Thursday

Thursday is our trip to the zoo for Zoo Math Days. We'll be tackling all kinds of real life math problems from comparing sizes of birds in the Zoo to determining the microclimates in Manatee Springs. These real world problems will serve as our transitional activity as we move from the study of geometry to work on number sense and algebra for the last part of our year together.

We are working to prepare the needed measuring tools, and will be gathering information that will be helpful when we arrive at the zoo.

Check the permission slip for a list of helpful things to bring with you to the zoo. Let's pack those lunches, put on our comfy clothes and head off. I'm looking forward to a great day.

Mathematical Perspective and Renaissance Art

Renaissance Art --
The Renaissance patrons wanted art that showed joy in human beauty and life’s pleasures. Renaissance art is more lifelike than in the art of the Middle Ages. Renaissance artists studied perspective, or the differences in the way things look when they are close to something or far away. The artists painted in a way that showed these differences. As a result, their paintings seem to have depth.

One point perspective
The simplest form of perspective is one point perspective. It presumes a single Point, which all others move towards. It Is like looking down a straight road as far as you can see, lines which we know are parallel seem to converge on a single point known as the Vanishing Point. We can see this in the picture of the Agora in Athens. (Below)

To see how both one and two point perspective is drawn, mathematically (geometrically), look at the Java Applet at this website: Java Applet -- Perspective

To draw in one point perspective, draw a horizon line and draw a vanishing point anywhere on the horizon. Lines which are parallel in real life are drawn to intersect at the vanishing point.
All lines travel to the vanishing point in both these drawings.
Distant figures appear smaller but have the same shape and proportions as they would close up.

Two point perspective
This is all very fine if you are looking at a thing face on down a corridor, but what if you are facing the edge of something? This is where 2 point perspective comes in.
We are now looking at an object from slightly above and we can see more of the object in question, giving an even stronger sense of its 3-dimensional form.
By lowering the Horizon Line, we can alter our view of the object to make it seem to loom over our viewers. It is important to remember that the horizon line is always at the level of your eyes, regardless of whether you are looking from above or below an object.
Piranesi used this technique to great effect in his drawing "Fantasy on a Magnificent Triumphal Arch"-1765.

Can you find where the vanishing points are?

A Busy Time of our Year...

Things are starting to get busy here. We've got a lot of exciting things on the calendar in the next few weeks. Here's a partial list. Be sure and check in with your student about all of these "learning opportunities" as we mix the classroom based work with plenty of interactions with our larger community...

• Obert Skye, Well known author of books for children and young people will be visiting with 5th-8th graders in our school library on Thursday, April 10. Mrs. Theis has been working to help students prepare for this special visit.
• Delegations from Finland and China to Arrive A delegation of students from Torkinmaki School, our partner school in Kokkola, Finland will arrive next Monday, April 14 for a two-week stay. Shortly after their arrival, the delegation from Long Cheng Middle School in Liuzhou, China will arrive on April 17. It will be an exciting time as Nativity students share experiences with new friends from China and Finland.
• Cincinnati Zoo Math Days Field Trip The sixth grade will take a trip to the Cincinnati Zoo for Zoo Math Days on Thursday, April 17. We'll spend the day enjoying the zoo while working our way through a variety of mathematical activities prepared by the staff at the zoo. We will need two parent volunteers for this trip. If you would like to join us, please contact me as soon as possible.
• Walk-a-thon Update Congratulations to Katie and Meg Tobin, 5th and 3rd graders, for winning the $50 1st place prize in the walk-a-thon t-shirt design contest. All the entries were terrific and the decision was as difficult as ever. Thank you to everyone who submitted entries for their wonderful artistic efforts. The walk-a-thon is only 2 weeks away (Friday April 18) so please keep working on obtaining sponsors. An additional sponsor sheet is including in this week's home newsletter. Top 2 fundraising students will each win a brand new Wii console. Other prizes including a Sports Plus birthday party, an i-tunes gift certificate, Showcase Theater movie passes and more. Sponsor sheets are due in the school office by 3pm on Thursday April 17. We can always use more parent volunteers. Meet at the school parking lot at noon on Friday April 18th to help out. Thanks! Susan Stegman (702-7897) and Jamie Cusick (673-5033).
• LEGO Engineering Onsite Field Trip Coming to Nativity In a creative way to explore math and science concepts, Nativity will host the LEGO Engineering Onsite Field Trip the week of April 21. Students in K-8 will build a motorized race car from scratch using advanced LEGO parts and pieces from kits not available in stores. Working in small groups and following detailed instructions designed by a LEGO engineer, students will work as a team to build the race car and add an electric motor to race them. The class, intended for K-8 students harnesses the motivational effects of LEGOs to teach math and science (simple machines, forces in motion, gear rations), learning mechanical vocabulary, 3 dimensional shapes, comparing and contrasting objects, extending patterns and listening and following directions. The students from Finland and China will join us. It promises to be an exciting week at Nativity.

March Homework -- Archived

March 31, 2008 -- Welcome back :-)Health -- read pp. 214-219. Answer questions 1-5March 20, 2008 --Have a wonderful Spring Break. See you when you get back :-)March 19, 2008 --Math 63 -- P. 512, problems 20&23.Science -- Egg-speriment write-ups are due tomorrow.March 18, 2008-- Health -- Read the packet on Eating Disorders. Develop 3 questions on the material.March 17, 2008 --Math 63 -- Finish Patty Paper Investigations Section II Assessment.Math 64 -- p. 512, problems 20 & 23.Science-- The Egg-speriment write up is due before you leave for Spring Break.Health -- Read pp. 50-55. Answer questions 1, 2, & 5.Everyone needs Two pencils or Two pens and scissors for class beginning tomorrow.March 14, 2008--Math 63 -- finish Patty Paper Geometry Investigations 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, and 2.5Science -- The "Egg-Speriment" write-up is due BEFORE you go on break.Special Note: math students will need TWO pencils or TWO pens beginning the week of March 17 so that they are able to complete the geometric construction practice that we will do in class.March 13, 2008--Math 64 -- finish Patty Paper Assessment #2.Social Studies -- Read pp. 296-301. Questions 3, 4, 5 on p. 301.March 11, 2008--No homework tonight.March 10, 2008--Math 63 -- your Box "Net" project write-up is due tomorrow.Math 64 -- Patty Paper Geometry, Section I Assessment is due tomorrow.The Europe test will be given next week: March 17 and March 19.March 7, 2008--Science -- finish Invention Convention forms.Health -- complete the Adolescence Survey.March 6, 2008 --Math 64 -- complete the Box "Net" Project packet. Due Friday (3/7).Math 63 -- complete the Box "Net" Project packet. Due Tuesday (3/11).Europe tests are scheduled for March 17 and March 19.March 5, 2008 --Math 64 -- complete the Box "Net" Project packet. Due Friday.Math 63 -- p. 577, 6-12Europe tests are scheduled for March 17 and March 19.March 3, 2008 --Math 64 -- p. 577, problems 6-12Math 63 -- p. 572, problems 4-12