Food Drive

Students have contributed over 1700 items to our food drive project. The effort continues after we come back from the Thanksgiving break.

Please don't forget to pick up a few extra, non-perishable food items to donate to those in our community who need a bit of help.

Friendships Among Girls

I had a number of interesting conversations with parents during conferences about our girls and their various social interactions. It is not unusual for parents, trying to steer daughters through adolescence, to have concerns about the shifting friendship dynamics of this age group. Having spent a lot of years "in the sixth grade," I really understand how confusing and anxiety provoking it can be for caring mothers and fathers to watch their girls struggle with problematic relationships among their peers. It is difficult to know when to jump in and intervene, and when it is better to stand back and let the children work it out for themselves... Boys really do seem to navigate these waters much more smoothly. Here is one piece of research that I found in searching for some kind of "professional" advice or information on this topic. It surely doesn't provide any fixes, but it may feel reassuring to know that this is not an "uncommon" concern... For psychologists to understand the way in which adolescent girls develop in relation to the world around them, it is important to examine adolescent girls' friendships. Close friendships, considered by many social scientists to be the "most rewarding and satisfying of all human relationships" are clearly important for the social and emotional health of all adolescents, regardless of ethnicity, race, or socioeconomic status. What is known about girls' friendships and peer relations is based primarily on studies comparing girls with boys. Although these studies provide important information, they offer little understanding of the diversity of experiences and perceptions of friendships among girls, including the important distinction girls make among types of friends and the nature and quality of these relationships. There has also been little attention given to the ways in which class, culture, race, ethnicity, and sexual identity shape adolescent girls' friendships groupings and even less attention to the ways in which racism, sexism, classism, and homophobia influence the environments in which girls' friendships are nurtured. Early adolescence appears to be especially stressful on adolescent girls' friendships and peer relations, signified by a sharp increase in indirect relational aggression. More typical of girls and more distressful to girls than to boys, relational aggression, characterized by such behaviors as spreading rumors or threatening withdrawal of affiliation, appears to emerge as girls' attempt to negotiate current power relations and affirm or resist conventional constructions of femininity. More research is needed to understand the nature and quality of this negotiation and the role popularity and attractiveness play in the development and configuration of adolescent girls' peer groupings. Friendships can be a source of both knowledge and strength for adolescent girls. They can also be a source of struggle, hurt, and confusion, particularly as girls move into adolescence and begin to negotiate dominant cultural views of sexual relationships, femininity, and appearance. Directly engaging adolescent girls in conversations about such issues and encouraging them to explore together how current power relations are played out in the context of their relationships with other girls and women can provide support as well as opportunities to resist social separations.

Research Agenda: Friendships

• How do girls' friendships and peer relations mitigate or exacerbate the psychological and social struggles of adolescence? What possibilities for support and protective factors exist within girls' friendships?
• How does social location-that is, class, race, ethnicity, and sexual identity-affect the nature of adolescent girls' friendships and peer groupings and influence the forms and meanings of communication among girls, including the formation of cliques, aggressive behavior, bullying, and teasing?
• How do school environments and neighborhood contexts influence peer groupings and friendship patterns?
• How do changing relationships with boys affect relationships between girlfriends?
• How are expressions of closeness and intimacy between girls affected by conventional notions of femininity and codes of sexual and gender "normalcy"?
• What are the strengths and stresses of girls' friendships forged across lines of class and culture?

Map Test Studies

The South America map test was given on October 21. Getting ready for map tests is a process that takes time in class as well as at home. Students prepare map study guides as well as a variety of study aids including flash cards and "flippers" to help them memorize items like capital cities. In the classroom, we lean toward the use of write-on/wipe-off maps and atlases to do the basic preparation work. Here's a great link that I found to help with studying for map tests using on-line flash cards: http://www.flashcardexchange.com/ I'll add this link to the geography links here on the webpage.

Social Studies Board Games

As students completed their studies about North America in the modern era, they made presentations from the 12-Choice Project menu. Many decided to create board games for their project on this material. We had lots! So, we took a class period, after all the presentations were finished, and played board games. Here are pictures from our "game day."

Sister Cities Project -- Laure Quinlivan's Blog

Laure Quinlivan is a local TV reporter and video producer, formerly with the I-Team at Channel 9. She is documenting the Sister Cities trip to Liuzhou, China . You can check in on her travels at her Weblog: Quinlivan in China .

Egg-speriment

More "osmosis and diffusion."

This lab uses raw eggs as a model for the cell.

First, we put the eggs into vinegar. The vinegar is a weak acid which dissolves the calcium in the egg shells and exposes the membrane.

Now that we have eggs without their shells, we've been cycling them through a variety of solutions to see if we can understand the mechanisms of diffusion across the semi-permeable membrane. So far, we've had our eggs in vinegar, water, salt water, and corn syrup.

We're not done yet. Our eggs have a few more transitions to go.

Many thanks to all the parents who donated supplies to help us with this lab.

Cell Models

Cells have functional parts that are responsible for carrying out all the processes of life within the cell. To help us understand how these "organelles" relate to one another in three dimensions, students made models of the cells and their organelles. All of the cell models used zip-top sandwich bags to represent the cell membrane. Other organelles were represented by all sorts of differnt things. In one model, the cell nucleus was represented by a meat ball, another used half of a plum to show this organelle. Cytoplasm was represented by all substances including corn syrup, shampoo, and the insides from an ice pack.

Students said they liked this activity because it was creative. Some said that it was a way to "teach" family members about the parts of a cell. More than a few reported that the really fun part of this project was that it was "messy."

Just one more election piece... These kids are great

Just in case you haven't had a chance to see them, these young people from Atlanta are fun to watch and point to the real truth of our political process and our American system of government. They are right, however you voted, the truth is that we all had the gift and privelege of casting our vote -- however we liked.

Good job!

The "Apple" Lab

In our study of cells, we are spending a lot of our time understanding the processes of diffusion and osmosis. Materials move in and out of cells through a semi-permeable membrane. This is a passive transport function that responds to differences in concentrations within and without the cell.

One way that we have explored these processes is with a lab that used apple slices. We placed the slices into two different solutions: one a highly concentrated salt solution, and the other a plain water bath.

We observed the changes in the apple slices over the course of about 20 minutes, and then discussed what the changes that we observed could tell us about diffusion and osmosis.

Homework Archive -- October

10/31/08--61 Science (room 205) -- choose one question from the list we created about the iodine/starch test. Write a paragraph describing some way that you could explore or test further to answer your question. Questions are listed in the post found on this page.10/30/08--Math 64 -- pp. 58-59, problems 7, 8, 9, 11, 13, 15, 16Social Studies -- Write a paragraph that discusses what you learned during the presidential election project -- either from your own research or from the presentations of other groups.Geography -- North America and Island Nations tests will be given 10/30 and 10/3110/29/08 --Math 63 -- find an example of a bar graph or a line graph to share. Due Friday.Math 64 -- Line Graph for By Golly, By Gum project data.Geography -- North America and Island Nations tests will be given 10/30 and 10/31Social Studies -- list 2 or 3 symbols of American independence. Draw and color a picture of one of the symbols you listed.Remember to finish your Presidential Election project if you didn't get it done in computer class. I will be grading this work over the weekend.10/28/08--Math 64 -- find an example of a bar graph or a line graph to share.Geography -- North America and Island Nations tests will be given 10/30 and 10/31Social Studies -- list 2 or 3 symbols of American independence. Draw and color a picture of one of the symbols you listed.10/27/08--Math 63 -- p. 55, problems 7, 8, 1010/23/08--Math 63-- pp. 52-53, problems 4, 6, 12, 13, 16Math 64 -- p. 55, problems 4, 5, 7, 8, 10Geography -- North America and Island Nations tests will be given October 30 and 31. Students are to prepare a chant, song, or poem about Island Nations and their locations. Due Monday, 10/2710/22/08--Social Studies -- Ch. 23 test tomorrow.Geography -- North America and Island Nations tests will be given October 30 and 31. Students are to prepare a chant, song, or poem about Island Nations and their locations. Due Monday, 10/27.10/21/08--Social Studies -- test is Thursday. Study Guide is on the web page.Science -- cell models are due Wednesday.Geography -- North America and Island Nations tests will be given October 30 and 31. Students are to prepare a chant, song, or poem about Island Nations and their locations. Due Monday, 10/27.10/20/08--Social Studies -- Chapter 23, Culture, and Social Justice test on Thursday. We will review tomorrow.Math 63 -- Frequency Table practice using the "TV in the Bedroom" article.Math 64 -- Lesson 2-1 Foldable notes should include all the vocabulary and at least one example problem.Science -- P. 37, questions 1 & 2.Your cell model is due on Wednesday.Geography -- Island Nations song, poem or chant due Monday, 10/27.10/17/08--Math 63 -- Make the Chapter 2 foldable from p. 49Math 64 -- Frequency Table practice using the "TV in the Bedroom" article.Geography -- Island Nations song, poem, or chant. Due 10/27. Here's a bit of inspiration: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0y8jkfXoX8Social Studies -- Test on Ch. 23, culture, and social justice is scheduled for Thursday, 10/23. Students have a study guide and Chapter review questions from the textbook: pp. 640-641, questions 2,5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 12, 13, 1610/16/08--Math 64 -- Make the Chapter 2 foldable from p. 4910/15/08--Science -- Build an animal cell model. Students have the handout for this activity. Due 10/22.Social Studies -- Read pp. 636-639. Answer questions 1 & 2 on p. 639.Math -- Complete the Shotzee Number Game Report form.Math -- Repair for the Chapter 1 test is due by Friday.Geography -- Island Nations flash cards are due next Friday, 10/17. I will put copies of the flags up here on the webpage.North America map test will be given on 10/30. Island Nations test will be given on 10/31.10/14/08--Math -- students received their graded math tests today. Those who choose to do so may "repair" their grades by working the problems assigned on the "Repair" assignment sheet for each incorrect problem on the test. Due Friday.Geography -- Island Nations flash cards are due next Friday, 10/17. I will put copies of the flags up here on the webpage.North America map test will be given on 10/30. Island Nations test will be given on 10/31.10/10/08--Geography -- Island Nations flash cards are due next Friday, 10/17. I will put copies of the flags up here on the webpage.North America map test will be given on 10/30. Island Nations test will be given on 10/31.Enjoy your long weekend!10/9/08--Science (room 205 only) -- write a few sentences about a way to test or experiment as a way of finding an answer to one of the questions that you wrote during today's "lab."10/8/08--Math -- study for the test tomorrow.Science (room 204 only) -- write a few sentences about a way to test or experiment as a way of finding an answer to one of the questions that you wrote during today's "lab."10/7/08 --Math test is scheduled for Thursday. Students have the study guide.10/6/08 --Math -- the math test is scheduled for Thursday. Students have a study guide (which VERY closely resembles the test).10/3/08--Math -- all math students work on p. 41, problems 8-13, and 16-19Math Test will be scheduled for next week beginning on Thursday. Depending on Terra Nova testing, the test may be administered on Friday, or into the following week. Students will receive a study guide on Monday, but may begin preparing using the Review and Study pages at the end of Chapter 1.10/2/08--Math -- all math students should complete the worksheet for lesson 1-7Science -- complete the chapter 2 vocabulary preview worksheet.10/1/08 --Math -- students should complete the foldables notes for lessons through 1-7. I recommend that students include vocabulary, key concepts, and examples from each lesson in their notes. Due before the upcoming math test which will occur next week.