Medieval Life - Our PBL Begins!Students are busy researching for our

big cross-curricular unit… each social

studies class is its own medieval manor,

with roles from a lord to the farmer /

serfs… these roles form the basis for ELA

research papers and a social studies

model, and this work will culminate in a

festival, to which you will be invited!

The festival itself will consist of

costumes and demonstrations, featuring

showcases from each class - math will

design siege weapons, students will live

their roles and present museum items,

artwork, songs and plays… and, amid it

all will be a role-playing mystery. Part

collaborative and part competitive, this

event will have the manors matching

wits and skills while showcasing what

they’ve learned.

Students conduct research until

February break, and will be diving into

constructing and writing when we

return. Please take a few minutes to talk

with your child about how it’s going!

HS Level Selection!This month, we begin the level selection

process! Students will receive the program

of studies before break, and the official

registration will happen in early March.

Please understand that placement is based

on performance -- current scores and, in the

case of math and foreign language,

placement tests. We cannot place students

based on perceived potential. We will be

meeting with students individually to

discuss their placement and sign their

forms. A letter explaining the process is

linked below.

Should you have questions regarding the

course in which your child has been placed,

please reach out to the individual teacher

for an explanation.

8 Gold Newsletter

Team Email: 8gold@shrewsbury.k12.ma.us

8 Gold Newsletter February 2018

Important Links● Course selection letter

● Level Selection Survey - for all

students

● SHS Program of Studies

● Course Selection Presentation

(shown to students)

● Freshmen Elective Courses

Key Dates● Feb 14: HS Course of studies meeting

for students

● Mar 9: Completed, signed forms due

● Mar 13: Medieval Paper Due

● Mar 14: HS course registration

● Mar 22,26: Medieval Festival

BATH BOMB CHEMISTRY

Students are in the process of creating their initial bath bomb prototypes. These will be given

out on Friday to classmates, teachers, parents, and others for product testing and feedback.

We are looking for feedback that is nice, honest, and helpful. Students will then revise and

improve their initial designs based on the customer feedback they received.

The final bath bomb designs will be presented and sold at a team exhibition in April. The

money raised will be used to fund student projects next year. At that time, students will also

share infographics and explain the science involved.

In the next few days, students will revisit some Math concepts to help them calculate the cost

of goods in order to determine a price for their design.

Science - Mr. Mularella

Forces and Motion

We will soon transition from chemistry to introductory physics. The first unit focuses on

different types of forces and Newton’s Three Laws of Motion. Students will be using some

cool new probes to help them investigate concussions and test the effectiveness of different

helmets.

Sci Fi - another unit finished!To kick off the month, we wrapped up the

science fiction unit, with students completing

their memes (see some examples linked on this

page) and their analytic papers. These scores

are the final factors as we look towards level

placement in high school. Please take a few

minutes to review your child’s work with them;

I am available for extra help and to address any

questions.

Medieval Research We are diving into the research project which

crosses through social studies and ELA, and

culminates in a festival which we hope you will

be able to attend. Students have been

conducting research daily as part of their

classwork and homework each night.

Resources● Medieval Research - main document

● Student Blogs: Period T | E | A | M

● ELA Level Selection Prompt (in

Google Classroom - this is the form)

English with Mr. PizzutoEnglish with Mr. Pizzuto

All research needs to be completed before

February break (students who have fallen

behind may opt to take out materials over

break or use the online resources), so we can

begin the organizing and writing process

when we return. This leads into the festival,

which we hope you’ll be able to attend!

Please note that a full timeline and all support

materials can be found in the main unit

document, linked below.

BlogsStudents are maintaining their blogs, and

should now have several entries -- ask your

child about theirs, as we continue developing

a voice and style appropriate for a public

audience..

Level SelectionAs we move towards HS course selection,

there are several steps kids will be following

for their ELA placement - first, they’ll review

their scores and interests, and complete a

form where they state their case for the level

they feel they’ve earned. Next, I will meet

with each student individually to discuss my

observations and complete their form.

These are a couple examples of the memes students designed… see the back page for more examples, along with a sample of the writing done with them, as we explored ways people distort facts and persuade others.

During the month of January we finished our Islam unit. The unit culminated with a peer

group-based learning project or (PBL) comparing Islam to other major world religions.

The overall goal of this exercise was for students to identify key differences and

similarities between religions. Once students established these key characteristics they

developed a potential plan to enhance the understanding of these religions between

followers.

Students then presented their plan in a Shark Tank format in front of a panel of 5 fellow

students who were portraying sharks from other world religions. Upon the completion of

the presentation, Sharks would decide if they wanted to invest in the plan or not.

Since early February, Social Studies and English Language Arts (ELA) classes have been

collaborating on our Middle Ages Unit. In Social Studies students have been learning the

historical background of Medieval Feudalism, Manorialism and the Medieval Church.

Additionally students have been assigned a role in medieval society that they are learning

about in depth. This assignment will carry over to ELA in the writing of a paper and in

Social Studies in creating a medieval object related to their role. There projects will be on

display for our Medieval Festival that will be coming up on Monday 3/26. Hope you can

all join us on that day!

Social Studies with Mr. Ahlin

Picture Here Picture Here

Since our most recent newsletter in December, students have finished the Thinking with Mathematical Models Part 2 unit. To reach the learning goals in this unit students participated in a variety of lessons, including the Bungee Jump Experiment, in which students created “bungee cords” out of rubber bands designed to give their “jumpers” the most thrilling ride. Some groups were really able to unlock the power of collecting data and using mathematics to make accurate predictions while others learned the importance of collecting accurate data and using appropriate methods of analysis to come up with the best prediction.

Currently, students are working in the Looking for Pythagoras unit, with the unit test being scheduled for next Thursday, February 15th. Unit goals for this unit include:

● Students will be able to understand and apply the Pythagorean Theorem ● Students will be able to understand that the set of real numbers consists of both rational and

irrational numbers

Upon returning from February vacation, students will begin the math portion of our medieval festival as they take a week to design and construct catapults and explore the flight paths of the objects launched by them. Specifically, we will be examining whether the objects follow a linear or nonlinear flight path. Students will conduct a series of test launches so that they can collect data and our mini-project will culminate with a “Storm the Castle Competition” in which students will compete for accuracy when trying to hit a variety of targets.

Math with Ms. Young

Grade 9 Math Placements Information It’s already time for our 8th graders to start thinking about high school! Students took the Math Placement Test on Thursday, February 8th. We do not typically review the placement test in class, but students can see me the week after vacation if they are interested in reviewing their test and score. Unfortunately, placement tests cannot go home with students. I will be meeting with students individually after vacation to discuss their math placement for 9th grade. Please feel free to email with questions or concerns about your student’s placement.

Essential ELAStudents recently finished the Science Fiction Unit. The unit concluded with a collaborative assignment working with students from multiple Teams to develop a mock newspaper about the main events in the novel “Among the Hidden” Students were able to share their work with each other. Sections of the newspaper included crosswords, comic strips, interviews, advice columns and headliners/ front page news! Students worked hard and I am please with each of their efforts throughout this unit.

Application of research skills is our current focus. Locating relevant sources, note taking and incorporation of citations and work cited will be practiced throughout ELA class. The students’ research will focus on the Middle Ages. As a culminating event, students will participate in the Medieval festival with their Teammates!

Essential MathThe New Year brought a lot of excitement to Math class when students collected data through an “online survey” which they created using Google Forms. Once the surveys were completed by their peers on 8 Gold, then together they set out analyze and interpret the data collected. It was a lot of fun with some interesting results. Next we moved on to a Geometry Unit- Learning to use the Pythagorean Theorem. Student have learned how to determine if a triangle is a “Right Triangle” or not, using the formula

a2 + b2 = c2. "The area of the square built upon the hypotenuse of a right triangle is equal to the sum of the areas of the squares upon the remaining sides."

Students should expect to complete the unit early next week...with a unit assessment.

Much of Learning Skills class has been devoted to the Medieval Research paper. Students are reviewing new and previously learned skills.

Basic skill review includes:*Using the Table of Contents and index to locate materials*Scanning passages for facts and relevant details (titles, subtitles, italics and bold print)*Using visuals and reading captions under images for additional information

Additional skills and strategies that will be reinforced include:*Accurate use of NoodleTools*Note taking and citing sources*Maintaining a method of organization for notes * Use of supplementary materials including checklists , word banks and available and a sample outline to assist to determine main ideas and details to research Students are encouraged to advocate for their needs: ask for help if stuck trying to locate information, need clarification on directions and/or are falling behind. We are here to help!Extra help is available before and after school. Students must make arrangements prior to the day the student would like to stay after.

Support with Ms. Barrell

Science Fiction MemesClick on the image to read the analysis and explanation...