Team 8-2 News
Mrs. Bense, Mr. Frazier, Mrs. Madera, Ms. Waxman
General News!
Welcome to TEAM 8-2! Our 1st week has us off to an amazing start. We are so excited to have the opportunity to help you and your child have a great school year! This 8th grade year will help prepare your student for their high school years and beyond. A news flyer like this one will be sent home on a weekly basis, either by email, or a hard copy with your child, to help keep you up to date with our classrooms and other school activities. We apologize in advance for the length of this first one...we wanted to be sure you had as much information as possible.
We really appreciate those of you who attended Open House,it is always nice to see all those smiling faces, and get a chance to meet all of you! If you still have paperwork at home, please fill it out, sign any necessary forms, and return it to school as soon as possible. If you have any questions, or require any additional forms, please feel free to contact us, or the front office.
This year 8th grade academic classes begin at 7:40 am, so it is very important for your child to be on time each day. Zero Period and After School Camps are not scheduled to begin until after Labor Day. Further information on those will be coming soon!
Hopefully a supply list went home at open house or the first day or the first day ; we have included it here again for you. Students should have their basics with them by Wednesday, as we will begin to set up classroom notebooks, etc. as the week begins. If you have questions or concerns about any of the suggested supplies, please drop one of us an email, and we will do our best to help get them squared away.
Supply List reminders-
LA: 1/2"-1' binder, spiral notebook or composition book, 5 dividers
Math: spiral notebook or 1" binder, college ruled paper, graph paper, 7 dividers ( calculator optional)
Science: 5 subject spiral notebook, folder
Soc St: 1' binder, 5 dividers
All classes use: pencils/pens, glue sticks,highlighters, colored pencils or crayons
***Wish list for all team teachers: tissues, hand sanitizer, Lysol wipes, extra pencils, paper, paper towels, expo markers, ear buds, post it notes…
SMMS Yearbooks are on sale now for $37.00, until September 1st ( order online at)
Upcoming Dates to Remember:
August 8th (Tuesday)-Band Orientation 6-7 pm
August 17th- Honor Roll Breakfast (4th Qt 2016-17 for 7th and 8th graders) 8:45-9:15
August 15th& 17th- SMMS Spirit Day...Show your school spirit,wear your red, white, and blue
August 21- Reading Inventory taken in ELA classes
August 22- Math Inventory taken in Math classes
August 29th- SMMS Spirit Day...Show your school spirit,wear your red, white, and blue
September 1st- Middle School Night/ Chris Gilman Stadium 7-9 pm
September 4th- Labor Day Holiday (No School)
September 5&6th- SMMS Spirit Day...Show your school spirit,wear your red, white, and blue
September 13th- 1st Quarter Progress Reports go home
Language Arts- Ms. Waxman
Greetings!
I have enjoyed our first few days of getting to know your children...what a great group we have! This week we will hit the ground running with completing our "Literary Terms Chart". This contains 30 terms that we will be using throughout the year with both reading and writing work. Students have been introduced to most of these terms in previous grade levels, and are familiar with what they are. My goal in 8th grade is to help them take that knowledge and apply it to the various texts we will be using throughout the year. This chart can be utilized as a resource, as well as a study-guide. There will be an assessment on these terms, so students should focus on terms that they do not have a strong understanding of over the next few weeks. I will be providing them with study aids as we go.
These literary terms tie in directly with our reading and writing focus of "narrative" pieces. The students will have a better understanding of how authors use these techniques to"show" the reader rather than "tell".
In grammar, we will be reviewing the parts of speech, elements of a sentence, and sentence structure in an effort to have students ready to be introduced to the new skills at this level. We will be breaking these down in hopes that the students will have a clear understanding to aide them with their own writing efforts, as well as identifying with strategies used by various authors.
A"Reading Inventory" that will help determine your child's current reading lexile level and interests will be given on August 21st. I will be able to share some of this information with you as the year goes on. We will monitor growth and other progress mid and end of year.
Wednesday we will head to the library, and students will have the opportunity to check out some books for choice reading. Please encourage at least 20-30 minutes of reading each night.,,more information on this to come soon!
We will also be looking at our 8th grade standards, and students will have an opportunity to evaluate their own levels of knowledge of them.
Science- Mrs. Madera
Physical Science- A new online textbook with an in-class only hard copy will be one of many resources used in class. Students will be logging into their school accounts and joining a Google Classroom for science. Along with their personal interactive notebook, students will be asked to turn in assignments electronically throughout the year. Google Classroom is a great one stop shop to see what your child is working on in class.
We will begin exploring topics on the “Nature of Science” during the week ahead.
Our learning goals will include:
1. Lab Safety
2. Scientific Method
3. Engineering Design Process
4. Measurement
5. Steps to a lab write-up
The "Nature of Science" Vocabulary can be found by visiting my Quizlet link below. I will post vocabulary at the beginning of each unit. Science homework will be to review notes and vocabulary. https://quizlet.com/_3ld2rv
We will be completing projects utilizing “trash.” Students may bring in an assortment of recyclable items to be used in their “Trash to Treasure” project. (See attachment).
I look forward to working with you children. I know we will have a great school yer!
Mr. Frazier
Welcome to the new school year and Team 8-2 Mathematics. I’m eager to work with you and your children as we explore new mathematical concepts this year. My goal is to challenge each individual student to achieve his or her academic potential in mathematics.
In the classroom, the students will frequently be challenged with tasks and activities that demand high levels of mathematical thinking that is critical to building a foundation for their future endeavors into High School Geometry and Algebra. It will be challenging, and we will likely experience various frustrations throughout the year. In order to mitigate our frustrations and anxiety, my weekly update will include the current unit of learning, upcoming lessons and learning objectives, key vocabulary, homework assignments, electronic resources, and opportunities for extra credit.
I’ve told each student that “I will do my part in the classroom” to help them grow academically and personally. That being said, students must put forth individual effort to learn the concepts that will be presented this year. I firmly believe that learning mathematics is best accomplished by doing mathematics. In addition to classroom work and activities, the students will be assigned short (5-10 problems) homework assignments at least three nights per week. My goal is not to overload them or you with homework assignments, but to ensure they are provided sufficient practice to learn the concepts. Students will also be required to record their homework assignments in their agenda books for your situational awareness. Finally, there will also be an electronic weekly worksheet that requires them to read and/or think ahead of the current lesson. This optional worksheet can be completed for extra homework credit, but must be turned in no later than the following Monday.
In the end, I’m looking forward to this school year and to working with you and your children. Encourage your children to set mathematical goals, participate in class discussions, to ask questions and seek my assistance as necessary. I’m here for them, and can set aside extra time in the morning to help them achieve their mathematical goals. Please feel free to contact me via email at ajfrazier@camden.k12.ga.us if you have any questions and/or concerns regarding your child’s academic progress.
This week, we will begin by reviewing basic operations with integers and plotting points on the coordinate plane. On Wednesday, we will transition to Unit 1: Transformations, Congruence and Similarity. Our first lessons within Unit 1 will explore angular relationships when parallel lines are cut by a transversal. Please see the vocabulary list and visual aids for more understanding. You are encouraged to review this information with your child and check for understanding throughout the week.
HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTS (See Agenda Books for possible changes)
MONDAY (7 AUG): Basic Operations with Integers
(Problems will be assigned for adding integers with opposite signs)
TUESDAY (8 AUG): None
WEDNESDAY (9 AUG): None
THURSDAY (10 AUG): Find the missing angle worksheet
(Problems will be assigned for Vertical and Linear Pairs)
FRIDAY (11 AUG): None
QUIZ/TESTS
Thursday (10 Aug): Integer Quiz (Re-take)
VOCABULARY
Parallel Lines: Two lines on the same plane that never intersect.
Transversal: A line that crosses at least two other lines.
Vertical Angles: The angles opposite each other when two lines cross. (Vertical Angles are EQUAL.)
Alternate Exterior Angles: Alternate exterior angles are pairs of angles formed when a third line (a transversal) crosses two other lines. These angles are on opposite sides of the transversal and are outside the other two lines. (When the two other lines are parallel, the Alternate Exterior angles are EQUAL.)
Alternate Interior Angles: Alternate interior angles are pairs of angles formed when a third line (a transversal) crosses two other lines. These angles are on opposite sides of the transversal and are in between the other two lines. (When the two other lines are parallel, the Alternate Interior Angles are EQUAL.
Corresponding Angles: Angles that have the same relative positions in geometric figures.
Congruent Angles: Angles that have the same measure.
Linear Pair: Adjacent, supplementary angles. Excluding their common side, a linear pair forms a straight line (180 Degrees).
RESOURCES
1. Learnalberta.ca – Interactive Manipulative (virtually hands-on): http://www.learnalberta.ca/content/mejhm/index.html?l=0&ID1=AB.MATH.JR.SHAP&ID2=AB.MATH.JR.SHAP.ANG&lesson=html/object_interactives/parallel_lines/explore_it.html
2. Mathisfun.com – Virtual presentation with pictures and practice problems:
https://www.mathsisfun.com/geometry/parallel-lines.html
3. MashUp Math (YouTube) – Video presentation of process:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PcMbN46NMA
4. IXL.com – Practice problems
https://www.ixl.com/math/grade-8/transversal-of-parallel-lines
5. Don’t Memorize – Collection of videos to support learning:
https://dontmemorise.com/course/view.php?id=39
6. Khan Academy.org – Collection of videos and practice problems
https://www.khanacademy.org/math/basic-geo/basic-geo-angle/angles-between-lines/v/angles-formed-by-parallel-lines-and-transversals
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Social Studies- Mrs. Bense
Welcome to Georgia Studies! We will start the year learning about Georgia’s geography and climate. Last week we discussed where Georgia is in relation to region, nation, continent, and hemispheres using various maps. This week we will discuss the five regions of Georgia (in terms of location, climate, agriculture, and economic contribution) and locate key physical features and explain their importance.
Students will be creating the following graphic organizers:
· Georgia’s Geographic Regions
· Georgia’s Climate and Weather
· Georgia’s Physical Features
Over the course of the week students will be introduced to the following vocabulary terms and create notecards in class:
Georgia’s Land and Climate
Erosion, fault, elevation, Fall Line, region, aquifer, precipitation, weather, climate, drought, hurricane, tornado, swamp, marsh, barrier island, estuary, wetland
The following online study tools have also been created:
Study Stack
https://www.studystack.com/flashcard-2255120
Quizlet
https://quizlet.com/217377806/georgias-land-and-climate-flash-cards/?new
At the end of the week students will choose one region of Georgia and create a postcard. A rubric will be provided detailing what is to be included.
We will also set up our notebooks this week, so please have your child bring their notebook and dividers to class.
I am excited to be your child’s Social Studies teacher! If you have any questions feel free to contact me.
Teacher Contact Information
Mrs. Bense- tbense@camden.k12.ga.us
Mr. Frazier- ajfrazier@camden.k12.ga.us
Mrs. Madera- kmadera@camden.k12.ga.us
Ms. Waxman- bwaxman@camden.k12.ga.us
Location: 205 Martha Drive, Saint Marys, GA, United States
Phone: (912)-882-8626