Tuesday, February 14, 2017

Tuesday, February 14th

Good morning and Happy Valentine's Day! 
The kids know that if they want to bring in something small to exchange today, that would be great (not mandatory). We have music this afternoon, so our time to “party” is limited. 

Projects- Monday the class worked in a banker/investor partnership to complete a stock exchange simulation from 1929. Even knowing the future (Black Tuesday Market Crash) we had a hard time knowing which stocks to purchase and when to sell. We will continue to touch on the stock market crashing and the roll president Herbert Hoover had during the Great Depression. The student’s websites are coming along nicely, I am always so impressed with the fearless creation they have. 

Reading- We studied Flocabulary’s Week in Rap and will work on a couple more chapters of The Outsiders this week. We are getting into some heavy topics that they group is handling very well with excellent conversations. I am so proud of these kiddos. 

Writing- This week we will be working as a group on a new writing assignment that includes taking two testimonies from security guards and creating and informational newspaper article. They have to be sure to include details from both security guards’ accounts, without taking a position as to which account is true. 

8th Reading- We are continuing with To Kill a Mockingbird this week. As we get further along with the novel, the class is beginning to see deeper into the characters and realize that their first impressions may not have been as accurate as they expected. I am loving the discussions this group has had as they delve through the story, they are not afraid to speak up or share their thoughts, even if they go against the grain.