daw.com - February 15


 It was a great week with the class completing their two main projects.  The first was a written piece on the nature part of their Biomimicry project.  We used the boxes and bullets form to collect information then wrote the 4 paragraphs needed based on this information.  Finally we did the introduction and conclusion.  When it was all completed I asked the the students to add in photos, charts or diagrams to support their writing.  Since this piece is a non-fiction article, these last pieces are part of the final writing.  Next we will be writing stories that take place during and important historical event.

Secondly we completed out Biomimicry projects.  Students did one of three things for their project and then presented it to me and to a small group of students in the class.  Some students constructed a model, some students used a poster to explain their idea and the rest did an electronic version with either Powerpoint or Keynote.  Overall, I was impressed with the work I saw.

Our math has moved into multiplication of unit and non-unit fractions.  This is a very important part of this unit as it will form the basis for all fraction work in the coming years.  There are a number of lessons on this, one model to learn and a bakery project to complete.  It is a lot of work and students are going to need to stay on top of this work to complete it all.  I expect the unit to finish by the first week of March.

Today the course selection form for Middle School went home.  Students need to select one language and one of the electives.  Explanations of all the choices are on the back of the form.  If you have any questions please feel free to contact me.

The students decorated our door for CNY and they did a wonderful job.  There is a picture of this with this letter.

We have started Genius Hour projects this week with students deciding on their topic and who they are going to present to.  They will then have about 6 periods to complete their project, 1 period to practice and then present their project.  For this set of projects I have asked students to show that they are going to learn.  

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please let me know.  I will gladly set up a time to meet with you.