8th WordMaster Schedule

Assignment Dates:

Wednesday, April 4th: 13 word cards
Wednesday, April 11th: 25 word cards

8th WordMaster Words for List III

amulet	enervate	vitriolic	superfluity
liquidate	desultory	peccadillo	abjure
salutary	jetsam	redeem	vitalty
élan	belabor	diffident	dearth
sap	indifferent	foretoken	accrue
enigmatic	gradation	debilitate	sphinxlike
sphinx	refuse	superfluous	vitriol

7th WordMaster Dates

Assignment Dates:
March 29th: Cards 1-13
Week of April 2: Cards 14-25 checked in Lit Block
Thursday, April 12: All 25 cards due

7th WordMaster Words for List III

linchpin	hone	balky	initiative	endure
frugal	mirage	woo	debonair	compatriot
launch	meek	obstinacy	crow	mordant
derelict	begrudge	solvent	keystone	sunder
parsimonious	boor	lament	dauntless	skinflint

WordMasters Update

Students have completed the second exam of the WordMasters Challenge, a national vocabulary competition. The test requires students to apply their understanding of the vocabulary words to challenging analogies. Results for the second meet will arrive soon.

Both grades did very well on the year’s first meet, held in November. 8^th grader Mattie K. earned a perfect score in the first meet. The 8^th grade team score of 187/200 was one point from being a top ten school nationally. 5,490 students from 172 schools competed in the very difficult 8^th grade gold division exam.

Seventh graders earned a team score of 183/200 for the first meet. The top ten schools earned scores from 200 to 186. 28,430 students from 302 schools participated in the first meet.

The third and final round will begin after spring break. The final test will be April 19^th. In addition to reviewing the definitions of the words, comparing and contrasting the definitions and grouping the words will help prepare students for the final exam. 

7th Geo Cubes

Students in Caleb Schaeffer’s 7^th Social Studies classes recently developed Geography Cube displays for the study of Central Europe and Russia.

Small groups of students selected a country and used the five themes of geography (Location, Place, Human-Environment Interaction, Movement, Region) to learn about the country and prepare a presentation for the class.

Students designed visual displays on 12x12x12 cardboard cubes to graphically depict their learning. Creating the visual displays required synthesis and evaluation of the information.  The cubes were used to emphasize main points in their class presentations.

Blank Summer Institute Scholars

Each winter, AMS teachers nominate the top student in their class to be considered for the Blank Summer Institute, a summer program at the Belin-Blank Center for Talented and Gifted Students at the University of Iowa. The ELP staff then gathers grades, test scores and lists extracurricular activities for each nomination. The ELP staff, ASM administration and guidance counselors then review the nominations and select one student for each area to be our school’s nominee. Even being considered for the nomination is a great honor.

Once the selection is made, nominated students write essays, create a resume, request teacher recommendations and in some cases, develop a portfolio to submit with their application.  The Belin- Blank Center makes the final selection for the top fifteen students that will attend the institute. 

Congratulations goes to the following students for earning the tile of Ames Middle School Blank Summer Institute nominees for 2012...

Mathematical Problem Solving: Richard D. 

Advanced Science: Alvin T. 

Creative Writing: Mattie K.

Social Sciences: Isabel M.

Global Studies: Caleb L.

Invention and Innovation: Nick L.

Performing Arts: Ben S.

Visual Arts. Alyssa H.

What Are You Doing This Summer?

Strategy Games ELP Lunch