8th WordMasters

8th ELP students have started learning the second round of WordMaster words. They will meet in the ELP room each Wednesday in February. The schedule for this session is...

Wednesday, February 1, 2012: Word cards for words 1-12 due
Wednesday, February  8, 2012: Word cards for words 13-25 due
Wednesday, February 15, 2012: Review all 50 words
MONDAY, February 20, 2012: TEST in the Media Center


 The new words are....

pariah	deplete	virulent	insurrection	renege	histrionic
upshot	debase	relentless	paragon	avow	baleful
serendipity	parry	fervid	microbe	inhibit	dogged
ember	instigate	baroque	mishap	recant	dogmatic
rubble	dogma	relent	inhibition	debasement	depletion
virulence	instigation	disavow	avowal

7th WordMasters

Homework assignments:
Thursday, January 26th: 12 word cards due
Thursday, February 2nd: All 25 word cards due

ELP Seminars

Students established academic and social goals during the first ELP Seminars in August and September. The second set of seminars, based on the student established goals,  will take place in January. Students will be notified which period to attend.



Developing Organization Skills: Friday, January 12th
Practicing Test Taking Skills: Tuesday, January 17th
Publishing Your Writing: Monday, January 23rd
Public Speaking Skills:  Tuesday, January 24rd
Developing Leadership Skills: Monday, January 30th

National Geographic Bee

AMS students have the opportunity to participate in the National Geographic Bee  The class bees will take place December 12-16, 2011 and January 2-6, 2012 in Social Studies (6-7) or American Studies class (8). 

7-8 Grade level bees will be held on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday, January 9-11th. The school competition (6-8) will be held on Thursday, January 12, 2012 in the 7-8 ELP Rooms. Mr. Peterson  and Ms. Green are the coordinators for the 6th grade. Mrs. Staniforth is the coordinator for the 7-8 grade.

The National Geographic Society provides  resources  for preparing for the competition or just working to become more geographically literate. Check out the following websites and activities. 

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/geobee/sample-questions/

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/geobee/quiz/today/

http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/games/puzzlesquizzes/quizyournoodle-geography-bee/
http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/games/geographygames/quizyournoodle-geography-facts/

Happy Winter Vacation!

Have a wonderful winter vacation. We are looking forward to hearing all about your adventures in January.

Happy New Year! See you in 2012!

Mrs. Staniforth and Mrs. Dixon

American Studies Museum Box

ELP students in Mr. Esslinger and Mr. Kain's  American Studies class worked with Mrs. Staniforth and Museum Box to create virtual displays that explained vocabulary terms about the Civil War.

Students located primary sources from the Library of Congress, the Smithsonian, state university libraries and presidential libraries that illustrated the definition of vocabulary words.

They present their Museum Box to their class on Friday.

Letters About Literature- Final Letter Due!

Completed letters are due on Wednesday, December 14, 2011. Letters should be typed in the appropriate format in a size 12 font. Attach the contest application form and staple in the upper left hand corner.

School information to add to the application form is on the ELP room white board.

Anyone interested in decorating the manilla envelopes that will hold our entries should see Mrs. Staniforth.

December ELP Lunch

8th Grade Letters About Literature

Corrected drafts of the Letter About Literature letters are due on Friday, December 2, 2011.  Letters need to be written in correct letter form (see previously provided example) and free of spelling or punctuation errors.  Reflect on and address remarks made on the first draft. 

LAL Entry forms (previously provided yellow sheet) also needs to be turned in on December 2, 2011. 

The final copy of the letter is due on December 14, 2011. 

            8th WordMasters Review


Students took a quiz using QUIA on the ipads on Wednesday and then worked with flashcards or on analogies using different QUIA sites. 


The WordMaster test is Thursday, December 8, 2011
in the AMS Media Center during English class. 


Below are some study strategies for preparing for the test. The QUIA sites listed below could be used for review as well. 


Quiz:   http://www.quia.com/quiz/3395403.html
Games:       http://www.quia.com/jg/2353949.html
Analogies: http://www.quia.com/quiz/748000.html?AP_rand=1133814609 or http://www.quia.com/pop/121238.html?AP_rand=2140180619




•   Review flashcards to assure understanding of the   vocabulary words.
•   Group WM words as many ways as you can. Synonyms? Antonyms? 
•   Match WM words to types of analogies used on the test. 
•   Practice solving analogies. 
•   Analyze analogy forms. 

brace

WordMasters Vocabulary Cluster Group

This week students deepened their understanding of the vocabulary words by sculpting them out of clay, drawing cartoons, or acting them out. They also compared and contrasted definitions to see which words fit together in the analogy patterns used by the WordMaster contest.

Using a visual thesaurus will also help students understand the definitions. Visuwords  is a free online thesaurus that shows word maps for each words and helps students see the connections between definitions. 

Visuword website

vestige

Homework:  Study the words and definitions.  

November Learning @ Lunch

ELP Lunch: Paper Plate Geometry

Join us for lunch on Tuesday, November 15 and create some beautiful geometric sculptures out of paper plates!  Choose whether to continue working on the giant pyramid or learn a more complex folding pattern to create paper plate polyhedra. 

Science Fair of Iowa: Research Plans Due

Reminder:  Research plans for science fair projects are due on November 15.  These will not be final drafts, but they should be sufficiently well thought out that not too much revision will be required.  Final drafts are due on November 18, along with Form 1B and the SSTFI permission form signed by parents.  Anyone who would like feedback while creating the research plan may email a draft to Mrs. Dixon (janet.dixon@ames.k12.ia.us), and comments will be provided.

AMC 8 Tuesday, November 15

The AMC 8 competition will take place on Tuesday, November 15.  This is an international math competition sponsored by the Mathematical Association of America and aimed at eighth grade students.  In 2010 over 150,000 students participated worldwide.  The problems are more challenging to solve than those typically encountered in the grade level curriculum, but they do not require knowledge beyond the eighth grade curriculum.  The challenge is in insightful and creative problem-solving.  The competition is a 40 minute, 25 question test.  All Algebra and Geometry students will be taking the test during their math classes.   All 7th and 8th grade Math students (not in Algebra or Geometry) who signed up for the test will report directly to the Media Center at the beginning of 2nd period.  The only materials needed are a couple of number 2 pencils and an eraser.

If you are participating in this competition and would like to find out how to make your experience more enjoyable and successful, join Mrs. Dixon for lunch in F102 on Monday, November 14.  Test-taking tips and problem-solving practice are on the agenda.  

8th WordMasters

Eighth grade students began their study of WordMaster words this week. After taking a pretest over the list of words, students analyzed WordMaster analogy patterns. The first list of WordMaster words include...

stratagem	wreak	fortuitous	aplomb
constrict	equivocal	travesty	slander
astute	debacle	aggrieve	inane
maw	eviscerate	patent	opportunist
wax	myriad	infamy	appease
calamitous	exploit	incite	exemplary
patron	patronage	opportunistic	incitement
equivocate	equivocation	inanity	constriction

 Homework: Due Monday, November 14, 2011: 

Using index cards, write the word on one side and the parts of speech and all definitions on the other side for the first twelve words. 

Homework: Due Monday,  November 21, 2011:

Finish creating index cards for the words #13-25.

Seventh Grade WordMasters

WordMasters, a national  analogy based vocabulary contest, has three sessions a year for four weeks at a time. Students will meet each Thursday in November to practice analogies and learn the definitions of the twenty-five WordMaster words. WordMasters uses Websters dictionary for word definitions.

The 7th grade WordMaster words for this session include:

vestige	brace	comely	dross
stoke	capricious	glut	shirk
resolute	umbrage	exhort	heedless
firebrand	slake	gingerly	deficit
browbeat	shiftless	hankering	confront
bountiful	cudgel	skirt	residual
fuse

Homework: Students create flashcards for words 1-12. The word should be one one side and the parts of speech with corresponding definitions on the other. Students meet again for WordMasters on November 9th.