Level 4 - Forest Grove Community School

2009-06-02T09:57:00.001-07:00

Final Geometry Updates

-The final assignment: The final version of the TAKE-HOME FINAL EXAM is due Thursday June 4. If you have a time issue, email me by Wednesday June 3, and we can probably work something out. But you need to contact me by then! There is an extra blank copy, as stated in class, in the red "Math Assignments" tray in the classroom on the teacher desk. If you need a copy of part or all of the assignment, please photocopy and put that one back in case others need it. Of course, as always, you can contact me for help if you need it:

b.waldman@fgcschool.org

503-828-5041

-The other final assignment (that I did not tell you in class): please bring in your textbooks this Thursday or next Tuesday to turn them in.

-In these final weeks we've been going full steam ahead with the chicken tractor project. I am quite impressed by and proud of the group for putting so much energy, enthusiasm, and work into the project, from discussion to models to construction. Photos coming soon!

-Brook

2009-05-20T11:39:00.001-07:00

Geometry Take-Home Final Info Page
----------------
Geometry Take-Home Final ….Yippee!

Why a final: There are two purposes for this final: 1) It is for you
to review, refresh, and practice some of the important skills that we
have worked on this year in Geometry; and 2) It is one method for you
to demonstrate to me, as your teacher, what you have learned, so that
I can accurately write about this in your assessment.

As stated in class, this is meant to be in conjunction with another
end-of-year assignment—the chicken tractor project. These two are
meant to compliment each other. Both are aimed at bringing together
some of the various facts and skills we've discussed and learned in
class, and both are methods of assessment (for me to see what you have
learned.) This final is more abstract (not necessarily about
'real-world' situations) whereas the chicken tractor is very hands-on.
These are both important. Also, this final is about your individual
knowledge and skills, while the chicken tractor project is
additionally about working in a team. Again, these are both important
skill-sets.

When it's due: The date to turn this in is Thursday, May 28.
I will review what you have turned in, write notes describing any
areas that need more work or where you have made mistakes, and you
will be expected to turn in a final draft on Thursday, June 4.
Depending on how you did the first time handing it in, the final draft
may involve only a few minor changes, or it could be a lot of major
additions.

What you're expected to use as help: You may use your notes, your
textbook, or me. For the question regarding surface area to volume
ratio, you may use other sources such as the internet. This is meant
to be individual work so I expect you to not consult other classmates.
If you have questions, I am happy to help. I'm often available
during lunch and after school on days that I am here, usually
Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.

How it will be assessed: I will be scoring each problem based on three
parts: your problem-solving process (the methods you use are correct,
so SHOW ALL WORK); mathematical accuracy (your solutions are correct),
and clarity (I can follow along easily, meaning your steps are clearly
labeled and your writing is readable. You may want to type some of it
if you think that will be easiest for you to make it clear and
readable.)

One more note: This is important! I expect you to take it seriously
and put serious effort into it.

2009-05-03T20:19:00.001-07:00

Monthly Geometry Update...

This past month we've been focused primarily on the beginning of our chicken tractor design/build project. This has involved offshoots into scale drawings, creating models from drawings, and sustainable agriculture. We've begun the design process, and will be continuing with this until we have a good set of drawings and/or a model to use for when we do the actual building. We've also begun a foray into Trigonometry, which we will continue during these final weeks.

2009-05-03T10:58:00.001-07:00

Geometry Assignments: Okay folks, I made a mistake on the last posting. Assignment #14 should have read p. 624-5, #1-9, 14-16.

Assignment #15 is p. 625 #10-13, 17-20, 22. due Tuesday May 5.

This means that the two combined (Assignments #14 and #15) are p. 624-5 #1-20, 22.

I apologize for any confusion.

2009-04-28T17:03:00.001-07:00

Geometry Assignments:
(#13 was independent work on the chicken tractor project: research, notes, plans, etc.)
#14..due Thursday April 30..p.524-525 #1-9, 12-14. (You'll need a calculator with sin, cos, and tan keys for this assignment.)

2009-04-15T11:36:00.001-07:00

Reminder for Geometry Students:

All late assignments that are currently due will be accepted no later than Thursday April 23. I am happy of course to provide any help that is needed, but it will take you setting up a time with me outside of class to get that help.

2009-04-07T15:43:00.001-07:00

Geo Assignment #12
Due Tuesday, April 14: p. 555 #9 - 12. Use and write a formula for each problem, filling in what you know and solving for the unknown.

2009-04-01T14:12:00.001-07:00

Geometry Assignments—Spring 2009. Upon request, here is the updated chart...

Number	When it's Due	The Assignment	Notes
1	Jan 27	p. 257 #3,4,6,7,13,14,16 p.262 #4,5,6
2	Feb 3	p. 297 #5-8, [#9,10 bonus]
3	Feb 5	p. 465 #1-6, 9-11, 13, 14, 16 [#17 bonus]
4	Feb 5	Furnishing the Octagon House	See handout or Brook for more details
5	Feb 10	p. 482 #1,4,5,8(1^st part) [#9,10, 2^nd part 8 bonus] p. 489 #1-3
6		p. 349 #5-7, 9, 11-13, 15, 17-19, 28, 29, 32
7		Geometry Party #3
8	March 12	p. 456 #18-25, 29-31, 37, 38, 41, 42, 44-47 [bonus #26-28]
9	March 31	Party #3 Corrections	Optional, see posting or blog for details
10	April 2	Surface Area and Volume Mini Design Project	See blog for details
11	April 2	p. 568 #7-14, 17

2009-03-30T09:30:00.001-07:00

This month in Geometry...

After finishing the mailbox system for Rachel's Level 1 classroom, which looks and works quite well, we've focused on surface area and volume. This has involved: a mini design project that combines creativity, precise calculations, thinking three-dimensionally, and some silliness to create drawings and calculate surface area and volume of such multi-shaped structures as the 'enormous dog-shaped hamster cage', the 'space table', and the 'futuristic space ferret cage'.

We also looked at the significance of the surface area to volume ratio of an object, from igloos to airports, ants to seals, and donuts to water droplets.

And students from both high school math classes worked together to design and build planter boxes to go in front of our high school classroom building. They are at various stages of completion, one that is ready for soil, another quite close, and a third still in the design and layout stages. More to come on this in the upcoming weeks...

2009-03-12T16:27:00.001-07:00

Geometry Mini-Design Project...Objectives, Explanation, and Time line

Objectives: -Learn/review concepts of volume and surface area and of applying volume and surface area formulas to solve problems.

-Practice thinking in 3 dimensional space and representing that space in 2 dimensional diagrams.

Each student is to design a 3 dimensional figure that includes at least one of each of the following shapes:

-prism

-cylinder

-sphere

-cone

-pyramid

There should be at least three areas of intersection. (I encourage you to have objects intersect on flat planes and not curved surfaces.) You may use portions of shapes instead of the full object (like a hemisphere instead of a sphere, for example.)

Possible suggestions for the design are: a super-duper hamster house, space station, underwater home, etc. Also, you are asked to come up with a reason that your figure's surface area and volume might need to be measured (a special space-proof wax that needs to coat the whole exterior surface, for instance.)

Your drawing(s) should be clear enough, with dimensions labeled, to accurately determine the surface area and volume of your figure. You will need to determine these measurements, and then you will eventually exchange drawings. Your new task is will be determine the surface area and volume of the figure given to you by another student. Finally, you will check the work of the person who received your original design.

For all calculations, you should include clearly the separate parts that you calculate, so that if there is a discrepancy between your work and the other person that works on your design, it will be easy to go back and see where possible mistakes were made.

The time line:

Due Tuesday March 17: Bring to class drawings with dimensions that you can find the volume and surface area of. You will have some time in class to do the actual calculations and ask questions. (I recognize that this may not be entirely clear as we haven't yet worked with volume, but my hope is to give you time to ask questions as you go, and that you'll learn by doing. I am of course available for whatever help you need.)

In class on March 17 you should be able to complete a clear and detailed drawing to give to someone else.

Thursday March 19: Turn in the calculations for the design given to you (total volume and surface area.) If you are crammed for time or need extra help, you can take the option of working during study hall the following day and turning it in on that Friday, March 20.

After break: Students will check each others' work and determine where there are differences and what happened if students get different calculations for the same design.

2009-03-11T16:10:00.000-07:00

Corrections for Geometry Party #3 due Tuesday March 31.

This is optional. Here are the instructions that are also posted in the classroom...

Math Party/Test Corrections

Tests should be, like the rest of school, part of the learning process. If you want to improve your test score and improve your understanding of the material, you can do CORRECTIONS for that test. Here's how:

1. Use a separate sheet of paper. Write your name and "Corrections" at the top.

2. For each problem that you want to correct, write the problem number and the full problem.

3. Write out your new solution to the problem, showing every step of your process.

4. Explain in a sentence what you needed to do that you missed the first time.

5. Staple it to the original test, and put it in the math assignment box on the teacher's desk.

You may use any resources for this: look at the text book, ask me, ask a friend for help, etc. You should not, however, simply copy someone else's work.

For every problem that you correct, you may get up to half of the points back that you missed the first time around. The credit you get back depends on how correct and how thorough your explanations are. As always, let me know if you have any questions.

-Brook

2009-03-02T09:36:00.001-08:00

This month in Geometry…

Our first design-build commission! (If you can call it a commission if we don't get paid, I'm not sure.) Rachel, an FGCS Level 1 teacher, saw our mailbox cubbies and said to me how much she liked them and how much she'd love something similar for her classroom. So our next class period we headed as a group over to Rachel's classroom, and she gave us her parameters: the spot in the classroom where the mailbox set will go; it needs to hold papers for all of her students, a place to store work overnight; it should hold papers without needing to fold or bend them too much; it cannot stick out too far from the wall so as not to impede site. The group went to work that period and came up with a rough idea of a design. The next period they had refined the design and done most of the layout and the cutting. This week we hope to paint and install the completed product. Photos on the way…

As for specific Geometry topics, students practiced multiple ways to create right angles, including the well-known Pythagorean theorem. We studied properties of circles. And currently students are honing their skills for solving area problems for two- and three-dimensional objects. This will be useful with further projects in class this spring, and of course endless applications in life beyond class.

-Brook

2009-02-24T15:29:00.001-08:00

Geometry Assignment #8
We are working on area problems, which will be important for future projects. Also, we're working on communicating math problem-solving processes clearly. This is a somewhat longer assignment than usual and will be scored on clarity of your problem-solving process (make sure you write equations for each problem that explain the way you solve it) and on accuracy, like a test.
p. 456 #18-25, 29-31, 37, 38,41, 42, 44-47.
Bonus: #26-28;
Another Bonus: prove the area formulas for trapezoids and/or parallelograms.
The whole assignment is due Thursday, March 12.
To help you work away steadily at it, and to be signed off for Friday fun, you should have at least 6 problems done by Friday February 27, and 12 problems done by Friday March 6.

2009-02-17T15:13:00.001-08:00

Geometry Party (Test) on this Thursday, February 19.
See the handout or contact me for more details.
-Brook

Biology

2009-02-15T11:57:00.001-08:00

Our High School out and about activity this week was a service
project to Ash Street Field. We put protective sleeves on some new
Oregon Native White Oaks. The student teams garnered high praise
from the Volunteer Coordinator, Bonnie, who said they did even better
work than her paid contractors! We hope to return to the site later
this spring to check the health of our "adopted" trees.
-Rochelle

2009-02-10T21:11:00.000-08:00

Geometry Assignment #6...Due Tuesday February 17.
p. 349 #5-7, 9, 11-13, 15, 17-19, 28, 29, 32.
[bonus: p. 317 #17, 18]

2009-02-05T15:28:00.001-08:00

Geometry Assignment. Due February 10, 2009. Four word problems about the Pythagorean Theorem, and 3 problems for practicing the distance formula.
p. 482 #1,4,5,8 (first part of 8) [bonus: #9,10, 2nd part of 8]
p. 489 #1-3

Remember, if you have questions about a problem, feel free to email me at b.waldman@fgcschool.org.

2009-02-04T09:22:00.001-08:00

Geometry Assignments: Students, families, and staff have multiple places to be able to find this information. Current Geometry assignments are written on the board in the Geometry classroom, and there is a chart that hangs next to the board with all previous Geometry assignments. Students are asked to write assignments in their planners at the time they are given. And there is a master assignment calendar for all classes hanging in the north classroom. And finally, now there is the virtual assignment chart—available here on this blog.

These will generally be posted as they are assigned. As this is the first posting of this sort, I will also include past assignments from this semester.

Assignment #1. Due Jan 27. p. 257 #3,4,6,7,13,14,16 p.262 #4,5,6

Assignment #2. Due Feb 3. p. 297 #5-8, [#9,10 bonus]

Assignment #3. Due Feb 5. p. 465 #1-6, 9-11, 13, 14, 16 [#17 bonus]. Students will have time to work on #13, 14, 16, and 17 in class on Feb 5.

Assignment #4. Due Feb 5. Furnishing the Octagon House. (Students were given a verbal description of the assignment, and there is a handout available if they would like it.)

2009-02-04T09:20:00.001-08:00

This month in Geometry: Class has been a potpourri of hands-on projects (the cardboard student mailbox set that went up last week, and we've begun work on designing wooden planters for the space outside the building); conventional problem-solving assignments (mostly focusing on angle measurements of various polygons, and this week a look at the Pythagorean Theorem); Geometric proofs (an important skill of detailing how it is we know what we know in math); Geometric constructions using the classical tools of this endeavor, the compass and straight edge; and group games and exercises that help to demonstrate concepts we've been looking at (these have included 'the best game ever', 'Geometry-Pictionary-Telephone-Extravaganza', and creating parallelograms, rectangles, and other Geometric entities with string, cardboard points, and whatever else students can get their hands on.) In the upcoming weeks we'll be taking a closer look at circles, and then at the concept of area.

-Brook

2009-02-04T08:47:00.001-08:00

Feb 4, 2009. The new semester brings new use of the FGCS High School blog for Geometry class. We'll provide monthly updates of what is going on in class, including topics and projects. And assignments will be posted here as well, so students and parents should be able to access details about current and past assignments anytime. As this is a developing tool, please let me know if you have any requests or suggestions of how to make this blog more helpful. Thanks.

-Brook

Biology

2009-01-31T13:57:00.001-08:00

Biology Blog

This semester, we will narrow our focus and concentrate on some Biology Basics. Our first unit will get us focused on the cellular level in order to find out what makes us, and every other living thing Tick...

These are rough plans and are subject to change and adjustment. They should, however, give you a good idea of what your student is learning and what work they need to complete. (If the spreadsheet below looks really weird, please ignore it, I will try and fix it asap. This is my first try at the blog!) Thank You! (Rochelle Auran, r.auran@fgcschool.org)

Cell Structure and Function

Big Ideas

An understanding of biology begins with appreciation of the diversity and the structures of living systems.
The structure of living systems directly influences how they carry out their life functions.
Reasoning about living systems often involves relating different levels of organization, from the molecule to the biosphere, and understanding how living systems are structured at each level.
Life processes in a cell are based on molecular interactions which keep the internal environment relatively constant.
Cells are composed of highly organized structures called organelles.
Cells are the smallest unit of life that can assimilate energy, reproduce, and react to the environment.

INTRO TO CELLS: Daily Plans
Day	Wednesday [1-28-09]	Monday [2-2-09]	Wednesday [2-4-09]	Monday [2-9-09]	Wednesday [2-11-09]
Topic/s	Abiotic & Biotic	Macromolecules	Cell Theory	Eukaryotic vs. Prokaryotic	Organelles
Benchmark/s	SC.CM.LS.01	SC.CM.LS.01	SC.CM.LS.01	SC.CM.LS.01	SC.CM.LS.01
SWBAT (students will be able to)	Distinguish between living and non-living objects.	Explain how macromolecules make up/support life (carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, nucleic acids).	Explain how a string of discoveries lead to the establishment of the cell theory.	Distinguish between prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells.	Explain how eukaryotic organelles work together in order to maintain homeostasis within a cell.
Delivery Strategy	Journal Question: How do we define Life? Lecture/Discussion Class Activity: Design an Organism Discover Magazine Articles (gas or life, Spore, Phoenix) & Short Essay Response Discussion/Wrap-up	Journal Question: How is life sustained? Lecture/Class Discussion Building Blocks of Life worksheet Class Activity: Macromolecules Activity Discussion/Wrap-up	Journal Question: How did people think life was organized before cells were discovered? Lecture/Discussion Class Activity: Cell Theory Timeline & Questions	Journal Question Quiz (on prior week) Review (characteristics of life, macromolecules, cell theory) Draw Generic drawings of Prokaryotic and Eukaryotic cells Unit Sheet	Journal Question Lecture/Discussion Unit Sheet Organelle Analogy Organelle Analogy Rubric Discussion/Wrap-up
Materials	Create an organism handout Discover Magazine Article: "Gas or Life" Reading Handouts Phoenix lander, Spore Colored Pens/Pencils	Building Blocks of Life Worksheets Textbook "The Structures of Life" (pages 1-9) Macromolecules Worksheets Paper for Flap-book Colored Pens/Pencils	Cell Theory Timeline Worksheets Cell Theory Timeline Rubrics Scissors & Glue Markers/Colored Pencils Construction Paper	Quiz Paper & Pen Unit Sheet Scissors & Glue Colored Pens/Pencils	Unit Sheet Textbook "Inside the Cell" Organelle Analogy Worksheets & Rubric Scissors & Glue Markers/Colored Pencils Construction Paper
Assessment (Work to be turned in)	Student response to Journal Question Design an Organism Activity Student essay on Discover Magazine Article	Student response to Journal Question Building Blocks of Life Worksheet Macromolecules Flap-book	Student response to Journal Question Student contribution to Timeline Answers to Questions	Student response to Journal Question Quiz Student participation in Class Activity Unit Sheet (due at end of unit)	Student response to Journal Question Student presentation of Organelle Analogy Unit Sheet (due at end of unit)
	Make-up work Biodiversity Questions (4)			Extra Credit Introduced

Self-Directed Learning class to present soon

2008-12-02T16:15:00.001-08:00

The students in Self-Directed Learning class, which is a high school
elective, will be doing a "presentation preview" on December 10 and 11
for their classmates. This will provide them with an opportunity to
practice in front of an audience. Their classmates will be using their
student-developed rubric (expectations for exemplary work) to give
feedback to each other.

Their actual semester presentations will take place during the week
following winter break. The schedule is January 6 ( Emily and Shyra),
January 7 (Jesse, Dylan, Aaron), and January 8 (Dennis, Kate, James).
The students will be writing formal invitations to adults and students
whom they would like to have attend their semester presentations. If
you are a parent or teacher who'd like to be invited, please let your
student know.

Students have been working on their self-chosen topic projects - and
skills to support their learning - for about 3 months. They have
worked with adult mentors, who will be invited to the final
presentations.

Topics are Cookbook Development (Emily), Horse Breeds (Shyra),
Conversational Hebrew (Jesse), Nature and Sports Photography (Dylan),
Drawing from Life (Aaron), Animation (Dennis), Publishing (Kate), and
Videography (James).

Please contact Robin Lindsley, SDL teacher, if you have questions.

Learning to LEARN

2008-09-24T16:58:00.000-07:00

Today we made a "target" chart, with TOPIC at the center. We added concentric circles around that center, to illustrate all the strands of this Self-Directed Learning elective class. The second circle is: Learning to Learn skills. The third circle is Individual Social skills. And so on.... It ended with "die." Lotsa circles before that, of course. =) RL