Science Update:

Students have been diving into relationships between air pressure, air temperature, and patterns in winds.  Taking advantage of the real-time powerful Hurricane Melissa students have been studying these principles through this incredible storm.  Additionally, students built their own barometers to measure changes in barometric pressure, while looking for correlation between weather conditions and air pressure systems.  Our next assessment of these concepts is on Friday, 11/7.

Social Studies Update:

Students are finishing a unit on the American Civil War by Creating a “one pager” -- a single-page (flip-chart size) document that provides an in-depth overview of a topic, in this case, the Civil War. Working in teams, students made effective use of original drawings, statistics, quotes, and writing to explain causes of the war, military advantages/disadvantages of the Union and the Confederacy, notable people, the lives of soldiers, warfare strategy, and the life of women during the war. The Team is beginning its investigation of the Reconstruction Era with an in-depth examination of the profound meaning articulated in President Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address.  Team Charisma will leave the unit with an enhanced understanding of the Reconstruction Amendments, economic systems, the relationship between law and culture, the power of judicial review, the role of media in society, and the struggle for equality.   

Math Update:

Team Charisma students have continued to experience the joy of weekly quizzes as Math 8 students finished out the initial equation solving unit and have started working on graphing. Our graphing unit will take us to the end of the month and will trickle into the beginning of November with an expected 11/6 Test! Algebra students have continued to build knowledge surrounding graphing, functions, and systems of equations as they build toward their first major assessment on 11/12 and 11/13!  

Students have done a great job of working hard outside of class. 18 students have earned significant points back on past quizzes by proving mastery over the material ... and almost 60% of Team Charisma students now work each week at home on DeltaMath to help their understanding and practice course material! Algebra students have additionally begun using JMAP as another study resource to practice old Regents questions! 

Keep up the great work! 

ELA Update:

This fall our students have been immersed in reading and responding to fictional text. We’ve also read a few “coming-of-age” poems, pausing after each stanza to synthesize and verbally share our thinking.   

Our independent reading (IR) program continues; students are expected to read a “just right” book for at least 20 minutes on school days and reading calendars are provided to create mini deadlines. Readers should always have a book “on deck”! In addition to our classroom library and teacher recommendations, 8th graders can utilize the JJMS library during recess their half-hour recess if they want to browse and get a new book (and still have 30 minutes for lunch). Students are also encouraged to supplement with audiobooks if it suits their learning style and helps them stay engaged with the text. Some students across our team have begun reading as their first item of homework or have found it helpful to access the audiobook during travel times. We appreciate parental involvement as we aim to build reading consistency, stamina, and comprehension skills while promoting choice and joy! 
This week students were asked to find at least two good examples of figurative language in their IR books; we’ll be analyzing the impact that the author’s choice has on a reader. Students will also be “making their thinking visible” while reading IR books in November.  

Students just finished a reader’s response to their IR books, showcasing the evolution of their writing from choosing an idea and drafting their claim and outline typing their drafts, to deep revision and editing and producing a final copy. This work laid the foundation for our upcoming literary essay writing workshop, which revolves around two questions: 

• How does an author use literary elements (such as characterization, conflict, point of view, symbolism, foreshadowing, flashback, and dramatic irony) to convey a theme?   

• How can I utilize an essay structure and the writing process to clearly answer this question?  

Students should also be using tools such as StudyMate or flashcards to prepare for a quiz on November 13th when they will be asked to demonstrate their mastery of Word Wall #1 vocabulary and the types of figurative language. It was amazing to see how Team Charisma writers are already infusing these words and figurative language into their writing to make it more powerful!   

 We are beyond excited to launch fiction book clubs after Thanksgiving!  

Our students’ chosen team name, charisma, speaks to the positive social power and responsibility 8th graders possess in their capstone year at JJMS. According to the Cambridge (American) Dictionary, charisma is “the ability to attract the attention and admiration of others, and to be seen as a leader.” We look forward to empowering all our students to tap into their unique brand of charisma, and use it to promote kindness, inclusivity, empathy, and joy in our school.  Furthermore, the attribute of charisma was consciously chosen, since it aligns with a few pillars in our district’s 2030 Vision.  As team teachers, we will provide opportunities and support to help our 8th grade students explore their passions, set goals, communicate, and collaborate. Our intention is to facilitate the growth of confident, compassionate, inspiring leaders, ready to embrace not only the rigors of high school, but also the complex, real-world challenges awaiting them beyond our John Jay campus.