8th Grade News

Mr. Flowers (PE Health)

Ms. Hess (PAES Lab)

Mr. Hoppe (Social Emotional and Guided Learning)

Mr. Johnson (Social Studies)

Ms. Lanoye-Guerrero (Art)

Ms. Leibfried (Math)

Ms. Mather (Instructional Coach and Guided Learning)

Ms. Maus (Language Arts)

Ms. Moorse (Guided Learning)

Mr. Myers (Orchestra)

Mr. Novosad (Choir)

Ms. Runck (Spanish)

Ms. Ryks (Math)

Mr. Schmitt (Math Interventionist and Guided Learning)

Ms. Smith (Language Arts)

Ms. Welch (Science)

Mr. Witherow (Band)

Algebra 1 students are learning how to add, subtract, multiply, and simplify radical expressions and are also reviewing key 8th grade standards this month. We are encouraging students to keep up with their habits of daily practice, to be prepared for high school. Students will take their NWEA Math test on Thursday-Friday, May 11-12. This test is a measure of student growth over the year. Please help your child be ready for testing with their charged device, good sleep and breakfast the days of testing.

Math 8 students are reviewing key 8th grade standards this month and we are encouraging students to keep up with their habits of daily practice to be prepared for high school. We will wrap up our year in math learning about key Geometry formulas the students will use through high school (Area, Perimeter, Volume, Surface Area, etc). Students will take their NWEA Math test on Tuesday-Wednesday, May 14-15. This test is a measure of student growth over the year. Please help your child be ready for testing with their charged device, good sleep and breakfast the days of testing.

Quarter 4 PAES lab students are working away on jobs in 5 different career areas; Computer Technology, Construction, Consumer Service, Process Production and Business Marketing. We had our first employee finish making their mini bookshelf! :) There is a lot of buzz in the consumer service area as students are making homemade hot chocolate, hashbrowns, cookies and even a little cheesecake.

Each day students are working on workplace soft skills in addition to exploring different career tasks. We call these "be a good human" skills. Skills that our current and future employers do not teach us but expect us to have and exhibit on a daily basis. Each PAES class is a "crew" and I love how each crew works together in different ways, but for a common goal and purpose. We help one another, we lift up one another and support one another. Together they have created a work shift where one wants to be and is welcome.

Workplace Soft Skill Examples:

*Attendance

*Following lab rules

*Cooperates with supervisor

*Cooperates with co-workers

*Communicates appropriately

*Does not argue or complain

*Accepts suggestions/feedback for improvement

*Practices safe and appropriate work habits

*Returns materials to proper place and neatly

*Has a positive attitude/stays busy entire shift

Ask your student what career department is their most and least favorite and why?

We will end our quarter class with a termination/going-away/retirement party to celebrate our time together and bon voyage of 8th grade at Marshall Middle School. It has been an honor to work with your amazing 8th graders! I get to see firsthand AWESOMENESS every. single. day and for that I am incredibly grateful.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Mrs. Hess. erica.hess@marshall.k12.mn.us

We are finishing our last unit in Social Emotional Learning (SEL). This section explores managing relationships and social conflict. Students are taught to identify healthy relationships, perspective-taking, and dealing with conflict. They identify values in a healthy relationship and are reminded they can respect others with different values and opinions. Students discuss ways to mend broken relationships and ways to manage conflict in relationships when that occurs. They have viewed and discussed scenarios from different perspectives, and they may have even discussed how they are able to see things from a parent’s perspective. 😊 The last lesson encourages students to explore challenges they may face in high school and provides encouragement for seeking advice or help if they need it.

Role Playing dealing with conflicts and seeing things from different perspectives.

Currently, students in social studies have moved to the Middle East. After learning about the physical geography of the area we will explore the history of some major religions that started in this part of the world. The three monotheistic religions we will focus on are Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

Exciting Updates in Physical Education this 4th Quarter:

Pickleball:

Students have learned the rules of pickleball and engaged in both single and double play. It’s been fantastic to see them develop their skills and teamwork on the court.

Nitro Ball Frenzy:

Nitro Ball was a favorite among the students, a unique game that is essentially an inverted version of volleyball, where the ball must bounce on the court before every hit. It’s a fun game to play and a great way to keep students moving.

Building Strength:

In our weight training program, students are making remarkable progress while improving their strength and flexibility. They are dedicated to their workouts, and it’s paying off!

Fitness Fanatics:

From brisk runs to dynamic exercises, our students continue to diligently work to improve their fitness levels.

Health:

Our lesson centered around Mental and Emotional Health. Students learned how to recognize signs of distress and coping strategies to navigate life’s challenges.

In Spanish we finished the Super 7 Unit (es, tiene, le gusta, hay, está, va, quiere). We are building background knowledge and vocabulary before starting the class novel, El capibara con botas. Students will use vocabulary in context and learn about the geography of Ecuador and deforestation while reading about a capybara named Carlos. In addition, we will be starting Mania Musical, a music bracket from all the Spanish-speaking countries. Ask your student to share their favorite song with you!

Students are reviewing language arts skills learned throughout the year and previewing 9th grade standards as well. The language arts NWEA tests are coming up as well.

Please encourage your student to read at home. Remember independent reading improves comprehension, fluency, and a strong vocabulary. You can make this reading time even more beneficial by having your child tell you about what they’re reading, help them find reading material, and sharing what you’re reading. Not sure where to start? Try asking one of the following questions:

• What are you reading? Can you tell me about it?
• Who’s your favorite character? Why?
• What’s happening in your book right now? What do you think will happen next?
• Which character is your favorite? Why?
• Do you like the main character of your book? Why or why not?

Why Read?

1. Reading is rewarding.
2. Reading builds a mature vocabulary.
3. Reading makes you a better writer.
4. Reading is hard, and “hard” is necessary.
5. Reading makes you smarter.
6. Reading prepares you for the world of work.
7. Reading well is financially rewarding.
8. Reading opens the door to college and beyond.

The more students read and the more complex texts they read, the more prepared they will be for college entrance. Advanced placement and honors classes put students at a direct advantage as the reading and writing required for those courses is greater in volume and more challenging in depth. This will be especially helpful when taking ACT or SAT exams and writing a college entrance exam. Steep financial benefits are increasingly associated with higher ACT/SAT scores as colleges are beginning to provide greater tuition assistance to students with better scores.

9. Reading arms you against oppression.

Given the previous reading reason it is easy to see how reading can fend off poverty and protect you from being taken advantage of. Reading increases school performance and economic advantages big and small. The more school you have, the less likely you and your children are to live in poverty. (Source: Kelly Gallagher’s book Reading Reasons)

Students are rolling into the end of the year learning about the solar system. Students will work on a project that highlights each planet, its composition, and its position in accordance to the sun. Students will also learn about eclipses, such as the amazing one we just witnessed, and how they happen! Astronomy will be tied into the end of our school year, while also learning about various cultures and their beliefs around the constellations and their meanings.

It is hard to believe the end of the year is approaching. We have reservations for the Fagen Fighters WWII Museum in Granite Falls, MN, on Tuesday, May 21st. This is home to a beautiful collection of fully operational aircraft and vehicles from WWII. Also on site is a collection of fine art, sculptures, and interactive media displays.

We are excited to finish the year strong and celebrating our learning together!

In art, we are about to finish our unit on unscrambling masterpieces. The students have been using a grid method to recreate a famous masterpiece, ranging from the Mona Lisa to The Great Wave off Kanagawa! Next, they will move onto creating a zentangle magazine collage. They will use methods of lines and patterns to create an amazing work of art. After that is my FAVORITE lesson. We are moving onto CLAY! This lesson gives the students an opportunity to explore the wonders of clay and how it bends and molds to create a sculpture of their choice. I then fire it in the kiln to make it a rock. The students have the choice to paint it with regular paint or use glaze paint which makes their projects food safe and glossy! From there we will move on to a paper mache sculpture per student request. Typically, the students create the first letter of their first name using cardboard and solidify it with paper mache wraps. They will then paint it in some way that is significant to them. With the year about to wrap up, projects become more open to the student's own imagination. They get the chance to create a poster board of their choice, create a game board and then play the game in class for grade points, and create a painting masterpiece! It’s going to be a fun way to end the quarter and I am looking forward to seeing what my little artists create!

We continue to work on the music for our next performance. We look forward to sharing it with you!

Band:

Thursday, May 16th at 6:00/7:30pm

8th Students are putting in a final push to the end of the year working on new music, as well as new warm-ups and fundamental exercises. This will be the last concert of their middle school career!

Choir:

Tuesday, May 21st at 7:30pm

Orchestra: (All District)

Thursday, May 23rd at 7:00pm (High School)

Orchestra students will be presenting their final performance for the year on Thursday May 23rd. This is the All-District Concert at the High School.

In the classroom, students are working on playing in the 6/8 time signature with the song “I’m Shipping Up to Boston”