"Back to the Summer"

7th Graders sat down for the first table read of their end-of-year production, "Back to the Summer" - a time-travelling play under the direction of Claire Draper.  Casting will be announced soon!

8th Grade Symbolism Poetry from "The Outsiders"

Part the Stars with Such Sweet Sorrow

The nightly stars are a symbol of thought.
So nice to see, but time has fought.
As time goes by you ask why,
they are so far away you just want to fly.
Soon the sun will rise,
shining bright; like diamonds glistening in your eyes.
Sadly time has gone and won to tomorrow,

you part the stars with such sweet sorrow.

by Cassie & Corey

Regret like a thousand pound weight
Vulnerable and heroic is a symbol of Johnny Cade,
his family and life is a barricade.
He did a heroic deed,
now his life is full of pain and greed.
Johnny lives with murder and sorrow,
he might not live till tomorrow.
He stabbed his victim with a blade,

regret like a thousand pound weight lies on Johnny Cade.

by Kerianna & Sophia

The Sky is Blue!

The sky is a symbol of life,
and it’s as sharp as a knife,
I love blue,
I love my shoes;
Life is a disaster,
but anyone can be their own master,
Who are you,

The sky is blue.

by Skylar & Jack

BROUGHT TOGETHER BY FAME

Socs are a symbol of hate,
will they cause Johnnys fate?
Cutting off Greasers hair,
They’re like wild bears.
Always pulling blades,
Watching sunsets fade.
Is everyone the same?

Brought together by fame.

by Kira & Briana

“We Won!”

Blue Mustangs are a symbol of the social gang,
Lurking panthers ready to make a bang,
Coming from behind to find the hoodlums;
They see them as the local bums.
When they’re in each others sight,
That is when they start to fight,
Once it’s over they drive away.

“We won!” Socs always say.

by Alyssa & Desiree

So Free Me and I Promise To Never Complain

Life is a symbol of Freedom
Not made to be imprisoned in a kingdom
Its a right not something that we need to make a fight
While slavery holds only the bold sneak out at night
And those who complain
Will wish for freedom in vain
I want out and I promise it won't be in vain

So free me and I promise to never complain

by David & Daniel

Desiree's Bonus 8th Grade Vocab Activity

Hey 8th Graders!  Use this link to try out a bonus vocabulary activity (Thanks, Desiree!).  

Can you interpret the images to find the matching vocabulary term?  

(from The Outsiders List 2 Chapters 5-8)

S - S - S - SCIENCE!

Stream Table to investigate erosion and flooding.

Water sampling and testing to investigate soil and water quality to develop rain gardens

What's Happening?

21st Century

Designers have been Diving into Density! (and apparently using those "alliteration" skills learned in Language Arts!)  Lab experiments have students finding mass with triple beam balances and finding the volume of both regular (L x W x H) and irregular (water displacement in GCs) objects.  We've also kicked off our work toward researching, planting, and maintaining rain gardens on specific sites of our school's land.


Math

8th graders are solving algebraic equations to find the value of a variable.  The equations involve the distributive property, combining like terms, and other algebraic properties.

7th graders are working on rates of change and percents.


Language Arts

Story Element Book Projects have been a big focus in the beginning of Trimester 3.  Vocabulary development continues with studies on using vocabulary in context (in our case, from a news article) to unlock meaning.  Students continue to improve their writing skills through RACE responses about their Independent Reading books (so please make sure you're reading at least 30 minutes a night!)


This & That

It's time for all of our students to develop their Personal Learning Plans (PLPs) to think about their future.  8th graders will be preparing their capstone speeches to deliver in June.

Stewardship and Community Jobs continue to progress.

Now that the weather is finally looking like spring, we hope to be getting outside more, for both academic learning opportunities and wellness opportunities.

Culminating Event - Trimester 2 - Out of this World!

Dynamic Design recently held the culminating event for our 2nd trimester theme, "Out of this World" Earth & Space Science. In a variety of formats, students presented a geologic history timeline, the future of earth & space science technology, e-Cybermission Challenge portfolios, and more. We want to thank our families for a great turnout and for actively participating with the students.

Sneak Preview: We've already kicked off our next theme, "Energy Matters!" Can you guess what it's about? Stay tuned for more!

It's "snow" much fun!

Thanks to the school for getting these awesome snow tubes, and thanks to our learning community's "Healthy Helpers" wellness group for planning a fun outdoor afternoon to get some exercise!

Apparently Morgan was too tired to pull Raeanna up the hill!

Andoni smothered Justin to get in on the ride!

Alyssa and Desiree taking a spin down the hill!

Corey hit the jump just in time for Ms. Maguire to hit the shutter!

Trimester 2 Learning Showcases

Please use the links below to sign up for Learning Showcases.  We're looking forward to seeing all our Dynamic Design families!

Monday, March 24

Tuesday, March 25

Wednesday, March 26

Thursday, March 27

Call or email the team with any questions.

What's New?

We've been awfully busy in Dynamic Design.  So busy we forget to update this blog!

In Language Arts, students have been delving into some complex literary terms vocabulary - everything from foreshadowing to diction to connotation, to name a few!  They are also getting instruction, gaining new skills, and refining their research report writing process. The theme of the research?  The 2014 Sochi Olympic Games, of course!  Focusing on one American Olympian, students are researching to report on the question, "How did this Olympian get to where they are today?" and they will report on performance results from the games, as well.  A few have already been lucky enough to have selected gold-medal-winning American Olympians, such as Men's Slopestyle Snowboarding Gold Medalist Sage Kotsenburg!

In Math, 8th graders are looking at data and statistics with histograms, box-and-whisker plots, and more.  7th graders have moved from ratios into unit rates and finding equations.  Both groups are doing a lot of work to improve their basic math computation skills, such as working with fractions, decimals, and percents.  Students use WIN time for individualized self-directed instruction and practice to test out of their skills and to prepare them for the next Basic Math Skills Assessment.

21st Century has us digging deep into earth and space science.  We have learned about rocks, minerals, the solar system, plate tectonics, and more.  Mr. Citro has all kinds of models, materials, hands-on labs, and investigations for everyone to explore.  In addition, he tries to work in "the science of the Olympics" during morning meeting, from the friction caused by skis on snow, to the types of energy produced and absorbed during crashes and falls!

MLK Jr. Day

Students in Dynamic Design used the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. for a lesson on primary source documents and comprehending/analyzing informational text.  As a culmination of the mini-lessons used to celebrate his day, the students performed two sections of his "I Have a Dream" speech in a speak chorus format.