Content Area Updates

math

Mrs. Funk’s math classes have finished the required concepts and the second semester exam!!! Students have been spending this last week learning how to simplify radical expressions as well as add, subtract, multiply and divide with them. I do recommend the Summer Skills Algebra 1 workbook to complete over the summer in order to keep concepts fresh in their memories. This link will take you to the workbook to order and I have also sent an email with this information. It has been a pleasure to have students in class this year and I know they are ready for high school geometry!

In Ms. MacLean’s math classes, students are working on statistics. They are exploring both scatter plots and two-way tables as ways of collecting and displaying data. Students are learning to analyze the type of association in scatter plots as linear association, nonlinear association, or no association. They are using two-way tables to compare data from different categories and are using the data to analyze patterns and make predictions. The 8th graders have done a great job in math this year. I hope everyone has a wonderful and restful summer! :)

Language Arts

In LA, students completed their end of year writing assignment where they crafted three distinct poems that tell one story. These stories and poems are interesting and powerful, please take a moment to read your students' work or have them perform their poems for you. This week, as we wrap up, students will finish their independent reading projects and share about the book they have read with the class. I am looking forward to hearing about all of the books these students have read. Don’t forget to check out the LT Summer Reading List and make a selection. I am so excited to hear about all of the great things this class will accomplish in high school and beyond!

Social Studies

During our social studies mock trial, students fiercely debated the justification of the containment policy during the Cold War. We had the privilege to hear from Tom Higgins, a Vietnam Veteran, and longtime friend of Highlands as he spoke on his experiences in war. This week, students finished the year strong with a comprehensive exam covering all units of the year. Best of luck to our Highlands scholars as they move to high school! 

Science

Students finished the Matter Cycling and Photosynthesis unit strongly.  In this unit, students developed a model to track the reactants and products of photosynthesis and cellular respiration in plants.  Building on what students discovered in our last unit, that humans perform cellular respiration, students recognized a connection between plants and humans.  At the end of this unit, each student constructed a story to demonstrate their understanding of how matter cycles through the living and nonliving parts of a system.  It has been a pleasure to watch and listen to the students ask questions about the world around them and then seek to understand!  Class of 2026, I wish you all the best in your future!

Content Area Updates

Math

Mrs. Funk’s math classes are finishing their study of statistics and two-way frequency tables with a quiz on these concepts on May 22nd. The study guide for the second semester exam has been distributed and review problems are being completed at the beginning of each class period. May 18th, May 19th and May 20th which will be days for student questions on topics from the study guide and review for the exam during class. The second semester exam will be taken on May 20th or May 21st depending on which class has a double period. Along with the statistics quiz and semester exam, students also have a Khan Academy weekly assignment due on May 15th and one due on May 22nd.

In Ms. MacLean’s math classes, students are wrapping up their unit on Volume. They have used their knowledge of volume to solve for missing dimensions and have solved for the volume of composite figures as well. The Volume assessment is scheduled for Thursday 5/14. Students will take their iReady diagnostic test in class the week of May 18th.

Language Arts

In Advanced ELA, students are finishing their argument research essays. They are learning a lot about ways to use rhetorical appeals in argument writing. They have conducted great research and are modeling their writing after strong examples. They have provided meaningful feedback to their peers, and they will explore some ways to responsibly use AI tools that exist that allow the tool to function as a writing coach and not a surrogate writer. 

In ELA, students finished reading The Crossover, the novel in verse, and have studied the power of storytelling. They have analyzed the types of poems in the book and made sense of how a story is told through a collection of poems. Now they will try to imitate this style and write their own narratives in verse. While also studying professional poets and storytellers through audio performances and essays. They will also take their cumulative stem test that will require them to know all 125 stem words that we learned this year.

Social Studies

In Social Studies, students wrapped up their study of the Cold War and are preparing for their final project in social studies: a mock trial considering whether the United States was justified in its policy of containment during the Cold War. Students will take up roles as lawyers, witnesses, or the jury. I look forward to seeing their work! 

Science

In our last unit, we learned that humans perform cellular respiration.  In this unit, students discovered that plants perform photosynthesis and cellular respiration.  The students analyzed data to understand that, in addition, other animals and even decomposers use cellular respiration to release the energy stored inside glucose molecules.  Students analyzed models to develop an understanding of how molecules and matter cycle within a system as energy flows.  

content area updates

Math

Mrs. Funk’s math classes are finishing their study of solving quadratic equations using the methods of factoring, square root, completing the square and the quadratic formula. The summative assessment for this unit will be taken during the first full week of May. A study guide for this assessment has been posted on Schoology. The last unit of the year will cover statistics and two-way frequency tables. The study guide for the second semester exam has been distributed and review problems are being completed at the beginning of each class period. May 18th, May 19th and May 20th which will be days for student questions on topics from the study guide and review for the exam during class. The second semester exam will be taken on May 20th or May 21st depending on which class has a double period.

In Ms. MacLean’s math classes, students are learning about the Pythagorean Theorem. Students learned about perfect squares and perfect cubes last week. This week, they are using their knowledge of squares and square rooting to solve for missing sides of right triangles. They will then learn how to apply this knowledge to solve for unknown distances in the coordinate plane. Next week, the unit continues with the study of volume. 

Language arts

In Adv ELA students are analyzing and imitating the moves of professional writers. They have read several published examples of argument and editorial writing from newspapers and excerpts from Bryan Stevenson’s Just Mercy to see how arguments are made effectively in writing. This week and next, they will use these mentor texts and professional techniques to craft their argument essays.

In ELA, students have been reading The Crossover and exploring Josh’s sense of self and his sense of the world around him. Students have also been analyzing specific poetic types seen in the novel in order to imitate Kwame Alexander’s writing style. Their End of Module Task will require them to choose three poetic types found in The Crossover and write three poems that tell one story from their lives. Students are also encouraged to begin reviewing their stems from the entire school year before a big summative assessment.

social studies

Students have been preparing diligently for their Iconic Photo Presentations in Social Studies. They have selected some of the most iconic moments since World War II and have prepared fully memorized presentations for their classmates. They will present Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday of this week! 

science

Students discovered that plants produce glucose molecules inside the chloroplasts within plant cells.  Glucose is an energy-rich molecule that requires the plant to take in carbon dioxide through its stomata and water through its roots to build this molecule.  Students are wondering why the plant is making glucose and have predicted that plants may be able to break down glucose molecules to release the stored energy.  Next week, we will investigate their predictions.

Content Area Updates

math

Mrs. Funk’s math classes are beginning their study of using the completing the square method to solve a quadratic equation. This is the third of four methods students will have to solve a quadratic equation with the square root method and factoring method already covered. All four methods are being compared and contrasted for understanding which method is the most efficient for a given quadratic equation. The study guide for the second semester exam has been distributed and review problems will be completed at the start of each day beginning on April 13th. May 18th, May 19th and May 20th which will be days for student questions on topics from the study guide and review for the exam during class. The second semester exam will be taken on May 20th or May 21st.

In Ms. MacLean’s math classes, students are working on adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing using scientific notation. The assessment on this topic will be a brief quiz, scheduled for Tuesday, 4/21. Our next unit of study will be focused on real numbers. Students will find square roots and cube roots to solve problems. 

Language Arts

In Advanced ELA, the students finished reading To Kill a Mockingbird and are putting Arthur “Boo” Radley on trial this week for the murder of Bob Ewell. They will participate as part of the defense, prosecution, and jury. They will also consider how their testimony and judgements are influenced by society, as Harper Lee suggests in her book. We will begin our final argument writing unit next week. 

In ELA, the students will begin the final unit of the year, which focuses on “The Power of Storytelling.” They are reading the story of Josh Bell and his family in the novel-in-verse, Crossover by Kwame Alexander. We will examine how narrative techniques and poetic language are used to develop the characters and the story. They will finish their last three weeks of new stem words coming up, ending in a summative stem test. 

Social Studies

In Social Studies, students jumped back into our Cold War unit with study of the Vietnam War. Students have also begun preparing for their “Iconic Photo Presentations,” where they will tell the story of an iconic, post-WWII photo from American history. 

Science

The students began a new unit in Science, where food comes from and where it goes next.  We started by observing nutrition labels for plants and saw that they contain food molecules.  Students wondered how these food molecules end up in plants. They then analyzed and interpreted data to identify the possible sources for parts of food molecules in plants.  They found that soil does not provide plants with their mass or matter; water and molecules from the air are necessary. The students think a chemical reaction might be happening inside the plant.

8th Grade Team Update

Math

Mrs. Funk’s math classes are beginning the second half of their study of quadratic functions. The focus after spring break will be on algebraically solving a quadratic equation using the square root method, factoring method, completing the square method and quadratic formula. These four methods will be applied to vertex form, intercept form and the discriminant. Students will need to be able to solve using all four methods and understand which method is the most efficient for a given quadratic equation. Also upon returning from spring break, the second semester exam will be discussed, dates announced and a study guide distributed.

In Ms. MacLean’s math classes, students took an assessment on Exponents and Estimating. They used powers of 10 to estimate very large or very small quantities and applied their knowledge of exponent properties to simplify expressions. Students are reviewing their knowledge of systems of equations to end the week, with a focus on applying systems of equations. When we return from break, students will learn about scientific notation, which builds on their understanding of the powers of 10. 

Language arts

In Advanced ELA students are well into their reading and analysis of To Kill a Mockingbird. They are studying how an author reflects on time and place and how character development creates realistic characters who readers can engage with. The students are examining evidence from the trial in the book to analyze what makes a character believable, and they are following Atticus’s advice to “walk around in someone else’s skin” and see the trial from the perspective of one of the children in the book. They will write reflective paragraphs, and when we return from spring break, they will use their analysis of evidence and character development and their understanding of the court system and the law to put on a trial of their own regarding the events at the end of the book. 

In ELA students finished reading Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice. Now, students are researching a social issue and young change agent of their choice. We have been reviewing and practicing research skills in order to write research papers this week. Writing skills are improving across the board. 

social studies

In social studies, students completed their mini-unit in the 1950s by evaluating the beginning of the Cold War, suburbanization, and the interstate highways system. They took a mini-test on the material and are now ready to move forward with a Cold War Movie Project. Students received a list of movies they can watch over the next 4 weeks to complete this project. Please note that students should ask parents/guardians for approval for any R-rated or TV-MA material on the list. 

Science

Students have successfully completed the unit, “How do things inside our bodies work together to make us feel the way we do?”  Throughout this unit, they explored how the body uses food molecules to meet energy needs and power essential bodily functions.  They also learned that food molecules play a critical role in building new cells for growth and repair, and that any excess is stored as fat for future energy needs.  When students return from spring break, we will continue building on these concepts as we begin our next unit, “Where Does Food Come From and Where Does It Go Next?”

Content Area Updates

Math

Mrs. Funk’s math classes are continuing the study of polynomials and quadratic functions. The focus for the next couple of weeks will be on factoring polynomial expressions. Students will be looking for greatest common factors within the entire expression and then breaking it down into two factors using their knowledge of multiplication facts. This will be the last concept covered in the first half of the polynomial and quadratic functions unit with the summative assessment being taken in the later half of the week of March 16th.

In Ms. MacLean’s classes, students are learning about exponents. They are using exponential properties to simplify or evaluate expressions. Students are also using their knowledge of exponents to write very large or very small numbers using integer powers of 10. The assessment on this topic is currently scheduled for Monday, March 23rd, which is the week before spring break.

Language Arts

In Advanced LA we began To Kill a Mockingbird as we study justice and social influence. This week, while making sense of the text, we are also developing writing skills by expanding sentences and using conjunctions to demonstrate the relationships between our words and sentences. We are also taking a deeper look at symbols and their universal meanings and applications. The students completed 10 units of word stem study this year and are taking a culminating test. We will continue our word study with terms from our reading for the remainder of the year. 

In ELA, we have been reading Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice, discussing what motivated Claudette to stand up against injustice. Students are reviewing and learning facets of good research as we are headed toward a research project. Last week we took a test on our 4th list of Greek and Latin stems. This week we will begin learning about our 5th and final list of stems for the school year!

Social Studies

In social studies, students began their unit on the Cold War. They studied the 1950s specifically and learned about the Interstate Highway System, Suburbanization, and the Baby Boom. They began a new book, A Night Divided, which takes up the story of the Berlin Wall and the early days of the Cold War. 

Science

The students have successfully diagnosed the patient in our unit, Makenna, with celiac disease. With this diagnosis, students can now explain why Makenna is experiencing digestive symptoms. However, our investigation is not finished. Students are now working to understand why Makenna continues to experience symptoms in other body systems. In particular, we are exploring why she is losing weight and why she experiences difficulty breathing during exercise, a rapid heartbeat during activity, and fatigue. Through this work, students are learning how a single condition can affect multiple systems of the body.

Content Area Updates

Math

Mrs. Funk’s math classes are continuing the study of polynomials and quadratic functions. The focus for the next couple of weeks will be on writing quadratic functions from a table of points or a given graph of the parabola and using the vertical motion model to solve real-world problems. These concepts are new with many vocabulary words to understand and have multiple steps to solve. Students will have practice problems to complete at home each night even though class time will be given to start each assignment. It is important to not leave these practice problems to be completed in homeroom or other classes the day it is due as this leads to not fully understanding and practicing the concepts before the assessment. Also, if students are absent from class, it is their responsibility to copy the notes missed from the posted keys on their Schoology math page and see me before or after school if clarification is needed.

In Ms. MacLean’s math classes, students received their Volume 2 textbooks. They are expected to bring this book to class each day and keep it in good condition for the remainder of the school year. Students should still keep their fluency books. Our new unit focuses on exponents. Students are learning to simplify exponential expressions into a single power, with a focus on positive integer exponents at first. Next week, students will learn to simplify exponential expressions for all integer exponents.

Language arts

In Advanced LA, students have finished their study of A Midsummer Night’s Dream ultimately deciding if love is mainly determined by one’s agency or if fate is stronger. They tapped into their creativity and their individual interests as they completed and presented their independent reading projects and concrete poems. And we briefly discussed our next text, To Kill a Mockingbird which we will jump into next week. 

In ELA, students completed their essays about the nature of love in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. They also worked hard on their independent reading projects and presentations on their books. It was fun to see and hear about what everyone has been choosing to read during the 2nd trimester. We have begun reading our next book, Claudette Colvin: Twice Towards Justice, as a part of our unit on people effecting social change. This is a nonfiction text, which is a change from the books we have read so far this year.

Social Studies

In Social Studies, students prepared for an essay examining why Lyndon B. Johnson (LBJ) signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Was it his principles or his politics that primarily motivated him? This week, students will write a 5-paragraph essay arguing their case. While students prepared for this essay, they also watched and analyzed the film Selma, which covers the events that led to the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, also signed by LBJ. I look forward to reading their essays! 

Science

Students analyzed graphs displaying the amount of food molecules in each organ of the digestive system, recorded changes in the amount of molecules, and annotated the changes they observed.  Students figured out that changes in the amount of food molecules indicated a chemical reaction or the absorption of food molecules.  From there, students determined the function of each organ.  It was fascinating to see how much the students learned about the digestive system by analyzing graphs.  Next, students worked in groups to develop a model illustrating what happens to each food molecule as it travels through the digestive system.  Students are now ready to take what they have learned about our bodies and diagnose Makenna. 

content area Updates

math

Mrs. Funk’s math classes have begun the study of polynomials and quadratic functions. Students are already working with categorizing by number of terms and degree as well as combining using the operations of addition, subtraction and multiplication. Students will be learning to find and describe the important part of a parabola such as the zeros of the quadratic function, the vertex and the axis of symmetry. Three forms of quadratic functions will be used to graph and describe the shape of parabolas. These will include standard form, vertex form and factored form. The vertical motion equation which uses the integer coefficient for Earth’s gravity will also be used to solve many word problems. The secret for success in this unit is for students to focus in class, take good notes, complete the practice problems on time and see me for extra help before or after school when a topic is still unclear.

In Ms. MacLean’s math classes, students are learning about functions. Students are comparing functions in different forms and will learn how to graph a qualitative function by the end of this week. Next week, there will be a unit test taken in two parts, on Thursday 2/19 and Friday 2/20. All late work from the Functions Unit will be due by the day of the test. 

language arts

In Advanced ELA, We finished A Midsummer Night’s Dream and studied the big ideas in the tragedy of Hamlet before seeing the production. This week, the students are working on developing their sentence writing skills to create more sophisticated, expanded sentences using dependent clauses, transition words, and parallel structure. After our exploration of Midsummer and the short story “EPICAC,” by Kurt Vonnegut, they are writing an essay that examines fate vs. agency. They should finishreading their independent reading books by Tuesday 2/176 and will begin preparing a presentation to share their book with the class.

In ELA, we had a great time at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater last Friday, seeing Hamlet. It was interesting to compare and contrast one of Shakespeare’s tragedies with a comedy like A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Students are now preparing to write an argumentative essay answering the question, “Is love a matter of fate or agency?” As we finish reading our independent reading books, students will start working on a project and presentation of their book.

social studies

In Social Studies, students finished a lecture series on the Civil Rights Movement. They also completed Holocaust Memorial projects to wrap up their study of the Holocaust and genocide. This week, they will begin work on a 5-paragraph essay regarding the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and whether President Lyndon B. Johnson was motivated to sign the Act by politics or principles. 

science

In Science, students are continuing their learning through a case study of a student experiencing digestive symptoms.  Last week, students examined endoscopy images of Makenna’s digestive system and observed that the structure of her small intestine differed from that of a healthy individual.  To better understand the role of the small intestine, students conducted a hands-on dialysis tube investigation.  This week, through this investigation, they discovered that the small intestine is responsible for absorbing digested food molecules into the body.  Students are now curious and eager to learn about the function of each organ in the digestive system.