Feb 9-20

Upcoming events:

• Monday Feb 23 : Vocab Quiz #7 (see words below)
• Thur. Feb 26: Field Trip to Mt Soledad War Memorial 11:30-2:30(need drivers!)
• Sat. Mar 7-8  10:00-2:00: Optional  Vista- Civil War Reenactment
• Tues. Mar 17 11:30-3:30 Field Trip to The Getty Museum (need drivers)

During our War: What is it good for? project we completed crash courses in the Mexican American War, World War I, World War II and the Cold War. We continue to see how military tactics, artillery, maritime warfare, communications and  medicine  have evolved over the last 200 years.  Next week students will divide into groups and investigate deeper aspects of the project.   Students finished with their Media Arts Session and should have completed a rough draft of their Historical Figure short story.  We will critique and perfect the presentations during project time each afternoon. On Thursday, Feb 26 we will visit the Mount Soledad War Memorial. 

***Please note, due to very busy weekend schedules for many people, the Civil War Reenactment  field trip has been cancelled.  I still recommend it as a family trip as it is very fun and educational. for more info, click on http://agsem.com/events.php
VISTA CIVIL WAR RE-ENACTMENT cost:$15
MARCH 7-8, 2015 SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
SATURDAY & SUNDAY
10:00 Event officially begins
11:00 Artillery Demonstration (Field)
11:30 Brigade Formation Weapons Inspection
12:00 First Engagement
12:45 Infantry, Cavalry Demonstration (Field) 1:00 Artillery Demonstration (Field)
1:30 life on the Home Front (Civilian Camp)
2:00 Presidential Press Conference (Stage)
2:30 Assembly and Weapons Inspection
3:00 Second Engagement—immediately followed by the Gettysburg Address
5:00 Event closes to public 
On a positive note I just found out there is a Civil War reenactment scheduled the May 16-17 weekend we are in Coloma, Ca just minutes from our campsite!


During Writers' Workshop the kids completed their wrote  "Connecting with a Song." assignment. We finished reading Part I of "The Book Thief".  We have become familiar with Leisel, Hans, Rosa and Rudy. and life in Germany during World War II. Students took vocab quiz #6 and revisited literary terms for Monday's Vocab Quiz #7 .    Below are the words to study:

“Literary Terminology 101” Vocab #7

1.     Plot:  What happens in a story.

Sentence: Who thought the plot would end with an alien invasion?

2.     Onomatopoeia: Words that describe what they sound like.

Sentence: “Jingle” and “Boom” could be described as onomatopoeia.

3.     Conflict: (external and internal): An external conflict is against opposing forces or characters, and internal happens in the mind.

Sentence: Jean’s schizophrenic personality caused conflict in the story.

4.     Foreshadowing: The use of clues to suggest events that will happen later in the story.

Sentence: The secret letter to William was an excellent form of foreshadowing to reveal the location of the missing diamond.  

5.     Simile: Comparing one unlike thing to another to describe it.

Sentence: The simile in the next line serves to emphasize the speed of the fall.

6.     Suspense: The anxiety that we feel about what will happen next in a story.

Sentence: X-Men, the movie was full of suspense!

Bonus***

1.     Personification: Giving something human-like features.

The rabbit in the story had human-like ears; a touch of personification.

2.     Irony: Contrast between what is expected and what actually happens. Sentence: What an irony, neither bee allows me to love this springtime.

We completed our Exponential Functions Unit with a final unit test on Thursday.  We begin our new unit "Saying It With Symbols" next week.  Our short week ended with  Friday Physics and the beginnings of motion and Rubberband Racers.  We will take a look at laws of motion, velocity and acceleration next week by racing our cars powered only by a rubberband and physics!