The Spillway

Here are the steps for how to access your CLEVER page with Google Classroom, IReady, Mastery Connect, etc. at home without your school chromebook. You can use a desktop computer, laptop, tablet, etc.

• Search clever acs

• Select Anderson County School District

• Select Google Clever Login

• Type in COMPLETE student email address (firstname.lastname000@students.acs.ac)

• The password is the student’s lunch number with a p in front (ex. p1234567)

• Click Next

• The Clever page should come up with Norris Middle in the top left hand corner and the student’s name in the top right hand corner.

Three narrative nonfiction read alouds were shared this week during library classes to remember 9/11 and never forget the tragedy and sacrifices made on that day in history. Students listened to the book and then watched a short video that correlated with the text.

Seven and a half Tons of Steel: A Post 9/11 Story of Hope and Transformation by Janet Nolan describes how the bow of the USS New York was made from a steel beam that came from the World Trade Center towers (from Follett).

America’s Navy - USS New York - Rising from the Ashes - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZW64H_ffxQ (5:17)

This Very Tree: A Story of 9/11, Resilience, and Regrowth by Sean Rubin is an inspiring true story of a tree’s regrowth literally from ashes. Dubbed the “Survivor Tree,” a Callery pear tree that once stood in the plaza of the World Trade Center was proud of its “job”—offering shade and a nesting spot for birds and serving as an early harbinger of spring. Then the unimaginable occurred. The tree was eventually discovered, seemingly lifeless, beneath mounds of rubble and removed to Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx for rehabilitation. Miraculously, it flourished, and, after nine years, was returned to a newly rebuilt plaza, where it stands today, a beacon of renewed hope (Kirkus Reviews).

A Survival Story: The Survival Tree -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xcrt1MNSgFw (2:46)

30,000 Stitches: The Inspiring Story of the National 9/11 Flag by Amanda Davis tells the story of the 30’ × 20’ American flag that hung in New York City in the aftermath of 9/11 and undergoes an extraordinary yearslong journey to be restored, before coming to rest in 2014 at the National September 11 Museum. Davis outlines the flag’s journey through each of the 50 states, where it was patched with other retired U.S. flags by a number of local leaders and citizens (Publisher’s Weekly).

Ground Zero Flag Becomes Symbol of American Triumph -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWi1Q5JkgM0 (2:31)

Sixth Grade Updates:

Sixth grade students are allowed to check out their Chromebooks from their fourth academic class and take them home up to two days a week. The Chromebook checkout form can be found in the Sixth Grade Essentials Google Classroom. Students are not allowed to bring their ACS chromebook charger home; however, they are able to charge it with any USB-C charger.

ELA:

This week students worked on including quote sandwiches in their ToSEEC body paragraphs and edited their own writing to include these.We also hosted our very own Ceremony of 12, just like the characters in The Giver have.

Next week, students will read chapters 13-18 in The Giver. We will be focusing on looking at how imagery in chapter 15 makes the writing more vivid.

Important dates:

9/20- I-Ready lesson due

Math:

Sixth graders took their Lesson 1-5 Quiz today. We will go over quiz correction expectations on Monday and that information will be posted in Google Classroom. Quiz corrections will be due next Friday September 20th.

We will start iReady Lesson 6 on Monday which will cover Greatest Common Factors and Least Common Multiples. Greatest Common Factor is an important concept that we’ve already been working hard on mastering this year through Bell Ringers and weekly class competitions.

Make sure your student continues work on their iReady path. Students are given time in Senator Time to complete and pass the two required lessons each week. If a student does not complete these lessons in their designated time, they will be expected to check their Chromebooks out to complete them at home.

Important Dates:

9/20- Lesson 1-5 Quiz Corrections due

9/20- Two iReady Path lessons due

Social Studies:

Students have spent the last three days having an in class debate over the most important Mesopotamian Innovation. Ask your student about their assigned Mesopotamian innovation and who ended up winning the debate for their class.

Students were given a study guide to help them prepare for their end of unit exam next week, the study guide will be due on the day of the end of unit 2 Mesopotamia exam on 9/17.

Important SS Dates:

Unit 2 End of Unit Assessment: 9/17

SS Benchmark Exam: 9/27

Science:

Our sixth grade scientists spent much of this week analyzing the relationship between kinetic energy, mass, and speed as they used a physics simulation to race yetis on sleds down snowy hills. We learned that as the mass of an object doubles, its kinetic energy doubles and that as an object’s velocity doubles, its kinetic energy quadruples. Toward the end of the week we began investigating how thermal energy moves as we observed how the temperatures in two different cups changed at different rates. Next week we will continue learning more about thermal energy’s movement through conduction, convection, and radiation.

Thermal Energy Vocabulary List: Thermal Energy Vocabulary.pdf

Thermal Energy Vocabulary Study Link: https://wordwall.net/resource/77946261

Important Science Dates:

Friday, September 20: Thermal Energy and Kinetic Energy, Mass, and Speed Quiz

Friday, September 20: Thermal Energy Vocabulary Due

Friday, September 27: Science Benchmark Test

ELA:

This week in ELA, students completed their first midterm assessment and practiced test taking strategies during the bell ringer. Students also analyzed figurative language in the short story “First-Day Fly” and considered how the figurative language develops the theme of the text. Next week, students will continue reviewing the most missed questions on the midterm for the bell ringer. They will also read a nonfiction text about teens’ risk taking tendencies and their learning outcomes, while analyzing the development of the central idea.

Social Studies:

This week we finished up our unit on Southwest Asia/North Africa. Our last standard was all about the impacts of trade on the region and the expanding role of merchants. Students took the last MasteryConnect standard assessment of the unit (and as a whole scored very well on it!), and then we moved on to prepare for the test. We completed and reviewed the study guide, revisited all of our unit MasteryConnect assessments, and then played several rounds of the Quizizz review game. The unit test was then completed on Friday. Next week we will begin with an item analysis of the test and look at the most missed questions, then we will move into our studies of the next unit, West Africa!

Science:

We also worked through a tough skill of balancing chemical equations. We will do an independent investigation for our final assessment for this unit on Monday and Tuesday next week. Talk with your students to see how their lab went :)

Math:

7th grade math students will continue to learn about adding integers. We will extend our knowledge of addition to include rational numbers (positive and negative numbers containing decimal or fractional amounts) by the middle of next week. Students will know how to add positive and negative numbers using a number line, chip model and through absolute value subtraction when needed. If your student is needing additional help, Mrs. Berg is available Monday-Wednesday at 7:20 in the library. Mrs. McCrary has morning math each Thursday and Friday morning at 7:30 a.m. If neither of these times work, please send us an email so that we can provide alternate times (kberg@acs.ac or pmccrary@acs.ac).

Our Volleyball team has come up with three wins against Harriman, Oliver Springs, and Norwood! Next week, they will play against Cherokee on Monday here at home and Lenoir City on Tuesday.

Our Football team had a great game (and win!) against Spring City last night. We have two more home games for the next two weeks. Next week will be against Clinton Middle School for Homecoming and the week after will be Robertsville.