Newsletter #3

Classroom Newsletter Mr. Choquette Sci-8 / SS-8

September 23rd 2011 Contact Information: Email: cchoquette@kas.kh.edu.tw Phone: 07-5830112

KAS sign adorning our school’s new aesthetically pleasing walls.

More than a month of learning, growth, and fun behind us.

It has been about three weeks since my last Classroom Newsletter and school year is in full swing! I would like to sincerely thank the KAS PTA for their wonderful welcome dinner for new parents and teachers. The food was good, the student performances were great, and it was a genuine pleasure to meet and socialize with the KAS parents, faculty members, administrators and of course our wonderful students.

On an academic note, students received their first progress reports on Thursday September 22nd 2011. If your student did not receive a progress report from their Advisory teacher please notify Rachel Chen in the Elementary/Secondary Office. I encourage parents to take some time to ask their child to reflect on their performance so far in the school year. As always if you have questions or concerns about your student’s performance please do not hesitate to contact me.

Sci-8 Update: Maps as Models of the Earth & Mapping the Earth In Science students have been studying topics related to Mapping the Earth.

We learned about the various ways that cartographers attempt to display the Earth using different projections such as cylindrical (Mercator), conic, azimuthal.

They have practiced reading and interpreting information from globes and maps.

Students exercised their book learning by plotting locations using longitude and latitude coordinates to provide exact locations. Students are currently making a detailed map of Kaohsiung American School. My hope is that one or more

Student made compass lab

students does an exceptional job on this assignment so that one of these maps might be used in some official capacity such as a student handbook or school poster. Our next Section, Ch. 2, Sec. 3, will have students exploring Topographical Maps.

Student Practice Labs = Practical Application of Concepts We have done two labs since the last newsletter. As part of our discussion about True North, Magnetic North, and Magnetic Declination students were tasked with creating a working compass using materials commonly found in the classroom. We then compared the student made compasses North to the True North provided by GPS. In the second lab activity Eratosthenes Simulation Lab

students employed Eratosthenes’s methods to discover the circumference of a ball.

Students used a soccer or volleyball to simulate their Earth. They then employed

Eratosthenes’s proportion and cross-multiplication to solve for “x;” “x” being the circumference of the ball. Many of the students struggled with rationalizing how to use the Math to determine their margin of error between their calculated circumference and the real circumference. Most students seemed to have the Math skills but they did not know how to employ them. I believe students benefit from hands-on experiential learning like these labs because they are required to apply skills and concepts that they have learned to real world problems developing problem solving and critical thinking skills.

SS8 Update: The Fall of the Roman Empire and the Rise of Feudalism in Western Europe.

Bubbl.us: Mind Mapping Tool http://bubbl.us Check it out!

In World History students have learned about the many complex reasons that contributed to the fall of the Roman Empire and are they are now learning about Feudalism in Western Europe during the Middle Ages. Students summarized their learning of the reasons for the fall of the Roman Empire by creating a mind map in class. Many of them opted to make a digital version of their mind map using the website “bubbl.us”; it is an awesome site that is super easy to use.

Students are currently studying heraldry and designing a “coat of arms” to represent their attributes as knights. Students have completed Cornell reading notes, in class discussions and activities. I think most of the kids are pretty excited about our upcoming class skit next week. Students will be acting out roles as Lords, Knights, and Peasants in a play. I plan to record this and then use iMovie to edit it into an educational and funny video for all to learn from and enjoy. We will be wrapping up our studies of Feudalism next week and I plan to give a quiz the following week. Students are encouraged to use their notes and the Quizlet flashcards on my Moodle site to assist them in their review of the key terminology and concepts of this unit.

Student Health: Managing time outside of school for a healthy brain.

While attending a very informative Professional Development session on Friday September 23rd, the presenter Mr. John Joseph shared that students need sleep to “lock in” a day’s learning; it was also pointed out that the quality of the sleep is an important factor. He suggested that students play their video games and do their Facebook-ing right after they come home from school with a time limit of 1-2 hours and then take a 20-minute break before beginning their homework or studying. Homework and studying might take another 1-2 hours. He advised parents to cut-off tv, video games, Facebook and cellphone use one hour before students go to sleep. Students need 6-8 hours of quality sleep a night and these electrical sources of entertainment can make students restless sleepers and interfere with a student’s brain locking in knowledge. I know it sounds strange, but fun for an hour before homework and then off to bed sounds like the best plan.

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Mr. Choquette / Newsletter #3 / September 23, 2011