Jazzing Up Eighth Grade

It’s that time of year again!  The time when “No. 2 pencils” and “non-graphing calculators” are brought out to be used to fill in the little answer bubbles on standardized tests.  Where I live we take I-STEP and NWEA in eighth grade.  I-STEP is the state-wide test.  We take the short answer and essay portion in the March and the multiple choice portion on the computer in April.  In eighth grade, we only have to take Math and Language.  (We took Science and Social Studies in past years.)  NWEA is taken both in the fall and in the spring and entirely on the computer.  We take three tests: Math, Reading, and English.

Even though these tests can be tedious and seem like a waste of time, the scores on these tests are important because they are used to determine our school’s quality and moving into advanced classes.  We also do not have much homework the weeks of these tests!

What standardized tests do you take?  Do you think that they are a waste of time?

March 2011 Student Challenge #6
Original image: ‘Who needs Pythagoras’ theorem?‘

by: Ντάνκαν
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Original image: ‘Question‘

by: Michael Donovan
Released under an Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike License
Original image: ‘You Cannot Argue With This‘

by: Michael Donovan
Released under an Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike License

 

My school begins at 7:40am.  My bus picks me up at 7:08am.  Each class is 46 minutes long and we have 5 minute passing periods.  School ends at 2:40pm.

5th and 6th graders have 20 minutes of PRT (Personal Responsibility Time) and 7th and 8th Graders have 25 minutes of SOAR around lunch time to work on homework and get help from teachers.

Classes Offered:

English 5, 6, 7, & 8
English 5, 6, 7, & 8 HA
Language Arts 5 & 6
Language Arts 5 & 6 HA
Science 5, 6, 7, & 8
Science 5, 6, 7, & 8 HA
Math 5, 6, 7, and Pre-Algebra
Math 5 & 6 Transition, Pre-Algebra, and Algebra
Math 5 & 6 HA, Pre-Algebra, and Algebra Honors
Research 5 & 6
General Art 5, 6, 7, & 8
Computer Skills 7 & 8
Engineering and Technology 7 & 8
General Music 7 & 8
P.E./ Heath 5, 6, 7, & 8
Band 5, 6, 7, & 8
Orchestra 5, 6, & 7/8
Choir 5 & 6
Boys Choir 7/8
Girls Choir 7/8
Pleasure Reading 5 & 6
Art 7 & 8
Spanish 1, 2, 1A, & 1B
French 1 & 2
Mandarin Chinese 1 & 2
German 1 & 2

5th and 6th Graders take English, Language Arts, Science, Social Studies, Math, and a Fine Art (band, choir, orchestra, or pleasure reading) year long.  They also take 9 weeks of Research, 9 weeks of General Art, and 1 semester of P.E./ Health.

7th and 8th Graders take English, Science, Social Studies, Math, a Fine Art (band, choir, orchestra, or art), and a Foreign Language (Spanish, French, Mandarin Chinese, or German) year long.  They also take 9 weeks of a special (General Art, General Music, Computer Skills, or Engineering and Technology), 9 weeks of another special, and 1 semester of P.E./ Health.

Extra-curricular Activities at My School:

Jazz Band

Art Club

Boy Scouts

Chinese Culture Club

Destination Imagination

Drama Club

Cross Country Club

Intramural Basketball

FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes)

Math Bowl

National Junior Honor Society

Sit ‘n Knit

Spell Bowl

Strolling Strings

Student Council

Swing Choir

Tri-M Music Honor Society

Wrestling Club

Yearbook Club

Sports:

Cheerleading

Cross Country

Football

Golf

Tennis

Volleyball

Basketball

Wrestling

Lacrosse

Baseball

Track and Field

Softball

My Day

6:10am- Alarm goes off
7:08am- Bus arrives at bus stop
7:25am- Bus arrives at school
7:30am- 10 minute bell rings
7:35am- 5 minute bell rings
7:40am- Social Studies- This year we are studying U.S. History
8:31am- Language Arts- Reading and grammar
9:22am- Band- I am a percussionist
10:13am- Engineering and Technology (Tech)- 9 weeks course
11:00am- Lunch
11:25am- Bus leaves for high school
11:34am- Geometry- math at high school
12:29pm- Bus leaves for middle school
12:35pm- SOAR- study hall
1:00pm- Science- chemistry
1:51pm- Spanish 2
2:40pm- Final bell

On Tuesdays and Thursdays I have Jazz Band from 3pm- 3:45pm.
On the 2nd Monday of every month I have NJHS (National Junior Honor Society) from 7am-7:30am.
On Tuesdays I have FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes) from 7am-7:30am.

Images:

“ZMS”

Original image: ‘Eternal clock‘ 
http://www.flickr.com/photos/21046489@N06/3387189144
by: Robbert van der Steeg

Released under an Attribution-ShareAlike License

September 2010 Student Challenge #6