Mr. Wizner's Website

CP Federal Credit Union conducted three lessons this week for the Current Issues course.  Ms. Amy King and Mrs. Sheila Troxel were both kind enough to take time out of their day to share financial knowledge with our students.  The lessons covered topics such as car loans, budgeting, and entrepreneurship.  We will continue our financial education portion of class next week by simulating various financial situations.

https://www.facebook.com/CPFederalCreditUnion

Mrs. Troxel mentioned a fantastic TED Talk by a teenager with a fantastic invention.  Since we did study nuclear fusion last unit, I am sharing the link of this particular video.  Enjoy!

http://www.ted.com/talks/taylor_wilson_yup_i_built_a_nuclear_fusion_reactor.html

This week students will be using their research skills to become an expert in one topic relating to the American Civil War.  Students will use a combination of books, periodicals, and websites to research their topic.  After the research stage is complete, students will create a presentation and bibliography.  The bibliography will be in APA format.

A couple of keys for this project.

1. Stay Organized…losing a research sheet can cost a day or more of work.

2. One step at a time…….it is important in a large project to set many small goals and focus on small tasks.

3. Share your work!….it is important to keep someone (mom, dad, grandparent, friends, teachers) informed of your work so that you can share your success and receive guidance on research questions that are challenging.

4. Be curious….research normally leads to more questions than answers.  Once that fact is accepted you will find yourself feeling more like a crime scene investigator and less like repeater of facts.

Happy researching!

The first semester is drawing to an end.  It will officially end on Thursday, January 26th.  There are retake opportunities for students who are not satisfied with their performance of any standards from the recent tests.  After Thursday, all scores will count towards the 3rd Trimester grade.

In the second semester look for our U.S. History course to study the American Civil War.  In Physical Science we will gear up for our chemistry units.  The 2nd semester will also begin the Current Issues course.  Look for an updated webpage for this course next week.

The Khan Academy is a fantastic resource for math and science students.  I am going to provide a link for a speech given by the founder of the academy.  I will also provide a hyperlink for the homepage.

Speech:  http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/salman_khan_let_s_use_video_to_reinvent_

education.html

Khan Academy:  http://www.khanacademy.org/

This post is designed specifically for Science Discovery students.  Please attempt the games below.  You do not need to follow a particular order, but please make certain to play each game.

Balancing Act

Lunar Lander

Radioactive Dating Game

After you have spent 5-10 minutes playing the games linked above, you may spend the remaining portion of the hour playing any  game you would like from the website linked below.

Interactive Simulations from the University of Colorado

The unofficial first half of the school year is just about complete.  Students have worked hard in recent weeks.  The physical science students just completed their unit on motion and acceleration.  Science Discovery students completed a sustainable city project with fantastic results.  As Dansville Schools break for the holidays, I want to take the time to wish everyone a safe and happy holiday season.

As students are gearing up for the start of the holiday season, we are approaching an important time in both American Studies and Physical Science. Students will be testing in both content areas prior to Thanksgiving. This will be the first summative assessment in both classes for the second marking period.

Physical Science classes are currently learning about electricity and magnetism. The I Can Statements, as well as class notes, can be used to study for the upcoming test, which is scheduled for Friday, November 18th.

American Studies classes are wrapping up their unit on the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Both documents have a significant impact on our daily lives. For that reason, this is an important test for students to master. A study guide is already posted for this unit. The target test date is Monday, November 21st. Please be aware that this may change to allow students adequate in-class time to be prepared for the test. Any students leaving prior to the 21st will need to take the test before break.

Students who are currently taking Science Discovery need to begin collecting materials for their sustainable city project. After Thanksgiving we will begin to build 3-D models of the cities we designed during class.

On Friday, administration gave staff members an opportunity to work on our personal websites. I used this time to upgrade the appearance and to change the format. You will now see a separate page for each unit. I will blog to let students, parents, and colleagues know what unit we are currently studying. The goal of each unit page is to provide a .pdf of the standards, study guides, and important documents. As we reach a new unit, the updated material will be displayed.

You will also notice a “resources” page. I am in the process of creating distinct pages for students, parents, and educators. Each page will have materials that focus on that specific group. If you have online resources (articles, websites, blogs, etc.) that should be added to any of the pages, please let me know.

My goal is this….”My website will improve the performance of students by making classroom resources more available, keeping parents informed of our progress, and serving as a source of communication among other educators.” If it looks like I am falling short of this goal, please let me know (kindly) and I will work to improve this website.

Thank You,
Mr. Wizner

Students are working toward a variety of goals. In Science Discovery students are constructing turbines to gain a better understanding of wind energy. Physical Science students are currently studying the electromagnetic spectrum and how it is present all over the earth. In American Studies students are working towards completing their timeline assignment. The due date for the timeline is Friday afternoon.

Hopefully students enjoyed the homecoming festivities. Community Day was extremely successful for the 8th grade students. Their behavior was incredible as they made a positive impact on the kindergarten students that they met. Heading into this week students will take a Physical Science test (Tuesday). Weather permitting, the Science Discovery students will complete a “Shot Put Lab” Tuesday morning. In American Studies, students are learning about the American Revolution and will begin to work on a timeline. The timeline will be due Wednesday, October 5th.