Onondaga Lake Project is under way!

In science class, we have started the research phase of our investigation into such an important local topic. Thank you parents for taking the time last week to share your thoughts about the lake and working successfully in a group.















This is a pretty intense assignment - here are the components:

1. Attend the Kick Off Field Trip 
2. Investigate species that lived in the Onondaga Lake Watershed in the 1600's
3. Create a Food Web representing the ecosystem at that time
4. Research a Timeline of Events that impacted the Lake
5. Complete Science Vocab rewritten in students' own words
6. Answer set of Science Questions relating the NYS curriculum to Onondaga Lake
7. Read the Onondaga Nation's Vision for a Cleaner Onondaga Lake
8. Research questions related to Honeywell's Lake Clean Up
9. Examine a specific topic, event or entity that influenced the Lake and/or the Watershed
10. Create a website to present the students' research
11. Email a professional or professor about a specific research question.
12. Social Studies DBQ: How did the industrialization and rapid-city growth of Syracuse lead to the destruction of Onondaga Lake and its surrounding areas?
13. ELA Persuasive Essay - Compare current clean up efforts with the Vision publication. Students will chose a stance and support their views with evidence.


Onondaga Lake Project Website
 

Onondaga Lake Project Kickoff

WOW! How did we do all of that???

On Wednesday, October 29th we went on a whirlwind tour of many locations in the Onondaga Lake Watershed. 

We will be using these experiences to help construct pieces of our interdisciplinary Industrialization and Onondaga Lake Project that we will begin next month.

Here is a list of the locations that were on our itinerary: 

• Honeywell Visitor's Center
• Geddes Brook -a rehabilitated wetland
• Onondaga Historical Association
• Destiny USA
• METRO Waste water Treatment Plant

We heard presentations from the following individuals:

• Amy Rood - Communications Specialist, Brown & Sanford Consulting c/o Honeywell 
• Natalia Cagide - Parsons Engineering
• Dennis Connors - Onondaga Historical Association
• Scott Peal - Onondaga Historical Association
• Jim Jones - Head Operator METRO Waste Water Treatment Plant
• Aimee Clinkhammer - Onondaga Watershed Coordinator, EPA
• Freida Jacques - Onondaga Nation

Onondaga Lake Project Kick Off

Teachers are gearing up for our interdisciplinary project to analyze the impact of Industry and Urbanization in Syracuse on the Onondaga Lake Watershed. This is our 4th year working on this project. We are taking time out of classes on Wednesday, October 29th to visit locations and hear presentations about various aspects of the lake's history and recovery. More updates to follow.

  As the senior member of the 8th grade team, I am decidedly the "low tech queen." I believe that children need a variety of learning experiences to keep things interesting, and I am supplying the non-technical experiences.  Some of the things we have done in the first 5 weeks in Math 8/Algebra 1 include: "human angles": drawing 2 huge parallel lines in chalk on the carpet and using students as the corresponding, vertical and alternate exterior angles.  We have played "Math-O" (bingo) to review 2 step equations, had a scavenger hunt to practice the distributive property and combining like terms, had a relay race for simplifying radicals, used versatiles for many concepts, done a "placemat activity" for properties of numbers, and done several "pairs activities" where one student acts as "teacher" - asking questions, the other student answers, and they switch roles. I also use mini white boards on paddles for students to do problems and show answers as a formative assessment.

Mrs. Felice

 

BioBlitz 2014

The 8th grade classes went outside last week to collect photos of species found on campus with our ipads. This week we are using library resources and online identification sites to identify these species and create a Field Guide for the Jr/Sr High School.

"Wow - Excel is Cool!"  -a quote from real LaFayette 8th grade students

Some examples of student work

We have spent the last couple days in Science learning how to use computer software to create graphs. 

They really got into the customization tools!

Sorry about the mess...

The 8th graders have taken seeds home to conduct a controlled experiment to determine if household items will affect germination rates. 



If there are any moldy bags - DO NOT OPEN THEM! 
They can be thrown away!

http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSAJnCof4ElT7Ia_FRJCdjp63TiccjDKtxhv1IVe0fv7JARiiO2

2 Weeks In...

Highlights from our first two weeks of school:

Math students are investigating angles from intersecting lines

ELA did a "Book Tasting" with 7th grade in the Library. Prepping for short story unit. 

Social Studies has been reviewing reviewing compromises the Civil War

Science students identified and graphed trees from the woods up the hill

GREEN vs GOLD

This year the 8th grade has been split into two separate teams to foster collaboration in a competitive atmosphere. 

HOW IT WORKS

Each class has Green & Gold team members. Over the course of the year, we will have many team challenges, projects and games which will be opportunities for the students to earn points. The winning group in each class will earn points for the overall Green and Gold teams respectively. 

DAY 1 SUCCESS!

So far, so good - after rolling out the program, students made team posters and names for each class. Then we held a team-building competition - Blind Puzzlers. One individual from the group put together a puzzle, with a catch. They were blind folded and could only react to instructions from their team mates. We had a blast! 

Who are we?

Who is the LaFayette 8th Grade Team?

     

                                                       Teachers @ LaFayette Jr/Sr High School 

     Mr. Spicer - Social Studies           
"This is my 17th year teaching at LaFayette. I coach modified Football and Lacrosse. Very excited to be working with this year's 8th grade students."

Mrs. P-K - ELA            

 "I have been teaching here for two years. I coach Varsity Soccer and help advise the Book Club."

Mrs. Felice - Math              

 "I have been teaching in LaFayette since the Fall of 1984. This year I am teaching Math 8 & Algebra I as well as being co-class advisor and advising Jr. High Math League"

Mr. Amidon - Science

 "I have been in LaFayette since 1999  and teach Life Science and Regents Level Living Environment for accelerated 8th graders. In 2013 I was accepted in the NYS Master Teacher Program. I am looking to introduce more Project Based Learning activities into the classroom this year."

     Mrs. Cool - Guidance

"I've been working at LaFayette Jr. Sr. High School since 2007. As a School Counselor, I work primarily with grades 7-9, but also serve older students as the adviser for the National Honor Society and Teen Institute."