Welcome to Team R

Grade 8 

Pre-algebra classes focussed on concepts of ratio, proportion, and percent. Students discovered that writing proportions can sometimes be a very effective strategy in solving word problems. Students were engaged in various activities. Proportions were used in finding the lengths of missing sides of similar triangles. Students identified ratios and fractions around the classroom and then converted the fractions to percentages. Circle graphs were created. The percent unit ended with the students writing three advertisements which involved discounts, percents, and percent decrease. In addition, two short stories were written involving interest and purchase of a home and car.

Algebra classes also focused on proportions and percents. Students worked with functions, domains, ranges and graphs on the coordinate plane. They were instructed in how to write linear equations from patterns in tables. This is an important skill that the students will now be able to use on Task Day Tuesday. Algebra students are currently finding slopes, writing equations for lines and graphing linear equations.

For a second quarter the following standards for mathematics were addressed: basic number concepts, Geometry, probability and statistics, Algebra concepts and problem-solving skills. Mrs. Vogel

Language Arts: I would like to take the opportunity to remind parents and students that daily homework, long term projects, rubrics, and much more may be viewed on schoolnotes.com.

This quarter many students continued to work diligently to meet the R.I. standard for reading. As a reminder, students should read a minimum of five nights per week. They should choose books fron the lists made available in the classroom or through the links on schoolnotes. com. This quarter we have used the independent reading books as a vehicle for writing literary eaasays. Some of the topics included characterization, conflict and theme.

In addition to the independent reading and writing about literature, students have also worked on descriptive writing and the persuasive essay. In addition to learning the basics of the five paragraph essay, students have been learning to elevate the style of their writing by including figurative language devices and by applying grammatical concepts such as vivid verbs, specific nouns and sentence variety. Our unit on comma usage has greatly helped students devise more sophisticated, complex sentences in their writing.

In the next few months, we will be preparing for th state assessments which will take place in March. As I am sure you know, DMS students have been achieving great success and our school has been recognized for its achievements. Please encourage your child to put forth his/her best effort on this year's testing. We would like to continue the tradition of achieving great results. Mrs. Santagata

Science: Team R students have spent the second quarter exploring the human body systems. After a detailed study of the skeletal system, the students were given an opportunity to dissect a chicken wing, as well as a preserved sheep's heart. In addition, the digestive, circulatory, respiratory, and excretory systems were investigated in detail. The students also determined their pulse rates, both at rest and after exercise. Finally, as the second quarter closed, students were completing a study of how the human body fights disease. Mr. Anderson

DMS Home