News from Mrs. Hinkle's Core

Dear Parents,

The first semester is already over, and the second semester is beginning. Semester report cards will be mailed home next week. Meanwhile, please do monitor your child's work and grades by logging on to Power School. Missing and late work is also shown there. Unfortunately, Power School crashed during the holidays, so grades are not updated. However, repairs are expected Monday.

Friday, January 13, is a furlough day and there will be no school. Martin Luther King holiday will be observed Monday, January 16.

What We are Studying

In history we have been studying imperial China, and will soon continue with Japan.

In literature, we recently finished reading the fantasy hero tale The Hobbit by Tolkien. This week we will read nonfiction before starting our next historical novel, set in samurai-era Japan.

The next independent book report is due January 25. Students checked out library books in December.

You can always find out what we are doing by going to This Week in Core. To view longer term, please see This Month in Core, a Google calendar to which you can subscribe. It shows the whole year.

Sniffles

Tissue is an item that is not supplied by the school. If every student brings a box, we should have enough for the year. Thanks!

Our Next Big Project in Core

This week, we will begin a long-term research project about the effects of poverty in the lives of children around the world. The essential question is, "How would my life be different if I grew up in a poverty-stricken country?" My goal for students is the understanding that world poverty is often the accident of geography and politics. Children born into poverty face challenges (health, education, opportunity) that are nearly insurmountable, compared to the resources we take for granted in industrialized countries. An overview of the project and rationale is here.

This project will build skills in researching, evaluating sources, and organizing information. It will continue over about six weeks, and will be done entirely in class, unless your child needs more time to catch up at home. The finished products, a video and a research report, will be posted on the blogs.

We are using Noodle Tools, an online service that guides students to make a bibliography, digital note cards, and outline, while allowing the teacher to view and comment on the students' work. Noodle Tools is integrated with Google Docs. This means that students can compose and access their work from any computer via their Google Apps for Education account.

Just a Quote

"This country will not be a good place for any of us to live in unless we make it a good place for all of us to live in."

(Theodore Roosevelt)

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."

(Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.)