After you finish your test today...

Watch a few of these:

Dare to Educate Afghan Girls:

Calculating Pi with Pies:



The (Archaeological) Search for King Richard:



What Cameras See That Our Eyes Don't:



The Mysteries of Vernacular: Clue:




The Mysteries of Vernacular: Assassin:


Ineptitude in the 40-Yard Dash:

Your Digital Footprint

Today, we will have a discussion about your Digital Footprint.  It will start with a pair of videos from BrainPop - one on Social Networks and one on Information Privacy and one on Social Networking.

The we will watch the following videos from the folks at Common Sense Media:

Your homework - before you leave for break:

Submit the three photos - 20 points
Return the following sheet, signed by one of your parents - 20 points.

Haiku Deck

Hello Dear 7th Graders,

Today, we need to learn to navigate a new App in the iPads called Haiku Deck.

This is a cool presentation tool like Prezi or Power Point, but it has been designed for use on an iPad. Unlike the other options, Haiku deck does limit the amount of text you may use on a slide.  

So today you will need to do the following tasks for a 20 point assignment:

1. Open Haiku deck, and set up an account using your HTS Email account, and the same password you use for Prezi and such. 

2. Create 5 slides.  Each slide must have an image, a title, and a line of text.  This line of text must be a complete sentence.

3. Email the presentation to me at mbmorell@htsdc.org.

You may create a slideshow on one of the following ideas:

5 countries, cities or states... and perhaps why you would like to visit them. (or five places you have been)

5 birds, butterflies, mammals, or other critters...

5 castles, beaches, monuments, or mountains, landforms

I'm open to other options, but this is more about learning to use Haiku deck than obsessing about a theme :)  I suggest you keep it simple, and take advantage of the gorgeous images that Haiku deck offers.

Have fun,

Mrs. Morell

TedEd Film Festival

OK my friends.  When you finish Scantron testing, you must be quiet to let others finish, so prepare to be amazed by this series of videos - mostly from TedEd.  At the end of class, we will give you about ten minute to comment on which was your favorite and why, and which was your least favorite and why.  This will be your 20 point participation grade for the day.

Robotics Directions

Lego Robotics!

Over the past few weeks, we have started to build lego robots in technology class. 

Next step: programming them!  Your tasks will be posted here soon...

Study Skills

Happy New Year 7th Grade!

Quizlet is a fun interactive way to memorize information for school.  I find Quizlet is especially helpful for learning foreign languages, history dates and terms, and vocabulary for all classes.  It is used quite a bit in the Morell home.

Here's a quick overview of what Quizlet is:

You'll all set up your own accounts using your HTS Email... and as always, I'd like you to use the same password you always use in order to be sure you can remember it.

The link to Quizlet can be found here: http://quizlet.com

I'll walk you through how to set up a list of terms...  I thought we should use a list of "100 Words Every Middle Schooler Should Know"  (with thanks to the folks at American Heritage Dictionary)

adversary	aplomb
apprehensive	aptitude
attentive	banish
barricade	bluff
brackish	brandish
circumference	commotion
concoction	conspicuous
contortion	counter
cunning	debris
defiance	deft
destination	diminish
disdain	dismal
dispel	eavesdrop
egregious	ember
emerge	engross
exasperation	exhilarate
falter	foresight
fragrance	furtive
grueling	gusto
habitation	hasten
headway	ignite
illuminate	impending
imperious	jabber
jargon	jostle
jut	kindle
knoll	luminous
malleable	materialize
meander	meticulous
misgivings	momentum
monotonous	multitude
muster	narrate
obscure	ominous
outlandish	persistent
pertinent	potential
precipice	pristine
pristine	quell
recluse	recuperate
replenish	repugnant
restitution	sabotage
scarcity	scurry
serenity	sociable
somber	specimen
stamina	subside
swagger	swarm
tactic	terse
translucent	uncanny
unsightly	versatile
vigilant	vulnerable
waft	waver
weather	zeal

I would like you to enter at least 20 of these terms, and quiz yourself using the various games and activities.

Online Textbook Resources

The other thing that you should always be aware of are the textbook resources available online.

For example, did you know that your Social Studies textbook has an online link:

Western World - Social Studies Textbook

Spanish Textbook Link

Vocabulary Online Activities