Mr. McAllister's Magical Memory Machine

Above & Beyond Projects

To support and extend the learning of our TARGET students,  all students are required to complete an "Above and Beyond" project.  Students will be given a project list.  They are to choose one project to complete at home.  All projects are due on the student's regular TARGET day, the week of November 12th.  Links to project documents are provided below.

• The Great Who Dunnit A&B Project list - Download above_and_beyond_who_dunnit.doc
• Ultimate Connections A&B Project list - Download Ultimate_Connections_A&B_menu.doc

A grading rubric will accompany the project, so that students are aware of what will be expected.

• The Great Who Dunnit A&B Grading Rubric- Download above_and_beyond_rubric.doc
• Ultimate Connections A&B Grading Rubric - Download Ultimate_Connections_  A&B_rubric.doc

Students are expected to keep a log of their work.   The log should include the date, length of time spent working and a brief description of what was accomplished.  Logs are to be turned in with the project.

It is expected that the Above and Beyond project is to be completed by the student.  However, parents may need to assist with gathering materials, researching and scheduling work time.  I will remind students in class weekly, and they will be required to note in the homework section of their TARGET tally to work on the project.  Please do not wait until the last minute to begin working on the project.

My goal is to help your child be as successful as possible.  I am available to meet with students by appointment in the mornings before announcements, and via e-mail for quick questions.

Ultimate Connections - Homework Question

Parents,

I just got a good question from a parent about the homework assignment for this week!  I thought I would share it with you ...

The students need to create a concept sketch of a bridge to bring to class next week.  I know that we urge going above and beyond a lot, but Please DO NOT make anything to scale or 3-d or such. Just a sketch. The student's sketch may have details, labels and color if they wish (hint hint).  The students will be using their concept sketches to decide which type of bridge they are going to be constructing in class.

Thanks for the question, and keep them coming!

Mr. McAllister

Building Big Web Site

Building Big Web Site

Use the following web site to answer the questions on your research sheet

www.pbs.org/wgbh/buildingbig/bridge

The Great Whodunnit - Update

This past Friday ...

• The Choco-Chef made a guest appearance in our class.
• The four chocolate recipes which were created last week, were judged by our student panel of chocolate experts. We collected our ratings data and after analyzing the data, used the result to select the best recipe to send to Mr. Van Feisty.
• Each group created a mini-marketing plan for the new product which has was named the "Dirt Devil"  chocolate bar.  Wrapper designs, wacky promotional ideas and advertisements were created and presented to the group.
• In an effort to promote security at our research facility, we learned about fingerprints and their unique characteristics.

Ultimate Connections Update

This past week in the Ultimate Connections Unit ...

• We shared our independent "at home" research. 
• Conducted a scientific experiment to determine which pier shape was the strongest to use in bridge construction.
• Discovered the relationship between the forces of tension and compression.
• Began so additional research into bridge construction and history.
• Got our hands on some Hands on Equations.

Remember ... You are expected to bring some written work to show you answered one of your 3-2-1 questions on your TARGET tally, include your sources and be ready to present your findings to the class.  This is part of your homework and is required.