Corbett School District» Mr. Lutes

Nine Weeks Left! by Brian Lutes

Brian Lutes — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 17:31:21 +0000

Thank you all for coming to the Ancient Civilizations Night. The students learned a lot and had fun making it interesting for you!

This trimester we are exploring factors that make civilizations fall, comparing and contrasting modern civilizations, and searching for reasons why some civilizations thrive and some struggle. We will also be studying modern public health issues such as bacteria and viruses. Energy will continue to be a theme in our science studies as we explore different ways modern civilizations collect and use energy.

We have three field trips this trimester.

Outdoor School (6th Grade only) – April 15th-20th

Lincoln City Overnight (7th/8th Grades only) – April 18th and 19th

Wild Horse Canyon – May 16th and 17th

Greece, Greece, Greece! by Brian Lutes

Brian Lutes — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 18:01:45 +0000

We have been focusing on our ancient civilization studies of ancient Greece. The students have received the requirements for their project and have begun researching their topics. We have also been studying a summarized version of The Iliad, and we made comic books to represent our knowledge of the battle of Troy. We will be slowly transforming our classroom into a museum of ancient Greece and share our artifacts on the evening of March 20th During our ancient civilizations night. More information on this night will be coming home soon.

In my last post I mentioned that we were going to have a night when the students displayed their Marblandia creations. Instead, we will be doing this during the school day on Wednesday, February 29th. We are making blueprints an ad campaigns for these inventions over the next few weeks. We will begin construction on February 21st.

Walk Like an Eqyptian by Brian Lutes

Brian Lutes — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 18:21:13 +0000

We have finished up the Mesopotamia simulation and moved on to the Ancient Egypt Project. This is the first large project of the year. Students received a packet describing the project, which includes a calendar of due dates, a checklist of assignments, and a scoring sheet. We have gone over the packet in detail and discussed the basics of constructing a works cited page. Students get, on average, about an hour a day to work on their projects. Hopefully, they have talked to their parents about this project in order to be able to use resources at home as well as at school. Fighting the urge to procrastinate, using classroom time wisely, and choosing projects they are genuinely interested in will be the keys to success for this project.

Moving Along by Brian Lutes

Brian Lutes — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 22:12:04 +0000

We are coming to the end of our Mesopotamia Simulation. The students have seemed to enjoy this interactive way of learning and have gained a great deal of knowledge about the cradle of civilization. We have also brought our story telling unit to a close, and I hope everyone could make it to the story telling night at the middle school. I know it was a creative and fun experience for me.

As we move along, students are working on their first of three book talks that they will give as a character from a book they have enjoyed reading this year. Many of the have chosen to get this out of the way on Halloween because it is a good opportunity for them to dress up as their character. We are also moving into a physics unit that will go right along with the Egypt studies we are beginning. These topics should take us all the way to Winter Break.

In the Swing of Things by Brian Lutes

Brian Lutes — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 20:21:41 +0000

It has been fun getting to know the students and letting them get to know me. The overnight field trips are a great way to facilitate this and bring a sense of community to the classroom and school. This week, we will be finishing up our geography studies and moving into our ancient civilization work. Students will also be getting their Cardinal Three requirements and bringing home sign-up sheets for parent conferences. Please look for these to be coming home.

One week down! by Brian Lutes

Brian Lutes — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 23:34:07 +0000

The first week of school went off without a hitch! The eighth graders are ready to take on leadership roles and prepare themselves for high school. The seventh graders are ready to improve on their sixth grade years and become leaders and role models. The sixth graders are busy adapting to the middle school ways.

This week we spent a great deal of time getting back in the swing of things and getting to know each other and our surroundings. We spent a lot of time team building and adjusting to a slightly different schedule from last year. The students got to do a survey and find out what types of learning styles they possess the most. We also wrote a poem designed to imitate George Ella Lyons’ Where I’m From. We shared these in class, and it was awesome! I learned so much about the students, and they learned about each other. Students should share these with their families.

Next week, we are moving into world geography and story telling. It should be a fun school year!

Looking forward to a great school year. by Brian Lutes

Brian Lutes — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 17:06:34 +0000

I am looking forward to seeing all of the returning middle school students and the fresh, new faces. We have an exciting curriculum to explore this year with many opportunities for success for every student. I will see you bright and early on August 29th.