7th Grade Language Arts Uses Publisher

Seventh Grade Language Arts Classes worked for several weeks on writing and publishing a completed news paper using Publisher.  Students had to research a topic of interest, write about that topic, and then they had to create a feature article that included their writing.  To see some examples of student work, click on the links below. 

• Memory Loss
• What Organic Gardening Can Do

Communicating Through Art

One of Ms. Blackwell's students who has a hard time communicating, has found a way to communicate with the rest of the world through her art.  She has her own website, which features her computer artwork, short films, and stop animation videos.  Ellie can communicate endless amount of information through her drawings and art with little or no words.

Here is an example of one of her stop animation videos where she makes Mickey and WALL-E do the same thing.  

Deerpark Middle School in the School Library Journal

Deerpark Middle School's participation in the virtual book club on the Hunger Games turned out to be a hit.  Our book club and our librarian, Amy Lott were given a nod by Joyce Valenza in the School Library Journal. Check out the article here.  School Library Journal

 

Theater Digital Portfolios

When you go to your evaluation for your job, you are given a grade.  It usually isn't like the grade our students get based on a percentage out of 100, but it is usually based on a portfolio of your work.  Mrs. Hadzi's Theatre Classes are getting ahead of the game and creating portfolios using Foliospaces.  Students have to create a resume', compare where they are in their acting from the beginning of the year to the end of the year, and add information about their skills and what they have accomplished during the year.


In the end, Mrs. Hadzi hopes that they leave her class with a tool to help them gather, organize and display all of their talents in one place.  This certainly is a tool that will help them in their pursuit of a career, college education and much more.


Check out work from one student's portfolio here...

There will be more previews of student portfolios as they continue to develop throughout the year.  

Constitution Animotos

Mrs. Huffman's classes have been studying the constitution.  They have had to research a particular part of the Constitution and come up with concepts and pictures that represent their piece of the US Constitution.  Each group had to research and them put all of their information into an Animoto that they would use to teach the rest of the class about their part of the project at the end of the week.  Here are a couple of examples of student work.  

 

These students took their own pictures to go with their teaching experience.  

Read All About It! DMS Goes Digital

Deerpark Middle School Newspaper students have produced their first online newspaper for everyone to see!  Students have worked hard on articles about Dance, Basketball tryouts, the STAAR test, Ranger Football, and much more.  Check out the Ranger online Newspaper!

QR Codes on Campus

First, let's discuss what exactly a QR code is.  A QR code or Quick Response code is a two-dimensional matrix bar code that is used to identify products.  This code is different than a traditional bar code because it does not matter the code's orientation.  QR codes were developed in Japan and eventually used in the automobile industry.  However recently, QR codes can be found everywhere, from you junk mail coupon pack to a highway billboard.  


This is the first year we have started using them in a school setting.  All you need is either a QR code reader for a webcam, or a free QR code reader app (iTunes/Android) for a phone or tablet device.  Student council recently used a QR code to have the student body request songs for the Winter Wonderland Dance, and our library has used them to find out more information about the Twilight Trivia contest.  

QR code to request song for Winter Wonderland Dance

Student scanning the QR code for the Twilight Trivia Contest