Middle School Newsletter February 2015 Dates to remember! February 1 Open Enrollment for School Choice begins 2 AR Club 3:30 -‐4:20 4 School Committee – 6PM – Conference Room 5 Detention 3:20 – 3:20 6 No School – Teacher Inservice 8-‐15 MGC Heartbreaker Basketball Tournament 9 AR Club 3:30 – 4:20 12 11:30 Dismissal – Conferences 13 11:30 Dismissal 16 AR Club 3:30 – 4:20 17 Family Lunch/Mardi Gras 18 Ash Wednesday 19 Tag Day Detention 3:20-‐3:50 20 No School Inservice 23 AR Club 3:30 -‐4:20 STEM Club 26 Detention 3:20 -‐3:50 A Note from the Music Room: Ms. Seitz – [email protected] All middle school grades: thanks for all who attended the Christmas concert and all the support you continue to show the music program. The choir sounded outstanding! There were many compliments given regarding the performances. Keep up the great work! 6th grade -‐ Students will begin their next unit. There will be more homework assigned. Please make sure your student is prepared with needed materials for class and completed homework. Students recently performed their projects to finalize the West African unit. They sounded great! Nice work! 7th grade – The students are starting a new unit on ragtime and blues. They will study ragtime, and the first artist they will learn about is Scott Joplin. Students will be making their own diddle bows soon. Please make sure that this project is completed by the due date. 8th grade – Eighth grade will be starting auditions soon for the musical. Parent meeting will be January 29, 2015 at 6 PM in the library. See you then! Reminder: All students need to have their class materials and assignment notebook for every class. Several students are receiving a lower grade due to missing their materials, not participating in the class discussion, and not turning in homework on time. Science Grade 6 Science The geologists in grade 6 are working hard on their rock explorations, studying the three types of rocks: sedimentary, igneous and metamorphic. They will be working on a creative way to spread the word about the Rock Cycle by writing poems or rap songs to present to their classmates. They will be allowed to use props and background music. I am anticipating a class period filled with talent as they share their presentations. Grade 7 Science The chemists in grade 7 continue to learn about the Periodic Table, its elements, and their symbols. Atomic number, atomic mass, isotopes and quarks are part of their vocabulary. As we move forward we continue learning about the groups/families on the Periodic Table from the Alkali Metals to the Noble Gases. Why atoms combine, the types of chemical bonds and their formulas is next on the agenda. Look for a project slip regarding, “Adopting an Element,” coming soon. Grade 8 Science As we continue our work in Life Science, the 8th grade students will be working on the chapters covering cell processes. This month we will begin our focus on cell division (mitosis and meiosis) and DNA. Our labs will include the extraction of DNA from an onion and the creation of a DNA model made with licorice. As we wrap up our study of the microscopic world, we head toward our study of macroscopic organisms and our dissection unit. The students are looking forward to that! “ There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” Maya Angelou Language Arts & Reading Reminders & Important Dates: • AR is a program designed to promote literacy through independent reading. Students should practice reading every day for at least twenty minutes if at all possible. Please encourage this habit at home to ensure success for your student. • Mardi Gras Festival-February 17 • The first AR deadline for February is the 9th for 6 points towards and individual’s goal. Remember in order to participate in redeeming goal points in AR Store or to graduate out of AR Club, students must reach their entire goal with a percentage of 85% or higher. • Black History Month: Middle School students will be engaging in reading and literature from various African American artists, and learning to appreciate the role of this literature in our history and culture. The time is always right to do what is right." Martin Luther King, Jr. ” 6 th Grade: 6th graders will develop their persuasive voices by writing letters to the principal about a rule change that they would like to see. Parents-watch out-with their new persuasive skills that knows what else they may be asking for at home! In reading class, students will wrap up their unit on Holes and begin their adventures with Karana in reading Island of the Blue Dolphins. With this novel, students will build upon their vocabulary skills while identifying major themes and conflicts. This classic novel is based on a true story of an Indian woman found abandoned on an island off the coast of California. I would encourage you to help further your child's interest in reading by asking him/her to summarize the story for you. One can never have too much practice summarizing events, and doing so will strengthen their comprehension skills. 7 th Grade: In February, students will begin to review test-taking skills in preparation for the Smarter Balance assessments coming up. Essential mechanics will be reviewed as well as basic essay writing concepts. Students can expect practice writes and a bunch of grammar practice as well. Furthermore, students will begin putting their skill of persuasion to the test by participating in debates and writing strong and convincing opinion statements. In reading students will finish Hatchet and begin reading Witness by Karen Hesse. We will read interpretively in class and discuss the many critical perspectives and shades of discrimination. We hope that by March we will begin researching some historical background for our study on literature focusing on the Holocaust. Look for more information on this subject matter and be prepared to talk to your student about this tragic and significant era in the world’s history. 8 th Grade: 8th graders will complete their reading of Thorton Wilder’s classic play, OUR TOWN! This classic play written by a Wisconsin author brings to light the extraordinary that lies in ordinary life. This piece challenges us to count our blessings! We will also be learning some basics of drama; this is sure to help them with that musical coming soon! In Language Arts, students will continue to build their research skills by exploring an area of interest in their future careers. 8th graders will also help develop their voices through reading poetry from African American writers and poets. This is sure to be an exciting month! La clase de español: noticias para febrero/February News for Spanish Class Grade 8: The students will be continuing with the topic of travel, this time with vocabulary focusing on hotels. We will also be reviewing the stem-‐changing verb pedir, servir, seguir and jugar, as well as the important group of verbs known as reflexives. The students will conclude the unit with readings about a family in Argentina and tourism in South America. Grades 6-‐7: The students will be concluding their study of food vocabulary in Spanish by learning words related to lunch and dinner. They will be using the stem-‐changing verbs querer and preferir from the last chapter to talk about what people want/prefer to eat. In addition, they will learn how to conjugate another group of stem-‐changing verbs, this time those that change from o to ue. We will concentrate on the verbs poder, probar and almorzar. The students will use the verb gustar and an indirect object pronoun to talk about foods that they and others like (review from previous study). Finally, the students will be reading some examples of menus and doing comprehension activities based on what they have read. MIDDLE SCHOOL MATH GO MATH!!! GRADE 6 The students in grade six will be finishing up their work with decimals and fractions and move into the unit on proportionality. The students will learn about: -‐ Ratios and proportions -‐ Rates and unit rates -‐ Converting within a measurement system -‐ Fractions, decimals and percents GRADE 7 The students in grade seven are learning about ratios and proportionality. This will include the study of: -‐ Finding and using unit rates -‐ Identifying and representing proportional relationships -‐ Using graphs to represent and analyze proportional relationships After we finish this unit we will go on to study proportions and percents. GRADE 8 The students in grade eight are learning about proportional and non-‐proportional relationships and functions. The students have begun by learning: -‐ Linear proportional and non-‐proportional relationships -‐ Unit rate and slope -‐ Constant of the proportionality -‐ Direct variation -‐ Equations in the form y=mx+b -‐ Systems of equations -‐ Functions -‐ Social Studies Sixth Grade In February, sixth grade Social Studies will conclude their study of India and continue their exploration of the ancient world by beginning a unit on China. Like India, China’s geographic barriers prevented its interaction with other cultures. Our discussions will include China’s climate, landforms, the Great Wall, the Silk Road, and Confucius’ teachings. Confucius espoused the idea that strong morals within the family translate to society at large. Map work will emphasize southeastern Asia. Seventh Grade We have begun studying the English colonies and the reasons why early colonists braved the stormy seas of the Atlantic and the unknown to settle in a new land. We will discuss both their desperate struggles and their proud achievements. Map work focusing on the early colonies will enhance student understanding. The goals of specific colonies will be considered, and the contentious relationships with Native American tribes will be examined. Eighth Grade Eighth graders are taking a look at the events in American history that led up to the Civil War. We have discussed how the issue of slavery bitterly divided our nation, and how the Civil War was fought to determine whether the Union would survive or whether the Confederacy would win its independence. This month we will take a more in-‐depth look at the battles of that bloody war and Lincoln’s eventual signing of the Emancipation Proclamation.