7th Grade Update: January 30, 2018
Posted on 01/30/2018
In science, students have dived in to their physics unit. This unit is all about motion, and our driving question for this unit is, “Why do some things stop while others keep moving?” Students have begun the unit with a series of explorations of different devices and are carefully observing their motion (or lack thereof) and beginning to ask more detailed questions about what might be causing things to move or stop moving. As students shift into the physics unit, they are encouraged to observe the world around them and to ask questions about what they see using the lens of physics.
In ELA, students are currently wrapping up our unit on A Long Walk to Water. Students took an end of unit test that was open book and focuses on the literary terms of theme and juxtaposition. Students also wrote a five paragraph essay on survival. Before moving on to our next class novel, Pygmalion, students will be learning about Black History and will be completing a Book Talk on a famous black inventor of their choice.
In math, students are continuing to explore and expand our knowledge of the number system. We have discovered the properties of addition and subtraction with rational numbers. We have applied those properties to real-world problems that included fractions and decimals. We are currently learning the properties of multiplication and division of rational numbers. We will finish this unit by proving we can use all the operational properties for any given scenario.
In social studies, students are finishing up their study of West Africa with an African countries research project. Here students are researching an African country of their choosing and creating a newscast directed at combating the negative stereotypes often presented about Africa in today's media. In this project, students are starting to develop their research skills including finding and paraphrasing information from reliable sources. This practice will lead us into our research paper where students will investigate an individual in history who faced challenges in their lives yet they persevered.