January 14, 2008
Dear Parents,
Here is the academic information for the week.
7th Grade
Social Studies
11:30 – 12:15 M – F
Mrs. Christianson
Seventh-grade students deserve your congratulations for their performance on the Chapter 10 test. They are becoming proficient critical thinkers and I am having so much fun teaching them World History.
The brochures are in the hallway outside the 8th grade room. If you get a chance, come by and enjoy reading the brochures. I know you will join me in marveling at your kids’ creativity and knowledge.
We march on through Chapter 11. Last week I taught the kids about a monopoly by having 3 students control all of the desks in the classroom. Working in teams, students had to trade “stuff” with the monopoly in order to get a desk. It was interesting to see the results of a monopoly.
This week, we finish Lessons 1 and 2. There will be a short quiz – probably next Tuesday or Wednesday.
Have a great week!!
Language Arts: I will be passing back the students graded persuasive essays on Tuesday. Through the grading process, it became clear to me that we need to go back and revisit some key skills in this area. Therefore, we will be spending the majority of the week talking about the important elements of a persuasive essay. The students will have the opportunity to revise their paper for a better grade (if they received a ‘C’ or lower, it is required). This revised paper will be due on Friday. We will be on a normal spelling schedule this week, as well.
Literature: According to the reading schedule the students received last week, they should be reading chapters 5-8 in Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. However, I’ve decided to slow down and bit and spend some time doing a fun, creative activity. For the next few days, the students will be working in groups to create a frieze of the setting of the book and character dolls for the main characters in the story. Because this activity will take our entire class period for the next few days, I’m going to put a hold on the chapter readings until next week. That way, we can finish the activity and then have plenty of time to discuss the chapters we’ve read, rather than rush things. I will talk with the students on Friday about the revised reading schedule.
Math: Math progress reports will be sent home on Wednesday. They need to be signed and returned by Friday.
This week the seventh graders begin Chapter 4, geometry. The units that will be covered are listed below.
· Classifying angles
· Classifying triangles
· Classifying polygons
Have a great week!
Mary Riley
maryr@saintbrendan.org