7th Grade
May News
Seventh Grade scientists are preparing for the culmination of our Human Structure and Function unit – the frog dissection. This will be followed by the MCPS Structure and Function Exam. Next up, Astronomy – at the speed of light. We will be having a semester exam during Finals Week in June. Topics on this exam will include Heredity, Human Structure and Function, and Astronomy. It has been a pleasure working with your children this year. Enjoy the summer! Come back ready to rock and roll with 8th grade Earth Science!
Seventh grade math students will be finishing out the year by working on Unit 6 which is on Measurement. Students will be solving real world word problems by using Surface Area and Volume formulas. Please look for their summer math packets in June for them to work on throughout the summer. They are due the Monday after Labor day. Have a wonderful summer and see you in a few months!
World Studies 7- The 7th grade world studies classes have started our unit on economics. We will mainly be focusing on the world between the years of 1450-1750. In the beginning of the unit the classes worked on a simulation that showed them how the world was changing from traditional economies to market economies. This week we just finished a world map that showed the students the major trade routes throughout the world in the year 1450. Next we will be exploring the Renaissance, exploration and colonization.
English 7 classes continue to read, analyze, and perform William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Many of the students are enthusiastic about dressing up and performing as their favorite character. Students are taking the MAP-R (Measures of Academic Progress in Reading) test for the last time this year. Be sure to ask your son or daughter about their score on this test.
Accelerated Reader (A.R.) points are due by the end of the quarter. All 7th graders are expected to earn 34 points this quarter.
April News
World Studies 7 – The students are beginning their final unit – The Impact of Economics: One World Past and Present. We will be completing a simulation activity to compare a traditional economy with a market economy. We’ll also be mapping the world in 1450 and again in 1750! The readings will cover different parts of the world – from Tamerlane in Central Europe to Jamestown in the American colonies.
Students should have their journals with them every day in class! There will be a test at the end of the unit…..so don’t throw any papers away!
The 7th graders will be going on a field trip to the Maryland Science Center on May 13. Permission slips and money must be in by April 20. We must finalize our bus usage then.
Seventh Grade Scientists are beginning their study of the human body. If any student would like to check out a textbook for home use, please have your child ask their teacher. We are looking at muscles and bones and will have completed our first dissection by the end of April. We encourage all students to at least watch the dissection. If you have an objection to your child participating in dissection activities at all, then be sure to indicate that on the permission slip that came home before spring break. Deadline for dissection permission slips was April 17.
Seventh grade students will be finishing Unit 5 this month which focuses on Interpreting graphs and graphing linear functions. We will then move into Unit 6 which teaches students how to find volume, surface area of a variety of three-dimensional figures, as well as precision and measurement.
Students in 7th grade English are currently applying themes studied in Unit 3: Voices from the Past to their Student Service Learning (SSL) assignment. April is Genocide Prevention Month in order to bring awareness to the atrocities of genocide. Six genocides have major anniversaries in the month of April. The SSL assignment will create an awareness that the horrors of genocide are still here today. The assignment relates the Holocaust genocide to the current crisis in the Darfur region of Sudan. Students are learning about the situation over there and are completing a persuasive letter to voice their thoughts, feelings, and opinions to President Obama. The assignment will count towards the 4th marking period. In addition, students will receive 10 SSL credits on their report card towards their high school graduation requirement.
Upon completion of the SSL assignment, we will shift gears and begin Unit 4: Imagination. Students will read, analyze, and perform William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. If you have any clothes, hats, ties, etc., props are always welcome to make the process of deciphering Shakespeare more enjoyable.
March News
This month in Math B we will be finishing up Unit 4 creating scale drawings using proportions, as well as creating circle graphs. We will then move into Unit 5 which focuses on sequences and using function tables to plot points and create graphs using those tables.
7TH Grade World Studies-
The 7th graders are currently in the middle of the Latin America unit. The classes started out by learning the geography of Latin America. Next the students did a research project on a country located in Latin America. They were to make a brochure about their country on the computer. The information was about environmental regions, animal and plant life, urban centers, economic activities and the cultural sites of their country. Each student made their own brochure and was able to put their creative touch on it by using different pictures, colors and fonts. Most students found this to be a very enjoyable project! Finally we will begin studying the cultures of the Aztec and Incan societies.
Seventh grade scientists are wrapping up their study of heredity with an in-class pet mating project, and the MCPS Heredity unit exam.
Exams will be given March 20 & 23, days that we don’t have MSA’s. Students need to review the notes on asexual reproduction and Punnett squares that are in their binders. We are rapidly approaching the Human body unit, which involves dissection. Look for a parent permission slip soon that you need to sign if you DO NOT want your student to participate in the dissection activities.
Seventh grade English classes are continuing their studies of “Voices from the Past” while also gearing up for the MSAs. Students recently completed the formative assessment that incorporated literature about the 1940s or from the 1940s. Students demonstrated understanding of skills that have been practiced thus far in the unit. Classes have been revisiting and practicing the CSI (Claim – Support – Interpretation) strategy for writing well-constructed paragraphs. Accelerated Reader (A.R.) points are due by the end of the quarter. Seventh grade students are expected to earn at least 34 points each quarter. Students should aim to score 80% or higher for their comprehension average on each A.R. test.
February News
7th Grade World Studies students have begun their 3rd unit - Principles of Geography. We are going to be examining the cultures of the Aztecs and the Incas and how the geography of Latin America affected them. Ask your student about their mental maps! The students will be using technology to create a project on a country of Latin America.
Please help your student to be prepared for school. Check that their binder is organized and that they have the supplies they need to be successful - pencils, pens, paper. Ask them to explain to you what they do during the day in their classes, it will help them to remember what they learned that day.
7th Grade Math students have been working on Unit 3 which focuses on constructions of angles, line segments, and bisectors. This unit should be finished in the next week or so. We will then start Unit 4 that focuses on Proportions and scale drawings. Please be sure your child keeps all papers from each of the previous units, as they will be covered on the MSA in March.
In English, the seventh grade students are embarking on the third unit titled “Voices from the Past.” In this unit, a variety of voices will be “heard” with a focus on the 1940’s. Students will explore the experiences of people who were impacted by different places and times. Classes will study the legacy of those who came before in order to reflect on how the past influences the present and how the past is sometimes repeated.
Students should continue to independently read their A.R. books. Seventh grade students are expected to earn a minimum of 34 A.R. points by March 27, 2009.
Seventh Grade science students are excitedly getting ready to present their Science Inquiry Projects on Science Inquiry Knight, Feb. 19th. We strongly encourage all students to attend if possible. On grade level students who do not arrive in class on Feb. 17 or 18 with a gradable project in hand will take a test on scientific method. GT students who arrive without a gradable project will earn a “0” test grade on this important assignment.
We are beginning our 3 week unit on Heredity. There will be many labs and an increasing amount of homework as we help prepare our seventh graders for eighth grade. We will be investigating patterns of inheritance culminating in an MCPS assessment. Next unit: Human Body!
January 2009 News
The 7th grade world studies classes just finished the 2nd unit on culture, climate and countries in Africa. Next the students will be exploring Latin America. We will examine everything from the Incas and Aztecs to the colonization of the Americas. The students are excited to go exploring a brand new continent.
In English, the seventh grade students are wrapping up their study of the unit "A Sense of Place." They are writing about how setting, or place, has an effect on characters in their novels. This week also marks the start of final examinations for the semester. The English final will cover the units of "Identity" and "A Sense of Place", and students have been given a packet to help focus their studies for the upcoming final. Later in the month students will begin the study of the third unit "Voices from the Past.”
Students should continue to independently read their A.R. books. Seventh grade students are expected to earn a minimum of 34 A.R. points by the end of the quarter which is fast approaching.
Math: This month we will be focusing on Unit 3. This is our Geometry unit where students will learn how to construct angles, congruent line segments, as well as perpendicular bisectors. We will finish this Unit at the end of the month. Students are urged to complete and study their Geometry Flipbooks throughout this unit.
Seventh Grade science students are finishing their study of cells with the semester exam. Our next topic will be Science Inquiry Projects! Science Inquiry Knight will be Thursday, Feb. 19. All students in the Gifted/Talented classes will be required to complete an inquiry project. On-grade level students will be offered a choice of completing an inquiry project or taking a test on scientific methodology. The projects will be introduced and discussed in class, but students will need to gather data and prepare their presentations at home.
Our next unit will be Heredity. If your student rolls his/her tongue at you, or asks to see pictures of Grandpa’s eye color, then s/he is thinking scientifically!
December News
Seventh grade scientists have finished their CSI investigation with excellent results. Now they’re beginning their study of cells, how cells work, and how the shape of a cell determines its function. Students have completed a “Tour de City” or “Tour de School” project in which they compared the structures found in cells to the structures found in a city or school. Stock up on raw eggs – your students might want to experiment with them like we will be doing in class!
Seventh grade math students are continuing to work on Unit 2. We are now working on solving inequalities and learning how to graph them on a number line. We will be completing Unit2 before the winter break. We will then begin Unit 3 which is our Geometry unit, which focuses on constructions of congruent angles, parallel lines, and line segments.
7th Grade World Studies – Our 7th graders are studying the influence of culture on Middle Ages Africa. We just finished making climatographs of the five regions and then comparing each region by temperature and precipitation. We had to find averages – math in world studies! The two main themes are cultural change and cultural diffusion. Your student should be able to tell you the difference.
Please check your student’s binder – they should have paper, pencils, pens, and other necessary supplies. A good activity to do at home would be to organize those binders – some are a bit messy. As we get closer to Winter Break, it’s sometimes hard to stay focused. But, school continues.;-)
In English, the seventh grade students continue to study the unit "A Sense of Place." They are analyzing the connection between place and behavior by reading a variety of texts and by writing about their own personal experiences. Students are in the process of using the six writing traits to complete a personal essay on how where they are are affects how they feel and behave. In the coming week, students will take a formative assessment that will address skills such as analyzing a passage for tone, determing the author's purpose, identifying vocabulary in context, and making inferences. Students will also look at commonly confused words and verb tense consistency.
Students should continue to independently read their A.R. books. Seventh grade students are expected to earn a minimum of 34 A.R. points by the end of the quarter.
The 7th grade team would like to wish everyone an enjoyable winter break!