Social Studies
Mr. Thomas Trainor | [email protected]
8th Grade students will begin working on a pilot unit for our new civics curriculum. The unit is called the Civic Action Project. The goal is for them to build off of their editorial topics and continue to explore issues they are passionate about. Students will be able to independently use their learning to apply knowledge of history and the social sciences to take informed, authentic action towards a more equitable world. 8th Grade historians will be grappling with these essential questions:
How can young people change the world? How can we use digital media effectively and safely when we "choose to participate"? What does “success” mean in the context of social change?
By the end of the unit the goal is for students to know...
the importance of personal narratives for civic-political participation; and a variety of ways to participate in politics beyond the conventional ways. Students will be working towards buildings skills that…
allow them to use an array of tools to purpose; and plan and organize a series of actions to achieve the goal.
Science
Mr. David Suchy | [email protected]
8th grade students have begun their study of evolution. They will first be investigating and uncovering evidence that prove our big claim…”All of life on Earth is related and shares a common ancestor.” They will be gathering evidence by looking at the fossil record and using comparative anatomy and embryology to identify similarities between organisms alive today and those that are extinct. After our evidence is established we will then examine the mechanism of natural selection and how it acts to determine which individuals are best fit to survive in certain environments. The unit will culminate with a project about Biomimicry. During this project students will use the evolutionary history of life on Earth and all its incredible diversity as inspiration to develop new products to help people live better lives. Your child may present this project at the Harvard Science Showcase on May 24th or they may choose to create a project on their own. I will introduce the guidelines for the project in the coming weeks. Ask them about their ideas!
Math (On-Grade Level)
Mr. Jose Oliveira | [email protected]
Students just finished our function and volume unit. This week we will begin learning about the Pythagorean Theorem and how it is helpful in finding unknown lengths of a right triangle. We will also have a brief unit on data and statistics and also exponents before MCAS. Be sure to ask your student what make a relation a function. Review/extra help is available before school and by appointment after school.
Accelerated Math Pathways
Mr. Jose Oliveira | [email protected]
Students have just completed our exponential functions unit last week. This week we will begin our look at quadratic functions. This unit can be tricky for some students, as there are many components within the realm of quadratics. Encourage them to ask questions if they are unsure of something. Be sure to ask your student what exponential growth and decay are. Review/extra help is available before school and by appointment after school.
English Language Arts
Mr. Saveriano | [email protected]
8th graders are wrapping up their intense thinking around the world of persuasion. After composing an original editorial that includes numerous persuasive techniques, varied sentence structure, a counter-argument, and layered with voice, 8th graders are getting creative and going public! Through the magic of Google, 8th graders are now organizing engaging slides that will act as a visual component to compliment their original editorial. VoiceThread will be used to record their voices. Ultimately, there will be a bank of recorded editorials for all to listen to and enjoy. Ask your young writer to share their editorial, their slide, and their VoiceThread recording.