Learning Previews - Grade 7 - May 2019
Posted on 05/29/2019
Science: Mr. Mahoney, [email protected]
As we wrap up the year in science we will be completing our weather unit and dabbling in a little design engineering based on what we have learned. After investigating additional weather conditions, including pressure, humidity, and lift, students develop a model of a storm that shows what happens to matter and energy before, during, and after a storm. They then use their model to explain patterns in the weather condition data from a real storm in the Midwest. We will complete the year with a design challenge that will have students looking at the role matter and energy play in the environment around them. Students will work together to come up with solutions that include their understanding of how energy is transferred and how it impacts matter. A final project on severe weather will conclude our year in science. Ask your student about any of these topics! I hope all students had a significant learning experience in science class this year.
Social Studies: Ms. Motto, [email protected]
Students will conclude the year with a study of Ancient Rome and Christianity. Students will identify and analyze how the values of Ancient Rome and Christianity spread, evolved and were challenged. Additionally, they will assess how the values of a state or faith reinforce and/or challenge our own beliefs. The big questions they will be answering are: What are the benefits and limits of (a) a republican system of government and (b) an empire? What happens when values of state and church are in conflict with each other or our own values? How did the teachings of Jesus challenge people's thinking?
ELA: Ms. Gonzalez, [email protected]
Now with MCAS out of the way, our scholars can continue to read The Outsiders in and out of class. A reading schedule was emailed to all families, and it has been updated since then. You can see it here They are allowed to read ahead with the understanding they will be rereading sections in class. In addition to their reading, they are also gathering notes on what they noticed and what they thought about it.
At the conclusion of our reading, students will show their understanding of the themes, conflict, settings,and characters through a group reenactment of a key scene. They will be responsible for picking out the scene, drafting a script, revising, and editing. Each student will have a role to play whether it’s a character or “a stage hand.”
Before we end the year, we will also talk about summer reading! Ms. Musher and Clara Hendricks (librarian from the main branch of the Cambridge Public Library) will be with us on Friday 5/31 to give some good ideas on what to read. Also, Book Fair will be happening the first week of June if you want your scholar to stock up!
Math: Ms. Damiani, [email protected]
As we wind down our year, the 7th graders are beginning to look towards 8th grade concepts! Students did a great job showing what they know of 7th grade content and putting their best effort forward during our MCAS testing. Please congratulate them on their efforts if you haven’t done so already! Our last unit is the 8th grade unit of Transformations. In this unit students learn to understand and use the terms “reflection,” “rotation,” “translation,” and “dilation,” recognizing what determines each type of transformation. They learn to understand and use the terms “transformation” and “rigid transformation.” They identify and describe translations, rotations, and reflections, dilations and sequences of these, using the terms “corresponding sides” and “corresponding angles,” and recognizing that lengths and angle measures are preserved with rigid transformations, but only angle measures are preserved in non-rigid transformations. They draw images of figures under transformations on and off square grids and the coordinate plane. They use transformations to generate shapes and to reason about measurements of figures. They learn to understand congruence of plane figures in terms of rigid transformations. They recognize when one plane figure is congruent, similar, or neither to another. I hope all students had a rewarding 7th grade Math experience - I know I enjoyed my first year here at RAUC immensely. Thank you for all your support.