Finishing Fibonacci

This week in 7th grade we our finishing our Fibonacci project.  The class has spent the last two day creating keynote presentations on their topics and creating another representation of their topic.  They will be presenting their projects tomorrow.  When we come back from Spring Break we will be starting a geometry unit.

Ask your child about their Fibonacci project

Have a great Spring Break.

Constitution Test and Washington D.C.

Students have spent the last week few studying for their Constitution test. The 7th graders took their Constitution test before they left for Washington D.C. It was great for them to see the places that we have talked about during the unit in person. This week, we began a unit about the Industrial Revolution and Immigration.

D.C. and Fibonacci

This week in 7th grade math we are finishing up our unit on ratios, proportions, and percents and then going to D.C.  (Woo Hoo).  When we come back next week we will finish up our work on Fibonacci and their in class project and research will be due on Wednesday April 1.

Let's have some fun for the next few days.
Great job at Science Olympiad.

Pointillism

The seventh graders are working on pointillism paintings in art. They arranged and photographed their own still-life image (we added old Beanie Babies to make it more interesting) and zoomed in to create a more dynamic composition. After sketching pencil outlines they will be filling their shapes in with pointillism dots. Yesterday we took a trip to the Art Institute as a continuation of their Renaissance unit, but we also took time to look at Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte by George Seurat. I think the students found it inspiring to see this amazing painting up close and then be able to link it to something they are doing in class. We are so lucky in Chicago to have access to such a great institution and I think they enjoyed the Medieval and Renaissance works as well. Here are a couple of works in progress.

We will spend today working on blending different colors and trying to create highlights and shadows with our dots. They are looking quite nice so far. 

Finishing our unit on ratios, proportions and percents

This week in 7th grade math we are finishing up our unit on ratios, proportions, and percents.  Due to the field trip tomorrow I will only see them one more time this week, Friday.  On Friday, we will have a review day for the test.

Alternative Assessment due Monday March 23rd

Test Monday March 23rd

Ask your child about how they filled out their NCAA Bracket

Illinois Constitution

This week, the 7th graders are finishing up their Constitution unit.  Students are learning about the differences between the United States and Illinois Constitutions.  The Constitution test is next Tuesday, March 24.

Questions for your 7th grader:

• In what ways is the Illinois Constitution similar or different to the United States Constitution?
• Go over your amendments flashcards with me.
• Show me the finger tricks to remember the Bill of Rights.

7th Grade Language Arts: Collaborative Writing Unit

Hello 7th Grade families, 

I’m back from my maternity leave and working to get everything back on track, including this blog.

The Collaborative Writing Unit is coming to a close next week when students submit their final draft next Tuesday.  This unit was inspired by the novel Click.  Ten authors worked collaboratively to create a novel with each author contributing one chapter.  The novel Click is used as an interactive read aloud book during this unit.  

Students worked in groups of three-four to plan and develop a plot, characters, settings, conflicts, etc. Then each student was responsible for writing their own chapter of the story.  In order for the story to come together in a smooth and cohesive manner, students had to continually check in with their group members to make adjustments to the story as a whole as each student finished their individual part.  During the past week, I have read all the stories and have provided feedback for improvement to each group.  The stories are super creative, including a variety of plots that deal with troubles in outer space, ghosts in old mental institutions, and evil nutcrackers.  Be sure to ask your child to see their collaborative stories.

Upcoming Due Dates:

Thursday, March 19: 1st Draft Due

Tuesday, March 24th: Final Draft Due

Week 27: 7th Grade Science

Week: 27

Respiration Project:  Get the Message Out

The week I am excited to see the 7th graders present their ads against smoking.  In reviewing their rough drafts they have come up with some great ideas.  Some of the ideas range from radio broadcasts, using childhood characters, the cost of smoking, and the use music.  Don’t forget to ask them about it.

The Bill of Rights

This week, the 7th graders have been learning about the individual rights listed in the Bill of Rights. Students have been learning chants and finger tricks to help them remember what each amendment says.  Today, students participated in an activity where they dealt with the hypothetical situation of an alien invasion.  The aliens would only allow the students to keep 5 of their individual rights.  The students discussed and debated which rights they wanted to keep and which were not as essential.  After much debate, the students quickly realized how important the each rights granted in the Bill of Rights can be.  For the remainder of the week, we will be discussing the other 17 Amendments to the Constitution.

Questions for your 7th Grader:

• What are your first amendment rights?  (They learned a chant to help them remember.)
• Which of the amendments in the Bill of Rights do you think is the most important or applicable to your life?

Proportions and Percents

This week in 7th grade we are going to apply our understanding of proportions to percents.  Today we reviewed fraction, decimal, and percent equivalency.  For the rest of the week we will learn how to use proportions to solve three different types of percent problems and learn about percent increase and decrease.

POW Totopsi is due Tomorrow March 11
Scale Drawing of bedroom at home due on Friday March 13
POW Money Maker due Monday March 16
Quiz on sections 6.5-6.9 on Tuesday March 17
Test Monday March 23
Alternative Assessment due March 23

There also might be one more POW due next week, but I have not assigned it yet.

Intro to Romantic Period: Ballet

As we move forward through time, we have approached the Romantic Period of music.  A huge part of the Romantic Period is ballet.  Ballet began to take its own shape and really made a name for itself among the people.  We also looked into how professional athletes, including those in the NFL, use ballet warm-ups and moves to condition their smaller muscle groups to build strength and prevent injury.  In the video below, three of our own ballet dancer lead our class in a few ballet warm-ups.  They even brought in their pointe shoes to show off to the class.

In order to view the video, you will have to go to the actual 7th grade blog homepage. 

Week 26: 7th Grade Science

Week: 26

Respiration Project:  Get the Message Out

Project Timeline for this week:

Record three videos

2. Prepare presentation 

3. Create portfolio

The above should be completed by 3/3/15. Please check with your child to make sure he or she is on track to complete these assignments.  

Upcoming:  class presentation.

Electoral College

Last week, students learned about Article II of the Constitution, which discusses the Executive Branch of the government.  Students learned about the President, the Cabinet, and the Electoral College.  In order to see how the Electoral College works, students filled out electoral maps for the election of 2000.  This election is an example of when the winner of the Electoral College (Bush) was not the winner of the popular vote (Gore).  This week, the students learned about Articles III-VII of the Constitution.  Later in the week, we will talk about the Bill of Rights.  Students will participate in a Socratic Seminar about their 1st Amendment Rights.

Upcoming Date: 

Constitution Test- Tuesday, March 24

Questions for your 7th Grader:

• Do you think the electoral college is an effective system for choosing the President?
• What is the job of the Supreme Court?

Trigonometric functions/similar figures/scale drawings/probability

This week in 7th grade math we are continuing to work on proportions, similar figures, and scale drawings.  Yesterday when we were reviewing similar figures and scale drawings I also taught the class about trigonometric functions like sine, cosine, and tangent because they are just an extension of similar figures.  This was definitely challenging for the class, but we will continue to work on these concepts and they will not be a part of the test, it is just enrichment.  Today we are going to continue to work with trig functions, review the pythagorean theorem, and work on a scale drawing of the class room.  After we finish the scale drawing of the classroom we will move onto probability and we will discuss independent and dependent probability, combinations, and permutations.  If we have time we will also squeeze in a little Fibonacci work as well.

BEC Classes Start Next Week

As many of you know, we are anxiously awaiting information from CPS regarding the requirements for the Selective Enrollment process for the current 7th graders. Until we are notified otherwise, we are acting under the assumption that the current 7th graders will need to register with CPS to take the MAP reading and math tests at CPS sometime in May. We have arranged test prep classes through BEC based on that assumption.

Classes will be held at the BEC offices (Ravenswood and Sunnyside) from March 9 through April 27th (excluding April 6 for Spring Break) on Mondays from 4:00 to 5:30. (The 8th graders had a similar schedule in the fall and seemed to enjoy the break from 3:30-4:00 to walk to BEC, get some fresh air, and let off some steam before the 1 1/2 hour prep session.) Sessions can be purchased individually or as a whole package by credit card or check in advance when you register through BEC. Each session will cost $60 and will focus on the various sections of the test (BEC can provide specifics regarding the section of the test to be covered) with the schedule as follows:

3/9 math

3/16 math

3/23 math

3/30 reading

4/6 off spring break

4/13 reading

4/20 reading

4/27 general MAP test-taking strategies

Call BEC Tutoring at 773/275-7971 to register for any and all of the above classes.