Week 38: 7th Grade Science

Week: 38

Over the past three weeks the 7th Graders have been working on the cell, its structure, functions, and processes.  The highlight of this unit was comparing and making analogies of the cell to a factory.  The kids designed their own factories using the organelles of the cell.  The class was then introduced to the chemistry of the cell; diffusion, photosynthesis, and respiration.  This was an introduction to next years chemistry units, but more importantly, it is always fun to see the look on kids faces when a chemical reaction takes place.  Lastly, the dissection of the frog always excites them to see how life evolves and how more complex the frog is from the worm.

Another year has passed and I hope your son or daughter enjoyed how science works and how we need it in the world we live in.  Have a safe and relaxing summer!

Sincerely,

Mr. T

End of the Civil War

Today, the 7th graders are finishing up their Civil War unit and are taking their final test.  Earlier this week, students acted out the final stages of the war, including Sherman's March to Sea and the surrender at Appomattox Courthouse (see picture).  Yesterday, students shared their menu items with the class.  We saw some great political cartoons, pieces of propaganda, interviews, and mini-lessons. Next year, students will continue learning about United States history after the Civil War.  Have a great summer!

Chicago grid system, scatter plots, and nonlinear graphs

This week in 7th grade math we took our final exam and have worked on the Chicago grid system.  It was fun to watch the kids on the floor looking at the map of Chicago and writing down the numbers, direction, and names of streets.  It is so interesting to see how easily this comes to some students and how hard it is for others.  For the rest of the week, we will be learning how to create a scatter plot of data and how to write an equation for the line of best fit for a scatter plot.  We will end the year on Friday by graphing and looking at different types of nonlinear data, such as, absolute value and quadratic functions.

It has been a great year and the class has really done a great job.  Have a great summer and see you next year!

Linear equations

In 7th grade math the class has started learning about linear equations.  This week, we have been looking at growing patterns and how they can be represented by equations.  We have also begun graphing linear equations by finding x and y points on a graph.  Tomorrow we will work on graphing linear equations using slope and y-intercepts and how to write an equations for an x, y chart.  We will then spend the rest of the week learning about the City of Chicago grid system.

7th Grade Language Arts: To Kill a Mockingbird Project

To concluded the To Kill a Mockingbird unit, 7th graders dressed as characters from the novel and presented a character analysis.

More Civil War

This week, the 7th graders are learning about the turning point battles of the Civil War.  They are also working on their menu items.  Today, students acted out the epic Battle of Gettysburg.

Questions for your 7th grader:

• Is it fair to to involve civilians in warfare?
• Does Abraham Lincoln deserve to be called "The Great Emancipator"?

Upcoming Dates:

• Wednesday, June 1   Menu due
• Friday, June 3           Civil War Test

Civil War Battles

Over the past few weeks, the 7th graders have been learning about the Civil War in social studies. We have been using the book "Two Miserable Presidents" by Steve Sheinkin to create simulations of the battles.   The book uses stories of soldiers and quotations from primary sources to bring the battles to life.  Students have then been organizing the battles on a chart and map.  The 7th graders are also working on a list menu throughout the unit.  They are working on several small projects that demonstrate their knowledge about the war.  These projects will be presented at the end of the unit.

Upcoming Dates:

• Civil War Quiz- Thurs. May 19
• Civil War Menu-Wed. June 1
• Civil War Test- Fri. June 3

Questions for your 7th grader:

• Which side had the best strategy during the Civil War?
• What advantages and disadvantages did each side have at the beginning of the war?

The cannonballs fly during the battle between the Monitor and the Merrimac, two ironclad ships.

Water bottle projects and linear equations

This week in 7th grade math we finished our unit on geometry.  On Monday, we had the unit test on geometry and on Tuesday the final water bottle and all the nets were due.  We then watched two of my favorite math related movies: Flatland and Donald Duck in Mathmagicland.  On Wednesday, we will begin our next unit on linear equations.  We will start by filling up vases with water and graph the height of the water.  Each graph will look different and tell a story about the water and the vase.  We will then begin to look at functions and patterns.

Here are all the water bottle projects.  The kids worked really hard on the project and the end results look awesome.  Great job to all.

Week 34: 7th Grade Science

Weeks: 34

Topic:  Cell Structure & Function

Objectives: 

Identify the role of the cell wall and cell membrane in the cell.

Describe the functions of cell organelles.

Explain how cells are organized in many-celled organisms.

Tell how bacterial cells differ from plant and animal cells. 

Essential Question:

How are cells like a factory? 

Key Terms:

organelle

cell organelles

This week: This unit is a self-study/research project on the cell.  They will research each organelle of the cell and compile their research into a spread sheet format.  It will be a great study guide for high school.

Differentiation:

researching

art integration

technology integration

Upcoming:   Cell Project

                     The Cell in its Environment

                     Photosynthesis

                     Respiration

                     

Water bottle project

This week in 7th grade math the class is still working on the water bottle project.  They are currently working incredibly hard on the nets for all of their designs.  They have completed volume and surface area for all of their designs and just have to finish the nets and then choose one of their designs to create.  They have worked so hard on the project and have really done a great job.  I have been very impressed with the effort that they have put in and how challenging they have made it for themselves.  There is some really great thinking going on in the math room right now.

Test on geometry on May 16th
Final water bottle and paper due on May 17th

April was National Poetry Month

In library, 7th grade has celebrated National Poetry month throughout April with lots of reading poetry aloud including poems for two voices from the Newberry Award winning book, "Joyful Noise."  Today the kids read poems for two voices that they wrote themselves.  Most of them had opposing voices such as: Warm and Cold Weather, Ohio State vs. Michigan football, Killer and Victim, Coke and Pepsi, Kim Kardashian and Will Ferrel.  The kids did an excellent job and wrote very creative poems.  Ask them about it!

Week 33: 7th Grade Science

Weeks: 33

Topic:  Igneous to Metamorphic

Objectives: 

List the characteristics used by geologists to identify rocks

Identify and describe the three major rock groups 

Describe ways in which rocks are used 

Essential Question:

How do rocks compare? 

Key Terms:

igneous, sedimentary, & metamorphic

grains & texture

extrusive and intrusive rock

erosion, deposition, compaction, cementation

foliated

This week: The week the 7th grade geologists went into the field to find rocks and create a “Field Guide” to classify the main characteristics of igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rock.  

Differentiation:

classifying

inferring

observing

drawing conclusions

Upcoming:  Creating the Rock Cycle

Week 32: 7th Grade Science

Weeks: 32

Topic:  Classifying Rocks

Objectives: 

List the characteristics used by geologists to identify rocks

Identify and describe the three major rock groups 

Describe ways in which rocks are used 

Essential Question:

How do rocks compare? 

Key Terms:

igneous, sedimentary, & metamorphic

grains & texture

extrusive and intrusive rock

erosion, deposition, compaction, cementation

foliated

This week: The week the 7th grade geologists will begin to identify, classify, understand how rocks are created, and finally identify a mystery rock.

Differentiation:

classifying

inferring

observing

drawing conclusions

Upcoming:  Creating the Rock Cycle

Water Bottle Project

This week in 7th grade math we are heavily into the water bottle project.  We have finished going over how to find the volume of many 3D figures.  The class is now using their knowledge of 2D and 3D figures to design and figure out the dimensions of their water bottles.  They are being given a great deal of class time to work on the project and ask questions.  Tomorrow for homework they will begin to learn about surface area by watching a video.

Upcoming assignments:
Volume for all three designs due Monday May 2nd
Quiz on Volume and Surface Area May 3rd
Surface Area of all three designs due Monday May 9th
Final Water Bottle Project due Monday May 16th
Test on Geometry Tuesday May 17th

Causes of the Civil War

This week, the 7th graders are presenting projects that they created last week.  Each group will be presenting a mini-lesson about one of the major events that helped spark the Civil War.  Yesterday, Max, Julian, and James taught the class about the Compromise of 1850 and the Fugitive Slave Law.  Later in the week, they will learn about the Kansas-Nebraska Act, the Dred Scott case, John Brown, and the Election of 1860.

Week 31: 7th Grade Science

Weeks: 31

Over the next few weeks the 7th graders will become geologist.  They will go into the field and create their own field guide for minerals, igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks.  To conclude the unit they will study the rock cycle which tie into their knowledge from the “Inside the Earth” unit.

2D and 3D Geometry

This week in 7th grade math we have started our geometry unit.  We started the unit off by figuring out where the formulas for area and perimeter of squares, rectangles, parallelograms, triangles, trapezoids, and circles come from.  We cut these shapes out of grid paper and put them together to make other shapes to learn where the formulas come from.  For the rest of the week, we will be working on volume of prisms, cylinders, pyramids, and cones.  This is leading up to the water bottle project, which was introduced today.  Each student will be asked to create a water bottle out of paper using the shapes that we learned about this week.  The final project will be due in about a month.

Below is a clip from the Fibonacci presentation that we did last week.  All the kids did great work and learned a lot.  Other videos are posted on the NPES facebook page.

7th Grade Language Arts: To Kill a Mockingbird Unit

The seventh grade students started reading To Kill a Mockingbird last week.  Students are actively participating during class discussions and thinking critically about the characters and events in the novel.  Last week, students presented their Introductory Projects.  They created posters for some of the themes in the novel and gave speeches about what the themes mean to them.  Some of the themes included honor, bravery, pride, innocence, and isolation.  Today, students are presenting their Word Expert Vocabulary Projects.  Each student has a vocabulary word from To Kill a Mockingbird that they are presenting to the class in an interesting and memorable way.  Be sure to ask your child what they did for their presentation.

Week 30: 7th Grade Science

Week 30:

This week the 7th graders completed their Earth’s Changing Surface Project.  Like the Anti-Smoking Campaign, I truly enjoyed the variety of ideas and the creativity from each group.  Some of these great ideas were international names for their companies, how they created landforms using toothpicks, and their overall presentations.  When discussing with the class the project they all commented that by doing labs it helped them understand Earth’s tectonic movement and by building a model it helped them understand how our Earth works.  Don’t forget to asked them about this during dinner one night.

Pre-Civil War

This week, the 7th graders are starting a unit about the causes of the Civil War.  They will be working in groups to research and teach their classmates about an important event during the pre-Civil War era.  Then, they will create menu items and participate in a Socratic Seminar in which they will try to answer the essential question "Could the Civil War have been avoided?".

Question for your 7th grader?

• What event are you researching for your pre-Civil War project?

Area

This week in 7th grade math we are going to start our next unit on Geometry.  So far this week, we have finished our history of Fibonacci video and we did the whole class presentation on Fibonacci.  (Hopefully I will be able to post a video in the near future.)  Tomorrow, we will start working on area models for two dimensional figures and discover where the formulas come from.  This is getting the class started with some basic ideas for the Water Bottle Project we will be working on for the next several weeks.  The 7th graders will be taking the MAP test on Thursday of this week.

No upcoming assignments.

7th Grade Language Arts: Persuasive Essay and To Kill a Mockingbird

The seventh grade students have started a persuasive writing unit.  They picked an environmental issue that they feel passionately about as the topic for their essays.  In class, students are using the research they collected to build their outlines and begin drafting their essays.  Be sure to ask your child about their persuasive topic and research.  Students are also working on introductory projects for the To Kill a Mockingbird reading unit.

Middle School Advisory Update

On Friday, April 29th, middle school students will be participating in a "Day of Service.".  Throughout the year, the kids have been investigating four areas: Environment, Literacy, Social Services with a focus on Special Olympics, and Animal Welfare.  They researched the various organizations in Chicago that work in these areas, then partnered with several and have been learning about the local issues in these areas.  For our Service Day, a group of kids will be helping with the Special Olympics Opening Ceremonies, another group with the Open Books project in Pilsen, another group with habitat restoration in LaBaugh Woods, and the fourth group with the Chicago Canine Rescue Foundation.

By the way, the animal welfare advisory group has just launched a website featuring foster pets that need permanent homes.  Please check out their website an post it to your social media.  

http://fureverhomesforfurryfriends.weebly.com.

Middle School Students stuffed over 650 "goody bags" for participants of the
Polar Plunge fundraiser for the Special Olympics.


Books begin to fill up the floor of the Social Studies room
as donations come in for the Open Books Book Drive

Fibonacci

This week in 7th grade math the class is working to finish their Fibonacci Projects.  Before Spring Break, the class worked on the Power Point/Information part of the project.  This week they are creating some sort of product related to their topics.  It is really cool to see the four different groups spread around the school creating things.

The architecture group is creating 3D plans of their own Fibonacci inspired buildings using Google Sketchup.

The art/beauty group is taking pictures of people and overlaying Fibonacci beauty masks on them to see how they line up.

The nature group is doing a stop motion video of them paniting the spirals on a pinecone.

The music group is using boomwackers to make a video of Fibonacci inspired music.

I plan on videoing the kids presentation of their work and I will post it on the blog when it is complete.

Week 29: 7th Grade Science

Week 29:

We are back from Springfield and I hope you all had a fun and relaxing break.  This week the 7th graders are finishing their Earth Projects.  Ask them about Earth’s interior, continental drift, and plate tectonics.

MAP Testing After Spring Break

Spring MAP testing is coming soon. 7th grade will take the language test on April 8th, the reading test on April 11th, and the math test on April 14th. Should you have any questions about testing, please contact Kim Smith.

Week 27: 7th Grade Science

Week 27:  

Last Friday the 7th grade class presented their Anti-Smoking Campaign.  The variety of ideas from cartoon characters to film presentations was amazing.  More importantly, I believe they really understand the harmfulness of smoking and don’t let peer pressures lure you into this terrible habit.

Make sure you ask your son or daughter to show you their campaign.

Finishing Proportions/Ratios/Triangles/Probability Unit

This week in 7th grade math we are finishing our 6th unit of the year.  We have been working on this unit for most of the quarter and we will be concluding it on Friday.  Yesterday, we reviewed the two different methods for finding sale price and markup.  Today, we are working on the make a table strategy for solving word problems.  Tomorrow, we will be playing a game of Jeopardy to review for the test on Friday.  We are then off to Springfield next week and then Spring Break!!!!

Upcoming Assignments:
POW Cynthia's Solitaire Challenge due Tomorrow March 16
Alternative Assessment due Friday March 18
Test Friday March 18

Questions to ask at home:
What are the two methods for finding the sale price of an item?

Week 26: 7th Grade Science

Weeks: 26

Topic:  Inside Earth

Objectives: 

Identify the characteristics of Earth’s crust, mantle, and core.

Identify what causes convection currents.

Describe convection currents in Earth’s mantle

Essential Question:

How would you know if you were at the center of the Earth? 

Key Terms:

pressure

crust 

mantle

lithosphere

asthenosphere

outer & inner core

convection

density

This week: The past three weeks have flown by.  The kids have done a great job on creating a model of the geological features of our planet Earth.  This week they are preparing their class presentation. 

Differentiation:

using proportions

model making 

researching

art integration

Upcoming:  Creating a geology field guide

Trigonometry and percents

This week in 7th grade math we are getting into some great math concepts.  We started the week reviewing square roots and the pythagorean theorem.  We talked about pythagorean triples and how to solve the equation.  Today we learned about trigonometric functions.  We talked about what sine, cosine, and tangent mean and how we find the ratios.  Tomorrow, we will continue to work with trigonometric functions and review writing fractions and decimals as percents.  For the rest of the week, we will be reviewing how to use proportions to solve percent problems.

Upcoming assignments:
POW Totolopsi due Monday March 14th
Quiz on Tuesday March 15th
POW Cynthia's Solitaire Challenge due Wednesday March 16th
Alternative Assessment due and test on Friday March 18th

7th Grade Language Arts: Collaborative Writing Unit

This week seventh grade students are drafting their collaborative stories.  Students worked in groups of four to plan and develop the 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 have to continually check in with their group members to make adjustments to the story as a whole as each student finishes their individual part.  Students will submit the first draft on Tuesday, March 15th, and the final draft on Friday, March 18th.

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.

Industrial Revolution

This week, the 7th graders began their unit about the Industrial Revolution.  They started out by learning about the changes made in the textile industry in England and about how those inventions came to the United States and changed the economy and culture of the country forever.  Today, they learned about the working conditions in factories by participating in an assembly line simulation.  Then, they read and discussed primary sources about workers in English mills.  Next week, they will learn about other new inventions and the transportation revolution.

Question for your 7th grader:

• Tell me about the factory worker simulation.

Week 25: 7th Grade Science

Week: 25

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 making their own film.  Don’t forget to ask them about it.

Probability and pythagorean theorem

This week in 7th grade math, we are continuing to work on our unit on ratios, proportions, and percents.  Last week, we started working on the scale model of the solar system and it turned out great.  All distances of the planets from the sun and sizes of the planets to the sun are proportional.  (see pictures below)  For the last two days we have been learning about probability.  Yesterday we reviewed how to do probability and the counting principal.  We also, went over how to make a scale drawing of our classroom for their project. Today, we learned about independent and dependent probability and about permutations and combinations.  Tomorrow we will begin to review the pythagorean theorem.

Upcoming assignments:
Quiz tomorrow Wednesday March 2
POW Days on Other Planets due tomorrow March 2
Project Scale drawing of students bed rooms as home due Monday March 7

Questions to ask at home:
What is the difference between independent and dependent probability and give an example of each?

Proportions Proportions Proportions

This week in 7th grade we are continuing to work on proportions and their uses.  We have done many, many, many real world situations that were all solved using proportions.  Today we learned about how to use proportions to solve scale drawing and similar figures type problems.  For the rest of the week, we will be working on two proportions projects.

Tomorrow, we will be creating a scale model of the entire solar system in class using proportions.  The basic measurement will be that the sun is one meter in diameter.  They will have to use that measurement to figure out the scale of all the planets in the solar system and create them to scale.  Next, we will make a scale for the distance of each planet and figure how far away each planet is from the sun.  

The next project we will work on is an at home project.  We will spend most of the day on Friday learning how to make a scale drawing of the math room at school.  The students will then be asked to make a scale drawing of their bedrooms at home.

Upcoming assignments:
POW Days on Other Planets due Tuesday March 1

Questions to ask at home:
What is your fibonacci group and what is something interesting you have learned?

After tomorrow's class.
What planet did you have to make a scale drawing of?  How did the solar system look?  What surprised you about the solar system?

Westward Expansion Review

This week, the 7th graders are finishing up their unit about Westward Expansion.  Today, they worked in groups to create an exciting way to review different events with their classmates.  They will teach each other about the Oregon Trail, the Texas Revolution, the Mexican-American War, and the California Gold Rush.  Next week, they will begin their unit about the Industrial Revolution.

Upcoming Date:

• Chapter 11 Test  Thursday, February 25

Question for you 7th grader:

• Did Westward Expansion have a positive impact on the United States?
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Week 24: 7th Grade Science

Week: 24

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 3/3/16. Please check with your child to make sure he or she is on track to complete these assignments.  

Upcoming:  class presentation.

7th Grade Language Arts: Research Reports

This week our focus was on the revision process.  Students worked hard to improve their research reports for the final draft stage.  Each student conferenced with Mrs. Payne and worked on making thoughtful revisions to their reports.  Students will submit their final research report draft on Tuesday.

Seventh graders are also working on their A Midsummer Night’s Dream projects.  They are creating and performing a modernized version of Shakespeare’s script.  Students will perform their version of the play on Thursday, February 25th.

Mexican American War and Manifest Destiny

This week, the 7th graders are learning about how the United States expanded all the way to the Pacific Ocean.  Yesterday, they analyzed maps and paintings that idealized the image of Manifest Destiny.  Today, they participated in a simulation where they acted out scenes from the Mexican American War.  Later in the Week, they will learn about the California Gold Rush.

Questions for your 7th Grader:

• What does Manifest Destiny mean?
• Did the United States have a good reason to go to war with Mexico?

Week 23: 7th Grade Science

Week: 23

Respiration Project:  Get the Message Out

Project Timeline for this week:

Begin to design three videos

2. Chapter Project Worksheet 2 

Questions 4-5

The above should be completed by 3/2/15. Please check with your child to make sure he or she is on track to complete these assignments.  

Upcoming:  Final ads, and class presentation.

Proportions and Fibonacci

This week in 7th grade math we are continuing to work on our unit on Ratios/Proportions/Percents and Fibonacci.  The students will continue to work on researching and creating a keynote presentation for their area of interest for the Fibonacci Project.  This week we will also be doing several three act math activities that help show the real world application of proportions.  Three act math activities usually start with a video and I ask the class, "What is the question trying to be solved here?"  I then ask them to decide what information is needed in order to answer the question.  I then provide them with the information and give them time to answer the question.  We then watch a video that is the pay off and they get to see if their answer was correct.

No upcoming assignments.

Ask your student about the Fibonacci Project and what they are learning about their topic.

Fibonacci and proportions

This week in 7th grade math we are continuing our unit on ratios, proportions, and percents.  Last week, we learned about ratios and unit rates and this week we have have reviewed what a proportions is and how to solve proportion problems.  We have also been working on the Fibonacci Project.  The students have learned about the sequence, the golden ratio, where it comes from, and some number tricks that occur in the pattern.  We also created the Fibonacci spiral and have chosen groups for the projects.  The four group topics they could chose from were art, music, architecture, and nature.  For the rest of the week they will be in groups researching on how Fibonacci and the Golden Ratio fit into each topic.

Here are some pictures of the students trying to figure out how Golden the are.  They had to measure certain parts of each others faces and bodies and create ratios to find how close they were to 1.618, the Golden Ratio

Westward Expansion

Today, the 7th graders began a unit about Westward Expansion in the United States.  Today, they researched and taught one another about the Oregon, Santa Fe, and Mormon trails.  Later in the week, they will learn about Texas Independence and the Mexican-American War.

Question for your 7th grader:

• Did the benefit of going west on the Oregon Trail outweigh the risks?

Week 22: 7th Grade Science

Week: 22

The 7th grade class has just begun the respiratory system and a part of this unit is to create an advertisement showing the health hazards of cigarette smoking.  

Respiration Project:  Get the Message Out

Project Timeline:

Interviews of people in the different age groups.

2. Chapter Project Worksheet 2 

The above should be completed by 2/26/16. Please check with your child to make sure he or she is on track to complete these assignments.  

Upcoming:  Rough draft of ads, final ads, and class presentation.

Ratios/Proportions/Fibonacci

This week in 7th grade math has been a busy one.  In the last week, the students took the hardest test of the year and a comprehensive mid year final.  They did a great job on both and are working hard.  This week we have started our next unit on ratios, proportions, and percents.  During this unit we will also be working on a Fibonacci Project.  Yesterday, we started looking at ratios, rates, and unit rates.  For the rest of the week, we will be learning more about ratios, their application, and how they fit in with the Fibonacci Sequence.

Upcoming assignments:  POW Buying Cola due on Monday Feb. 8

Questions to ask at home by the end of the week:

What is the Fibonacci Sequence?

Where does it come from?

The Age of Jackson

Over the past few weeks, the 7th graders have learned about the "Age of Jackson", or the time period around Andrew Jackson's administration in the 1820s and 1830s.  His administration was filled with controversial issues, so the student have been debating these issues all week.  They were broken into groups based on the three major regions at the time: the North, the South, and the West.  Then, they had to argue each issue according to how it benefitted or hurt their region.  They debated tariffs, the sale of public lands, nullification, and the legality of a national bank.  Later this week, they will read and analyze primary sources about Andrew Jackson's Indian Removal policy and the Trail of Tears. They will also create menu projects about the Age of Jackson. They will take their quiz over chapter 10 on Monday.  We have also been following the 2016 presidential election and discussed the Iowa caucus and what the results might mean as the campaign progresses.

Questions for your 7th Grader:

• Do you think Andrew Jackson was a good president?
• What are some of the controversial issues that the North and the South disagreed upon during the Age of Jackson?

7th Grade Language Arts

This month, we are wrapping up some big projects. The seventh graders are working hard on A Midsummer Night's Dream and just wrapped up Act III. We've had some very exciting and informative discussions, and everyone seems to understand the play pretty well! Hopefully, we will be finishing the play by the end of next week or early into the third week of February. 

The students will have a project based on the play, but I won't be introducing it until we are done reading.

Next, the students are working hard on their research papers. They just turned in their outlines and works cited page, both of which are essential to the final draft. Any errors they make on these should be corrected for the final paper. The final paper is due Tuesday, February 23rd.

The most important thing to remember for this month is that the students need to balance their time between doing work in class and at home. I often give them a lot of class time, so they should be using it wisely!

Upcoming due dates:

Research Report 1st Draft due Tuesday, 2/16

Research Report 2nd Draft due Friday, 2/19

Research Report Final Draft due Tuesday, 2/23

Week 21: 7th Grade Scieence

Week: 21

Topic:  The Respiratory System

Objectives: 

Describe the function of the respiratory system.

Identify the structures that air passes through as it travels to the lungs.  

Describe what happens during gas exchange and breathing. 

Essential Question:

How are the digestive and cardiovascular systems connected to the respiratory system? 

Key Terms:

respiration

cilia

pharynx

trachea

bronchi

lungs

alveoli

diaphragm

larynx

vocal cords

This week the kids will work in stations to understand the function of the respiratory system, the path of air, gas exchange, and how we breathe. 

Differentiation:

Predicting

Infer

Observing

Sequencing

Visualizing

Calculating surface area

Using models

Upcoming: Anti-Smoking Campaign Ad

Week 20: 7th Grade Science

Week: 20

Nothing much to report on.  Completing our CVS section on blood and the Lymph System in our body, and will soon begin preparing for our Respiratory project on smoking.

Finishing unit on fractions and algebra

In 7th grade math we are finishing up our fifth unit on fractions and algebra.  In this unit we have reviewed least common multiple, how to change any terminating or repeating decimal into a fraction, how to solve fraction equations using all operations, and how to convert between different customary units of measure.  This unit and this test tend to be one of the hardest of the year because there is a lot of computation with fractions and it is easy to make mistakes.

Upcoming assignments:

Alternative Assessment due on Thursday Jan. 28

Test on Thursday Jan. 28

Question to ask at home:

How many feet are in a mile?

7th Grade Language Arts

As the first semester comes to an end, we will begin reading A Midsummer Night's Dream. The students have selected roles and will be reading the play aloud as a class!  Although they are looking forward to reading one of Shakespeare’s great comedies, I think they might be most excited to write and perform their own Shakespearean insults.

The students are currently working on completing their fact cards for Monday, January 25th.  Students should be reading through their sources to find the most important information about the event they are researching.  They will keep track of the facts they find by filling out note cards.  Next week, we will organize the fact note cards into categories and focus on how to best structure and organize the research report before creating an outline.

Upcoming due dates:

Fact Cards due Monday, Jan 25th

Greetings from an absentee blogger

My apologies for my negligence in keeping you up to date on Advisory.  

Our advisory program generally consists of seven components and they are:

Adolescent “hot topic” discussions and lessons

Team and trust building

1:1 meetings with the advisor with goal setting

Gender specific meeting times

Lil’ Buddies  - working consistently with a younger grade

Service learning - global citizenship

Study and organizational skills

This year is our Service Learning Project which is part of the global citizenship component of our Advisory program fits in well with the school-wide humans of Chicago theme.  Earlier this year, middle school kids chose an area in which to focus: environmental issues, Literacy issues. Social Services issues (with particular interest in Special Olympics amongst other things) and Animal Welfare issues.  The students researched some of the local organizations that are involved with these areas and we have discovered that we have great resources in our parent community.  To date, we have had two guest speakers come in to represent some of these organizations and we will hear from two more.  After that, the groups will work on in-school projects that can benefit these organizations, culminating with an off-campus Field Day devoted to making a difference in the community.  It is a work in progress but we are excited about setting up a model that will take us into future school years.

Also new this year is a Social Emotional Learning curriculum that we are using to guide us through topics of interest to young people.  The curriculum is called Overcoming Obstacles and can be found here: http://www.overcomingobstacles.org/middleschool_curriculum.

What this all means is fewer trips to Starbucks……but the kids are benefitting from being more engaged and interested.

Week 19: 7th Grade Science

Week: 19

Topic:  Blood and Lymph

Objectives: 

Describe the components of blood.

Explain what determines the type of blood that a person can receive in a transfusion.

Name the structure and functions of the lymphatic system.

Essential Question:

How are blood cells like automobiles?

Key Terms:

plasma

red & white blood cells

hemoglobin

platelets

lymphatic system

lymph

lymph nodes

This week the kids will compare the difference between blood and lymph.  They will look at the make-up of blood and the many functions it carries out.  Our lab in this unit will simulate blood typing according to antigens located on the surface of the red blood cell.  Finally, we will look at how the circulatory and lymphatic systems work in conjunction with each other. 

Differentiation:

Observing

Using the microscope

Creating data tables

Identifying

Data analysis

Upcoming:  Respiration and an Anti-Smoking Campaign ad

A city fit for an artist!

The 7th graders just completed these beautiful birds-eye-view, one-point perspective drawings, done to represent a specific artist. They research their artist and design the buildings to reflect that artists style. They learn the rules of one-point perspective drawing and have to include at least 5 buildings with windows in their city scape compositions. We will have a critique next week so they get to defend their decisions. They look spectacular don't you think? Can you guess who their artists are?

Math Mania Night and Fractions in Algebra

Looking forward to seeing everyone this evening from 6-7 for Math Mania Night.  I think it will be a lot of fun for everyone.  If you didn't get a chance to RSVP you can still join us.

This week in math we have been reviewing how to multiply and divide fractions including fractions that have variables in them.  The class is learning how to cross simplify to make these operations easier.  For the rest of the week, we will be going over how to convert using customary units of measurement, use dimensional analysis, and work backwards to solve problems.

Presidents Project Presentations

Last week, the 7th graders worked in groups to research the administrations one of the United States' first five presidents.  This week, they worked together to create lessons for their classmates.  Now, they are presenting their lessons.  Later, they will each create a menu project about the presidential administration that they researched.

Questions for your 7th grader:

• What major events happened during your president's administration?
• What the president that you researched a good leader?  Why or why not?