Middle School: Week in Review

Posted on by Michelle Lamb

Happy December! It will be a fun, but short, month here at FWM. We are certainly busy with our classes and community service projects (more to come on this in next week’s blog).

If you would like to sign up for the 8th grade’s Family Gift Drive for a local family, please visit the Sign Up by clicking this link: Family #28 Sign Up

Humanities

In 6th grade Humanities classes this week, students have been working on their writing, particularly organization and word choice. First, they continue to understand the importance of organization. How can we write topic sentences that represent a paragraph’s main idea? How do we present the details to support it in a logical and fluent way? How about the ending? They have also worked on using transitions to move from one idea to the next. For word choice,  students have talked about using specific nouns, strong verbs, and descriptive adjectives to enhance their sentences. They are starting to take risks using synonyms of more common words. For example, using the word “stroll” or “saunter” rather than “walk” when appropriate. Currently, students are writing to compare Melody, the main character from their recently completed novel, Out of My Mind, to Mackenzie, a young adult living with cerebral palsy in New Zealand from the short documentary, Mackenzie’s Voice.

7th grade Humanities class has begun their study of SubSaharan Africa. They completed maps of the countries that make up this part of the continent. They also identified their capital cities and took notice of the placement of capital cities within a country and how terrain might affect this. Also, they read about the diverse human population of SubSaharan Africa as well as the industries of mining, drilling, forestry, and fishing. At the end of the week, students wrote about and discussed the difference between modern and traditional culture leading into the beginning of the memoir, A Gift From Childhood by Baba Wague Diakite, a Malian artist currently living in Portland, Oregon.

8th grade Humanities class moved north from the Jamestown Colony this week to the settlement of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. They discussed the Separatists’ voyage on The Mayflower, challenges following this voyage, and the initial encounters with the Wampanoag. They read and discussed the story of the “first Thanksgiving” and began to learn about the Puritans. Finally, continued discussions about the value of religion to the people of Great Britain and those deciding to make the journey to the colonies and how this ultimately affected settlements, rules, the Indigenous people, and decision making.

 

Science

6th year Earth Science students worked in groups this week to represent a specific plate boundary (transform, divergent, convergent), the actions leading to this boundary, and any landforms as a result of this. Finishing the week, students were able to make connections about how plate tectonics influence earthquakes. Students were able to share their prior knowledge of earthquakes, whether personal or through the news. Moving forward, we will learn about how geologists are able to monitor and rate earthquakes in hope of future safety measures to be implemented.

7th year Physical Science students began to work on their states of matter stop motion project. Students are asked to represent the transition of matter as a solid, liquid, and gas as it relates to the increase or decrease of energy (temperature) applied. Students first were required to write a script of how they are going to represent these transitions which was later followed by the process of the artistic representation.
8th year Life Science students are also working on their stop motion project, Cellular Respiration. Students are asked to represent how our bodies process food into usable energy for our body by breaking down glucose into forms of ATP (energy). Students are asked to include the reactants and products of the 3 main steps of cellular respiration (glycolysis, Kreb’s Cycle, and Electron Transport Chain).
Math
In the Pre-Transition math class, students are learning about the properties of addition which include the zero property, opposite property, and commutative property. This week, students learned how to use a protractor to measure angles in a given shape. This class can label the vertex and understand the difference between an acute and obtuse angle. 
 
In the Transition math class, students are exploring how to solve single step equations and inequalities. This week, students used fact triangles and fact families (Addition and Subtraction) to understand how to rearrange an equation with a single variable. 
 
In the Algebra math class, students started working through Chapter 5 and were first introduced to algebraic fractions. Students are able to multiply and divide algebraic fractions as well as simplify to the lowest form. Next week, the class plans to cover proportions and solving for similar figures. 
Have a wonderful weekend!

Middle School: Week at a Glance

Posted on by msutherland

It was an exciting week in the Middle School community. Students participated in a fun game of floor hockey, they each created a unique clothing brand in STEAM class, and we prepared for the Thanksgiving Day celebration.  Each grade selected a bread of choice to bake and share with our entire school community during our assembly next week. As a reminder, Tuesday November 22nd is an early dismissal at 11:30 am  with no school for the rest of the week. We want to wish everyone a safe and happy Thanksgiving Fall Break! 

Humanities: 

6th grade Humanities classes were busy this week. They completed their class novel, Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper. This week, they led discussions using their own annotations from their nightly independent reading. This has been a breath of fresh air, and the class has been having rich conversations about the novel and how they are reacting to it. It is most exciting, and sometimes surprising, to them when they annotate the same section. The 6th grade also reviewed organization in their writing, particularly in using a topic sentence representative of their paragraph, details to support with transitions incorporated and sometimes used at the end to bridge paragraphs, and a conclusion that wraps up their thoughts. Finally, students completed a unit of vocabulary

7th grade Humanities classes looked at the impact of Mao Zedong and his reign in the first half of the 20th century. This included the Civil War in China, the Japanese-Sino War, and the Cultural Revolution. Next, we are completing a mini-unit of the structure of the US government in connection to the mid-term elections. We completed a broad overview of the 3 branches of government and then focused on the legislative and executive branches. Students will continue this next week. Finally, a unit of vocabulary was completed.
 
8th grade Humanities classes continued to study the formation of the Virginia Colony. They finished a Smithsonian Documentary about the legend of Pocahontas, which explains the myth and her impact on both the Powhatan/Pamunkey people as well as the Virginia colonists. Then, they studied the importance of the cash crop tobacco in the success of the Virginia Colony and as the catalyst to slavery, indentured servitude, and the livelihood of what would be the U.S. Finally, they completed a unit of vocabulary.
Science:
6th year Earth Science students have finished their stop motion videos depicting tectonic plates. Students were able to share ideas with their partner in a collaborative effort to meet each of the objectives. Students did a great job finding creative ways to represent convection currents, the 3 types of plate boundaries (transform, convergent, divergent), and the influence this has on our landscape.
 
7th year Physical Science students have begun their unit “States of Matter”.  The objectives of this unit are for students to be able to draw or model the movement of atoms in a solid, liquid, and gas, explain what happens to the motion and energy of molecules as a substance is heated or cooled, and explain how substances change state.This unit was first introduced by students demonstrating the movement of molecules in a solid (ice) as the energy level was increased (heat applied). Students represented this by moving marbles (molecules) around a tray at different speeds/rates, including how this relates to the temperature, volume, and shape of the given object. 
 
8th year Life Science students have been working on their unit “Cellular Respiration”. This week students were able to represent the first step of cellular respiration (glycolysis) by testing how different amounts of sugar affect the rise of yeast. Students were provided a set amount of yeast and water, with varying amounts of sugar. After the yeast, water, and sugar were added to a graduated cylinder, students were asked to record the rise/height of yeast produced. The results were compared to additional samples tested with varying amounts of sugar. Our next step of cellular respiration to represent will be the Kreb’s Cycle (citric acid cycle). 
 
Math:
This week all math classes participated in a Thanksgiving ‘Meal Plan’ activity. Students were asked to calculate total servings for their guests, make an accurate grocery list and total the cost of purchasing the ingredients to host a fun thanksgiving dinner! As a bonus activity, students could design a seating chart, make a digital invitation and write a toast about what they were most thankful for this year. 
 
In the Pre-Transition math class, students got to investigate using fractions to add mixed numbers or numbers with mixed units in real-world situations. This class can add positive and negative numbers on a number line and identify integer values.
 
In the Transition math class, students were excited to begin Chapter 5 in the UCSMP textbook and started to explore absolute values. This week we learned about simplifying expressions with order of operations and using fact triangles to depict relationships between numbers. 
 
In the Algebra math class, students concluded their learning of Chapter 4. We finished learning about compound inequalities and rearranging complex formulas for indicated variables. Students will begin to learn about Chapter 5 after the Thanksgiving Break! 
 
Math Joke: What do turkeys call a math test? ……and EGGS-amination

Middle School: Week in Review

Posted on by Michelle Lamb

It’s been a great week in Middle School! We are asking students and parents to check the temperature and make sure that students’ attire aligns. We will be going outside for recess when possible even through the winter months, so having legs covered and a jacket or other heavier layer on top to cover the arms is expected. Thanks!

LOOK OUT for the email this weekend regarding how you can help next week with our Thanksgiving Food Drive for a family in need in Newtown. The 8th grade just received information from WIN (Women Involved in Newtown), and they have put together a Sign Up Genius that will go out to the community this weekend.

Humanities

All Humanities classes began the week presenting their current events. The topics were thought-provoking and presenters were informative and led great discussions.

6th grade Humanities classes are in the second half of their class novel, Out of My Mind. While students typically answer questions related to their chapters during and after daily reading, they attempted annotations towards the end of the week instead. In class, they have been guided in their questions this week towards locating what is important, what gives them a reaction, and what they question. As they continue to read and practice annotation, their skills will strengthen, and students will build their confidence. Also, 6th grade students worked on organization in their paragraphs to enhance their writing.

7th grade Humanities classes focused on early 20th century China. We reviewed the following terms from earlier in the year, as they are the focus of the events occurring at this time in China: republic, imperialism, and nationalism. Students studied events and people that affected Chinese views of these terms such as WWI and the signing of the Treaty of Versailles, the May Fourth Movement, Sun Yat-Sen and the Xinhai Revolution, the rise of the CPC, and Chiang Kai-Shek. Students showed interest in the Chinese involvement in WWI through helping to dig the trenches in Europe, so the class researched Trench Warfare a bit further. Also, they read from the National Archives about the Chinese Exclusion Act and the Johnson Reed Act, which were early US Immigration Policies that affected the Chinese coming to the US and those already in the US at the time.

8th grade Humanities classes are still working on the Jamestown Colony and its relationship with the Powhatan. Mainly, this week they focused on the truth that exists from the myth of Pocahontas, the “Indian Princess”. After reading an interview in Smithsonian Magazine with historian, professor, and author Camilla Townsend, and watching Smithsonian’s documentary about Pocahontas and John Smith, classes discussed how the stories of history can change over time. They also discussed why they change and how they might be written in the first place.

Science

6th year Earth Science students are working on representing their unit, Tectonic Plates, by creating stop motion videos. Students are asked to represent what tectonic plates are, what causes them to move, what the 3 different types of plate boundaries are, and how tectonic plate movement influences our landscape. Students have the ability to choose from a variety of artistic representations to base their videos off of.

7th year Physical Science students are finishing their unit, Characteristic Properties of Matter. Throughout the unit, students conducted several experiments and lab reports which tested the physical and chemical properties of unknown substances. Some of the experiments conducted tested electrical conductivity, malleability, density, pH, and combustibility. Our next unit will be States of Matter.
8th year Life Science students have been working on their unit, Cellular Respiration. This week students were asked to begin the unit by first understanding the differences between respiration (breathing) and that of cellular respiration (obtain energy from food). Students will be asked to break the unit into 3 main parts (glycolysis, Kreb’s cycle, and the electron transport chain).
Math

In the Pre-Transition math class, students concluded their learning of Chapter 2. This chapter covered topics such as converting between decimals, fractions and percentages, rounding values, and identifying repeating or terminating decimals. Next week, we will explore integer values and learn how to use both positive and negative numbers.

In the Transition math class, students were excited to learn about simple interest, sales tax, and how to find the discount price of an item. We worked on calculating the square root of a number as well as how to convert between decimals, fractions, and percentages.

In the Algebra math class, students learned how to solve equations with variables on both sides of the fulcrum. Students can successfully solve equations in the form ax + b = cx + d as well as graph horizontal and vertical lines on a coordinate grid.

Math Joke: Why did the two 4’s skip thanksgiving dinner?….Because they already 8

We hope you have an awesome weekend!

Middle School: Halloween Fun & A Busy Week!

Posted on by Michelle Lamb

Happy Friday! We had a great Halloween in Middle School. Costumes and spirits were great, and we enjoyed all of the themed Halloween treats that parents provided. Thank you! Additionally, 8th grade leadership was excited to plan a fun Halloween photo scavenger hunt for the rest of the middle school. While they were completing it, the 8th grade set up for the Halloween party and set up a surprise caramel apple station for the students! 8th grade leadership also ran an installment of FWM Monthly for students in Kindergarten through 7th grade.

Math
In the Pre-Transition math class, students have been learning how to round numbers to a given place value. This class has also been practicing how to convert fractions to decimals and vice versa. They ended the week with creating equivalent fractions and understanding how to find a percent from a decimal value.
In the Transition math class, students are excited to explore fractions, decimals and percents in a more complex way. This class is able to understand how to compare values in different forms, correctly use raised-bar notation for repeated decimals, and calculate the percent of a quantity from a given word problem.
In the Algebra math class, students are able to use linear equations and inequalities in the form ax + b = c or ax + b < c. This class also discovered how to clear fractions and decimals in an algebraic expression. They concluded their learning of Chapter 3 and will begin learning Chapter 4 next week.
Math Joke: Why was the math teacher suspicious of prime numbers? …..They were all odd.
Humanities
6th grade Humanities class began the week with some creative, Halloween writing. They chose from prompts that either had them write in the perspective of a pumpkin about to be carved or imagine their stuffed animals came to life. Next, students continued their reading and class book discussions with Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper. The class is more than halfway through the novel, and they are doing well with making connections, writing about personal reactions, and analyzing specific quotations. Finally, students worked on their current events presentations.
7th grade Humanities class also began the week with some creative, Halloween writing. They chose from prompts about an imaginary friend from their past coming to life, ending a story with, “…and that is why I never returned there again”, and waking up as someone else. In continuing with their China study, students learned about the British-Chinese trade relationship, which led to the Opium Wars. They also studied the Taipei Rebellion, one of the worst instances of Civil War. Finally, students worked on their current events presentations.
8th grade Humanities class continued with their study of the colonization of North America and its effects on the Indigenous people on the land. Last week, students drew what they imagined the landscape of what is now the United States looked like before colonization. This would use students’ previous knowledge and assumptions. Similarly, students drew untouched landscapes that included mountains, trees, tall grasses, and some animals. What we read about the actual landscape in Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz’s An Indigenous Peoples’ History for Young People  had some variations. Native Nations had cities, road systems, governments, farms, etc. Why didn’t any of their pictures include these? We then talked about how books, media, and American culture frame our ideas of what Native American life looked like. While there was, of course, more untouched land, the infrastructure is usually omitted. Then, students began studying the settlement at Jamestown, the Powhatan, and the Virginia Company. Finally, students worked on current events.
Science

6th year Earth Science students worked this week on identifying the main layers of Earth. Students were assigned a partner to research a layer of the earth (inner/outer core, mantle, and crust) and later present their work to the class. Students were asked to include the depth, temperature, thickness, and fun facts about each layer in their presentation. From this research and the information found within their tech-books, students will begin creating a stop motion video depicting tectonic plates and the influence they have on shaping our planet.

7th year Physical Science students have continued working on identifying physical and chemical properties of matter. As a part of this unit, students conducted an experiment which tested how temperature influences solubility. Students were provided with three different temperatures of water, adding recorded amounts of sugar to them until the sugar no longer was able to dissolve in the solution. Each student formulated their hypothesis beforehand, anticipating the warmer water (solvent) to allow more sugar (solute) to be dissolved in the water. Now that the experiment has concluded and their data has been recorded, each student will format the information as a formal lab report.
8th year Life Science students are just finishing their unit, Structure of Life. This week, students continued their research and class discussions around data and information regarding what cancer is and the work that is conducted to address this disease. Students learned about certain factors that influence the mutation of cells within the body, such as smoking or exposure to high levels of uv radiation. Students have been able to apply our past unit, Cell Theory, to our current unit as it relates to the behavior a cell might undergo when exposed to detrimental factors.
We hope everyone has a peaceful weekend.

Middle School: Week in Review

Posted on by Michelle Lamb

It was an exciting week in our Middle School community. A few highlights included a fire safety presentation from the Botsford Fire Department, reflective writing exercise in Advisory class, and outdoor recess to enjoy the beautiful fall weather. As a general reminder, parent-student-teacher conferences are on Thursday, October 27th, 2022. Please use your child’s respective advisory teacher’s Sign-Up Genius link to find an appropriate time slot. Friday, October 28th is a professional development day for staff and there will be no class for students. We are looking forward to seeing everyone at the upcoming Oktoberfest celebration this Saturday!

Humanities

6th grade Humanities classes continued to read Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper. They have lively discussions reviewing their daily reading homework which includes comprehension questions that cause them to analyze, recall, elaborate, predict, and infer. Students also completed a unit of vocabulary this week.

In 7th grade Humanities class, students began learning about the following political economic systems: capitalism, socialism, communism. These are important as we get into events of 20th century China when the country adopted the Communist ideas of Karl Marx under Mao Zedong. Tying into last week’s Religions of China presentations, we discussed the practice of prayer since it is a part of religion. What is the purpose of prayer? Does it have to be religious? We read James Marsden’s, “Prayer for the 21st Century” and Bob Dylan’s lyrics to “Forever Young” and discussed how and if they embodied prayers. Finally, students completed a unit of vocabulary.

The 8th grade had an exciting week of class as we concluded our reading of S.E. Hinton’s The Outsiders. Students were on the edge of their seats reading the ending, and discussion about the falling actions and resolution of the plot were rich. In the end, they discussed major book themes and also wrote about how a characters transcended the stereotype of a greaser (their labeled social group). Finally, students completed a unit of vocabulary.

Math

In the Pre-Transition math class, students began to understand decimal values and the relationship with fractions. Students were able to identify place values in a decimal number and created a rule for multiplying by 10, 100, 1000, etc. This class will continue to practice rounding decimals next week as we start the second half of Chapter 2.
In the Transition math class, students concluded their learning of Chapter 2 and demonstrated their understanding of variables. We learned about the Pythagorean Theorem, substituting values into an open sentence and graphing inequalities on a number line.
In the Algebra math class, students were excited to learn about graphing linear patterns on a coordinate grid. We wrote detailed notes on how to solve two-step equations involving fractions and decimals. Next week, we will continue to practice how to create a linear equation from  a real world word problem.
Math Joke: What is a math teacher’s favorite season? …..SUMmer!
 
Science
6th year Earth Science students are finishing their unit “Fossils and Studying Earth’s Past.” Our next unit is “Plate Tectonics.” The objectives of this unit will be for students to describe tectonic plates and  how they move, how the movement of tectonic plates causes natural processes, how the three primary types of plate boundaries cause a variety of landforms, and how the rock cycle and plate tectonics are related.

7th year Physical Science students this week spent time exploring the physical and chemical differences between salt and sugar. Students conducted an experiment to determine whether salt or sugar had the greater electrical conductivity when mixed with water. To do this, students placed two galvanized wires attached to a battery in each solution and observed if bubbles formed around each wire. When bubbles formed, this indicated the presence of electrical conductivity within the solution. Students then observed each crystalline structure of salt and sugar under compound and stereo microscopes. Students were asked to illustrate in their journals what they observed.
8th year Life Science students are working on the unit “Structure of Life.” Objectives of this unit are to explain what cells are and why cells are important, compare and contrast the organelles and other structures that most cells have in common, distinguish between the cells in unicellular and multicellular organisms, and explain how the structure and function of multicellular organism depends on the interaction of tissues, organs, and organ systems.

Middle School: Week in Review

Posted on by Michelle Lamb

It has been another great week in Middle School. The middle school continues to enjoy their Wednesday morning time working with younger peers in their classrooms. Another highlight this week was the first FWM Monthly news, created and presented by the 8th grade class. Faculty members, Lower El, Upper El, and Middle School students gathered in the Commons to watch and listen. Great job, 8th Grade!

Science

6th year Earth Science students are identifying how geologic time is measured and how fossils play a role in dating geologic events. Students are collaborating with their peers to create an artistic representation of the geologic timeline. This timeline includes eons, eras, periods along with predominant species found within each phase. The objective of this project is for students to see how fossils are used to gauge the time period when species were alive based on previously discovered index fossils.

7th year Physical Science students are discovering the differences in matter as it relates to their physical and chemical properties. Students have been asked to conduct several experiments to test properties of matter such as density, electrical conductivity, and pH. From these experiments, students are able to see how certain properties are able to change while others remain the same while conducting certain tests.
8th year Life Science students did a great job presenting their research on stem cells earlier in the week. Students provided evidence to support their claim about whether to support or oppose further research regarding stem cells. Moving forward, students presented research on the differences between our body cells. Students shared their findings on nerve, cardiac, blood, and fat cells. Each student highlighted the difference in the cell’s structure/shape as it relates to the function each cell is intended to serve.

Humanities

6th grade Humanities classes had a great week. They each presented their first current events assignment to the class. Using a topic of interest, students found a current news article, summarized it, wrote about its impact and why it matters, and then led a discussion on the topic. The students were active and engaged in conversation, asked thoughtful questions, and were respectful to each other. Next, 6th grade began their class novel, Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper.

7th grade Humanities class researched and presented an assigned religion of China. They were tasked with finding the history of the religion in China, explain its philosophy, teach about its traditions, and talk about how it is practiced. The religions presented were Confucianism, Taoism(Daoism), Buddhism, Islam, and Christianity.

8th grade Humanities classes were busy this week. They are reading The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton and discussing how socioeconomic status can play a role in society’s views and treatment of certain groups. Also, we continued our study of U.S. history by discussing Indigenous Peoples’ Day, its origins, and the narratives that surround Christopher Columbus. From there, we read and discussed the influence of gold which brought many explorers after Columbus as well as what the landscape looked like at the time of contact.

Math

In the Pre-Transition math class, students began exploring Chapter 2 in the UCSMP textbook. This class is learning about decimals between whole numbers and how to order decimals from greatest to least value. This class is working hard to understand converting decimals into fractions, as well as identifying place values behind the decimal point. 
 
In the Transition math class, students were excited to learn more about the Pythagorean Theorem and were able to construct a life size right angle triangle to help visualize their understanding. This class is continuing to practice substituting values to a formula and simplifying expressions with like terms. 
 
In the Algebra math class, students concluded their learning of Chapter 2 and were able to master the distributive property. This class was able to use related facts to solve for a missing variable, as well as test for equivalency using the 4 key methods learned in class. Next week, they will begin to investigate Chapter 3 titled, Linear Equations and Inequalities. 
 
Math Joke: Are monsters good at math?…..Not unless you count Dracula!
Have a wonderful fall weekend!

Middle School: Week in Review

Posted on by Michelle Lamb

It was an awesome week in middle school! While class time was short with the mid-week break for Yom Kippur and the trip on Friday, we were busy! Our trip to the Adventure Park at the Discovery Museum in Bridgeport was amazing. A wonderful time swinging in the trees, challenging ourselves, and laughing with friends was just what we needed to end the week.

Humanities

6th grade Humanities class this week looked at Mexican & Latin American history. The class started with the overarching question that lead to a rich discussion about how we figure out our past. Specifically, in what ways can people determine history? From there, the class focused on Oaxaca, one of the settings in Becoming Naomi Leon,  and they read about the Zapotec civilization. They discussed how geography plays a role in the formation and life of a civilization. Also, discussion surrounding what could happen to a civilization to cause it to dissipate. Finally, students will present their first current events report on Tuesday and begin their class novel, Out of My Mind!

7th grade Humanities began the week with our first current events presentations. Everyone got right into the swing of things, and we had excellent discussions about interesting topics. Next, we finished with Chinese Dynasties and began religions of China. Next week, students will continue to research the following: Taoism, Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, and Confucianism.

8th grade Humanities class also began the week with current events presentations. Their thoughtfulness with discussion questions and excellent presentations led to productive conversations about the topics. Next, 8th grade began the novel, The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton.

Math

In the Pre-Transition math class, students have been reviewing all week for the Chapter 1 Unit Test on Tuesday, October 11th. This assessment covers simplifying fractions, finding the length of a line segment, and ordering integers on a number line. Students should be using their lesson master assignments, class notes, and textbook questions to study well in advance. Next week students will also begin learning about Chapter 2 titled, Fractions, Decimals and Percentages. 
 
In the Transition math class, students are continuing to learn about variables and how to substitute values into a given expression. This class can translate a word sentience into a number sentence using the correct arithmetic operations. They will explore the Pythagorean Theorem and other important formulas next week. 
 
In the Algebra math class, students have been learning how to solve for two-step algebraic equations that involve all four arithmetic operations. This class discovered how to rearrange an equation for a specific variable as well as use a table of values to test for equivalence between two different equations. 
 
Math Joke: What do you get if you divide the circumference of a jack-o-lantern by its diameter?………………….Pumpkin pi.
Science

6th year Earth Science class spent the week gathering information to support their understanding of what we can learn from fossils. The objectives of the past several classes were deciding how fossils provide evidence of environmental changes that occurred in the past, how geologic time is measured, and what role fossils play in dating geologic events.

7th year Physical Science students conducted several activities to establish the differences between chemical and physical properties of matter. Students tested the density and conductivity of different materials, determining which of those properties remain constant and which could change with different samples. Concluding this unit, students will be asked to perform several tests on unknown objects, identifying what object they have before them based on the physical and chemical properties observed. 
 
8th year Life Science students are continuing to research the history and application of stem cells. Students are doing a great job gathering information and data to support their side of the argument regarding the practice of stem cell use. Students will present their stem cell research the week following. 

Middle School: Week in Review

Posted on by Michelle Lamb

We hope everyone had a great week! Classes were busy, and students were working hard. Additionally, the weather might be chilly, but we are still going outside! Jackets and weather-appropriate clothing is recommended.

Humanities

In 6th grade Humanities class, we began the week with a vocabulary assessment and history work. They learned about Mexican history and culture including a few historical sites, the Mexican Revolution, the importance of maize, and the art form Alebrijes. Students also completed a writing assessment to show Mrs. Lamb where she can challenge and support individual students this year with writing. Finally, 6th grade students began their first steps in producing their current events presentations. They learned about media bias and opinion articles when looking for articles of interest. Mrs. Lamb posted a few site possibilities for their topics.

This week, 7th grade Humanities classes have been sharing their research about Chinese Dynasties throughout the week. They will soon connect this with Ties That Bind, Ties That Break, which surrounds the revolution and cultural change in China. Students also reviewed metaphors by looking at the humorous poem, “Litany” by Billy Collins. Finally the 7th grade completed a second unit of vocabulary.

8th grade Humanities class presented their research on the Pre-Contact American civilizations of the Olmec, Incas, Mayas, Aztecs, Mississippians, and the Ancestral Puebloans. They also took time to learn more information about each after they presented. 8th grade students discussed the idea of a Legacy after reading Nikki Giovanni’s poem, “Legacies.” We talked about how we can relate to it as well as what it means to connect with culture as time goes by for different groups in the United States, including Indigenous Americans. Finally, students completed another unit of vocabulary.

Science

6th year Earth Science students were able to create their resin molds incorporating an object of their choosing. Students chose between geometric or animal molds to represent their own representation. Following the completion of this project, students were asked to write a fictional story using key terms from our unit, Fossils, as it relates to the preservation of fossils. Each student was able to share their story aloud to the class and later display their resin mold and story for the entire school to see.

7th year Physical Science students finished their unit, Combining and Separating. Students learned about relevant issues in which we rely on the knowledge of separation as discussed in the Flint Water Crisis (2014-16) along with the process of desalination (removal of salt from saltwater). We conducted an experiment of the desalination process by saturating water with salt, and later boiling it, which resulted in fresh water once again. We will begin our next unit, Characteristic Properties of Matter, the following week.
8th year Life Science students began their cell cake project from the unit, Cell Theory. Students were instructed to represent either an animal or plant cell along with its primary organelles by using food (candy/cake). Students chose certain candies to best represent each organelle’s actual appearance.  Once completed with the construction, students created a key diagram, labeling the organelles along with the function served within the cell. Students presented and later consumed their finished product to the middle school students  Following this project, students will begin their research on our debate based on stem cell research and use.
Math
In the Pre-Transition math class, students learned about improper, proper, and mixed fractions. This class can identify integers on a number line and find fraction or decimal values between whole numbers. This week, they continued to practice reducing fractions to lowest form and writing word numbers into a numerical value.
In the Transition math class, students concluded their learning of Chapter 1 and worked hard to prepare for their final assessment. They worked on plotting ordered pairs on a coordinate grid and writing numbers in scientific notation. This class was able to perform order of operations questions and write exponent values in expanded notation.
In the Algebra math class, students started Chapter 2 in the UCSMP textbook. They explored how to use the distributive property in simplifying expressions as well as how to collect like-terms. This class learned how to test for equivalency in different equations and how to identify opposite values.
Math Joke: What do geometry teachers have decorating their floor?………………………… Area rugs!
Have a great weekend! We are looking forward to our trip to The Discovery Museum in Bridgeport on Tuesday!