Middle School: A Week in Review!

Posted on by msutherland

Middle School students had a busy week finishing art projects, playing in the second basketball game and delivering the morning news to the elementary classes. We are working hard as we enter the last week before the spring break vacation. We are all looking forward to the upcoming spring break holiday from March 14-25th.

SCIENCE

6th year Earth Science students were able to test their wind turbines as part of their unit “Renewable and Nonrenewable Energy”. Students tested their designs by seeing how efficient their blades were at raising a variety of weights in a certain amount of time. Following the tests, students were asked to analyze their data and complete a formal lab report.

7th year Physical Science students finished their unit on Kinetic Energy and have just begun their unit “Reflection”. Within this unit students will design an experiment to test the reflectivity of different materials, identify key characteristics of different types of mirrors, and describe how light reflects off different surfaces.
 
8th year Life Science students have been working on identifying the genotype and phenotype as part of an activity titled “Monster Genetics”. Students were asked to identify the genotype and phenotype of a monster by flipping a coin, then determine the probability of inheritances of an offspring using the Punnett Square (Gregory Mendell). I have asked students to illustrate both the parents and offspring to create a visual representation of physical characteristics passed down.
HUMANITIES
6th grade Humanities classes this week were split between our class novel, The Egypt Game, and writing the middle school play. In conjunction with the novel, students learned about Nefertiti and the process of mummification.
7th & 8th grade Humanities classes focused on the middle school play this week, and we are excited to finish the script next week. All middle school students helped to develop the overall plot by brainstorming ideas that turned into our scene overviews. They also developed their characters, established set ideas, and started writing the script.
MATH
In Transition class, students began learning chapter 8  this week and are excited to work with new algebraic equations. This class is learning about the repeated addition property for multiplication, the rate factor model of multiplication, and how to multiply positive/negative numbers in a number sentence. We will continue to learn about combining percentages and solving single step equations next week in class.
 
In Algebra class, students are continuing to explore power and roots properties to simplify algebraic expressions. This class has been studying the Power of Powers rule, the Product of Powers rule, the Quotient of Powers rule and the Negative Exponent rule. We concluded the week with evaluating square roots and cube roots that involved multiple variables.
 
In Geometry class, students are learning about special quadrilateral shapes such as the trapezoid, parallelogram and right triangles. We are continuing to practice proving mathematical theorems and ideas with 2D shapes.  This class is using their postulate and theorem books to record new theorems such as the Sufficient Conditions for a Parallelogram Theorem and Distance between Parallel Lines Theorem.
 
Math Joke: Why do plants hate math?…….Because it gives them square roots.

Middle School: Better Together

Posted on by Michelle Lamb

 

Like every other month of the year, February is a time for celebrating each other. February might be the last cold month before signs of spring and warmth start to emerge. Sometimes we are weary in February and ready for a seasonal change, but there is no better time to be together. Valentine’s Day is in the middle of February and is a reminder to some of the love that exists for each other and ourselves. February is also Black History Month, a time that we highlight and celebrate brilliant and creative Black minds that have helped form and contribute to our nation.

At FWM, we spent February sharing and spreading the love. First of all, the 8th grade leadership team launched their Give A Little Love fundraiser for three causes they felt were important to support. They researched and created material for the community with regards to the following causes: Give the Gift of Hunger Relief; Equip A Medic, Save A Life; and, Provide A Safe Place for Exploited Children. Through their virtual fundraiser with Alternative Gifts International and dismissal collection on 2/16, they raised a total of $2,330, which surpassed their $1,500 goal! The generous FWM community has shown that, together, we can truly spread love.

Other ways we have worked together to support and celebrate each other this month:

  • Weekly whole group advisories
  • Valentine’s Day celebration
  • MS Basketball Game
  • Friday Morning Gathering (led by 8th grade)
  • Collaboration in the classroom
  • Teachers participated in a Run for Refugees to support the work of IRIS
  • Black History Month features

We look forward to an exciting spring, together, in Middle School!

Middle School: Week in Review

Posted on by Michelle Lamb

It was a great week of classes and sunshine! We are excited to meet with you next Thursday, 2/17 for Middle School Conferences. If you haven’t already, please sign up with your child’s/children’s advisor. Sign Ups were sent out by advisors last Friday, 2/4. Please email advisors if you have any problems with the Sign Up or making it on Thursday. Thank you!

Humanities

6th and 7th grade Humanities classes spent the week finishing presentations for their research project surrounding the theme, Overcoming Obstacles. All students have gone through their presentation in front of the class and Mrs. Lamb 1-2 times and received written and verbal feedback. They should be practicing this weekend! Mrs. Lamb also asked all students to sign up for a 15-minute tech-check over the weekend to run through their presentation from home using the same device and space they will be using on Tuesday evening. This will help students iron out any tech glitches ahead of time. We are looking forward to Tuesday night @ 7 pm. Zoom link will follow!

8th grade leadership worked hard this week to launch their “Give A Little Love” fundraiser with Alternative Gifts International. You will see information about the causes they chose to support and how you can help on Monday, 2/14! Also, 8th grade is finishing their class novel, If I Ever Get Out of Here over the weekend. Finally, 8th grade checked in with Mrs. Lamb regarding their Expert Projects. Students are already lining up interviews with experts!

Science

6th year Earth Science students are continuing their work on the unit, Renewable and Nonrenewable Resources. This week, students conducted several simulations that represent how energy can be obtained and the cost associated. Students were tasked with finding how to provide 100% power to a factor using 4 options as their energy source (wind, solar, coal, gas). From their findings they discussed both the advantages and disadvantages of their options and the environmental impact associated with each.

7th year Physical Science students conducted tests this week to determine KE (kinetic energy) of different marbles from class. They discovered the mass and velocity in order to calculate the KE of each. From their research on this project, students are beginning to plan the construction of their very own pinewood derby cars. Throughout the building process of this project, students will need to take into consideration weight distribution as it results in a change of their car’s velocity and ultimately, kinetic energy. Once students complete their building/design, they will race their cars down a 32′ official derby track.
8th year Life Science students have continued their research and lessons on the unit, Influencing Inheritance. They continued class discussions on topics such as, “How do humans apply technology to select for certain traits in other organisms?” and, “What social and environmental impacts result from the use of technology to influence the desired traits of an organism?”.
Math
In Transition class, students are working through important geometry ideas. This class is learning about alternate interior and exterior angles, finding corresponding angles in a figure, and solving for unknown angles in a triangle. They concluded the week with a short quiz that covered topics such as finding distances between points on a coordinate grid and solving for complementary and supplementary angles.
In Algebra class, students began learning Chapter 8 in the textbook titled, Powers and Roots Properties.  Students were excited to learn about the power of products and the power of quotient properties as well as simplify expressions using the power of powers property. This class will write a short quiz next week before the Presidents Day long weekend.
In Geometry class, students started to explore congruent properties of triangles. This class is able to draw a triangle – given specific conditions, determine whether triangles are congruent, and write simple proof statements to justify known theorems. Next week, we will study diagonals of quadrilaterals and properties of parallelograms.
Math Joke: Why are obtuse angles so sad?………..Because they are never RIGHT!
Have a wonderful weekend!

 

Middle School: A Week in Review

Posted on by msutherland
We had an exciting week in Middle School to begin the month of February. Students were busy working on their “un-selfie” projects in MakerSpace, creating unique clay sculptures in Art class, and practicing their basketball skills in P.E. As a reminder, please have all students bring appropriate winter clothing to school as we want to enjoy an outdoor recess when the weather permits.
Science

6th year Earth Science students are presently working on the unit “Renewable and Nonrenewable Resources.” The objective of this unit is to distinguish between renewable and nonrenewable energy resources, compare the advantages and disadvantages of renewable and nonrenewable energy resources, and explain the interconnection between science and technology in using energy resources. Students have identified the advantages and disadvantages of both renewable and nonrenewable energy through artistic formal presentations.

7th year Physical Science students began their new unit this week, “Kinetic Energy.” The objective of this unit is to explain how the kinetic energy of an object depends on its mass and velocity, generate examples of kinetic energy, compare kinetic energy to potential energy, model how kinetic energy can be transformed into potential energy, and how potential energy can be transformed into kinetic energy. This week students have been able to identify how mass affects the kinetic energy of an object by conducting trials of dropping a ball of known mass at different heights.
8th year Life Science students finished their unit on “Gene Mutations” and have begun their new unit on “Influencing Inheritance.” The objective of this unit is to distinguish between two categories of genetic engineering, explain how humans can influence certain characteristics of organisms by selective breeding, explain why gene modification, animal husbandry, and gene therapy are examples of artificial selection, and evaluate the impacts of human use of technology to influence the desired traits of organisms. Students will be asked to look at themselves to determine what they might have inherited from members of their family naturally. We will also take a look at Gregory Mendel’s work on dominant and recessive genes using cross breeding of pea plants.
Humanities
**A reminder that grades 6 & 7 Research Presentations will be Tuesday, 2/15 @ 7 pm.**
Humanities 6 classes are continuing their study of Ancient Civilizations of the Middle East & North Africa. They completed maps of the Fertile Crescent and are now venturing into Ancient Egypt. They are defining terms they will hear and read about in their studies and in their next novel, The Egypt Game.  6th grade students also completed drafts of their research essay. Mrs. Lamb is excited to continue working with them on the next step, which is the presentation.
Humanities 7 students have completed their class novel, A Long Walk to Water, and are continuing to learn about Sudan, South Sudan, and The Lost Boys. 7th grade students also completed drafts of their research essay. Mrs. Lamb is excited to continue working with them on the next step, which is the presentation.
Humanities 8 students have been reading and discussing their class novel, If I Ever Get Out of Here. They are in the last portion of the novel and will be looking at current comparisons of reservation life. Students are also immersed in their research for their expert projects. It is exciting that they are so enthusiastic and eager in these first stages. Finally, 8th grade students completed a unit of vocabulary.
Math
In Transition class, students continued to learn about transformations of figures. This class finished creating their unique tessellation art projects and practiced their skills with properties of polygons and finding unknown angle measurements in a shape. Students should continue to complete both the lesson master assignment and textbook questions each day in order to feel prepared for upcoming assessments.
In Algebra class, students concluded their learning of slope and rates of change. This class can successfully graph inequalities on a coordinate grid, find the equation of a line from two ordered pairs, and can identify the difference between the standard form and slope-intercept form of an equation. Students will begin exploring Chapter 7 next week and learn about function notation.
In Geometry class, students mastered their understanding of quadrilaterals and properties of regular polygons. This class can draw polygons given a condition, find congruent sides and corresponding angles in a figure, and calculate the n-fold rotational symmetry in a shape.
Math Joke: What do mathematicians do after a snowstorm? Make snow angles!!!

Middle School: Week in Review

Posted on by Michelle Lamb

Another busy week in Middle School has gone by, and it was our first 5-day week since December! As a reminder, we enjoy having flower arrangements in our classroom environments weekly, so please check out our schedule for flowers at the end of this week’s photo slideshow!

Science

6th year Earth Science students were able to test their bridge and building construction as part of their unit, Why Earthquakes Occur. Students performed a payload (weight) test on the bridge using rocks until their design succumbed to the weight. Students tested their building design in a pan of Jello, representative of seismic waves traveling through Earth’s crust. Each demonstration was able to be reviewed and discussed about how a redesign would result in either a stronger capacity to hold more or withstand a greater shake/tremor.

7th year Physical Science students are currently on the unit, Chemical Reactions and Equations. Students have been working on Antoin Lavosierre’s Law of Conservation of Mass which states, “Matter can neither be created nor destroyed.” Students were able to represent and balance equations using molecular manipulatives to show how a chemical reaction results in the same number of atoms on the product and reactant side. Students also represented this law by performing a laboratory activity using an open and closed system when combining vinegar and baking soda.
8th year Life Science students are currently on the unit, Genes and the Impact Mutations Have on Organisms. Within this unit, students have represented DNA and genes using a variety of tools. Following this project, students discussed what characteristics they felt were inherited from their parents. They also discussed how geneticists are able to look at an individual’s DNA, and determine the likelihood of a particular disease from the presence, or lack thereof, of a certain gene.
Math
In Transition class, students began learning chapter 6 and are excited to work with transformations. This class is able to translate (slide) an ordered pair on a coordinate grid, they can correctly reflect (flip) a figure over a line, and determine rotational (turn) symmetry of a shape. This class concluded the week by creating unique tessellation art projects that ultimately demonstrated their understanding of translations, reflections, and rotations.
 
In Algebra class, students are continuing to explore new concepts about slope. This class can find the equation of a line given the slope and a point, they can determine if an equation has a negative or positive slope, as well as graph a linear equation in slope-intercept form. This class will have their chapter 6 unit test next week, and Ms. Sutherland encourages all students to prepare well in advance.
 
In Geometry class, students are focused on their rigorous study of polygon shapes. This class can draw polygon shapes given various conditions, they know the properties of quadrilaterals, and they can apply theorems to prove angle measures or side lengths. This class will conclude their learning of chapter 6 next week.
 
Math Joke: Why should you eat the number 9?……Because you should always have 3 square meals a day!
Humanities
6th year Humanities students learned how to write a great introduction for a research paper. They understood the goal, the structure, and the strategy of making it interesting. Students reviewed many ways to hook a reader and used that to draft and then revise their paper introductions. Each student’s work was reviewed in a workshop with their peers: writing was presented for all to see on Chromecast, students read their drafts, identified the type of hook they used, and they expressed where they felt they had challenges. Then, the class came together to support each other with those challenges and edit/revise together. In the end, the 6th years have great starts to their research papers, which are due Wednesday.
Similarly to the 6th years, 7th year Humanities students reviewed how to write a great introduction for a research paper. Students discussed the many ways to hook a reader and used that to draft and then revise their paper introductions. Each student’s work was reviewed in a workshop with their peers: writing was presented for all to see on Chromecast, students read their drafts, identified the type of hook they used, and they expressed where they felt they had challenges. Then, the class came together to support each other with those challenges and edit/revise together. Mrs. Lamb was especially impressed with this group’s ability to support each other to use strong words and vary sentences for fluency. In the end, the 7th years have great starts to their research papers, which are due Wednesday. Additionally, this group has continued to read the journey of Salva Dut in A Long Walk to Water.
8th year Humanities students have completed Expert Project Proposals! They also drafted, edited, and revised their thesis statements to guide their research and reflect their goals for the project. Each student shared their thesis statement drafts with the class, and together, students offered feedback to enhance them. Topics are exciting and will be revealed soon. Additionally, the 8th years are in the planning process of a big fundraising initiative for our community through Alternative Gifts International. Students have selected a few causes they feel strongly about supporting and will be doing additional research into the organizations, using the money and what is going on in the field. We are hoping to “Give a Little Love” on Valentine’s Day!
Thank you families for your continued support and positivity towards our Middle School! We are excited for our winter projects and learning.

Middle School: Week in Review

Posted on by Michelle Lamb

It’s Friday, and we ended the week with the Math Carnival! Students and teachers had fun playing these creative games and can’t wait to do it again next year. Great work, Middle School math students!

Math
In Transition class, students concluded their learning of Chapter 7 and reviewed key concepts such as finding the area of a triangle, trapezoid, and rectangle. This class can successfully multiply fractions, calculate the perimeter of a circle, and use the distributive property to simplify number sentences. The class will begin their learning of Chapter 6 next week and cover topics like supplementary and complementary angles.
In Algebra class, students are excited to be learning about the slope of a line and can successfully calculate the rate of change when given a set of data. This class can find the slope of a line given two coordinate points, they can graph the line of an equation, and they can determine if the slope has a negative or positive trend. Next week, students will continue to practice writing equations in slope-point form and slope-intercept form.
In Geometry class, students began learning Chapter 6 in the UCSMP textbook this week. This class is able to describe the reflection and rotation symmetry of a figure, write proofs using properties of triangles and quadrilaterals, as well as, calculate the measure of inscribed angles within a circle. This class will continue to study the properties of a kite, parallelogram and trapezoid next week.
In addition to this work, the Middle School students presented their probability carnival games on Friday, January 14th. This was a fun morning where students got to explain the inspiration behind their game and play together with the hopes of winning prizes. All students collected the experimental data from their carnival games and are responsible to analyze their findings. This final write up is due on Tuesday, January 18th.
Math Joke: Did you hear the one about the statistician?………..Probably
Humanities
The Humanities 6 class is immersed in their research projects. They have chosen topics under the theme of Overcoming Obstacles and written their thesis statements to focus their research. 6th grade students also created questions that will guide their research. Before the class began to do research they learned about finding reliable resources and how to keep their paraphrased notes organized by topic and source. Additionally, students began their study of Ancient Civilizations with a written discussion and map work.
Humanities 7 also began their research project and selected their topic under the theme, Overcoming Obstacles. Each member of the class wrote their thesis statements, guiding questions for their research, and a review of using reliable resources. Also, 7th year Humanities students began the novel, A Long Walk to Water, by Linda Sue Park. This memoir follows the trek of Salva Dut, a Lost Boy, who travels from Sudan to escape rebel militant groups. The history of Sudan and South Sudan as well as current events will also be topics in the coming week.
Humanities 8 students have just about finalized their Expert Project Topics! They are about to begin their final research project, which will be presented in May. Additionally, students continued their American history lessons with learning about the lost colony of Roanoke, the Virginia Company and the settlement of the Virginia Colony, and the effects of the settlement on the local Powhatan tribal nation. They are also continuing to read the novel, If I Ever Get Out of Here, which follows a teen living on the Tuscarora Reservation in the 1970s. Finally, 8th grade students completed a unit of vocabulary.
**The Makerspace is in need of empty 2-liter bottles and gallon milk containers. If you have any, please send in ASAP.**

A Week in Review: Math Carnival!

Posted on by msutherland

Happy New Year to all our middle school families! We are all excited to return in-person and celebrate the start of 2022. To kick off the school year, the MATH CARNIVAL HAS FINALLY ARRIVED! Throughout the entire week, each student designed, built and calculated a unique probability game. Students from grade 6, 7 and 8 were responsible for assigning rules, making a creative title and writing a full description of their game. Students were asked to calculate the theoretical probability before the actual game day in order to predict the participants’ chances of winning their games. Students created fun games that involved throwing discs, spinning a spinner, tossing a ball, randomly selecting a marble, and flipping a coin. The Carnival Day has been postponed to Friday, January 14th, as students need more time to finish their final displays. Stay tuned next week for photos of the Carnival Day celebration. After the Carnival Day exhibit, students will record their results and present their findings with the appropriate experimental probability calculated. We are extremely proud of all the middle school students for their hard work and dedication that went into creating these beautiful and thoughtful games.

As a general reminder, please have students bring appropriate winter clothing to school. The temperatures can fluctuate during the day and we want students to be warm in a jacket, sweater, gloves and a hat when we go outside for recess. We also want to send a friendly reminder to bring in flowers when it is your allocated week on the sign up list. If you need an additional copy, please email your child’s advisory teacher for it to be re-shared.

Middle School: See You Next Year!

Posted on by Michelle Lamb

The mood has been light and energy is buzzing in Middle School this week! We completed our holiday door decorating and celebrated with yummy treats, thanks to you! The holiday family drive was a success, and we satisfied wish lists for two families in Newtown. Please enjoy time with friends and family over the next two weeks and know that the Middle School teachers can’t wait to see our students in 2022. Thanks to all of you for making 2021 awesome!