7th Grade White Team

Mrs. Markert

7th Grade ELA

Bah! Humbug!

In December, students in Mrs. Markert’s English Language Arts classes will read the drama A Christmas Carol, which was adapted from Charles Dickens’s novella of the same name. The text focuses on the essential question, "What factors can cause a person to change suddenly?" Along with looking for evidence to support a response to the essential question, students will also identify and analyze the structure of a drama, elements of a drama, dialogue in a drama, and character development in a drama.

image source: https://www.science.smith.edu/climatelit/a-christmas-carol-by-charles-dickens/

Mrs. Ziccardi

7th Grade Science

In early November, students in Mrs. Ziccardi’s classes studied energy and growth through the lens of chicks. We candled our chicken eggs (held a light up so we could see inside them), and watched the chicks form. Once the chicks hatched students had a chance to hold them. Along the way, we learned about the processes of cellular respiration and mitosis to understand how growth happens and what molecules are needed for energy to allow our chicks to grow, chirp, walk, peck and do all things chicks do. We have finished our unit on metabolism and are currently starting a unit about traits and reproduction. So far the focus has been on spider traits and we are using a spider simulation to see all that goes on behind the scenes (in the body) to give us our unique traits.

Mrs. Besecker

7th Grade Math

In early November, students in Mrs. Besecker’s classes completed a mini-unit on Order of Operations. We then moved into our next unit, Generate Equivalent Expressions. The first couple of lessons in this unit are designed to get students using simple substitution of values for variables, to writing and evaluating algebraic expressions that represent real-life situations. Students are then introduced to a variety of properties of operations and tables of values to generate equivalent expressions. The unit then proceeds with students combining like terms to both integers and rational coefficients to simplify algebraic expressions. As we move into December, the unit continues with students learning how to expand and factor expressions.

Simplify the expression:

Mr. Clark

7th Grade Social Studies

In Social Studies, we wrapped up the first marking period and are now moving through the long second marking period, where we will navigate both Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks. Reflecting on the first marking period there are a couple of points of emphasis I have encouraged students to focus on (1) Names, by the end of the marking period I had amassed a pile of unclaimed papers without names on them. These items typically hang on the board for 2 weeks before they go to the no-name box. (2) Absences, there were many instances where students failed to make up missed work from their absences. I reminded them that a quick check-in when they return can eliminate these missed assignments.

In class, we have been navigating the rise and fall of Rome. We have looked at how Rome transformed from a Republic to an Empire; and the role Rome played in the spread of Christianity. In the coming weeks, we will navigate post-Roman Europe and explore topics such as the Byzantine Empire, Middle Ages, Renaissance, and the Age of Enlightenment. As always, please reach out if you have any questions.

Page updated

Report abuse