Feb 27 - March 3
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Math: As a group, we are near the end of our measurement unit. This week we learned about volume, reviewed area and perimeter, and introduced the order of operations. As individuals, students worked on additional math skills at their respective levels in MobyMax.
Language Arts: We learned about prefixes and suffixes and how they change the meaning of a root word. We also continued to read and discuss the book Naya Nuki together as a class. Naya Nuki, by Kenneth Thomasma, is historical fiction based on the life of Sacajawea and the Shoshone tribe in Montana in the early 1800s.
Science: This week we wrapped up our solar system unit with two fun and interactive solar system simulations. Students explored the role of gravity, mass, and velocity in the solar system and then zoomed out to explore a model of our Milky Way galaxy.
Social Studies: We are beginning to learn about European colonial settlements on the east coast of North America and how they impacted Native American groups. (Our class novel, Naya Nuki, relates well to our social studies unit).
MIDDLE SCHOOL CLASS
Math: This week we started our math class with some open-ended and challenging math problems (similar to the puzzlers in "Math Counts" and "Art of Problem Solving"). It was fun to see everyone brainstorming and trying to figure out a way to solve challenging number-theory problems. We are also wrapping up our decimals unit and beginning to discuss the order of operations and the properties of integers. As individuals, students worked on additional skills with negative integers, exponents, and expressions at their respective levels in MobyMax.
Language Arts: We continued our short stories unit this week. We finished our discussions of "Raymond's Run" and then read "The Ransom of Red Chief" by O'Henry. This is a classic story set in the 1890s in Alabama and published by the Saturday Evening Post in 1902. It includes a kidnapping, a ransom note, and a great example of situational irony in literature.
Science: We learned why Earth's axis (with its 23.5 degree tilt ) creates our seasonal variations in temperature and daylight hours. We also discussed solar and lunar eclipses.
Social Studies: Intro to the Civil Rights Movement and the cultural geography of the United States.
Feb 21 - 24
Math: As a group, we learned about acute, obtuse, and right angles. We also reviewed volume, area, and perimeter. As individuals, students worked on additional math skills at their respective levels in MobyMax.
Language Arts: We discussed how sentence clauses can be combined with coordinating conjunctions like for, and, nor, but, or, yet, and so. We also started reading and discussing the book Naya Nuki together as a class. Naya Nuki, by Kenneth Thomasma, is historical fiction based on the life of Sacajawea and the Shoshone tribe in Montana in the early 1800s.
Science: Review of the components of the solar system, Pluto's status as a dwarf planet, and the movement of the Earth.
Social Studies: We finished the Native American tribe independent project on Google slides.
MIDDLE SCHOOL CLASS
Math: As a group, we practiced the standard algorithm for multi-digit multiplication and division with decimals. As individuals, students worked on additional skills with integers, exponents, and expressions at their respective levels in MobyMax.
Language Arts: We started a new unit that will include the analysis of four different short stories in classic American literature. The first story, which we started yesterday, is "Raymond's Run" by Toni Cade Bambara. The story is set in Harlem in the early 1970s. We also learned about allusions and references in dialogue and literature.
Science: Because of student interest, we are working on a three-week Astronomy unit between now and Spring Break. This week we learned about the mathematical scale of our solar system, how to classify planets versus other solid objects orbiting the sun, and the components of our solar system, including the Kuiper Belt and Asteroid Belt.
Social Studies: This week we continued to learn and practice U.S. geography skills in preparation for a new unit about the Civil Rights Movement starting next week.
Feb 13 - 17
Math: Types of angles and review of volume, perimeter, and area. Today we attempted to create some three dimensional shapes with paper, so that was fun to do something hands-on!
Language Arts: Deciphering idioms ("cat got your tongue," "raining cats and dogs," etc.) We also started a new story together and analyzed the story elements of characters, setting, and problem.
Science: Comparing and contrasting comets, meteors, and asteroids.
Social Studies: Native American tribe independent project on Google slides. Students can choose to learn about any native North American culture of interest. We are in the process of choosing tribes and then learning about them through books in Epic.
MIDDLE SCHOOL CLASS
Math: Multiplying decimals, understanding place value when multiplying by 10s, 100s and 1000s, word problems with decimals
Language Arts: We finished Touching Spirit Bear and learned about prepositional phrases. Next week, we will be building totem poles (at least 10-inches high but can be made of paper or cardboard). Students will choose three animals or symbols to represent them on the totem pole, just like in the book we just finished.
Science/Social Studies: We wrapped up our orangutan study and then students researched a native species in their local area that has been impacted by human activities. We heard about racoons from Ohio, the gray squirrel in Massachusetts, the Florida black bear, white tailed deer in Arkansas, and sandhill cranes in the southeast. It was so cool!
Feb 6 - 10
Math: Solving area with grid lines and multiplication, Intro. to volume
Language Arts: Sentence conventions, capitalization, punctuation, and a fun story about an old gold mine: Terror at the Ghost Town Mine
Science: Solar system: Asteroids and Meteors
Social Studies: Roanoke and Jamestown colonies
MIDDLE SCHOOL CLASS
Math: Decimals (ordering, adding, finding place values) and operations (converting mixed numbers and improper fractions)
Language Arts: Grammar (sentence conventions) and up to chapter 23 of Touching Spirit Bear
Science and Social Studies: Biodiversity (Orangutan habitat study in Borneo and Sumatra) and geography of Asia
Jan 30 - Feb 3
Language Arts: Subject and predicate of a sentence, "Speaking and Listening" unit, and break-out zoom rooms for student practice conversations. We also read several books together in Epic
Science: Solar System and moon phases, eclipses
Social Studies: Early America: Native American history, Viking exploration
MIDDLE SCHOOL CLASS
New class! Upcoming Units . . .
Math: Decimals and Place Value
Language Arts: Grammar and a continuing novel study: Touching Spirit Bear
Science: Biodiversity with a case study on Orangutans
Social Studies: Integrated with science unit and map reading practice
Math: Adding fractions with unlike denominators, multiplying fractions (after trying to add with common denominators, this was fun!), and an overview of the concept of multiplication
Language Arts: Biographies of Neil de Grasse Tyson, Albert Einstein, and a female pirate named Mary Read; student autobiographical writing project; fun snowball and tag games with parts of speech (nouns, verbs, adjectives)
Science: Solar System and Space! We are having a lot of fun with this topic already. Orion and Khilola presented to our class about the mysterious Planet X, Quinton and Devlin presented about Neptune, and Liam chose Venus.
Social Studies: Overview of US Government branches, voting, National Park Service, discussion of parks near students' home regions
Jan 17 - 20
Math: Equivalent Fractions, Finding Multiples, Identifying a Common Denominator, Adding Fractions with Unlike Denominators
Language Arts: A story about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Identifying Parts of Speech, Autobiography pre-writing
Science: Extreme Weather, Review of Earth Processes, Weather vs. Climate
Social Studies: US Government basics, continued practice with the world map and US map
Jan 9 - 13
Math: Equivalent fractions, mixed numbers, adding fractions with like denominators, and finished MobyMax math placement test
Language Arts: Parts of speech (nouns and verbs), daily writing prompts, choosing a book (Epic),and finished MobyMax language arts placement test
Science: Rock Cycle, sharing rocks, review of weathering and erosion, Intro to the fossil record
Social Studies: World maps (equator, poles, tropics, prime meridian), Purpose of government, and a creative project where students create their own country (flag, map, laws)
Math: Introduction to fractions, math "High/Low" guessing game
Language Arts: Daily writing prompts and proofreading, finding a book on Epic, Intro to Story Mapping, nouns
Science: Weathering, Erosion, and Intro to the Rock Cycle
Social Studies: Geography of our planet (equator, tropics, arctic), 7 continents, and 5 oceans