In Language Arts, students have been wrapping up Unit 4: Argumentative Writing. Students have been writing their essays based on the prompt: “Is Technology harmful or helpful?” This week, students will be completing and turning in their graphic organizers and rough drafts for formative grades.

Next week, students will focus on revising, editing, and submitting a final copy of their argumentative essays. The final essay will be taken as a summative grade on March 2nd.

We will begin reading the novel Among the Hidden, by Margaret Peterson Haddix, on March 3rd. Students will be bringing home more information on the upcoming novel study. If students purchase their own copy, they may bring it in; however, we will have class copies available as well.

Special notes:

If a student has not submitted their work, then it will remain as a “missing” in the gradebook until it is turned in.

Spiral reviews will be taken as individual formative grades this semester.

Upcoming assessments:  (some dates for the argumentative essay have been updated).

• Argument Essay Rough Draft due: 2/24

• Argument Essay Final Copy due: 3/2

• Begin Among the Hidden (novel study): 3/3

Formative #1 using Among the Hidden: 3/8 (covering word choice, tone/mood, and figurative language) 

We are wrapping up February with book reflection presentations. Beginning Monday, February 27, students will participate in a gallery walk to view other students’ work. This is  a great way to get new book suggestions for what to read next and to see student creativity. Also, we have been learning more about Black history by looking at poems by Langston Hughes, Nikki Giovanni, and Nikki Grimes. Students practiced analyzing poems to discover deeper meanings and to make connections.

 Students are continuing their study of Geometry and are currently working on computing the volumes of right-rectangular prisms with fractional edge lengths as well as computing the surface areas of 3-dimensional figures using nets made up of rectangles and triangles. The Geometry Quiz over surface area and volume is schedule for around March 1st. The Geometry Summative Test is scheduled for around March 7th. Students in Accelerated Math have completed their unit on Geometry and will begin their unit on Statistics this coming week.

Students are currently learning about erosion and deposition on the Earth’s surface.  We are finishing up Unit 3b (Earth’s Changing Landscape), which covers weathering, erosion, deposition, and soil.  Students will have a formative on Monday, February 27th.  After the formative, students will review for the summative for Unit 3b, which is scheduled for Thursday, March 2nd.  After the students take the Unit 3b summative, we will begin Unit 4 (Water, Water, Water) in March where we will discuss how water moves throughout the water cycle and how limited our freshwater supply is on Earth.

Social Studies is wrapping up the Latin America History unit this week. Our students enjoyed our culminating activity - the Living On One Dollar simulation. Next week we will begin our Personal Finance/JA Biztown unit, which will include a field trip to the Junior Achievement Discovery Center at Alliance Academy High School. Be on the lookout for parent permission forms.