• Standard Math:

Students will continue working on the following academic knowledge and skills:

• AKS 5.f solve realistic problems involving surface area of right prisms and cylinders; and

• AKS 5.h explore volume as a measurable attribute of cylinders and right prisms; find the volume of these geometric figures using relevant, mathematical problems

The unit assessment is expected to be on March 5-6, with a retest on March 7th.

• Accelerated Math: 

Accelerated Math students will focus on these AKS:

Connect the Parameters of Linear Functions to Bivariate Quantitative Data (i.e., Scatter Plots)

• 7.a show that straight lines are widely used to model relationships between two quantitative variables; for scatter plots that suggest a linear association, visually fit a straight line and informally assess the model fit by judging the closeness of the data points to the line of best fit

• 7.b use the equation of a linear model to solve problems in the context of bivariate measurement data, interpreting the slope and intercepts

Draw Informal Inferences to Answer Statistical Questions Using Bivariate Data Measurements, Interpreting Slope and Intercepts

• 7.c explain the meaning of the predicted slope (i.e., rate of change) and the predicted intercept (i.e., constant term) of a linear model in the context of the data

• 7.d use lines of best fit to make predictions and answer the statistical investigative question posed in an unbiased study

The unit assessment is expected to be on February 19, with a retest on February 20.

• Social Studies: This week, students will begin exploring the geography and environmental issues of South and East Asia.

  • • AKS 50a: locate on a world and regional political-physical map: Ganges River, Huang He (Yellow River), Chang Jiang (Yangtze) River, Bay of Bengal, Indian Ocean, Sea of Japan, South China Sea, Yellow Sea, Gobi Desert, Taklimakan Desert, Himalayan Mountains, and Korean Peninsula

    • AKS50b: locate on a world and regional political-physical map the countries of China, India, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, and Vietnam 

    • AKS51.a: explain the causes and effects of pollution on the Chang Jiang (Yangtze) River and Ganges River by analyzing primary and secondary sources

    • AKS51.b: explain the causes and effects of air pollution and flooding in India and China by identifying and writing about issues and/or problems and alternative solutions

    • AKS52.a: describe how the mountain, desert, and water features of Southern and Eastern Asia impact trade and affect where people live by constructing and/or analyzing charts, tables, maps and/or diagrams

Unit 10 Summative Assessment on March 28th. Students are encouraged to continuously review key vocabulary. 

• Language Arts: 

  • • This week, students will work on the following reading AKS using the argument, "Challenges for Space Exploration":

    • 7LA.B.10: cite several pieces of textual evidence to support inferences or analysis of a text  

    • 7LA.B.13: determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze the impact of a specific word choice on meaning and tone  

    • 7LA.B.14: analyze the structure an author uses to organize a text, including how the major sections contribute to the whole and to the development of the ideas  

    • 7LA.B.17: analyze and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, citing specific information from the text in an assessment of whether the reasoning is sound and the evidence is relevant and sufficient to support the claims

    • In addition, students will work on the following writing AKS in preparation for an upcoming argument essay:

    • 7LA.C.20.c: use words, phrases, and clauses to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among claim(s), reasons, and evidence

    • 7LA.D.31: analyze the main ideas and supporting details presented in diverse media and formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) and explain how the ideas clarify a topic, text, or issue under study

    • 7LA.D.32: delineate a speaker's argument and specific claims, evaluating the soundness of the reasoning and the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence

• Life Science: 

  • 4a: Construct an explanation of how genetic variations, adaptations, and environmental factors influence the survival and reproduction of species. (GSE S7L5b)

  • 4b: Develop and use a model to explain how natural selection leads to changes in specific traits of populations over successive generations.

  • 4c: Use mathematical representations to evaluate models of how natural selection drives changes in populations over time. (GSE S7L5a)

  • 4d. Analyze and interpret data for patterns in the fossil record that document the existence, diversity, and extinction of organisms and their relationships to modern organisms (GSE S7L5c).  

  • 4e. Ask questions to gather and synthesize information in reference to artificial selection and the ways in which it is fundamentally different than natural selection.  

Upcoming Assessments:

• Unit 3A Test: Natural Selection: Wednesday, Feb. 5

Students are encouraged to review class notes, complete practice problems, and study key concepts related to genetic variation, adaptations, environmental factors, and mathematical models to prepare for these assessments.

Thank you parents for your continued support!