The Cooper School Daily

A week full of excitement and intrinsic motivation!

As this week went by, there were many moments that made us thrilled by the students’ initiative. There was a spark of an idea for a newspaper that would be made by the students and for the students. A group of 7th graders made it come to life, they put in the work and even interviewed students for certain segments. The 5th graders have had so much determination to do well on their midterm assessment, that they have had many group study sessions whenever they can find the time. Their actions are inspiring! 

Here’s a look at what is happening in each of the classes:

What’s happening in Science?

Seventh graders explored energy even more this week! They classified ways animals (including humans) use energy to grow, maintain, and move. They considered the difference between food chains and food webs, then pretended to be specific animals and “eat” either each other or plankton (pasta) or popcorn. They considered why they weren’t able to keep the ecosystem sustainable, due to the popcorn being toxic from water pollution. That led to a conversation about microplastics and our recycling. If your kids are running late to get in the car for school because they are taking forever to wash out the peanut butter jar, they are just trying to save the planet 🙂

What’s up in Math?

This week, students got to play coach and create plays for a rival basketball game involving linear equations. Students went head to head on the court where they were able to apply their plays (collection of linear equations) to the game! Students spent the rest of the week reviewing linear equations and took a mid-unit assessment today. We will continue to work with linear equations as we continue through the unit. 

What’s happening in ELA?

This week, your seventh graders delved into writing about reading. They were shown examples of different creative ways to write about their reading.  Students were also reminded of the importance of taking notes while reading. Getting into the practice of using sticky notes in the texts they are reading or using a notebook/journal to take notes will be very important in helping them to comprehend what they have read, write an essay about their text, and prepare for assessments. Students also worked on Grammar Week 11, learning four new vocabulary words and identifying adverb clauses. They  also started back on their reading logs. I will be checking reading logs daily, so please make sure they are completing a reading log activity. Reading log activities are used to assess comprehension, grammar skills, and citations. They will be collected on Fridays and returned on Mondays along with rubrics. Please don’t forget to sign their rubrics. 

What’s going on in Social Studies?

Students finished their Westward Expansion unit this week with a webquest. Students will be assessed on this unit as they return from the long weekend! 

Students will begin reviewing previous units in preparation for their midterms. Midterms will be the week that follows next. Students will receive all of the studying materials they need to be successful. 

Important Dates:

  • January 16th: MLK Day-no school
  • February 20-21 – February Break (No School)