Those bright, light shades of green bursting forward in the springtime get me every time. It got me thinking about the power of environments. I remember living in Los Angeles years ago and feeling an ache in my chest when the rolling California hills were bare and brown. I was spoiled by a lush and green childhood in the upstate of South Carolina, and those neutral shades of dirt and dust had the same impact on me that many associate with winter grays or cities who live under constant rain and cloud cover. The presence of one color, the right flora and fauna, and I’m a new girl.
Though I can’t always find the perfect environment, being aware of what my environment needs leads to productive problem solving. I’ve learned to walk my dogs to escape writer’s block, put a record on to get house cleaning done in a flash, and only visit Southern California during super blooms 🙂
So what is that magic environment adjustment for our kids? I’ve seen the wonders of playing a low hum of jazz on class speakers, adjusting the lighting in my room, offering a bean bag chair for reading time, or learning outdoors. The Cooper School is a school that has always taken ‘environment’ seriously, and I think the thoughtful choices we make in every classroom are often the foundations of productivity and fun. I encourage everyone to think outside the box about what sparks safety, comfort, joy, or focus for your kiddo! Is it a shade of green, a genre of music, or just tidying up so they can feel clear? Do they need a change of scenery or do they need to see the same sights and sounds each day? It might be a fun creative exercise for your family to experiment with your environment and see what it does for you.
-MK
Math:
This week, 7th graders dove into the laws of exponents (my personal favorite unit) – and applied these laws to more complex problems. We also learned how to write really big and really small numbers using scientific notation. We’ll continue practicing both scientific notation and exponent rules next week!
ELA:
7th grade Shakespeareans finished their unit this week – we wrote sonnets carefully in cursive on hand pressed paper and completed our reading of Macbeth. We began practicing our performances of these sonnets, looking forward to our Spread the Word event on April 9th at Highfalutin Coffee! Students also tested their vocabulary on Thursday, so be sure to ask for those grades.
Next week, 7th grade will begin a novel study The Book Thief. We will begin with historical context for WWII and the Holocaust. We’ll conduct a close reading of character and setting in the exposition. They will also transition back to a two week grammar study with a test planned for April 10th.
Social Studies:
Seventh graders have finished their work on the 13th Amendment and will be starting our next mini unit, which will be the Civil War, and its role in changing American society. Before we begin the students will be starting their research papers. This will be a cause and effect historical paper on a subject of their choice. This will be a great opportunity for them to see the differences in historical writing, learn about proper citations and learn how to use critical thinking in writing viewpoints from a historical perspective.
Science:
Seventh graders dove right into chemistry this week! They learned about the difference between physical and chemical reactions by exploring oobleck! They also learned about how to write a chemical formula and how to interpret it into a common name. They also finished up their projects on genetically-modified organisms and started to present them to the class. Next week, they will make glue and learn about the elements!
Important Dates:
March 31st-April 4th – Spring Break
April 9th- Spread the Word (11:30 Dismissal)
Upcoming Assessments and Deadlines:
Sonnet due date 3/21
