Most of the classes are moving into Biology this week. The seventh graders and I were talking about the importance of fire in the Longleaf Pine forest. We talked about how even though we typically think of forest fires as horrible, scary, and destructive (because of “our” homes), certain ecosystems need to burn in order to thrive. If the Longleaf Pine Forest doesn’t have a healthy burn every 7-10 years, the biodiversity is impacted and species migrate or disappear.
We have burned down our first trimester! Everyone has a hundred in every class until their first assessment for Trimester 2. The students get this opportunity to start fresh and make changes to habits, motivation, and even relationships. Now that it is getting darker earlier and cooler, it feels like we are in the middle of the school year, when we buckle down and get down to business. The burn down and restart allows us to let the first trimester drift out and settle into the next important part of the school year.
LD
Math:
This week, we dove into unit 4 on expressions, equations, and inequalities which will expand on our new knowledge of one and two step equations and apply them to real-life scenarios. Next week, we’ll explore more ways to manipulate and use expressions, equations, and inequalities.
ELA:
7th grade entered a reading unit this week where we are tackling the concept of characterization in our reading of the short story collection, Fly Lessons, and asking what shapes character perspectives. We transitioned to a verb study in grammar and are preparing for a test next week.
Next week, 7th grade readers will ask how authors develop perspective and control reader sympathies. 7th grade will test their grammar skills on 11/21, so be sure to encourage studying at home!
Social Studies:
Seventh grade did a wonderful job with the beginnings of colonization in the United States. We had a fun time watching and learning about the first colonists and discussing, “Could you have survived back then?” Going forward we will begin South Carolina colonization and discuss all the different leaders of our colony. This includes Spanish rule all the way through becoming a royal British colony.
Science:
Seventh graders continued to learn about the longleaf pine forest this week. They picked different organisms and will make small presentations about their special adaptations and where they fit in the food web. Next week, they will learn about communities and what composes ecosystems. They will also learn about ecosystem services and how the environment is being recognized as lucrative.
Important Dates:
November 22: Harvest Feast @ 10:30 (11:30 Dismissal)
November 25-29: Thanksgiving Break
