As we near the end of the 2nd trimester, I’m reminded of how crazy busy the month of February is in the TCS Middle School. With the dance, self-assessment, projects, and the end of the trimester, we’re all a little frenzied over here as we work tirelessly to get things polished and ready! Now’s an important time to remember to take a step back, look at how far we’ve come, and how far we have yet to go! Self-assessment is my favorite part of the year, as the students showcase how proud they are of their learning and how excited they are to share that with you! The other MS teachers and I are so excited to share that experience with you next week.
-AG
Math:
This week, 6th graders applied their knowledge of percents to real-life situations including sales tax, tips, and discounts. Next week, we’ll extend our mastery of percentages to include percent error and error intervals. We’ll also begin reviewing for our unit 6 test, which is on March 10th.
ELA:
6th grade joined the rest of the middle school in beginning their Shakespeare study this week. They began their grade-level study of an adapted version of Romeo and Juliet and reviewed elements of a sonnet. They also began a proofreading and punctuation grammar study, with a test planned for March 6th.
Next week, 6th grade will continue studying Romeo and Juliet, looking closely at the tropes of tragedy and studying various modern adaptation scenes from film and TV. Poets will also begin formulating ideas and first quatrains of their sonnets, working towards their 3/21 due date. They will test their grammar skills Thursday.
Social Studies:
Sixth graders finished our discussion this week on aspects of Black History Month. We talked about famous peoples, organizations as well as events over the course of the month and I think the students enjoyed these topics of study. We also continued our learning of Buddhism and its impact felt globally for many different types of peoples. This will lead into students participating in Buddhist style meditation and well as getting to experience true Indian style cuisine!
Science:
The sixth graders worked diligently on their Biomimicry projects this week! They locked in, and it was great! The models have come together, despite ideas not working, partners being absent, and some materials not working as hoped. We have homes modeled after hermit crabs, bees, turtles, and more! We are so excited to share our work with you next Thursday at 2:00!
Important Dates:
March 3rd & 4th – Student Led Conferences (11:30 dismissal)
March 6 – Biomimicry Presentation 2:00 pm
March 10th-12th – ERB Milestone Testing (ELA and Math)
March 15th – TCS Spring Gala & Auction
March 29th-April 6th – Spring Break
Upcoming Assessments and Deadlines:
Biomimicry Slides due 2/28
Biomimicry Models complete by 3/4
Sonnet due date 3/21
Grammar Test 3/6
Math Test 3/10
