With the weather getting colder and the prospect of snow this weekend, it reminds me of being in middle school. Growing up in New England, whenever the weather was looking like snow we would all think the same thing… SNOW DAY! Being able to play outside, building forts or sledding, the snow was an excuse to play outside with friends. These days, I’ll admit I look forward to staying inside during the cold! Still, as I look back on my time playing in the snow, I hope that this will be a good time for families and friends to possibly enjoy feeling young out in the snow and enjoy time together after, warming up with hot chocolate!-
-Kevin
Upcoming Dates:
- February 13 – Valentine’s Day Bake Sale and Bingo (1:30pm)
- February 16-17 – February Break (No School)
- Please fill out this form for James Island County Parks. We will be doing PE there starting in February!
- February 27 – Middle School Dance
ELA: 7th grade transitioned into a film study unit this week. We are learning how to “read” films as we would any other text. That meant studying cinematography techniques and the art of mis-en-scene to inform analysis. Film scholars watched an analyzed silent films like A Trip to the Moon, One Week, then transitioned to a “close read” of Roger and Hammerstein’s The Sound of Music. 7th grade also took part in a grammar test on Thursday, with test grades heading home in their folders for the weekend.
Next week, our class will learn more about mis-en-scene and writing about a film’s themes, just as we would for literary analysis. Rather than our usual switch to vocabulary, we will continue grammar instruction to account for a longer unit.
Science: This week in Science, our 7th graders reviewed and revised their mini-projects, deepening their understanding of the connection between photosynthesis and cellular respiration. Through reflection and refinement, students strengthened both their scientific thinking and their ability to communicate complex ideas.
Students then modeled how matter and energy move through ecosystems, with a particular emphasis on the essential role producers play in supporting life. These activities helped students see ecosystems as interconnected systems rather than isolated parts.
Next week, students will continue studying trophic levels and explore the efficiency of energy transfer, building on their growing understanding of how energy flows through ecosystems.
Social Studies: Seventh grade students have finished our unit on the federal government. Their test is on Wednesday and they have all the materials needed to study. We will be moving into Antebellum America for our next unit, building towards the civil war.
Math: This week in math, 7th graders continued unit 6 with an exploration of systems of equations. We did LOTS of practice with different strategies to help us find and make sense of solutions to systems of equations. Next week, we will explore data representation and how it relates to proportional relationships and linear equations!
