A few weeks back, we had a Middle School Morning Meeting about how much time we have left in the year, which at the time was 50-some days. As we returned from Spring Break, we were all feeling a little shocked when we realized that number was now down in the thirties, and all felt the same little spark to put our heads down, buckle up, and finish strong together. The last two months in the Cooper Middle School tend to fly by – Spread the Word, class trips, graduation, and other exciting happenings throw a wrench in our regular schedule that makes time pass before our eyes. As excited as I’m sure we all are for summer, I hope we use this new post-SB refreshed mindset to not only power through the last 7 weeks of school, but really be present and appreciate the fun we’re about to have!
Upcoming Dates:
- April 22nd – No After School
- April 22nd Art Night from 5:30-6:30pm
- May 14th – Pass It On at 5:00PM (11:30am Dismissal)
ELA: This week in 7th grade ELA, amidst heavy preparations for Spread the Word, 7th grade readers were still able to commit fully to a deep reading of Watership Down. Students explored examples of symbolism in the novel, and continued to add entries to their naturalist journals. We continued to practice writing mechanics through dictation, with a test on Friday. Be sure to inquire about their final grades.
Next week, 7th grade will continue Watership Down, wondering about the connections the story makes to war time tales and sociology. We will start our last vocab unit of the year, as well!
Science: This week in Science, 7th graders explored the world of elements and the organization of the periodic table. Students investigated the properties that make each element unique and considered how those properties influence behavior.
To bring their learning to life, students created “Element Superheroes,” selecting an element to research and designing a character that embodies its properties. This creative project allowed students to deepen their understanding while making meaningful and imaginative connections.
Next week, students will explore how particles behave in different states of matter, continuing to build a foundational understanding of how substances behave and interact.
Yesterday, I sent out an email update about the science fair. If you did not receive it, please reach out to me.
Social Studies: We have begun our next unit on the Civil War and its impact on American history. We looked at the inventions and advancements in society that made this war so deadly and destructive. We also began working on our last major project of the year which is their research papers. Going into next week we will look into how the war changed American society and led us to the passing of the 13th Amendment.
Math: This week in math, 7th graders continued their exponent exploration by learning how to use scientific notation to represent really big and really small numbers, building off of their mastery of powers of ten. They received a study guide on Tuesday for their test next week, which will cover application of the laws of exponents, patterns in powers of ten, and scientific notation. We’ll spend most of next week reviewing for, taking, and completing corrections for this assessment.
