Having finished Curriculum Night, gotten into the thick of our first units of study, founded our clubs, and settled into our routines, back-to-school “to-dos” feel like they are finally complete. Back-to-school can feel like a whirlwind of crazy, but there has been something in the air at The Cooper School for the past several weeks that has made every day feel more exciting and adventurous than the day before. With students taking risks in their learning, engaging in meaningful conversations, and building intentional friendships, this first (almost) month of school has been anything but stressful. I have high expectations that every month at The Cooper School will feel as exciting and adventurous as this first month has been.
-AG
Math:
This week in Algebra 1, we reviewed for and took our first math test. Next week, we’ll begin our second unit of study on linear equations, inequalities, and expressions by introducing how equations can be equivalent and what those look like on a graph.
ELA:
8th grade students revised and edited their technology arguments this week. Once published, they practiced reading their essays as speeches and presented them to one another in a miniature technology symposium. In civil discourse we discussed how one can “teach peace” to prevent global conflicts and the Black Lives Matter movement.
Next week, we begin our first reading unit centered around contemporary fiction and the novel We Deserve Monuments. Be sure to send this novel to school with your student Monday if you have not already. We will also begin our first grammar unit as we review sentence structure.
Social Studies:
The eighth grade class has done a fantastic job with their revolution projects. They have covered basic knowledge of revolution, which will lead us into impact and change that came from the American and French revolutions. We will learn about the creation of government and countries and their alliances with each other and how those helped shape the 19th century.
Science:
Eighth graders compared and contrasted weight and mass this week. They experimented with spring scales and marbles to see how objects can be weighed in Newtons and grams. They also calculated the weight in Newtons of objects on different planets. The eighth graders will have a quiz next week on gravity, Newton’s Second Law, mass, and acceleration.
Important Dates:
October 14 & 15: Fall Break- No School
October 31: Halloween Carnival (11:30 Dismissal)
