“What makes The Cooper School…The Cooper School?” is a question the teachers discussed Wednesday morning before the students arrived. We talked about the students’ love for learning, projects, community, inclusivity, and more. However, one comment that stands out was made by Ms. Maggie, when she mentioned how the middle school students are not conforming to the social norm established not just by society, but also by the clicky groups that are typically made in middle schools. Reflecting on her comment, I paid extra attention to the lack of cliche pre-teen norms that are not part of our daily life at school. Yes, there are groups of kids that have common interests and hang-out outside of school with private text chains, however, all groups accept everyone in the middle school for who they are and would consider their feelings. Everyone isn’t wearing the same thing, or talking exactly the same, or afraid to show their true selves. Middle school can be such a tricky time, when adolescents are figuring themselves out through peer approval. It’s pretty special to see our kids figuring themselves out without the typical judgment that can make this period hard.
-LD
Math:
This week, we began our second unit of study on slope, similarity, and scale. Next week, we will continue to study scale and take a short mid-unit assessment (more to come in an email!). Afterwards, we’ll move into dilations and how to use them to create scaled copies.
ELA:
7th grade began their novel study of Jack London’s Call of the Wild this week, starting with background knowledge building on the Yukon Gold Rush and dog sledding. Readers warmed up with a reading of London’s short story To Build a Fire to familiarize themselves with the language and thematics of London then dove head first into this 121 year old novel! We reviewed types of literary conflict and tracked these conflicts closely in our initial readings. 7th also began their first grammar unit of the year. Their first test will be next week.
Next week, as readers move through the novel, they will consider foils and figurative language. They will also begin their conflict trading card project outlined in their question packets.
Social Studies:
Seventh grade did a fantastic job with North American native tribes and culture groups and will be starting a new unit on central and South American cultures and tribes. We will learn about their civilizations as well as their contributions to present day societies. We will be doing projects on their religion, farming techniques as well as their governments.
Science:
Seventh graders shared their work this week! They have been researching influential scientists throughout history and made presentations to share with the class. They also started contemplating, brainstorming, and researching topics for their Space Exploration Ted Talk that they will present to parents in a few weeks. Next week, they will learn about the surface of Mars and ponder if water has ever existed there.
Important Dates:
October 14 & 15: Fall Break- No School
October 31: Halloween Carnival (11:30 Dismissal)
