This unit in ELA is all about Shakespeare and sonnets for every grade! As students began sonnet writing this week, I thought it would be fitting to write a sonnet about learning at The Cooper School.

Shall I compare school to a big textbook?
Middle school has more pages to flip through.
It’s pages more than words with closer look
The final page turns, lessons stick with you.

One poor chapter may carry a dark stain,
It’s but bacteria ripe for study.
Another excerpt vandalized in vain,
S’deep knowledge hidden behind the muddy.

Once extra weight to a droopy backpack,
Now stored in one’s head, new knowledge so light.
I’m happy to share the greatest life hack;
Those gritty, dull pages when read, shine bright.

The great textbook that is course after course
is middle school magic gathering force.

We’re in the nitty gritty of February work. Spring Break still feels far away. We’ve all kept our heads down in the daily grind of learning, but so much new knowledge and wisdom is filling these kids’ brains, even if they haven’t yet ‘looked up’ to notice it! Their work is magical and lasting!

MC



Here’s a look at what is happening in each of the classes:


What’s happening in Science?
Seventh graders worked so hard on their boards and reports this week! Like most big projects, the deadline kind of creeped up when we thought we had more time to complete final details, which obviously took more time than anticipated. However, the seventh graders truly rallied and everyone finished one of the biggest and most rigorous projects of the year with smiles on their faces. We are so excited to share the work with you in the library during self assessment conferences!
What’s up in Math?
This week, 7th graders took a quiz about the introduction to linear functions, before moving on to connect volume formulas to functions. Next week, 7th graders study volume and surface area formulas as functions and proportional relationships. They’ll use this knowledge to create linear graphs!

What’s happening in ELA?
7th graders began the week studying Shakespeare’s “Sonnet #18.” We successfully interpreted Shakespeare’s work and began picking apart the elements of a sonnet like meter, foot, and iambic pentameter. This helped us prepare the initial parts of our own sonnets! We continued to read Macbeth, as well, studying the elements of comedies vs. tragedies and stock characters. We also took time to review formatting titles and types of nouns in grammar.


Next week, 7th graders will revise and polish their sonnets, further discussing sonnet and poetry structure. We’ll discuss themes in both sonnets and Macbeth.

What’s going on in Social Studies?
Seventh graders dove into the Antebellum Period of the United States with talk of abolition! Students analyzed primary sources revolving around the idea of abolition for the enslaved people. Students were then asked to progress into the different social reforms during this time and create a propaganda poster advertising one of the ideas.

Next week, the students will complete a mindmap of the industrial period before diving into the Civil War! Students will focus on the vocabulary of the unit before diving further the following week!


Important Dates:
March 4th & 5th- Self-Assessment Conferences (11:30 dismissal)