The Cooper School Daily

Lights..Camera..Action!

TCS middle schoolers have been on the stage this week and they are truly shining! 

Many of you were able to come enjoy their National Parks Presentations on Thursday. I think we can all agree they hit that way out of the park (no pun intended). Not only were their final presentations and models impressive; but their determination, creativity, and problem solving skills while building their parks were absolutely amazing. Well done! 

Also, the Halloween Carnival is planned, designed, and managed completely by middle school students. They have been busy planning their booths, making rules, sorting prizes, and getting everything ready for the big day! Fifth graders are excited about getting to decorate the backyard and awarding prizes to the elementary students for their costumes. All students have worked through the details and developed specific plans for their groups. I know they will pull this off without a hitch! 

Happy Halloween! 

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

What’s happening in Social Studies:

In American History this week, historians contemplated choices historical figures made and the impact their choices had on our country. The discussion that stands out the most is wondering if we would break an unjust law and why? They thought deeply about this question and came up with wonderful examples where they would stand up for themselves and for others for the sake of justice. The discussion was followed by reading about John Brown’s court case after he used violence to end slavery. This week we also discussed the differences between women and men through our own perspective, but also through the lens of society now and in the past. They researched about Sojourner Truth and her powerful stance as an abolitionist and women’s rights activist in the 1800s. 

What’s up in Math?

Now that the seventh graders have a great conceptual understanding of dilations, they are now analyzing similar figures. They are determining what makes figures similar using diagrams to compare and measure. They are able to identify the center of dilation, which is quite a tricky task. I am very proud of the tenacity and grit of these students. We are working on seventh and eighth grade material and they come to class everyday ready to take on the new lesson. They ask brilliant questions, and often they answer each other before I can. As a former high school teacher, I really value being able to share the process of grasping more abstract concepts and deepen their understanding in order to set them up for success as they move forward. 

What’s happening in ELA:

Happy Fall, parents!  I hope you are enjoying the cooler weather that the month of October has brought us. Your seventh grade ELA students are currently wrapping up their writing units. They have completed 17 writing sessions on Writing Realistic Fiction! Their enthusiasm for writing has ranged from, “I’m not a good writer!” to “I can write 24/7!” We have worked on balancing out and improving those two expectations. Here is how you can help your students: ask to see their writings, read their stories out loud so that they can find grammatical and spelling errors, encourage them to revisit their writing so they can edit and revise.

After they have completed their writing units next week, your ELA students will dive into another novel study. I am excited to have them read a new novel while sharpening their writing and grammar skills by producing another book report at the end of their reading unit. Remember to encourage your students to read each evening.

Seventh graders are also involved in the Global Connect Curriculum with students from a school in China. Here are the dates for their online meetings:

“One of the cross-cultural problems we’ve had to navigate is timing for our live sessions. Great Wall School is a boarding school, so the time for the live sessions is complicated even further than our 12-hour time difference. Plus, after November 7th, it becomes a 13-hour time difference (EST). Wow!

The dates and times for your students live sessions are:

November 1, 2021, 7:00 pm (This will be 7 am for Great Wall School)

November 17, 2021, 6:00 pm (This will be 7 am for Great Wall School)

December 6, 2021, 6:00 pm (This will be 7 am for Great Wall School)

December 13, 2021, 6:00 pm (This will be 7 am for Great Wall School).”

Finally, your seventh grade ELA students have delved back into their vocabulary workbooks and are currently working on lesson five. Please help your students to learn to use all the words in context and to be able to spell at least 10 of their new vocabulary words while practicing some of the words they have learned previously.

Important Dates:

October 29th: Halloween Carnival 11:30 Dismissal

November 3rd: Picture Day

November 8th-9th: Parent/Teacher Conferences (11:30 Dismissal)