Smooth Sailing into September
Having finished a whirl-wind of a curriculum night, gotten into the thick of our first units of study, and settled into our routines, back-to-school to-dos feel like they are finally complete. While back-to-school can be a stressful time for parents, teachers, and students alike, 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.
Although I’ve only been on board at The Cooper School for about a month, I can whole-heartedly feel and see what makes The Cooper School so special. I have high expectations that every month at The Cooper School will feel as exciting and adventurous as this first month has.
-Allison Gold
Here’s a look at what is happening in each of the classes:
What’s happening in Science?
Seventh graders completed their Solar System travel posters this week. They presented their information to the class, so that everyone could have a big picture about the planets and satellites in our Solar System. They compared temperatures, atmospheres, and the possibility of liquid water, to consider the potential for life. The seventh graders also learned about exoplanets this week, and researched more in depth about an exoplanet that they were interested in. Next week, they will explore the reason for seasons and moon phases.
What’s up in Math?
This week in math, students explored more rigid transformations through angle investigation. They analyzed complimentary, supplementary, adjacent, vertical, and alternate interior angles.
Next week, they will expand their understanding of angles to explore angles and side lengths of triangles.
What’s happening in ELA?
Seventh graders began their book club novels this week, discussing what they noticed about the author’s craft and the purpose behind some of their authors’ ‘trademark’ writing moves. They also began grammar instruction, which started with a review of prepositions, layering on new inquiries into the function of prepositional phrases in a sentence.
Next week, 7th grade will wrap up this first reading unit, drawing connections between all we’ve learned about character, perspective, and author’s craft to build theories about our novels’ messages or themes. In grammar, 7th grade will begin ‘deleting’ prepositions from sentences to reveal subjects and verbs, identifying a variety of different verb forms along the way.
What’s going on in Social Studies?
This week, the students dove into the colonization of the Americas by the French, Dutch, and English! Student’s then dove into Roanoke and Jamestown settlements before beginning their DBQ. Student’s are asked to complete a DBQ (Document based questioning) essay answering the overall question; “Why did so many colonists die in early Jamestown?”
Next week, we will continue the process of the DBQ by examining and analyzing the primary and secondary sources before beginning the essay portion of the document. Students will be asked to brainstorm, create a rough draft, and peer edit their papers before beginning the final draft.
Important Dates:
Friday, September 15th- Parent Coffee (8:15-9:00)
Saturday, September 23rd- Charleston Battery Family Fun Night
Monday-Tuesday, October 9-10 Fall Break
