The Harvest Festival was an absolute blast and a big thank you to all of you who helped to make it so great for our kids! This week, leading up to Thanksgiving break, was filled with activities surrounding having gratitude for the things we have in our lives. It was inspiring to see all of the things the middle schoolers recognized they have in their lives that they feel grateful for. Here is a short Thanksgiving quiz to get you in the holiday spirit!

(All Answers are at the bottom in bold)

1. What was missing from the first Thanksgiving feast?

2. How long did the first Thanksgiving last?

3. TRUE/FALSE   Did a city in Connecticut once cancel/postpone Thanksgiving due to a lack of pumpkin pie?

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

What’s happening in Social Studies?

This week the students finished their Revolutions and Nationalism unit. Students completed an assessment over the unit before break, which will allow us to begin our new unit when we come back. 

Students will begin the Industrialization unit by being introduced to their vocabulary. Students will master the vocabulary by teaching each other the different vocabulary units by creating mini-lessons from their lists. 

What’s happening in ELA?

Eighth graders are continuing to work on their Critical Literacy Unit. They are also doing a great job completing reading log activities, getting to the heart of the matter in their novels. In grammar, they completed week eight grammar/vocabulary quiz.  Signed papers will be sent home the Monday following Thanksgiving Break.

What’s happening in Science?

Are there electromagnetic waves everywhere? YES! And the eighth graders explored that this week! They investigated longitudinal and transverse waves using slinkys and then calculated the frequency, wavelength, and speed of the waves. They also researched more about specific types of waves and taught the class about what they learned. When we get back from break, they will troubleshoot in an engineering challenge about sound proofing. 

What’s happening in Math?

Woohooo! We have successfully wrapped our Equations, Inequalities, and Systems! The students all had a chance to show their understanding on a final assessment. They had an opportunity to correct their mistakes for half credit on Thursday. They were very enthusiastic about making the corrections and did a great job asking questions and seeking clarification. I am optimistic about starting our new unit after Thanksgiving break. We will shift gears to statistics when we get back from break, starting with two-way tables and scatter plots. 

Important Dates:

• November 21-25 Thanksgiving Break (No School)
• December 16th: 11:30 Dismissal Pajama Day
• December 17- January 2: Winter Break

Answers:

1. Turkey
2. Three Days
3. True