Math messages, Monday, September 30th

PowerSchool has been upgraded for Grades 7&8.  Students have their work back and in their notebooks.

Grade 6
Ladder Method Worksheet

Grade 7
correction work on assessments
Review NECAP tasks

Grade 8
review NECAP release tasks
Vocabulary: proportion, similar

9/30 Open House and Community Dinner

House A teachers would like to welcome all parents and guardians to our Open House this Monday, September 30, from 6:00-7:30pm.  This event will take place in the House A classrooms (rooms 241-243, & 239) upstairs in the Middle School.  The district will be running a shuttle from the high school to Herrick Ave. school for overflow parking.  We encourage folks to use this service if the parking lot is full.  The last shuttle will leave at 7:45pm.  We look forward to opening up our classrooms and seeing everyone there!

There will also be a community dinner happening downstairs in the MMS cafeteria from 4:30-7:00pm.  The event is free but donations are welcome and greatly appreciated!  

Math Tasks, Friday September 27th

All grades have 15 release tasks for their grade level.  We have been working on them and they should review them for the NECAP coming up.
Grade 8 will start Filling and Wrapping, & Grade 7 will begin Variables and Patterns next week so please remind them to bring their booklets to class.

Humanities Project 9/26 Homework and Weekend Requirements

Students are finishing projects in class on Friday. Students that do not meet the deadline must put finishing touches on their project over the weekend. These projects will be on display at open house.                    

Requirements:

Myth Summarized

Moral of the Myth

What the myth is trying to explain: natural phenomenon, human behavior, human suffering

Allusions with an explanation (why it was used) and clearly labeled

Math Tasks, Thursday, September 26th

Grade 6:
NECAP release tasks 1-9

Grade 8
NECAP release tasks 1_15

Math Tasks, Wednesday, September 25th

Grade 7&8
Corrections should be completed
NECAP questions #1-12

Grade 6
NECAP questions #1-4

Math Tasks, Tuesday, September 24th

Grade 6:
Mixed Number #1-8, 17-20  Collecting  these tomorrow

Grades 7&8
NECAP release tasks 9-12 added to the others
Collecting corrections tomorrow

Humanities Homework 9/23 (and throughout the week)

Students were asked to finish their writing piece that asks them to consider how well they would survive in the culture of the Moken people as presented in class.  A paper with prompts was distributed in class for this assignment.

 All students began a project today based on a Greek myth.  One of the concluding requirements is to create a physical project (using their choice of materials that should be brought in) that presents the moral and purpose of the myth, the allusions throughout American society connected to the myth, and allusions to objects and characters within the myth.  The majority of the research will be done in school however; some of the crafting may need to be done at home.

Math Tasks, Monday, September 21st

Grade 6:
Mixed Numbers (adding fractions) at least 1-8 should be done
Bake Sale "c"

Grades 7&8
Assessment on Fractions Decimals & Percents was returned.  Any one who earned less that 33 points should be doing corrections on a separate sheet and attaching it to the original then returning to the appropriate tray.  The plan is to upgrade Power School about the assessment by the end of this week.
NECAP review is on going and problems 1-8 were assigned last Friday.

Science

Students should complete a learning log on the Age of the Earth timeline we did in class today.

Math Tasks, Friday, September 20th

Power School has been upgraded for Grades 7&8
Tasks today:
Grade 7&8 NECAP review  #1-8
vocabulary along with algorithms are important for each question even if they are multiple choice
Grade 6
Mixed Numbers - adding fraction practice
common denominators are needed

Science

Tonight, students should fill out a learning log for the lightning activity we did in class today.  We will discuss answers on either Friday or Monday.

Math Tasks, Thursday, September 19th

Grade 8: NECAP review 1-4
Grade 7: NECAP review 1-4
Grade 6: Bake Sale review b
               Lesson 1.1:Skill Practice set on factors
               Lesson:1.2:  Models and More (front done in class) do the back

Math Tasks, Wednesday, September 18th

Grades 7&8 are having an assessment on Fractions, Decimals, & Percents.  The following worksheets with be collected: Fraction Practice, Lesson 10 Mixed Practice (Decimals), Percents
also Division.
Back work assignments were posted.

Grade 6:

•  Vocabulary: factor and multiples
• rework a&b of the Bake Sale problem started Tuesday
• Lesson1.1 matching of vocabulary and definitions

Humanities Homework 9/18

The chart homework has been postponed until Thursday 9/19, as we did not get far enough in class.

Corrections can still be completed throughout the week.

Please makes sure you have a silent reading book as we will begin writing book summaries every Thursday.

Humanities Homework and Corrections 9/18

Students will complete a chart, started in class, where comparing myths read in Science and Humanities, then answer the question that follows the chart.

Students also received corrections on their paragraphs on Kenya flip flops and Veils in Europe. The comments and suggestions should be used to rewrite the paragraphs as practice for the writing expectations for informational responses. Old and new copies should be handed in together, and these will be housed in the hanging folders in class.

Math Tasks, Tuesday September 17th

Grades 7&8 have been working on worksheets about: Percents, 4 basic operations with fractions and 4 basic operations with decimals.  There will be an assessment Thursday of this week.
Grade 6 is working on using GCF and LCM in a problem solving situation, Bake Sale.

Science

Students should complete the reading "Evidence for the Big Bang" using the annotated note symbols learned in humanities class.  We will use the notes and discuss the article in science class tomorrow.

Boston Field Trip

Dear Families,

At the end of your student’s middle school experience, he or she will have the opportunity to participate in the 8^th grade field trip to Boston.  This field trip is three days and two nights and for many students it is the highlight of their middle school years.  During this trip, students get to witness the culture of Boston, visit a few of Boston’s best museums, and they get to stay at Emerson College.  This is a unique opportunity that every student should experience.  In order to make this trip affordable for all families, we offer numerous fundraisers throughout the school year.  Each student is given a field trip account.  Students earn money for this account by fundraising.  This money will be put towards the cost of the Boston trip and can also be used to fund other school based field trips as well.  I have created these accounts so that students can earn their trip to Boston. This year the cost of the trip is $325, if your students participates in a couple of fundraisers each year, they will not have to fund raise all of the money during 8^th grade.  

For 8th and 7th Graders, your student will be getting a summary of their account on Monday.

Tentative list of this year’s fundraisers:

September – PTA Fundraiser – If your student participates, 50% of the profits from their orders will go towards Boston.

October – Dan’s Chocolates

November – Thanksgiving Pie Sale

November – Dan’s Holiday Cards, create your own custom cards for the holidays

December – February – Calendar Raffle

March – Spaghetti Dinner

April – Fire Truck Pull

Math Tasks, Thursday, September 12th

Grade 6-8 Back work was listed on the board and it was requested they take care of those first. 
Grade 6:  Addition with Unlike Denominators was distributed.
Grade 7&8:  Notes on Percent along with a worksheet were distributed

Science

7th grade class will need to complete the "3 Types of Variables" worksheet for homework.  This assignment will be collected tomorrow at the beginning of class.

Math Tasks, September 10(&11field trip)

Grades 6-8
Percents on a Number line is the Enrichment activity for the week and should be kept in "Notes"
Grade 8: complete back work (Dividsibility, GCF/LCM, Adding Unlike Denominators and be sure they have been put in the tray
"4" work 10-1A&10-2A, Question 1 from Singapore math
Grade 6&7: GCF/LCM, Adding Unlike Denominators & Division handout
These should be worked on and then put in the tray.

Math Tasks, Monday September 9th

Grades 6-8 : Students received their fluency work for multiplication and division, 81 is proficient.  Students have them in their notes section-please sign them indicating that you have seen them.  Students who are not proficient in both operation should spend 20 minutes atleast two times a week with flash cards, khanacademy , or a game like Grand Prix Raceway.  It is a skill they will thank you for later in life.
Grade 6: Students have a division sheet they should be completing.
Grade 7: Students have a division sheet they should complete.  We are still working on the GCF &LCM worksheet & a sheet on the addition of fractions with unlike denominators.
Grade 8:  GCF&LCM were requested, if they were submitted 10-1 A &10-2 A were given as challenge work.

Math Tasks, Friday September 6th

Grade 6-8:
On Monday September 9th the last page of the Divisibility packet will be collected.
Grade 7&8
* GCF & LCM should continue work
*Adding Unlike Denominators
(some of the 7th graders did not get the fraction work and we will continue on Monday.

Science

Students should complete a learning log around the "Apple Inquiry" activity they did in science class today.  Try your best to answer the 5 prompts.  We will discuss this tomorrow in class.

Math, September 5th

Grades 6-8
*fuency is important - students should use a fact fluency program flash cards atleast 2 times a week for 20 minutes if they are not proficient
*Divisibility handouts are being distributed during enrichment.  The last page should be done with work shown and to be turned in next Monday.
Grade 6
           #1 Exploring Multiples
Grades 7&8
*20 minutes on the GCF, LCM worksheet

Humanities Homework (Revised due date) 9/6

Students received additional directions to assist them in writing the homework paragraph (#5 on the question sheet).  This new information may mean that some students must add to, or correct, their previously written paragraph.  For this reason, the due date has been moved to Friday, September 6^th. 

Math Tasks, September 3&4

Yesterday students were doing entrance tickets and pre-assessments.  We did start a lesson on prime factorization:
* all grades have #6,7, & 9 to complete
* Vocabulary tables should and the Frayer Models should be in the vocabulary section.
*During Enrichment this week there is a packet on Divisiblity for the math rotation.  It is to be completed and kept in their "Notes" section.

Humanities Homework 9/3 Due 9/5

Students will read an article (Flip Flops in Kenya) and annotate the article using the guide in their notebooks (used today in class). There are also a few questions to answer and the end of the assignment asks students to write a paragraph (#5 on the homework sheet) using the informational writing format received in class.  Students will write a paragraph together in class with me on Wednesday as practice, and help will be available Wednesday after school.  The assignment will be due on Thursday, September 5^th at the start of class. 

Students have also been asked to make sure they have a silent reading book, which is needed for SSR every day after lunch.