Middle School Minute

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English: For the second 9 weeks we are conducting a novel study. Our novel is Miles Morales: Spider Man by Jason Reynolds. We will be practicing literary analysis (something I did in college !) by reading and dialoging with the text, defining vocabulary in context, and analyzing character.

ELA students are responsible for completing 60 minutes AND two (2) passed lessons (70% or better) each week on iReady. This reading is for a grade. In addition, students should be reading something of their choosing. We will have a Book Talk to complete this nine weeks.

The Mighty Miss Malone by Christopher Paul Curtis

In Christopher Paul Curtis’s The Mighty Miss Malone, twelve-year-old Deza Malone is a bright student with a promising future. But when the Great Depression hits Gary, Indiana, her family is confronted with many new challenges. Deza’s father leaves town to find work, and when he doesn’t return, Deza, her mother, and her brother go looking for him. They journey across the state by boxcar until they wind up in a “Hooverville” outside of Flint, Michigan.

1. Skill: Academic Vocabulary - After learning the meanings of ten academic vocabulary words, students will be able to recognize and use them in a variety of contexts.

1. Analyze - v. to examine the parts of something in detail

2. Approach - n. an idea or action intended to deal with a problem or situation

3. Assume - v. to accept to be true without proof

4. Conclude - v. to decide by reasoning

5. Context - n. the set of facts or circumstances that surround a situation or event

6. Derive - v. to reason by deduction; to infer

7. Indicate - v. to state or express briefly

8. Interpret - v. to determine and explain the meaning of

9. Obtain - v. to come into possession of

10. Seek - v. to try to locate or discover

2. Skill: Character - After reading and discussing a model of close reading, students will be able to analyze how the characters' reactions and changes contribute to the plot.

1. Antagonist - n. the character whose goals work against the protagonist

2. Character - n. an individual in a literary work whose thoughts, feelings, actions, and reactions move the action of the plot forward

3. Dialogue - n. a conversation between characters

4. Plot - n. the sequence of events that take place in a work of literature

5. Protagonist - n. the main character—the one the story revolves around and who usually has a problem to solve

6. Resolution - n. the final outcome of the story’s conflict

7. Trait - n. an aspect of a person or character's behavior and attitude that make up that character’s personality

3. Close Read: The Mighty Miss Malone - After engaging in a close reading and discussion of “The Mighty Miss Malone,” students will be able to analyze character and how characters respond to change in a short, written response.

1. Objective: Analyze character responses to change in The Mighty Miss Malone.

2. Activities:

1. Vocabulary Instruction: Complete a vocabulary chart and create flashcards.

2. Reflection: Write in Writer’s Notebooks on the essential question: “What do we do when life gets hard?”

3. Skills Focus: Discuss and annotate passages for character insights.

4. Collaborative Conversations: Explore Deza’s reactions in groups and create a short scene based on discussions.

5. Writing Assignment: Write a narrative response using textual evidence.

6. Peer Review: Provide feedback on peers’ writing.

7. Optional Extensions: Connect to an Extended Writing Project or conduct research on the Great Depression.

This lesson encourages critical thinking and deepens understanding of character development and personal challenges.

1. Grammar Friday: Shifts in Verb Tenses

2. iREADY: Students in Regular ELA are required to complete 50 minutes and pass 2 lessons with at least a 67%. Students in Honors ELA are expected to complete 60 minutes and pass 2 lessons with a 67% or better.

1. iReady Grading - There are three components to the iReady requirements. Here is how I grade iReady Pathway requirements.

• 3/3 - 100

• 2/3 - 75

• 1/3 - 50

• 0/3 - 0

Students have been working on outlines for their thematic analysis essays. Next week we will finish our rough drafts and begin the peer editing process in class. Please ensure your student is present as much as possible to avoid missing instruction on the essay process and falling behind. The rough draft will be treated as a test grade based on completing all the steps in the outline and following formatting instructions.

Students will work on citing evidence from informational text.

This week in math, we’re learning about the Distributive Property — how multiplication can be used to simplify and break apart larger problems. Students will practice using models and real-world examples to see how this property helps make math more efficient and flexible. Encourage your student to show you how they can “distribute” numbers to make problems easier!

Dear Families,

We’re excited to share what’s happening in our 7th Grade Math classes!

🧮 General Math:
Last week, students practiced integer addition and subtraction. This week, we are moving forward with multiplying and dividing integers while continuing to reinforce our earlier skills. These foundational concepts are essential for success in algebraic reasoning and real-world problem solving!

📐 Accelerated Math:
Our 7th Grade Accelerated students are diving into similarity and dilations. They are learning how to apply scale factors and describe how figures change when they are enlarged or reduced. This unit also supports their development of proportional reasoning and prepares them for more advanced geometry concepts.

🎯 How You Can Support at Home:
Try asking your student our Parent Question of the Day:

“Can you show me an example of a positive and negative number being multiplied or divided in a real-life situation—like a bank account or temperature change?”

We appreciate your continued support as we help our students grow in confidence and skill.

Greetings students and AAA family,

Each week in math, we will continue working on refreshing previously learned skills and standards to remediate weak areas and achieve mastery for all students. These reviews will be included in the lesson as well as bell work, before strategies, cooperative learning and partner work. Next week we will have the ACAP Practice Assessment. In the classes, we will continue with Scientific Notation and Solving Various Equations including those with distributive property. If time permits, students will be introduced to linear and nonlinear functions.The students must complete 2 iReady math pathway lessons each week. This will be worked on in and out of school (homework). Have an amazing week. :-)

Science: We continue with studying Weather and Climate. Since we have wrapped up our weather balloon project, we will be returning to use of AMSTI investigations to further our understanding of weather and climate. Please know that our hands-on investigations can only be completed in class. It is EXTREMELY important to be IN CLASS and ON TIME.

In science, we are using our online textbook as only a limited number of printed copies were supplied with our AMSTI kits. The textbook is available at Carolina Science Online. Username is: Estelle Student; password is: password123. Student notebooks and information about DETECTS is available at uahdetects.org.

Not required but fun: SciStarter’s Citizen Science October activities: https://scistarter.org/calendar

We are starting our unit on cell transport and how cells move material across the cell membrane. We are using VR, completing a hands on activity and completing a reading with questions this week to practice these concepts.

This week we will continue our study dealing with physical and chemical properties of matter. We will also begin looking at chemical equations, compounds, chemical bonding ( learning how to count atoms and balance chemical equations in all Physical Science classes). Please make sure that your student comes to class prepared to work individually and collaboratively.

- Chapter 6 Lesson 2: Women and Progressives - Due October 19

- Prohibition and Progressive Presidents coming up the week of 10/20 - 10/24

- Tentative Test Date: Wednesday/Thursday, October 29/30

We will continue to learn about our civic rights guaranteed by the Constitution. We will also learn about civic and criminal law.

We are covering ancient Egypt.

Join the Remind: https://www.remind.com/join/aaa2526

The first costume parade is October 15 and 16. There will be a Signup Genius sent in the Remind.

If you missed the Music Competition Parent meeting. Check the website for more information https://www.whyaaa.org/ms-stars--clowns.html

Please continue to bring in caboodle checklist items.

Rental/Fabrication Forms were sent home two weeks ago with students. I need to know whether you plan to rent or make your costume. If you plan to rent, you can pay the $20 rental fee in cash, checks made payable to AAA, or on myschoolfees.com.

Makeup Design Class: Has been postponed until the makeup comes in.

Join the Remind: https://www.remind.com/join/aaastar84

If you missed the Music Competition Parent meeting. Check the website for more information https://www.whyaaa.org/ms-stars--clowns.html

Please continue to bring in checklist items.

Magnet Fall Arts Festival is on Saturday, October 18th, from 10 AM to 1 PM. Our performance time is 10:45 am. Please, do your best to arrive by 10:15 am. Traditionally this is a Stars only and not Clowns performance, but many other groups will be performing as well. Make sure you check with your arts teachers for the schedule. Costumes are not ready for this performance, so students will need to wear some combination of black and red. It is their choice.

Rental Forms and Contracts were sent home with students that have not turned in theirs. Please, sign and return. Make sure you have paid your rental fee. You can pay the $20 rental fee in cash, checks made payable to AAA, or on myschoolfees.com.

- Reflections Entries and Entry forms - Due Friday, October 24

- Making Comics coming up the week of 10/20 - 10/24

- A&M Poets will be back the week of 10/27- Fiction Story Final Drafts - Due Friday, October 3

We are currently working on Scenic Design. The kids are drafting designs for the stage, elevation view and floor plans.ly.

Theatre 1

This week in Theatre 1, we are diving into the play Skid Marks: A Play About Driving. Our focus is on understanding the themes and character development within the play. We’ve decided to go screen-free for this unit, which means no laptops! Instead, we are immersing ourselves in the text by reading, answering daily questions, and engaging in discussions. Our ultimate goal is to work on producing a memorized scene from the script, allowing students to bring the text to life through performance.

Intro to Theatre

In Intro to Theatre, we're having a lot of fun with The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales. Like in Theatre 1, we're keeping the laptops closed and focusing on reading, discussing, and answering questions about the stories. This approach helps us explore the humor and unique storytelling style of the play. Students will also have the opportunity to perform a memorized scene, which will help enhance their acting skills and confidence.

Upcoming Performances

Willy Wonka Jr.

We're excited to announce that AAA Theatre is ramping up for our big musical of the year, Willy Wonka Jr.! Tickets are on sale now at WhyAAA.org, and we hope to see you at the theatre from November 7-9. Don’t miss this magical journey into the world of pure imagination!

Thespian Troupe 89345

Our Thespian troupe is preparing for their one-act presentation of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow on Friday, October 24, at 7 PM in the Auditorium. This performance will take place right after our Trunk or Treat event, providing a perfect spooky evening of fun and theatre.

Sneak Peeks

For those eager for a sneak peek of Willy Wonka Jr., catch us this weekend at Lee High School, where we’ll perform at the HCS Magnet Fair at 12 PM. Additionally, join us at Lowe Mill's Outdoor Market on October 18 at 2:30 PM for another glimpse into the show. Finally, we will also feature a preview at AAA's Trunk or Treat event on October 24.

We are thrilled for the upcoming performances and hope to see you there to support our talented students!

This week, we're reviewing student choreography pieces and going over dances for our upcoming dance showcase "Soul Train: The New Edition". I'll be giving students new formations and also go over performance needs.

Starting our second set of 9 weeks has been exciting. Lesson Plans focus on the 'why' and 'how' of our music literature being prepared for the Harvest and Veteran's Tribute Concerts from AAA Magnet Middle String Orchestras! We discovered that the most famous and well-known french dance called the 'Can-Can' is from the same composer as one of the patriotic pieces we will play-The Marine's Hymn. Interating our music curriculum through social and historical perspectives gives us even more depth and meaning to the compositions we can't wait to play! A HUGE congrats goes out to all of our volunteer players for Saturday, October 18th Magnet Fair!

Choir:

The Huntsville All-City Choral Festival will take place on Tuesday October 28th at Trinity United Methodist Church on Airport Road. We have 23 students who will represent AAA at this annual choral festival. The middle school concert will begin at 6:00 p.m. and the high school concert will begin at 7:30 p.m.

Band:

Practice sheets will go home on Monday. Please encourage your child to practice.

Our MOTTO: Mediocrity is NOT acceptable: People come to hear EXCELLENCE!

Congratulations to Meredith Almaguer Garcia for being one of 12 students chosen from all over Huntsville and Madison to have artwork featured at the Huntsville Botanical Gardens Galaxy of Lights! We are so proud of her and cannot wait to see her artwork on display! Lee Visual Art's Magnet Program will be visiting AAA on Oct. 3rd! This is a fantastic opportunity for 8th grade students who are interested in the Magnet Visual Arts Pathway to engage with and ask questions to the Visual Arts Teachers at Lee. Spots are limited- please encourage your 8th grader to sign-up ASAP! https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0E4DA5A928ABFEC34-58809416-leevisit More Art Contest Opportunities: Please visit www.whyaaa.org/ms-art to see new contest opportunities for your student to submit entries to!

Art students who are interested in signing up for National Junior Art Honors Society! Please fill out an application on the www.whyaaa.org/ms-art website. Deadline to apply is October 31st!

My Amazon Wishlist:

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/2K9OTEY7SRJGD?ref_=wl_share

Please review the 6th Grade Behavior Essentials