STEER HAPPENINGS

8th grade students are exploring functions in terms of sequences, mappings, sets of ordered pairs, graphs, tables, verbal descriptions, and equations. Because students have a strong foundation in writing equations of lines, they can construct equations for linear functions. Students learn the formal definition of function and analyze functions and relations represented in a wide variety of ways. Finally, students further investigate the focus function: the linear function. Questions to ask your child:

Can you show me the strategy you used to solve a problem in math class today? Do you know another way to solve it?

7th grade students will be building fluency when operating with positive and negative rational numbers. Students begin this topic by applying their knowledge of adding and subtracting positive and negative integers to the set of rational numbers. Next, students divide integers resulting in rational numbers, given the divisor is not 0. They learn that the decimal form of quotients of integers always repeat or terminate. Next, they apply the rules for multiplying and dividing integers to the set of rational numbers in the context of problem solving. Questions to ask your child:

Can you show me the strategy you used to solve a problem in math class today? Do you know another way to solve it?

6th grade students use number lines and two-color counters to model addition, subtraction, and multiplication of integers before developing rules for determining the sum, difference, and product of signed numbers. Students use patterns and multiplication fact families to develop the rules for the quotients of signed numbers, namely that the same rules apply to quotients as products. Students are expected to make connections between the representations used. Questions to ask your child:

Can you show me the strategy you used to solve a problem in math class today? Do you know another way to solve it?

8th grade will be taking a deeper looking into plate tectonics and the Theory of Continental Drift. In the middle of the month, they will be reviewing plate boundaries and what type of crustal features are created at the boundaries. Then finish the month with topographic maps and satellite images. Questions to ask your child: What is the evidence that proves plate tectonic theory and how are the plates able to move over time?

7th grade will be finishing up the digestive system which then moves them into physical and chemical changes in matter. The students will conduct a great lab over physical and chemical changes in the digestive system. Then move into comparing body systems to cell organelles. They will finish the month with energy transformation in organisms. Questions to ask your child: What is the difference between a physical change and a chemical change? How do the functions of organelles compare to the functions of body systems?

6th grade will be finishing up plate tectonics with a product based assessment lab. The students will have to demonstrate their knowledge of plate boundaries and the crustal features that are formed at each boundary. They will then move onto the Rock Cycle learning how sedimentary, igneous, and metamorphic rocks are formed. Finally, they will finish the month learning about gravity. Questions to ask your child: How do the tectonic plates move? How are igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks formed?

8th grade students will be learning about the early years of our country. Questions to ask your child: What were the most significant foreign policies developed by Jefferson? What were the causes of the War of 1812? How did Jefferson expand the U.S.?

7th grade students will be learning about how our government works. Questions to ask your child: Why is it important for our constitution to contain the Bill of Rights? What is the Bill of Rights? What are separation of powers and checks and balances?

6th grade students will be learning about Europe. Questions to ask your child: How did the colonization of other regions affect the population of Europe? What is the relationship between physical geography and trade in historical Europe? How did history affect the various cultures of Europe?

8th grade we are still exploring the "Great War" (World War I). They will closely examine great art and literature that respond to the war, including the poems "In Flanders Fields," and "Dulce Et Decorum Est". The core text for this module will be the novel "All Quiet on the Western Front". Questions to ask your child: Why did countries and individuals join World War 1? How did the conditions on the front affect solders?

7th grade we are still exploring how we react when faced with war. The World War II experiences of Japanese Americans and Native Americans show how the war affected Americans in different ways. The novel for this month will be "Code Talker". Question to ask your child: How did World War II affect individuals? How does Ned's Navajo identity provide strength during times of challenge?

6th grade we are still working on The Odyssey. The students are applying their understanding of the monomyth. They will analyze how an event develops archetypes and advances a text's big idea by analyzing how the author, Cross, uses narrative techniques to develop character and plot. Finally, they will analyze how the final chapter supports the text's big ideas and solidifies some of its themes. Questions to ask your child:
What are some of the themes in the book, "The Odyssey"? Can you define monomyth in your own words? What is the significance and power of the hero's journey?

By Briana Medrano - 8th grade

By Kyana Perry - 8th grade