Cluster 4 Monthly Update

Each fall, Watertown Middle School students and teachers collect food and other items to put together baskets to share with Watertown families over the Thanksgiving holiday.

To accomplish this, we need each student to bring in at least one item we can use to fill the baskets.

• Non-perishable food items need to be brought in to your advisory by Friday, November 17th. You can bring them in anytime before the 17th as well.

• A food item is non-perishable if it won’t go bad outside of the fridge for a few days. This includes any boxed mixes or canned goods. It also includes gift cards

• Perishable food items need to be brought in ON Monday, November 20th. Please do not bring them in prior to that.

• A food item is perishable if it can go bad over a few days. This includes any already made bread including rolls, pies, butter, apple cider, any fresh vegetables, and turkey.

All late/missing work due to CLUSTER TEACHERS on Wednesday, November 29th.

Review PowerSchool and Google Classroom for what work you can complete and re-do.

There have been a growing number of incidents where students are violating the WMS personal electronic device usage policy by using their Apple Watches in school as phones. In 2022, Apple created a special mode called Schooltime that restricts the Apple Watch during school hours. You can remotely manage this from your iPhone, thus limiting your students' access to the internet, social media websites, apps and a camera. Apple Watches are devices that fall under the school PED policy and will be treated the same as a Smartphone (need to be off and away).

Hello,

We just finished up our unit on Proportional Relationships. We got comfortable creating equations, stories, graphs and tables about proportional relationships. We will revisit this unit when we study Linear Relationships in a few months.

Next for us, we will be talking about all things circles. Students will build on what they know about area, perimeter and order of operations while working with two-dimensional figures. This unit will take us to the end of Trimester 1, with the assessments likely falling in Trimester 2.

How does Google Classroom work in Mr. Martin’s class? Google classroom is a place where I let students know what work we are doing. Both classwork and homework are posted in GC, with homework given a due date. I do not use google classroom for any grading purposes.

Student Goals in Unit 3 - Circles

• I can explain whether or not the relationship between a side length or a diagonal of a shape and its perimeter is proportional.
• I can use proportional relationships to figure out missing side lengths, diagonals, and perimeters.
• I can describe the characteristics of a circle.
• I can identify the diameter and radius of a circle and explain how they are related.
• I can describe the relationship between the radius, diameter, and circumference of a circle.
• Given the radius, diameter, or circumference of a circle, I can calculate the other two measurements.
• I can calculate the perimeter of a complex shape that includes parts of circles.
• I can write perimeter as an expression that includes π , such as 20π + 50
• I can determine the area of a complex shape using a variety of strategies.
• I can estimate the area of a shape with curved edges
• I can describe the relationship between the radius of any circle and its area.
• I can calculate the area of a circle.
• I can explain whether the relationship between the radius and area of a circle is proportional or not.
• I can explain the formula of a circle's area by rearranging the circle into a triangle of the same area.
• I can calculate the area of a complex shape that includes parts of circles.
• I can write area as an expression that includes π , such as 20π + 50 .
• I can describe the relationship between perimeter and area for both a circle and a square.
• I can calculate the area of a circle given its circumference.

We are engaged in our first history unit of the year: South and Central Asia! The essential questions -- which truly connect across geographic region and historical time period -- are as follows:

• How does where you live influence how you live?

• How do belief systems reflect and influence society?

• How much influence do leaders have over the success of a society?

We are just wrapping up part II of the unit with students designing Instagram carousels about what they think is the most important big idea for the public to know about the ancient Harappan society. Look on Instagram@wmscl4 for these projects.

Later this week, we will begin Section III: Post-Harappan Developments in South Asia, which will largely focus on the religious traditions of Hinduism and Buddhism. Students will continue to practice and develop their vocabulary and information reading and writing skills.

The four sub-sections of this unit are as follows:

I. Geography of South and Central Asia ✅

How do geography and climate influence the development of societies and the lives of people in South and Central Asia?

II. Harappan Society ✅

If you were a curator, which three artifacts would you choose to communicate what is most important about Harappan society?

III. Post-Harappan Developments in South Asia

What are the origins and essential beliefs of the religious traditions that developed in ancient South Asia?

IV. Kingship and Golden Ages in Ancient India and Central Asia

How did the Mauryan Empire use philosophical ideas and belief systems to guide its leadership? Who created the Golden Ages of India and Central Asia?

NOTE on GOOGLE CLASSROOM in SOCIAL STUDIES:

In Social Studies class, we depend on Google Classroom as an essential organizational tool for success. On the opening page -- the “stream” -- I post the daily class agenda. On the “classwork” page, I post all of the materials needed for class: slideshows, videos, handouts, forms, and reference materials. If a student is absent from class for any reason, they may check our Google Classroom and catch up pretty easily. I also categorize work by “Must Do,” “Should Do,” and “On 🔥” to work toward more self-pacing and differentiation. There are many larger assignments that are scored directly in Google Classroom, and then re-entered into PowerSchool. Many students depend on the To-Do list and embedded Google Calendar to help them keep organized as well.

In science class we are learning about the circulatory system and how it works inside our bodies to keep us alive. As we investigate human body systems, we discuss and look at cells that are specific to each system, types of tissues, different organs, and how they work together. Students are developing an understanding and appreciation for the complexity of their own bodies!

You can find lots of information on our class’ Google Classroom. Please get your student into the habit of looking at their Google Classroom site to check on assignments, homework, and upcoming quizzes. Note that some assignments are posted on Google Classroom; others are passed out in class. Grades are occasionally posted on assignments passed in via Google Classroom, but you and your students should check PowerSchool for grades and progress updates.

Biology Standards

6.MS-LS1-3. Construct an argument supported by evidence that the body systems interact to carry out essential functions of life.

8.MS-LS1-7. Use informational text to describe that food molecules, including carbohydrates, proteins, and fats, are broken down and rearranged through chemical reactions forming new molecules that support cell growth and/or release of energy.

Students continue to practice sentence expansion through Masterpiece Sentences. Viewing a variety of pictures, students develop a well-written sentence by asking who, what, how, when, and where questions. This exercise supports students as the class prepares to write the final CER(claim, evidence, reasoning) based on “Jazz: The Journey.” A two-column graphic organizer supports student writing as the main topic is developed based on the big idea question: Where did the music of jazz begin? Students scan notes and the informational reading to draft topics and concluding sentences, list three examples of “stops” along the timeline of jazz, and explain why each was important to the development of this rich and complex music genre. Students will edit and revise their writing for final publishing.

Learning Targets

• Analyze the structure of texts, including how specific sentences, paragraphs, and larger portions of the text relate to each other and the whole.

• Produce clear and coherent writing in which development, organization, and style are appropriate to the task, purpose, and audience

We are doing a short unit on story elements. We have been learning how to identify story elements, such as conflict, character arc, and setting, with a strong focus on theme. You may have seen pictures on Cluster4 Instagram of students enacting different kinds of conflict in tableaux vivants. Using Pixar short films to introduce and practice working with these elements has been fun and engaging for students. We are then reading short stories, including Langston Hughes’ “Thank You Ma’am” and “The Scholarship Jacket” by Marta Salinas where students will expand their skills to do close reading and analysis using the story elements. As we enter the Thanksgiving holiday, it is timely that many of these stories prompt students to reflect on themes of kindness, self-acceptance, and respect for others.

Google Classroom in ELA: This is where all assignments and materials are posted. Students complete and submit assignments here and can access class handouts and materials. All graded work is communicated through PowerSchool. I will sometimes return graded work and quizzes through Google Classroom just for the purpose of giving individual feedback. If a student is absent, they are expected to review and complete the materials/lesson they missed.

As always, our daily homework for ELA is to read! Get in the habit of reading 20-30 minutes a day of a book of your choice! This is usually the only homework for ELA. Each Friday, students need to bring their books to class for a book check. Every 4-6 weeks, I tally their progress for an assessment grade. If students are reading prose books, they should aim for about 50 pages per week. If they are reading graphic novels or books in verse, they will need to read more. Every student needs to read at home daily. Please support your student by helping them set aside time at home to read, helping them get books, and talking with them and or reading with them.

Short Story Elements Unit - Learning Outcomes

RL7.1

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