Hello Cluster 4 Families!

We are almost finished with Unit 3 of Measuring Circles! Students have already completed a mid-unit quiz which focused on finding the circumference of a circle. After finishing the quiz, our focus shifted to finding the area of a circle.

Throughout this entire unit, vocabulary words like radius, diameter, and pi have helped students get a better understanding about the parts of a circle and how they relate to circumference and area. Students have also learned how to write and use equations to calculate the circumference and the area.

We will be having an end of unit test this week before winter break. When we come back from break we will be working on PERCENTS!

Here is a link to our Family Resource Information Sheet.

Below is a further breakdown on the second half of Unit 3: Measuring Circles:

Section 2: Area of a Circle (Lessons 5–9)

Students recognize that the relationships between the radius and area of a circle is not proportional. They explain and use the formula for the area of a circle to solve problems. Students will use this work to determine the volume of cylinders, cones, and spheres in Grade 8.

Lesson 5 surfaces strategies students may know from previous grades about determining the area of a complex polygon, such as counting whole and partial tiles, decomposing and rearranging, and surrounding and subtracting. This lesson also introduces students to the idea of estimating the area of shapes that have curved edges, which sets students up to estimate the area of a circle at the beginning of Lesson 6.

Lesson 6 is a two-day task that asks students to make sense of the relationship between the radius of a circle, the square of the radius, and the area of the circle. This lesson uses radius squares (a square whose side length is the radius of a circle) to help students visualize these relationships. At the end of the lesson, students should know a formula for the relationship between the radius of a circle and its area.

Lesson 7 digs deeper into why this formula makes sense, using the strategy from Lesson 5 to rearrange a circle into a triangle with the same area. This lesson also asks students to decide whether or not the relationship between the radius of a circle and its area is proportional.

Lesson 8 extends the work students did in Lesson 6 calculating the area of a circle. Students practice calculating the area of shapes composed of squares and parts of circles. This lesson is parallel to Lesson 4 in many ways.

Lesson 9 asks students to use what they have learned about circumference and area to solve a series of challenging tasks that explore the relationship between the perimeter and the area of both a circle and a square.

Science with Ms. MacAulay - updated 12/16/22

As we wrap up our body system unit, students are working together to investigate a particular system on their own. They are putting their findings together in a program called BookCreator. Each class will have a library of finished body system books upon completion that we can share.

Life Science Learning Targets:

• Classify organisms into the currently recognized kingdoms according to characteristics that they share. Be familiar with organisms from each kingdom.

• Describe the hierarchical organization of multicellular organisms from cells to tissues to organs to systems to organisms.

• Identify the general functions of the major systems of the human body (digestion, respiration, reproduction, circulation, excretion, protection from disease, and movement, control, and coordination) and describe ways that these systems interact with each other.

We have begun our third unit of study in Social Studies class this year. We are building on 6th-grade learning about the Abrahamic religions and culture by concentrating first on Hinduism and Buddhism. then studying how the ancient mythologies of Greece and Rome continue to infiltrate our modern lives.. The unit question is, “How do beliefs shape the way people live?” We began with overall ideas about the importance of religious literacy to our democracy. We analyzed Hindu art and read about its origins and values. Now students are doing a deeper dive into a case study on Buddhism, again analyzing art and reading about the story of Prince Siddhartha.

Students are continuing to work on many important social studies skills: executive functioning, nonfiction reading, map-reading, using multiple sources, using a table of contents in a book, and extracting key information as it relates to the learning targets. Students are able to access the social studies content through complementary texts and videos on Google Classroom.

Learning Targets:

• I can identify the origins and central beliefs of Buddhism.

• I can explain how religion influences how people live.

Language-Based English Language Arts with Mrs. Sullivan (12/16)

Students reviewed spelling-sound correspondence for /ng/, consonant doubling, and the consonant blend qu as the class prepared for a quick check in. Creating meaningful definitions for vocabulary words, the class brainstormed different aspects of a word, the way it looks, its qualities, its features and parts, to create a sentence that serves as the word’s definition. Word and phrase fluency were practiced 1:1 with the teacher. Total words read are calculated, errors are subtracted, and scores are continually recorded. Word and phrase fluency will continue throughout the academic year.

The Outsiders has gripped class with its danger, drama, and unpredictable events as the greasers make their way through the murky waters of classism. The Socs, the rich suburban youth, seem to get all of the breaks. Will the greaser gang’s friendships and authenticity win out over the cash and the fancy cars?

Students keep track of the characters’ descriptions, thoughts, and actions with the use of a tree map. Students deepen their understanding of the novel’s themes through class discussions finding supporting details to reinforce their perspectives. If you would like to read along with us, a novel will be sent home. The Outsiders will surely make it to your “Top Ten Reads.” Guaranteed.

English Language Arts with Ms. McDonagh - updated 12/16/2022

In ELA, we are continuing our novel study with “The Outsiders”. The story has gripped our classes with its danger, drama, and unpredictable events as the greasers make their way through the murky waters of classism. The Socs, the rich suburban youth, seem to get all of the breaks. Will the greaser gang’s friendships and authenticity win out over the cash and the fancy cars? Students have been tracking themes as they read. Students are practicing citing textual evidence to support their thinking, then using this evidence in their writing. We have studied two poems to note how themes arise in different texts and genres. We will wrap up the unit next week.

After break, we will begin book clubs. Students will have a choice of one of several book options to match their interests and challenge level. This next unit will address current contexts, diverse characters and issues of our times. In this unit, we will focus on theme, characterization, and how the elements of a story influence each other. Students will continue to practice active thinking and note-taking as they read. They will be challenged to make connections between texts and to transfer their understanding in new contexts.

The upcoming break is a great time to dive into some independent reading. Our daily homework for ELA is to read! By term 2, many students have established the habit of reading 20-30 minutes a day - bravo!. For term 2, we will be reading class novels. Many days, students will begin a chapter in class and will finish the chapter on their own. On days a student doesn’t have pages to read in our class novel, they will continue reading in their independent reading books. We will continue to track and celebrate independent reading, but it will not be assessed this term. Please support your student by helping them set aside time at home to read and talking with them about what they are reading.

Learning Targets:

RL1

Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis of what a text states explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, quoting or paraphrasing as appropriate.

Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text; provide an objective summary of a text.

Analyze how particular elements of a story, poem, or drama interact (e.g., how setting shapes the characters or plot).

Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning, tone, or mood, including the impact of repeated use of particular images.

Analyze how aspects of a literary work’s structure contribute to its meaning or style

2. Write informative/explanatory texts (e.g., essays, oral reports, biographical feature articles) to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content.

1. Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 7 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and clearly expressing their own

1. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking; retain and further develop language skills learned in previous grades.

2. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing