In 7th grade ELA with Miss Allen, students are nearing the end of The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. They completed a writing assignment on "coming of age," reflecting on characters their age and evaluating their choices. Students also presented creative Black Comedy art projects, exploring the novel’s unique narration by Death. A lively debate on “Hans and the Ethics of Altruism” challenged them to defend perspectives on moral dilemmas in Part 7, followed by a Socratic seminar on The Word Shaker in Part 8. In the book, our narrator, Death, calls Liesel a "word shaker," a term from a story Max writes for her, The Word Shaker, where words are compared to seeds that grow into powerful trees. Liesel earns this title because she understands the power of words to both harm and heal, using them to resist hatred and spread love and hope. Students have been working on their own Storybook project inspired by The Word Shaker, connecting themes from the novel to their own storytelling. We have also had rich discussions analyzing The Book Thief’s central theme of humanity’s capacity for both good and evil through a written response, followed by small group and class discussions. Additionally, students completed comprehension quizzes on Books 7-9, took their Lesson 8 Wordly Wise vocabulary exam, and strengthened their grammar skills by mastering irregular verbs, personal pronouns, and pronoun-antecedent agreement.
In 7th grade Math with Mr. Pritchett, students stepped back from their focus on pure algebra and spent a few weeks learning building on their previous introduction to geometry. They began with an introduction to the rules that govern the relationship between lines and angles. When a transversal cuts through parallel lines, alternating sets of congruent angles are formed and follow a set of rules. Once students learned these rules, they were able to use their critical thinking to solve for unknown side lengths and angle measures. Students then worked on identifying similar types of shapes by their unique properties (e.g. trapezoids have one set of parallel sides, rhombi have all congruent sides, etc.). Once they recognized what shapes they were working with and their properties, students were able to identify whether certain shapes were congruent or could be used to solve for missing measures. Students concluded the chapter with a more in-depth examination of the properties of a circle and various formulae associated with it. Combining these topics, students can now find the area of a complex figure by adding or subtracting the areas of various figures.
In 7th grade Social Studies with Miss Falcone, students are concluding their in-depth study of Ancient India, learning about this fascinating civilization that shaped much of the modern world. Over the past few weeks, they have explored how this civilization was formed, examined the major religions that originated there, and learned about its early leaders. To wrap up this unit, students are applying their knowledge by creating engaging projects based on the GRAPES framework. This is an acronym that helps them analyze civilizations through six key aspects: Geography, Religion, Achievements, Politics, Economics, and Social System. Working in pairs, each team is diving deep into one of these categories, researching its significance in Ancient India, and putting together a creative presentation to share with their classmates. Through this project, students are not only reinforcing their understanding of Ancient India, but also building important skills in research, collaboration, and presentation. I am looking forward to seeing their hard work come to life in the classroom!
In 7th grade Science with Mr. Ahmad, students have been learning about chemical reactions by making their own bath bombs. They explored the key compounds—baking soda, citric acid, and water—that cause the fizzing reaction. Through experiments, they measured how different factors, like temperature and ingredient amounts, affect the reaction rate. Students recorded their observations, compared results, and discussed why certain combinations produced faster or slower reactions. This activity connected to their broader study of chemical changes, reinforcing concepts like reactants, products, and evidence of a chemical reaction. It also gave them a chance to apply scientific investigation skills in a fun, practical way.
In 7th & 8th Grade Religion with Miss Allen, students have been exploring the Gospels of Matthew and Mark in their unit on Jesus and the Gospel message. They have studied how Matthew, one of the Twelve Apostles, presents an orderly and reliable account of Jesus’ life and teachings, emphasizing the fulfillment of God’s promises to Abraham, Moses, and David. Additionally, students have learned about Mark’s Gospel, traditionally attributed to John Mark, a companion of St. Peter, and how it was written for a Gentile audience in Rome. The class has also explored the four types of miracles Jesus performed—miracles of nature, healing, the supernatural, and supply—deepening their understanding of Christ’s divine power and mission.
