7th Grade Team December Newsletter

Staying connected to our families is important to our teachers. In addition to the front page of our Canvas courses, we are excited to share this monthly newsletter with our families to keep you aware of upcoming events, activities, lessons, units, and materials from our classes! The 7th Grade Team has compiled this newsletter to share some of the upcoming experiences your student will be having with us. As always, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact your child's teachers! As a reminder, the end of the 2nd Quarter and 1st Semester will be Friday, January 5th.

7th grade engineering students have completed their SolidWorks tutorials and are about to begin applying their skills to an open-ended final project. I’m really looking forward to see what creative designs the students create in the coming weeks!

Technology students are moving into their final cumulative project for the class! In this project, students will combine their knowledge of image manipulation, internet research, presentation creation, mapping tools, audio tools and video editing to create a project that cumulatively summarizes their experience this year. They’ll be taking on the role of a band trying to make music and plan a cross-country tour. Look for their hit singles soon!

Mrs. Danner's and Mrs. Kline's Classes:

We are traveling back in time through the use of Informational Text and real historical documents to explore the conspiracy surrounding the Abraham Lincoln assassination. We are working on our Reading Informational Text skills and using text evidence to support our claims. If you would like to read along, we are using Chasing Lincoln’s Killer by James L. Swanson as our primary text. All chapters are linked in Canvas if you don’t mind listening to me read aloud! When we return from Winter Break, we will take our new-found knowledge and use it for some informational and argumentative writing.

Mrs. Heinig's Classes

We are about to start ELA Unit #3, which is our Nonfiction Research unit. They will do research and then compile it in a Google Slides presentation that will be used to teach their classmates. We will cover a boatload of standards and the kids will learn so much. Your students get to choose their topics, so they love this project because they get to dive deeply into topics they are passionate about. Here are a few of the many standards we will be covering:

• Perform research using credible, reliable, and relevant books and online sources

• Synthesize and summarize what they are reading

• Create organization in a piece of writing with text features and structures

• Think critically about the topic

• Create a presentation designed to teach their classmates

• Learn to speak in front of a group using talking points and interactive information

Students in Math 7 have just finished their Module “Algebraic Expressions.” Next week we will begin Module 6. In this module, "Write and Solve Equations", students will apply their prior knowledge of solving one-step equations to solving two-step equations and their prior knowledge of operations with fractions to solving equations with rational numbers. They will use both algebraic and arithmetic solving strategies and compare the structure of the two methods. Our next Module Assessment will be on Friday, December 15. Please note that math MAP testing will take place on Monday, December 4 and Tuesday, December 5 during your children’s regularly scheduled math class.

Math 7+

Students in Math 7+ have just started their Module “Algebraic Expressions.” In this module, students will use their prior knowledge of operations with algebraic expressions, greatest common factors, and the distributive property to simplify algebraic expressions. By simplifying algebraic expressions, students will be able to make sense of complex algebraic models and be ready to solve multi-step algebraic equations. Our next Module Assessment will be on Monday, December 11 (this is a short Module!). Please note that math MAP testing will take place on Monday, December 4 and Tuesday, December 5 during your children’s regularly scheduled math class.

Seventh grade science students are learning about waves. They have drawn waves, made waves with a slinky and a rope, and used water to study wave interactions. If you drop a student off at school and they don’t wave goodbye, it’s because they are “waved out”. :) Next we will be learning about the Periodic Chart.

Seventh grade social studies has moved into its biggest unit of the year- Ancient Rome! We have already studied several myths and legends related to the founding of this great civilization as well as compared its early republic to our similar system of government. This week, we are mapping Roman expansion and analyzing how the Romans built the largest empire the world had ever seen. Next week, we will begin our Julius Caesar escape room activity; a multi-day competition that focuses on the murder of the famous Roman. Finally, before Christmas break, we will study some famous Roman Emperors and the impact they had on the Roman Empire.

Common Sense Media is an online tool that can help parents and students make informed decisions regarding media use. This tool can be used for many types of media, including books, movies, video games, and apps. Additionally, the “Parent Tips and FAQ” section can provide families with valuable support on facilitating social media, cell phone, and screen time use with their child.