Literacy
This month in Literacy, students completed their work with SOF RI.7.2 - I can determine two or more central ideas of a text and write an objective summary. Students learned the importance of identifying the main TOPIC of a passage first and then being able to annotate what they are reading by identifying KEY DETAILS to show their understanding of the text. Students then put both of these (topic + key ideas) together to determine a central idea statement. After students were able to come up with central ideas on their own, they were further challenged by being given multiple central ideas for different parts of a text to choose from. Making sure students are able to recognize that texts can have many central ideas throughout was a new concept some students had not yet realized before. Being able to understand and how to determine multiple central ideas of a text is beneficial to students as they progress in grade levels and begin to read higher level texts, further developing their reading skills.
To further practice these skills, all students also read a book about a nonfiction topic of their choice and created a HyperDoc about their topic for their classmates to learn from. Students needed to do research, share interesting facts, include videos, quizzes and even a game for their peers to engage in. Students had a great time exploring what their classmates created on our Gallery Walk day in class!
Recently, students have been learning about a TDA (Text Dependent Analysis). So far, students have analyzed samples of essays written by other 7th grade students and were asked to give scores according to the TDA rubric. Students were able to back up their scoring with accurate reasons using the information from the rubric and from their knowledge of what makes up a good essay. Students will practice writing a few TDA's of their own in the next few weeks!
Social Studies
In the beginning of the month in Social Studies, students officially wrapped up their unit on Ancient China. Then, leading up to Spring Break, students completed a mini-unit that was fueled by inquiry. Each student chose an inquiry topic that was both a significant topic in history and something they wanted to learn more about. From there, students created their own essential question to guide their unit and created leveled questions that guided their research. Through the investigation of primary and secondary sources, students became experts on their topic and created a slideshow to share that expertise with their peers. During the week before Spring Break, students presented their slides to the class so we could all learn from one another’s knowledge. Students did an exceptional job on these - definitely a highlight of the year so far!!
Looking ahead, we are jumping into our next unit on Mesoamerica and will be exploring the Aztec, Inca, and the Maya. We will look at the geography, analyze primary source artifacts and ruins, and understand the impact of conquistadors and exploration.
In addition, we will have a week in April where we work with our guidance counselor, Janine Hake, on Academic and Career Planning. More information to come on that!
Science
During the month of March, students began exploring the concepts of genetics, beginning with DNA, RNA and how it impacts how cells reproduce. Students demonstrated in-class labs on the process of mitosis and meiosis. At the end of the unit, students created a one-pager of their information from this unit. Students had the choice of using the pre-made template or creating their own. Students are expected to keep these one-pagers since we will be references DNA, RNA, Mitosis, and Meiosis for the next few units.
After spring break, students will be learning about mutations and how it drives natural selection. After natural selection, students will learn about Mendelian, Non-Mendelian, Sex-linked traits, punnett squares, and pedigrees. This will be the few units before diving into human anatomy!
Rolling Agendas
Below are the links to ALL 7th-grade core teachers Rolling Agendas. Please remind your child to check agendas when they are absent so they can stay caught up!
Literacy:
Math:
Social Studies:
Science:
