November 2014 November Newsletter-7th Grade Greenfield Middle School Read it! Get it! Sum it! Mrs. Roberts, Math/Science & Mrs. Zimmerman, ELA/Social Studies In Math, students have been busy writing equations from graphs and data boxes, using the constant of proportionality. We are learning about maps and scale drawings and how they apply to everyday life. Fractions, decimals and percents will be our next line of business. I must mention the good scores on their first 20-word math vocabulary test! Bravo, students!! In Science students are busy taking notes and researching factors in their biomes. They have been especially excited about how the populations have changed and will change over time. In Ms. Zimmerman’s ELA classes we have finished The Giver and are examining characters. We have read a play version and are comparing it to the novel. In addition we are examining figurative language like similes and metaphors, as well as talking about internal and external conflicts. On Halloween we will think about what makes a story scary and maybe try one of our own! Social Studies finds us comparing Athens and Sparta and thinking about Greek contributions to literature. We recently read from the Odyssey and compared one of Aesop’s fables in print and video. We will soon be read- ing Greek myths and famous Greeks in history. Our goal is to consider how the Greeks have shaped our world from politics to architecture! In both classes we are working on summarizing. A data wall in the hall shows the first scores and will reflect data regarding students’ growing skills in this area. Summarizing involves sifting through main ideas and details and getting at the core of a reading. Important Dates:  Nov. 7-Half Day: Parent/ Teacher conferences  Nov. 11-No School: Veteran’s day  Nov. 26-Half Day  Nov. 27-28-No School: Thanksgiving  Dec. 17-Taste of World Cultures night at GMS Please feel free to contact us via email; Deb Roberts – [email protected] and Rebecca Zimmerman – [email protected] We’d love to hear from you! Ms. Caloon, ELA Happy November!! Things are really starting to take off in our class. Students have written a compare/contrast essay, and are just finishing up their Characterization Essays where students had a focus on how to thoroughly edit and revise each other’s papers. Our next writing project will be writing a personal narrative. We will review the eight parts of speech, and dig deeper into sentence and paragraph structure. We are still focusing on fiction unit, and starting our second novel. Students will have a choice between “Savvy” by Ingrid Law, “Jellicoe Road” by Me- lina Marchetta, and “Elijah of Buxton” by Christopher Paul Curtis. Hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving, and please feel free to contact me via email at [email protected] or by phone at 772-1360 ext. 1210. Mrs. Zimmerman’s Wonder door decorations. Mrs. Slowinski, Grade 7 Read 180 7th graders are finishing their workshop on Turning Points where the comprehension focus is on comparing and contrasting details from the text. First, we read a personal essay written by Jonathan Fong who moved to the U.S. from Taiwan and found school and friendships to be more difficult in his new country. Next we followed the life of a teen who became paralyzed after being infected with polio. Ekiwah’s discovery of poetry set him free from the paralysis. Finally, we read about two girls who were separated when their mom was imprisoned. This was a significant turning point and they persisted in keeping their lives on the right track. Students are now using the writing process to write personal narratives about turning points in their lives and including many sensory details to capture the interest of their audience. In November, we will begin to read Literary and Informational Texts about the Streets of Harlem including works by Walter Dean Myers. Students should remember to read 20 minutes every night and write 3 sentences. Read 180 students may use the e-book and e-read website at www.read180.com/myreading for homework. You can contact me at [email protected]. Remember: Practice makes perfect! Read! Read! Read! the month where they will use the remaining amount to throw a party. success. Ms. Robbin’s and Ms. Caloon’s Data Board for summary writing Ms. Robbins, Math Rational numbers are the excitement happening in math class in November. We will be reviewing the four operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division) with positive and negative numbers. This unit is the perfect time to help students gain a better understanding of money. Integrated into classroom activities are problems where students practice balancing a checkbook. Their “checking accounts” will fluctuate throughout the month, and there will a project at the end of A few notes about math class: · Students are expected to work on math homework for 20 minutes Monday -Friday. · Agendas are provided by the school in September, but if a student misplaces their agenda, they are required to supply their own. We use these agendas on a daily basis, so they are vital for Mrs. Maddern, 7th Grade Special Education My students continue to work hard. In math they are starting a unit on ratios, proportions and unit rates. There are still some who are having difficulty with long division, and although we have moved on from that for the time being, we will return to division every now and then to keep the skills alive. We have finished reading Holes, which the students enjoyed a lot. Our new Page 2 · The official day for after school help is Tuesday, but students may stay after Wednesdays or Thursdays as long as there is enough notice that they want/ need to get extra help. Please feel free to contact me at [email protected]! All year we will be practicing summary writing. Ask your kids to summarize their day! book is Hoot, about a boy who tries to save an endangered species of owls. We will do writing projects, vocabulary development and even some art projects with this book. In writing class we will be doing a lot more with summary writing of non-fiction material. Please feel free to contact me at [email protected]. November Newsletter-7th Grade Greenfield Middle School 195 Federal Street Greenfield MA, 01301 Phone: 413-772-1360 Extensions: Mrs. Roberts-x1202 Mrs. Zimmerman-x1201 Mrs. Slowinski-x1214 Mrs. Maddern-x1204 Ms. Caloon-x1210 Ms. Robbins-x1211 Mr. Tucker-x1212 This year at GMS, our instructional focus is on writing summaries based on nonfiction texts. We are telling our students to “Read it! Get it ! Sum it!” You can participate by encouraging your child to read non-fiction whenever possible, whether in a book, a magazine, or even the sports pages! Ask them to sum up what they’ve read. Mr. Tucker, Social Studies November is going to be a very exciting month for our social studies classes. Students are wrapping up their unit on Ancient Greece by debating the legacy Alexander the Great and taking a test on what they have learned. From there, we are journeying to Ancient Rome. For the rest of November, we will be learning about Roman history and politics, from the founding of the city to the fall of the republic. Particular attention will be given to the similarities between the Roman republic and the Constitution of the United States. At the same time we will be working diligently on our summary writing skills. Each week the students will be writing summaries about a variety of non-fiction texts, paying close attention to how translate notes into coherent writing. Have a great month, and feel free to contact me at [email protected]. Ms. Caloon’s Wonder door decorations