Weekly Update - 3/23

Greetings Team Equinox Families:

Next week is SBAC testing. Here is a schedule for the first week of testing. This week’s focus is on English/Language Arts. The following week will focus on Math. Please feel free to review this schedule with your child in anticipation of a smooth testing process. We encourage students to get a good night’s sleep and be ready to go on Monday!

Here’s what your child has been up to this week on Team Equinox~

Science:

This week students finished their egg drop and presentations! All students did an amazing job describing how Newton’s Third Law.  Today, we started tapping trees for our maple syrup unit. Students who did not tap trees today will start this process on Monday.  Please make sure that your student has appropriate footwear and clothing to go outside this next week.
Science Homework: Wear warm clothes all week!

Humanities:

In Social Studies, students learned about anti-semitism in Germany and Europe overall.  Students looked at German laws that discriminated against Jews, taking away their rights and opportunities.  Students also learned about some of the ghettos in Europe that the Jews were forced to live in, and the conditions within these ghettos. We also completed our weekly map quiz and learned about current events through our “Week in Rap” video.  

Homework - Students should complete any missing work. This week: Kristallnacht Reading and Response, Geography of the Ghettos, Jewish Ghetto Worksheet, WWII Timeline/Geography Worksheet

In ELA, we continue to read Prisoner B-3087 and to focus on our speaking and listening. We worked on creating in-depth questions and used those as a base for discussion circles. On Friday, we began work to prepare for our next discussion. Students should answer all eight questions on this worksheet with two pieces of evidence each. Students took their first spelling tests, which have been graded and returned back to them. If they scored 13 or higher, they will move on to the next spelling level.

Homework: Finish Discussion Questions; Independent reading for 30 minutes each night (for 5 of 7 days per week).

7th Grade Math: This week students continued their exploration of volume and surface area.  Students made cylinders and rectangular prisms from the same size piece of paper changing it from landscape to portrait; they predicted which prism or cylinder would hold more popcorn.  They tested their prediction and calculated the volume.

Students explored the surface area of rectangular prisms, triangular prisms and cylinders. Students also practiced adding, multiplying and dividing mixed numbers and decimals.  Students will continue this exploration into next week.

8th Grade Math: This week students continued to their exploration of the Pythagorean Theorem.  Students practiced finding missing side lengths of right triangles using the formula a2 + b2 = c2. Students also explored the Converse of the Pythagorean Theorem, using the formula to figure out if a triangle is a right triangle or not.  Next week they will continue this exploration and also work on volume and surface area of various three dimensional shapes.

Homework: (Optional) If students want to continue to practice and deepen their understanding of our current topics in math they can log on to Khan Academy or Tenmarks.

Social Thinking Ideas:

On the following page you will find social thinking ideas we will talk with our students about as they begin discussion circles in ELA.

 

Team Equinox

Weekly Update - 3/16

Greetings Team Equinox Families:

Here’s what your child has been up to this week on Team Equinox~

Science:

This week students worked on their egg drop (Newton’s Laws). They have drawn up a scale model, completed prototypes and changed their design based on results.  We also participated in making quilt squares for our National Trout in the Classroom quilt. Students all designed squares and letters to other schools- we will be sending them all over the country next week.  

Next week, we will be wrapping up our Egg Drop presentations and starting a unit on maple trees.  This will hopefully culminate in students making a dichotomous key and enjoying maple syrup!

Science Homework: Students interested in participating the in State Science Fair can register here.  Over vacation, they can start to write an abstract of their research (a template is on Google Classroom).

Humanities:

In Social Studies, students began to learn about some causes of World War II including the War Guilt Clause of the Treaty of Versailles (that ended World War I), Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party, and nationalism.  Also we began to discuss why it is that the Jewish population became scapegoats under Nazi Germany. We also completed our weekly map quiz and learned about current events through our “Week in Rap” video.

Homework - Optional: If students have not yet completed the “Treaty of Versailles” Worksheet (on Google Classroom) or the “Speeches and Promises of Adolf Hitler” Worksheet (not on Google Classroom), they should do so.

In ELA, students began to read Prisoner B-3087, a book based on the real life story of a Holocaust survivor. We used this book to track evidence of dehumanizing practices used by the Nazis during WWII. Going forward, it will provide topics for our discussion circles. We also prepared for and completed a speaking and listening pre-assessment. Our first spelling test will be on Tuesday (spelling lists are on Google Classroom).

Homework: Independent reading for 30 minutes each night (for 5 of 7 days per week), prepare for Spelling Tests.

7th Grade Math: This week students continued to explore circles.  Students found the diameter, radius, circumference, area and volume of some tasty treats like crackers, peppermint patties and cookies in honor of Pi Day.  Students also worked on a free write with Mr. Moore about Pi as a little competition in creativity. Students then explored the volume of cylinders by trying to figure out the amount of materials it would take to make cylindrical candles of different sizes that they would in turn theoretically sell.  They had to try to make a profit of $100 after all costs where extracted. Next week students will continue to explore volume and surface area of prisms.

8th Grade Math: This week we have focused on geometry.  Students found the diameter, radius, circumference, area and volume of some tasty treats like crackers, peppermint patties and cookies in honor of Pi Day.  Students also worked on a free write with Mr. Moore about Pi as a little competition in creativity. Students then moved on to an exploration of the Pythagorean Theorem. Students have spent the week working with different right triangles and looking at the relationship between the area of the squares that can be built off of each side of the triangle. Next week we will continue this exploration.

Homework: (Optional) If students want to continue to practice and deepen their understanding of our current topics in math they can log on to Khan Academy or Tenmarks.

Team Equinox