Hello Parents and Guardians!
Our first full week was very busy, and the students are now in the swing of their first PBL projects. We would like to share one snippet of our "Who am I?" project from this week. Part of the the PBL process is for the students to brainstorm their "Need to Knows" before they begin. One of their questions was, "Why do we have to share personal information about ourselves with all of our classmates?" Essentially, they were asking "Why are we doing this?" In many traditional classrooms, this question is often not welcomed or answered with "Because we have to. It'll show up on the test. Because it's a skill you'll need in the future, etc." None of these responses really satisfy the students' need to understand the purpose of what they're learning. In PBL, we welcome this question and actually encourage the students to tell us why they think we're learning about each other. This comes in the form of a student-created problem statement. I've attached a picture of what all 100 students came up with - the reason "why" we're doing the "Who am I?" project. We'd just like to say your students are insightful and creative; we were very pleased with their ability to sift out why we as teachers are having them share "personal information."
Here's a look at what's going on in this short 3-day week:
Math: We will be focusing on decimals this week. Students will be reviewing how to add, subtract, multiply, divide, and round decimals. Students will begin using Digits, our online math lessons and practice site. The great thing about Digits lessons is that it allows the students to work at their own pace.
If you have more specific questions about 7th grade math, please contact Vanessa Zook.If you have specific questions for students in Pre-Algebra, please contact Megan Walleske.
HW: Students will need to show you IXL this week. Typically, they would need to complete 60 minutes of practice in this site each week, but because it is a short week there is no time requirement. Be sure to ask them to show you around this site!
Science: The students are continuing to work on their Weather Forecast. Many groups are starting to record as they finish writing their scripts. The final Weather Forecast project will be due late next week, depending on time. A final due date will be set next week. Ask to see what they've created so far!
Language Arts/Reading: Students will continue to read short stories from our Journey's literature books. They will be focusing on vocabulary, writing with complete sentences, and finding the author's purpose. One of the stories they will be reading this week is an autobiographical account from Jerry Spinelli, titled "Knots in My Yo-Yo String." Their narrative essay writing will be done during our PBL work time.
HW: Read 30 minutes every night. Complete at least ONE Achieve 3000 article at 75% or higher. (In a typical week, they would need to complete two.)
PBL: We will continue working on our "Who am I?" project this week. Students will be using their brainstorming ideas to create a timeline of events for their narrative essay. Timelining workshops will be offered to any student who needs extra assistance setting up their own personal timelines. As we went over the "Agency" part of their rubric (attached again if you'd like to review this), they know it is their responsibility to use their resources and attend this workshop if they need it. Final timelines will be due on Wednesday at the end of the day.
For students who are ready to move on, we will begin offering mandatory Personal Narrative workshops. Eventually, all students will need to attend one of these workshops this week or next to read examples of personal narratives, find out exactly what goes into a narrative, and to begin organizing their ideas so they can begin a rough draft.
If you haven't already, ask them what significant event they chose to write about!
HW: Work on Narrative Timeline if not completed in class
Other Important Dates and Information:*We will begin entering grades into Echo this week. A video podcast and directions to walk you through the site will be coming soon! *No school for students on Thursday and Friday, August 29-30 for Teacher Professional Development. Also no school on Monday, September 2 for Labor Day.*Please ask your student every Monday to see their Red Monday Folders. A signature is required on the back page.
Have a wonderful Labor Day weekend and enjoy the Blueberry Festival! Please stop and say "Hi" if you see us out and about this weekend!
Our first full week was very busy, and the students are now in the swing of their first PBL projects. We would like to share one snippet of our "Who am I?" project from this week. Part of the the PBL process is for the students to brainstorm their "Need to Knows" before they begin. One of their questions was, "Why do we have to share personal information about ourselves with all of our classmates?" Essentially, they were asking "Why are we doing this?" In many traditional classrooms, this question is often not welcomed or answered with "Because we have to. It'll show up on the test. Because it's a skill you'll need in the future, etc." None of these responses really satisfy the students' need to understand the purpose of what they're learning. In PBL, we welcome this question and actually encourage the students to tell us why they think we're learning about each other. This comes in the form of a student-created problem statement. I've attached a picture of what all 100 students came up with - the reason "why" we're doing the "Who am I?" project. We'd just like to say your students are insightful and creative; we were very pleased with their ability to sift out why we as teachers are having them share "personal information."
Here's a look at what's going on in this short 3-day week:
Math: We will be focusing on decimals this week. Students will be reviewing how to add, subtract, multiply, divide, and round decimals. Students will begin using Digits, our online math lessons and practice site. The great thing about Digits lessons is that it allows the students to work at their own pace.
If you have more specific questions about 7th grade math, please contact Vanessa Zook.If you have specific questions for students in Pre-Algebra, please contact Megan Walleske.
HW: Students will need to show you IXL this week. Typically, they would need to complete 60 minutes of practice in this site each week, but because it is a short week there is no time requirement. Be sure to ask them to show you around this site!
Science: The students are continuing to work on their Weather Forecast. Many groups are starting to record as they finish writing their scripts. The final Weather Forecast project will be due late next week, depending on time. A final due date will be set next week. Ask to see what they've created so far!
Language Arts/Reading: Students will continue to read short stories from our Journey's literature books. They will be focusing on vocabulary, writing with complete sentences, and finding the author's purpose. One of the stories they will be reading this week is an autobiographical account from Jerry Spinelli, titled "Knots in My Yo-Yo String." Their narrative essay writing will be done during our PBL work time.
HW: Read 30 minutes every night. Complete at least ONE Achieve 3000 article at 75% or higher. (In a typical week, they would need to complete two.)
PBL: We will continue working on our "Who am I?" project this week. Students will be using their brainstorming ideas to create a timeline of events for their narrative essay. Timelining workshops will be offered to any student who needs extra assistance setting up their own personal timelines. As we went over the "Agency" part of their rubric (attached again if you'd like to review this), they know it is their responsibility to use their resources and attend this workshop if they need it. Final timelines will be due on Wednesday at the end of the day.
For students who are ready to move on, we will begin offering mandatory Personal Narrative workshops. Eventually, all students will need to attend one of these workshops this week or next to read examples of personal narratives, find out exactly what goes into a narrative, and to begin organizing their ideas so they can begin a rough draft.
If you haven't already, ask them what significant event they chose to write about!
HW: Work on Narrative Timeline if not completed in class
Other Important Dates and Information:*We will begin entering grades into Echo this week. A video podcast and directions to walk you through the site will be coming soon! *No school for students on Thursday and Friday, August 29-30 for Teacher Professional Development. Also no school on Monday, September 2 for Labor Day.*Please ask your student every Monday to see their Red Monday Folders. A signature is required on the back page.
Have a wonderful Labor Day weekend and enjoy the Blueberry Festival! Please stop and say "Hi" if you see us out and about this weekend!