7th Grade Newsletter
January 2018
A Message From Your 7th Grade Administrator
Welcome back CMS families! It is hard to believe that 2nd semester is now underway. With that said, we have an informative Junior Achievement field trip experience planned for our 7th graders that is just around the corner. In addition, our PBIS committee is in the process of planning activities for an exciting end of the year celebration! More details regarding our "EOY" celebration will be coming soon. Stay tuned....
Please continue to encourage and support your child throughout the remainder of the semester. It is important for them to stay focused and engaged for continued success. Feel free to reach out to your child's teachers at any time. We sincerely appreciate you and value your support!
Stay warm & have a fabulous New Year!!!
Mrs. Psalmonds, 7th Grade Administrator
From the Counseling Corner (Ms. Levin & Ms. Severino)
How the Mind of a Middle Schooler Works
Middle school students usually have an attention span of 10-12 minutes.
Teens learn best through interaction and activity.
Middle school students retain about 5-7 bits of information at a time.
The brain growth that occurs between the ages of 10-15 is the second greatest in human life.
Adolescents misinterpret emotions and instructions up to 40% of the time.
Adolescents need 9+ hours of sleep per night to function their best.
Amy Levin – levina@fultonschools.org
Grade 7 (last names A-L) and Grade 8 – all students
Gina Severino – severinogc@fultonschools.org
Grade 6 all students and Grade 7 ( last names M-Z)
Updates for the Math Department
Math 7 and Math 7 Advanced: Students are working on writing and solving proportions, using proportional relationships to solve multistep ratio and percent problems which include simple interest, tax, tip, markups and markdowns.
On Level Math 8: Currently, the students finishing a geometry unit with a focus on angles within triangles and angles created when parallel lines are cut by a transversal. The students will then move into a mini unit on functions. They will be introduced to relations and functions. Functions will be described and modeled using a variety of depictions, including graphic representation & numerical tables. At the end of the month, students will begin their work with linear functions. Within this unit, students develop an understanding of the connections between proportional relationships, lines, and linear equations, and solve mathematical and real-life problems involving such relationships.
Math 8 Advanced: Students are starting a unit on Linear Functions which will focus on finding the slope of a line from a table graph or an equation, writing / graphing linear equations in slope-intercept form and comparing proportional relationships.
Updates from the Language Arts Department
7th grade ELA classes are "Plunging Into Poetry" in January. Our poetry unit will involve exposure to poetry vocabulary and various poems from our literature book. Students will also have the opportunity to create some of their own poems. Test and quiz dates will be posted on teacher's websites soon.
In 8th grade ELA, students are wrapping up their Book Clubs from first semester. We will review summarizing, author’s point of view, author’s purpose, and verbs before testing on these items later in the month. We plan on reading “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” as a model text during the review and as a kick start to our next unit. Towards the end of the month we will begin our next unit where we will read excerpts of To Kill a Mockingbird and write an argumentative essay. That unit will continue into February.
Updates from the Science Department
In Life Science, we are starting our Genetics unit where students will perform exciting activities, projects, and labs that will give them an insight on how traits are passed from parents to offspring. For one of our activities, students will test if they are considered super-tasters, depending on if they have the genetic trait which makes them sensitive to Phenlythiocarbmide, or PTC. For one of our labs, students will perform synthetic genetic testing to see how genetic disorders are tracked in families through the use of pedigrees. Finally, students will complete a genetic monster project where they will determine traits through monohybrid crossing.
Updates from the Social Studies Department
7th Grade Social Studies is completing the study of personal finance this month with trips to the Junior Achievement Discovery Center. Students will also begin discovering the history of the continent of Africa, focusing on imperialism, independence, and the end of Apartheid in South Africa. The goal of this history unit is to enhance critical thinking and analytical skills to enhance student understanding of the human experience throughout the history of Africa.
Updates from the World Language Department
German:
The topic for the new unit in German is food and cuisine. Students will learn vocabulary for food and will listen to authentic audio recordings about cuisine. They will create a project that focuses on the cuisine from a specific region of Germany, Austria, or Switzerland. Also, students will learn animal vocabulary and read higher level texts in German such as fairy tales.
French:
Bonjour et bonne année 2018!
Welcome back students! This semester, we are starting our new unit “Au café”. Student will learn about places and activities around town and pastimes. They will also learn how to say, in French, where they are going and what they are going to do around town. In addition, we will discussa young French people’s pastimes and compare them to ours. The unit big idea includes places and activities around town, going to a café, irregular verbs, regular -ir verbs and exploring La Normandie et La Bretagne.
A new “Au Café” link has been added to Mme Haddad’s website and is updated on a daily basis (https://sites.google.com/site/lesitedemmehaddadcms/).
Spanish:
Welcome Back Spanish 1B! We finished a great first semester and will begin second semester with a review of key concepts and a mini focus on any areas of struggle. Our upcoming unit is on travel and vacations and our country of study is Mexico. We are still learning stem changing verbs with E>I on deck for this segment. Additionally, we will be working on Direct Object Pronouns, the Present Progressive and many other exciting ways to express ourselves in the coming units.
PBIS Updates
All of our 7th Grade Students will be "re-set" for a fresh start with PBIS points. In addition, students will now have the opportunity to view their own points on the IPAD and keep track of their individual progress! Students will view a video in homeroom this next week that will demonstrate how they can utilize this new feature!
STUDENT SURVEY INFORMATION!
As a part of the College and Career Ready Performance Index (CCRPI), GA schools participate in the Georgia State Health Survey 2.0 (GSHS 2.0) in order to collect data regarding safety and health issues that have a negative impact on student achievement and school climate. The GSHS 2.0 for middle school student covers various topics such as school climate and safety, graduation, school dropouts, alcohol and drug use, bullying and harassment, suicide, nutrition, and sedentary behaviors.
During the week of January 22, 2018, the GSHS 2.0 will be administered through science classes. The Ga Department of Education provides resources for parents through its website. For more information regarding the survey and prior results, please accesshttp://www.gadoe.org/Curriculum-Instruction-and-Assessment/Curriculum-and-Instruction/GSHS-II/Pages/Georgia-Student-Health-Survey-II.aspx.
The Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA) gives you the right to opt your child out of participating in the survey. If you do not wish for your child to participate in the GSHS 2.0, please complete the following form (http://www.gadoe.org/Curriculum-Instruction-and-Assessment/Curriculum-and-Instruction/GSHS-II/Documents/Passive%20Permission%20letter_2017.pdf and return it your child’s science teacher prior to January 22, 2018.