Cluster 4 Update
September 29th, 2023
For cluster images, see Instagram @wmscl4
Math with Mr. Martin
Hello, welcome to 7th grade mathematics! Over the next 10 months I will be working with your child as they attempt to master the 7th grade mathematics curriculum.
7th grade math centers on understanding and applying proportional relationships. Students start by studying scale drawings in Unit 1, which sets up the introduction of proportional relationships in Unit 2. In Unit 3, students apply proportional relationships to understand the circumference and area of circles. Unit 4 invites students to use proportional relationships to solve problems involving fractional quantities and percent change. In Unit 5, students extend what they learned in Math 6 to add, subtract, multiply, and divide positive and negative numbers, which leads into work on expressions, equations, and inequalities in Unit 6. The year ends with geometry, probability, and statistics as students study angles, triangles, and prisms in Unit 7 and probability and sampling in Unit 8.
Student Goals in Unit 1
- I can use equivalent ratios to create a scaled copy of a figure.
- I can describe characteristics of a scaled copy.
- I can explain what scale factor is.
- I can explain the proportional relationship between lengths in an original figure and in a scaled copy.
- I can draw a scaled copy of a figure using a given scale factor.
- I can describe the effect on a scaled copy when I use a scale factor that is greater than 1, between 0 and 1, or equal to 1.
- I can explain how the scale factor that takes one figure to another figure relates to the scale factor that takes the second figure back to the first.
- I can describe how scale factor impacts the area of a scaled copy.
- I can calculate the area of a scaled copy.
- I can explain what a scale is.
- I can interpret the scale of a drawing.
- I can use a scale drawing and a scale to calculate actual and scaled distances.
- I can determine actual areas from a scale drawing.
- I can create a scale drawing given a scale.
- I can describe how different scales affect lengths in a scale drawing.
- I can calculate a distance on one scale drawing based on another drawing with a different scale.
- I can determine the scale of a scale drawing.
- I can decide whether two scales will create scale drawings of the same size.
- I can choose an appropriate scale to make a scale drawing.
- I can accurately draw a complex scale drawing.
Progress and Grading:
25% Practice: Homework and Classwork
75% Assessment: Quizzes, Tests and Projects
All tests/quizzes/projects/homework can be made up to 80%.
Power School will be updated live every week.
We will be using the following platforms for this year:
Google Classroom - Daily Communication
Power School - Online Grading
Desmos - Online Mathematics Curriculum
IXL - Math Practice and Independent Learning
Delta Math - Math Practice and Independent Learning
Jamboard - Group Activities
Zearn - Reteaching and Independent Learning
IReady - Growth and Assessment
Social Studies with Ms. Lorigan
Unit 0. Thinking & Acting Like Historians
Enduring Understandings
Students will begin to understand that a historian…
Is curious and wonders about the world, asking questions to find more information.
Makes reasonable inferences based on observations.
Uses a variety of sources (written, visual, oral, physical as well as primary/secondary) to inform their thinking, understanding the limitations of each type.
Uses a variety of historical thinking skills (claim testing, sourcing, contextualization, causation, etc.) to understand the world.
Studies a variety of reliable sources from different perspectives (biases) to get a broad view of history.
Students will also understand that…
Practicing the habits of a historian allows you to contribute to our democracy by making more informed choices and decisions.
All people carry biases based on their own experiences that determine how they view the world.
Learning Targets
I can express curiosity and wonder about the world.
I can ask questions to find out more information.
I can define observe/observation and infer/inference
I can make reasonable inferences based on observations.
I can define observe/observation and infer/inference
I can make reasonable inferences based on observations.
I can identify four claim testers (intuition, logic, authority, and evidence).
I can test a claim using the four claim testers.
I can evaluate the reliability and credibility of a source.
Grades will be based on four categories of work:
Content Comprehension. This category measures your basic knowledge of history and geography (based on the content we’ve studied) and your ability to use that information.
Social Studies Skills. This category measures your ability to read and construct maps, interpret charts and graphs, read and construct timelines, evaluate sources, and other specific social studies skills. (We will always practice these things first!)
Writing. Yes, writing. Even though this isn’t English class, you will have to write to demonstrate your understanding. This will make you a better writer and thinker. Writing - it’s not just for English class!
Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas. Think projects and presentations. This category measures your ability to present ideas and findings from research in a variety of formats with attention to audience, format, etc.
ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS with Ms. McDonagh
Welcome! In ELA, we have had a wonderful start to the year! We began with an introduction unit, where we focused on “Setting the GPS” for students to know where we are going and how to get there. First priority was launching INDEPENDENT READING! Our WMS librarian, Ms. Cabral, welcomed us for a visit to the library and gave a few book talks to get excited about some books. Students then had time to check out a book and start reading. Every day, students need to read at home for 20-30 minutes. On Fridays, I will do book checks to see how students are progressing with this very important work. Also in our intro unit, we previewed the class expectations, got to know the classroom with a scavenger hunt and took a look at the state curriculum frameworks. We also spent time getting to know each other.
In ELA, we are launching our “Where I’m From” Unit. Students will learn to do a close reading of a famous poem called, “Where I’m From” by George Ella Lyon. Using a critical exploration protocol, students will note the poem’s content and style to create a framework for their own writing. Students will explore word choice and will compare the poem to other similar poems. Next up. students will begin to write their own “Where I’m From” poems. As part of their research, they will be interviewing you to gather ideas about shared memories.
Our daily homework for ELA is to read! Get in the habit of reading 15-20 minutes a day of a book of your choice! Please support your student by helping them set aside time at home to read, helping them get books, and talking with them and or reading with them.
Where I’m From Unit - Learning Targets
Part 1 - Reading
RL1 I can cite several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis of what a text states explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, quoting or paraphrasing as appropriate.
RL4 I can determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning, tone, or mood, including the impact of repeated use of particular images.
RL5 I can analyze how aspects of a literary work’s structure contribute to its meaning or style.
Part 2 Writing - Revision - Publishing
W3 I can write narratives to develop experiences or events using effective literary techniques, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured sequences.
W3d. I can use precise words and phrases, relevant descriptive details, and figurative and sensory language to establish a mood that evokes an emotion, to capture action, and to convey experiences or events.
W5 I can develop and strengthen my writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach..
W6 I can use technology to produce and publish writing as well as to interact and collaborate with others.
L1a I can use phrases and clauses to communicate ideas precisely, with attention to skillful use of verb tenses to add clarity.
L3 I can use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.
L5 I can demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings
ELA with Mrs. Sullivan
September has focused on class routines and requirements as the students settle into seventh grade. Fall assessments have been completed based on the Language Live program. Weekly focus areas include new vocabulary, writing prompts, real-world grammar, figurative language, and discussion and debate.
The poem “Where I’m From” by George Ella Lyon has been read, analyzed, and reviewed for figurative language, descriptions, and specific memories. The class is formulating individual perspectives of the poet’s understanding of her world and are beginning to “memory hunt” their childhoods for events that define them. Please be prepared to share stories with your students!
The class will begin writing “Where I’m From” poems with the use of sentence frames. These frames will assist students with word choice and brainstorming. Multiple revisions and edits will occur before the publishing of the final draft.
Learning Targets
*Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings.
*Analyze the impact of specific word choices, including those that create repeated sounds and rhythms in poetry, on meaning, tone (i.e., author’s attitude toward subject or audience), or mood (i.e., emotional atmosphere).
*Analyze how a particular sentence, chapter, scene, or stanza fits into the overall structure of a text and contributes to the development of the theme, setting, or plot.
*Explain how an author develops the point of view of the narrator or speaker in a text.
SCIENCE with Ms. MacAulay
Welcome to 7th grade science! We will be working on some big ideas in science this year, including complex body systems, chemistry, and energy. We are in our biology unit right now and are distinguishing between living and non-living things, discussing what makes something living, and reviewing the basic unit of life: the cell. As we continue, we will look at how cells build up to tissues, organs, and organ systems and make up the entire complex organism.
Students are off to a productive start to the year. We have already had our first quiz and several assignments. Please note that students and parents may check progress in PowerSchool (available beginning 10/3). This is helpful to find out missing assignments, which can be made up and will count for credit. Students may retake quizzes if needed during term 1 (this policy becomes more rigid as the year progresses). Students have time to connect with teachers and make up work during WIN on Fridays, which is dubbed FLEX FRIDAY to accommodate students’ needs.
Biology standards
6.MS-LS1-3. Construct an argument supported by evidence that the body systems interact to carry out essential functions of life.
8.MS-LS1-7. Use informational text to describe that food molecules, including carbohydrates, proteins, and fats, are broken down and rearranged through chemical reactions forming new molecules that support cell growth and/or release of energy.