Cluster 3
May 27- June 2
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لترجمة هذه الرسالة من المدرسة ، اضغط عليها ثم استخدم الرابط الموجود على اليمين. (Arabic)
Այս տեղեկագիրը թարգմանելու համար կտտացրեք այն, ապա օգտագործեք աջ կողմում գտնվող հղումը: (Armenian)
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Bu bülteni çevirmek için üzerine tıklayın ve ardından sağdaki bağlantıyı kullanın (Turkish)
Cluster News & Announcements
Important Dates
Wednesday, June 1 - i-Ready ELA
Thursday, June 2 - i-Ready ELA
Wednesday, June 8 - Field Trip Permission Slip Due
Wednesday, June 15 - Cluster 3 Field Trip Waterworks Museum
Cluster 3 Field Trip
Dear Parent / Guardian,
As part of your student’s science curriculum, cluster three students will be taking a field trip to the Metropolitan Waterworks Museum on Wednesday, June 15th.
Students will travel to Chestnut Hill by school bus and upon arrival, will tour the museum, perform water quality tests, build a water filter and find out where our water goes once it disappears down the drain. We will eat lunch outside the museum so please pack your child a lunch.
Please have your child return the Permission Form to Ms. Smith by Wednesday, June 8th. The cost for each student is $17.00. We would be happy to accept additional monetary donations for families who might need financial assistance. If you would like to be considered for a scholarship, please let us know.
ALL PAYMENTS MUST BE CHECK OR MONEY ORDER MADE OUT TO CITY OF WATERTOWN.
We hope this will be a fun learning experience for all. Thank you for your ongoing support.
Cluster Three Teachers
Pencils/Supplies
English- Ms. Fitanides
As students near the end of our full class novel, The Giver, we are diving deeper into the theme topics of knowledge vs. ignorance, safety vs. freedom, memories and the past, and conformity vs. individuality. Kids have been doing a lot of reading at home in preparation for 8th Grade expectations and our discussions in class have been fun and engaging as we discover the secrets of Jonas’ community and make those comparisons to life as we know it. What kind of world do we want to live in? The novel really helps us start that conversation. Kids will be writing a one-period thematic essay at the end of the unit.
We will be finishing up the year with dystopian book clubs and students will have an opportunity to rank their choice of books so I can place them in an appropriate group for the last few weeks of school.
Standards:
I can identify a theme in a text and provide evidence from the beginning, middle, and end of a story to support my ideas.
I can write a five-paragraph essay with a strong claim, evidence, and reasoning that will support and develop my ideas.
8th Grade Math Placement
Over the summer, caregivers will receive information about eight-grade math placement. Watertown Middle School offers two math courses in eighth grade: Grade 8 Mathematics and 8th Grade Algebra I. The Grade 8 Mathematics course includes the eighth-grade curriculum, while the 8th Grade Algebra I course includes all of the Algebra I curriculum.
Criteria used for determining eighth-grade math placement into the 8th Grade Algebra I course are i-Ready data, classroom assessments, student achievement and student work habits during grade 7, and teacher recommendation. If you have questions related to eighth-grade mathematics placement, please contact the Mathematics Curriculum Coordinators: Dan Wulf (8-12 math coordinator) at daniel.wulf@watertown.k12.ma.us and Elizabeth Kaplan (K-7 math and science coordinator) at elizabeth.kaplan@watertown.k12.ma.us.
Math- Ms. Spicer
Students have been working hard on end-of-year standardized assessments. Last week, we prepared for MCAS and completed the MCAS test.! This week and next students will show what they know during the iReady diagnostic test. In between testing days, we continued our work on probability thinking about simulations and the probability of compound events.
Learning Targets
Compare probabilities from a model to the results of a repeated experiment to decide whether or not something is fair.
Use the results from a repeated experiment to approximate the probability of an event.
Calculate the probability of a multistep event.
Make connections between real-world situations and probability tools that could be used to simulate those situations.
Standards
Understand that the probability of a chance event is a number between 0 and 1 that expresses the likelihood of the event occurring. Larger numbers indicate greater likelihood. A probability near 0 indicates an unlikely event, a probability around 1/2 indicates an event that is neither unlikely nor likely, and a probability near 1 indicates a likely event.
Approximate the probability of a chance event by collecting data on the chance process that produces it and observing its long-run relative frequency, and predict the approximate relative frequency given the probability. For example, when rolling a number cube 600 times, predict that a 3 or 6 would be rolled roughly 200 times, but probably not exactly 200 times.
Develop a probability model and use it to find probabilities of events. Compare probabilities from a model to observed frequencies; if the agreement is not good, explain possible sources of the discrepancy.
Find probabilities of compound events using organized lists, tables, tree diagrams, and simulation.
Science- Ms. Smith
In Science, students continued their study of renewable and nonrenewable energy. Students will be doing research on a renewable energy source and will be presenting it as a “one-pager” to their classmates. This project is posted on Google Classroom along with Parts 1& 2 of the references they are expected to use. The project is due Friday, June 3rd.
Starting June 6th will be introduced to the Fruitvale, the imaginary town this is having water quality issues and it is up to the students to find what is wreaking havoc in Fruitvale. This is our end of the year, bring it all together of biology, chemistry, and energy.
Social Studies- Mr. Kirkcaldy
Last week, we started simulating different ways governments make decisions. We then turned to ancient Greece to trace the development of democracy. We are using a combination of reading & notes and short skits to learn about monarchy, oligarchy, tyranny, and democracy. We’ll also read a primary source about these types of government, and will then be making pictowords that contain symbols representing the pros and cons of these types of government.
Learning Targets
I can describe how decisions are made in different types of governments.
I can trace the development of democracy in ancient Greece.
Resource- Mr. Dayton
Students in resource began writing letters to their future teachers. Students are applying what they have learned in self-advocacy and applied it to this project.
Standards
Standard APL1: The child will demonstrate initiative, self-direction, and independence
Standard APL2: The child will demonstrate eagerness and curiosity as a learner
Standard APL6: The child will seek multiple solutions to a question, task, or problem
Standard APL7: The child will demonstrate organizational skills
Standard APL8: The child will be able to retain and recall information
Mr. Jim Kirkcaldy (Ancient History) james.kirkcaldy@watertown.k12.ma.us
Ms. Ellen Fitanides (English) ellen.fitanides@watertown.k12.ma.us
Ms. Heather Smith (Science) heather.smith@watertown.k12.ma.us
Ms. Cristina Spicer (Math) cristina.spicer@watertown.k12.ma.us
Mr. Patrick Dayton (Special Education) patrick.dayton@watertown.k12.ma.us