Middle School Curriculum Update
October 2016
5th and 6th Grades
The 5th to 8th graders worked together as a team to prepare a wonderful feast for our October Food For Friends service project. Blooming Glen CSA donated large quantities of fresh kale, butternut squash, lettuce, tomatoes, and peppers for our meal and we had a bushel of fresh apples from a local orchard for the apple crisp. We had assembly lines of students cutting, peeling, and cooking our meal for 50 people. When the team of 7th and 8th graders served the meal, many people had never eaten fresh kale or butternut squash and were delighted to find out that they were as delicious as the apple crisp.
Language Arts
The 5th and 6th graders wrote narratives using the writing process of drafting, revising, and editing, to produce final copies. They noted strengths and weakness in their pieces. We began a Greek Mythology unit. Students recorded and summarized myths they read in class. They listened to Riordan’s humorous version of a Greek creation myth. In November, the students will begin reading novels with elements of Greek mythology and write their own myths. The 5th and 6th graders continue their word study through Words Their Way or Wordly Wise programs. The students in the Wordly Wise program are able to review their words online through Quizlet.
Math
Students in 6th grade math completed their Unit One test and completed unit two. Unit two explores issues of place value, multiplication, division, and scientific notation. Students extended their knowledge of multiplication and division of decimals, extended their knowledge of place value into the trillions and trillionths, scientific notation, and exponential notation.
Science
Social Studies
To continue our exploration of human development, students studied and presented on various early hominid species.
As part of our ongoing exploration of current events, students discussed issues of the election cycle, the after effects of Hurricane Matthew, the Yellow Umbrella Movement, the conflict in Syria and its roots, and relations between the United States and Russia.
7th and 8th Grades
We welcomed our Guatemalan exchange student, Ana (Anita), into the middle school with a special meeting and an ice cream treat. Anita is a participant of the Faces & Our Cultures Program and will be with us until Winter Break. She is presenting information about Guatemala to our UFS students and is learning English while experiencing our American culture.
Language Arts
Math
Math homework is assigned on a weekly basis, with a recommended amount of time to be completed each week. This time is designed to include several types of work/play, including both specific assignments and more self-chosen, developmentally appropriate math initiatives such as puzzles and games. (Thus it is much like language arts assignments, in that some of the work is specific, but there is also time to be set aside for independent reading or writing in an area of interest.) In the case of math, that might be well-chosen puzzles, games, review of knotty material, exploration of new topics, or anything else that strikes the student’s fancy. That being said, the specifically assigned work from class needs to be completed in a timely fashion, as well, so there should be balance. In terms of time spent, it is fine for students to have nights when they do no homework and other nights when they do more.
Parents can follow their student’s progress on his/her homework by asking them to share their Math Log. This log is a shared Google document between student and teacher. A new log is started (roughly) each month. In the top left corner you will see a box that is shaded either red or green, indicating whether the student began the month ahead, behind, or even on time. Below that box you can see the amount of assigned time each week, based largely on the number of days of class we have that week. The next column is for students to record the amount of time spent on homework each day, followed by a column for the general topic(s) covered during homework time, then by one for adding more detail. There is also a column for recording a general idea of how the class period was used. Finally, there is a column for students to add messages to me and one for me to respond (although much of my response to content actually occurs during class.)
The puzzle of the month has many possible solutions – the goal is to continue the pattern and give an explanation. Then see how many different patterns you can find using the same set of letters.
What are the next three letters in the following pattern? T, F, S, , , ?
(One possible answer is Sunday, Monday, Tuesday.)Science
Our 7th and 8th grade students took Cartesian Divers to the next level by adapting large wide mouth jars, large water jugs, and different kinds of toys and weights as their Cartesian Divers with remote pumps. Check out the youtube video by Bruce Yeany for his great diver ideas.
Social Studies
To continue our study of the Civil War, students analyzed songs from the era and read articles on current interpretations of the Civil War and Confederate battle flag. Students then had to make a hypothesis about why there are so many varied opinions on what the Civil War was “really” about.
As part of our ongoing exploration of current events, students discussed issues of the election cycle, the after effects of Hurricane Matthew, the Yellow Umbrella Movement, the conflict in Syria and its roots, and relations between the United States and Russia.
About UFS
Email: frontoffice@unitedfriendsschool.org
Website: unitedfriendsschool.org
Location: 1018 West Broad St Quakertown PA 18951
Phone: 215-538-1733
Facebook: facebook.com/unitedfriendsschool
Twitter: @quakerschool