Weekly Update
Cluster 5 - Week 1
Cluster Announcements
Zoom link to follow
ELA
Great start for our returning 8th graders. Lots of energy and excitement filling the classroom.
After the first few days of technology set-ups, team building, and getting to know our community members, we started our first writing assignment. The About the Author assignment gives students an opportunity to share with others a bit about themselves. It's also a chance for us to get a quick writing sample (focusing on point of view, verb tenses, and organization). We’re hoping the students will have fun with the writing.
Following this activity, we will be setting some personal and academic goals. Ask your student to see the "Zombies 🧟♀️🧟♂️ ” video clip. It’s pretty amazing.
Science
This week we focused on classroom and community-building while learning how to navigate the schedule.
Weekly Learning Targets:
I can reflect on my similarities/differences with my classmates
I can contribute to my learning community in a positive way.
I can share my learning with my class.
Civics
We will be focusing on identity next week, and thinking about the difference between our inside identity and our outside identity. Then we’ll think about how societies group people into “we” and “they,” and what this means for how we function as a community.
Math
Next week, we will be diving into our curriculum by starting transformations of shapes. We will be using DESMOS this year similar to what the students used in 7th grade.
English Language Development classes
Entering
This week we began learning the important vocabulary and phrases for school.
Next week we will continue learning essential school vocabulary and combine them with the building blocks of learning English: how to say the alphabet and numbers, pronouns, and simple sentences using the verbs “to be” and “to have.”
Emerging
This week we practiced writing and speaking in complete sentences and we developed goals that we want to accomplish with our English this year.
Next week we will briefly review school, calendar, and number vocabulary. We will build sentences in SVO with the verbs “to have” and “to be”, and begin learning pronouns along with punctuation.
Transitioning
We began our year by practicing asking good questions and holding academic conversations one-on-one and in a group. We also reviewed simple English sentences and parts of speech before starting our first writing assignment.
Next week, our “About the Author” assignment gives students an opportunity to share with others a bit about themselves and practice writing complex sentences. It’s also an opportunity to practice point of view, verb tenses, and organization.
Contact staff directly
Edward.cafua@watertown.k12.ma.us - MATH
Karen.kline@watertown.k12.ma.us - CIVICS
Zara.Rix@watertown.k12.ma.us - EL
Brian.Donato@watertown.k12.ma.us - SPECIAL EDUCATION / MATH
Daniel.Skop@watertown.k12.ma.us - ENGLISH
Christine.Sorenson@watertown.k12.ma.us - READING
Elissa.Willoughby@watertown.k12.ma.us - SCIENCE
Sarah.Juusola@watertown.k12.ma.us - SPECIAL EDUCATION / ENGLISH
Ashley.cohen@watertown.k12.ma.us - GUIDANCE COUNSELOR
Website: https://wms.watertown.k12.ma.us/