goldcrew

WIP 5.9-5.13

This week, 7th grade students will be taking the Spring Reading NWEAs during their ELA time.  Gold Crew will be taking them either Monday or Tuesday and Blue Crew will be taking them on Wednesday and Thursday.  Students need no preparation for this other than a good night’s sleep and a nutritious start to the day.

Mathematics
After School Help:
Monday – Mrs. Moore
Tuesday- Mrs. Bennett
Wednesday – Mr. Towle, Mrs. Bennett
Thursday -  Mrs Hodgkins

Students will continue their study of integers by learning and practicing algorithms for multiplication and division of positive and negative numbers.   There will be short quizzes assessing subtraction and multiplication/division of integers next week.   Please encourage your child to come for additional practice if s/he is the least bit uncertain of the material.

Science Mrs. Stuart  after School Tuesday and Wednesday
estuart@fps.k12.me.us

Next week students will be working on labs following up and proving what they know about the respiratory systems function. They will have a quiz over the new vocabulary that can replace their “pop” quiz grade on the respiratory system the second class of the week. Please ask you child about how they breath. They should include words such as diaphragm, volume, intercostal muscles, ribs, and diffusion. Can they tell you why they need to breath?
Students who have demonstrated safe lab behavior will be completing a lab that involves burning walnuts in two weeks. Please let me know ( email or note) if your child has a allergy that would make it unsafe for them to participate.

La Clase de Español
Sra. Lowery
elowery@fps.k12.me.us

This week in Spanish, we have started a unit assessment on our current theme, la familia.  Students are using the vocabulary and structures learned over the last several weeks to author and illustrate original stories which they will share with the class next week.  On Monday we will take the unit 3.2 final written test, covering vocabulary, numbers from 100 – 1,000, the grammar and uses of the possessive adjectives, and expressions relating to making comparisons (found in student notebooks, unit 3.2, and vocabulary on studyblue.com).  After the written portion of the test on Monday, we will begin sharing stories.  Students should be prepared with illustrated books, a written piece and video, or with a written piece and story board which they will share while classmates act out the events of their stories.

Next week, I will be available after school on Wednesday, and by appointment.  ¡Gracias!

Le Francais     Mme Turner     after school Tues. and Thurs.

We have been working on rooms of the house and adjectives that come before the nouns. Students will be assessed on the understanding early in the week. They will then prepare a presentation/assessment using possessive adjectives, family and house vocabulary and adjectives. They will do presentations next Thursday.

WIP 5.2-5.6

QUEBEC MEETING WEDNESDAY, MAY 11 7pm   Please mark your calendars for the final Québec trip meeting.  It is mandatory and this is when students find out who their roommates and chaperones are.

**For students not attending Quebec**: A yellow permission slip has been sent home explaining the activities planned for May 19th and 20th. Please return the permission slip on Monday, May 2nd with check or cash. We are also looking for a few parent chaperones for the trip to Boston. If interested, email Ellen Santora at esantora@fps.k12.me.us ASAP.

ELA Writing: Gold Crew
Ellen Santora
esantora@fps.k12.me.us
After school Tuesday/Thursday

We are working on the “Perfect Paragraph” and will be moving to multi-paragraph pieces of writing. This week, we will have a brief “paragraph” assessment on the structure, organization, and elements of a paragraph. Students will also be writing paragraphs for this assessment. Students should be completing the Indie Reading projects necessary to acquire page credit to the half-way point.  Many students have completed their narrative writings for the “Plot Development” unit, though some are still working on lengthier pieces. Students should be pushing these to resolution soon unless other arrangements have been made with me.

La Clase de Español
Sra. Lowery
elowery@fps.k12.me.us

This week in Spanish, we have continued to build on our current theme, la familia.  Students have learned words and phrases associated with the family, and are working on making comparisons and using possessive adjectives in Spanish.  We also learned to count from 100 – 1,000, and practiced through several games.  We used the new expressions to hear, act out and finally tell a story, and students are equipped with vocabulary lists and storyboards in their notebooks for reference in preparation for the unit assessment.  The vocabulary is also available on Studyblue.com (students should have accounts).  Next week, we will use the new vocabulary to prepare original stories, and students will take an assessment on vocabulary relating to the family and numbers from 100 – 1,000.

Next week, I will be available after school on Wednesday, and by appointment.  ¡Gracias!

Le Francais       Mme Turner     after school Tues. and Thurs.
gturner@fps.k12.me.us
Students have been working on house and furnishing vocabulary. This next week we will learn about some irregular adjectives which come before the noun, beau, nouveau, vieux, jeune, joli, grand, petit…    We will combine this vocabulary with house and furnishings to create some interesting houses with perhaps even more interesting furnishings.   There will be a phrase of the day quiz this week. Enjoy the weekend!

Mathematics
After School Help:
Monday – Mrs. Moore
Tuesday- Mrs. Bennett, Mrs. Hodgkins
Wednesday – Mrs. Hodgkins
Thursday -  Mr. Towle s, Mrs. Bennett

Students will continue their study of adding and subtracting positive and negative rational numbers.  Connections to the concept of inverse operations as an algebraic idea will be made.   

Students will have several short quizzes as we learn each new skill.  Some will be announced, some will not.  All are encouraged to keep up to date on their homework and learning.   If there is a need for extra help, it is expected that the student will take advantage of the many available times and opportunities.

Social Studies
The Teacher formally known as Lord Fox
rfox@fps.k12.me.us

The end is here. The First Class of the week we will have the TORTURE CHAMBER! This is a formal assessment that will test the students knowledge of the entire Medieval unit, from the Fall of Rome to the Fall of Feudalism. It is fill in the blank, matching, multiple choice, short answer and a map.
THERE IS NO RETAKE available.

Following the Medieval unit, we will experience a “rebirth” and begin looking at the changes in Europe that brought about the Renaissance, including the “age of exploration” and the discovery of a “New World”.

Also due this week in the Current Events Logs and 3-2-1 summaries. Because of the Torture Chamber, I will be delaying collecting the Current Events assignments until Wednesday.

Spanish  – Ms. Campbell
After school on Tuesday and Thursday
e-mail:marshacampbell@fps.k12.me.us

Now that I’m back from chaperoning the Harrogate Exchange trip to England, I can think about what we will be doing next week. During my absence the students saw a film and talked about Hispanic culture in America. Next week we will return to our regular course work continuing with the current unit on clothing and stem-changing verbs. After a vacation and a week side trip it will take a little memory jogging to get us back into studying the vocabulary and learning new verb forms. I hope I can make it fun, but this is an important recombining of many things we have learned this year so far and offers lots of opportunities to deepen our understanding and practice of Spanish.

 
French  – Mme Campbell
After school on Tuesday and Thursday
e-mail:marshacampbell@fps.k12.me.us

Now that I have returned from chaperoning the Harrogate Exchange to England, I can focus on next weeks activities in French. This week the students saw the sequel to a French film we saw earlier in the year. Today I will discuss that a bit further and next week we will return to our more traditional French studies picking up in the text where we left off at the end of Unit 3. We will start lesson 9 in Unit 4 “Le Monde personnel et familier” ( your world and your family). We will be revisiting and recombining a number of important concepts and grammar points, especially prepositions and adjectives. The focus will be on speaking in French about yourself, your friends and family.

Science  Mrs. Stuart  After School Wednesday and Thursday

Students will have their lab reports and tests back on Monday/ Tuesday. Please talk with them about how they prepared and how it relates to the outcome. Was their homework done for class, did they do their lab questions, did they complete the 7-1 review, did they correct their three quizzes, did they ask questions in class that they did not understand? Next week we will start our exploration of the respiratory system.

WIP 4.11-4.14

This Thursday, April 14th is our 4th Annual Medieval Festival! This is a celebration of the past two months of Medieval Studies, in both Social Studies and ELA classes. All week we will holding afternoon workshops in preparation for Thursday’s event. These workshops range from Medieval Idol and Game Show to Knight Games, to Jestering or Archery/Trebuchet building. Tapestries and crafts created during the week will be on display during the festival. The day will be a medley of presentations and events, culminating with the feast that will have been prepared by the workshop “Medieval Top Chef!” All 7th graders will be participating in Medieval Workshops and are expected come dressed in a medieval costume. The outfit should mimic their character throughout our simulation, (ex: a serf, knight, monk, troubadour, lord etc…) If your child hasn’t started to plan their outfit, they should begin shortly. Homemade outfits are ideal!

We are also looking for parents to help make food for the festival; if interested, please contact me at rfox@fps.k12.me.us

Next week’s schedule will be as follows:
Mon: A, UA, B, LUNCH, C, Prep for your Medieval Workshops
Tues: D (80 minutes), UA, E, LUNCH, C, Prep for your Medieval Workshops
Wed: A, UA, B, LUNCH, E, Prep for your Medieval Workshops…
THURSDAY:::MEDIEVAL FESTIVAL!

Mathematics
After School Help:
Monday – Mrs. Moore
Tuesday – Mrs. Bennett, Mrs. Hodgkins
Wednesday- Mrs. Hodgkins

Because next week is Medieval week, math class will meet at most twice. During this time, we will begin a unit called “Accentuate the Negative.” (this is a no calculator unit)

This unit will introduce students to positive and negative numbers and integers. Students will learn how to add, subtract, multiply, divide, and compare integers. We will work with temperature readings, both above and below 0 on a thermometer and will look at business situations that speak of being “in the red” or “in the black.” After vacation, we will learn many of these concepts through a game that uses colored chips as a way to mathematically model operations with integers.

Science: Mrs. Stuart After school Monday and Tuesday

The test scheduled for next week has been postponed and students will only have a quiz on the small and large intestine during their second class of the week. The digestion system test will be at the end of the week after April vacation.

Le Français Mme Turner after school
gturner@fps.k12.me.us
We will focus on vocabulary about the house and furnishings for our 2 meetings this week. Students will develop their ability to talk about their homes and will add that to talking about family. I will not be here the week following vacation as I will be chaperoning the 8th grade trip to Harrogate, England. Students will watch a film “Jean de Florette”. This is based on a book written by Marcel Pagnol. Before winter break students watched “La Gloire de Mon Père”, a semi-autobiographical film about Marcel growing up in the south of France.

La Clase de Español
Sra. Lowery
elowery@fps.k12.me.us

This week in Spanish we had speaking and writing assessments relating to Unit 3, and student scores are available on Powerschool. We also were introduced to our next theme, la familia. Students will learn words and phrases associated with the family, and will learn to make comparisons in Spanish. Our schedule will be interrupted next week to accommodate Medieval Week festivities, but when we return from break we will continue to practice the new vocabulary and constructions through gestures, games and storytelling.

Next week, I will be available after school on Wednesday, and by appointment. ¡Gracias!

Ellen Santora
ELA Writing
esantora@fps.k12.me.us
After school: Tuesday and Wednesday

In the coming week, we will be grading Narratives based on the rubric and exit slip handed out in class. We will also be having a Crispin “Quest” (Quiz/Test) in class. This will be an open-book assessment. Based on the edited schedule for the week, the test will take place on Tuesday for D and C, and Wednesday for A, B, and E.
Monday will be a Narrative writing day.

~Becky
Please consider the environment before printing this email.

Becky Hayes
Grade 7 English Language Arts
Falmouth Middle School
207.781.3740
bhayes@fps.k12.me.us

WIP 3.28-4.1

Mathematics
After School Help:
Monday – Mrs. Moore
Tuesday – Mrs. Bennett, Mr. Towle
Wednesday- Mrs. Bennett, Mrs. Hodgkins
Thursday – Mrs. Hodgkins

This next week students will be introduced to proportions as setting two ratios equal to one another.  Students will learn to write four different versions of the same proportion to aid them in solving rich contextual problems.  We will encourage the use of scale factor to arrive at a solution.  This will capitalize on the substantial foundation of understanding we have worked hard to build this year.   Many of us were taught to solve proportions differently using cross-multiplication.  We do not use this method as we feel the efficiency of this method is only effective if the students can truly make sense of what they are doing. 

We should be wrapping up this unit sometime during the week of April 4.  If your student is feeling the least bit confused, please encourage him/her to take advantage of after school help sessions.

Science  Mrs. Stuart  After school Tuesday and Thursday
estuart@fps.k12.me.us

The first quiz of the third trimester is on Tuesday for all but D class ( wed). It is over the nutrients and lab apparatus. Students should have 11 flash cards to study from.  We will start next week checking vocabulary for the mouth and then set up a lab on the digestive process in the stomach and finish the week with an introduction to the process that occurs in the small intestine.
There will be about 20 new words so students should be studying/practicing their flash cards every night.

Lord Stein   jstein@fps.k12.me.us
Lord Fox     rfox@fps.k12.me.us

*CURRENT EVENT LOGS AND SUMMARIES (321) ARE DUE ON THURSDAY MARCH 31ST

All 7th graders have set forth on their chargers to follow the code of chivalry and thus complete the “Squires Challenge.” They will seek your assistance in signing off on their good deeds.   The Squire’s challenge is due on Monday.

On Friday, after a taking a quiz, students started to develop their own personal Coat of Arms, by Monday they need to have a rough draft completed.  We will continue this work next week. Upon finishing Heraldry a knighting ceremony will occur.

At the end of the week, we will focus on historical events that shaped Medieval Europe.  Students will be expected to apply reading, research and note taking skills to accomplish the task.  
Have a great weekend.

Le Français  Mme Turner   after school Thursday, mornings by pre-arrangement
gturner@fps.k12.me.us
This week we will continue with family, the verb “avoir”  and expressions using “avoir”. We will also begin possessive adjectives. There will be a quiz on the verb “avoir” and expressions. Students should be able to describe the makeup of their families!…and what they like to do!

La Clase de Español
Sra. Lowery
elowery@fps.k12.me.us
Next week, I will be available after school on Tuesday, and by appointment.  ¡Gracias!

This week in Spanish we continued to pick up new vocabulary relating to foods.  Students are using what they learn to construct stories, first by hearing a story told and answering questions in Spanish, then by participating in re-telling the story, and finally by independently re-telling the story with a partner or before the class.  We also learned how to conjugate all regular present tense verbs, and students created a reference card containing their key conjugation facts.  In the coming week, we will complete our unit on foods with an assessment over vocabulary and grammar.  Students will create and share original stories incorporating new vocabulary, and will be expected to interpret a new story for the spoken portion of the assessment. 

ELA Writer’s Workshop
Ellen Santora
esantora@fps.k12.me.us
After school: Tuesday, Wednesday

Since last week flew by, the quiz on Elements of Plot (see plot pyramid to study) and Modes of Writing (see Modes of Writing handout to study) will be this Wednesday for A & B Blocks, Thursday for C,D, and E.  The last independent book discussion for Crispin Lit Circles is Thursday for A Block and Friday for BCD and E. (All students should be finished reading the book at this point.) We will also be working on independent narrative writing to demonstrate ability to write a story with an intact plot.  This piece of writing should be drafted by Friday, April 1st (no joke), to be finalized through conferencing next week.  Students will be working with Crispin Lit Circle groups to prepare the final presentation in a “fish bowl” style where groups will present their discussions in front of the class audience – Presentation Date: To Be Announced.

WIP 3.21-3.25

Mrs. Paul available Tuesday, Wednesday after school for academic support

Mathematics
Please note, there will be no math team practice this Friday (March 25) as Mr. Towle and Mrs. Bennett will be at the state math conference.

After School Help:
Monday – Mrs. Moore
Tuesday- NO AFTER SCHOOL HELP AVAILABLE – Mrs. Bennett, and Mr. Towle will be at a Math Meet in Biddeford
Thursday – Mrs. Bennett and Mrs. Hodgkins

Next week, we will explore the usefulness of unit rates especially in terms of making decisions as an informed consumer.  There will be a quiz at the end of the week to assess this skill.

Science Mrs. Stuart after school Tuesday and Thursday,  Wednesday is science club

We will first read about the different nutrients and what our body uses them for . Students should also be able to tell you what chemical is used to test for sugar ( benedicts solution) and what chemical is used to test for starch ( lugols) and how each test is preformed.  Students will begin the study of the  digestion process that happens in the mouth and then an introduction of the process in the stomach. They should be making flash cards from their word splashes and reviewing vocabulary on a nightly basis.

ELA: Writing Workshop
Ellen Santora
esantora@fps.k12.me.us
After school: Tuesday, Wednesday

In the coming week, we will be reviewing plot terms to construct our own Narratives: our first guided piece of writing. The focus will be on Introductions: Characterization, Setting, and Tone/Mood.  We will be investigating the language of Crispin with an “Image Palette” and writing a poetic piece using the imagery of Avi mixed with our own.  Independent Reading contracts will come home – Please review this and sign to support your child’s selection of novels and goal setting for independent reading. There will be a quiz of “Modes of Writing” and “Plot Terms” toward the early part of next week. Regarding Literature Circles: We will be changing the date of the Lit Circle presentation to Wednesday, March 23rd for B Block and Thursday for A, C, D, and E.  In order to be fully prepared for this discussion, students are expected to be up to Ch. 47 in Crispin and have their work completed per their role.

Spanish  – Ms. Campbell
After school on Tuesday and Thursday
e-mail:marshacampbell@fps.k12.me.us

Class A and B have the “La Familia” -family tree activity due on Monday. Class E will be doing that this week and handing it in on Thursday. We’ll be wrapping this lesson up with an oral assessment on the family. Students will be asked to record a conversation with another student on the family. I’ll be listening for comprehension, and ability to express one self understandably. We have practiced this in class with different activities, so it’s a matter of being able to use what you have learned in a less structured situation.

 French  – Mme Campbell
After school on Tuesday and Thursday
e-mail:marshacampbell@fps.k12.me.us

We are wrapping up lesson 8 and will have Unit test this week on Thursday. The first part of the week we will continue the review we started on Wednesday of last week. Students should be focusing their study on their weak points, whether it’s the irregular verbs: être or faire, or the interrogative expressions like “Est-ce que? or Qu’est-ce que?” and “ À qui or Quand? The test will be much like the quizzes we have done so far, but will cover more material. Review is essential.

Le Français    Mme Turner    after school Tuesday
gturner@fps.k12.me.us
This week we will reconnect with family vocabulary in combination with prior vocabulary and themes. Students will have a small project due on Tuesday and a quiz on family vocabulary on Wed. We will also begin the irregular verb “avoir” and look at important expressions using this verb.

WIP 3.14-3.17

This week will be shortened due to conferences, Early Release Day, and Community Dialogue and many teachers will not be available for after school help, so please schedule accordingly.

Unless your student has a scheduled conference, please expect to see and review a conference reflection sheet along with teacher comments found on Powerschool. Please note that all conferences are student-led, so we expect your child to attend!

The 7th grade will be hosting a dance/wellness day consisting of a series of guided workshops, on the Early Release Day, Thursday, March 17th. Please be sure that your child is dressed comfortably and appropriately for lots of movement!

Mathematics

After School Help:
Monday – Mrs. Moore will NOT be available due to a Math Meet
Tuesday – Mrs. Bennett, Mr. Towle

Due to spring conferences, the seventh grade wellness day on Thursday, and the Community Dialogue on Friday, most math classes will meet only twice.  During the time we have, we will examine and connect the idea of unit rates to what students already know about ratios and about linear relationships.

Science:  Mrs. Stuart No after school due to conferences

Next week we will explore the length of the digestive tract and learn how to test for different nutrients in food.
Students should begin to make flash cards of the new vocabulary words.
During third trimester students will still have the opportunity to earn bonus points, but the opportunity for retakes will be available only on a case by case basis. Please talk with your child about how they did on the matter and energy test. What did they do to prepare, when did they do their preparation and did they ask for help? Having the actual test a week in advance was different, and many students  used this opportunity to prepare a well thought out poster and essay.

La Clase de Español
Sra. Lowery
elowery@fps.k12.me.us

This week we completed our first storytelling segment.  Students used a set of 16 new words and expressions to tell a short tale in Spanish based on a storyboard.  Some students told the story, or parts of it, to the entire class, and everyone took part in telling it to a partner, as well as listening and acting it out.  We also had a vocabulary assessment, which the entire class did very well on.  They should be proud of their work in Spanish this week, congratulations!  We have a short week coming up, with only two class meetings.  In that time, we will practice our new set of words leading up to the next short story in the foods unit. 

Next week, I will be available after school on Tuesday, and by appointment.  ¡Gracias!

Spanish  – Ms. Campbell
After school on Tuesday 
e-mail:marshacampbell@fps.k12.me.us

This week we got deep into possessive adjectives and comparative phrases, both a bit challenging. We will continue with our work on these and integrate the family vocabulary we are working with in this Unit. Expect a vocab quiz next week on Lesson 2 vocab. When we complete this unit, or perhaps before if time is tight, I will be doing a short unit on Spain in the Middle Ages: al andaluz. This is planned to dovetail with the unit underway in Social Studies on the Middle Ages. More on this later.

 The new trimester starts this week and with it a change in policy about retaking quizzes. There will be no retakes because of low grades. If a student is out the day of the quiz, as always they can take it later, but this should be done as soon as possible after the missed date. Reflection sheets will be going home early in the week. This is an opportunity to discuss progress and set goals for the rest of the year.

French  – Mme Campbell
After school on Tuesday
e-mail:marshacampbell@fps.k12.me.us

We are continuing with lesson 8, the verb Faire and the interogatives. Once this lesson is done I plan to give a unit test, something we haven’t had in French this year so far. This will cover Unit 3, (lessons 5-8). We will review before the test and the date will be published on my homework site beforehand. I’m not sure just how the schedule will work out but I also want to do a short unit on Charlemagne to coincide with the current unit on the Middle Ages in Social Studies. More on this later.

 The new trimester starts this week and with it a change in policy about retaking quizzes. There will be no retakes because of low grades. If a student is out the day of the quiz, as always they can take it later, but this should be done as soon as possible after the missed date. Reflection sheets will be going home early in the week. This is an opportunity to discuss progress and set goals for the rest of the year.

Le Francais       Mme Turner      Before school by pre-arrangement
gturner@fps.k12.me.us
We will be finishing up our mini-unit on Charlemagne by doing some calligraphy on Monday. We will re-combine family vocabulary with other vocabulary learned so far this year. Students will be introduced to the verb, “avoir”.

ELA WRITING WORKSHOP
Ellen Santora
After School: Tuesday, Wednesday
esantora@fps.k12.me.us

Due to the shortened week, most class time will be given to the discussion and comprehension of Crispin: The Cross of Lead.  We will have a brief review of Chapters 1-24 prior to this week’s Literature Circle discussion of chapters 24-34.  If time presents itself, we will do a writing exercise “borrowing” the imagery Avi uses to create the vivid text of this novel.  Please be on the lookout for an “Independent Reading Contract” detailing reading expectations in the Writing Workshop to be reviewed and signed by student and parent.

WIP for 3.7-3.11

Please note, spring conferences are almost here – parents recently should have received an email from your child’s homeroom teacher with information regarding your child’s conference plan.

Additionally, some teachers will be updating comments about your student through Powerschool, so please be sure to check the portal over the next two weeks.

Science: Mrs. Stuart 
After School Tuesday and Thursday, Wednesday is Science Club

Next week students have their final test of the second trimester. Students were given the test so they can practice their drawing and paragraph. Please ask them to show you and explain the diagram. In addition have them show you their paragraph. They should have both and they should check their work against the rubric they have.
We will begin our human body unit with the digestive system. Students will have lots of vocabulary in this unit and should be making flash cards and keeping them for the final assessment.

Mathematics

After School Help:
Monday – Mrs. Moore
Tuesday- Mrs. Bennett
Wednesday- Mrs. Hodgkins
Thursday – Mrs. Bennett, Mrs. Hodgkins

In class, students are learning to write comparison statements using complete sentences and backing them up with mathematical data.  These comparisons include the use of part to part ratios, part to whole ratios, percents, differences, and multiplication.

There will be a quiz on these skills at the end of the week.  In quizzes and in homework, students are ALWAYS expected to show all of their work that leads to an answer.   Clear, effective communication is a learning goal for mathematics and is a skill that students need to develop.  Showing the steps used to find a solution to a problem, not just the solution, is required.  Lately, we have found that some of our students are not showing their work and are simply listing answers to problems.   We want you to know that we do not accept this work as complete.

Your students have learned a lot of mathematics this year and we would like to see them continue their good work up through the end of the year.  Any encouragement you could give them would be greatly appreciated.

Le Francais    Mme Turner      Help before school with notice due to assisting with the swim team for 3 more weeks
gturner@fps.k12.me.us
Monday students will finish retelling the story of “Crictor” and the video work about chez Mimi, “Les Copains”. We will plunge back in time to the “Moyen Age” (Middle Ages) and learn of the remarkable contributions by Charlemagne.

Spanish  – Ms. Campbell
After school on Monday and Tuesday
e-mail:marshacampbell@fps.k12.me.us

We have been wrapping us the skits and starting Lesson 2 in Unit 3 this week and will continue with Lesson 2 : La familia, in the coming week. We have lots of family vocabulary and the possessive adjectives to learn. We will be TALKING as well as writing about our families. Telling peoples ages and asking questions are also part of this unit. Don’t be surprised with your children ask you how old you are or how old their aunts and uncles are… it all in for the sake of learning Spanish! The cuadernos are to be graded this week as well.

French  – Mme Campbell
After school on Monday and Tuesday
e-mail:marshacampbell@fps.k12.me.us

In the coming week we will continue with LEÇON 8, emphasis is on asking questions. What are you doing. We’ll learn the verb faire ( to do, to make) and combine it as we build on the blocks from earlier lessons. When we have finished with this lesson we will have out first Unit test on the lessons that comprise the Unit 3. Then take a little break to learn about the Middle Ages and Charlemagne, dove tailing with the current study of the Middle Ages in Social Studies. The cahiers will be collected for a grade this week as well. 

La Clase de Español
Sra. Lowery
elowery@fps.k12.me.us

This week in Spanish we began a new unit on foods.  In this unit, we are learning and practicing the new vocabulary in a different way.  We are learning small chunks of words and phrases in the context of a story, and we are attaching a gesture to each new word.  In this way, we will have fewer vocabulary words, but more frequent opportunities to use the vocabulary in creative, and hopefully memorable, ways.  At the end of the unit we will have a matching vocabulary test, as usual, and students will also be asked to interpret a new story, as well as to tell a new story based on a series of pictures. 

I am available after school on Tuesday & Thursday, and by appointment.  Students wishing extra practice, or needing to make something up before the end of the trimester, should feel free to stop by.  ¡Gracias!

ELA Writing
Gold Crew
Ellen Santora
esantora@fps.k12.me.us

This week will be the beginning of the Writing Workshop for Gold Crew students.  We will be reviewing the vocabulary and strategies of the writer.  A number of documents will be coming home for your review and signature, including: The Welcome Letter, An Independent Reading Contract, and a Goal Setting sheet.  Additionally, students are reading Crispin for the Medieval Unit – linking with the Social Studies exploration – and culminating in the much celebrated “7th Grade Medieval Festival”.  I very much look forward to sharing in the writing process with Gold Crew kids!

Social Studies
Lord Stein and Lord Fox
jstein@fps.k12.me.us
rfox@fps.k12.me.us
Late Day :Stein-Tues      Fox-

The Medieval Europe unit, called Christendom, has begun in earnest. Students (serfs) have been divided into manors, within which they will work as a community for the next many weeks. Each manor will have a number of tasks to accomplish, some individual, some as a group. The first major task of the week is to sign a contract between the lords and vassals. (For the sake of this class we will allow the serfs to have some voice.) From these agreements, taxes will be determined as well as protection and loyalty. Following the signing of the contracts we will read about the economics of Manorialism and the general life of the serfs. Following a brief study of the parts of the castle, each manor will begin designing visual representations of the manor, complete with castle walls and moat monsters!

WIP 2.14-2.18

Mathematics

After School Help:
Monday – Mrs. Moore
Tuesday- Mrs. Bennett, Mr. Towle
Wednesday-
Thursday – Mrs. Hodgkins, Mrs. Bennett

This  week, students  begin a new unit, Comparing and Scaling.  This unit will explore making sense of data through the use of comparison. 

There are many standard ways to make comparisons (for example, fractions, ratios, rates, differences, and percents). One of the fundamental goals of school mathematics, especially middle-grades mathematics, is to help students develop flexible understanding, skill, and disposition in using strategies for comparing quantities.

As a reminder:
We require students to show all work when solving problems.  This is good mathematical communication and an important skill.  Whether you use an electronic calculator or the calculator between your ears, mathematical work must show the number sentence used to arrive at an answer and the answer is to be labeled.   WE DO NOT ACCEPT ANSWERS THAT DO NOT SHOW WORK.  As you see work being done at home, it should be organized, easy to follow, and show all the steps used in the solution.

Le Français       
Mme Turner      
No after school help due to being assistant swim coach from Feb. 14th-March 25th. Before school help available every day except Monday.
Students will finish their oral assessment on Monday. We will begin the story of “Crictor” by Tomi Ungerer. This will be continued after Winter break. Have a restful break!

Spanish, Señora Lowery
elowery@fps.k12.me.us
After school on Tuesday & Thursday, and by appointment

This week we have learned the last of of the key irregular verbs for the year, the verb IR (to go).  We will be wrapping up Unit 2 next week through a creative oral project, as well as a written assessment on the forms and uses of IR and ESTAR.  I am available after school on Tuesday & Thursday, and by appointment.  Students wishing extra practice, or needing to make something up, should feel free to stop by.  ¡Gracias!

Science:  Mrs. Stuart
After School Wednesday

Next week students will be working with a partner to design and complete the ocean current lab. If your child will be missing school next week please have them come see me to schedule time after vacation to complete the lab work. We have had a great time racing our phytoplankton and zooplankton. It was great to see how creative they can be!

Spanish  – Ms. Campbell
After school on Tuesday and Thursday
e-mail:marshacampbell@fps.k12.me.us

This week we had another vocabulary quiz on interrogatives which showed that some of the students still need to spend some time learning these very important 8 words. In the coming week we will be creating a “restaurant skit” in groups of 3-5 students. The students will work in class to write the skit, practice it and present it to the class. This week will be the time to make up or retake the two quizzes we have had so far this lesson.

French - Mme Campbell
After school on Tuesday and Thursday
e-mail:marshacampbell@fps.k12.me.us

This week we started lesson 7 in which we are working more on conjugating the ER verbs in sentences as well as using them in the infinitive with other verbs like “like”, “want”, “ must”. We worked on sentences with the ER verbs in a “pictograma” and will continue to work on this in the coming week. A quiz on conjugation of these verbs will be given next week, second half of the week.

Social Studies
Ray Fox
After school Wednesday
rfox@fps.k12.me.us

This week we will continue our map study of Europe. There will be a map quiz covering the political map of Europe and a few of the physical features as well. The quiz will be the third class of the week. Any student who is planning on missing the third class of the week due to leaving early for vacation will need to take the quiz before they leave. If they do not, they will not be given an opportunity to make it up.

Students will also be “traveling” to a couple of European countries each night by completing a short research assignment. The idea is to bring their research and visuals back to class each day to share.

When time permits we will be looking into the current crisis in Egypt. This will involve watching videos, looking at protest signs, and reading newspapers articles from around the world, including from within the Arab world. The week will culminate with a discussion about what the United States role should be in this crisis.

ELA Reading Workshop
Becky Hayes
After School Tuesday/Thursday

This past week we wrapped up The Outsiders with both the comprehensive test and the film. Next week, we will be combining the ELA classes (Blue/Gold = Green to launch the next group novel, Crispin, which compliments the Medieval Unit in Social Studies. Students will be reading and discussing Crispin in Green-Literary Circles,for the month of March. Upon returning from February break, the Gold Crew kids will transition into the Writer’s Workshop with Ms. Santora for the remainder of the year, and the Blue Crew kids will transition into my Reading Workshop.

WIP 2.7-2.11

Mathematics

After School Help:
Monday – Mrs. Moore
Tuesday- NO AFTER SCHOOL HELP AVAILABLE DUE TO MATH MEET IN SACO
Wednesday- Mr. Towle, Mrs. Bennett
Thursday – Mrs. Bennett (unless math meet is postponed), Mrs. Hodgkins

On Friday (Thursday for Blue A Block), there will be a unit test on mathematical similarity in Stretching and Shrinking.  We have been posting comments about homework and assessments in PowerSchool.  Click on any grades that are highlighted in blue to receive more information about your child’s actual progress.  Please encourage your student to stay after school for extra review if necessary.  

Shawn and I talked about adding a statement that asked the parents to not just look at their child’s grade in power school, but to also read all the comments we have been putting in power school about the work we have collected.

In preparation for our next unit, Comparing and Scaling (Ratio, Proportion, and Percent), we are taking a couple days to review fractions, decimals, and percents – concepts learned in grade 6.

Le Français    Mme Turner   after school Tues. & Thurs.
gturner@fps.k12.me.us
This week we will review after school activities in preparation for an oral assessment on Wed. Students have a list of topics they need to be able to talk about; this includes questions and responses. Monday Cootie catchers that tell the near future are due. Tuesday there is a quiz on the future proche. We will begin the much-loved children’s story “Crictor” in French. Students will be able to recount the story in French!

Science, Mrs. Stuart , After School Wednesday

Students will be working on their “Sinking Races” project over the weekend and next week. We will “race” on Thursday or Friday depending on how we move through the in class work.
In class students will be completing their carbon lab and construction of a glucose molecule. Then they will begin to design their own lab to explain ocean currents. By Wednesday they should be able  to explain photosynthesis and cellular respiration to you, where they occur and what are the raw material and products.
Their cell tests will be on power school Wednesday or earlier depending on when they take the moodle part. The review sheet was a very helpful tool to those who have done well, their practice really had an impact on their results.

Spanish, Señora Lowery
elowery@fps.k12.me.us
After school on Tuesday & Thursday, and by appointment

In the coming week we will continue to practice the irregular verb ESTAR (to be), in the context of describing feelings and locations.  We will have the assessment on unit 2.2 vocabulary (English to Spanish, and vice versa) on Monday.  This week we will also meet the forms of the irregular verb IR (to go).  We will learn to invert the subject and verb in asking questions, and will practice this skill in writing and orally.  I am available after school on Tuesday & Thursday, and by appointment.  Students wishing extra practice, or needing to make something up, should feel free to stop by.  ¡Gracias!

ELA Reading Workshop
Becky Hayes
After School Tuesday/Thursday

With the close of the first semester, students should have completed 8 Independent Reading strategies/analyses (many students turned in work on this past week, so Powerschool is not completely up-to-date yet); please speak with your child to see if they met this Reading Workshop goal. This upcoming week also brings us to the completion of our group novel The Outsiders, with test prep on Monday and the comprehensive test on Tuesday 2.8 for B, C & E classes and D & A on Wednesday, with the critically-acclaimed movie version to follow.

WIP 1.31-2.4

Mathematics

After School Help:
Monday – Mrs. Moore
Tuesday- Mrs. Bennett, Mr. Towle
Wednesday- Mrs. Hodgkins
Thursday – Mrs. Bennett, Mrs. Hodgkins

We have been working on proving proportionality (and hence similarity) by comparing the ratios of base : height in geometric figures.  Many parents have been helping their children to determine missing side lengths using a proportion and cross multiplication.  Even though this is the way many of us learned to solve this type of problem, research has indicated that teaching cross products is counterproductive and often interferes with the concept of scale factor that we are trying to teach.  Treating ratios like equivalent fractions will save time and multiple misunderstandings in the long run.

The snow days delayed our administration of the Partner Quiz which will be given at the beginning of the week.   It will be returned to students before they take the unit test which should be during the second week of February (barring any unforeseen snow days).

Science: Mrs. Stuart  After School Wednesday

Students have a cell test on Tuesday/Wednesday. They have a review sheet that they should be working on. Please ask to see their work, they should have drawings labeled and lists and flash cards for vocabulary.
Next week we will finish the carbon cycle lab and begin the ocean currents lab. They will be working on designing a phytoplankton or zooplankton that is the slowest sinker at home. They will need one or two standard size marbles for this so I gave them the information early. Their only homework until the test is to study.

Le Français   Mme Turner   after school Tues. & Thurs.
gturner@fps.k12.me.us
Due on Monday is an assessment project on writing sentences incorporating vocabulary on sports and places. The grammar pieces are verb conjugations and contractions. This next week we will continue with the verb “aller” and move into the near future. Students will make fortune tellers!

Spanish, Señora Lowery
elowery@fps.k12.me.us
After school on Thursday, and by appointment

This week in Spanish we will learn the two important irregular verbs ESTAR (to be) and IR (to go), and will use them in various activities to communicate about life at school.  We will have an assessment on the current vocabulary (unit 2.2 in cuadernos) on Friday.  ¡Gracias!

Social Studies
Jeremy Stein
Ray Fox
jstein@fps.k12.me.us
rfox@fps.k12.me.us
After school: Stein :Tues/Wed

This week the Blue and Gold crews will be combining for our Asia Culmination project. Students will be assigned one of the Asian cultures that we have been investigating and given a particular aspect of their society to dig deeper into. As a group (mixed Blue/Gold) they will research, answer questions, make a power point slide and create some sort of visual/performance to demonstrate their understanding of their topic.

Current Events logs are also due at the start of the week, but there are no “question” due this month.

ELA Reading Workshop
Becky Hayes
After School Tuesday/Thursday

With the close of the first semester quickly approaching (tomorrow!), students should have 8 Independent Reading strategies/analyses completed (many students turned in work on Friday, so Powerschool is not completely up-to-date yet); please ask your child how many they’ve completed to see if they’ve met this goal. This week will also bring us to the completion of our group novel The Outsiders, with final work, analyses, discussions and test prep to close out the week. The comprehensive test on the novel will be Monday 2.7 for A,B,C & D classes and E on Tuesday, with the critically-acclaimed movie version to follow.