Language Arts

In December, we will begin our next two units, beginning with a mini unit on rhetorical appeals (ethos, pathos, and logos), which will teach students how best to write a persuasive argument and partake in a debate. 

Following this, we will begin our Lord of the Flies unit. The essential question we will be answering will be connected to human nature and morality. Students will be given their new Literature Circle books, and are expected to stay up to date on their reading and their quiz checkpoints. 

Students are still expected to read 100 pages per week (if they are doing independent reading) or four lessons in I-Ready each week. As they complete these tasks, they should be updating their trackers which can be found in Schoology (as their successful completion is part of our gradebook). 

Ask your student(s) to describe an example of ethos, pathos, and/or logos (think about persuasive advertisements and what makes them so convincing). 

Reminder: If students are not on track with their I-Ready lessons or Independent Reading by the end of break, (they should either have 22 I-Ready Lessons or 600 pages of independent reading completed), we will be pulling them into recess until they are back on track. They have had weekly check ins from us, and are reminded every class period that they need to be doing their lessons or independent reading. There have also been phone calls made home. Please support us in helping your student(s) succeed by encouraging them to catch up before the end of Thanksgiving break. 

Math

In this unit, students are learning about rational numbers and integers.  This is a NO CALCULATOR unit and therefore we encourage students to practice their multiplication tables to help be successful in recognizing patterns.  We are building on concepts related to  operations with fractions and decimals, along with operations of negative and positive numbers.  

This unit includes a Project Based Learning activity where students were asked to help create a board game using real world integer applications.  We encourage students to continue to build their skills with IXL and to stay on top of their Exit Tickets.

Integrated I Math

Students are continuing with the Linear Equations, Linear Systems, and Solving Systems of Equations unit. For the December portion of this unit, Students will learn about different types of solutions to equations, such as one solution, no solutions, and infinitely many solutions. Students will learn to recognize these different solution types from graphs and from an algebraic solution (such as 

Science

As we come to the end of our Earth’s Geosphere unit, we will shift our focus to project based-learning with our ‘Geosphere Disasters’ presentations.  Students will choose a specific disaster caused by plate motion (earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tsunamis) and apply what we’ve learned about the mechanics of plate tectonics to explain why (in geologic terms) a disaster occurred and how human lives were affected by this event.  More importantly, students will then research how cities that could potentially experience future disasters should plan for and react to prevent loss of human life.  They will investigate disaster mitigation planning and effective evacuation strategies, as well as how technology like earthquake-proof engineering and early warning systems can be used in this endeavor. In addition, students can opt to get feedback from actual scientists at USGS (United States Geological Survey) to share their work with a wider audience. 

Social Studies

Students are currently learning about different government systems. They are looking at democratic systems in comparison to authoritarian governments. We’ll continue examining these systems through the book, “The Unwanted: Stories of Syrian Refugees” by Don Brown. This is a graphic novel that helps illustrate the struggle people face under an authoritarian regime. The book also looks at the courage and resilience of refugees all over the world. We will finish the book after fall break. Students will continue analyzing other countries and government systems and will finish with a choice project around an Eastern Hemisphere country. 

Please make sure to have your student show you their grades in Schoology. If anything is marked missing, they can work on this over break to help catch up on their assignments.