Language Arts

We are in the middle of our Lord of the Flies unit, with the essential question being about moral dilemmas. Students should have finished their Lit Circle books by now (they were due January 9), so that they can effectively work in groups to plan their debates. Each Lit Circle book has been given a unique debate topic that connects to their reading, and Miss Harris’s class will have a debate with Ms. Smith’s class regarding these topics on February 27. 

Please remind students that the reading expectation for Independent Reading is 100 pages per week and if your student is utilizing i-Ready, they need to pass four lessons each week.  These goals will help your student continue to grow as a reader and be on track for 8th grade.

Math

We are closing up our unit involving equations and expressions and moving into our angles, triangles  and prisms unit. In this  unit, the students will use formulas to find the measurement of 2 and 3D. objects  This will include Area, Surface Area and Volume; along with measuring of complimentary and supplementary angles.  Students will have the opportunity to build their own 3D prisms using legos in order to visualize compound shapes.  

Integrated I Math

Students have just transitioned to learning about Exponential Decay situations, and we will start off February learning about Exponential Decay situations, and continue to research a college of our choice in order to see if the cost of college is increasing at an exponential or linear rate. After Exponential decay, students will continue to learn about exponents through simplifying exponential expressions using laws of exponents. Students will also learn about Scientific Notation and operations such as multiplying and dividing with numbers represented in scientific notation. Something you can do at home is point out any opportunities with very very large or very very small numbers, when the use of scientific notation would be more useful than writing out a long number.

Science

February marks the continuation of our Human Biology unit.  In January, students learned about the importance of blood, how the cardiovascular system moves cells (and molecules!) around the body and the sequence of respiration which facilitates gas exchange inside of the lungs.  But … this is much less than the whole picture of how our bodies keep us alive!  Our attention will now shift to exploring the process of digestion - how food is broken down and absorbed into the bloodstream.  Students will engage in a hands-on lab investigation simulating mechanical and chemical breakdown, participate in a one-act play illustrating the important functions of the liver and learn what would happen if you only ate a diet of potato chips (surprisingly, the answer isn’t obesity!).

Our focus will then turn to the BIG IDEA of this unit - how the body takes molecules from respiration and digestion to make ENERGY.  Students will build a physical model and take on the role of documentary film-makers, recording and narrating their model in action.  By the end of the month, your child should be able to explain how cellular respiration keeps you alive - feel free to ask about this topic to see what they’ve learned! 

Social Studies

We are wrapping up our current unit on geography and economics. Students have been learning about different types of economic systems and how the geography of the land contributes to the local economy. In the next couple weeks, students will choose a location using maps and charts to create a business plan with a small group of students. They will research the location’s economic system, standard of living, and GDP. They will also take into account local natural resources and climate. Students will create a marketing poster to go along with their business idea. In mid-February, we’ll start our Sub-Saharan Africa unit exploring colonization and apartheid in South Africa.